Dynamics GP Partner News: Getting Second Opinion in Great Plains Implementation

We saw multiple scenarios, where Corporate ERP implementation goes into limbo phase and you think that this system might be not the one you need.  In our opinion - over 90% of these Corporate ERP implementation failing cases had rather subjective reasons and could be efficiently recovered if customer would stop at some point and asked for Second Opinion from one of local Chicagoland and Northern Illinois based Dynamics GP Resellers, or even from nationwide firm with strong Great Plains implementation, data conversion, reporting and customization expertise in your industry.  Think this way - Dynamics GP is a tool and Corporate ERP platform, but it allows you to design and organize Accounting, Sales Order Processing, Manufacturing, Shipping and Receiving, Procurement, Inventory and Warehouse management procedures.  Plus it open through Dexterity, eConnect, Integration Manager, ReportWriter, SQL Server Reporting Services, Crystal Reports and other tools to data conversions, customizations, integrations and reporting.  To implement your new Corporate ERP you would have to probably assign internal Project Manager, plus probably allocate some members of IT team if data migration and customization is needed, and of course you should select the right Dynamics GP Partner, who could help you implement Great Plains as real team of GP gurus.  We are trying to make this article readable for both IT managers and Company Executives, so please take it to consideration and skip the paragraph that is too technical or too philosophical.  Let's come through the most typical Corporate ERP failures scenarios:

1. Unrealistic Data Conversion.  We were discussing which topic should go on the first position, and looks like the "winner" is data migration, massage and conversion.  And this might be also related to lack of management involvement (when somebody from executives orders Dynamics GP VAR to convert "everything" and period) as well as to some learning curve from your Dynamics GP Reseller sales engineering team, where they say Yes to all customer requests in their desire to push Software Licenses Sale through (better approach would be to set the right expectation and explain recommended and possible levels of Data Conversions, their cost and potential risks).  We described Dynamics GP data migration in previous publications, however here we would like to give you summary.  You should first consider to convert only master records (customers, vendors, GL accounts, employees, addresses) and GL balances and leave your old Accounting system (QuickBooks, Peach Tree, etc.) for data inquiry only to secure possible strategies for future audit and IRS compliance.  If you must have some GL history - consider only current year and only monthly balances - this exercise is possible via Dynamics GP Integration Manager via ODBC connections to your legacy Corporate ERP data base or to exports in text files from legacy accounting, the most typical case is when you are migrating from QuickBooks.  Migrating "everything" to Great Plains is very costly and very risky, as GP business logic and tables structure are complex

2. Unnecessary Deep Modification.  Great Plains already has pretty rich mid-market Corporate ERP and MRP applications business logic and first you should try to cast your business processes in Dynamics GP setups and procedures.  We recommend you to be certain and not accept shortcuts approach, when if process is not apparent, realize it via Dexterity, Modifier or eConnect customizations.  However if customization is required, please check with your Dynamics GP Partner that they have reasonable experience to accomplish it for you, versus try it first time and come through learning curve with facing most of the potential Great Plains Dexterity programming pitfalls

3. Integration with Legacy System limbo.  Often you may have something from non Microsoft World: Oracle Based Sales Order Processing system, EDI, PHP MySQL and Linux based eCommerce web application.  Typically to integrate the two you would need consultants who are either cross trained or consulting team with expertise in both platforms

4. Crystal Reports limbo.  Industrial reporting tools, such as Crystal Reports, SSRS also require reports developer to have reasonable experience and exposure.  If developer is novice and tries all sorts of Wizards - results might be disappointing.  Professional reporting for Corporate ERP applications requires data query abstraction from the tool itself.  In the term of Crystal Report for Dynamics GP it means that report should be based on SQL Stored Procedure or at least on SQL View, and these techniques are crossing the boundaries of apparent reports wizards

5. Process Manufacturing.  If you were pushed in GP sales phase with the promise to implement Process Manufacturing, you probably should slow down, as Microsoft Business Solutions really features Axapta Dynamics AX as process manufacturing Corporate ERP option: food, meat and poultry processing, farmers associations, mining, drilling, energy, oil and gas, etc.  Dynamics GP Manufacturing Suite is for so-called Discrete Manufacturing

6. Great Plains Upgrade Limbo.  If you are migrating from really old version, such as Great Plains on Pervasive SQL or Ctree: 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0 or even from Great Plains Accounting for DOS and Windows, you should be aware on the possible problems.  For example Intellisol Purchase Order Processing was recommended in time (2002) to be migrated to Great Plains Purchase Order module.  You can still do this, but this should be performed for Great Plains Dynamics version 7.5, where you chosen Dynamics GP Partner may have no clue.  Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows or Mac is even better puzzle, as its support was terminated by Great Plains Software somewhere around 2001.  If you need to migrate away from this archaic Corporate ERP platform to Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 - you should carefully design upgrade path with your Dynamics GP Partner

7. Trying to Implement Dynamics GP in International environment in the country where it is not localized.  Please, note that GP is only localized in English speaking countries, plus in Spanish speaking Latin America.  If you are trying to expand it for Brazilian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian subsidiary - you will not have success.  International Corporate ERP is not piece of cake, it requires research and dedication to international business rules.  We advise to consider alternatives to Great Plains, such as SAP Business One, or Microsoft Dynamics AX Axapta, these are Unicode characters compliant and available to broad spectrum of countries.  For example, if you have small facility in Brazil, SAP B1 would be the way to go in our opinion, plus it is very friendly for data export and GL level consolidation to Corporate ERP Great Plains or even on FRx Reporting base.  There are some exceptions - we can help you with options on Crystal Reports in Chinese with Great Plains Dynamics GP

8. How to get help?  Please, feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, outside of USA: 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com  We are very technical and real Dynamics GP Dexterity, SAP Business One SDK programming gurus.  We have Great Plains Software Development Factory and could support unlimited Dynamics GP Customization and Programming needs.  Plus we speak English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and not only as native speaking sales folks, but as real technical consultants.  If you prefer skype: albaspectrum

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