The Dynamics GP Blogster

Register now for Convergence 2010 in Atlanta

2010-01-06T10:35:00.004-05:00

Registration Is Open

Register now for the premier Microsoft Dynamics event and learn how users like you drive business success by maximizing their Microsoft Dynamics solution. Take advantage of this unique chance to network with peers and Microsoft product experts, share ideas, and get up-to-speed on the latest products and technologies. Learn more on the Convergence Web site, then use the convenient e-mail feature to help tell your boss and colleagues why Convergence is an opportunity not-to-be-missed.

Convergence 2010 Atlanta is cost-effective and easy to attend. Atlanta offers quality and affordable hotel options and is a major air transit hub, which makes it a convenient destination. And the event starts on a Saturday in order to take less time from your work week.

Experience an event designed to deliver the most relevant information for your business needs, with content driven by users like you. Be sure to register early and save!

Best yet, it's right in my back yard! I look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Congratulations to Queen Victoria!

2010-01-04T15:15:00.005-05:00

This is becoming a new year's habit -- in a very pleasant way! Victoria Yudin has now been crowned with the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for the 6th straight year. Keep in mind that the MVP award program has been in place for only 14 years, so quite an accomplishment for Victoria. The truth is the Dynamics GP community has quite a bit to thank Victoria for... how about a whopping 3,450 contributions to the Microsoft Dynamics GP public newsgroup for starters.

Insider's note about Victoria: she was originally born in Moscow, Russia and move to the US when she was only 10 years old. She is an avid reader and enjoys video games in her free time. She also has a tremendous sense of humor.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

Post through from Microsoft Dynamics GP Manufacturing

2010-01-04T14:07:00.005-05:00

As if Post Through wasn't hard enough to understand for the core financial and distribution modules (take a look at my previous article Why my transactions don't post through GL even when I have the flag selected?) here comes Manufacturing. Take a look at these comments from Microsoft's Becky Berginski:

"Within Microsoft Dynamics GP there is a place to setup your modules posting options. However, there is not an option specifically for Manufacturing. Manufacturing looks at the Inventory and General Ledger options to determine the MFG posting options. If the transactions you enter in Manufacturing post adjustments to Inventory then the system looks at the settings for your Inventory module. (i.e. To determine if it is stops in GL or posts through GL.) If the transactions don't update inventory (i.e. closing MO), but GL adjustments are made then it looks at your GL settings to determine how it posts.

Go to Tools Setup Posting Posting. Review the settings for both Inventory and General ledger transaction entry options.The posting journals that print after a posting of an MO Receipt are those associated with Inventory Adjustments. You can turn these off (or have them saved to a file) using the Posting Setup window (Tools - Setup - Posting - Posting). Be sure to choose the Inventory series and the Transaction Entry origin. Keep in mind that these settings are now on those reports for regular Inventory posting also and not just the posting of Manufacturing Components.

There are certain labor transactions that will not post through the GL. Data Collection transaction never post Through the GL. You would need to locate the Journal Entry and adjust the Transaction Date. Data Collection entries will have a Source Doc code of 'DC_ADJ' and reference to the MO number."

Becky then goes on to clarify that,

"There are some transactions that will not post to GL. Most of them do. Below is a listing of what does. There are various postings that will come from Manufacturing. Some of these postings go directly to the GL. Some of the postings go through Inventory first and then update the GL. The transactions that go through Inventory utilize the posting setup for that series. The transactions that post directly from manufacturing to GL utilize the posting setup for the financial series. Here are some examples of the various places that one can post from in Manufacturing:

1. If they are using the Quick MO Entry window, postings will occur when they click on the Close MO button.

A. They will have one adjustment posted in Inventory to reduce quantities for the components. This entry will update GL when it finishes posting in IV.

B. They will have a second adjustment posted in Inventory for the receipt of the finished goods. This also will update GL when it finishes posting in IV.

C. If there is labor or machine time set up for the finished good, a journal entry for those costs will post directly to the GL.

D. Also if there are any variances, a journal entry to record those will post directly to the GL.

2. If they are using the basic MO Entry window, postings may occur a number of different times and from different windows:

A. Components can be issued from the Component Transaction Entry window. This posts a decrease adjustment in IV and then GL when the posting completes in IV.

B. Any labor and machine time recorded in any of the WIP windows will post costs directly to the GL.

C. The posting of MO receipts will post an increase adjustment for the finished good in IV and then will update GL. If components are backflushed a decrease adjustment will be posted to IV and GL will be update after the IV posting is complete. Labor and machine costs may post to GL if they are backflushed.

D. When closing the MO, variances will be posted directly to GL. Also additional component quantities may be included--this means a decrease adjustment in IV and a related posting to GL.

One other setting that sometimes prevents users from posting thru GL is in the Security Setup window (Tools - Setup - System - Security). Choose product of Microsoft Dynamics GP, Type of Windows, and Series of Financial. Be sure that the users posting in Mfg have access to the following two windows:

GL Open Files
GL Open Financial Files - internal

As I mentioned transactions stemming from labor or machine data collection will never post through the GL."

Hope you find this information useful and a good 2010 opening article.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:24:00.005-05:00

A fairly popular New Year's eve tradition is to define a list of resolutions for the incoming year. These resolutions become goals that you try very hard to achieve throughout the year in course. Comes year-end, you evaluate what happened, you praise the hits, and complain about the missed resolutions. You slip some of those unachieved goals into next year's resolutions, and the cycle starts all over again.

The one issue I see with New Year's resolutions is, a lot of us tend to just set way too many! The consequence? Lots of frustrations at the end of the year. So, with this in mind I have adopted a new strategy: have one single New Year's resolution that will drive a number of other initiatives.

So here is my one single New Year's resolution: increase readership to this site and all other outlets where you can find The Dynamics GP Blogster. So here is where you come in! In order to accomplish this one goal and all initiatives that derive from it I need your help: a) please keep reading my articles and sending in your comments, and b) spread the word!

How do these two seemingly simple requests help my initiatives? Very simple! If you keep reading and spreading the word, a) it will be a lot easier for the entire Microsoft Dynamics GP Community to find key pieces of information that makes their lives as easy as yours have become by reading this site, b) it will increase the adoption rate of Dynamics GP. The more users know about all the help outside of CustomerSource and PartnerSource, the less apprehensive they will be towards learning GP, and last but not least, c) it will allow me to continue helping the Community. See, the more I know what people are reading, the better I can address their needs (focused topics, workshops, series, etc). In addition, it increases my chances of coming to a place near you. One of the reasons I made it to the Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2009 was due to a fairly successful campaign reaching out to you through various technical articles.

I know you follow me, I know you like (and sometimes dislike, but that ok too) what you read on this site, I know you stay tuned, but think of the benefits others could receive from the same information you get here. So, the next time you speak to your peers or colleagues just mention this site. It takes two seconds and it goes one step more to achieve my New Year's resolution.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC.
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

2010 US Payroll Tax Updates Round 1 now available

2009-12-30T12:22:00.005-05:00

Microsoft has released the 2,010 Payroll Tax Updates - Round 1, available for download un CustomerSource and PartnerSource and has communicated that Round 2 will be out the week of January 18th to include changes to Rhode Island and EIC. As many of you have been sending comments and emails about Payroll Tax Updates and Year-End procedures, here is a compiled list of resources for both US and Canada.

Featured on this site

Payroll Year-End Close and W-2 Forms Supportability
US Payroll Tax Update Rounds*
2009 Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 8.0

* The following is the complete list of Payroll Tax Update rounds for 2009.

External resources
Version 9
CustomerSource/PartnerSource 2010 U.S. Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 (Round 1)
CustomerSource/PartnerSource 2009 U.S. Payroll Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0
CustomerSource/PartnerSource 2009 Canadian Payroll Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0

Version 10
CustomerSource/PartnerSource 2010 U.S. Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 (Round 1)
CustomerSource/PartnerSource 2009 U.S. Payroll Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0
CustomerSource/PartnerSource 2009 Canadian Payroll Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0

KB Articles US Payroll

KB Article 850663 - Year-end closing procedures for Microsoft Dynamics GP Payroll
KB Article 856808 - How to process a test "payroll year-end" close by using live payroll data in Microsoft Dynamics GP
KB Article 954154 - Information about the tax fields and year-end update fields in Payroll in Microsoft Dynamics GP

KB Articles Canadian Payroll

KB Article 861806 - Year-end closing procedures for the Canadian Payroll module in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Please comment back with your own tips or issues found during the closing process. Finally, backup, backup, and backup at each step of the way.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MIS, MCP, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

The Dynamics GP Blogster's best articles of 2009

2009-12-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

Another years is gone by and as it's customary around the last days of the year the media always seems to have some list with "The best this" or "The best that" of the outgoing year. I figured I won't stay behind and, while by no stretch of the imagination I am some media conglomerate, I would join in with the best articles or series of articles published on this site during the 2009 year. Hope you enjoy the selection and chime in with the ones you believe were the best. So let's get the ball rolling!

1. Sending emails with Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) and Dexterity (Jan 19). This article became a hit with the Dynamics GP development community and formed the base for the SMTP email capabilities built into the Support Debugging Tool.

2. Displaying Hijri dates in Microsoft Dynamics GP (Feb 19). What was once thought impossible -- displaying Hijri dates -- was accomplished with a couple lines of code. Now the Dynamics GP community in the Middle East is able to accomodate this simple script and use it on some of their reports.

3. Fargo Flooding (March series). Not every article was Dynamics GP technical or functional in nature. Many of us were very concerned about the well being of our friends in the plains and I believe I was able to communicate a bit of this during those tough times with the invaluable help of my friend Tom Irsfeld.

4. Modifier with VBA Workshop (March series). I believe this was the first time anyone has ever used a blog to deliver training content like this. Nonetheless, many of you had rave reviews about this workshop and expressed wanting to see more content like this delivered.

5. Are you a "Musgravion" follower? (Apr 17). Simple, if your not then we have a problem :-)

6. Is there a maximum number of lines that can be inserted in any given scrolling window? (May 11). What started as a brain teaser was quickly embraced by many of you as a good article that clearly explained the role of line sequence numbers in scrolling window.

7. How does Check Links work? (Jun 18). This article was created based on numerous newsgroup questions asking about Microsoft Dynamics GP maintenance procedures and why check links removed records in the process.

8. Microsoft Dynamics GP in Russian - Microsoft Dynamics Г.П. на русском языке (Jul 28). Controversy? Excitement? You choose, but this article caught the attention of my Eastern European friends and everyone who was interested in knowing if it was even possible to see a Cyrilic version of GP. Being this a pet project, it has been placed on hold indefinitely.

9. Microsoft Dynamics GP v10 and supported virtualization platforms (Sep 21). The topic of virtualization eluded the Community for a while and I tried to provide some info and source where you could go for platform compatibility with Microsoft Dynamics GP. A start nonetheless!

10. Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2009 (Nov series). I really enjoyed my time at the Conference and well, most of you are still talking about it so here it is again.

I hope you enjoyed the selection and if you think I missed something just chime in with some of your best articles.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Al-Hijira!

Best wishes throughout the Holiday season in company of your friends and family from The Dynamics GP Blogster. Once again, thanks for all your support and comments throughout the year and for confirming what I always knew: the more information you have, the better you can perform your job. That's the objective of this blog and the reason I strive to deliver a variety of information and topics always revolving around Dynamics GP.

2010 will sure bring exciting stuff! We have the long awaited GP "11" release coming out, the new Microsoft Office 2010, incredible features being delivered in Microsoft SharePoint 2010, the new and spectacular, feature-rich Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, the promising Power Pivot, and last but not lease, the new Microsoft SQL Server 2010.

To accompany this array of applications and tools, we have spectacular events like Convergence, right in my backyard here in Atlanta. In addition, and as most of you already know, my first book will also be available around the August 2010 timeframe.

As you can see, all this should keep this humble author busy just as much as it will keep you coming back for more. Don't forget to take advantage of other colleagues sites: MVP Mark Polino's DynamicAccounting, MVP Frank Hamelly's gp2TheMax, MVP Victoria Yudin's Ramblings and Musings, MVP Leslie Vail's Dynamics Confessor, David Musgrave's Developing for Dynamics GP, and the list goes on and on (see the left pane of this site).

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

New article on MSDynamicsWorld: "Putting to Rest Four Myths About Microsoft Dynamics GP Integration Manager"

2009-12-23T11:16:00.003-05:00

Folks, this time I take a hard swing at four common myths around the *beloved* Integration Manager. I know there are a lot of mixed feelings out there when it comes to poor IM, but this tool has saved my *ss in more than one occasion and in this article I make a case for its use in serious mission critical application integrations.

So head over to MSDynamicsWorld and read up! After reading the article, I would like to get your comments and experiences with IM.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

MSDynamicsWorld releases Top 10 Microsoft Dynamics Stories of 2009

2009-12-20T12:27:00.003-05:00

Fresh out of the oven is MSDynamicsWorld's Top 10 Microsoft Dynamics Stories of 2009. I am honored to have one of the most read stories of this year with my article Four Microsoft Dynamics GP Project Team Blunders and How I Become a Hero. I have received numerous inquiries on the subject since the article was published and it's safe to say the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem is always looking to maximize its implementation dollars, while making sure projects will be delivered on time.

Once again, thank you for your support and readership, and please drop me a comment letting me know what stories you would like me to cover in 2010.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Hybrid - SOP Batch Splitting

2009-12-20T02:14:00.005-05:00

Two weeks ago, I began working on a Microsoft CRM to Microsoft Dynamics GP integration project. Sales orders initiated in CRM and are transferred to GP once they are submitted in CRM. Once the orders got to GP they must be placed on automatic hold for document verification. However, once the hold was removed, the client wanted to be able to transfer all verified orders in bulk... so far good! The problem though was, when orders were transferred to invoices, the invoices remained mixed with the orders that did not get transferred in the same batch. This presented a control issue for the client as the staff performing the documentation is not the same staff transferring the orders.

Last year I posted the article Moving SOP Transactions from One Batch to Another. This article demonstrated a SQL script that would allow a database administrator to move SOP documents from one batch to another. The script in that article forms the basis for this customization. However, to make it more user friendly, I decided to provide the client with a way of running it from the Microsoft Dynamics GP interface by adding a Split button with Modifier to the SOP Batch Entry window. The following is a modified version of the SOP Batch Entry window with the Split button.

The Split button in turn, prompts the user for a new batch that will host the invoices. Upon entering the new batch number, the VBA script instantiates the UserInfo object to create an ADO connection. The connection executes a stored procedure to move the invoices into the batch entered by the user.

While the customization has been designed specifically to move invoices into a new batch, it can be adapted to move same SOP document types out of a batch containing other SOP document types.

Downloads

SOP Split Batch - Click here to download package file and SQL stored procedure.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

My interview with DynamicsWorld

2009-12-17T15:59:00.004-05:00

The good folks over at DynamicsWorld in UK has a post up interview with ... me! Please take some time to read up as I trace back to the roots of my career and a few comments about the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

Payroll Year-End Close and W-2 Forms Supportability

2009-12-15T10:13:00.003-05:00

Yep, it's that time of the year again! And no, I am not referring to Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, or 1st of Muharram, though I respect all these celebrations. I am referring to the not-so-celebrated Payroll year-end close and submissions of W-2s -- at least here in the United States.

So here are a few things to keep in mind for a successful Payroll year-end close and printing of W-2 forms:

1. Apply the 2009 US Payroll Year-End Update

Just don't do it by yourself! If you use Microsoft Dynamics GP v10.0 Extender, do not install the 2009 U.S Payroll Year End Update. If you use U.S. Payroll in addition to Extender and need the country code changes or the 1099-R Distribution code changes, please contact Microsoft Technical Support to assist you in installing the update. This should be a free support case.

If you use Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP v10.0, the latest hotfix for Web Services must be installed prior to installing the 2009 U.S Payroll Year End Update above. Click HERE to download the latest hotfix for Web Services.

If you use Olympic Project Cost with Microsoft Dynamics GP v10.0, click HERE to download version PC1002.07. This release must be installed prior to installing 10.0 SP 4 or any later patch release including the Year End Update.

Finally, please review all installation instructions carefully and backup all your databases, reports and forms dictionaries BEFORE applying any of these patches.

Payroll Year-End Update Links:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 - 2009 U.S. Payroll Year End Update MicrosoftDynamicsGP-KB975174-v10-ENU.msp (Includes Service Pack 4)

Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 - 2009 US Payroll Year-end MicrosoftDynamicsGP-KB975177-v9-ENU.msp (Includes Service Pack 4)

2. Note on W-2 Forms

For W-2 forms supportability Microsoft has only tested Deluxe forms. If you use or purchase any other forms, chances are YOU WILL NOT get support in case something does not fit correctly.

You can visit Deluxe's page at https://www.microsoftbusinesschecks.com/index.jsp. If you go to the link choose "Search by" and then choose Microsoft Dynamics. Choose GP version 10 (all should be the same) and choose Laser or Continuous and click continue.You can use this page to compare it to other forms as this page will contain forms that are compatible with Dynamics GP. Deluxe even has available 4-up forms compatible with GP, nonetheless, this is one of those where you would like to check with Microsoft before committing to a particular format

Happy Payroll Year-End Closing!

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

Why my PO Number seems to skip randomly?

2009-12-11T07:53:00.004-05:00

The opening goes something like this:

I upgraded from version X.XX [typically 7.x, 8.x] to Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 and now we are having a problem where the next PO number will sometimes jump back in sequence, often many numbers. What's happening to our PO Numbers?

In my previous article, Why does my next document number change randomly? I gave some insight into why Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 seems to randomly skip document numbers, sometimes backwards. Here is more information on PO Numbers and another method of preventing this behavior.

In Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Purchase Order Processing module, it is possible that a user may have a purchase order number that is completely different from the next number found in the Purchase Order Processing Setup window. Although the next number for purchase orders is set up in the Purchase Order Processing Setup window, Microsoft Dynamics GP will look for unused PO numbers that precede that number. The system will be able to re-use a purchase order number in the following circumstances:

1. If you are not keeping purchase order history and void a purchase order.
2. If you are not keeping purchase order history and delete a purchase order.
3. If you are keeping purchase order history and remove historical purchase orders.

If PO Numbers lower than the one specified are still available, Microsoft Dynamics GP will use this PO Number instead of the one you have set up.

To resolve this, you can use the Minimum PO/Receipt Number utility from the Professional Services Tools Library (PSTL). This tool will allow you to prevent Purchase Order Processing from defaulting the PO Number or Receipt Number to a number that is previous to the currently set up next PO.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

The Technology Corner: Finding your way around Dynamics GP with Mentor

2009-12-09T23:12:00.010-05:00

If you are an end user you probably already know that one of the most frustrating aspects of working with GP has to be navigating through the menu structure. Granted, improvements to the navigation bar introduced since version 9 have made things a lot easier. Nonetheless, remembering where to find an option that will take you to a specific window can be very challenging at times for both experienced and novice users. Also, what if the window you are trying to access is not a main window? What if you don't even have security to the window you are trying to access? What if all you know of the window is a portion of the name?

I have to say, I rarely get into blogging about specific ISV solutions, but I had a chance to play around with Mentor by Rockton Software. Mentor answers the questions above and some more about any window, whether in the Dynamics dictionary or any integrating or third party product and is able to provide the exact menu path to follow to access said window.

The Installation Process

I began by downloading Mentor from Rockton Software's website. After filling out a short registration the download process began. I extracted the downloaded zip file into my Microsoft Dynamics GP installation folder. After launching Dynamics GP, the standard dialog to acknowledge the new code was presented. Mentor is fully enabled for the Fabrikam company.

Upon accessing Fabrikam, the Mentor Setup window opened to begin the installation of the database objects. Clicking the Process button triggered the setup process.

After clicking the Yes button in the dialog window the installation process began. In addition to installing the database objects, Mentor collects information about the menu navigation for each window for all products installed on your system.

Using Mentor

Upon completing the installation you will see a new entry on your navigation menu.

By clicking on this entry you immediately gain access to the main Mentor window.

The window is pretty straight forward. I began by testing something pretty obvious. I typed Customer in the search bar. Mentor did exactly what I expected. It searched for all windows that had the word "Customer" in the title, finding 36 items in the process. In addition, Mentor presented all the navigation options for each window and provided visual cues for all windows that can only be opened from a main window.

Mentor is capable of presenting security information for each window displayed, but it also allows you to create shortcuts for these on the navigation bar and provides a quick way to establish the security tasks and roles associated to the window. Mentor is also able to establish whether you have access to a window or not.

Mentor also offers a sidekick called Inspector, which presents information about each individual field being navigated along with information on the tables associated to the form.

Mentor increases your productivity during the first weeks after going live with Dynamics GP and can even offer valuable information to experienced users. Hat tips to the folks at Rockton Software.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

VST - Working with the Action Button in SOP

2009-12-09T22:25:00.009-05:00

Last year in May, I worked on a number of VBA SOP customization upgrades from v9 to v10. As a result of the experiences I blogged about the one issue that I ran into in my article Upgrading SOP Entry VBA Customizations from Dynamics GP 9.0 to Dynamics GP 10.0. The main issue was the sudden switch from the individual push button controls to the new Action Button, which is a Dexterity Button Drop List control. Of course, this made the SOP Entry window interface a lot cleaner for v10, but brought its own challenges for developers.

SOP Entry window, GP 9.0

SOP Entry window, GP 10.0

While it is relatively feasible to work with the Action Button from VST, a few things need to be taken into account:

1) Unlike push button controls, button drop list controls do not expose Click Before Original and Click After Original events in Visual Studio. This is because the button drop list control has the menu items selection action to deal with.

2) As a result of the above, the button drop list change event will execute prior to the change event registered in VST, hence, there is a slight chance that certain actions like a clear window or restart form may prevent you from retrieving the option selected by the user in a timely manner.

3) Unfortunately, the only way to access the numeric value associated with an item occupying a specified position in the button drop list is by using passthrough sanScript with the Dynamics Continuum Integration Library. The Value property in VST will return the actual ordinal value of the item selected.

The following code illustrates one method, with a pitfall -- the Transfer action clears out the window before a value can be gathered for the user selection. If you have found a better method to access the Action Button from VST, I would like to hear about your solution.

GPAddIn.cs


using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using Microsoft.Dexterity.Bridge;
using DynamicsAssembly = Microsoft.Dexterity.Applications;
using Microsoft.Dexterity.Applications.DynamicsDictionary;

namespace SOPActionButton
{
    public class GPAddIn : IDexterityAddIn
    {
        // IDexterityAddIn interface

        // setup all Action Button constants
        const int ACTION_POST = 1;
        const int ACTION_TRANSFER = 2;
        const int ACTION_PURCHASE = 3;
        const int ACTION_CONFIRMPICK = 4;
        const int ACTION_CONFIRMPACK = 5;
        const int ACTION_CONFIRMSHIP = 6;
        const int ACTION_COPY = 7;
        const int ACTION_DELETE = 8;
        const int ACTION_VOID = 9;

        SopEntryForm sopEntry;

        public void Initialize()
        {
            sopEntry = DynamicsAssembly.Dynamics.Forms.SopEntry;
            sopEntry.SopEntry.ActionButton.Change += new EventHandler(ActionButton_Change);

        }

        void ActionButton_Change(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // define variables to use with Continuum Library
            int compilerErrorCode;
            string compilerErrorMsg;
            string compilerCmd;

            if ((sopEntry.SopEntry.SopNumber != "") && (sopEntry.SopEntry.ActionButton.Value != 0))
            {

                // create an instance of the Dynamics Application and clear the DDL
                Dynamics.Application compilerApp = (Dynamics.Application)Activator.CreateInstance(Type.GetTypeFromProgID("Dynamics.Application"));

                // fill the DDL with company name
                compilerCmd = "'(L) LATAM LineItemSequence_Return' of window SOP_Entry of form SOP_Entry = itemdata('Action Button' of window SOP_Entry of form SOP_Entry, 'Action Button' of window SOP_Entry of form SOP_Entry);";

                compilerApp.CurrentProductID = 0;   //Dynamics
                compilerErrorCode = compilerApp.ExecuteSanscript(compilerCmd, out compilerErrorMsg);

                if (compilerErrorCode != 0)
                {
                    MessageBox.Show(compilerErrorMsg);
                }

                MessageBox.Show(sopEntry.SopEntry.LocalLatamLineItemSequenceReturn.Value.ToString());
            }
        }
    }
}

The above code requires adding a reference to the Dynamics Continuum Integration Library COM library. As a result, it is necessary to alias out the Microsoft.Dexterity.Applications namespace.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Meet Mohammad R. Daoud, Dynamics MVP from Amman, Jordan

2009-12-08T11:15:00.006-05:00

Folks, it's real cool to be a part of the Microsoft Dynamics GP MVP family, but even more rewarding when you can follow the accomplishments of your colleagues who wear the same badge you do. Microsoft Feed recently featured MVP Mohammad Daoud from Amman, Jordan in an interview examining his personal and professional accomplishments and life as a Microsoft MVP.

Mohammad has been very involved in the Microsoft Dynamics GP community in the Middle East and can now be considered a veteran in the field. In reference to my opening statement for this article, Mohammad is the proud father of a baby boy, one of few born in what could be considered a Microsoft Dynamics GP Community Baby Boom 2009.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

New Article on MSDynamicsWorld.com: MVP Mark Polino alerts everyone on GP Alerts

2009-12-04T10:05:00.004-05:00

"This disk will self destruct in 5 seconds"

As with the movies, MVP Mark Polino makes a theatrical appearance on MSDynamicsWorld showing Microsoft Dynamics GP alert mechanisms. He takes a quick run down through Reminders, SmartList Reminders, Business Alerts and SQL Server alerts. It's very easy to forget that Microsoft Dynamics GP offers a range of mechanisms to work proactively, instead of spending tons of hours at crunch time trying to figure out why AR does not tie with GL.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Inventory BOM vs Manufacturing BOM

2009-12-04T08:00:00.003-05:00

I salvaged this post from the Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner Forum comparing the features in Inventory BOM versus those in Manufacturing BOM. The props go out to Microsoft's Jim Shauer for the detailed explanation.

The core Bill of Materials module works closely with the Inventory subledger. You can define bills and assemble the bills in this module. This module works best for companies with a very simple assembly/production process where the finished good production is normally recorded after the fact.

The Manufacturing BOM module stores the definition of the BOMs. It does require the use of the Inventory subledger and you must use this module together with Manufacturing Order Processing. This Order Processing module is used to record the production of the finished goods. The Manufacturing BOM (together with Manufacturing Order Processing) provides more functionality related to the definition of the BOMs and the methods in which those finished goods can be produced. These modules also provide the ability to track labor costs.

Below is a more detailed explanation of the two modules.

GP (Core) Bill Of Materials features:

Does not Track Work in Progress (WIP) for Material, Labor and Machine Time
Ability to enter a design quantity on the Bill Of Materials (BOM) along with a standard quantity
Create a link to associate the lot and serial numbers of components with the lot and serial numbers of finished goods
Ability to keep historical information for BOM assemblies BOM types are limited to sales inventory or kits (phantoms)
Copy components from one Bill of Materials to another
Each line item entered on the BOM (components) can have an effective and obsolete date
Use substitute components during assembly quantity shortages
Lead times are not tracked Quantities can only be entered in Base Unit of Measure
Ability to override quantity shortages during assembly
User defined fields for the assembly document
Visual indicators for Serial\Lot tracked and Overrides
No Integration with Sales Order Processing or Purchase Order Processing
Manufacturing Bill Of Materials features:

Tracks Work in Progress (WIP) for Material, Labor and Machine time
Ability to enter a fixed quantity on the BOM along with a variable quantity
Create a link with the item on the BOM to a particular routing sequence
Ability to keep a revision level of all changes made on a BOM
Multiple BOM Types and categories (Manufacturing, Engineering, Archived, Configured and Super)
Maintain history of BOMs by using BOM Copy
Each line item entered on the BOM (components) has an effective in date and effective out date
Label a component as being an alternate part
Lead Times for components can be calculated by the date entered on the BOM
Quantities can be entered using the U of M schedule (doesn't require the use of BASE U of M)
Choose to have a lot tracked item pull the quantity from one single lot
User defined fields for the components on the BOM Visual indicators for BOM items (Alternates, Serial/Lot tracked, or Phantom)
Ability to automatically update changes to BOMs by using the BOM Mass Update feature
Ability to mark items as Floor stock; value of the item goes to an expense account during the posting of a Manufacturing Order Receipt
Ability to enter Reference Designators Position numbers

Hope you get the value in a short and detailed explanation about the two modules, but at the same time be able to articulate the obvious differences between the two.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

SQL - Retrieving the most recent receipt info for an item

2009-11-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

It's been quite a while since I have posted a SQL script, and it's funny, because this is what I had in mind when I started out my blog. Shaun Childers posted a question on the Microsoft Dynamics GP public newsgroup, as follows:

"We are trying to create a script that will pull together our most recent
purchasing information only. The results should give all inventory items
with a qty on hand > 0, the current cost (we are average perpetual), the most
recent receipt number, the unit cost for that receipted item, the receipt date,
and the vendor name. I have tried to put this together, but have been
unsuccessful."

At first, this query may not seem to complex, but when you start to analyze the information being requested, it becomes apparent that using a standard set based query is not going to be as simple. Luckily enough, we can take advatage of the latest T-SQL enhancements to use ranks and partitions on sets to deliver the requested query, as follows:


-- Created by: Mariano Gomez, MVP
SELECT A.ITEMNMBR
 , B.ITEMDESC
 , B.CURRCOST
 , ISNULL(R.receiptdate, '01/01/1900') AS LastReceiptDate
 , ISNULL(R.UNITCOST, 0.00) AS UNITCOST
 , ISNULL(R.VENDNAME, '') AS VENDNAME
FROM IV00102 A
 LEFT OUTER JOIN IV00101 B ON (A.ITEMNMBR = B.ITEMNMBR)
 LEFT OUTER JOIN (
  SELECT ITEMNMBR, UNITCOST, receiptdate, VENDNAME FROM (
   SELECT C.ITEMNMBR, C.UNITCOST, D.receiptdate, D.VENDNAME, RANK() OVER
    (PARTITION BY C.ITEMNMBR ORDER BY D.receiptdate DESC) AS RECEIPT_RANK
   FROM POP30310 C
    LEFT OUTER JOIN POP30300 D ON (C.POPRCTNM = D.POPRCTNM)
  ) Receipts WHERE RECEIPT_RANK = 1
 ) R ON (A.ITEMNMBR = R.ITEMNMBR)
WHERE (A.RCRDTYPE = 1) AND (A.QTYONHND > 0)

In Microsoft Dynamics GP v10, the POP Receipt history tables also hold In-Transit Transfer transactions. If you are looking to retrieve strictly vendor receipts, you may change the query as follows:


-- Created by: Mariano Gomez, MVP
SELECT A.ITEMNMBR
  , B.ITEMDESC
  , B.CURRCOST
  , ISNULL(R.receiptdate, '01/01/1900') AS LastReceiptDate
  , ISNULL(R.UNITCOST, 0.00) AS UNITCOST
  , ISNULL(R.VENDNAME, '') AS VENDNAME
FROM IV00102 A
 LEFT OUTER JOIN IV00101 B ON (A.ITEMNMBR = B.ITEMNMBR)
 LEFT OUTER JOIN (
  SELECT ITEMNMBR, UNITCOST, receiptdate, VENDNAME FROM (
   SELECT C.ITEMNMBR, C.UNITCOST, D.receiptdate, D.VENDNAME, RANK() OVER
     (PARTITION BY C.ITEMNMBR ORDER BY D.receiptdate DESC) AS RECEIPT_RANK
    FROM POP30310 C
     LEFT OUTER JOIN POP30300 D ON (C.POPRCTNM = D.POPRCTNM)
    WHERE D.POPTYPE <> 8
   ) Receipts WHERE RECEIPT_RANK = 1
  ) R ON (A.ITEMNMBR = R.ITEMNMBR)
WHERE (A.RCRDTYPE = 1) AND (A.QTYONHND > 0)

Hope you find this query useful.

Until next post,

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T12:52:00.003-05:00

Folks, is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States and it is always an occasion to share with friends and loved ones. In particular, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your readership and support shown over the last two years or so that my blog has been in circulation. The Dynamics GP Blogster is a success because of you! You certainly motivate me to continue writing and delivering the content you have come to rely on to get your job done or to find that unique aspect about the Microsoft Dynamics GP product that otherwise won't be available elsewhere.

This year I have heard comments like "I no longer go to CustomerSource/PartnerSource, I search your blog first!" and I really appreacite them from the bottom of my heart. In fact, keep your comments comming! For now, wherever you are in the world, Happy Thanksgiving!

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

The Technology Corner: Houston Neil weighs in on Microsoft Dynamics products

2009-11-24T01:44:00.003-05:00

Fellow blogger Houston Neil addresses the proverbial question of what's the difference between the Microsoft Dynamics products. The truth is, to understand the functional and technological differences, you have to go back a few years in history to look at the Microsoft Dynamics products acquisition process, the failed Microsoft Project Green, and perhaps, even look at Oracle's attempt over the last 7 years to consolidate their products after their acquisition of PeopleSoft to understand that the ERP world is a very complex one with the customer base driving product decisions across the board.

I am a big Microsoft Dynamics GP proponent and defender, and in fact being an MVP allows me to carry out a lot of the product evangelism to customers and partners. Despite the product directions and strategies I have been witnessing over the past couple of years, I will be the first to say that there will be GP for years and years to come (see my article on Microsoft Dynamics GP Roadmap Update). Am I confident that 10 years from now I will be telling you the same story? I would hope so, but don't bank on that one! After all, the market evolves and set the tone, and ultimately customers in any industry determine what stays and what goes... however, GP chances are looking pretty good from where I stand.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

IM - Integration Manager skipping records despite proper query relationships

2009-11-22T16:22:00.008-05:00

Just when you thought there wasn't anything more to learn about Integration Manager something else comes along to demistify that theory. I have been involved in a JD Edwards on DB2 and AS/400 systems migration for almost 4 months now and last month I blogged about how Integration Manager can be a powerful tool in multiplatform systems integrations.

Part of disengaging JD Edwards is to write a series of integrations to existing systems running on the AS/400 platform. In the process, the client needed a simple to use tool which required limited programming and maintenance, hence the choice of IM. After unit testing the integrations, everything was A-Ok to begin with the week long systems testing, which would exhause the integrations while allowing the customer to get the overall "feel" for GP and how it would address the existing business processes.

One particular business process -- Expense Reimbursements -- required an integration to Payables Management. How difficult could this be, right? I have done over 100 PM integrations in the past so this could not be any different. During the system testing, the end-user reported incomplete distributions throughout the integrations of hundreds of expense reports into GP and provided the following log file:

Integration Log
Integration: SC-ExpenseReimbursement (ID: 116)
Action: None
Start Time: 11/20/2009 12:09:14 PM

11/20/2009 12:09:15 PM Source: IIntegrationEngine_Run, Status Code: 0 Opening source query...
11/20/2009 12:09:16 PM Source: IIntegrationEngine_Run, Status Code: 0 Establishing source record count...
11/20/2009 12:09:28 PM Source: IIntegrationEngine_Run, Status Code: 0 Beginning integration...
1: 2 Insert Succeeded 5.31 Seconds
2: 3 Insert Succeeded 1.53 Seconds
3: 4 Insert Succeeded 1.86 Seconds
4: 5 Insert Succeeded 2.25 Seconds
5: 6 Insert Succeeded 3.56 Seconds
6: 7 Insert Succeeded 1.47 Seconds
7: 8 Insert Succeeded 1.44 Seconds
8: 9 Insert Succeeded 1.47 Seconds
9: 10 Insert Succeeded 1.34 Seconds
10: 11 Insert Succeeded 1.91 Seconds
11: 12 Insert Succeeded 1.53 Seconds
12: 13 Insert Succeeded 1.64 Seconds
13: 14 Insert Succeeded 2.63 Seconds
14: 15 Insert Succeeded 2.94 Seconds
15: 16 Insert Warning 3.22 Seconds
DOC 15 WARNING: Distributions for this transaction contain errors.
DOC 15 WARNING: This transaction will not post; it includes distributions with errors.
16: 17 Insert Warning 0.95 Seconds
DOC 16 WARNING: Distributions for this transaction contain errors.
DOC 16 WARNING: This transaction will not post; it includes distributions with errors.
17: 18 Insert Warning 1.17 Seconds
DOC 17 WARNING: Distributions for this transaction contain errors.
DOC 17 WARNING: This transaction will not post; it includes distributions with errors.
18: 19 Insert Warning 1. Seconds
DOC 18 WARNING: Distributions for this transaction contain errors.
DOC 18 WARNING: This transaction will not post; it includes distributions with errors.
19: 20 Insert Warning 0.98 Seconds
DOC 19 WARNING: Distributions for this transaction contain errors.
DOC 19 WARNING: This transaction will not post; it includes distributions with errors.
20: 21 Insert Warning 1.83 Seconds
DOC 20 WARNING: Distributions for this transaction contain errors.
DOC 20 WARNING: This transaction will not post; it includes distributions with errors.
21: 22 Insert Warning 0.95 Seconds
DOC 21 WARNING: Distributions for this transaction contain errors.
DOC 21 WARNING: This transaction will not post; it includes distributions with errors.
22: 23 Insert Succeeded 2.66 Seconds
11/20/2009 12:10:50 PM Source: IMProv.IntegrationContext.IIntegrationEngine_Run, Status Code: -2147221495 ERROR: Integration canceled during document integration.
11/20/2009 12:10:50 PM Source: FinishIntegration, Status Code: 3 Integration Failed
11/20/2009 12:10:50 PM Source: FinishIntegration, Status Code: 3 Integration Results
307 documents were read from the source query.
22 documents were attempted:
15 integrated without warnings.
7 integrated with warnings.
0 failed to integrate.

Finish Time: 11/20/2009 12:10:50 PM

Source Total: 22
Successfully Integrated: 22
Integrated With Warning: 7
Failed: 0

At first glance this would seem typical of transactions that are actually missing distributions, but I checked against the source staging table in DB2 and all distribution records for each transaction reported as missing were actually present. The only distributions in the source were those for the expenses. In addition, this integration had been setup to default any missing distributions in the source recordset, which would automatically create the payables side.

I then checked each vendor (employee) record in GP for a missing payables account. After all, this would explain the case of the missing distributions. All vendor records were properly setup. Now comes the actual troubleshooting process after checking the obvious. My source queries were very simple too:

ExpenseHeader


SELECT DISTINCT VENDORID, INVOICENUM, AMTDUEEMPLOYEE, LEDGERDATE, INVOICEDATE
FROM GP_REIMBURSABLE_EXPENSES
WHERE INTEGRATED = 0 AND COMPANY = '10'

ExpenseDetail


SELECT VENDORID, INVOICENUM, GPACCOUNT, AMOUNT AS DEBIT, 0 AS CREDIT, 6 AS DISTTYPE
FROM SDDTA.GP_REIMBURSABLE_EXPENSES
WHERE INTEGRATED = 0

I proceeded to limit the source queries to just a specific employee and expense document number reported in the log as failing and re-ran the integration. Voila! The record went through to GP without any issues. Now the question was, why is IM kicking back valid records for the integration without any apparent reason?

I also checked to make sure the UseOptimizedFiltering switch was set to False and that we were running IM service pack 4 -- more on IM switches here. After a while of looking at the source records in the staging table, I realized that the first records that IM imported were in the same physical order in the table were data was being retrieved from. This was very simple as DB2 tables are VSAM tables, making them very different from SQL Server tables in the way the store data physically. However, for the records that failed, IM was attempting to locate a distribution record in the same order specified by the records being read from the header query.

To correct the problem, I decided to enforce the order of the records in both source queries by adding an ORDER BY clause to the queries, by VendorID and InvoiceNum. This way, as IM advanced through the header source query reading the records, it would consecutively find these in the distributions source query tables as specified by the query relationships (1..M). Now my source queries looked like this:

ExpenseHeader


SELECT DISTINCT VENDORID, INVOICENUM, AMTDUEEMPLOYEE, LEDGERDATE, INVOICEDATE
FROM GP_REIMBURSABLE_EXPENSES
WHERE INTEGRATED = 0 AND COMPANY = '10'
ORDER BY VENDORID, INVOICENUM

ExpenseDetail


SELECT VENDORID, INVOICENUM, GPACCOUNT, AMOUNT AS DEBIT, 0 AS CREDIT, 6 AS DISTTYPE
FROM SDDTA.GP_REIMBURSABLE_EXPENSES
WHERE INTEGRATED = 0
ORDER BY VENDORID, INVOICENUM

Upon executing the integration once more, all expense transactions were properly integrated without any missing distributions.

Now, I cannot say I experienced this before with SQL Server sources, but this happens to be a DB2 source and just maybe the ODBC engine works differently, but I can say that by reordering the source queries, I was able to resolve these missing distributions issues and improve performance two-fold.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC.
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Dyn - Why is my inventory-related transaction posting so slow?

2009-11-19T13:29:00.005-05:00

It is not uncommon for Microsoft Dynamics GP v9 and v10 users to report system sluggishness when posting inventory related transactions in Sales Order Processing, Purchase Order Processing or Inventory, especially if using the Average Perpetual valuation method.

The main reason why you may experience slow posting of inventory-related transactions is because Microsoft Dynamics GP uses an "inventory ripple" effect approach to recalculate the average cost of each inventory receipt layer due to inflow and outflow transactions in SOP, IV or POP. This is normal because in GP9.0 and GP10.0, the system is already observing the so-called "moving average" calculation. In addition, the system now "ripples" all item transactions. Hence, if transactions are backdated, each transaction would have to "ripple" through approximately n lines in the Inventory Purchase Receipts Work table (dbo.IV10200).

This new costing functionality in GP9 and GP10 also includes a new table, the Inventory Purchase Receipts Detail table (dbo.IV10201). To illustrate, if one of those lines in the Inventory Purchase Receipts Work table (dbo.IV10200) has been "sold", there should be a record of that sale in the IV10201 table. So now, we also have to "ripple" through the Inventory Purchase Receipts Detail table (dbo.IV10201) and each "layer" in that table, from the location of the "sale" record to the present. If you are a fairly high-volume transaction environment, this can take for ever!

A single transaction with a single line item, could very likely be updating quantity on hand and adjusted unit cost for over nth lines in the Inventory Purchase Receipts Work (dbo.IV10200) and an equal number in the Inventory Purchase Receipts Detail table (dbo.IV10201). This Microsoft Dynamics GP "inventory ripple" process may take considerable time to go through each receipt layer.

Average Perpetual and back-dated transactions seem to exacerbate the slowdown. But other know issues are also contributors, such as sold receipt layers not being removed during the Inventory Year-End Close (YEC) process.

These two issues could be the main causes why Microsoft Dynamics GP is slow in posting due to the "ripple effect" in inventory that they are producing.

Related Articles

To further explain the enhancements made to average cost calculation in GP 9.0 and above, please refer to KB 923960 - "Enhancements made to the calculation of average cost in Microsoft Dynamics GP".

https://mbs.microsoft.com/knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;923960

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2009 - Time to say goodbye

2009-11-14T20:19:00.005-05:00

The Conference ended with David and I dragging feet, with little to no sleep, but with the satisfaction that we delivered to the best of our abilities. I woke up the following morning after spending part of the previous night packing my suitcase, only to come to the realization that I left my pair of Louis Vuitton glasses somewhere along (ouch!).

After having breakfast downstairs, we (David & I) hopped a ride to the Microsoft campus with Mark Rockwell (Rockton Software) and Jim Peliksa (Rockton Software). It was time to go get some goodies for the trip back home. After the campus store opened, we went downstairs and I got a remote controlled Warthog (Halo 3), a cool MS presenter's mouse, and an ultrasleek MS mouse for my wife. I also managed to pick up an embroided Bing hooddie sweater for my daughter.

We went back to the Oak room. David went off to a team meeting and came back after 1 hour. We then went to Scott Stephenson's office to get our goodbye picture taken. I have to admit, it was a bit worst than an Internet break up. Dave and I had worked closely for the past 18 months on more than one blog and in the last 3, on the conference materials. We finally got to meet in person, then had to say goodbye.

Ok, I know what you thinking... After THAT hug, I felt we owed it to each other to bring our wives together.

David had a few more meetings and I had to go pack up my laptop and goodies to go meet the shuttle down stairs, not before saying goodbye to long time friends Dave Gaboury (a.k.a., Father Dexterity, now working on the AX team) and Emily Roen. Emily and Dave escorted me to the shuttle and my journey back to Atlanta began.

Upon arrival to Hector International (Fargo's airport), I had to maneuver a bit with the goodies and pack them in my suitcase somehow.

As for David, I had a chance to speak to him today and he is on his 36-hour journey back to Aussie land. Good luck my friend and talk to you soon.

I have to thank the entire Microsoft Business Solutions organization for vouchering my participation at the Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2009. It was one of the most gratifying experiences of my career as a Dynamics GP professional.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2009 - Day 2

2009-11-12T01:18:00.012-05:00

The good results of Day 1 and the hard work we put into preparing for the double whammy Troubleshooting session ahead of us had began to take their toll on Dave, Leslie, and I. We had a good breakfast at the hotel before being shuttled back to the Commons building. Upon arrival, Dave, Leslie and I went back to the Oak room to perform one last pass on the presentation, print out the cheat sheets and try to relax a bit.

We were on at 10:30 AM and the presentation went really well with minor unnoticeable glitches. It felt good, but not good enough. At the end of the first session of our Troubleshooting topic, and despite being extremely tired, Dave, Leslie and I returned to the round table to analyze the things that went wrong in our first session. After a few touch ups here and there, Dave and I went off to the table topics. I joined Nick Hoban who runs the Microsoft Dynamics Community website to discuss some improvements to the site.

We were back on stage at 3:30 PM for our second session. This one went just smooth... no glitches, no issues, just like if we had done it...once before! Our session ended just 15 minutes before the closing session.

The closing session futured Mr. Dave Coulombe and the some of "The Powers to Be" at Microsoft answering tough questions from ISVs Mark Rockwell (Rockton Software) and Bill Marshall (mc2 Software). By their expressions on this picture, you can conclude Mark and Bill were not asking easy questions... :-)

From left to right, Jeff Trosen, Chad Sogge, Gary Tronson, Scott Stephenson, and Errol Shoenfish

Note worthy of the session was the demo performed by John Hancock of PowerPivot the new cool add-on that will be made available with Microsoft Excel 2010. The demo featured the new in-memory BI engine which allows PowerPivot to process some 100 million records in less than 1 seconds and do all sort of data mining via SharePoint 2010.

The evening went along with the Study Hall session where I linked up with more friends including the good folks of the Tools Support and the Dexterity Development teams. Here are some pics from that evening:

I went to the hotel and crashed for the rest of the evening! I still had to get up early the following morning as I had one more final stop to do: the Microsoft Campus Store!

A special THANK YOU to MVP Leslie Vail for her invaluable contribution, time and patience into making our Troubleshooting session a success. Without her, we could not have got our presentation contents and timing refined and provided the level of criticism required to deliver the quality presentation expected by attendees.

Downloads:

For materials of the Troubleshooting Your Developed Solution session, click here.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/