Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook

By Mark Polino

As a cookbook, this book enables you to solve real-world Dynamics GP problems with immediately useable recipes that unleash the powerful functionality of Dynamics GP. The book provides tips, techniques, and solutions designed to show users how to improve their use of Dynamics If you are a Dynamics GP user or Dynamics GP partner primarily focused on delivering time-proven application optimizations, then this book is for you. This book assumes that you have a basic understanding of business management systems, with basic knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics GP. All the recipes are real-world tested and designed to be used immediately.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Release date: Jul 5, 2010
• ISBN: 9781849680431

Mark Polino

Mark Polino is a Certified Public Accountant, a Microsoft Certified Business Management Professional, and a Microsoft MVP for Dynamics GP. He has been working with Dynamics GP as an administrator and consultant for more than ten years. Currently Mark is a Principal Consultant with Microsoft partner I.B.I.S., Inc. and he runs the premier user-focused Dynamics GP blog at DynamicAccounting.net.

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Table of Contents

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook

Credits

About the Author

Acknowledgement

About the Reviewers

Preface

Why a Dynamics GP Cookbook

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. Personalizing Dynamics GP

Introduction

Improving visibility by setting Required Fields to bold and red

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Modifier with VBA

Getting faster access to data with the Shortcut Bar

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Using external shortcuts for greater flexibility

Organizing with folders

Complex shortcuts

See also

Reducing clicks with Startup shortcuts

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

File example

Drag and Drop

See also

Personalizing the Home page by selecting the right role

How to do it...

See also

Speeding up access to data with Quick Links

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Rearranging Navigation to make it easier

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

Jumping to the right location with Breadcrumbs

Getting ready

How to do it...

Managing personal reports with My Reports

How to do it...

There's more...

Reports without options

Better dates in report options

See also

Viewing open items with the Task List

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Recurring tasks

See also

Visualizing information with Home page Metrics

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Multiple metrics

Full View

See also

Accessing accounts faster with Favorites in Lookups

Getting ready

How to do it...

There's more...

Set as Default View

Restricted List

Resetting

Account Security

See also

Cleaning up the mess by fixing AutoComplete errors

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Removing unused entries

Reducing the number of AutoComplete entries

Resetting AutoComplete

2. Organizing Dynamics GP

Introduction

Speeding up account entry with Account Aliases

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Gaining visibility with Horizontal Scroll Arrows

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Activating Horizontal Scroll Arrows for all users

Widening segments for better visibility

Streamlining payables processing by prioritizing vendors

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

Getting clarity with User Defined fields

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Special User Defined 1 features

Company Setup user defined fields

Expanded user defined fields

See also

Developing connections with Internet User Defined fields

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Login and password

Labels 7 and 8

See also

Gaining additional reporting control with Account Rollups

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Remembering processes with an Ad hoc workflow

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Improving financial reporting clarity by splitting purchasing accounts

How to do it...

How it works...

Speeding up lookups with Advanced Lookups

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Going straight to the site with Web Links

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

All field values

Multiple values

See also

3. Automating Dynamics GP

Introduction

Using Reminders to remember important events

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Drill down into Reminders

See also

Controlling reporting dates with Beginning and Ending Periods

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Fiscal period versus Month

Beyond the period

See also

Automating reporting with Report Groups

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Groups of groups

See also

Speeding up entry by copying an Inventory Item

How to do it...

How it works...

Improving consistency with Shortcuts and User Classes

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Speeding up month-end close by Reconciling Bank Accounts daily

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

High Transaction Volume Accounts

Bank statement cutoff

Automating processes with Macros

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Macros and the Shortcut Bar

Running macros with a keystroke combination

Macro pauses

Sequential Macros

See also

Getting early warnings with Business Alerts

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Prebuilt alerts

See also

Splitting AP across departments automatically with Control Account Management

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Multi-company

See also

Getting control of accruals and deferrals with Recurring GL batches

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Recurring batch best practices

Revenue/Expense Deferral module

Field Service Contracts module

Speeding up document delivery with e-mail

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Setup

4. Harnessing the Power of SmartLists

Introduction

Sorting data to get the information you want

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Speeding up access to information with SmartList Favorites

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Modifying SmartList Favorites

Go To

See also

Getting warnings with SmartList Alerts

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Modifying and removing Custom Reminders

See also

Improving information returned with SmartList Search

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Field Comparison

Match Case

Search Type

See also

Controlling data with SmartList Record Limits

How to do it...

How it works...

Tailoring SmartLists by adding Fields

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Removing fields

Favorites

Default SmartLists

See also

Controlling access by sharing or restricting SmartList Favorites

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

SmartList security

Favorite naming best practices

See also

Renaming Fields for clarity

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Default SmartList column names

See also

5. Connecting Dynamics GP to Microsoft Office 2010

Introduction

Getting control of Outlook features on the Home page

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Building analyses by Exporting SmartLists to Microsoft Excel

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Delivering flexibility by exporting Navigation Lists to Excel

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Improving reports by sending SmartLists to Word

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Communicating with customers using Letters from Microsoft Word

How to do it...

How it works...

There’s more...

SmartList Favorites

Letter Customization

Other Starting Points

See also

Skipping the exports by using Prebuilt Excel Reports

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There’s more...

Excel Report Builder

SQL and ODC Connections

Trust and Security

See also

Improving performance by globally turning off Outlook integration

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Reporting on any Dynamics GP data with direct Excel Connections

How to do it...

How it works...

There’s more...

Tables

Advanced Options

Importing data with Microsoft Word and a Dynamics GP Macro

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There’s more...

Limitations

Getting fine grain control of Excel Exports from SmartLists

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Gaining flexibility by printing documents with Microsoft Word

How to do it...

How it works...

There’s more...

Which Report to Use

User Template Creation

6. Exposing Hidden Features in Dynamics GP

Introduction

Controlling Posting Dates when not posting by batch

How to do it...

How it works…

Reducing posting steps with better Printing Control

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Posting reports

System Print Dialog

See also

Improving information with Tax Dates in transactions

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Gaining the option to Process Taxes in the General Ledger

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Tracking Tangible Personal Property Tax information for Fixed Assets

Getting ready

How it works...

See also

Understanding all of the financial information about an asset with Fixed Asset Details

How to do it...

How it works...

Speeding up entry by Copying a Purchase Order

How to do it...

How it works...

Getting control of printing with Named Printers

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Printer Classes

See also

Speeding up month-end processing with Reconcile to GL functionality

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Balancing the year

When AP and AR aren't enough

7. Improving Dynamics GP with Hacks

Introduction

Building custom help with Window notes

How to do it...

How it works…

Using Comments without needing a comment name

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Line Item Comments

Keeping the chart of accounts clean by reactivating Account Segment warnings

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Improving clarity by timing Depreciation Posting to the General Ledger

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Timing Depreciation posting

Reducing licensing needs by preventing Multiple Company Logins

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Additional considerations

Turning on more features with Dex.ini settings

Getting ready

How to do it...

There's more...

Additional Dex.ini settings

See also

Entering and Tracking Use Tax with Credit Card Functionality

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

Correcting a lost system password by resetting the System Password

How to do it...

How it works...

Warning the user if Caps Lock is on during login

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Additional considerations

See also

Getting greater journal entry control by clearing recurring batch amounts

How to do it...

See also

8. Preventing Errors in Dynamics GP

Introduction

Preventing posting errors by managing Batch dates

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works…

See also

Reducing out-of-balance problems with Allow Account Entry

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Adjustments

See also

Ensuring entry in the correct company by warning about Test Companies

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Protecting Dynamics GP with key security settings

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Security for Security

Security Solutions

Providing clean vendor information by properly closing Purchase Orders

How to do it...

How it works...

Protecting against information loss by printing Fixed Asset Reports

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Fixed Asset Analysis Cube

Preventing account selection errors with Chart Segment names

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Ensuring proper year-end closing by checking Posting Types

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Preventing sales of Discontinued Inventory

How to do it...

How it works...

Correcting errors by backing out, correcting, and copying Journal Entries

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Subledger Corrections

9. Maintaining Dynamics GP

Introduction

Preventing entry of wrong dates by Closing Periods

How to do it...

How it works…

There's more...

Mass Close

Improving performance by adjusting AutoComplete settings

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Making the change for all users

See also

Cleaning up Accounts Receivable with Paid Transaction Removal

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Balance Forward

Providing correct tax information by Updating 1099 information

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

1099 Vendor Setup

Maintaining updated code by rolling out Service Packs with Client Updates

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Service Pack Errors

Improving stability by Managing Dictionaries

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Dynamics.set file

Safeguarding data by Backing Up everything

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Additional Backups

Resolving errors with the Check Links utility

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Validating balances with the Reconcile utility

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Troubleshooting issues with a DexSQL log

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Speeding security setup with User Copy

Getting ready

How to do it...

10. Extending Dynamics GP with Free Software

Introduction

Checking Dynamics GP spelling with Willoware

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works…

Preventing date errors with DocDateVerify

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

Executing SQL from the Support Administrator Console

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Extending Dynamics GP with the Support Debugging Tool

How to do it...

See also

Coloring windows by company

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Capturing Screenshots and sending an E-mail for support

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Default Settings

See also

Logging transactions for troubleshooting

How to do it...

There's more...

Automatic Logging

See also

Executing SQL from within Dynamics GP

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Getting information about Security Resources

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Automatic Security Profiles

Export/Import Security Logs

See also

Index

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook

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Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook

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.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: July 2010

Production Reference: 1290610

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

32 Lincoln Road

Olton

Birmingham, B27 6PA, UK.

ISBN 978-1-849680-42-4

www.packtpub.com

Cover Image by Tina Negus (<[e-mail]>)

Credits

Author

Mark Polino

Reviewers

Frank Hamelly

Leslie Vail

Acquisition Editor

Kerry George

Development Editor

Dhwani Devater

Technical Editor

Chris Rodrigues

Indexer

Rekha Nair

Editorial Team Leader

Akshara Aware

Project Team Leader

Priya Mukherji

Project Coordinator

Zainab Bagasrawala

Proofreader

Jeff Orloff

Production Coordinator

Adline Swetha Jesuthas

Cover Work

Adline Swetha Jesuthas

About the Author

Mark Polino is a Microsoft MVP for Dynamics GP, a Certified Public Accountant, and a Microsoft Certified Business Management Solutions Professional. He is the author of the premier Dynamics GP related blog, DynamicAccounting.net and the creator and presenter of the successful series Getting More Out of Microsoft Dynamics GP: 50 Tips in 50 minutes. Mark has worked with Dynamics GP and its predecessor, Great Plains, for more than 10 years.

He works as a Principal Consultant with I.B.I.S., Inc. and spends his days helping clients implement Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Acknowledgement

To my wife Dara and my children, Micah and Angelina, thank you for your support of this project. You've patiently endured this obsession without complaining or killing me in my sleep. To mom and dad, thanks for the cheerleading even though you had no idea what this book is about.

Thank you to Andy Vabulas, Dwight Specht, and Clinton Weldon at I.B.I.S. for your support of this book. Without your openness to this project it never would have happened. To Abby, Troy, Ross, and all the other I.B.I.S. consultants who listened to me drone on about how the book was progressing, you have both my apologies and my thanks for your encouragement.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the kind folks at the Hampton Inn in Mt. Airy, NC. The majority of this book was written there while working on a Dynamics GP project. The hotel is staffed with some of the nicest people that you will ever meet and they were happy to fuel this book with great rooms and Diet Mt. Dew.

Much of this book was written on an Acer netbook. Without the small size and long battery life of the netbook the Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook would never have been finished on time.

To everyone else who has offered encouragement throughout this project, you have my thanks. To those who have been less than encouraging, I hope you someday decide to write a book.

About the Reviewers

Frank Hamelly, founder and CEO of East Coast Dynamics, is a Microsoft Certified Business Professional - GP, Microsoft Certified Trainer, and Microsoft MVP. Frank holds certifications in Financials, Distribution, Report Writer, and FRx and has over 10 years experience in Financials, Distribution, Sales Order Processing, Manufacturing, Project Accounting, Field Service, and the Payroll and Human Resources series of GP. He also has project management and implementation experience with SAP, Baan, Fourth Shift, and MAS90/200.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Business Administration, his 20+ years industry experience includes manufacturing, aerospace, telecommunications, utilities, and professional services organizations.

Leslie Vail is a CPA and has been working as a Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant for 17 years. She began with 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 community. She is the principal of ASCI, Inc., a consulting firm located in 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 was listed as one of the Microsoft Dynamics Top 100 Most Influential People in 2009 by DynamicsWorld. She is one of the top contributors to the Microsoft Dynamics GP Newsgroup and 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, co-authored the book Confessions of a Dynamics GP Consultant, and is the Technical Editor of several books dedicated to Microsoft Dynamics GP. Leslie also provides some content for the Dynamics Confessions newsletter.

She 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 and Microsoft Dynamics GP Installation & Configuration. She holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certification in: Dexterity, Modifier with VBA, Integration Manager, Report Writer, HR/Payroll, Financials, Inventory and Order Processing, FRx Report Designer, SQL Server 2000, and Microsoft XP Professional.

A skilled developer, Leslie uses Dexterity, Modifier with VBA, Integration Manager, and eConnect to provide custom solutions to 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 and 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.

Preface

Tens of thousands of Microsoft Dynamics GP users keep the accounting functions of their firms running day in and day out. They ensure that vendors get paid, customer payments are tracked, and the financial statements balance in the end. In short, they provide the information critical to corporate decision making.

Although thousands of people use Dynamics GP, many of them only use a subset of the functionality. They figure out just enough to do their job but never delve into ways to do it better. Many users also start with a particular version of Dynamics GP but don't update their skills for new features in updated versions. Employers generally offer little or no training after the initial implementation. The work gets done, but users are left with a feeling that there must be a better way. This book is designed to remove that nagging feeling and provide ways to get more from Dynamics GP.

Why a Dynamics GP Cookbook

Although users manage to get the job done, usually there is a better way. In countless consulting and speaking engagements I find users who simply don't know about the simple features or techniques that can make using Dynamics GP easier.

These features don't require extensive knowledge of Dynamics GP, simply a desire to make using Dynamics GP easier, faster, and simpler. These features, tips, and techniques have been compiled into a set of recipes designed to let Dynamics GP users cook up solutions to their problems.

Like your grandmother's cookbooks, these recipes are laid out in simple steps designed to make them easy to follow and get right the first time. The recipes outlined here are optimized for quick application. Users can