New from Mahmoud AlSaadi: Automtically Generate New Inventory Location Card from SalesPerson Card

The post Automtically Generate New Inventory Location Card from SalesPerson Card appeared first on DynamicAccounting.net.

Blog written by Ginny Lebeck, GPUG Engagement Manager, Dynamic Communities.

Welcome to Chicago, Illinois, a dynamic and thriving business community! On behalf of GPUG I’m thrilled to welcome all of you to the “Windy City” for GPUG Amplify 2018.

With a vast list of award-winning restaurants, several professional sports teams, miles of outdoor enjoyment, and world-renowned attractions, Chicago is an exciting location for this year’s GPUG Amplify conference.

Odds are that you know Chicago is the home of Willis Tower, but there are many other reasons to visit Chicago this March 20-21:

1. GPUG is offering top notch Microsoft Dynamics® GP education at the Marriott Marquis.
2. Chicago was recently dubbed “the ultimate hub of innovation” and is one of the highest-ranked tech hubs in the world.
3. Approximately 30 ISV’s and VARs will be sponsoring GPUG Amplify – browse the list!
4. Chicago is ranked as the 3rd best sports city in the US – it has 28 championship titles and five major league teams!
5. Microsoft support staff will be at GPUG Amplify to offer solutions to your support issues (bring a list of pain points/questions!).

GPUG Chicago Chapter Leader Katie Graves had some more recommendations in this post. Katie said:

“As a local to the area, Chicago is a great location for GPUG Amplify because not only is it a beautiful city to get out and see but Chicago is also a natural epicenter for meeting of the minds. You never know who you might end up networking with, or other ideas you may stumble upon.

While staying at the Marriot Marquis, you will be just a little over a mile from the Chicago Museum Campus. Here you will find the Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium and Solider Field. A little farther away is my personal favorite- the Museum of Science & Industry. If you are coming to Amplify with a spare day, you can't go wrong with any of these choices!”

When asked what he was most looking forward to regarding Chicago, GPUG Amplify speaker Kerry Hataley said: “Real PIZZA! I love Deep Dish Pizza and yes, I know I will get into trouble here, but that thin, foldable cardboard is not pizza. Pizza needs to be eaten with a fork and weigh at least 4 lbs!” Read more in an exclusive Q&A.

So come on out to Chicago and join fellow users, experts, and the Microsoft Support team in “Chicagoland” for two days of invaluable Dynamics GP training at GPUG Amplify - register today.

I'll be there and I'd love to meet you and your colleagues (did I mention this is a great place for team building - come early or stay later after the conference and visit some or all of the top 10 attractions to see while in Chicago!)

See you in March!

Ginny Lebeck
Ginny@gpug.com 

Today I am talking about the Microsoft Dynamics product family and the differences between the product lines. Specifically, Microsoft Dynamics separates products by adding an abbreviation after the word Dynamics.  Today I'm going to explain what that means and talk about the differences at a high level between these different products.

There are five products in the Dynamics product family today:

Dynamics AX – the former Axapta product that used to be owned by Navision

Dynamics NAV – the former Navision software owned by the company that was named the same; headquartered out of Copenhagen, Denmark

Dynamics GP – formerly Great Plains

Dynamics CRM – stands for customer relationship management; it's the only product made by Microsoft from the ground up to compete with companies like Salesforce

Dynamics SL – the old Solomon product line

I’ll now dig into a little more detail about the differences between these.

Dynamics AX

At the top end of the food chain is Dynamics AX, Axapta, which was formerly the name of the software before Microsoft's acquisition. It is the highest level product they have and regularly competes with the likes of SAP or Oracle. It's designed for multinational, large organizations with hundreds of users. The implementations typically start at five hundred thousand and go up from there. It will also require specific and dedicated project management from your team, so if you're a multinational and you're looking for software of that scope, Dynamics AX is one you should take a look at.

Dynamics SL

The next one is Dynamics SL, which is the former Solomon product. Today, Solomon is tailored specifically for professional services such as architects or engineers. It has strong integration with Microsoft Project, another product offered by Microsoft. If your organization needs integration with Project and you're in professional services, SL would be a good fit.

Dynamics GP & NAV

The next two we’ll compare are Dynamics GP and Dynamics NAV. These two are very comparable and have a lot of overlap. They're both geared for the mid-market, which today is loosely defined as organizations up to 250 concurrent users and about a billion dollars in revenue. Both of these products serve many industries very well, but two to highlight are healthcare and manufacturing. They're very strong in both of those. The primary difference between GP and NAV is in their approach.

GP is a best-of-breed, off-the-shelf solution. It often includes ISV or third-party products to meet unique needs, and if you implement GP your organization needs to be ready to adapt to the way GP’s workflow works in the software. If you're willing to do that, GP is usually a little easier and quicker to install and a little more affordable to maintain.

NAV on the other hand is a very strong mid-market solution as well, but includes a great tool set to enable it to be tailored to unique needs of an organization. If you're a company who wants to do things your way and leverage a best practice or core competency--you have unique requirements or needs--NAV would be a great fit. The toolset enables it to act as if it's an open source ERP solution.

Dynamics CRM

And then finally there's Dynamics CRM. Again, CRM stands for customer relationship management, and this product was built from Microsoft from the ground up to compete with solutions like Salesforce or SugarCRM. CRM solutions don't track accounting data and financial reporting; they track sales management--things like leads and opportunities.  And today Dynamics CRM also has a service desk and can handle help desk support requests. Dynamics CRM also provides strong integration to all four of the other products in the Dynamics product family.

Well, there you have it: a high-level look at the differences between the different products in the Dynamics family. If you want more detail, we've got a couple of other videos in our library that dig into more of the details and compare them a little closer.

The Differences Between Microsoft Dynamics AX, GP & NAV

Microsoft Dynamics: GP versus NAV

If you have any additional questions or want to see the Dynamics products in action, drop us a note or give us a call at (859) 252-6225. Thanks for watching.

by TrinSoft, LLC a Microsoft Dynamics ERP Partner in Kentucky

The only clouds that existed in the 1960s were the physical ones in the sky: cumulus, cirrus, stratus… So when Judy Collins first recorded “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell in 1967, she could not have known what the cloud would mean in the 21^st century. And yet, the words ring true today albeit in a totally different context.

“I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all”

Today’s clouds – public, private, and hybrid – can be equally illusory and difficult to understand. Cloud today is the foundation for digital transformation. In the world of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software, cloud at its core means transitioning from an on-premises environment to a data center hosted alternative. In most cases, it also means that your data does not reside on servers that sit within your own four walls.

But whether you choose a public, private, or hybrid cloud environment for your ERP system, rest assured that your data is not floating aimlessly around in the sky! It’s sitting securely in a high tech data center administered by your chosen Cloud Services Provider (CSP).

In fact, Tidestone Solutions can be your choice for a Cloud Services Provider for Microsoft Dynamics GP.
In fact, our cloud is even called YourCloud.

What other facts are important for you to know about Tidestone’s YourCloud?

It’s secure, reliable, and cost-effective. In fact,

it’s more secure, reliable, and cost-effective than your on-premises Microsoft Dynamics GP installation.

How secure is YourCloud? Well, the Tidestone cloud conforms to renowned global security, privacy, and compliance standards like HIPAA, Soc 1, Soc 2, and ISO 27001/27002.

How reliable is YourCloud? Well, the Tidestone cloud provides complete redundancy. With multiple servers and backups of your data, you can rest assured that you will have history backups even if anyone server were to experience downtime.

How cost-effective is YourCloud? Now that’s a question that we can only answer after we’ve had an opportunity to review your unique situation, as there are many variables that impact cost.

 What we can tell you is that the cloud will save you both time and money. Because when you move to the cloud you can immediately stop spending time and money on IT infrastructure, maintenance, and application support. You’ll also save plenty of time and money on costly, time-consuming upgrades. Because as your cloud services provider, Tidestone will upgrade your Microsoft Dynamics GP system bi-annually.

Have we piqued your interest? We hope so.
Contact us today by emailing us at info@tidestonesolutions.com, or just pick up the phone and call Tidestone at 207.761.2133.

Related Article:

Ready, Get Set, Go! Tidestone Solutions Launches Microsoft Dynamics 365 Practice

The Southwest Water Authority (SWA) was established in 1991 by the North Dakota State Legislature to oversee the Southwest Pipeline Project. The pipeline was built to transport raw water from Lake Sakakawea to Dickinson where it is treated and delivered to rural customers in southwest North Dakota.

Since that time, the Southwest Water Authority has relied on Microsoft Dynamics GP to help them manage their business and serve their customers, which includes 33 communities, more than 7,000 rural customers, 23 contract customers, 21 raw-water customers, 2 rural water systems, 3 crew camps, and 2 raw water depots to serve the oil industry.

SWA also implemented Diamond Municipal Solutions, which integrates directly with Microsoft Dynamics GP, to manage utility billing, meter and reading management, work orders, payment and collections, adjustments, and more. Diamond tracks the water usage for each customer so they know exactly what to charge each customer each month.

Additionally, they utilize Payroll, HR, Payables, and Fixed Assets within Microsoft Dynamics GP. Sandy Burwick, CFO for SWA, said she appreciates that GP allows them to drill down into expenses and get an easy, in-depth view into their finances, including actual vs. budget. That gives her the power to quickly view where their money is going.

As they have continued to grow over the years, Microsoft Dynamics GP has been able to grow with them to support managing a substantial increase in employees and customers. Watch the video and hear more from Sandy about their use of Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Want to learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics GP could help your business? Contact the professionals at DFC Consultants. 

By Sabrina Zimara

Hands On With MDGP 2018 RTM New Features: New DocAttachs Available Via Inquiry Windows

Ian Grieve has more details on DocAttach and Inquiry Windows

The post Hands On With MDGP 2018 RTM New Features: New DocAttachs Available Via Inquiry Windows appeared first on DynamicAccounting.net.

Most companies have two main parts for their customer lifecycle; customer acquisition and service delivery. During the customer acquisition phase, the salesperson is very active in gaining the customer’s trust, after the customer decides to purchase the service/product, it’s your job to provide value, and trust that has been promised to them, this opportunity can be changed to won within your Microsoft Dynamics CRM system; however, if they didn’t follow through with the purchase they became a lost opportunity. During the service delivery phrase, the product/service is being delivered, and then there is no more interaction with the salesperson they trusted, but instead systems, automatic emails, and customer service.

The point here is that after the customer purchased the product/service, the salesperson has an opportunity to nurture their clients and turn them into long-term clients. They didn’t just buy the product or the service; they also bought the trust and bond that that was established through time, and this relationship should not be taken for granted. The moment a customer feels like their trust has been violated they’re going to look elsewhere for their products/services.

In Microsoft Dynamics for Sales once an opportunity has turned into a won-opportunity the company name can be added as an account. The actual client is added as a contact, and future interactions are quick and easy. Sending them personalized emails right from the system to check in on them, make sure the product/service is working out, and how you can help them in the future. When you use Microsoft Dynamics for Sales, there is no reason why any customers, new or old, ever feel like their left in the dark. If you wish to take a test drive of this system, please visit our free CRM demo http://www.websan.com/demo/dynamics-crm and see what this system can do.

Crystal Williams, Web Marketing Assistant, WebSan Solutions Inc.,a 2017 Microsoft Modern Marketing Innovation Award Winner

I’ve had a lot going on so I’m behind on some GP stories.  For those of you who missed this, Pam Misialek was let go from Microsoft in late January. MSDynamicsWorld has the story here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/story/veteran-product-marketer-dynamics-gp-pam-misialek-departs-microsoft

I heard about this soon after it happened, but figured it was up to Pam to decide how and when to tell people. This was a tough loss. Pam has been a huge cheerleader for GP, it’s partners, and customers. When I did the first 50 Tips presentation at Convergence a long time ago, Pam was my copresenter, and we’ve had fun ever since, even though she never let me do a 50 Shades of Dynamics GP presentation.

I’m looking forward to see where she lands.

The post Veteran product marketer for Dynamics GP Pam Misialek departs Microsoft appeared first on DynamicAccounting.net.

Reverse Fiscal Year End Close

Jen Kuntz reminds us that is now possible to reverse a fiscal year end close.

The post Reverse Fiscal Year End Close appeared first on DynamicAccounting.net.

The GP team has coverage of the new Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018: Purchase Enter/Match Invoice Workflow

The post Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018: Purchase Enter/Match Invoice Workflow appeared first on DynamicAccounting.net.

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 RTM has now been released and I have been taking a Hands On look at the installation and configuration of the new version.

I am now going to take a hands on look at the new and enhanced features introduced in Microsoft Dynamics GP. Rather than do this as a continuation of the Hands On series I wrote in December, as originally intended, I am going to split it out into a separate hands On With the features post. The series index is for this new features series, can be found here.

The tenth feature of the day was Reporting for Workflow which saw the addition of some Workflow Reports accessible from the Reports section of the Administration area page:

The Workflow Reports workf slightly differently to other types of report as you do not get the window which allows you to select the report option and print it; instead you are taken straight to the Workflow Report Options window:

Enter an Option ID and then select a Sort By; this sort by has four types availabile and actually controls which report is printed (the Due Date sort option report is not a history report, but instead shows only outstanding items (this confused me the first time I saw the report as there is no history shown on this report):

After selecting the Sort By, you can enter your Ranges and select the Destination.

Below is an example of the Workflow Type report:

I like these reports and think clients will get a lot of use out of them for reviewing the history of submitted documents, but would be happier if they were a report which could easily be exported to Excel as I can see that being a common request. I’ll have a think and may submit a request to Microsoft to have a refresh-able Excel or Reporting Services Report version added to a future version.

Click to show/hide the Hands On With MDGP 2018 RTM New Features Series Index

Read original post Hands On With MDGP 2018 RTM New Features: New Workflow Functionality - Reporting for Workflow at azurecurve|Ramblings of a Dynamics GP Consultant

Transitioning to Microsoft's Azure cloud

One of the successful predictions of digital devices and the IoT is Gartner's claim that by 2020 "smart personalization engines used to recognize customer intent will enable digital businesses to increase their profits by up to 15%."

What that means today for users of Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) in the Microsoft Azure cloud, according to a Forbes overview on Microsoft's D365 "software suite" is more opportunity for businesses to "get a complete picture" on most every aspect of their business.

It's all about creating 'more opportunities.'

Designed to couple the power of both an ERP and CRM platform in a single (bundled) software, D365 pulls in data from what once were isolated silos of information

Retailers, for example, can bring a more "insightful shopping experience" to their customers by integrating (real-time) CRM data with "back-office operations" (ERP) better gauge customer satisfaction; this, through understanding inventory availability, or translating (CRM) customers preferences from direct interaction on social media, blogs and website.

D365 can facilitate a retailer's in-store loyalty programs, as well as gift cards and special promotions.

Gartner's Magic Quadrant nod to D365

As a cloud (SaaS) platform, D365, according to a Microsoft report to Gartner, represents the Redmond Giant's bid to "reposition its customer service software" within this platform.

Moreover, while Microsoft Dynamic 365's on-premise deployment remains a solid solution for "larger and more complex customer service" instances, Microsoft is expected to conclude its "seamless transition" of its CRM offering by the end of 2017.

Looking to upgrade your legacy ERP/CRM software? Leverage our experience as certified, Microsoft Gold Partner: contact us today.

Don't hold your breath.

You’ve probably noticed that claims of AI-powered software solutions are starting to pop up more frequently, including in the context of ERP. To be clear, regardless of what breathless marketers and science fiction fans love to dream about, there is currently no such thing as artificial intelligence in its truest form, and technology advances that improve ERP solutions today aren’t AI.

Sure, there is faster processing of complex problems and machine “learning” based on access to relatively inexpensive statistical processing power. That improved access has helped some organizatinos improve insight into their businesses, but it has also created the illusion that computers and software have achieved AI.

My main concern is not that there is not a clear understanding of what AI entails but that its hype will become another rabbit hole that ERP vendors can run down to create slick marketing campaigns rather than fixing fundamental issues that have plagued the ERP industry:

• Poor software design
• Poorly and under trained implementation channels

Combine those and other factors and we fail to fix the fundamental problem of the ERP industry: that there are no successful implementations.

If we agree on a basic set of goals for a successful ERP implementation – on time, on budget, delivering promised functionality -  then there has never been a successful ERP implementation in the history of the market. Something always gives.

Cries of outrage from offended implementers are expected and will be memorialized in a soon-to-be-established ERP Implementation Hall of Fame.

But back to the AI discussion and why it doesn’t come close to the hype yet.

Advances in how computers perform against humans in games is one of the primary areas where the myth of AI has advanced. So the fact that computer programs have made significant progress in regularly spanking the best and brightest humans in games like chess, Go, Jeopardy, and no-limit Texas Hold’Em is a sign that computer processing power is greater and that the design of software has become more sophisticated, but it is not evidence that HAL 9000 is going to take over at any minute in your home or in your business.

Intelligence and AI

Let’s start by looking at a relatively simply game, tic tac toe. It does not take a computer to “solve” this game because the potential moves are easily computed. We start with 9 possible squares to place our initial O or X and once we have done so we are left with 8 empty squares to make our next move. With each subsequent move the number of open squares is reduced by one until we rapidly get to the point where there is a winner or a tie.

Because every possible game of tic tac toe is easy to calculate, the game has been solved and every move has a perfect counter move that will lead to a tie or a win.

When we move to more complex abstract strategy board games like chess and Go the problem of “solving” these games become currently impossible. For example, it is estimated that the legal number of moves possible in a game of Go is larger than the number of atoms in the theoretically known universe. (It is “estimated” because the exact number is too large to calculate.)

It is only recently that computers could beat the best chess players in the world. That was a result of how software approached the problem of trying to solve the chess problem rather than computers becoming artificially intelligent.

It is easy to see how IBM could program a computer to be a Jeopardy champion, just imagine being able to instantly Google every question asked and the solution is straightforward but chess presented a different set of problems because humans were able to bring a level of intuition to the game that raw problem solving could not replace with existing software and hardware.

Initial chess playing programs quickly developed to the point where they could regularly beat average players consistently but had trouble with world class competition. These first programs were based on programmers loading historical games into the software’s database and on the development of increasingly sophisticated algorithms that evaluated millions of potential moves per second and used values assigned to game pieces and their positions on the board to arrive at statistically based “best” moves.

While this approach led to chess programs increasingly hard to beat, it took a fundamental change in the approach of how to program software to win at chess to finally beat grand masters on a regular basis.

That change was not “thought of” by computers becoming frustrated with losing games and looking for a better way to solve the game of chess. The change came about when programmers decided to take advantage of more processing power to try and solve chess and therefore beat any competition.

The new approach fed the computer the rules of chess but did not bother with any historical database of games or mathematical approximations of the strength or pieces or their position on the board.

The new approach was just to let the computer play games against itself. Millions and millions of games. Based on this internal gameplay and massive computational power, it is now impossible to beat computers at chess.

Nothing in that process had anything to do with artificial intelligence. It was all true intelligence on the part of humans and their spark of insight or ingenuity to take advantage of better and faster tools.

The human touch

How many accountants and CPA’s have been replaced because spreadsheets can add columns and rows of numbers faster?

And while we are on the topic, simple and complex spreadsheets alike are commonly filled with errors. Where is the AI to spot those errors and fix them? Sure, we have baked in graphical displays that show the logic behind calculations and point out simple errors but none of that is AI. True AI would look at your P&L and tell you that being an ERP VAR is insane and recommend a better, saner line of business. Sign me up for that software today!

As complex as games can be to “solve” there are other relatively simple tasks that humans perform daily that computers with all their processing power cannot yet duplicate at similar levels of accuracy and speed.

Looking at something infinitely more complex, such as painting a landscape. We can feed a computer images of every landscape in the world and have it create an infinite number of variations or copies of that landscape but no computer program will become tired of that task or step back and say let’s look at this another way and create an impressionist movement around how landscapes are looked at and created and ultimately felt by the view. That spark is intelligence and it does not exist in any computers or software today.

The real issue as I see it is that the energy and resources that go into new and exciting technology draws as much away from the fundamental issues with ERP software. It creates marketing opportunities that result in more hype that will not be delivered on and distracts focus and effort from making ERP software easier to implement, maintain and use daily.

The moment that true AI is introduced into the world of ERP software I expect it to start yelling at its creators to fix it!

Or as Rutger Hauer most famously said in the science fiction gem based on a book call, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”?

“I've... seen things you people wouldn't believe...

Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.

I watched C-Beams glitter in the dark

Near the Tannhäuser Gates.

All those... moments... will be lost in time,

Like tears... in... rain.

Time... to die...”

Perhaps too dramatic for the next release of Dynamics 365 but at a minimum:

“Time to change”!

Peter Joeckel, with more than thirty years in the ERP business helping companies select and implement software solutions, is in a unique position to offer alternative solutions for “tried and failed” ERP software selection and implementation strategies.

TurnOnDynamics employs senior ERP architects who work as great teams to assist management in new, challenged or failing ERP projects.

Contact us today to discuss your project.

Hands On With MDGP 2018 RTM New Features: Workflow Additional Fields

Ian Grieve looks at additional workflow fields.

The post Hands On With MDGP 2018 RTM New Features: Workflow Additional Fields appeared first on DynamicAccounting.net.

Ready to train like an Olympian? Nevermind the ice skates and bobsleighs, we're thinking of a different kind of training.... Power BI training!

Focus, held May 21-22, 2018 in Indianapolis, IN, features deep-dive learning focused on Power BI. Each 90-minute session is taught by a technical expert and features beginner to advanced content in three tracks: Administrators, Analysts, and Business Users. 

Ready, set, GOLD.. er... REGISTER!

“Passion. Connected.” 
We couldn't think of a more fitting theme for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games than "Passion. Connected." The same message applies to Focus. By geeking out connecting with technical experts and individuals in like-job roles, you’ll grow your support network and overcome system challenges without risking down time for your organization. 

Sessions details coming soon
The Focus Programming Committee is working diligently to determine the most relevant and useful session topics based on YOUR session proposals, plus your comments, surveys, and feedback galore to provide you with the content you want. The schedule will be released mid-March, but in the meantime: Browse the Focus 2017 schedule. 

The Power BI User Group (PUG) will be joined by fellow user groups D365UG/AXUG, D365UG/CRMUG, and NAVUG. Learn more.

Ready to take home the gold?
Don't delay your registration - Early Bird pricing is only available through Wednesday, February 28! This is the LAST discount before onsite rates apply.

Not yet a GPUG Member? Learn more about how user group members receive additional discounts.

The GP team has more on Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018: Employee Self Service Workflow / email enhancements

The post Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018: Employee Self Service Workflow / email enhancements appeared first on DynamicAccounting.net.