Microsoft Dynamics GP

Microsoft Dynamics GP is a package of mid- market accounting software or ERP business software sold in North and South America, the United Kingdom and Ireland , the Middle East , Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. E ' is used in many other countries with partners, supported locations. Use Microsoft SQL Server 2005, 2008 or 2012 to store data. And 'one of the four accounting packages acquired by Microsoft, which now share the brand of Microsoft Dynamics Business Solutions. Dynamics GP is written in a language called Dexterity.

The Dynamics GP product was originally developed by Great Plains Software, an independent company located in Fargo, North Dakota, which was directed by Doug Burgum . Dynamic Release 1.0 was released in February 1993 "It was one of the first accounting packages in the United States that has been designed and written to be multi - . Users and run in Windows as a 32-bit software at the end of 2000, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Great Plains Software for $ 1.1 billion. This acquisition was completed in April 2001.

Versions

The latest version of Dynamics GP 2013 (version 12) has been released by Microsoft December 19, 2012 for the first time, the software has evolved from a client application - . Pure application server to a web-enabled client will continue to provide the full content of the "rich”, as it is the only way to cover all the modules and third-party products correctly in the application. The client web-enabled for now only covers the core modules (financial and distribution in phase 1 , Human Resources and Payroll added in phase 2, phase 3 project accounting , Customer Service ( sales? ) Manufacture In Step 4, and then in step 5). The various modules will be added during development between the date of initial issue and the next version of Dynamics GP (which should be somewhere in 2014) . Therefore, it is expected that the phases will be 3-4 months apart each.

Dynamics GP 2010R2 was issued in April 2011. Dynamics GP 2010 was released in April 2010; Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 was released in June 2007.

Earlier versions were named Microsoft Great Plains and Microsoft Dynamics. Earlier versions were compatible with Microsoft SQL Server , Pervasive PSQL , Btrieve , and earlier versions also used C -tree, but after buying all new versions switched entirely to Microsoft SQL Server databases .

The earlier versions of Microsoft Dynamics GP were available in two editions:

•    Standard: Up to 10 simultaneous users, and 500 payroll employees for each defined company.
•    Professional: Unlimited users, additional user-level security options, consolidation tools, automatic purchase order generation, and more reporting/analysis options. In addition, Professional Edition includes additional manufacturing and field service modules.

Dynamics GP Release dates and Version Numbers (incomplete)

Macros

Great Plains was one of the first accounting packages with the ability to record and play macros. Macros are saved in. MAC in the programming language skill. MAC files. They are editable text files. Macro files are very different from VBA files found in Microsoft Office products. Dynamics GP macros cannot make decisions, but merely repeats the words written by the user. Microsoft Dynamics can also have VBA functionality related to forms and reports to make decisions.

Modules

Microsoft Dynamics GP is arranged in series, each of which contains different modules. The typical series are Financial, Sales, Purchasing, Inventory, Project, Payroll, Production and Systems Society. The last two contain all the necessary modules to configure various company wide and system-wide options. Each set includes a complete cycle of operations for this particular series; for example, the series implements the process of estimating sale for Cash. In addition to the standard modules "out-of-the-box", the community of independent software vendors (ISVs) Microsoft has developed a number of add-ons and vertical, all generally known as third-party applications that complement or enhance functionality existing applications. Some of these are also written in Dexterity, and so they look and work the same way as the standard Dynamics GP modules.

Analytics

Management Reporter for Microsoft Dynamics ERP: a corporate performance management solution for Microsoft Dynamics ERP systems allows easy creation and consolidation of financial statements using a " building block" , with rows, columns , trees and report definitions and the familiar interface user is used by Microsoft Office applications.

Microsoft Forecaster: extracts real-time data from General Ledger to create and manage budgets and plans that can be shared by the management team using a web-based interface accurate. Easy to learn: it has the ' appearance of a spreadsheet.

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) provides customizable reports for Financial, Sales, Purchasing and Production. Transactions are managed by Internet Explorer and can be full of charts and graphs for sharing across the organization and with suppliers or subcontractors designated. SSRS is often used for the production of type dashboard charts for the executive management.

SmartList Builder : easy to use, yet powerful query tool output data (no matter where they reside ) records based on virtually any criteria specified in a user-friendly format for screen viewing , printing or saving in Excel or Word (self - formatted ) . Combine and link data from up to 32 separate tables, including third-party dictionaries. Many common data analysis functions are available in pre-configured smartlist objects that can be downloaded from Microsoft.

Crystal Reports is widely used in construction and design reports using Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Customization Tools

Customization: comprehensive customization tools to enable .NET developers to create real-time, transactional connections between Microsoft Dynamics GP and other applications and expand potential for new features and functionality.
Integration: integrate and incorporate data with a high degree of safety, flexibility and speed from any source, even those not based on Microsoft platforms. Uses a mix of proprietary Microsoft technologies, such as Microsoft BizTalk Server, Component Object Model (COM), the Microsoft .NET Framework, and Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ); as well as industry-standard technologies such as Web services and XML.

Supply Chain Management

Advanced Distribution: A tool intended to streamline the distribution cycle, gain rapid access to accurate information (view inventory levels for specific items at a glance and get a snap-shot view of the supply chain cycle via Distribution SmartLists), reduce input errors and automate information-sharing through a configurable workflow, allowing the user to define up to 6 stages in the order-to-invoice cycle.
Advanced Picking: offers the capability to issue consolidated (bulk) picking lists across numerous orders for common items; it can meet multi-site needs. It adapts to warehouse layouts by tailoring picking routines. This module requires Advanced Distribution to run.
Available to Promise: maintain up-to-date information concerning stock availability, current and future, so that accurate commitments are made to customers.
Demand Planner: combines planning and forecasting functionality with an intuitive, easy-to-learn user interface to anticipate future demand and gain deep, multi-dimensional visibility into customer buying patterns. Excel Collaboration Plug-in allows for forecast information to be shared and for synchronization of demand management across organization.
Inventory Management: provides access to detailed inventory information from a central location, has easy to use stock analysis tools and flexible reporting capabilities, improves picking efficiency with multi-bin tracking and enables the creation of personalized pricing schemes to meet customer demands. Blends well with other GP modules, such as Sales Order Processing, Invoicing and General Ledger to streamline inventory and sales processes.
Order Management (for Business Portal): around-the-clock, security-enhanced access via an out-of-the-box, business-to-business portal which allows salespeople and customers to view, place and edit orders online, saving time and increasing accuracy of orders.
Purchase Order Processing: enter purchase transactions earlier in the cycle to better manage costs and improve efficiency. Complete purchasing audit control with comprehensive selection of reports to track and analyze purchase activity (full historical and performance reporting). Option to print or e-mail purchase order documents. Other features include Auto-Receive, Auto-Invoice, VAT tracking, facility to handle price and quantity variances, approvals option, commitment reporting. Integrates smoothly with Payables Management, General Ledger, Sales Order Processing and Inventory.
Requisition Management (for Business Portal): enter and approve requisitions online and automatically transfer orders to new or existing purchase orders in Dynamics GP Purchase Order Processing. Reduces paperwork, repetitive data entry and errors. Approval processes can be fully customized. Channel information to the right people through roles-based access.
Sales Order Processing: manages the whole sales process from A-Z: quote to order to invoice, and with pinpoint accuracy. Enter quotes, orders, back orders, invoices and returns from one central location without data re-entry to increase office productivity. Invoices are auto-generated. Customer Priority Ranking feature to quickly identify top customers, and distinguish prospects from customers. Customizable data entry, sales documents and sales process to accommodate an organization’s unique business needs. Has seamless integration with Inventory, Receivables Management and eCommerce modules.

Foundation

Analysis Cubes: for Microsoft Office Excel is a core component of the GP financial system which leverages the power of SQL Server. It helps define and extract key data and features the Excel Pivot Table Generator to allow the user to “slice and dice” information, business portal KPIs and a tool to share and increase transparency of financial information via the Business Portal to improve Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Business Portal: A web-based information dissemination system where access is defined by user roles. Professional users can have full remote access data entry capability. A security-enhanced extranet deployment provides trusted customers and suppliers with access to selected data with the ability to customize their own pages.
Electronic Document Delivery (for Business Portal): enables scheduled e-mail delivery, according to defined rules, of electronic documents, such as Invoices, Credit Notes, Debit Notes, Finance Charges and Returns in various formats.
Key Performance Indicators (for Business Portal): roles-based to define and deliver personalized views of key business information via Web based portal.
Process Server: integrated with Dynamics GP to reduce the burden on client computers by moving heavy background tasks to process servers to eliminate costly slow-downs and delays.
Report Writer: tool to build reports from scratch or to use one of the hundreds of templates available in the system and customize for specific individuals or groups to achieve consistency in presentation across the entire organization. Flexible scheduling options available to publish reports at any time: immediately, on a recurring basis or selectively in a variety of file formats including HTML and PDF. Reports can be shared across the organization by posting them online for viewing via a Web browser with role-based security options.
System Manager: a tool to customize Dynamics GP to set up processes and role-based home pages or dashboards specific to business and employee needs. Creates queries against data or accesses more than 100 modifiable SmartList queries, exportable to Excel or Word. Streamline process set-up to provide audit information and maintain user accountability.
Extensible Web Services: uses Microsoft technologies, such as SQL Server, Visual Studio and .Net, as well as industry standards, such as Web Services and XML, to increase real-time data sharing and integrate business processes throughout the organization. The Web Services layer works with the Business Services layer to provide security, policy validations, defaulting, and exception management for consumers of the Web service. These two tiers interact with Business Logic and Persistence layer within eConnect to provide scalable and reliable integration solutions.
Security Management: manages user security quickly and effectively to protect the Dynamics GP system. Different security types can be assigned to fields through Dynamics GP using a single Explorer-style interface and security errors can be identified and fixed quickly using the interactive dialogs to help eliminate the need to change login user and minimize IT administration.

Financial Management

Analytical Accounting: Analytical Accounting is a tool that helps you to analyze, interpret, and create reports based on your company’s chart of accounts.Using Analytical Accounting, you can better assess your company’s accounts. You can also store information which cannot be computed in monetary terms such as labour hours. You can enter detailed analysis information without resorting to segmental accounting. You can create budgets using analysis dimensions and compare your actual figures with budgeted figures.
Bank Reconciliation: customizable summary and detailed views of bank account balances and all transactions: cash, check and credit card. Tools available to sort and mark transactions to improve reconciliation capabilities.
Cash Flow Management: calendar-based interface to view and manage cash inflows and outflows to improve day-to-day financial planning. Big picture and full drill-down options available.
Collections Management: customizable interface enabling the user to enter and view all collections in one central point. Allows to target and follow up on overdue customers with automatic delivery and tracking of collection letters, e-mails, statements and invoices.
eBanking: an aid to reduce administration costs and manual input error as well as improve productivity and cash management in a security-enhanced environment. Routine accounting tasks are moved online and bank transactions are electronically enabled and reconciled. Transactions are applied to accounts when they occur rather than days or weeks later, such as BACS payments or payment collections via Direct Debits or credit cards. Special feature verifies that sort codes and bank account numbers entered for suppliers and customers make sense.
eExpense Automated Expense Management: enables employees to create and submit expense reports via the Web at any time and from any location; features electronic receipt imaging.
Encumbrance Management: encumbrance accounting module specifically designed for Not for Profit and Public Sector organizations to ensure that actual expenditures and related commitments do not exceed available funds.
Fixed Asset Management: create, define and manage an unlimited number of assets. Features standard fields and up to 15 user-defined fields with graphical user interface. Numerous depreciation methods available to automate depreciation routines. Integration into General Ledger to post depreciation journals and into Payables Management to pull in purchase information to fixed assets. Location IDs to aid inventory management: matching actual with recorded location. Information-sharing enabled with standard and custom reports.
General Ledger: automates key accounting tasks to improve accuracy (includes automatic correction of posting errors) and streamlines budget planning and financial decision-making with reports and enquiry tools (features Excel wizard interface). Features up to 66 alphanumeric character codes, up to 10 segments and user-defined fields with 50 character descriptions.
Grant Management: tracks grants, demonstrates accountability and compliance and also assists with future funding applications. As grant transactions are entered, the Analytical Accounting module will automatically validate them against the budget.
Multi-currency Management: designed for multinational operations to more easily manage financial statistics and accounting operations involving multiple currencies and dealing with changing exchange rates.
Payables Management: control expenditure, control payments (check and BACS runs) with flexible selection criteria and track supplier documents and information. Features include unlimited addresses/contacts per supplier, discounts, min/max payments, holds, returns, debit/credit notes, auto-allocation, performance and history reports.
Receivables Management: tracks customer-related documents and information, controls cash, generates simple invoices as well as creates, prints and e-mails statements. Produces sophisticated debtor related reports at any point in time and performance reports including turnover, gross profit and payment days. Other features are flexible credit limits, unlimited address/contacts per customer,[citation needed] min/max payments and ability to handle insufficient funds, interest charges, debit/credit notes, returns, write-offs and auto-allocation.

Enhancement

The latest version Microsoft GP 2013 is enhanced with a web client.The web client is powered by Silverlight technology.