Microsoft Great Plains Implementation – overview for IT Director/Controller

Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way to popularize it's ERP systems implementation. Right now such products as Microsoft CRM and Small Business Manager (cheap version of Microsoft Great Plains, based on the same Great Plains Dexterity runtime and DYNAMICS.DIC dictionary) are targeted to self-implementation by in-house IT group. This is short article, written in question/answer/FAQ style to give IT Director/Controller balanced top level information on Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains implementation. If you have decided on Microsoft Great Plains as main accounting and ERP system you need to know some technical details on Great Plains installation and implementation and what is going on behind the scenes. As of right now the current version is Microsoft Great Plains 8.0

What is installation in the language of technology? Installation has server and client sides.

* Server side - Installation creates security environment (logins) on MS SQL Server or MSDE, creates system database - DYNAMICS and then company databases. All these tasks are performed by Microsoft Great Plains Utilities

* Workstation side - workstation installation copies the client side application, installs current version of MDAC (we need SQL ODBC driver - please check documentation on ODBC DSN setup), registers the application. If you plan to run Great Plains Utilities from the workstation to create server side (see above) - you need to check Install Client and Server Components

What is following implementation? Implementation requires combination of technological and accounting skills

* System Setup - you should refer to GP documentation. In general setup consists of Company information, General GL/AR/AP/Payroll setup, User classes, Customer/Vendor/Employee classes to name a few

* Master Records - you should either use integration tools, such as Integration Manager, SQL queries or have users to type in all your GL Accounts, Customers, Vendors, Employees .

* Beginning Balances - this is recommended approach - you place aside the old accounting application for querying the historical data and enter beginning balances in Great Plains GL, AR, AP, SOP, POP, Payroll. When you have balances in the system you are ready to use it in production

* Historical Data conversion - this is optional, in order to do historical data conversion you need to know basic Great Plains tables structure (Setup->Tools->Resource Description->Tables Structure). This is similar to surgery - so you probably need outside consultant to help you. If the volume of historical data is small - you can deploy Great Plains Integration Manager and then post the records in the modules.

* User Training - we are just listing this item - it is up to you to decide on the way to train your users

* Using Two Systems in Parallel - this is recommended. You should print the reports from both systems during this test period and compare the results

* Customization - typical areas of customizations: Invoice form, Crystal Reports, pulling info from multiple databases, including Great Plains database, Great Plains forms modification with Modifier/VBA, Great Plains Dexterity forms and logic customization, integration with CRM, RMS and other business systems, web publishing from Great Plains tables, EDI with your suppliers, SQL Data Transformation packages

Do I need consultant? We strongly recommend you to use consultant in the following cases

* You have identified the need for Great Plains Dexterity customization

* You are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools

* You are doing migration from Great Plains Accounting to Microsoft Great Plains

* You have to create a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports

* You have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnterprise 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 in this case the mistake may lead to serious business problems

* You don't have support for your old Great Plains - then 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

Good luck with installation, implementation, upgrade and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

What is Gmail?

Like most other prime search engines, the ability to freely giveaway an email account is a positive tool that signals to the user community that this search engine is here to stay! Google is no different in this approach. Recently, Google has been beta testing Gmail. Google’s very own email services repository. Best of all, it’s free! Well, it’s going to be free, its currently available only in Beta mode, if you are lucky enough to have received an invitation to sign up for a complimentary account you currently enjoy the benefits of ubiquitous Gmail.

Found at gmail.google.com, users were at a frenzied pace to secure the names and aliases that may be snatched up once the floodgates were open. People are exclusively invited to partake in the beta testing were selling their names and invitations for quite a handsome sum on eBay. Most users will have to wait until Gmail goes live before actually trying it out. However with all the functionality at a price like this, how could anyone refuse?

Unlike MSN and Yahoo! Google’s approach to space was a little more liberal. Google provides 1000 MB of storage space so you would never have to worry about limited space requirements. All messages are displayed intact as well as the replies. Messages can be searched upon as well. Google’s approach was to give as much flexibility to the user so the user in turn would use only Google.

Much like the anti-pop up ad theory of The Google Toolbar, there will be an anti-Spam product built into Gmail that will help thwart out unsolicited email.

Currently, new users can ask for a preview address from Google, although there is no guarantee they will get one. Interested parties should go to http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/about.html and fill in their email addresses at the bottom of the page.

What is The Google Toolbar?

No matter what browser you may want to use, you should consider using Google’s toolbar. Google.com, the innovative, stripped-down, add-free search engine that has taken the web by storm has provided an innovative interface through most web browsers; mainly Internet Explorer. This toolbar has many great features for searching around the Internet as well as blocking those annoying Pop-up ads that scream “BUY ME!” every twenty seconds.

Anyone can go to toolbar.google.com and download this great plug-in for your browser. There are various features that come with using it that you may or may not wish to employ. Taking a few minutes before you install it will definitely save you time later on.

Google Search Web

In this interface you can type in keywords, terms, phrases as well as URL’s (Universal Resource Locators) and away you go. By harnessing the Google engine you magically fly through their portal to your destination. You will render a Google search or a direct shot to your URL.

PageRank

With any good toolbar, Google let’s you know how important it thinks the site you are looking is. This rank is rated from 1 – 10, 1 being a very light, low-traveled website and ten which is a site like Google where millions of people visit each day. Your page rank is determined by several factors, keywords, keyword in URL, and reciprocal linking. Reciprocal linking alone buys the user a popular rank as Google looks favorably at websites that share good karma. The larger the number of websites pointing to your site will ultimately help you rise up through the ranking status.

Pop-Up Blocker

You get them, we all get them, those nasty pop-up ads that ask you to lose weight or tell you how to increase your libido. These advertising snippets have become annoying to the point that some websites you cannot even get on because you can be barraged by a plethora of pop-up ads. The Pop-Up Blocker plug-in allows you to receive little if no pop-ups. Google designed this plug-in as an approach to invasion free web surfing. Every time a pop-up rears its ugly head, POW! Add another pop-up to the counter. It actually tells you how many pop-ups the toolbar has thwarted.

BlogThis!

An interesting technology that was designed in the late 1990’s and recently purchased by Google. Blog This! Allows the user to create a private or public diary or workspace to share ideas, search for people, create discussions and just jot down information. These blog’s have become infamous over the past few years and Google has purchased the leading company in the boom.

Autofill capabilities

You may have been looking up a specific keyword or term and found a result that you liked. The Autofill capabilities cache your searching information for present as well as future use should you need to call up previous search requests.

As you can the Google toolbar displays many great features and technologies that you can harness in a few short clicks. The technology involved has far surpassed any other search engine on the planet.

What is Froogle?

Keeping in touch with other sites like Amazon.com, Buy.com and Yahoo.com, Google created a new shopping search tool called “Froogle”. It has been called one of the most innovative price conscious tools on the Internet. Using the same technologies of Google.com, Froogle employs direct data received from merchants and through web crawls alone. Depending on the successes of the beta testing phase will provide adequate information as to whether Google continues with Froogle.

Housing over 15 different products and categories ranging anywhere from electronics, computers, food and gourmet, health care products, books, music and video, sports & outdoor equipment as well as toys and games, the list will only continue to grow in the coming months. Its searching capabilities mirror its mother page; it can be found at froogle.google.com and items can be found either in their product categories or by a dynamic keyword search. The results published are limited to one item per store. Every item appears with a thumbnail attached as well as a detailed product description, which includes price. Google doesn’t bias any website and often you will find products that exist on Amazon and Yahoo. This approach mirrors the Google philosophy of less details, more products.

The remaining products are crawled throughout the Internet as most other keywords are sought. Currently merchants can setup their accounts and sell on Froogle right away! There is no cost or cost per click through associated with adding your products to Froogle. Merchants can sign up for free and monitor how Froogle displays their product. This technology is open to the public at no initial cost or commissions.

Depending on how many items your company may want to sell on Froogle; you have to create a data feed file, which can be done with any spreadsheet software or by a text file. The opportunity to get involved with Froogle is incredible; chances are if you are selling a product and are optimized on the Internet for Google, your product may already exist.

Crystal Reports - Geterogeneus databases: SQL Server, Oracle, Unidata, Btrieve – tips for developer

Crystal Reports is the most flexible tool on the market and it has market recognition. Multiple software vendors offer Crystal Reports as the main reporting tool: Microsoft, Best Software, Oracle to name a few.

Sometimes developers try to use Crystal directly to pull data from multiple database platforms - we understand the need to give you additional tips to increase Crystal report flexibility. Also common case when Crystal report should pull data from multiple database platforms. Assuming that you are creating Crystal Reports on Windows platform - we recommend you to use Microsoft SQL Server as a database access tool.

1. Use Crystal when you have your query tuned – regardless how good Crystal Reports is - it is reporting tool - not querying environment. Tune your query first and be sure that you are pulling the right data.

2. Use SQL Server Linked Servers. Use professional tool, such as Microsoft SQL Server, where you can create linked servers to Oracle, Ctree, Btrieve, MS Access, Unidata, DB2 and other platforms.

3. Use Distributed Queries – in the case of SQL Server - research the possibilities with OPENQUERY, OPENROWSET clauses to connect to non-SQL Server linked servers.

4. Create Stored Procedures - when you need parameters to be transferred to the SQL statement - you need stored procedure. You need stored proc if temp tables are required to do intermediate job in your SQL query.

5. Report Flexibility – when you have report based on the SQL view or stored proc - if you need to modify the data query - you don't have to change the report - you change your SQL view/ stored procedure.

6. Create SQL Query to probe the data – again - 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.

Happy customizing, querying and designing! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Understanding Google AdWords

Google AdWords

Unlike many search engines Google, to its credit, clearly denotes search listings that are paid placement. In fact, Google AdWords appear in a separate section down the left side of the screen.

Google AdWords provide an inexpensive advertising venue for businesses to advertise products or services to a targeted audience. Advertisers have the ability to control their budget, target their advertising based on keywords. Advertisers are also free to determine the ad contents.

Google AdWords allow for nearly instant traffic, which can be turned on and off. Traffic results can be measured, providing information on what is successful, what isn't and what needs to be changed. AdWords can be found that work by running a test campaign.

Benefits to AdWords

Advertisers bid on keywords, the more an advertiser is willing to pay the higher the likelihood the ad will appear higher in position in the list of ads served. Google, invariably wanting to make the most from advertisers, determines placement based on a combination of click through rate, bid amount and budget. Of course, in order to maximize revenue and please searchers Google does have guidelines for ads served and all ads must receive a minimum percentage click through or they are removed.

AdWord Guidelines

Clearly and accurately describe the website, this is to the advertiser and searchers benefit. Ultimately, the more qualified the visitor who clicks the ad, the higher the likelihood the clicker will convert into a sale. By providing clear and accurate information, searchers who click the ad are qualified leads, which tend to convert more consistently than unqualified leads. The most effective advertising communicates a clear message to a targeted audience.

Avoid excessive capitalization, superlatives and lavish exclamation marks in the ad. By doing this you are not only serving the visitor you are filtering unwanted clicks from non-buyers. Due to space limitations your ad message will need to be concise. Select keywords that are relevant to your product, service or content. Call to action phrases are not allowed (i.e. you cannot use phrases like "click here" in your ad copy.) There are also no pop-ups.

Steps for AdWord Campaign

1.) Open an account

2.) Target language and country - This is very important because if your product or service can not be exported you do not want to pay to advertise in those countries for which your product or service can not be sold.

3.) Create Ad Group - design an ad, select keywords, determine maximum cost per click that you are willing to spend and define bid amounts.

Title

The title tag is generally the most important part of the ad be sure to use a short phrase that gets the attention of your target audience. An underutilized feature at Google allows you to put a question mark in the title, the term searched on automatically replaces the question mark in the title of your ad.

Define max click - Google will suggest a cost per click, but the recommendation does not need to be adhered to. Arguments have been heard that #1 position does not always mean increased sales; sometimes a second position will filter useless clicks and provide targeted traffic with a higher conversion ration. The rule of thumb is positions 1-3 garner the most traffic and best results. Increasing either your maximum cost-per-click or the ads click through rate will generally improve the ad's position.

Use keyword variations to reach more prospects. A variety or spellings and derivatives of keywords will increase the chances of your ads being served. Be sure to use common misspellings and plurals in your keyword list.

Broad match - is targeting keywords in a loosely defined manner. Ads appear based on keywords that have been queried by search users. For instance, if the keywords you are planning on broad matching are "mountain bikes" and users search for the terms "bikes that can climb a mountain", your ad will appear; as opposed to exact match, which requires that the keywords selections must exactly match the query.

Phrase match - is indicated when quotations are used in the phrase. A keyword phrase set to phrase match will only appear when the exact phrase is searched on. For example "mountain bikes" will appear when searchers search for "brand name mountain bikes".

Exact match - is when the keyword or phrase is entered with brackets. The phrase will only serve ads when the entered search phrase is identical to the keyword phrase. "Mountain bikes" will only appear when searchers search for "mountain bikes"

Negative keyword - is helpful in filtering unrelated phrases. A dash is entered before the filtering phrase. "Mountain bike -races will not appear if mountain bike races are searched on.

Landing Page - is important because this not only helps with tracking, but also provides a focused and specific landing page for searchers. Information can be related to the actual search, while also increasing the conversion ratios for sales. A focused landing page with content related and using the same terminology as the actual search, will show the searcher that your solution is relevant to their needs.

3.) Define budget - in order to maximize exposure Google recommends a daily budget for each campaign.

Google's suggested budget is helpful in receiving consistent traffic throughout the advertising campaign. Keep in mind this is only Google's recommendation; ultimately it is up to you to determine a budget that is affordable and suitable.

Google supplies tracking tools that assist webmasters in determining their return on investment based on keyword searches and phrases. While the technology is not perfect and cannot track phone and purchase orders, it should give advertisers a sense of what phrases and keywords are converting well in their advertising campaign.

While Google AdWords should not be your only advertising campaign, but should be a significant part of your campaign. Google AdWords can certainly help send those important targeted searchers to your website. Get started with Google AdWords at http://www.google.com/ads/

Remote Collaboration Is Now a Service On The Internet

Easydesk is a new way to co-operate: a user-freindly instrument for the creation of a “virtual office”, designed for professional use, equipped with all the features and and the services needed to assure high performances and above all the maximum security in using it.

It is targeted to: professionals, Small and Medium Companies, Organization, Work Groups to increase the efficiency of the office, improve the collaboration among collegues and with suppliers and clients located anywhere in the World. easydesk grants a daily backup of the data, rapidly cuts some costs of the telephone bill, introduces economically Teleworking, e-learning and CRM.

It does not require to buy software, to create and mantein a personal server or to manage the service.

Easydesk presents a wide range of built-in functions and news ones are been developped for the future:

* Communication: Email, chat, multipart vocal conference, white board (allows making on-line presentations and lessons), forum. High service assures a safe communication).

* Filing: sharing of data located on the easydesk server and on the work stations, possibility to keep the data encrypted and to manage the access rights to them for the users of the office, opportunity to make automatic backup of the data located on the work station of the user.

Easydesk is offered as a service on the internet that one pays for what is needed and for the time it is necessary. The payment is made indeed through a subscription to use a basic office, and any additional function or service installed must be bought with points that can be top up, as for the mobile prepaid cards. The subscription includes the possibility to host up five users per office, up to 50 MB of remote memory and all the functions available at the moment excluded the vocal conference; the subscription can be expanded anytime through the above-mentioned top-up system. The annual subscription of the basic costs 180 Euro.

Successful Internet Marketing Strategies-A Better Approach To Save You Time And Money While Generating Huge Profits by: Eric J. Borden Thinking of

Thinking of starting an Internet business? Maybe you have one and are looking for additional products to sell? Choosing the right business and products are crucial to achieving online success. This is the question facing every Internet entrepreneur. However, you should not be asking yourself what products do I need to sell to achieve this online success. Indeed, the better questions would be: "What market niche(Specific group of potential customers) should I target and what are their current problems and needs? What goods/service could I offer to fill those needs and is my market willing to pay for them? What is the current competition and how can I be unique in the marketplace?" Few marketers actually do the research to answer these questions properly, therefore, never obtaining the profits they so desire.

Common Mistakes of an Internet Marketer:

They sell products in which they have no interest or desire. You must have a passion for what you are selling. If not, your customers will perceive this and not buy from you.

No defined marketing strategy: They don't know to whom they are selling, what their needs are and how to reach them.

The online marketer's strategy consists of selling to everyone. They have no clear definition of "who their target market is." Does this sound familiar? Many internet entrepreneurs have made this unfortunate mistake, including myself. They find a product to sell, put together a website, submit it to the search engines, and wait for the orders to come rolling in. However, in reality how often is this successful? Practically never!

They spend countless hours and thousands of dollars on a product and website without answering the questions that were posed in the opening paragraph.

Solutions to the Internet Marketer's Mistakes:

Find an easy-to-target niche market, one that is easy identifiable. Also, it must be an industry that generates interest, desire and passion for you. Because this is going to be your business, a part of your life. You will need to spend a great deal of time researching and developing it. Being associated with something of interest will greatly increase your odds of success. If you have a passion about a certain subject, customers will sense it and be more motivated to buy from you.

The easiest method of determining a new business idea is to brainstorm. By asking yourself the following questions will elicit a series of hot and profitable business ventures.

What do you enjoy doing?

What is your current occupation?

Did you acquire specialized skills, knowledge and talents from your job?

Hobbies you enjoy?

How do you spend your free time?

What did you enjoy doing as a child?

What were your favorite subjects in school?

What materials do you read on a regular basis?

If you had a choice of a career, what would it be?

If you are still drawing a blank after reviewing these questions, don't worry. My Marketing Research Report: Internet Money Making Ideas Explored tests a variety of potential markets to determine those that have the most potential to succeed. This report can be found at http://www.ideasexplored.com (You are free to use any of the business subjects I mention.) The next step would be to test the ideas from your list. Apply the methods I describe in my Research Ezine that can be found in the section Preparing a Product Market Study: It will take you through the process step-by-step to help determine if your proposed business venture would be profitable.

If you are currently selling on the Internet and are looking for additional products to offer, try the following:

Send a questionnaire to your current customer list. Ask what products and services they would like to see on your website. You could provide a free gift or discount for their response.

Look for products that complement your current inventory. Try to produce as many add-on sales as possible. These added sales can generate huge profits for an Internet business. For example, if you are selling fitness equipment, merchandise such as nutritional supplements and exercise courses would be excellent add-on choices. You could sell it as a package and promote it as "The Complete System to Health and Fitness".

Identify your niche-market: Know who they are, their buying habits and what products most appeal to them. Do not try to reach everyone, select a specific group of people that are ready, willing and able buyers for your product and or service.

The best way to approach this is by studying newsgroups and message boards. By reading the posted messages, these forums can provide a wealth of information. This is also described in my Preparing a Product Market Study. The steps mentioned in the Study can help you solve a number of the biggest mysteries regarding your niche-market. From this Study, you will learn some valuable information. Such as the needs, wants and problems of your market. What product or service to offer and how it would benefit the customer. Finally, it shows what sales strategies are the most effective.

The easiest method to organize this information and create a winning strategy is to set-up a Problem, Feature, Benefit and Solution Worksheet. Also know as the PFBS equation, this statement can be your most valuable tool in identifying the needs and wants of your target market. It will show what products to market and how to sell them.

HOW A PFBS EQUATION WORKS.

Take a sheet of paper and write across the top: Problem, Feature, Benefit and Solution. Then make a list for each topic:

Problem: Make notes of the current problems or needs your target market faces. Later, you will provide solutions to these problems with your product.

Feature: List the various selling points of your product and what features set it apart from the competition. This is where you want to stress your competitive advantages.

Benefit: Now describe what benefit or reward each one of these features offer.

Solution: Finally you want to illustrate that purchasing your product will solve their problems, needs and wants.

Note: Answers to this equation will show you what products to offer and how to develop copy that will effectively sell these products to your target market.

The following is an example of a PFBS equation:

I will use my e-book Internet Marketing on a Shoestring Budget as the topic of study. This book contains various low cost marketing strategies that can be applied to an Internet business. A copy can be found at http://www.ideasexplored.com

After determining the niche-market, my book targets a Problem, Feature Benefit and Solution statement can help determine needs and wants.

Problem

Spending too much money on advertising technique.

Feature

Low cost marketing.

Benefit

Save money

Solution

Cutting ad budget while increasing profit

Another example:

Problem:

Ineffective Ads.

Feature:

Productive ad strategies.

Benefit:

Generate Profit.

Solution:

Better R.O.I.

Note: Conducting a proper Market Research study is crucial in determining the problems facing the customers you are trying to reach. If you need assistance with your study: See Marketing Research and Analysis that can be found in the book Internet Marketing on a Shoestring Budget. A Bonus Product that can be found at: www.ideasexplored.com. The sections about studying Messages boards and Newsgroups provide useful information about needs and wants.

The answers to the PFBS questions will show what products to offer how to effectively sell them.

Finding the right products to sell are crucial to your online success. Therefore, a study of the market we want to target is essential before a marketing campaign can begin. Some ways to gather this information is by studying message boards, newsgroups and sending questionnaires to your current customer base. What you learn from these methods can be applied to a PFBS equation or a Problem, Feature, Benefit and Solution Worksheet. The conclusions you draw from this table can guide you in starting or developing an Internet business.

What You Learn From A PFBS equation:

Hot products to sell
How to create a winning website
Killer Sales Copy
Successful Marketing Strategies

Go to: www.ideasexplored.com. You will find info products on each of these steps and how they can be applied to craft an online venture. These lessons will not only teach you how to generate huge profit, but also the secrets behind successful web automation.

Coping with a Serious Data Loss from your Computer Hard Drive

Data loss is an expensive reality. It's a hard fact that it happens more often then users like to admit. A recent study by the accounting firm McGladrey and Pullen estimates that one out of every 500 data centers will experience a severe computer disaster this year. As a result, almost half of those companies will go out of business. At the very least, a data loss disaster can mean lost income and missed business opportunities.

The other side of data loss is the psychological and emotional turmoil it can cause to IT managers and business owners. Despair, panic, and the knowledge that the whole organization might be at risk are involved. In a sense, that's only fair, since human error is one of the two largest contributing factors in data loss. Together with mechanical failure, it accounts for almost 75 per cent of all incidents. (Software corruption, computer viruses and physical disasters such as fire and water damage make up the rest.)

Disk drives today are typically reliable. Human beings, it turns out, are not. A Strategic Research Corp. study done in 2000 found that approximately 15 per cent of all unplanned downtime occurred due to human error. A significant proportion of that happened because users failed to implement adequate backup procedures, either having trouble with their backups, or having no backup at all.

How does it happen that skilled, high-level users put their systems - and their businesses - at such risk?

In many cases, the problem starts long before the precipitating system error is made, that is, when users place their faith in out-of-box solutions that may not, in fact, fit their organization's needs. Instead of assessing their business and technology requirements, then going to an appropriate engineered solution, even experienced IT professionals at large corporations will often simply buy what they're sold. In this case, faith in technology can be an vice instead of a virtue.

But human intervention itself can sometimes be the straw that breaks the technology's back. When the office of a Venezuelan civil engineering firm was devastated by floods, its owners sent 17 soaked, mud-coated disks from three RAID arrays to us in plastic bags. A tough enough salvage job was made even more complex by the fact that someone had frozen the drives before shipping them. As the disks thawed, yet more damage was done. (After eight weeks of painstaking directory-by-directory recovery, all the data from the remaining fifteen disks was retrieved.)

Sometimes, the underlying cause of a data loss event is simply shoddy housekeeping. The more arduous the required backup routine, the less likely it will be done on a regular basis. A state ambulance monitoring system suffered a serious disk failure, only to discover that its automated backup hadn't run for fourteen months. A tape had jammed in the drive, but no-one had noticed.

When disaster strikes, the normal human reaction is panic. Because the loss of data signifies critical consequences, even the most competent IT staff can jump to conclusions, and take inappropriate action. A blank screen at a critical time can lead to a series of naive decisions, each one compounding the preceding error. Wrong buttons get pushed, and the disaster only gets worse. Sometimes the pressure to correct the system failure speedily can result in an attempt to reconfigure an entire RAID array. IT specialists are typically not equipped to deal with crisis modes or data recovery techniques. Just as a good physician is trained to prolong life, the skilled IT specialist is trained to keep the system running. When a patient dies, the physician turns to others, such as nurses or counselors to manage the situation. When significant data loss occurs, the IT specialist turns to the data recovery professional.

Data recovery specialists are innovative problem solvers. Often, the application of basic common sense, when no-one else is in any condition to apply it, is the beginning of the journey towards data recovery. The data recovery specialist draws on a wealth of experience, married to a "never say die" attitude, and a comprehensive tool kit of problem-solving procedures. Successful recovery outcomes hinge on a combination of innovative logistics, applied problem-solving, and "technology triage," the process of stabilizing an affected system quickly, analyzing and treating its wounds, and preparing it for surgery. The triage process sets priorities, such as targeting which files are needed first or which are absolutely vital to the functioning of the business, and establishes whether files might be recovered in less structured formats (such as text-only), which may be desirable when time is crucial.

The art and science of professional data recovery can spell the difference between a business' success or its failure. Before that level of intervention is required, though, users can take steps to ensure that the probability of a data loss disaster is minimized.

Basic to any business technology plan is a regular fire-drill procedure. Back-up routines may be in place, staff may assigned to specific roles, hardware and software may be configured - but, if the user isn't completely sure that everything works the way it should, a data loss event is inevitable. Having adequate, tested, and current backups in place is critical. A hardware breakdown should not be compounded by human error - if the malfunctioning drive is critical, the task of dealing with it should go to a data recovery professional.

Just as data loss disasters are rooted in a combination of mechanical failure and human error, so, too, the data recovery solution lies in a creative marriage of the technological and the human. The underlying philosophy of successful data recovery is that technology is something to be used by human beings, not something that uses us.

Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise Upgrade – things to consider and FAQ

If you have Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise (version 6.0 or earlier) 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. Currently you are probably thinking to upgrade to Microsoft Great Plains 8.0 or 7.5.

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

Good luck in upgrading and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Microsoft Great Plains Data Conversion – overview for developer

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.

If you are developer who is asked: how do we convert our old system data for initial Great Plains setup – read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.

Great Plains 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 for ongoing integration - for one-time conversion/integration you are probably OK with IM. By the way you can program Integration Manager with VBA.

eConnect – it is type 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.

SQL Stored Procedures. Obviously you have unlimited control and possibilities with SQL queries. You need to know 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. For ongoing integrations - 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.

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.

Great Plains Dexterity Conversion Utilities. If your legacy data sits in old Dexterity customization on Ctree/Pervasice.SQL/Btrieve - you can create custom Dexterity conversion utility, which will read the table in Ctree/Btrieve and will move it to SQL based new custom Dexterity table. In this scenario - you need Dexterity customization upgrade as well. (Great Plains Dexterity - is programming language and technology of former Great Plains Software - Microsoft Great Plains is written in Dexterity)

MS Access – if you are doing one time conversion and your legacy has old ODBC compliant platform - you can use MS Access to create linked tables there - or import into MS Access.

SQL Linked Servers – you can do direct SQL queries to other ODBC compliant platform via SQL Linked Server (including ORACLE, UNIDATA, Pervasive SQL, Ctree, etc) - you may need to familiarize yourself with OPENROWSET command in Transact SQL. This is also good option if you need cross-platform Crystal Report - pulling data from SQL Server and third party databases on the same report.

MS Excel - yes - sometime you can use it for legacy data massage before feeding it into Great Plains.

Warning - do not place existing GP tables into Replication! - you will have upgrade issues.

Happy converting! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com