Tweet me!Maximizing the labor-saving and accuracy-improving benefits of Microsoft Dynamics GP often requires paying attention elsewhere – specifically to the data streams that drive and are driven by ERP. After all, the best human interface is a poor substitute for not needing one. Good automated links amplify the power of individual systems and may be the keys to actually realizing expected returns on investment.
Payment systems, EDI, payroll and warehouse management are typical examples of functions that have always been connected. Once you have made the choice to remove fingertips and keystrokes from joining those processes, the next decision is how best to do so. Microsoft Dynamics GP offers more than one option, and your own IT resources as well as vendors with related software and services will differ in approach. {jcomments on}
Functionality, reliability and maintainability are the most important considerations. Interfaces must relieve manual effort in a dependable way so that auditing and adjusting don’t consume the savings that you seek. Since changes in your business and new software releases are inevitable, designing in compatibility with the future is essential to smooth and profitable operations. Some highly capable techniques may not be durable, while other sturdy methods may never produce the efficiencies you require. Here are the four common approaches you will encounter:
• Integration Manager for Microsoft Dynamics GP
• Microsoft eConnect for Microsoft Dynamics GP
• Dexterity and the Microsoft Dynamics Software Development Kit
• Microsoft SQL Server
The first two methods employ layers of software created by Microsoft to simplify the process for end-user organizations and software developers alike. The abstraction inherent in this approach provides a useful layer of insulation among applications for safety.
Integration Manager is a batch-oriented tool for extracting data from one application and importing it into another. Integration Manager maps data from a source to a destination in both directions from Microsoft Dynamics GP. Anyone who has exported CSV files from Excel and imported them into another system will be familiar with the concept if not the particulars. While straightforward, Integration manager does not offer the level of automation required to connect fast-changing information streams efficiently.
eConnect is a collection of tools, components and interfaces designed to make it easy for programmers to interact with Microsoft Dynamics GP. It is the primary importing and exporting platform for Microsoft Dynamics GP, specifically designed to allow financial applications to share information simultaneously without requiring internal customizations. eConnect can be used with .NET Managed Code, BizTalk AIC and MSMQ, which are industry-standard tools for integrating applications. eConnect has a large number of integration points for Microsoft Dynamics GP, though not every feature of Microsoft Dynamics GP is accessible. eConnect offers a strong combination of effectiveness and maintainability.
Dexterity is the development tool with which Microsoft Dynamics GP is built, originally concieved as a platform-independent architecture before Great Plains became part of Microsoft. It includes a proprietary sanScript language and provides essentially unlimited power to create links to other systems. With that power comes great responsibility, since sophisticated programming techniques and careful maintenance are essential to avoid creating problems. Features created this way will look and feel exactly like Microsoft Dynamics GP, but will also require a license for every user – a cost factor that should be weighed. Upgrading for new software releases may also be complicated when such close integration is done, and developers must be familiar with the unique Dexterity environment.
Connecting directly to SQL Server tables is another way to get underneath the surface with associated benefits and risks. There are a variety of tools and methods from high-level, user-oriented ones to weapons for god-like programmers only. What they have in common is great flexibility combined with power to trash completely the repository of your most precious financial information. Writing to the database without going through the channels provided by Microsoft Dynamics GP will be attractive to those who build their own airplanes.
Don’t delay the opportunity to interconnect Microsoft Dynamics GP with other supply chain systems. That’s where you can harvest real savings to apply towards growth and profitability. Just be careful to understand how you are doing it to make sure your gains are permanent.
Submitted by:
RedTail Solutions, Inc. (www.redtailsolutions.com)
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