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- Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is a sophisticated Enterprise Resource Planning system with a multitude of features and options. The implementation of Dynamics GP is usually considered to be complex, and can be very confusing for both end users and consultants. Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Implementation will show you how to effectively implement Dynamics GP 2013 with ease.
"Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Implementation" is a focused, step-by-step tutorial covering the basics of Microsoft Dynamics GP, from licensing to design, before moving on to more complex topics such as implementation planning, installation, setup, and training. Learn how to plan and execute your Dynamics GP implementation from start to finish.
You will start off by learning how to plan a successful Dynamics GP 2013 implementation. You will then move on to learn the important questions to ask, the key setup details that should be decided upfront, and how to plan the infrastructure. Detailed descriptions of all the setup options for the core Dynamics GP modules as well as practical advice on setup will guide you through the myriad of options available in this powerful application. This book will also cover how to import initial data and how to find out what additional resources and tools are available for Microsoft Dynamics GP.
With many detailed and practical examples, "Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013" Implementation will help you plan and complete a successful Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 implementation.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013
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Table of Contents
Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Implementation
Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Implementation
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First published: November 2010
Second edition: September 2013
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Credits
Author
Victoria Yudin
Reviewers
Frank Hamelly
Vaidhyanathan Mohan
Jivtesh Singh
Leslie Vail
Acquisition Editor
Saleem Ahmed
Lead Technical Editor
Sweny M. Sukumaran
Technical Editors
Dylan Fernandes
Monica John
Mrunmayee Patil
Project Coordinator
Kranti Berde
Proofreader
Amy Johnson
Indexer
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Graphics
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Production Coordinator
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Cover Work
Nilesh R. Mohite
About the Author
Victoria Yudin has been designing, implementing, integrating, and customizing business management and accounting systems for over 20 years. She has been a user of Microsoft Dynamics GP (and its Great Plains Software predecessor) since it was available on DOS and has been a Dynamics GP consultant for almost 15 years.
Victoria has the distinction of being the only person in the world named a Microsoft Dynamics GP Most Valuable Professional (MVP) each consecutive year since 2005. She has also been on the DynamicsWorld's Microsoft Dynamics Top 100 Most Influential People list each year since 2010. Victoria has also been in the top 10 of Doug Pitcher’s "most famous, awesome and totally influential Dynamics people" list for all 3 years it has been published. (http://bit.ly/18UaKkL)
Victoria has an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and has numerous certifications for Microsoft Dynamics GP and related technologies.
In November 2000, Victoria started Flexible Solutions, Inc. to bring together her experience in accounting and business with her love for technology. Flexible Solutions (www.GPReportsViewer.com) is a Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner, offering the GP Reports Viewer add-on for Dynamics GP, as well as Microsoft Dynamics GP implementation, reporting, and support services.
In September 2008, Victoria started her blog, called Ramblings and musings of a Dynamics GP MVP (http://victoriayudin.com) to share her experiences and thoughts with the Dynamics GP community. Currently Victoria's blog gets more than 45,000 hits per month. Victoria also regularly helps fellow Dynamics GP users and consultants on many of the Dynamics GP online forums, including Experts Exchange, where she has earned the rank of Wizard.
Victoria previously authored the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Implementation book and has had articles published on MSDynamicsWorld.com and in the GPUG Magazine.
To my parents, Alexander and Svetlana, thank you for your unconditional and unwavering love and support. None of this would have been possible without your sacrifices and hard work.
Thank you to Mickie Stamm for being so amazing to work with and for teaching me everything I know about SQL.
To Leslie Vail, thank you so much for agreeing to review this book—you have added tremendous value to the content and helped clean up my writing. Thanks to Frank Hamelly for your ideas and for finding all my typos. To Jivtesh Singh and Vaidy Mohan, thank you for your insights.
Thank you to all the hard working folks at Packt Publishing for helping me stay on schedule and guiding me through the process.
About the Reviewers
Frank Hamelly is a business and technology professional with over 25 years experience implementing and supporting various ERP systems and business process re-engineering initiatives across all organizational areas and various industries, from mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies. He has held executive positions in Accounting and Finance, and Information Systems. Application experience includes SAP, SAP Business One, Baan, Fourth Shift, and Microsoft Dynamics GP. Industry experience includes manufacturing, telecom, aerospace, life sciences, utilities, and media. He holds a degree in Business Administration with an Accounting concentration from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), and has been a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 2008. He is the author of numerous articles for Dynamics-related websites and a speaker & moderator at Microsoft Dynamics Convergence (2011, 2012, and 2013), GPUG Summit (2011, 2012, and 2013) and MSDynamicsWorld's Decisions Spring 2010, 2011, and 2012. He is the author of the blog GP2themax with over 5,000 page views per month.
Vaidhyanathan Mohan is a Microsoft certified freelance Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant with expertise on Microsoft Dynamics GP and related technologies. Starting his career as a GP developer, he slowly and steadily enhanced his skills on Microsoft Dynamics GP, both on the product and technologies, and became a complete product consultant.
He has worked on various challenging customization developments and Dynamics GP implementations. He is an active participant on all Microsoft Dynamics GP community forums; Microsoft Dynamics GP technical blogger, namely Dynamics GP—Learn & Discuss (http://vaidymohan.com), which is listed on Microsoft's official Dynamics GP blog space.
He is who he is now because of his devoted parents, his brother and family, his wife and his daughter. He is an avid photography enthusiast (http://500px.com/seshadri), music fanatic, coffee addict, and immensely fond of anything about Microsoft Dynamics GP.
Jivtesh Singh is a Microsoft Dynamics GP MVP and a Microsoft Dynamics Certified Technology Specialist for Dynamics GP. Through his blog, which is widely read in the Dynamics GP community—he covers Dynamics GP Tips and tricks and news.
Jivtesh is a Dynamics GP Consultant and Systems Implementer and has been associated with the Microsoft Technologies since the launch of Microsoft .Net framework. Jivtesh has over 10 years of experience in development and maintenance of enterprise software using coding best practices, refactoring and usage of design patterns, and Test Driven Development. Jivtesh recently built a Kinect interface to control the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 R2 Business Analyzer with gestures. Later he built a part of the GP Future demo for Convergence GP Keynote.
Jivtesh has setup a custom search engine directory for Dynamics GP Blog at www.gpwindow.com to help with easier access of Dynamics GP resources for the GP Community. With MVP Mark Polino, he has also set up a Dynamics GP product directory www.dynamicsgpproducts.com
Jivtesh's Blog on Dynamics GP—www.jivtesh.com
Jivtesh's Custom Search Engine for GP Blogs—www.gpwindow.com
Dynamics GP Products Website—www.dynamicsgpproducts.com
Leslie Vail is a CPA and has been working as a Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant for 20 years. She began with Dynamics GP Version 1.0 in 1993. During this period, she has completed numerous implementations, conversions, and custom development projects. She presents at many partner and customer technical conferences and conducts training classes throughout North and Central America.
Leslie is recognized throughout the industry for her product expertise and contributions to the Dynamics GP community. She has been identified by Doug Pitcher from Rose Business Solutions, Inc. as the third most famous, awesome, and totally influential Dynamics GP people for 2013 (http://tinyurl.com/kjvxh3m/). Leslie's home base is Dallas, TX.
As a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), she serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Microsoft Assessments and Certification Exams (ACE) Team. She is a member of the US MCT Advisory Council and has been named a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 2007. She is one of the top contributors to the Microsoft Dynamics GP Community forum and she maintains the popular Dynamics Confessor BlogSpot (http://dynamicsconfessions.blogspot.com/).
She has reviewed and developed Microsoft Courseware, authored the book Developing Microsoft Dynamics GP Business Applications and co-authored the book Confessions of a Dynamics GP Consultant. She has been the Technical Editor of several books dedicated to Microsoft Dynamics GP.
Leslie provides implementation and consulting services for companies ranging from a high-net-worth individual to a multi-national manufacturing firm. She is certified as a Microsoft Certified IT Professional in Microsoft Dynamics GP Applications, Microsoft Dynamics GP Installation and Configuration as well as Microsoft SQL Server. She holds Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certifications in Dexterity, Modifier with VBA, Integration Manager, Report Writer, HR/Payroll, Financials, Inventory and Order Processing, FRx Report Designer, SQL Server 2008, and Microsoft XP Professional.
A skilled developer, Leslie uses Dexterity, Modifier with VBA, Integration Manager and eConnect to provide custom solutions for her clients. She is a Certified Integration Developer (CID), a Dexterity CID, a Dynamics Tools CID, and a Dexterity Certified Systems Engineer.
Her training expertise spans the entire Microsoft Dynamics GP product line. She is an experienced trainer and teaches classes for Dexterity, Financials, Inventory & Order Processing, HR/Payroll, Integration Manager, Modifier with VBA, FRx Report Designer, SQL Server Reporting Services, Report Writer, Crystal Reports, SmartList Builder, Excel Report Builder, Integrated Excel Reports, Extender and System Manager.
Prior to working with Microsoft Dynamics GP, Leslie was the tax director for a large financial institution; before that, she worked for one of the original Big Eight accounting firms as a senior tax accountant.
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This book is dedicated to Joseph Puntasecca, the love of my life.
Preface
Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is a sophisticated Enterprise Resource Planning system used throughout the world. Implementing Dynamics GP for an organization can be a daunting task, requiring thorough planning and understanding of the available features and options. This book provides guidance for the planning, installation, and setup of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 with examples, advice, step-by-step guides, illustrations, and links to useful resources.
While it is specifically written for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013, most of the concepts and explanations will apply to any Dynamics GP version. The implementation methodology in this book is geared toward small to mid-size companies, and can be useful to both Dynamics GP consultants and end users. Even experienced Dynamics GP consultants will benefit from having detailed instructions for the installation and setup of the core Dynamics GP modules.
By the end of this book, you will have a better understanding of the licensing and the application structure of Dynamics GP, be able to put together an implementation team, install, and set up Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013. You will also learn how to install and configure SQL Server maintenance for Dynamics GP and how to import data using Integration Manager.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Application Structure and Licensing, serves as an introduction to the Microsoft Dynamics GP structure, covering module and series, how Dynamics GP works with Microsoft SQL Server, and the Dexterity development environment that Dynamics GP is written in. New Perpetual Licensing for Dynamics GP will be explained.
Chapter 2, Planning – Business Requirements, discusses putting together an implementation team and steps for starting to plan a Dynamics GP implementation, including data that needs to be populated during the implementation and the tools available to do this.
Chapter 3, Planning – Dynamics GP System, details various components of the Dynamics GP system that need to be planned for, including how many companies to set up, integration with other systems, General Ledger account framework and account format, and numbering schemes for master records. Other topics covered include fiscal year and period setup, users and security planning, tax setup, multicurrency, and posting setup.
Chapter 4, Planning – Infrastructure, covers general concepts for infrastructure planning, including minimum requirements and recommendations for Dynamics GP 2013, considerations for virtual environments, Remote Desktop Services, and networks. Alternatives for placement of shared files and data backups are also discussed.
Chapter 5, Installation of SQL Server, Dynamics GP, and Integration Manager, is a step-by-step guide for installing SQL Server 2012, Dynamics GP 2013, and Integration Manager 12.0. Post-installation steps, including creating Dynamics GP companies and setting up SQL Server maintenance plans, are included.
Chapter 6, System and Company Setup, covers setting up the Dynamics GP 2013 system and companies with detailed step-by-step instructions and recommendations. Topics include multicurrency, account format, taxes, fiscal periods, credit cards, and posting.
Chapter 7, Module Setup – General Ledger, Bank Reconciliation, Payables, and Receivables, includes steps for setting up the General Ledger, Bank Reconciliation, Payables Management, and Receivables Management modules in Dynamics GP 2013. Detailed explanations and recommendations are provided for available setup options.
Chapter 8, Module Setup – Inventory, SOP, and POP, includes steps for setting up the three distribution modules in Dynamics GP 2013. Detailed explanations and recommendations are provided for available setup options.
Chapter 9, Populating Initial Data, is a step-by-step guide to using Integration Manager to import data into Dynamics GP. An introduction to Integration Manager terminology and illustrations of destination mappings for various imports are included.
Chapter 10, Training, Tools, and Next Steps, covers topics such as planning and best practices for training, the various tools available from Microsoft for Dynamics GP 2013, and additional resources available for troubleshooting and maintaining Dynamics GP.
Appendix, General Ledger Account Categories, contains a list of the default General Ledger account categories in Dynamics GP.
What you need for this book
To run the examples in this book the following will be needed:
Who this book is for
Companies looking to implement Microsoft Dynamics GP will find critical information for their implementation in this book. Even if you have an outside company performing your implementation, this book will give you useful ideas, options, and insight.
New or existing Microsoft Dynamics GP consultants, administrators, and power users will benefit from the step-by-step installation instructions, explanations of all the setup windows for the core modules of Dynamics GP 2013, and guides for using Integration Manager to import data.
Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.
Code words in text are shown as follows: "If there are no modifications to windows or reports, the Forms.dic and Reports.dic files will not exist."
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this: "Detailed navigation will be provided for each setup window, or you can keep using the setup checklist (Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | Setup Checklist).".
Note
Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.
Tip
Tips and tricks appear like this.
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Chapter 1. Application Structure and Licensing
As a start to your Microsoft Dynamics GP implementation, we will go over some key concepts to help you plan and carry out the best implementation possible. Some of the terminology within Dynamics GP may be new to you, so we will start with some key definitions in this chapter. We will also go over the Dynamics GP licensing and application structure, so that you can make sure you have all the components you need as you start your implementation.
In this chapter you will learn about the following:
Structure of Dynamics GP – modules and series
Microsoft Dynamics GP is a modular application. In this case, a module refers to a set of related functionality within the application. A module can be as robust as Payables Management (typically referred to as Accounts Payable), which contains all the details about your vendor transactions, has over fifty windows and tables, and hundreds of stored procedures. A module can also be as narrow in scope as Customer/Vendor Consolidations, which allows you to define relationships between vendors and customers and only has a few windows, tables, and stored procedures.
When implemented together, the Dynamics GP modules integrate to provide a fully functional ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) application. There are over one hundred modules available for Dynamics GP and it is sometimes tempting to simply install them all, or install every module included in your licensing. Don't do this! Installing modules that you do not need may result in adverse behavior in other modules, and may make administration of Dynamics GP more cumbersome than it needs to be. Best practice is to keep it as simple as possible, plan for and implement only the modules you need.
In Dynamics GP, modules are grouped into series by related functionality. For example: Payables Management, Purchase Order Processing, Purchase Order Enhancements, and Scheduled Payments modules all deal with vendor transactions and are grouped into the Purchasing series. Navigation in Dynamics GP is performed by series, as are many setup and maintenance tasks.
Dynamics GP licensing
Before you start your Microsoft Dynamics GP implementation, it is important to understand what modules you own and how the licensing structure works. This may change some of your plans for Dynamics GP or help you determine additional purchases needed prior to implementation.
The licensing structure has been drastically changed starting with Dynamics GP 2013, so even if you were familiar with Dynamics GP in the past, you may need to take some time to familiarize yourself with the new options. If you are upgrading to Dynamics GP 2013 from a previous version, you will need to upgrade your license with Microsoft.
The new licensing model for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is called Perpetual Licensing and is intended to greatly simplify purchasing Dynamics GP. The core components of the new licensing are the Starter Pack, the Extended Pack, the Full User, and the Limited User. Additional modules and options are available for purchase separately. Description of the Perpetual Licensing components are in the following table:
Component
Description
Starter Pack
The Starter Pack is the only required part of a Dynamics GP license and includes many core financial and distribution modules plus three Full User licenses. All the modules covered in this book are included in the Starter Pack. For those familiar with previous Dynamics GP licensing, the modules offered with the Business Essentials edition, plus a few additional ones, are included in the Starter Pack.
Extended Pack
The Extended Pack includes modules with advanced functionality such as Manufacturing, Project Accounting, Contract Administration, and the Distribution Suite. Compared to the previous Dynamics GP licensing, the Extended Pack is similar to, though not quite the same as, the Advanced Management licensing edition.
Full User
The Full User license allows users full read and write capability to all modules licensed.
Limited User
The Limited User license allows full read capability to all modules licensed. The Limited User also includes write capability to the Time and Expense functionality.
Full Users and Limited Users are sold on a concurrent user basis—you can have an unlimited number of users set up in the system, as long as the number of users logged in at any one time does not exceed the number of licenses you own.
Module Based Licensing is no longer sold to new customers. Business Ready Licensing will be sold to new customers until June 2014 if they are purchasing Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010.
Core modules explained
There is a set of core modules that will be found in almost every installation of Dynamics GP. These are key modules that perform basic accounting functions and are the modules we will focus on in our implementation planning and examples throughout this book. The following are descriptions of the core modules that will be found in most Dynamics GP implementations. All of these modules are included in the Starter Pack under Perpetual Licensing:
The interaction between these core modules is illustrated in this diagram:
Dynamics GP and Microsoft SQL Server
Older versions of Dynamics GP, when it was still called Great Plains, supported installation on three different database platforms: c-tree, Pervasive PSQL (previously called Btrieve), and Microsoft SQL Server. Starting with version 8.0, Microsoft Dynamics GP is only supported on Microsoft SQL Server. With Dynamics GP 2013 the supported versions of SQL Server are 2008, 2008 R2, and 2012.
What you may not expect from a SQL Server Application
While I have not heard a single complaint about not being able to support Dynamics GP on c-tree and Btrieve anymore, there are some legitimate complaints about Dynamics GP not taking full advantage of Microsoft SQL Server. Understanding the evolution of an application helps explain the reasons for this and, with every new version, Microsoft has been enhancing Dynamics GP to make more use of SQL Server functionality. However, it is important for implementers to have an understanding of the aspects of Dynamics GP behavior that do not always take full advantage of Microsoft SQL Server.
Note
An excellent discussion on this topic can be found on the Developing for Dynamics GP blog:
Understanding how Microsoft Dynamics GP works with Microsoft SQL Server: http://bit.ly/18fvKo3
Understanding how Microsoft Dynamics GP works with Microsoft SQL Server continued: http://bit.ly/18fvTrE
Application security and SQL Server authentication
One key aspect that you may find surprising if this is the first time you are working with Dynamics GP is that it only uses SQL Server authentication. User logins created in Dynamics GP are automatically created in SQL Server and the passwords are encrypted. Security for all Dynamics GP functionality is handled inside the application itself and, as the SQL Server passwords are encrypted by Dynamics GP, you are not easily able to use the same SQL Server logins for any other purpose. While good for security, this makes it more difficult when integrating other applications and is important to keep in mind when planning your infrastructure.
Some tasks within Dynamics GP must be performed while logged in as the SQL Server sa (system administrator) user. Examples of these tasks are creating new Dynamics GP users, installing and initializing additional components and third-party add-ons, and running various tools provided by Microsoft for Dynamics GP. There are workarounds available for some of these, but they do not completely take away the need for using the SQL Server sa user in Dynamics GP.
Another remnant of the older database platforms is a SQL Server and Dynamics GP user called DYNSA that gets created automatically during the Dynamics GP installation process. This user does not need to have any rights within the application, but it is critical for this user to be the database owner of all the Dynamics GP databases. Even though day-to-day operations do not typically rely on the database owner, installation of new modules, creation of new companies, and upgrades or service packs may fail if the database owner is not DYNSA.
A Dynamics GP ISV, FastPath, has a whitepaper on minimizing the use of sa in Dynamics GP which is available at http://bit.ly/15YoCLs.
SQL Server databases created by Dynamics GP
When you install Dynamics GP, a global system database is created. In prior versions of Dynamics GP this database was forced to be called DYNAMICS. Starting with Dynamics GP 2013 you can change this name for new installations. The system database holds all system-wide settings such as users, companies, security, multicurrency settings, exchange rate tables, intercompany setup, and any other information that needs to be shared globally in Dynamics GP. Active processes and logins are also stored in the system database.
There is no limit on how many companies you can create in Dynamics GP. Every new company will be a new SQL Server database. The only restriction is for the SQL Server database ID to be five characters or less and to not start with a number.
A sample company is available to be installed with sample data for many of the Dynamics GP modules. The sample company is called Fabrikam and in versions prior to 2013 the database ID used to be TWO (because in older versions of Dynamics GP the sample company was called The World Online). Starting with Dynamics GP 2013 you can change this database ID to be whatever you would like within the naming restriction of five characters or less and not starting with a number.
SQL Server sort order options
Only two Microsoft SQL Server sort orders are supported by Dynamics GP:
The recommendation for new installations is to use the DOCI sort order. It will make Dynamics GP easier to work with for both users and administrators, and it will also remove some limitations on integrating products.
Where is the application server?
Dynamics GP is a client/server application. All the data is centrally stored in Microsoft SQL Server databases (and, optionally, some shared files on the network) and the SQL Server must be running and accessible to all client machines running Dynamics GP. The Dynamics GP application itself does not need to be installed or running on a server and administrative functions can be performed from any client machine where the application is installed.
Dexterity and product dictionaries
Microsoft Dynamics GP is written in a proprietary application development environment called Dexterity. Over the years there have been many questions raised about when Dynamics GP will be rewritten in a different language. There was even an announcement about 12 years ago that Dynamics GP 7.0 would be rewritten in C#. The reality is that Dexterity is here to stay. While implementation and day-to-day operation of Dynamics GP does not require any knowledge of Dexterity, it is important to understand the terminology and structure of the Dexterity environment.
Dexterity components
Dexterity is a 32-bit environment with a number of components that work together:
Dynamics GP products
In any installation of Dynamics GP, you will find multiple products. Products can be installed and used independently even though they may integrate with other products. Typically, each Dynamics GP module will be a separate product. The major exception to this is the Microsoft Dynamics GP product, which includes most of the core Dynamics GP modules.
Each product has the following unique characteristics and components:
Component
Example
Product Name
Microsoft Dynamics GP
Product Number
0
Product Dictionary
Dynamics.dic
Forms (or Windows) Dictionary
Forms.dic
Reports Dictionary
Reports.dic
A Window in Dexterity is an actual screen used in the application to enter or view data. A Form is a combination of windows, menus, and other resources that work together. For example, the About Microsoft Dynamics GP form shown in the following screenshot has two windows: About Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics GP Options. Together these two windows make up the About Microsoft Dynamics GP form.
The product dictionary contains all the core forms and reports for each product. If there are no modifications to windows or reports, the forms and reports dictionary files will not exist. If the forms or reports dictionary is found, the Dynamics GP application will look to them first when opening a modified window or report. This allows any modifications made to windows and reports to supersede the out-of-the-box code, while keeping the original product dictionary intact.
In a typical Dynamics GP installation, the product dictionary is installed locally on each workstation. The forms and reports dictionaries can be installed either locally on each workstation or located on a network share, accessible by all workstations. For implementations with no modifications to the out-of-the-box windows or reports, it is recommended to install all the dictionary files locally for improved performance.
Report Writer and Modifier
Report Writer and Modifier are tools that allow reports and windows in Dynamics GP to be modified.
Report Writer is a Dexterity reporting tool that is included with the Dynamics GP System Manager. With Report Writer, you can modify existing reports or create new custom reports. In a standard Dynamics GP installation, there are over 800 Report Writer reports. Typical modifications to reports include adding a company logo, changing the alignment of reports to fit a pre-printed form (for example, for payables checks), and removing or adding columns on reports. Modified reports for the Microsoft Dynamics GP product are stored in the Reports.dic file.
Modifier is a Dexterity tool for customizing the appearance and behavior of Dynamics GP windows. With the new Perpetual Licensing for Dynamics GP 2013, Modifier is included with the Starter Pack purchase. Typical modifications to windows include making fields required, hiding fields, changing the name of field prompts (or labels), and changing the tab order of fields. Modified windows for the Microsoft Dynamics GP product are stored in the Forms.dic file.
Financial reporting: Management Reporter, AFA, and FRx
When Dynamics GP was originally released, a financial reporting tool called Advanced Financial Analysis (AFA) was included for the General Ledger. This is a Dexterity based tool that includes some basic financial reports and allows users to modify and create financial statements such as Balance Sheets, Profit & Loss Statements, and Cash Flows.
It quickly became apparent that AFA was not a robust enough tool for many user requirements, so Great Plains Software, several years prior to Microsoft's acquisition of it, purchased FRx Software to accommodate the need for more functionality and flexibility for financial reporting. FRx Software made a financial reporting package called FRx Reporter (commonly called FRx) that works with many General Ledger packages in addition to Dynamics GP. If you have implemented previous versions of Dynamics GP, you have most likely worked with FRx, as this was the financial reporting tool of choice for Dynamics GP.
Starting with Dynamics GP 2010 a new product, called Management Reporter, was introduced by Microsoft to replace FRx. Management Reporter is now the only financial reporting package supported for Dynamics GP 2013 and licensing for Management Reporter is included in the Starter Pack. There are migration tools and guidelines available for moving from FRx to Management Reporter.
Tip
While not officially supported, if you are upgrading from previous versions of Dynamics GP and are using FRx, in my testing, FRx will still work as it did previously with the new Dynamics GP 2013.
Summary
In this chapter we introduced some Dynamics GP specific terminology and concepts, and discussed the new Perpetual Licensing model and core modules. We outlined the structure of Microsoft Dynamics GP and briefly discussed how Dynamics GP and Microsoft SQL Server work together. The Dexterity system and financial reporting packages were introduced. You should now have a basic understanding of the Dynamics GP structure and terminology that will help you as you start your implementation.
In the next chapter, we will discuss how to start planning for your implementation.
Chapter 2. Planning – Business Requirements
Good planning results in successful implementations. Planning can be broken down into three distinct phases:
This chapter will go over the business requirements planning phase, detail important planning concepts, and give some real life examples.
In this chapter, you will learn the following topics:
Implementation team
At the start of any implementation, you should identify the team that will ultimately be responsible for the implementation. Some companies believe that they can hire an external consultant or a new employee to complete a Dynamics GP implementation with minimal involvement from other company resources. This typically results in frustration, unrealized expectations, and a poor implementation. There can be no successful implementation of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system without active involvement from the end users and company management.
Who should be on the implementation team
Involving the end users does not mean all end users of Dynamics GP must actively participate in the implementation. However, one or more core end users need to be identified and involved in the process from the very start. Typically, this will be the controller or a senior accountant who has been with the company for some time and knows all aspects of the operation from the accounting perspective.
In addition to having someone with knowledge of the company's accounting practices, the implementation team should include someone who understands the business very well from an operational standpoint. That is, a person who comprehends the overall vision for the company's products and services, as well as the detailed flow of the company's operations and transactions. This role may be filled by one or more persons, depending on the size and complexity of a company.
Another key component of the implementation team is a knowledgeable IT resource in the company. This should be someone that has a good understanding of the company's infrastructure and the systems that are currently in place, as well as what future IT projects and changes are planned. The IT resource should be one that has appropriate permissions and passwords for the systems needed during the implementation, whether or not this team member will be the one performing the actual installations. Often this will also be the person in charge of maintaining the Dynamics GP system after the implementation.
Typically, a company will not go forward with a Dynamics GP implementation without the direction of the owner, president, or someone at a high position in the organization. It is important to have this person on the implementation team. They may not be closely involved with many details of the project, however, this team member, frequently called the project champion or sponsor, is the one ultimately responsible for motivating the staff and getting the company employees to accept the inevitable changes that come with switching to a new system. This team member will be the resource to go to if there are issues or roadblocks during the implementation.
When an external consultant performs the Dynamics GP implementation, the assumption is that you chose this consultant for their experience with Dynamics GP. However, if someone with limited or no experience with Dynamics GP is performing the implementation internally, it is important to have access to a knowledgeable Dynamics GP resource. This can either be a consultant provided by your Dynamics GP partner or someone that you contract with independently. No book or manual can cover every scenario and situation, so having this resource will help fill in any gaps in understanding and knowledge. It will also provide a security blanket—the implementation team will know they have a resource available for any Dynamics GP questions that come up.
Project manager
After you assemble the individuals on the team, you must identify the project manager. The project manager may be one of the people we have already talked about or an additional resource. While the project manager may not be the one performing many of the implementation steps, they absolutely must be involved with all the details of the implementation, from beginning to end. Because of this, the project manager should not be the company's president or someone that already has numerous demands on their time; this should be someone who has the time necessary to delve into the minutiae of your Dynamics GP implementation.
What's coming next may be a somewhat radical idea. If an external consultant or company is performing the Dynamics GP implementation, the project manager should be an employee of the company, not an external consultant. An alternative to this is to have two project managers working together—the consultant and a company employee. The reason for this is that the project manager must internally drive the project and make sure it keeps progressing as planned, getting all the company resources to do what they need to do. Very rarely will an external consultant have the same ability to command resources within a company that an internal employee will.
The team and practical considerations
To sum up, the implementation team will consist of the following:
Depending on the size and complexity of a company, the Dynamics GP implementation team may be just a few people or could be comprised of up to 10 people or more. There are a few thoughts to keep in mind as you are putting together your team:
To plan or not to plan
This should not really be a question, but we will answer it anyway, once and for all. Planning is not optional. You might think that you have a small and straightforward implementation and, to save time and money, you should just get the software installed and start using it. There may be some software for which this approach works. This will not work for Dynamics GP. In the long run, you will spend more time and money fixing things if you do not plan your implementation. You may also never get the intended results from Dynamics GP without proper planning upfront.
How to start planning
Planning does not have to be a scary prospect, or something that takes an inordinate amount of time and produces a 200-page document. There is a fine line between not enough planning and over-planning. For a typical implementation in a small to mid-size business, planning every detailed step of an implementation is not warranted. You should plan for key steps, dates, and deliverables.
Many companies find that planning to implement a new ERP system can provide an unexpected opportunity: a chance to re-examine some of the current workflows and reporting and improving both. While it may require some additional effort during the planning process, that effort will more than pay for itself very quickly with resulting efficiency and better reporting. As you plan, do not simply accept that things should be done the way they always have been. Take time to understand the reasoning, and to question any reasoning that does not make sense. Don't be afraid to suggest improvements.
Keep in mind that the business requirements should drive planning, not the infrastructure. Certainly, planning the infrastructure is a critical step, but understanding and planning for the business needs should be the first priority. As you plan your implementation, there are five main topics to understand and document:
Similar to the current issues, you may add more items as you continue with your planning, but the key deliverables should be clear from the beginning. As you identify these goals, prioritize them—some may be the key reasons for the Dynamics GP purchase, while others may be incidental. Know what the foremost objectives are so that you can make sure you meet them.
Document the workflows and gaps: What are the steps taken for each transaction type and are there any gaps in the Dynamics GP functionality? This is perhaps the most challenging of the planning steps as it requires not only understanding existing accounting and business workflows, but also identifying what is currently done that may not have corresponding functionality in Dynamics GP.To identify and document all the current workflows, first spend time with the accounting and operations resources on your team, then briefly visit some of the users actually performing the day-to-day work. Once you have documented the workflows, use your Dynamics GP resource to identify any gaps between the needed functionality and Dynamics GP. The Dynamics GP resource can also help to come up with alternatives or solutions to bridge those gaps.
