Microsoft Great Plains and Microsoft Retail Management System (Microsoft RMS) are getting new market share due to the Microsoft strong marketing campaign. Both products: Microsoft Great Plains and Microsoft RMS are coming from the same Microsoft subdivision - Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS), however due to the fact that both products were bought by Microsoft from different vendors, the integration between the two is not an easy thing. At this time MBS has RMS integration on the General Ledger and Purchase Order level into Great Plains out of the box. This integration has some advancements in comparison to old product: QuickSell, but it is still GL and PO only. We do understand the need for midsize and large retail companies, structured as clubs and selling on account to their members to have more adequate integration when you can synchronize your Sales information and have robust Great Plains reporting.
There is the product on the market, which is integration on the Receivables Management level from RMS to Great Plains, written by Daniel Sionov and Andrew Karasev and maintained by the alliance between LightEdge Solutions (www.lightedge.com) and Alba Spectrum Technologies (www.albaspectrum.com). In Alba Spectrum Technologies we actually do coding and product tuning for specific client needs.
If you are developer you can end up with your own custom solution, we would like to give you directions.
1. Great Plains Integration Manager - if the sales volume is very low, say 100 transactions per day - then you can do data export from RMS and import it into Great Plains via Integration Manager. This is rather end-user tool - it is very intuitive, it validates 100% of business logic, brings in/updates master records (accounts, employees, customers, vendors. etc.) brings in transactions into work tables. The limitation of Integration Manager - it does use GP windows behind the scenes without showing them - so it is relatively slow - you can bring 100 records - but when you are talking about thousands - it is not a good option. By the way you can program Integration Manager with VBA.
2. eConnect – You can create VB.Net application which will be pulling info from RMS and then uses eConnect to move it to Great Plains. eConnect is kind of Software Development Kit with samples in VB.Net. Obviously the development environment should be Visual Studio.Net. eConnect will allow you to integrate master records - such as new customers, vendors, employees, etc., plus you can bring transactions into so called Great Plains work tables (eConnect doesn't allow you to bring open or historical records - you need to post work records in Great Plains, the same limitation applies to Integration Manager above) eConnect is rather for ongoing integration. It was initially created for eCommerce application integration to Great Plains.
3. SQL Stored Procedures. The product we've mentioned above is collection of stored procs. Obviously you have unlimited control and possibilities with SQL queries. You need to know Retail Management System Headquarters and Great Plains tables structure and data flow. Launch Great Plains and go to Tools->Resource Description->Tables. Find the table in the proper series. If you are looking for the customers – it should be RM00101 – customer master file. If you need historical Sales Order Processing documents – they are in SOP30200 – Sales History Header file, etc. Do not change existing tables - do not create new fields, etc. Also you need to realize that each GP table has DEX_ROW_ID - identity column. Sometimes it is good idea to use inbound/outbound XML in the parameters - then you can deploy web service as a middle party between two systems. RMS tables structure is self explanatory.
4. Data Transformation Services (DTS) – Good tool for importing your third party data into staging tables in GP - then you can pull them in using either stored procs of Integration Manager. You can also deploy this tool for EDI export/import.
5. Great Plains Dexterity Custom Screens. You can create the window, which will have integration settings in it - RMS store ID matching GP Company database, etc. Sometimes users prefer to have seamlessly integrated into GP interface custom screens - for parameters settings and initiating integration. Dexterity is a good option, however remember - it is always better to create new custom screen versus customizing existing one - due to the future upgrade issues. Also - Dexterity is in phasing our by Microsoft Business Solutions.
6. Modifier/VBA custom buttons on the existing screens - alternative to Dexterity is you are comfortable with VBA and ADO.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Finding keywords to build your web site traffic.
What are web site keywords and how do I go about finding keywords that will work for me?
You may have the dandiest web site with eye popping text and graphics, but if you have missing keywords then you are going to be out of business quick.
Web sites revolve around traffic. No traffic = no sales. It’s a simple equation but one that many web site owners are unable to resolve. The good news is that it’s reasonably easy to select your web site keywords and deploy them, and I’m going to show you how.
Web site keywords are the words that people will use to search for your product or service. These are the words that people actually type into a search engine to find your site – so you can see how important they are.
So how do you go about selecting your keywords?
Selecting and finding keywords and phrases most likely to drive targeted traffic is THE single most important exercise that you can undertake when planning your web site deployment. Omitting this step will result in a marketing failure. Choosing good keywords is the basis on which all of your future traffic will flow.
You may have your own ideas about the specific keywords that people will use to find your site, however I can tell you from experience that if you are the business owner or proprietor then you are probably well wide of the mark.
Don’t believe me! Write down the top five keywords or keyword phrases that you think people will use to find your site now! Go and grab a paper and pen and scribble them down. Then compare them to what you are going to end up with at the end of this article.
Firstly ask your customers how they would search for your product!
This is important because these are the real human beings that will search for your product, service or information. Draw up a list of ten of the most popular keywords and keyword phrases that your customers tell you they would use to discover your web site and then put them into a spreadsheet.
2. Expand Your Keywords into a List of Key Phrases
Starting with the obvious keyword build your spreadsheet like this:
search
search engine
search engine optimization
search engine optimization Birmingham
search engine optimization Birmingham UK
3. Got to word tracker.
Sign up for the free trial and enter your one word keyword. In this case “search”. When you press the search button you are returned a list of related terms. The first term is the same as the keyword followed by a list of related terms – search, search engine, etc. Choose your main term “search” and in the right hand pane you will see the associated terms for your keyword.
4. Organise your workload
You can now see that you are beginning to build up a sizeable list of keywords, keyword phrases and search terms. Compare the results of your word tracker research with the results from your customer polling.
The Word tracker results are fact. These are the terms that are actually used in Real searches. Hopefully these should closely match. But they are probably different to the terms that you initially wrote down yourself!
Five keywords is a good workload to start with. If you are a beginner and you attempt more you will likely end up confusing yourself. Five keywords and keyword phrases is a good start.
Take the first keyword and then make a keyword phrase so that it looks like this:
search
search engine
search engine optimization
search engine optimization Birmingham
search engine optimization Birmingham UK
5. Prioritise your terms
There is a huge amount of competition for your primary keyword “search” but much less for the fifth ranked. Your word tracker results will tell you how popular each term is and how many searches are carried out for each keyword phrase.
It’s unreasonable to expect to get top search position for “motorcycle” as the competition is just too intense. However it’s perfectly possible for the last term and if you are serious about search engine traffic then you should be able to achieve good results for all of your other keyword phrases.
List your terms in REVERSE order and go to work. The reason I suggest doing them in reverse is that you should get good results from the less searched for terms and this will give you the encouragement to be more adventurous when you repeat the process for another keyword set.
Another keyword set!
Ah yes, I omitted to tell you that building traffic is a tedious and time consuming pastime, but hey! Someone’s got to do it!
6. Putting your keyword phrases to work
OK, so now you have your keyword phrases you can put them into action. Allocate each keyword phrase to a specific page and build the content around them.
What do I mean by this?
There are “hotspots” on your pages that search engines look for when they are indexing your pages.
These hotspots are the page title, the page description and the page heading. By incorporating your keyword phrase into these hotspots you are telling the search engine what your page is all about. Sprinkle in some eye-popping copy with your keyword phrase repeated once or twice and you are well on your way to receiving copious amounts of search engine traffic.
7. Repeat the dose
As I mentioned above, you need to build on your basic five keyword phrases and build up a stack of “keyword sets” Once you get to five or more keyword sets then you should be well on your way to a successful web site By allocating each keyword phrase to a page you will know that you need five pages for each keyword set. So five keyword sets will give you twenty five pages of search engine content. That’s a good target for a small web site
Summary
Finding keywords is a process that you simply can not afford to leave out of your marketing mix. It’s important that you target the correct keywords and build your content around them to induce good search engine traffic.
If you miss this vital step then all of your marketing efforts will crumble around you.
Start with five keywords and keyword phrases to make a keyword set. Use word tracker to sanitise your own research findings. Allocate each keyword phrase to a page and fill the hotspots. Sprinkle liberally with good, quality content and repeat your keyword phrases within the main body text.
Now go and service that traffic!
You may have the dandiest web site with eye popping text and graphics, but if you have missing keywords then you are going to be out of business quick.
Web sites revolve around traffic. No traffic = no sales. It’s a simple equation but one that many web site owners are unable to resolve. The good news is that it’s reasonably easy to select your web site keywords and deploy them, and I’m going to show you how.
Web site keywords are the words that people will use to search for your product or service. These are the words that people actually type into a search engine to find your site – so you can see how important they are.
So how do you go about selecting your keywords?
Selecting and finding keywords and phrases most likely to drive targeted traffic is THE single most important exercise that you can undertake when planning your web site deployment. Omitting this step will result in a marketing failure. Choosing good keywords is the basis on which all of your future traffic will flow.
You may have your own ideas about the specific keywords that people will use to find your site, however I can tell you from experience that if you are the business owner or proprietor then you are probably well wide of the mark.
Don’t believe me! Write down the top five keywords or keyword phrases that you think people will use to find your site now! Go and grab a paper and pen and scribble them down. Then compare them to what you are going to end up with at the end of this article.
Firstly ask your customers how they would search for your product!
This is important because these are the real human beings that will search for your product, service or information. Draw up a list of ten of the most popular keywords and keyword phrases that your customers tell you they would use to discover your web site and then put them into a spreadsheet.
2. Expand Your Keywords into a List of Key Phrases
Starting with the obvious keyword build your spreadsheet like this:
search
search engine
search engine optimization
search engine optimization Birmingham
search engine optimization Birmingham UK
3. Got to word tracker.
Sign up for the free trial and enter your one word keyword. In this case “search”. When you press the search button you are returned a list of related terms. The first term is the same as the keyword followed by a list of related terms – search, search engine, etc. Choose your main term “search” and in the right hand pane you will see the associated terms for your keyword.
4. Organise your workload
You can now see that you are beginning to build up a sizeable list of keywords, keyword phrases and search terms. Compare the results of your word tracker research with the results from your customer polling.
The Word tracker results are fact. These are the terms that are actually used in Real searches. Hopefully these should closely match. But they are probably different to the terms that you initially wrote down yourself!
Five keywords is a good workload to start with. If you are a beginner and you attempt more you will likely end up confusing yourself. Five keywords and keyword phrases is a good start.
Take the first keyword and then make a keyword phrase so that it looks like this:
search
search engine
search engine optimization
search engine optimization Birmingham
search engine optimization Birmingham UK
5. Prioritise your terms
There is a huge amount of competition for your primary keyword “search” but much less for the fifth ranked. Your word tracker results will tell you how popular each term is and how many searches are carried out for each keyword phrase.
It’s unreasonable to expect to get top search position for “motorcycle” as the competition is just too intense. However it’s perfectly possible for the last term and if you are serious about search engine traffic then you should be able to achieve good results for all of your other keyword phrases.
List your terms in REVERSE order and go to work. The reason I suggest doing them in reverse is that you should get good results from the less searched for terms and this will give you the encouragement to be more adventurous when you repeat the process for another keyword set.
Another keyword set!
Ah yes, I omitted to tell you that building traffic is a tedious and time consuming pastime, but hey! Someone’s got to do it!
6. Putting your keyword phrases to work
OK, so now you have your keyword phrases you can put them into action. Allocate each keyword phrase to a specific page and build the content around them.
What do I mean by this?
There are “hotspots” on your pages that search engines look for when they are indexing your pages.
These hotspots are the page title, the page description and the page heading. By incorporating your keyword phrase into these hotspots you are telling the search engine what your page is all about. Sprinkle in some eye-popping copy with your keyword phrase repeated once or twice and you are well on your way to receiving copious amounts of search engine traffic.
7. Repeat the dose
As I mentioned above, you need to build on your basic five keyword phrases and build up a stack of “keyword sets” Once you get to five or more keyword sets then you should be well on your way to a successful web site By allocating each keyword phrase to a page you will know that you need five pages for each keyword set. So five keyword sets will give you twenty five pages of search engine content. That’s a good target for a small web site
Summary
Finding keywords is a process that you simply can not afford to leave out of your marketing mix. It’s important that you target the correct keywords and build your content around them to induce good search engine traffic.
If you miss this vital step then all of your marketing efforts will crumble around you.
Start with five keywords and keyword phrases to make a keyword set. Use word tracker to sanitise your own research findings. Allocate each keyword phrase to a page and fill the hotspots. Sprinkle liberally with good, quality content and repeat your keyword phrases within the main body text.
Now go and service that traffic!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Displaced Dragons!
While dragons are somewhat mystical and mythical, there exists another type of dragon. These ones are real enough and specialists at silent manoeuvres.
Unlike the dragons of legend, they come with help, or so it would seem.
Worms, mail worms or viruses, their names are less important than their action.
Cutting to the chase, see for yourself the reality, and reason to yourself your reaction, to such helpful mail;
START OF COPY
FROM Administration@myparticulardomain.com
SUBJECT Notify about using the e-mail account.
Dear user of myparticulardomain.com gateway e-mail server,
Our main mailing server will be temporary unavaible for next two days, to continue receiving mail in these days you have to configure our free auto-forwarding service.
Advanced details can be found in attached file.
For security purposes the attached file is password protected. Password is "77200".
Best wishes,
The myparticulardomain.com team
http://www.myparticulardomain.com
END OF COPY
Things to note about above mail;
I replaced the name of my domain with “myparticualdomain”
It also had an attachment “Attach.zip(12.4KB)”.
Double spacing between “Advanced” and “details”, and a similar deal with “For” and “security”.
Unavailable was miss spelt.
MOST IMPORTANT THING. I didn’t or don’t need this type of “help”.
Following is another example;
START OF COPY
FROM MAILER-DAEMON
SUBJECT DELIVERY REPORTS ABOUT YOUR E-MAIL.
Dear user me@myparticulardomain
We have found that your email account has been used to send a huge amount of junk e-mail during the recent week.
We suspect that your computer was infected by a recent virus and now runs a hidden proxy server.
We recommend that you follow instructions in order to keep your computer safe.
Best wishes,
myparticulardomain.com user support team.
END OF COPY
Notes on above mail;
I changed the email address and domain name, as with the first example. Otherwise, it is as delivered (some format change, of course).
It forgot to mention that it had an attachment.
The attachment was a “letter.zip (1.32KB)”.
I didn’t especially want this “help” either.
Conclusion. While there is no need to get paranoid, some care should be taken. As anyone can make mistakes, proper administrators don’t make many, as their professional credibility is on the line. For example, they rarely assume that everyone will spot the attachment, rarely miss spell, and almost never, miss spell often. Generally, they don’t send executables or attachments and will direct you to an U.R.L. or web address, if something is needed. They are also aware of this sort of thing and always have webspace with instructions, or similar facilities.
So, while there are a million ways to infect unprotected machines, potential infections as above can be avoided and avoided simply. IGNORE THEM. It is the frenzied call to action that can cloud the judgement, so TAKE YOUR TIME. As with a desert induced mirage, a cup of water and the time to drink it, can steady the nerves and dissolve the illusion.
Unlike the dragons of legend, they come with help, or so it would seem.
Worms, mail worms or viruses, their names are less important than their action.
Cutting to the chase, see for yourself the reality, and reason to yourself your reaction, to such helpful mail;
START OF COPY
FROM Administration@myparticulardomain.com
SUBJECT Notify about using the e-mail account.
Dear user of myparticulardomain.com gateway e-mail server,
Our main mailing server will be temporary unavaible for next two days, to continue receiving mail in these days you have to configure our free auto-forwarding service.
Advanced details can be found in attached file.
For security purposes the attached file is password protected. Password is "77200".
Best wishes,
The myparticulardomain.com team
http://www.myparticulardomain.com
END OF COPY
Things to note about above mail;
I replaced the name of my domain with “myparticualdomain”
It also had an attachment “Attach.zip(12.4KB)”.
Double spacing between “Advanced” and “details”, and a similar deal with “For” and “security”.
Unavailable was miss spelt.
MOST IMPORTANT THING. I didn’t or don’t need this type of “help”.
Following is another example;
START OF COPY
FROM MAILER-DAEMON
SUBJECT DELIVERY REPORTS ABOUT YOUR E-MAIL.
Dear user me@myparticulardomain
We have found that your email account has been used to send a huge amount of junk e-mail during the recent week.
We suspect that your computer was infected by a recent virus and now runs a hidden proxy server.
We recommend that you follow instructions in order to keep your computer safe.
Best wishes,
myparticulardomain.com user support team.
END OF COPY
Notes on above mail;
I changed the email address and domain name, as with the first example. Otherwise, it is as delivered (some format change, of course).
It forgot to mention that it had an attachment.
The attachment was a “letter.zip (1.32KB)”.
I didn’t especially want this “help” either.
Conclusion. While there is no need to get paranoid, some care should be taken. As anyone can make mistakes, proper administrators don’t make many, as their professional credibility is on the line. For example, they rarely assume that everyone will spot the attachment, rarely miss spell, and almost never, miss spell often. Generally, they don’t send executables or attachments and will direct you to an U.R.L. or web address, if something is needed. They are also aware of this sort of thing and always have webspace with instructions, or similar facilities.
So, while there are a million ways to infect unprotected machines, potential infections as above can be avoided and avoided simply. IGNORE THEM. It is the frenzied call to action that can cloud the judgement, so TAKE YOUR TIME. As with a desert induced mirage, a cup of water and the time to drink it, can steady the nerves and dissolve the illusion.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Attention: You could loose your ru-domain
Attention: You could loose your ru-domain
As RIPN, the Russian registry reports, RIPN stops to perform the duties of .RU Second Level Domain Names Registrar from 2005 January 01. But RIPN remains the operator of the ru-registry and continues to provide technical support of Domain Name Registration System and name servers of ru-domains. It will stay also registrar concerning org.ru-domains , net.ru-domains , .pp.ru-domains and com.ru-domains Therefore all Second Level Domain NameRegistration Agreements between RIPN and persons or entities will be terminated from January 01, 2005.
It will be impossible to extend registration terms of ru-domains sponsored by RIPN after the termination of the Second Level Domain Name Registration Agreements. All ru-domains registered before January 01, 2005 will be supported by RIPN till expiration date. To maintain and renew the domain name registrations of existing ru-domains it is necessary to transfer domains sponsorship to another active registrar.
If you do not want to loose your ru-domain, you should transfer it before January 2005 to ICANN Registrar Secura.(https://www.domainregistry.de/ru-domain.html).
Hans-Peter Oswald
https://www.domainregistry.de/ru-domain.html
About The Author
Hans-Peter Oswald
https://www.domainregistry.de/ru-domain.html
CEO
ICANN accredited registrar Secura
secura@domainregistry.de
This article was posted on July 28, 2004
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As RIPN, the Russian registry reports, RIPN stops to perform the duties of .RU Second Level Domain Names Registrar from 2005 January 01. But RIPN remains the operator of the ru-registry and continues to provide technical support of Domain Name Registration System and name servers of ru-domains. It will stay also registrar concerning org.ru-domains , net.ru-domains , .pp.ru-domains and com.ru-domains Therefore all Second Level Domain NameRegistration Agreements between RIPN and persons or entities will be terminated from January 01, 2005.
It will be impossible to extend registration terms of ru-domains sponsored by RIPN after the termination of the Second Level Domain Name Registration Agreements. All ru-domains registered before January 01, 2005 will be supported by RIPN till expiration date. To maintain and renew the domain name registrations of existing ru-domains it is necessary to transfer domains sponsorship to another active registrar.
If you do not want to loose your ru-domain, you should transfer it before January 2005 to ICANN Registrar Secura.(https://www.domainregistry.de/ru-domain.html).
Hans-Peter Oswald
https://www.domainregistry.de/ru-domain.html
About The Author
Hans-Peter Oswald
https://www.domainregistry.de/ru-domain.html
CEO
ICANN accredited registrar Secura
secura@domainregistry.de
This article was posted on July 28, 2004
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by Ray Geide
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by Sharon Housley
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by Mark Furber
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by Barbara Jackson
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by Sibylla Nash
Friday, February 15, 2008
Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade – things to consider and FAQ
If you have Microsoft Great Plains and support it for your company then you need to know some technical details about Great Plains version upgrade and what is going on behind the scenes, which options do you have in case of Dexterity, VBA, SQL customization, additional complexity comes with migration from ctree/Pervasive to MS SQL/MSDE.
What is upgrade in the language of technology? Upgrade has server and client sides.
Server side - upgrade converts tables from old format to the new one. In general words - Microsoft Business Solutions developers may change table structure, append additional fields to add new functionality, things like that. Upgrade copies the table with changes to temporary table, then drops original table, recreates it with new structure and copies all the data from temp table to the newly created one.
Workstation side - workstation is written in Great Plains Dexterity and has Dynamics.exe - engine and DYNAMICS.DIC - dictionary. These two plus all the additional files will be replaced with the new ones. Other dictionaries, such us REPORTS.DIC and FORMS.DIC should be also upgraded and upgrade will try to deal with them automatically. In some cases modified reports (in REPORTS.DIC) could not be upgraded and need to be recreated in the new version.
What is customization upgrade? You should consider different types of customizations: Dexterity, VBA/Modifier, SQL, ReportWriter, Crystal Reports
Dexterity Customization - being very short - Dexterity may have so called Custom Forms - these do not need upgrade - they should work as is. Then Dexterity may alter existing Great Plains forms (so-called Alternate Great Plains forms) - in this case Dexterity customization should be redone for these forms/screens. Plus additional consideration should be given to Dexterity triggers, shadow tables, etc.
VBA/Modifier customization - Modifier allows you to modify existing Great Plains windows - it creates so called modified Great Plains windows, stored in FORMS.DIC. Usually modification is placing new buttons or fields, which in turn will be given VBA scripts (stored in DYNAMICS.VBA). VBA scripts may call something nice, like Crystal Report, or have some data access logic. Usually the old version of DYNAMICS.VBA workds with the new version. You may need to rearrange buttons on the modified form.
SQL - you may have some stored procs for data integration, EDI or the like - if the addressed tables will be changed in the new version then you need to analyze your SQL code. The good news is - Microsoft Business Solution doesn't make a lot of changes since version 7.0, because Microsoft is now trying to merge the products it owns: Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta - and so has different priorities
ReportWriter - MBS doesn't change tables, but it keeps changing Dexterity formulas used in ReportWriter original reports - this is the problem in so-called Modified Reports upgrade - usually you have these reports modified: SOP Blank Invoice form, SOP Blank Picking ticket, etc. If report can not be upgraded - it should be redone in the new version with some exceptions.
Crystal Reports - the nice thing about Crystal Report - id doesn't need to be upgraded (if the fields in the tables exist in the new version - which is usually true statement)
What is upgrade for third-party modules? Your Great Plains may have so-called third party modules: Mekorma, Kampdata, Horyzon, Wennsoft, Avalara, Truepay, Trinity, Intellisol to name a few
Third party modules may have their own utility for upgrade. You just need to know that your third-party is ready for the new Great Plains version - if not - you just wait and stay on the old version.
What is migration from Ctree/Pervasive.SQL 2000 to MS SQL/MSDE? MBS has migration tool. You need first to install Great Plains on SQL Server with exactly the same account/segments structure and then install migration tool (it is Dexterity chunk) on your ctree/Pervasive workstation - then, when you integrate the chunk - you will map it to target SQL-based Great Plains Company, select all system and company tables, click the button and it will move all your tables one-by-one. In the case when your Great Plains ctree/Pervasive has third parties - you need to check if the vendor has migration tool - otherwise you have to do manual move, use SQL Linked server to your legacy data
Do I need consultant? It is probably good idea to have consultant to do the upgrade. We strongly recommend you to use consultant in the following cases
You have Dexterity customization
You are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools
You have a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports
You have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnteroprise 6.0 or prior - in this case you can not appeal to Microsoft Technical Support - it is discontinued
Your Great Plains has more than 20 users and you have to have upgrade done over the weekend - if it fails - you have business problems
You don't have support - in this case you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for the annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for the upgrade
What is upgrade in the language of technology? Upgrade has server and client sides.
Server side - upgrade converts tables from old format to the new one. In general words - Microsoft Business Solutions developers may change table structure, append additional fields to add new functionality, things like that. Upgrade copies the table with changes to temporary table, then drops original table, recreates it with new structure and copies all the data from temp table to the newly created one.
Workstation side - workstation is written in Great Plains Dexterity and has Dynamics.exe - engine and DYNAMICS.DIC - dictionary. These two plus all the additional files will be replaced with the new ones. Other dictionaries, such us REPORTS.DIC and FORMS.DIC should be also upgraded and upgrade will try to deal with them automatically. In some cases modified reports (in REPORTS.DIC) could not be upgraded and need to be recreated in the new version.
What is customization upgrade? You should consider different types of customizations: Dexterity, VBA/Modifier, SQL, ReportWriter, Crystal Reports
Dexterity Customization - being very short - Dexterity may have so called Custom Forms - these do not need upgrade - they should work as is. Then Dexterity may alter existing Great Plains forms (so-called Alternate Great Plains forms) - in this case Dexterity customization should be redone for these forms/screens. Plus additional consideration should be given to Dexterity triggers, shadow tables, etc.
VBA/Modifier customization - Modifier allows you to modify existing Great Plains windows - it creates so called modified Great Plains windows, stored in FORMS.DIC. Usually modification is placing new buttons or fields, which in turn will be given VBA scripts (stored in DYNAMICS.VBA). VBA scripts may call something nice, like Crystal Report, or have some data access logic. Usually the old version of DYNAMICS.VBA workds with the new version. You may need to rearrange buttons on the modified form.
SQL - you may have some stored procs for data integration, EDI or the like - if the addressed tables will be changed in the new version then you need to analyze your SQL code. The good news is - Microsoft Business Solution doesn't make a lot of changes since version 7.0, because Microsoft is now trying to merge the products it owns: Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta - and so has different priorities
ReportWriter - MBS doesn't change tables, but it keeps changing Dexterity formulas used in ReportWriter original reports - this is the problem in so-called Modified Reports upgrade - usually you have these reports modified: SOP Blank Invoice form, SOP Blank Picking ticket, etc. If report can not be upgraded - it should be redone in the new version with some exceptions.
Crystal Reports - the nice thing about Crystal Report - id doesn't need to be upgraded (if the fields in the tables exist in the new version - which is usually true statement)
What is upgrade for third-party modules? Your Great Plains may have so-called third party modules: Mekorma, Kampdata, Horyzon, Wennsoft, Avalara, Truepay, Trinity, Intellisol to name a few
Third party modules may have their own utility for upgrade. You just need to know that your third-party is ready for the new Great Plains version - if not - you just wait and stay on the old version.
What is migration from Ctree/Pervasive.SQL 2000 to MS SQL/MSDE? MBS has migration tool. You need first to install Great Plains on SQL Server with exactly the same account/segments structure and then install migration tool (it is Dexterity chunk) on your ctree/Pervasive workstation - then, when you integrate the chunk - you will map it to target SQL-based Great Plains Company, select all system and company tables, click the button and it will move all your tables one-by-one. In the case when your Great Plains ctree/Pervasive has third parties - you need to check if the vendor has migration tool - otherwise you have to do manual move, use SQL Linked server to your legacy data
Do I need consultant? It is probably good idea to have consultant to do the upgrade. We strongly recommend you to use consultant in the following cases
You have Dexterity customization
You are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools
You have a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports
You have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnteroprise 6.0 or prior - in this case you can not appeal to Microsoft Technical Support - it is discontinued
Your Great Plains has more than 20 users and you have to have upgrade done over the weekend - if it fails - you have business problems
You don't have support - in this case you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for the annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for the upgrade
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Reporting Tools for Microsoft Great Plains – overview for developers
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular, partly because of Microsoft muscles behind it. Now it is targeted to the whole spectrum of horizontal and vertical market clientele. Small companies use Small Business Manager (which is based on the same technology – Great Plains Dexterity dictionary and runtime), Great Plains Standard on MSDE is for small to midsize clients, and then Great Plains serves the rest of the market up to big corporations. There are several reporting tools available and you definitely need to know which one to use for different types of reports.
If you are developer who is asked: how do we create report for Microsoft Great Plains – read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.
1. Great Plains Report Writer (ReportWriter) – this is built-in reporting tool. All the original report in Great Plains are written in ReportWriter. ReportWriter itself is Dexterity module. You should use this tool if you would like to modify existing Great Plains reports, such as Blank Invoice Form - here you can place your company logo, change the positioning, fonts, colors, etc. ReportWriter will allow you also do new reports - simple option if you want to export all the records from one Great Plains table - use it. New report, however doesn't have interface where you would enter parameters - so it is not useful for real custom reports. Another limitation of ReportWriter - you can not do cross-modules report - when you need sales and purchasing info on the same report for example.
2. FRx. This is excellent tool when deal with financial reporting - it works on the General Ledger level (Balance sheet, P&L, Cash Flow Statement, etc.). It also allows you to do multiple companies consolidation - when you do consolidated Balance Sheet (with inter-companies transactions elimination).
3. Smart List - Export to Excel – this is nice feature in Great Plains - you could create a list with simple criteria and then export it to Excel.
4. Crystal Reports. It gives you unlimited functionality. Obviously flexibility requires you to know Great Plains table structure: Launch Great Plains and go to Tools->Resource Description->Tables. Find the table in the proper series. If you are looking for the customers – it should be RM00101 – customer master file. If you need historical Sales Order Processing documents – they are in SOP30200 – Sales History Header file, etc. Create ODBC connection to GP Company database. Use the same technique as when you create standard ODBC connection for GP workstation – but change default database to targeted company database. Create SQL Query to probe the data – we always recommend tuning your query and see that you are getting adequate results – in any case – Crystal Report is just a nice tool to show the results of your query.
5. Direct Web Publishing off Great Plains databases – yes - it is easy now with Visual Studio.Net and you can hire good programmers. This is good - Microsoft Business Solutions products: Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta will be integrated into so called Microsoft Business Portal - which will have web interface - you can get the idea if you look at Microsoft CRM web client - so derecti web publishing is good taste.
6. SQL Queries. If you have SQL background - this is great field for you. You know - with properly formatted SQL query you can realize simple EDI export/import for the integration with legacy systems.
Happy designing! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
If you are developer who is asked: how do we create report for Microsoft Great Plains – read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.
1. Great Plains Report Writer (ReportWriter) – this is built-in reporting tool. All the original report in Great Plains are written in ReportWriter. ReportWriter itself is Dexterity module. You should use this tool if you would like to modify existing Great Plains reports, such as Blank Invoice Form - here you can place your company logo, change the positioning, fonts, colors, etc. ReportWriter will allow you also do new reports - simple option if you want to export all the records from one Great Plains table - use it. New report, however doesn't have interface where you would enter parameters - so it is not useful for real custom reports. Another limitation of ReportWriter - you can not do cross-modules report - when you need sales and purchasing info on the same report for example.
2. FRx. This is excellent tool when deal with financial reporting - it works on the General Ledger level (Balance sheet, P&L, Cash Flow Statement, etc.). It also allows you to do multiple companies consolidation - when you do consolidated Balance Sheet (with inter-companies transactions elimination).
3. Smart List - Export to Excel – this is nice feature in Great Plains - you could create a list with simple criteria and then export it to Excel.
4. Crystal Reports. It gives you unlimited functionality. Obviously flexibility requires you to know Great Plains table structure: Launch Great Plains and go to Tools->Resource Description->Tables. Find the table in the proper series. If you are looking for the customers – it should be RM00101 – customer master file. If you need historical Sales Order Processing documents – they are in SOP30200 – Sales History Header file, etc. Create ODBC connection to GP Company database. Use the same technique as when you create standard ODBC connection for GP workstation – but change default database to targeted company database. Create SQL Query to probe the data – we always recommend tuning your query and see that you are getting adequate results – in any case – Crystal Report is just a nice tool to show the results of your query.
5. Direct Web Publishing off Great Plains databases – yes - it is easy now with Visual Studio.Net and you can hire good programmers. This is good - Microsoft Business Solutions products: Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta will be integrated into so called Microsoft Business Portal - which will have web interface - you can get the idea if you look at Microsoft CRM web client - so derecti web publishing is good taste.
6. SQL Queries. If you have SQL background - this is great field for you. You know - with properly formatted SQL query you can realize simple EDI export/import for the integration with legacy systems.
Happy designing! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Crystal Reports for Microsoft Great Plains – overview for developers
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular, partly because of Microsoft muscles behind it. Now it is targeted to the whole spectrum of horizontal and vertical market clientele. Small companies use Small Business Manager (which is based on the same technology – Great Plains Dexterity dictionary and runtime), Great Plains Standard on MSDE is for small to midsize clients, and then Great Plains serves the rest of the market up to big corporations. Crystal Reports on the other hand is the leader in the reporting software industry.
If you are developer who is asked: how do we extend Great Plains ReportWriter with somewhat more sophisticated – read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.
Great Plains Tables Structure – first of all you need to know the tables to link. Launch Great Plains and go to Tools->Resource Description->Tables. Find the table in the proper series. If you are looking for the customers – it should be RM00101 – customer master file. If you need historical Sales Order Processing documents – they are in SOP30200 – Sales History Header file, etc.
Create ODBC connection to GP Company database. Use the same technique as when you create standard ODBC connection for GP workstation – but change default database to targeted company database.
Consider SQL Views – if you don’t want complex links in Crystal Report itself or if you need unionization from several companies – SQL view is the answer.
Consider SQL Stored Procedures. Sometimes you can not pull the data in one view – you need temporary tables to be created and the final query should be based on these temp tables – this is when you need stored procedure.
Call Crystal Report from GP Screens via VBA/Modifier – if the user wants to call Crystal report for example - printing Invoices in GP and do it from SOP Entry window – you can use Modifier and VBA to call Crystal Reports engine.
Create SQL Query to probe the data – we always recommend tuning your query and see that you are getting adequate results – in any case – Crystal Report is just a nice tool to show the results of your query.
If you are developer who is asked: how do we extend Great Plains ReportWriter with somewhat more sophisticated – read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.
Great Plains Tables Structure – first of all you need to know the tables to link. Launch Great Plains and go to Tools->Resource Description->Tables. Find the table in the proper series. If you are looking for the customers – it should be RM00101 – customer master file. If you need historical Sales Order Processing documents – they are in SOP30200 – Sales History Header file, etc.
Create ODBC connection to GP Company database. Use the same technique as when you create standard ODBC connection for GP workstation – but change default database to targeted company database.
Consider SQL Views – if you don’t want complex links in Crystal Report itself or if you need unionization from several companies – SQL view is the answer.
Consider SQL Stored Procedures. Sometimes you can not pull the data in one view – you need temporary tables to be created and the final query should be based on these temp tables – this is when you need stored procedure.
Call Crystal Report from GP Screens via VBA/Modifier – if the user wants to call Crystal report for example - printing Invoices in GP and do it from SOP Entry window – you can use Modifier and VBA to call Crystal Reports engine.
Create SQL Query to probe the data – we always recommend tuning your query and see that you are getting adequate results – in any case – Crystal Report is just a nice tool to show the results of your query.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Microsoft CRM Modification – overview for IT specialist
Microsoft CRM is now on the scene and it is increasing its market share, due to the Microsoft Business Solutions muscles and marketing strategy. It is tightly integrated with other Microsoft Business Solutions products such as Microsoft Great Plains, Solomon, Navision.
If you are programmer or database administrator who is asked: how do we modify Microsoft CRM – read this article and you will have the clues for further research.
1. Microsoft CRM SDK – this is software development kit with C# and partly VB.net code samples – it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions technical support. It is based on web service calls, if you are C# .NET developer – you are excellently positioned to do this type of customizations. This is the preferred modification scenario and this should be easily upgradeable customization. VB.Net examples will be available soon.
2. Legacy SQL Data integration. This is also easy and safe. If you have SQL database, sitting on the same or linked SQL Server – you can create ASPX .Net application and simply integrate it into CRM. You can place it on the navigation bar or menu in isv.config – please refer to MS CRM SDK
3. Legacy ASP integration – this is somewhat more sophisticated. You have to deploy HTTP handler to be a middle party between CRM which is .Net based and ASP which is legacy IIS. The trick is – you have to have INI file with security settings to penetrate into MS CRM with proper credentials, calling web service.
4. Microsoft Exchange Programming. Microsoft CRM has Exchange connector – which moves CRM incoming email to MS if it has GUID in its subject. You can alter this logic (for instance - move email to CRM if it doesn’t have GUID but it is from the sender who is contact or account in MS CRM). Refer to MS Exchange SDK onsyncsave event handling. Then simply apply some MS CRM SDK programming - you need some COM+ objects creation and VB programming experience.
5. Direct SQL touch – in #4 above I described you the scenario with MS Exchange handlers – this would be ideal world if MS CRM SDK does the job. But – in real world this is not always true – you have to do direct flags correction in CRM database (like making Activity closed, moving email attachments/octet streams, etc). This is not supported by MBS technical support – but you can rescue to this technique if you have to get job done.
6. MS CRM Customization tool – this is rather end-user tool and we don’t describe it here – read the manual. We’ve described above the options to use when this tool doesn’t do the job
7. Crystal Reports - feel free to create Crystal report - tables and views structure is self explanatory. Try to avoid the temptation to create your own SQL view or stored procedure in MS CRM database, instead - create custom database and place your view and stored proc in it.
Happy modifying! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
If you are programmer or database administrator who is asked: how do we modify Microsoft CRM – read this article and you will have the clues for further research.
1. Microsoft CRM SDK – this is software development kit with C# and partly VB.net code samples – it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions technical support. It is based on web service calls, if you are C# .NET developer – you are excellently positioned to do this type of customizations. This is the preferred modification scenario and this should be easily upgradeable customization. VB.Net examples will be available soon.
2. Legacy SQL Data integration. This is also easy and safe. If you have SQL database, sitting on the same or linked SQL Server – you can create ASPX .Net application and simply integrate it into CRM. You can place it on the navigation bar or menu in isv.config – please refer to MS CRM SDK
3. Legacy ASP integration – this is somewhat more sophisticated. You have to deploy HTTP handler to be a middle party between CRM which is .Net based and ASP which is legacy IIS. The trick is – you have to have INI file with security settings to penetrate into MS CRM with proper credentials, calling web service.
4. Microsoft Exchange Programming. Microsoft CRM has Exchange connector – which moves CRM incoming email to MS if it has GUID in its subject. You can alter this logic (for instance - move email to CRM if it doesn’t have GUID but it is from the sender who is contact or account in MS CRM). Refer to MS Exchange SDK onsyncsave event handling. Then simply apply some MS CRM SDK programming - you need some COM+ objects creation and VB programming experience.
5. Direct SQL touch – in #4 above I described you the scenario with MS Exchange handlers – this would be ideal world if MS CRM SDK does the job. But – in real world this is not always true – you have to do direct flags correction in CRM database (like making Activity closed, moving email attachments/octet streams, etc). This is not supported by MBS technical support – but you can rescue to this technique if you have to get job done.
6. MS CRM Customization tool – this is rather end-user tool and we don’t describe it here – read the manual. We’ve described above the options to use when this tool doesn’t do the job
7. Crystal Reports - feel free to create Crystal report - tables and views structure is self explanatory. Try to avoid the temptation to create your own SQL view or stored procedure in MS CRM database, instead - create custom database and place your view and stored proc in it.
Happy modifying! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
DVD ROMs
DVD CD ROMs have become predominantly the most used CD drive for desktop and notebook computers. They are very reliable and now come as a standard in most computers. If you are looking for a laptop then make sure it has a DVD ROM, this will give you extra speed for normal Cds, and you will be able to watch your favourite DVDs while you travel.
I often sit up late watching DVDs on my laptop after a hard working day.
If you are interested in Desktop computers, then the DVD drive will enable you to watch your favourite DVDs on your monitor. I currently have a 21-inch monitor and a 5.1 computer surround kit. This brings DVDs to life and acts just like a home cinema system, however the quality is even better.
Most DVD ROMs will come in speeds ranging from 4 to 10 speed. This is more than adequate to watch the latest DVDs, play the latest games, and use and install the latest software. Normal CDs can only perform at a certain speed, and it is a lot lower than what the DVD ROM offers. I hope you have a better understanding of why DVD ROMs are now used more than a normal CD nowadays. It is basically all part of bringing a home entertainment system at the best quality closer to everyone.
I often sit up late watching DVDs on my laptop after a hard working day.
If you are interested in Desktop computers, then the DVD drive will enable you to watch your favourite DVDs on your monitor. I currently have a 21-inch monitor and a 5.1 computer surround kit. This brings DVDs to life and acts just like a home cinema system, however the quality is even better.
Most DVD ROMs will come in speeds ranging from 4 to 10 speed. This is more than adequate to watch the latest DVDs, play the latest games, and use and install the latest software. Normal CDs can only perform at a certain speed, and it is a lot lower than what the DVD ROM offers. I hope you have a better understanding of why DVD ROMs are now used more than a normal CD nowadays. It is basically all part of bringing a home entertainment system at the best quality closer to everyone.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
IBM Lotus Domino or Microsoft Exchange?
IBM Lotus Domino or Microsoft Exchange?
The severe competition continues for many years between two main leaders in collaboration solutions - IBM and Microsoft. Whether the choice of a platform influences the ordinary user? The both of software giants put efforts to improve working conveniences for end Internet users. Taking into account that the products value is approximately the same worldwide, new ideas of the platforms integration have appeared. Interesting projects have being realized in the both companies.
Free add-on for Outlook: Notes Connector
Microsoft supports free add-on for Microsoft Outlook client, which allows connection to message/collaboration server Lotus Domino. Office Outlook Connector for IBM Lotus Domino enables using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 or Microsoft Outlook 2002 to access e-mail messages, calendar, address book, and To Do (task) items on an IBM Lotus Domino Release 5.x or Release 6.x server.
Domino Access for Microsoft Outlook 6.5.1
The new IBM Lotus Domino Access for Microsoft Outlook 6.5.1 provides the solution for businesses looking to migrate away from Microsoft Exchange, but don't want to retrain their users. Now company employees can continue using their existing Outlook client for messaging, calendar and scheduling, and personal information management (PIM) services, with replacing Microsoft Exchange server infrastructure to Lotus Domino servers, running on the hardware and operation system of their choice, including Linux.
Platforms support
For Lotus Domino 6.5: Microsoft Windows family (95 SE, 98, NT SP6a, 2000 SP3, XP, 2003); Sun Solaris; Linux, United Linux.
For Lotus Notes 6.5: Microsoft Windows family; Macintosh OS X (10.1 and 10.2).
For Lotus Domino Web Access 6.5: Microsoft Windows family; Red Hat Linux, v. 7.2 or 8.0, SuSE Linux, v. 8.0, United Linux, v. 1.0. It supports the following browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer v. 5.5 and 6.0; Mozilla, v. 1.3.1 Linux-client.
The severe competition continues for many years between two main leaders in collaboration solutions - IBM and Microsoft. Whether the choice of a platform influences the ordinary user? The both of software giants put efforts to improve working conveniences for end Internet users. Taking into account that the products value is approximately the same worldwide, new ideas of the platforms integration have appeared. Interesting projects have being realized in the both companies.
Free add-on for Outlook: Notes Connector
Microsoft supports free add-on for Microsoft Outlook client, which allows connection to message/collaboration server Lotus Domino. Office Outlook Connector for IBM Lotus Domino enables using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 or Microsoft Outlook 2002 to access e-mail messages, calendar, address book, and To Do (task) items on an IBM Lotus Domino Release 5.x or Release 6.x server.
Domino Access for Microsoft Outlook 6.5.1
The new IBM Lotus Domino Access for Microsoft Outlook 6.5.1 provides the solution for businesses looking to migrate away from Microsoft Exchange, but don't want to retrain their users. Now company employees can continue using their existing Outlook client for messaging, calendar and scheduling, and personal information management (PIM) services, with replacing Microsoft Exchange server infrastructure to Lotus Domino servers, running on the hardware and operation system of their choice, including Linux.
Platforms support
For Lotus Domino 6.5: Microsoft Windows family (95 SE, 98, NT SP6a, 2000 SP3, XP, 2003); Sun Solaris; Linux, United Linux.
For Lotus Notes 6.5: Microsoft Windows family; Macintosh OS X (10.1 and 10.2).
For Lotus Domino Web Access 6.5: Microsoft Windows family; Red Hat Linux, v. 7.2 or 8.0, SuSE Linux, v. 8.0, United Linux, v. 1.0. It supports the following browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer v. 5.5 and 6.0; Mozilla, v. 1.3.1 Linux-client.
Friday, February 1, 2008
ICANN Registrar: Great promotion by is-domains!
ICANN accredited registar Secura is announcing today, that the company offers is-domains to persons and companies outside from Iceland.
The is-domains, which are the domains from Iceland, belong to the domains, which become more and more attractive.
The is-domains are specially interesting, because in English, "is" has a meaning. You could make a combination with files, which form sentences like http://www.tommy.is/at/home or http://www.tommy.is/superman.
ICANN accredited registrar Secura can register an is-domain at once, if the domain name is available.
Only companies from Iceland can register is-domains. A company from Iceland acts as trustee and is registering the domain for the customer. The company from Iceland confirms, that you have all rights at these is-domains.
The is-domains, which are the domains from Iceland, belong to the domains, which become more and more attractive.
The is-domains are specially interesting, because in English, "is" has a meaning. You could make a combination with files, which form sentences like http://www.tommy.is/at/home or http://www.tommy.is/superman.
ICANN accredited registrar Secura can register an is-domain at once, if the domain name is available.
Only companies from Iceland can register is-domains. A company from Iceland acts as trustee and is registering the domain for the customer. The company from Iceland confirms, that you have all rights at these is-domains.
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