Dynamics GP Partner: Great Plains Customization Notes

Microsoft Dynamics GP, or formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise, has wide spectrum of programming and modification tools: Dexterity, Modifier with VBA, eConnect, GP SDK, Extender. In this small publication we would like to give you customizing tools orientation session with some emphasis on their evolution, as Great Plains ERP is traditional and matured system with great implementation history and excellent future positions:

1. Microsoft Dexterity, also known as Great Plains Dexterity. This tool is semi proprietary instrument and in order to program Dexterity, you will need to know Sanscript programming language with emphasis on Dex cursors, plus you should know Dynamics GP architecture, which in turn has Dexterity as its fundament. If you make small research and review GP workstation files, you will find Dynamics.dic - business logic metadata, Dex.ini - is Dexterity setup for this specific user, these and other files would give you the idea on Dexterity importance in current Dynamics GP version 10.0 and all the earlier versions. We do not recommend you to take Dexterity training, unless you are facing huge GP development project internally, instead, contact one of Great Plains Technology partners, who is in Dexterity Source Code program, in other words, who has access to Dexterity original sources and scripts

2. eConnect. This tools is great for internal IT programmers, familiar with SQL stored procedures, XML, C# or VB.Net. When you need to create GP master records: customer, vendor, employee, GL account, Address, or so-called Work Transactions: Sales Order Processing Invoice, Purchase Order, Customer Payment - you can do this by deploying eConnect methods, and it will be exactly the same as if you would program them in Dexterity, or enter directly in GP user interface. eConnect doesn't post Dynamics GP batches, but this is something that was initially designed to be under GP user control. If you need to post batches directly from your ecommerce eConnect application, please review Alba Spectrum Posting Server

3. VBA / Modifier. Dynamics GP Modifier module allows you to modify existing forms, by adding buttons or edit fields on them, then you can attach VBA scripts to new objects, and even write records to GP tables by opening VBA ADO connection to SQL Server GP company database. This tool, obviously being primitive, allows you, however, to customize GP user interface reasonably quick and doesn't really require special training, assuming that you are familiar with VBA programming

4. Extender. This tool is in fact a shell, written in Dexterity, it allows you to extend GP screens with the tool, which doesn't require you to be a programmer. If you have relatively moderate Great Plains modification project, you should review Extender, assuming that you have internal IT people, ready to do it

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum LLC. http://www.albaspectrum.com help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577. Web portal: http://www.pegasplanet.com We are Microsoft Dynamics GP technology partner, ERP and software integrator, who serves you USA, Canada, Mexico and Latin America nationwide. Local service is available in Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Houston: SAP Business One and Dynamics GP. We have customers in the following business metros: Phoenix, New York, Boston, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Rhino, San Jose, Miami, Atlanta, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Detroit, Montreal, Las Vegas, Oceania, Colombia, Caribbean, Poland, UK, New Zealand, Australia