Fleet management and maintenance software tools

eCommerce development for Microsoft Great Plains: tools and highlights for programmer

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, former Great Plains Software Dynamics and eEnterprise was designed in earlier 1990th as ERP, which can be easily transferable to the winning Database and OS platform and it was originally available on Mac and PC – Mac OS and Microsoft Windows respectively. Graphical platforms battle is pretty much over and now with eCommerce demands, we should look at Great Plains Dynamics tables structure:

Naming Convention. Great Plains was designed to be ready to move to the winning database platform and probably this is why we see this a bit complicated naming convention in place: SOP10100, RM00101, IV00101 – these are samples: SOP header, Customer master, Inventory master. First – we see module prefix: SOP – Sales Order Processing, RM – Receivables management, IV – Inventory control, etc., then 0 stays for the master files, 1 – so-called work files (before transaction being posted), 2 – open files (after transaction is posted) and 3 – historical files (when you close the year in General Ledger – transactions are moved from open to history files). So as you see – logic is present and structured, but it is not friendly to the developer, who never seen and worked with Great Plains Dynamics.

Tables Groups. Great plains was designed to first serve mid-size businesses and then with the availability of third party modules – the intention was to compete on corporate ERP market with Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP and others big players. This is why we see the whole cluster of tables to store, say Sales Invoice: SOP Header, SOP Lines, SOP Distribution, RM Key file, etc.

From the Forms side (or screens) you can see more human-readable names: SOP Entry, RM_Customer_Maintenance, POP_Entry or the like. But these legacy Great Plains Dexterity names do not help eCommerce developer – only probably as the reference on which table works with specific screen.

Let's take a look at the tools available:

eCommerce – together with eOrder, and other eXXX products it should be considered as legacy and phase out product, based on Microsoft eCommerce server and ASP technology, today Microsoft has new paradigm - .Net and ASPX World

eConnect – was specially created for eCommerce developers, who integrate Microsoft Great Plains with eCommerce web interface. This tool covers a lot of Great Plains objects creation and retrieving functionality, however it does have restrictions, because it was not intended as replacement to Great Plains Dexterity shell. For example – if you create Orders in SOP via Web interface/eConnect – it is difficult manipulate these orders (transfers to Invoices, backorders, reallocations, etc.). Another issue with eConnect – developers are kind of used to the fact that Microsoft provides free SDK to its products, Microsoft CRM for example has freely downloadable Microsoft CRM SDK. For eConnect you have to pay license and be on Microsoft Business Solutions annual support to get version upgrades. Also if you are ISV and develop your GP integration to your customers – you have licensing issue with Microsoft.

Custom SOP/AR stored procedures. Microsoft Business Solutions partners in their practice usually have several Great Plains integration projects implemented where integration is realized on the stored procedures level and transactions are created and manipulated in Great Plains SOP. So – you may end up seeking this type of help

Good luck with implementation, customization and integration and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 866-528-0577 or 630-961-5918! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew is Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) – Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Microsoft CRM Partner, serving clients in San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle, Minneapolis, Detroit, Los Angeles

MORE ARTICLES:

Web-Based Contact Management Software Offers Powerful New Mobile Features
New mobile contact management software tool from SalesNexus allows sales reps to manage vital sales information from the field using Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm, and most other mobile phones

The Benefits Of Using CRM Software
CRM software (customer relationship management software) is fast becoming very popular The main reason for this is that more people know what CRM is for, and are deciding to use it for customer support

New Insights into the Global Market for Pain Management
According to Arrowhead Publishers' new report entitled The Global Pain Therapeutics Market: Market Analysis, R&D Pipelines and Competitive Landscape, one in five people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain, and one in three is unable or less able to maintain an independent lifestyle due to their pain. The value of the pharmaceutical market for pain relief in 2007 reflects this seeming worldwide epidemic of pain. By the end of 2007, the value of this market will top $32 billion.

Spectrum Corporation neXorce? Software Solution Now Rated "Avaya Compliant"
The neXorce application is compatible with key Avaya Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and contact center solutions. This software helps businesses display real-time data that can empower a workforce and enhance contact center management.

New One-Stop Website for Cost-Effective Health & Safety Management
Indicator, publisher of the fortnightly newsletter Tips & Advice Health & Safety, launches a new website with invaluable tools and resources for everyone involved in health and safety. It contains essential health and safety and fire documents, ready-to-use advice, information, special reports, key health and safety law data and everything needed to manage health and safety and avoid enforcement action in a cost-effective way.

Appointments Everywhere? Ushers in the Next Generation of Web Scheduling -- Lightning-Fast Performance, Advanced Features and Easy Implementation make
SpectraSoft, Inc. has introduced the Appointments Everywhere? web-based scheduling system -- a versatile solution that delivers high-speed performance and advanced scheduling features typically available only in an installed-software system. Appointments Everywhere is a native web application -- it's not software "migrated" to the web -- so it delivers a fast, instantly responsive user experience, unlike many web apps that hiccup and sputter.

Auto Loans - How You Can Find The Best One
Auto loans are a very competitive market. Getting a good auto loan is a matter of knowing what to do and what to ask for. Anyone can get a good auto loan if they only take the initiative to do so. There are any lenders competing for business when it comes to auto loans so shopping around and finding the best deal is not hard.

Instant Business Loans- A Pristine Financial Tool for Entrepreneurs
Introduction:

Encryption Software ArchiCrypt Live 5 Encrypts Secret Data on Computers, USB Sticks or Other Storage Devices
The popular German encryption tool ArchiCrypt Live 5 (Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista) is now available in English. ArchiCrypt Live 5 uses real-time encryption to encrypt and password protect sensitive data. It encrypts all types of files. Pictures, mp3 files, office documents and all other files can be safeguarded on computers, USB sticks, or any other storage device.

Auto Detailing Testimonials
Offer A Free Detail For Best TestimonialIf you run an auto detail business then you need to have a professional website. On this website Testimonials are important as they elevate you to the expert you are and also add credibility for the new customers.

Vehicle Tracking Solutions Establishes Government Contract Service Division
Fleet management provider adds a new division which will focus on identifying, contacting and submitting proposals to various local, county and state government agencies.

uptime software set to Climb Higher with New Product Manager
uptime software is on the cutting edge of server monitoring, capacity planning, service level reporting, server virtualization and server consolidation. uptime software has been making waves since 2000 with its wildly successful IT performance, availability and capacity management solution, called 'up.time.'

Revealing Even More Digital Scrapbooking Software Secrets for Photoshop
Scrap Girls announces more Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed: Photoshop (6, 7, CS, CS2, CS3) as their newest addition in the Scrapbooking Software Secrets Revealed line of easy-to-use digital scrapbooking training movies.

Central Washington Hospital Selects PerfectDisk to Save IT Staff Time And Boost Server Performance
Award-winning disk defragmenter beats out competition