Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Implementation

By Victoria Yudin

In Detail

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 is a sophisticated Enterprise Resource Planning application with a multitude of features and options. The implementation of Dynamics GP is usually considered to be complex, and can be very confusing for users and consultants. This step-by-step guide will show you how to effectively implement Dynamics GP 2010 with ease.

This focused, step-by-step tutorial covers the basics of Microsoft Dynamics GP, from licensing, to design, before moving on to more complex topics such as implementation and setup. You will learn how to install and configure Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 from start to finish.

This book will enable you to master the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 2010 effectively. This book starts with how to plan and complete a successful Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 implementation. You will then move on to learning who should be on the implementation team, what important questions should be asked and how to plan your infrastructure for Dynamics GP 2010. Detailed descriptions of all the setup options for the core Dynamics GP modules as well as practical advice on setup will help guide you through the myriad of options available in this powerful application. As you reach the end of the book you will learn how to import your initial data with illustrations and practical examples.

Implement Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 with easy to follow instructions and examples

Approach

A practical, focused tutorial, this book provides a step-by-step guide to planning and carrying out your Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 implementation. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of setup screens and real-world examples are also included for the Dynamics GP system and core modules. This book focuses on Dynamics GP 2010, however, most of the concepts and explanations will apply to any Dynamics GP version.

Who this book is for

If you are a new or existing Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant or end user who wants to implement, install and set-up core modules of Dynamics GP 2010, then this book is for you. A basic understanding of business management systems and either Dynamics GP or a similar application is recommended.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Release date: Nov 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781849680332

Victoria Yudin

Victoria Yudin has almost 20 years of experience in designing, implementing, integrating, and customizing business management and accounting systems. She has been a user of Microsoft Dynamics GP (and its Great Plains Software predecessor) for almost 20 years and a consultant for Dynamics GP for over 12 years. Victoria currently holds certifications from Microsoft for Dynamics GP, FRx Financial Reporting and Small Business Financials. She has an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and is the only person in the world who has been named a Microsoft Dynamics GP MVP each consecutive year starting with 2005. In November of 2000 Victoria started Flexible Solutions, Inc. to bring together her experience in accounting and business with her love of technology. Flexible Solutions is a Microsoft Gold Certified Dynamics GP Partner offering the GP Reports Viewer add-on for Dynamics GP as well as Dynamics GP customizations and support. In September of 2008 Victoria started her blog, called 'Ramblings and musings of a Dynamics GP MVP' (http://victoriayudin.com) to share her experience and thoughts with the Dynamics GP community.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Implementation

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewer

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Errata

Piracy

1. Application Structure and Licensing

Structure of Dynamics GP—modules and series

Dynamics GP licensing

Core modules explained

Dynamics GP and Microsoft SQL Server

What you may not expect from a SQL Server application

Application security and SQL Server authentication

SQL Server databases created by Dynamics GP

SQL Server collation options

Where is the application server?

Dexterity and product dictionaries

Dexterity components

Dynamics GP products

Report Writer and Modifier

Financial reporting: AFA, FRx, and Management Reporter

Summary

2. Planning: Business Requirements

Implementation team

Who should be on the implementation team

Project manager

The team and practical considerations

To plan or not to plan

How to start planning

Not Just Widgets—a sample company

Identifying reporting needs

Financial statements

Multiple control accounts on Balance Sheets

Variations of Profit and Loss Statements

Management reports

Business forms

Running two systems concurrently

Pros

Cons

Recommendation

Populating data

Master data

Historical data

Open transactions

General Ledger

Payables Management

Receivables Management

Inventory

Purchase Order Processing

Sales Order Processing

Bank Reconciliation

How to import

Training

Implementation timeline

Summary

3. Planning: Dynamics GP System

Companies in Dynamics GP

Benefits of having one company in Dynamics GP

Benefits of having multiple companies in Dynamics GP

Integration with other systems

General Ledger Chart of Accounts

Account framework

Account format

Master record IDs and names

Fiscal periods and years

Users and security

Sales and purchase taxes

Additional setup considerations

Shipping Methods

Payment Terms

Credit Cards

Credit cards accepted from customers

Credit cards used to pay vendors

Posting setup

Post Through General Ledger Files

Create a Journal Entry Per

Posting Date From

Require Batch Approval

Multicurrency

Currencies

Exchange Rate Tables

Summary

4. Planning: Infrastructure

Scope of vision

Dynamics GP system requirements

Client requirements

Server requirements and recommendations

Terminal Server requirements

Additional notes and considerations

Virtual environments

64-bit or 32-bit

Printers

Officially supported—what it means to you

Network requirements

The Terminal Server only approach

Pros of a Terminal Server only implementation

Cons of a Terminal Server only implementation

Test/development environment

Add-on products

Shared files

Modified dictionary files

Shared network location

Locally on each Dynamics GP client

OLE notes

FRx files

Integration Manager files

Data backups

Additions to the implementation timeline

Summary

5. Installation of SQL Server, Dynamics GP, and Integration Manager

Pre-installation checklist

Check your server

Dynamics GP requirements

SQL Server requirements

Additional recommendations

Make sure you have all media and license keys

Installing as the local administrator

Installing Microsoft SQL Server for Dynamics GP

Installation steps

Installing the Dynamics GP 2010 application

Creating an ODBC data source

Steps to create the ODBC data source

Dynamics GP Utilities

Completing the Dynamics GP installation

Loading sample company data

Creating a new Dynamics GP company

Additional steps

Removing the SOP and Invoicing message

Changing paths for report dictionaries and forms

Changing path for OLE Notes

Installing additional products

Logging into Dynamics GP for the first time

Checking versions

Installing Integration Manager

Installation steps

Additional steps

Entering registration keys

Checking the version and applying service packs

Changing the Integration Manager database path

SQL Server and database settings

SQL Server settings

Maximum memory

Cursor Threshold

Processor

Database settings

General

Files

Options

Recovery model

Other options

SQL Server maintenance jobs

Backing up data

Summary

6. System and Company Setup

Logging into Dynamics GP

System setup

Show required fields

System password

System preferences

Dynamics GP registration

Creating Dynamics GP users

User security

Access to companies

User security

Multicurrency setup

Currency setup

Exchange rate tables

Multicurrency access

Additional system-wide setup

Home Page metrics

Default tasks

Company setup

Account format

Account setup

Multicurrency

Taxes

Tax details

Tax schedules

Company setup

Company Setup window

Internet User Defined

Company options

Fiscal Periods

Shipping Methods

Payment Terms

Credit Cards

Posting setup

Posting Setup

Posting Accounts

E-mail setup

Company e-mail setup

Summary

7. Module Setup: General Ledger, Bank Reconciliation, Payables, and Receivables

General Ledger

General Ledger setup

Categories

Segments

Account currencies

Bank Reconciliation

Checkbooks

Bank Reconciliation Setup

Payables Management

Payables Management Setup

Payables Setup Options

Vendor classes

Accounts for vendor classes

1099 setup

Purchasing E-mail setup

Vendors

Setting up vendor e-mail options

Receivables Management

Receivables Management Setup

Receivables Setup Options

Sales Territories

Salespeople

Price levels

Customer classes

Accounts for customer classes

Sales e-mail settings

Customers

Customer setup

Customer accounts

Customer options

Customer e-mail settings

Summary

8. Module Setup: Inventory, SOP, and POP

Inventory

Inventory Control Setup

Inventory sites

Unit of Measure Schedules

Item class setup

Item class currency setup

Item class accounts setup

Inventory Item Setup

Item Maintenance

Item Internet Information

Item Maintenance Options

Item Account Maintenance

Item Currency

Price List

Price List Options

Purchasing Options

Item vendors

Assigning items to sites

Kits

Copying items

Sales Order Processing

Sales Order Processing Setup

Sales Document Setup

Quote

Order

Back Order

Fulfillment Order/Invoice

Return

User-Defined Fields

SOP Document Numbers

Sales Order Processing Setup Options

E-mail Settings

Customer Items

Purchase Order Processing

Purchase Order Processing Setup

Purchase Order Processing Options

Receivings User-Defined

E-mail Settings

Summary

9. Populating Initial Data

Basics of Integration Manager

Components of an integration

Properties

Source(s)

Destination

Destination Mapping

Running an import

Open transactions

General Ledger account import

General Ledger transactions

Vendors

Open payables transactions

Customers

Open receivables transactions

Inventory items

Inventory transactions

Summary

10. Training, Tools, and Next Steps

Training

How to train and who should be training?

How much training and for whom?

When to train?

Notes for the trainer

Available training resources

Tools for Dynamics GP

Professional Services Tools Library

Free tools

Other useful tools

Installing the Professional Services Tools Library

Tools from Microsoft's Professional Services Team

Support Debugging Tool

Troubleshooting tips

Tests

Important information

Additional resources

Knowledge Base

Forums

Blogs

Summary

A. General Ledger Account Categories

B. Microsoft Professional Services: Additional Tools Available

Index

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Implementation

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Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Implementation

Copyright © 2010 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

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First published: November 2010

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ISBN 978-1-849680-32-5

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Cover Image by Sandeep Babu (<[e-mail]>)

Credits

Author

Victoria Yudin

Reviewer

Mohammad R. Daoud

Acquisition Editor

Kerry George

Development Editor

Swapna Verlekar

Technical Editors

Gaurav Datar

Erika Fernandes

Indexer

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Editorial Team Leader

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Proofreader

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Graphics

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Production Coordinator

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Cover Work

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About the Author

Victoria Yudin has almost 20 years of experience in designing, implementing, integrating, and customizing business management and accounting systems. She has been a user of Microsoft Dynamics GP (and its Great Plains Software predecessor) for almost 20 years and a consultant for Dynamics GP for over 12 years.

Victoria currently holds certifications from Microsoft for Dynamics GP, FRx Financial Reporting, and Small Business Financials. She has an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and is the only person in the world who has been named a Microsoft Dynamics GP MVP each consecutive year since 2005.

In November 2000, Victoria started Flexible Solutions, Inc. to bring together her experience in accounting and business with her love of technology. Flexible Solutions is a Microsoft Gold Certified Dynamics GP Partner, offering the GP Reports Viewer add-on for Dynamics GP, as well as GP customizations and support.

In September 2008, Victoria started her blog, called Ramblings and musings of a Dynamics GP MVP (http://victoriayudin.com) to share her experience and thoughts with the Dynamics GP community.

I'd like to thank Joseph Puntasecca, who makes every day better, and Mickie Stamm, for always knowing the right thing to say.

Thanks also to all the great folks at Packt for helping and guiding me through the process of writing this book.

About the Reviewer

Mohammad R. Daoud has been working as a Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant since 2004. His career path started with version 7.5; he studied every single tip of the application technicalities and did a lot of successful implementations that include functional consultations, analysis, and custom development projects. He holds a graduate degree in Computer Science and is currently pursuing an MBA degree in Accounting.

Mohammad obtained his first MCP certificate from Microsoft in 2005 by passing the SQL 2000 Programming exam, followed by the administration exam in the same year and then started the business exams; he passed the GP Financials, Supply Chain, VBA, Report Writer, SQL 2005 Programming and administration.

He also worked deeply on the SQL Server and many other database systems, in addition to excellent experience with all the common languages shipped with the Visual Studio.NET since 2002. In relation to Dynamics GP, he is an expert in MS Dynamics GP Financials, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Smart List Builder, Macros, Extender, Development Toolkit, Dexterity, Modifier, VBA, Report Writer, Integration Manager, Continuum API, eConnect, and VSTMenus.

In January 2007, he was nominated for the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) certificate and was awarded in April 2008 for his online contributions in the Dynamics Community (Dynamics GP Newsgroups, Forums, User Groups, and his blog at http://mohdaoud.blogspot.com).

It is worth mentioning that he was also listed as one of the Microsoft Dynamics Top 100 Most Influential People in 2009 by DynamicsWorld.

This book is dedicated to my parents, Alexander and Svetlana, for their unconditional and unwavering love and support

Preface

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 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 an understanding of the available features and options. This book provides guidance for the planning, installation, and setup of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 with examples, advice, step-by-step guides, illustrations, and links to useful resources.

While it is specifically written for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, 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 2010. You will also learn how to 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 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.

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 out, 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 2010, considerations for virtual environments, Terminal 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 2008, Dynamics GP 2010, and Integration Manager 11.0. 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 2010 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 2010. 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 2010. 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 training, the various tools available from Microsoft for Dynamics GP 2010, and resources available for Dynamics GP.

Appendix A, General Ledger Account Categories, contains a list of the default General Ledger account categories in Dynamics GP.

Appendix B, Microsoft Professional Services: Additional Tools Available, offers a list of additional tools available from the Microsoft Professional Services team for Dynamics GP.

What you need for this book

Although this book is written in the order of steps typically needed for a new Dynamics GP implementation project, it can be useful as a resource for specific tasks. Individual module setup or installation steps can be performed separately and used as needed to re-setup various features or simply understand the options available in an existing Dynamics GP installation.

A basic understanding of accounting/ERP software and some Dynamics GP terminology is helpful to get the most out of this book. Many of the links in this book require access to Microsoft's CustomerSource or PartnerSource for Dynamics GP.

Who this book is for

If you are a new or existing Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant or end user who wants to implement, install, or set up core modules of Dynamics GP 2010, then this book is for you. A basic understanding of business management systems and either Dynamics GP or a similar application is recommended.

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: All the SQL Server tables for the Payables Management module begin with PM.

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 our text like this: To enter names for your GL account segments, navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | Financial | Segment.

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 the 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:

The structure of Dynamics GP—what modules and series are, and how they all work together

Dynamics GP licensing options and what they mean

How Microsoft SQL Server and Dynamics GP work together

The definitions of Dexterity and Product Dictionaries

Financial reporting choices—AFA, FRx, and Management Reporter

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. Or a module can be as narrow in scope as Customer/Vendor Consolidations, which allows you to define relationships between vendors that are also 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 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 that you own. 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 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 Dynamics GP implementation, it is important to understand what modules you own and what licensing structure you fall under. This may change some of your plans for Dynamics GP or help you identify additional purchases needed prior to implementation.

All Dynamics GP licensing is sold on a concurrent user basis—you can have an unlimited number of named 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. The concurrent logins are enforced by the application; it is not an honor system, as some applications are, relying on the users to monitor usage. The following is a matrix of the Dynamics GP licensing available:

Module Based Licensing is no longer sold to new customers. Existing Module Based Licensing customers can upgrade to Business Ready Licensing by paying a fee. Business Essentials can be upgraded to Advanced Management, if you require modules that are not available under Business Essentials.

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 just about every Dynamics GP implementation utilizes. All of these modules are included in Business Essential licensing:

Dynamics GP System Manager: Mandatory, the System Manager is the core module that controls the Dynamics GP application, users, companies, and security.

General Ledger: Everything in accounting ultimately ends up in the General Ledger (GL). This module is the final stop for all other modules and controls the Chart of Accounts, as well as the individual General Ledger transactions and account balances. While technically possible, it would be extremely difficult to implement a functioning Dynamics GP system without the General Ledger.

Payables Management: Commonly referred to as Accounts Payable (AP), this is the subledger that holds the details for all vendors and vendor transactions.

Receivables Management: Also called Accounts Receivable (AR), this is the subledger that holds the details for all customers and customer transactions.

Bank Reconciliation: This module holds details for all cash transactions and bank accounts (called Checkbooks). Cash movements from other modules, such as Payables Management and Receivables Management, are posted to Bank Reconciliation.

Fixed Assets: All the capital assets of a company can be tracked in this module. Depreciation and amortization of assets is performed in Fixed Assets and sent to the General Ledger.

Inventory Control: This module holds the setup for any items sold or used by a company. This can include items stocked in inventory, services that need to appear in detail on customer invoices, or internally used items that need to have quantities tracked. Inventory Control allows for multiple warehouses or locations, serial number or lot tracking, unit of measure setup, and cycle and physical inventory counts.

Purchase Order Processing: Detailed purchase orders with line items are entered and printed in this module, which allows for a transaction flow from Purchase Order to Receipt of goods to Invoice. The Purchase Order Processing module helps integrate Inventory Control and Payables Management, and also works with Sales Order Processing.

Sales Order Processing: Detailed sales transaction with line items are entered in Sales Order Processing, which allows for a transaction flow from Quote to Order to Back Order to Fulfillment Order/Invoice. Customer Invoices and Returns with line item detail are created and printed in Sales Order Processing. This module integrates Inventory Control and Receivables Management, and also works with Purchase Order Processing.

The interaction between these core modules is illustrated in the following 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: ctree, Pervasive SQL (previously called btrieve), and Microsoft SQL Server. Starting with version 8.0, Microsoft Dynamics GP is only supported on Microsoft SQL Server.

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 ctree 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 at the Developing for Dynamics GP blog:

Understanding how Microsoft Dynamics GP works with Microsoft SQL Server: http://blogs.msdn.com/developingfordynamicsgp/archive/2009/05/22/understanding-how-microsoft-dynamics-gp-works-with-microsoft-sql-server.aspx

Understanding how Microsoft Dynamics GP works with Microsoft SQL Server continued: http://blogs.msdn.com/developingfordynamicsgp/archive/2009/05/29/understanding-how-microsoft-dynamics-gp-works-with-microsoft-sql-server-continued.aspx

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 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 by 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 installation of upgrades or service packs may fail if the database owner is not DYNSA.

SQL Server databases created by Dynamics GP

When you install Dynamics GP, a global system database called DYNAMICS will be created. This 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 inside Dynamics GP. Active processes and logins are also held in the DYNAMICS database.

There is no limit on how many companies can be created in Dynamics GP. Every new company you create will be a new SQL Server database. The only limitation on this is for the database ID to be five characters or less and not to start with a number.

A sample company is available to be installed with sample data for many of the Dynamics GP modules. The database ID for the sample company is TWO and it is called Fabrikam. For anyone wondering about the strange database ID, in older versions of Dynamics GP the sample company was called The World Online.

SQL Server collation options

Only two Microsoft SQL Server collation types are supported by Dynamics GP:

Binary—sort order 50

Dictionary Order, Case-Insensitive (DOCI)—sort order 52

The recommendation for new installations is to use a DOCI collation. It will make Dynamics GP easier to work with both for users and administrators, 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 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 10 years ago that Dynamics GP 7.0 would be rewritten in C#. The reality is that Dexterity is here to stay. While implementing

Reviews for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Implementation

[mpolino_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Victoria Yudin has written a terrific book on implementing Dynamics GP. Frequently, customers ask for the manuals as part of implementing the software. The manuals are thousands of pages long. Victorias has distilled the essential elements of implementing Dynamics GP into less than 400 page. This book is a must for companies looking to implement Dynamics GP. It's also great for new consultants and for consultants who occasionally need an outside reference to convince help reinforce best practices when implementing Dynamics GP.