I wanted to share some of the news coming out from Convergence 2009, and there is some very exciting news about upcoming features that will be available for Dynamics GP.
First the timeline:
Currently scheduled for July, 2009, Microsoft will be releasing Dynamics GP Service Pack 4. As with other Service Pack releases, SP4 for GP 10.0 will offer both “fixes” for known problems and the release of new features and functionality. Later in the summer of 2009, Microsoft will release a new Adapter for connecting Dynamics GP to Dynamics CRM. Finally, we are now approximately one year away from the next release of Dynamics GP, known internally as GP 11 (although I expect it will be released as Dynamics 2010, to follow the naming conventions for the Server and Office product lines).
Ok, no more waiting, here is the NEWS:
With SP4, GP 10.0 will now have a major expansion of the features of Extender. If you have not seen extender before, it is a very easy to use tool that has allowed GP users to create additional windows for capturing data not ready available in standard GP windows. Much more than simply a set of User-defined fields, Extender could create lists, dropdowns, links to other windows, checkboxes, etc. After the data had been captured, the data could then be exposed within the Smartlist for analysis and review. Now we get news that Extender will be expanded to allow for the creation of brand new windows NOT related to any existing GP windows. This will include both Master Data and transaction processing, essentially providing GP with an easy to use process for creating brand new functionality!
Connecting GP 10.0 to CRM 4.0, up til now, has required the use either eConnect, SmartConnect from eOne or the Scribe tool. At Convergence, Microsoft announced the upcoming release of a new adapter, written by the technical team if Fargo. This is an entirely new tool, written from a clean sheet approach, and is not a reworking of the previous Microsoft Adapter. I am very excited to see what the Fargo team has accomplished, but I have very high expectations for this tool.
Finally, some sneak previews of what we can expect in GP 11. Much tighter integrations between GP and Office Word as a report writer, mass emailing of outbound documents instead of the current one document at a time approach, and an expansion of the Customer Portal and the Vendor portal. I will be adding more details about GP 11 as they become available, hopefully as early as next month.
I must give credit to the new Dynamics GP community blog for sharing these details from Convergence. You can find the blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/gp/, and I highly recommend it to everyone in the GP community. Produced by the Microsoft Dynamics GP Product Management and Marketing team, it is a welcome addition to the GP community of bloggers, and should be an excellent resource for upcoming product details and questions.
A Failure to Plan is a Plan for Failure
A Failure to Plan is a Plan for Failure
I am frequently asked to describe the role (and hence the value) of the Project Manager. As our clients review our proposals, one consistent area of focus is on the time and budget allocated to “Project Management”. Even in good economic climates, and certainly in poor ones, our clients are always looking for ways to reduce the costs associated with an implementation project, and the project management line seems like an obvious area to cut back. I am very confident that this approach is a serious mistake, with both short-term and long-term implications.
Let me begin by offering a definition of the role of Project Manager: The individual responsible to the customer and the consulting management for project delivery and execution. The Project Manager schedules and coordinates project resources, ensures that technical and application consulting resources are successfully executing on the established project plan. The Project Manager ensures that both time and budget targets are being met and has approval authority for all project-related time and expense charges. (adapted from the role-tailored learning plans from Microsoft).
Based on this definition, the role of a project manager seems very cut and dried. Source and allocate the appropriate resources, monitor their progress on specific project tasks, provide periodic reviews of progress, and keep a close eye on the budget and timeline.
If you don’t know where you are going, how do you know when you get there?
Consider the example of using a car to drive yourself from your current location to your desired destination. The PM definition above is all about the mechanical activities involved in driving the car. Start the car, be sure it is full of gas, put the transmission into Drive, and release the brake and so on.
But you should be saying to yourself, “hold on, something is missing from all this. Where is the vision?” You would be exactly correct. In the analogy above, the critical missing element is the map. We have answered the question of “How do we operate the car”, but completely ignored the question of “Where are we going?” Reaching your destination is the result of knowing BOTH where you want to go and how to get there.
So far, our definition of a Project Manager is solely focused on the tactical aspects of project management, but a successful PM must also bring a robust set of strategic skills to the implementation as well. The PM must have a vision of what needs to be accomplished, beginning with the desired final result in mind, and then working backwards to ensure that every aspect of the required elements of that vision are present and accounted for.
In my current role as a system architect and solutions consultant, I make every possible effort to develop and define that vision before the PM has been engaged on the implementation. Working with the key members of the client’s project team, meeting with their executives and managers, it is my responsibility to transform their desires and goals into a more concrete set of specific requirements. These requirements and the statements from the client as to their desires and goals provide me with the basic elements I need to create the overall vision of what the project is intended to produce.
However, my time on the engagement is limited, and I cannot produce the level of depth and detail needed to move from the “big-picture” view to the discreet tasks and activities that will make up the tactical activities within the project plan. Continuing the driving analogy from above, it is the Project Manager that provides the turn-by-turn instructions needed to reach the destination, and to monitor our progress along the route.
It is the Project Manager who fills this critical gap between the initial, high-level project vision and the highly detailed project plan’s task and resource assignments. It is their wealth of experiences, both in industry and company-specific processes and standards, as well as the software being implemented, that creates the bridge between the 50,000 foot view that I can provide, and the boots on the ground work of the technical and application consultants who will perform the bulk of the activities.
At first glance, it may be tempting to try to reduce the role (and hence the expense) of having a Project Manager playing a prominent role in the implementation, but without a knowledgeable and experienced PM first defining and then driving the project, the probability of successfully reaching (and exceeding) the goals and requirements of our clients is greatly reduced. In the short-term, this will mean delays and frustrations, while in the long-term the project will suffer from costly overruns and potentially a total failure of the project.
With this in mind, let’s restate our definition of a Project Manager:
The individual responsible to the customer and the consulting management for the project’s vision, delivery and execution. The Project Manager, working with the client’s executives, first defines the goals and objectives of the project, and then creates the project plan. The PM then schedules and coordinates the project’s resources, ensures that technical and application consulting resources are successfully executing on the established project plan. The Project Manager ensures that both time and budget targets are being met and has approval authority for all project-related time and expense charges.
I am frequently asked to describe the role (and hence the value) of the Project Manager. As our clients review our proposals, one consistent area of focus is on the time and budget allocated to “Project Management”. Even in good economic climates, and certainly in poor ones, our clients are always looking for ways to reduce the costs associated with an implementation project, and the project management line seems like an obvious area to cut back. I am very confident that this approach is a serious mistake, with both short-term and long-term implications.
Let me begin by offering a definition of the role of Project Manager: The individual responsible to the customer and the consulting management for project delivery and execution. The Project Manager schedules and coordinates project resources, ensures that technical and application consulting resources are successfully executing on the established project plan. The Project Manager ensures that both time and budget targets are being met and has approval authority for all project-related time and expense charges. (adapted from the role-tailored learning plans from Microsoft).
Based on this definition, the role of a project manager seems very cut and dried. Source and allocate the appropriate resources, monitor their progress on specific project tasks, provide periodic reviews of progress, and keep a close eye on the budget and timeline.
If you don’t know where you are going, how do you know when you get there?
Consider the example of using a car to drive yourself from your current location to your desired destination. The PM definition above is all about the mechanical activities involved in driving the car. Start the car, be sure it is full of gas, put the transmission into Drive, and release the brake and so on.
But you should be saying to yourself, “hold on, something is missing from all this. Where is the vision?” You would be exactly correct. In the analogy above, the critical missing element is the map. We have answered the question of “How do we operate the car”, but completely ignored the question of “Where are we going?” Reaching your destination is the result of knowing BOTH where you want to go and how to get there.
So far, our definition of a Project Manager is solely focused on the tactical aspects of project management, but a successful PM must also bring a robust set of strategic skills to the implementation as well. The PM must have a vision of what needs to be accomplished, beginning with the desired final result in mind, and then working backwards to ensure that every aspect of the required elements of that vision are present and accounted for.
In my current role as a system architect and solutions consultant, I make every possible effort to develop and define that vision before the PM has been engaged on the implementation. Working with the key members of the client’s project team, meeting with their executives and managers, it is my responsibility to transform their desires and goals into a more concrete set of specific requirements. These requirements and the statements from the client as to their desires and goals provide me with the basic elements I need to create the overall vision of what the project is intended to produce.
However, my time on the engagement is limited, and I cannot produce the level of depth and detail needed to move from the “big-picture” view to the discreet tasks and activities that will make up the tactical activities within the project plan. Continuing the driving analogy from above, it is the Project Manager that provides the turn-by-turn instructions needed to reach the destination, and to monitor our progress along the route.
It is the Project Manager who fills this critical gap between the initial, high-level project vision and the highly detailed project plan’s task and resource assignments. It is their wealth of experiences, both in industry and company-specific processes and standards, as well as the software being implemented, that creates the bridge between the 50,000 foot view that I can provide, and the boots on the ground work of the technical and application consultants who will perform the bulk of the activities.
At first glance, it may be tempting to try to reduce the role (and hence the expense) of having a Project Manager playing a prominent role in the implementation, but without a knowledgeable and experienced PM first defining and then driving the project, the probability of successfully reaching (and exceeding) the goals and requirements of our clients is greatly reduced. In the short-term, this will mean delays and frustrations, while in the long-term the project will suffer from costly overruns and potentially a total failure of the project.
With this in mind, let’s restate our definition of a Project Manager:
The individual responsible to the customer and the consulting management for the project’s vision, delivery and execution. The Project Manager, working with the client’s executives, first defines the goals and objectives of the project, and then creates the project plan. The PM then schedules and coordinates the project’s resources, ensures that technical and application consulting resources are successfully executing on the established project plan. The Project Manager ensures that both time and budget targets are being met and has approval authority for all project-related time and expense charges.
Windows is virtually Linux?
Could this really be true? Is it possible for Microsoft and Linux to actually get along? I don't mean "get along" as in willing to quietly ignore each other, "this sandbox is big enough for both of us", but get along as in cooperation and trust!
On monday, Microsoft and Red Hat announced that they would indeed be cooperating going forward, working together to ensure that their virtual environments would be cross-supportive. That is, Microsoft would test AND CERTIFY Linux clients on Microsoft's virtual environments, and that Linux would test AND CERTIFY Microsoft client's on a Linux server.
The cooperation is really an official recognition of the fact that many data centers are operating both Windows and Linux servers, a so-called mixed operating environment. Couple this reality with a very strong movement towards virtualization, and the Microsoft / Linux hook-up makes complete sense. Going forward, this should remove one of the current obstacles to a rapid adoption of virtualization, the assumed requirement that you must be solely focused on a single OS standard to effectively deploy virtual servers.
Microsoft and LInux will coordinate technical support for the products, and there will be no licensing of any Intellectual property between the companies.
So, who feels the impact of this announcement? Primarily, that would be VMWare. Microsoft has been making inroads against VMWare's market position in the world of virtualization, but with the announcement from Microsoft / Linux, I would expect that VMWare's dominant position will continue to erode, possibly at a faster pace. At this point, VMWare will continue to go forward as a stand-alone company, but with a large and very visible target on their back.
Microsoft wants to be the big player in the virtual world, witness their introduction of Windows Server 2008, which supports a fully virtual environment, and now with coperation of Linux, will be able to increase their adoption rates.
For more on this subject, please see:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=12951&tag=nl.e539
For the Microsoft announcement, please see:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090216/20090216005482.html
On monday, Microsoft and Red Hat announced that they would indeed be cooperating going forward, working together to ensure that their virtual environments would be cross-supportive. That is, Microsoft would test AND CERTIFY Linux clients on Microsoft's virtual environments, and that Linux would test AND CERTIFY Microsoft client's on a Linux server.
The cooperation is really an official recognition of the fact that many data centers are operating both Windows and Linux servers, a so-called mixed operating environment. Couple this reality with a very strong movement towards virtualization, and the Microsoft / Linux hook-up makes complete sense. Going forward, this should remove one of the current obstacles to a rapid adoption of virtualization, the assumed requirement that you must be solely focused on a single OS standard to effectively deploy virtual servers.
Microsoft and LInux will coordinate technical support for the products, and there will be no licensing of any Intellectual property between the companies.
So, who feels the impact of this announcement? Primarily, that would be VMWare. Microsoft has been making inroads against VMWare's market position in the world of virtualization, but with the announcement from Microsoft / Linux, I would expect that VMWare's dominant position will continue to erode, possibly at a faster pace. At this point, VMWare will continue to go forward as a stand-alone company, but with a large and very visible target on their back.
Microsoft wants to be the big player in the virtual world, witness their introduction of Windows Server 2008, which supports a fully virtual environment, and now with coperation of Linux, will be able to increase their adoption rates.
For more on this subject, please see:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=12951&tag=nl.e539
For the Microsoft announcement, please see:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090216/20090216005482.html
Microsoft Announcement on BI Offerings
1. What is the Microsoft Business Intelligence announcement?
Microsoft is consolidating Monitoring and Analyzing capabilities from Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 (PPS) into SharePoint Server Enterprise where these capabilities will now be called PerformancePoint Services. The planning component included in PPS SP3 will be released in the summer of 2009, after which time development on the planning component will cease and the PPS brand will no longer exist. As part of this change in BI strategy the Dynamics team will be assuming roadmap responsibility for FRx, Forecaster and Management Reporter.
Future State
FRx
Forecaster
Performance Point Server
Sharepoint Server Enterprise (Analysis and Monitoring only)
Planning (release date: summer ’09) No further development after release
Management Reporter
Enterprise Reporting *
*Death sentence has been lifted, sales and support to resume in February 2009, no announcements concerning future development of ER.
2. What is the future of Microsoft FRx?
FRx will continue to be an important asset for Dynamics BI. Microsoft will also continue to evaluate how we can improve customer satisfaction with this product and enhance and maintain FRx for new and existing customers. A detailed product roadmap will be communicated at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe that will offer more details on future releases and service packs. Microsoft FRx is a financial reporting product that is an important foundation of Microsoft Dynamics. Microsoft FRx 6.7 will remain in market and is currently sold as part of Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Module Based Licensing programs.
3. What is the future of Microsoft Forecaster?
We are committed to maintaining our Forecaster product line to ensure that we can accommodate existing and new vertical markets. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
Microsoft Forecaster is a budgeting and planning product that is an important piece of Microsoft Dynamics. The current version, Microsoft Forecaster 7.0, was released in March, 2007. Microsoft Forecaster will remain in market and is currently sold as part of Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Module Based Licensing programs.
4. What is the future of Management Reporter?
Management Reporter is an important asset for Dynamics now and in the future, and we will continue to add features and functionality. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
Management Reporter is a new financial report writer that is based on functional concepts of Microsoft FRx. Management Reporter helps corporations improve their business performance through an enhanced financial reporting process. Management Reporter allows business users are to create, generate and share financial reports easily, efficiently and accurately.
5. Does Management Reporter have all of the same functionality as Microsoft FRx?
Management Reporter represents the next generation of financial reporting functionality and currently does not have the same functionality. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
UPDATE: 02/17/2009
...spotted an article in Network Computing that states in part:
Microsoft made a surprise announcement that presents good news and bad news for customers and partners who were developing on the PerformancePoint Server product. The good news is that the dashboarding, scorecarding and analytic capabilities of PerformancePoint are now being made available as free services to customers with an enterprise license of SharePoint Server. The bad news is that PerformancePoint and its planning functionality will no longer be offered as a separate product, though there will be a final “Service Pack3″ upgrade to the planning functionality released this summer. Translation? Microsoft’s BI team is backing away from deep financial and operational performance management, ceding those opportunities to the Microsoft Dynamics unit and stranding some customers and partners in the process.
Microsoft says it is bundling high-demand PerformancePoint functionality like dashboarding, scorecarding and advanced analytics with SharePoint to better fulfill its longstanding goal of spreading business intelligence to the broadest possible base of users.
“By putting this functionality into SharePoint, it makes it available to exponentially more users,” said Kristina Kerr, Lead Product Manager, Microsoft Business Intelligence, in an interview with Intelligent Enterprise. Share “As for the financial budgeting and planning piece, we found that it involves very different buying behaviors, different people and different deployment scenarios, so we’re very deliberately splitting those two areas.”
A final upgrade of PerformancePoint may buy planning-focused customers and partners some time, but nobody wants to make long-range plans around a product without a road map. Thus, one of two paths forward Microsoft points to exploits what Kerr describes as “broad planning capabilities” it can offer with the combination of SQL Server, SharePoint Server and Excel.
“For example, we have an Excel add-in that exposes the analytic capabilities of SQL Server Analysis Services,” Kerr explained. “Analysis Services offers a function called Forecast, which is really predictive analytics based on historical trends. [That's the kind of functionality] that’s suitable for scenarios that aren’t specific to the office of finance but that call for broad planning and forecasting capabilities.”
A second path forward for partners and customers interesting in planning is to work with the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and applications unit, which will continue to develop its Forecaster and FRX products for forecasting, budgeting and financial reporting.
Microsoft is consolidating Monitoring and Analyzing capabilities from Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 (PPS) into SharePoint Server Enterprise where these capabilities will now be called PerformancePoint Services. The planning component included in PPS SP3 will be released in the summer of 2009, after which time development on the planning component will cease and the PPS brand will no longer exist. As part of this change in BI strategy the Dynamics team will be assuming roadmap responsibility for FRx, Forecaster and Management Reporter.
Future State
FRx
Forecaster
Performance Point Server
Sharepoint Server Enterprise (Analysis and Monitoring only)
Planning (release date: summer ’09) No further development after release
Management Reporter
Enterprise Reporting *
*Death sentence has been lifted, sales and support to resume in February 2009, no announcements concerning future development of ER.
2. What is the future of Microsoft FRx?
FRx will continue to be an important asset for Dynamics BI. Microsoft will also continue to evaluate how we can improve customer satisfaction with this product and enhance and maintain FRx for new and existing customers. A detailed product roadmap will be communicated at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe that will offer more details on future releases and service packs. Microsoft FRx is a financial reporting product that is an important foundation of Microsoft Dynamics. Microsoft FRx 6.7 will remain in market and is currently sold as part of Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Module Based Licensing programs.
3. What is the future of Microsoft Forecaster?
We are committed to maintaining our Forecaster product line to ensure that we can accommodate existing and new vertical markets. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
Microsoft Forecaster is a budgeting and planning product that is an important piece of Microsoft Dynamics. The current version, Microsoft Forecaster 7.0, was released in March, 2007. Microsoft Forecaster will remain in market and is currently sold as part of Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Module Based Licensing programs.
4. What is the future of Management Reporter?
Management Reporter is an important asset for Dynamics now and in the future, and we will continue to add features and functionality. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
Management Reporter is a new financial report writer that is based on functional concepts of Microsoft FRx. Management Reporter helps corporations improve their business performance through an enhanced financial reporting process. Management Reporter allows business users are to create, generate and share financial reports easily, efficiently and accurately.
5. Does Management Reporter have all of the same functionality as Microsoft FRx?
Management Reporter represents the next generation of financial reporting functionality and currently does not have the same functionality. We are already hard at work in developing a clear roadmap for Management Reporter, FRx and Forecaster which we hope to share at or near the Convergence New Orleans timeframe.
UPDATE: 02/17/2009
...spotted an article in Network Computing that states in part:
Microsoft made a surprise announcement that presents good news and bad news for customers and partners who were developing on the PerformancePoint Server product. The good news is that the dashboarding, scorecarding and analytic capabilities of PerformancePoint are now being made available as free services to customers with an enterprise license of SharePoint Server. The bad news is that PerformancePoint and its planning functionality will no longer be offered as a separate product, though there will be a final “Service Pack3″ upgrade to the planning functionality released this summer. Translation? Microsoft’s BI team is backing away from deep financial and operational performance management, ceding those opportunities to the Microsoft Dynamics unit and stranding some customers and partners in the process.
Microsoft says it is bundling high-demand PerformancePoint functionality like dashboarding, scorecarding and advanced analytics with SharePoint to better fulfill its longstanding goal of spreading business intelligence to the broadest possible base of users.
“By putting this functionality into SharePoint, it makes it available to exponentially more users,” said Kristina Kerr, Lead Product Manager, Microsoft Business Intelligence, in an interview with Intelligent Enterprise. Share “As for the financial budgeting and planning piece, we found that it involves very different buying behaviors, different people and different deployment scenarios, so we’re very deliberately splitting those two areas.”
A final upgrade of PerformancePoint may buy planning-focused customers and partners some time, but nobody wants to make long-range plans around a product without a road map. Thus, one of two paths forward Microsoft points to exploits what Kerr describes as “broad planning capabilities” it can offer with the combination of SQL Server, SharePoint Server and Excel.
“For example, we have an Excel add-in that exposes the analytic capabilities of SQL Server Analysis Services,” Kerr explained. “Analysis Services offers a function called Forecast, which is really predictive analytics based on historical trends. [That's the kind of functionality] that’s suitable for scenarios that aren’t specific to the office of finance but that call for broad planning and forecasting capabilities.”
A second path forward for partners and customers interesting in planning is to work with the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and applications unit, which will continue to develop its Forecaster and FRX products for forecasting, budgeting and financial reporting.
Using FRx to create a Cash Flow Statement
This article describes how to create a Statement of Cash Flows in FRx so the beginning period and end of period cash amount calculates correctly.
MORE INFORMATION
Column layout:
1. Create Column A as the description column.
2. Column B is the GL CUR column.
3. Column C is a GL YTD/BB column.
4. Column D is a GL YTD column.
5. Column E is a CALC column. The formula for the CALC column should be D-C.
6. Make columns C and D non printing.
Row format:
1. Cash at Beginning of period is in row 1300. Make it a non printing row.
2. Pull in the cash accounts (1100 to 1110),/BB.
3. In row 1330, create a CAL row, B=@1300, C=0, D=@1300.
4. Either column C or Column D must equal zero or nothing will print in the CALC Column E.
5. Cash at End of period is in Row 1510. Make it non-printing.
6. Pull in the cash accounts (1100 to 1110),/Y.
7. In row 1540, create a CAL row, B=@1510, C=0, D=@1510.
Catalog:
1. In the Catalog of Reports, under Report Options | Advanced tab, make sure that the option to Calculate Rows first under Calculation Priority is marked.
REFERENCES
For a sample report, download and unzip the correct Cash Flow statement for the FW company at the following link:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/downloads/customer/TK20347_cash_flow.zip
MORE INFORMATION
Column layout:
1. Create Column A as the description column.
2. Column B is the GL CUR column.
3. Column C is a GL YTD/BB column.
4. Column D is a GL YTD column.
5. Column E is a CALC column. The formula for the CALC column should be D-C.
6. Make columns C and D non printing.
Row format:
1. Cash at Beginning of period is in row 1300. Make it a non printing row.
2. Pull in the cash accounts (1100 to 1110),/BB.
3. In row 1330, create a CAL row, B=@1300, C=0, D=@1300.
4. Either column C or Column D must equal zero or nothing will print in the CALC Column E.
5. Cash at End of period is in Row 1510. Make it non-printing.
6. Pull in the cash accounts (1100 to 1110),/Y.
7. In row 1540, create a CAL row, B=@1510, C=0, D=@1510.
Catalog:
1. In the Catalog of Reports, under Report Options | Advanced tab, make sure that the option to Calculate Rows first under Calculation Priority is marked.
REFERENCES
For a sample report, download and unzip the correct Cash Flow statement for the FW company at the following link:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/downloads/customer/TK20347_cash_flow.zip
Realize the benefits of CustomerSource
Get access to CustomerSource — a one-stop resource for quick and easy access to valuable information to maximize the benefits of your Microsoft Dynamics GP business management solution.
As part of the many benefits included in the Business Ready Enhancement Plan or Software Assurance for Microsoft Dynamics, CustomerSource is an award-winning, site that provides access to timely and relevant information on your Microsoft Dynamics and related products and services.
CustomerSource can help you boost productivity and reduce support costs by providing unlimited access to:
News and events
Stay up-to-date on the latest corporate and product-specific news, as well as upcoming events.
• Events
Attend an event such as a conference or online seminar to learn more about how your business benefits from Microsoft Dynamics solutions.
• Insights
Customers who access the global, Unites States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand sites can subscribe to Insights (currently offered in English only) to receive the latest product news and announcements, support alerts, and general information that keep you up to date.
• News
Read the latest news, information, and product and press releases related to your Microsoft Dynamics product, including articles about business issues written by industry experts.
Support
The Support section in CustomerSource provides convenient access to many technical resources, including both self-help and assisted support services. If you're enrolled in a Microsoft Dynamics service plan, your electronic support requests have the same guaranteed response time as your telephone support incidents.
Online technical support features include:
• Support information: Find information related to support hours, who to contact, tips for using online support features, and more.
• Microsoft Knowledge Base: Access the same database our award-winning technical support team uses. Microsoft Knowledge Base contains thousands of technical tips, solutions to common problems, usability recommendations, and answers to frequently asked questions.
• Assisted support: Initiate support requests directly to our online support team for responses to your technical support questions. Some examples include:
Automated Solutions
Hot Topics
Support Requests
Downloads and updates
Stay current by updating your system with the latest Service Pack, product releases, tax updates, and hotfixes. These updates, along with resources to submit product suggestions and modify reports, help make you more self-sufficient.
Technical content
Gain deeper understanding of benefits and capabilities of your software investment by accessing "how to" tips and steps, installation and setup guides, product white papers, and more. With some content types, customers can easily refine their searches with drop-down field selection options.
Product information
All Microsoft Dynamics products offer a solid accounting and finance core for e-business. All are backed by ongoing service and around-the-clock support. Each integrated product family offers a range of features for specific business needs. The product information on the CustomerSource site provides you with the features and benefits each solution provides.
Training and certification
Maximize your investment and understand your solution's features, functionality, and potential by participating in the many training opportunities available to you. Learn how to take advantage of e-learning, classroom training, and training materials by reviewing the Training area of CustomerSource today.
and more - any time ,from anywhere.
For details and instrictions on how to access your CustomerSource account, please contact me at jhoyt@tmc-la.com or call Pat Quimby at 310.599.3982 x 784
As part of the many benefits included in the Business Ready Enhancement Plan or Software Assurance for Microsoft Dynamics, CustomerSource is an award-winning, site that provides access to timely and relevant information on your Microsoft Dynamics and related products and services.
CustomerSource can help you boost productivity and reduce support costs by providing unlimited access to:
News and events
Stay up-to-date on the latest corporate and product-specific news, as well as upcoming events.
• Events
Attend an event such as a conference or online seminar to learn more about how your business benefits from Microsoft Dynamics solutions.
• Insights
Customers who access the global, Unites States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand sites can subscribe to Insights (currently offered in English only) to receive the latest product news and announcements, support alerts, and general information that keep you up to date.
• News
Read the latest news, information, and product and press releases related to your Microsoft Dynamics product, including articles about business issues written by industry experts.
Support
The Support section in CustomerSource provides convenient access to many technical resources, including both self-help and assisted support services. If you're enrolled in a Microsoft Dynamics service plan, your electronic support requests have the same guaranteed response time as your telephone support incidents.
Online technical support features include:
• Support information: Find information related to support hours, who to contact, tips for using online support features, and more.
• Microsoft Knowledge Base: Access the same database our award-winning technical support team uses. Microsoft Knowledge Base contains thousands of technical tips, solutions to common problems, usability recommendations, and answers to frequently asked questions.
• Assisted support: Initiate support requests directly to our online support team for responses to your technical support questions. Some examples include:
Automated Solutions
Hot Topics
Support Requests
Downloads and updates
Stay current by updating your system with the latest Service Pack, product releases, tax updates, and hotfixes. These updates, along with resources to submit product suggestions and modify reports, help make you more self-sufficient.
Technical content
Gain deeper understanding of benefits and capabilities of your software investment by accessing "how to" tips and steps, installation and setup guides, product white papers, and more. With some content types, customers can easily refine their searches with drop-down field selection options.
Product information
All Microsoft Dynamics products offer a solid accounting and finance core for e-business. All are backed by ongoing service and around-the-clock support. Each integrated product family offers a range of features for specific business needs. The product information on the CustomerSource site provides you with the features and benefits each solution provides.
Training and certification
Maximize your investment and understand your solution's features, functionality, and potential by participating in the many training opportunities available to you. Learn how to take advantage of e-learning, classroom training, and training materials by reviewing the Training area of CustomerSource today.
and more - any time ,from anywhere.
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What's new (and very COOL) in GP 10.0
Reporting
New integrations with Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services provide you with more reporting opportunities than before.
Data connections
Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Office provide an integration method, called an Office Data Connection (ODC) that allows you to view Microsoft Dynamics GP data in an Excel form. You can use the data connection to create new reports or view existing reports. Microsoft Dynamics GP also provides some predefined reports that display the same data that’s displayed in SmartList default favorites in an Excel form. You can deploy data connections from within Microsoft Dynamics GP, if you aren’t using Microsoft Office SharePoint server. To deploy data connections to Microsoft Office SharePoint server, use the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Deployment wizard.
You also can set up the Microsoft Dynamics GP report list to display your data connections alongside your standard Microsoft Dynamics GP reports in your report list.
Report lists
Report lists are integrated with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. Now all file types can be included in the report list, such as data connections, and Microsoft Excel reports.
Microsoft Excel
Default Excel reports have been created for you based on existing SmartList favorites. You can deploy these reports to a network location or a Microsoft Office SharePoint server library, where you can open the reports and view live Microsoft Dynamics GP data. You can deploy reports from within Microsoft Dynamics GP if you aren’t using Microsoft Office SharePoint server. To deploy reports to Microsoft Office SharePoint server, use the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Deployment wizard.
You also can set up the Microsoft Dynamics GP report list to recognize the stored location of these reports so that you can see your Microsoft Excel reports among your standard Microsoft Dynamics GP reports in your report list.
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
A number of new SQL Server Reporting Services reports have been created for you to use in conjunction with Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0. You can use a new wizard to deploy these reports to your Report Manager, where you currently store your SQL Server Reporting Services reports.
Further integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP allows you to view the SQL Server Reporting Services reports alongside your standard Microsoft Dynamics GP reports in the report list if you have set up Microsoft Dynamics GP to recognize the location of your SQL Server Reporting Services reports. Your reports are easily accessible to both internal and external users.
Excel Report Builder
The Excel Report Builder allows you to create new Excel reports from within Microsoft Dynamics GP. The new reports are have a connection to the Dynamics GP databases, which allows them to be refreshable. This feature is a part of SmartList Builder. (Added in Feature Pack 1.)
New integrations with Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services provide you with more reporting opportunities than before.
Data connections
Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Office provide an integration method, called an Office Data Connection (ODC) that allows you to view Microsoft Dynamics GP data in an Excel form. You can use the data connection to create new reports or view existing reports. Microsoft Dynamics GP also provides some predefined reports that display the same data that’s displayed in SmartList default favorites in an Excel form. You can deploy data connections from within Microsoft Dynamics GP, if you aren’t using Microsoft Office SharePoint server. To deploy data connections to Microsoft Office SharePoint server, use the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Deployment wizard.
You also can set up the Microsoft Dynamics GP report list to display your data connections alongside your standard Microsoft Dynamics GP reports in your report list.
Report lists
Report lists are integrated with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. Now all file types can be included in the report list, such as data connections, and Microsoft Excel reports.
Microsoft Excel
Default Excel reports have been created for you based on existing SmartList favorites. You can deploy these reports to a network location or a Microsoft Office SharePoint server library, where you can open the reports and view live Microsoft Dynamics GP data. You can deploy reports from within Microsoft Dynamics GP if you aren’t using Microsoft Office SharePoint server. To deploy reports to Microsoft Office SharePoint server, use the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Deployment wizard.
You also can set up the Microsoft Dynamics GP report list to recognize the stored location of these reports so that you can see your Microsoft Excel reports among your standard Microsoft Dynamics GP reports in your report list.
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
A number of new SQL Server Reporting Services reports have been created for you to use in conjunction with Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0. You can use a new wizard to deploy these reports to your Report Manager, where you currently store your SQL Server Reporting Services reports.
Further integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP allows you to view the SQL Server Reporting Services reports alongside your standard Microsoft Dynamics GP reports in the report list if you have set up Microsoft Dynamics GP to recognize the location of your SQL Server Reporting Services reports. Your reports are easily accessible to both internal and external users.
Excel Report Builder
The Excel Report Builder allows you to create new Excel reports from within Microsoft Dynamics GP. The new reports are have a connection to the Dynamics GP databases, which allows them to be refreshable. This feature is a part of SmartList Builder. (Added in Feature Pack 1.)
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