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Microsoft Dynamics GP is becoming very popular ecommerce ERP and accounting back office.  This trend is probably related to success of eConnect SDK, especially for Dynamics GP 10.0 and 9.0 versions.  

eConnect allows you, being generic C#, VB.Net programmer
with good SQL and XML skills to program Great Plains objects manipulation:
Customer, Address, Sales Invoice, Customer Payment and other attributes of
ecommerce shopping cart.  eConnect, being
coded in SQL Server Stored Procedures (they are encrypted, so you probably
should not expect to trace SQL code for Great Plains business logic there).  In this small publication we would like to
share with you ecommerce coding experience and Dynamics GP automatic batch
posting from eConnect application directly:

Sap B1 is modern ERP with very intuitive elegant user interface, which has all the attributes of contemporary Enterprise Resource Planning System: Financials, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, Banking, Service, CRM, Inventory, Production and MRP, HR. 

System installation, user training initial data massage and conversion, initial balances: customers, vendors, GL ? these implementing phases are relatively straight forward and reasonably easy to implement.  We expect number of sold SB1 software license to be dramatically up with the release of SAP BO version 2007, which is expected in the first half of 2008.  Let’s review how SB1 fits to the variety of Chicagoland businesses:

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP application, or popular old name Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise, if you have relatively recent version, is based in Microsoft SQL Server.  If you are experienced SQL DBA yourself, just this fact should give you the idea on structuring select statement and make it Electronic Document Interchange code compliant. 

Of course, for luxury EDI solution you can purchase Add-Ons and simply setup EDI export in the user friendly interface, however this publication is for people, who are either on the tight budget, or who have really complex EDI requirements and data format export rules.  This news should also ideally help you with your Great Plains Partner, ISV and technical consultant and programmer selection:

Microsoft Great Plains or current name of this mid-market ERP is Dynamics GP has various development and programming options: Dexterity, eConnect, VBA/Modifier, SQL stored procedures openness, SDK for Microsoft Visual Studio developer to name few popular. 

The topic is very popular as more GP MRP and accounting systems are in process of being installed and implemented.  Special interest we expect from eCommerce developers, where such questions as automatic batch posting, Sales Order deposits application are very popular ones.

SAP B1 functionality covers broad range of typical ERP topics: Financials, Banking or Bank Reconciliation, Sales and Purchases, Inventory, Bill of Materials and MRP (also referred as Production or Discrete Manufacturing), HR, Service (warranty contracts, also applicable to rental contracts), Sales Opportunity management or simply CRM which is customer relation management module

Let’s review SB1 implementation scenarios and highlights:

1.       Licensing.  It is traditionally all-in-one per named user, however there are variations of the term of named user itself, typically related to CRM restricted functionality: Sales and Service, plus web CRM components.  All-in-one means that you pay per named user and this named user gets access to all the modules in SAB BO

It is always a good advise to adopt procedures and functionality available in out-of-the-box version of any ERP application, including SB1, however it is common, when standard logic doesn’t allow to automate unique business processes

in this case you have to program modified logic in Software Development Kit.  Let’s review SDK in the format of this small article:

1.       Programming Language and IDE.  You can use either VB or C#.Net and Microsoft Visual Studio will be your tool, assuming that you are on Windows and MS SQL Server platforms.  Generic C# programmers are available on the market, however it is recommended to consider contracting certified SB1 SDK developer, who has expertise in B1 objects structure and technical side of business logic