Great Plains Customization Upgrade? Overview For CIO/IT Director

Around the same time Microsoft made its move with .Net introduction and tried to gain portion of cheaper databases market: Pervasive SQL/Btrieve, Ctree/Faircom - and launched free MSDE database program. General direction for all its accounting systems was chosen - Microsoft announced future releases of so called Microsoft suites: Microsoft Financial, Microsoft HR, Microsoft Logistics, Microsoft Manufacturing to name a few. However Microsoft did not announce which product (Great Plains, Solomon or Navision) will become the base or will be transformed into each specific suite. Al these suites will be integrated into web-based Microsoft Business Portal

This move, probably wise in the long run, exposed businesses with heavily customized MBS products to serious customization upgrade problems. We'll give you our recommendation, based on our practice. In this article we'll talk about Microsoft Great Plains.

  • Great Plains Dexterity Customizations ? Microsoft announced that its products will be moved to .Net platform. This means that Dexterity will be phased out/discontinued. However, even now Microsoft Great Plains 8.0 is still Dexterity-based application. So, if you have Dexterity customization - our recommendation is to phase it out or consider replacing it with these: Crystal Reports, SQL Stored Procs and triggers, Web Publishing (Visual Studio.Net) from Great Plains database, eConnect (SDK created to eCommerce developers to deploy Great Plains as back end)
  • Pervasive SQL/Ctree migration to MS SQL - If you are still on these old platforms - then you are in trouble - you will be without Microsoft technical support by the end of 2004. When you do standard data migration via migration tool - Great Plains tables are migrated by the tool, however migration tooll has no info about your custom tables - these tables should be migrated manually. You can use MSSQL Server Linked Server construction to link to Pervasive/Ctree data. ODBC drivers can be installed from GP CDs.
  • VBA/Modifier/Continuum ? all these are good candidates for replacement by newer technologies, because these will not have their place in .Net platform.
  • Additional notes: When Great Plains Software designed Dexterity as the replacement to its discontinued Great Plains Accounting - it proclaimed that Dexterity is DB independent - which is true to some extent. However there are specifics, and Dexterity customization should be analyzed and tuned to work with MS SQL Server, if it was originally designed for btrieve/ctree. We are talking about customization upgrade for Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 7.0 to Microsoft Great Plains 8.0 or 7.5.

    Happy upgrading! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

    Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies ? USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, California, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (help@albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.

    bmw rental chicago Westchester .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
    In The News:

    Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: FBI warns of "time-traveling" hackers.
    Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about a soft, vine-like robot called SPROUT that aids safe survivor rescues in collapsed buildings.
    Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California confirmed it had been sharing private health data of 4.7 million users with Google for three years without even realizing it.
    Delta and JetZero’s blended wing body aircraft marks a meaningful step toward a cleaner, quieter and more efficient future for air travel.
    Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.
    Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
    Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.
    Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.
    There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.
    These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.
    Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.
    Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
    Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?
    Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.
    Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.
    Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.
    Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.
    Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.
    Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.
    Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.
    With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.
    Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
    Recycling robots are using artificial intelligence to learn how to sort recyclables by recognizing patterns in colors, textures, shapes and logos.
    The Reachy 2 robot is designed to be friendly and approachable, inviting natural interaction and is perfect for research, education and experimenting with embodied AI.
    Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson shares several easy ways to keep your credit cards safe from digital thieves while you're traveling this summer.

    Constructionalist Parsing - Deciphering Natural Language

    The research in the field of Natural Language Processing usually... Read More

    The XP Firewall Isnt Enough

    You might think you don't need a firewall... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains in Construction & Building ? Implementation & Customization Highlights

    Microsoft Great Plains could be tuned and setup to fit... Read More

    Microsoft CRM Lotus Notes Domino Connector FAQ

    Microsoft Business Solutions CRM and IBM Lotus Notes Domino, being... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Data Conversion ? Overview For Developer

    Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular,... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains: Government & Non-Profit Organization ? Workflow Implementation

    Usually workflow & messaging is realized in CRM and then... Read More

    Three Steps To Windows Safety Heaven

    Now there are Three Steps To Heaven Just listen and... Read More

    Crystal Reports for Microsoft Great Plains

    Microsoft Business Solutions ? Great Plains is designed to meet... Read More

    IBM Lotus Domino or Microsoft Exchange?

    IBM Lotus Domino or Microsoft Exchange?The severe competition continues for... Read More

    Inherent Dangers Of File Sharing Via The Internet.

    Cyberspace has opened up a new frontier with exciting possibilities... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Customization: Project Organization ? International Business Example

    Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains fits to majority of horizontal... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade ? Version 8.0 Overview for IT Director/Controller

    If you have Microsoft Great Plains as main accounting and... Read More

    Did You Ever Want to Completely Erase Everything on Your Computer?

    Did you ever want to erase everything on your computer?... Read More

    A Time-Saving Programming Tactic that Doesn?t Work

    Let's say that you have a software project that's under... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains on Ctree or Pervasive SQL ? What to Do ? Tips for IT Manager

    As you probably know, when Microsoft purchased Great Plains Software... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Customization and Development ? Overview for Programmer

    When Great Plains Software was designing and developing Great Plains... Read More

    Spyware, Adware, etc. -- Terms and Common Sense

    When reading an article where some term is used often,... Read More

    ERP for Large Corporation ? New Selling Strategy

    Our opinion is based on our Microsoft Business Solutions Great... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Logistics & Warehouse Management ? Implementation & Customization Highlights

    Logistics automation is often considered as barcoding extension to Sales... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains: carpet, textile, fabric, felt distributor ? implementation overview

    In this small article we will show you the possible... Read More

    How to Get The Best Accounting Software For Your Small Business

    Buying accounting software is a major investment. It's an important... Read More

    Pros and Cons of Using FREE Software in Your Business

    It???s easy to understand why you might be drawn to... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Food Processing ? Implementation & Customization Highlights

    Microsoft Great Plains might be considered as ERP platform to... Read More

    MicroWorld Releases New Version of MailScan Ver. 4.5 - Antivirus and Content Security Software

    MicroWorld Technologies, Inc. the leading solutions provider in the area... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Integrations ? Retail Management Sample

    Microsoft Business Solutions is emerging as very attractive vendor for... Read More

    Belleville rental limo ..