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If your organization deploys Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains ERP and you arethinking on connecting it to your eCommerce site, we would like to give you initialintroduction - where to start digging GP, tools, integration options, limitations,pluses and minuses and others typical FAQ. Current version of Great Plains is 10.0,we assume that it is reasonable to be at list on version 9.0, prior to beginecommerce connection project otherwise you will be reprogramming your integrationwith version upgrade. If you are on older versions, especially on Pervasive SQL2000/Btrieve or Ctree/Faircom (this might be the case if you are on GP 7.5, 7.0, 6.0or earlier), we recommend you first upgrade to MS SQL Server based version (youshould contact you MBS VAR and they will provide you with the migration tool and itis recommended that professional Great Plains consultant does the conversion)1. Sales Order Processing module or SOP. This module is typically integrated withyour e-commerce application. In eCommerce you create either SOP Order or SOPInvoice. The easiest scenario is to create order or invoice without inventory itemsallocation, this is especially recommended if you are trying to program integrationin SQL stored procedures2. Great Plains tables structure. This is one of the first questions, which we hearfrom developers. You should login GP, depending on version, we will give you thepath for version 10.0: Microsoft Dynamics GP->Tools->Resource Description->Tables. Tables are grouped by GP series: Financial, Sales, Purchasing, Inventory, etc.3. Microsoft Dexterity technology. You should be aware that if you populate GPtable records, you should treat GP business logic accordingly. The most importantis treating GP Dexterity business logic, which is validated when Great Plains clientapplication tries to read records, populated by you if business logic is violatedand could not be validated, Dexterity interface will error out and you will make GPERP inoperable4. eConnect. Yes, this is what you should consider to use whenever possible ine-commerce. eConnect core is set of SQL stored procedures, which allow you tocreate, modify, delete GP master records (customer, vendor, inventory item) and worktransactions (such as SOP invoice, or SOP order), plus eConnect allocates invoice ororder lines, so the limitation of topic one is not a problem here. What eConnectcan not do is post individual transaction or SOP batch this routine is left to GPoperator by GP architecture5. Posting Server. Alba Spectrum Posting Server allows you combine eConnect withautoposting directly from eCommerce application. Posting server is GP Dexterityapplication and should be installed on separate GP workstation (or your GP server,where you keep GP workstation with Posting server running). When deploying postingserver you will need to place approved batches to custom tables and posting serverwill take care of posting process
Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.comhe lp@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving GP customers USA andCanada Nationwide: California, Minnesota, New York, Quebec, Ontario, Illinois,Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Virginia, Florida, new Mexico, Iowa, Indiana,Alaska, Hawaii. Local service is available in Houston/Dallas: Richmond, Rosenberg,Katy, Galveston, Sugar Land; in Chicago: Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield, Romeoville,Batavia, Downers Grove, Schaumburg, Rockford, Elgin, Crystal Lake, Joliet, Hinsdale,Lisle, Montgomery, Oswego
