Rose Business Solutions Dynamics GP

Dynamics GP 2010 is on the Way

2010-03-09T07:23:00.001-08:00

The next major release of GP will be Dynamics GP 2010. Microsoft continues to design and deliver the product to be easier to use and to be a more effective business tool for getting things done and reporting results.

There are a number of functionality enhancements and richer connections with Microsoft Office and other Microsoft technologies.

We are presenting a sneak peek of the new version on March 24th. Check out the details here.

This is an easy way to review the new release, so I expect you to be on-line with us on the 24th, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PDT.

Go straight to the Click to Attend site here.

There will be a short discussion of CustomerSource immediately following, at 12:00pm. Are you using CustomerSource?

Budget Import & Export

2010-03-05T16:09:00.001-08:00

Dynamics GP has a very easy to use import and export function that allows you to create budgets in Excel and update budgets in GP, based on amounts you have in Excel.

All this functionality is available from the Budget Selection screen. Navigate to: Cards >> Financial >> Budgets

I created this short video to show this functionality in action.

One very important caveat: Make sure that you validate the information in GP after importing or updating budget information from Excel. There is no error reporting on the import function if the import does not properly import the data.

I usually create a quick FRx report for this purpose. But you could also simply export the information from GP, to a new spreadsheet (make sure not to overwrite your original spreadsheet).

Simple Formula to Extract Specific Data from a List in Excel

2010-03-03T08:48:00.001-08:00

I recently discovered the “SUMIFS” formula in Excel that I think you’ll like because it makes it easy to select specific data from a data list in Excel. Excel Reports for GP is a great way to extract data from GP and report on it. Because the resulting Excel spreadsheet includes a data connection to the GP database, you can format the spreadsheet and refresh the data as you wish.

Typically I have used the pivot chart, and graph functionality in Excel to create the reports I want. But the “SUMIFS” formula allows me to have more control over the reported results and format. This is how I generally use the formula:

Define range names for the data you want to report on. In Excel:

Select the column with the data you wish to name
Formulas >> Define Names

Enter the formula to select the data you want:

Select the range that includes the data you want (e.g. Extended_Price)
Select the range that includes the values you will select
Select the specific value that corresponds to the data you want to display

The result:

See the formula in the formula bar on top. In this case I used a relational reference to the criterion I used, B17.

Try it out. It will give you a lot of control over the data you can select and how it is formatted.

Integration - All About Attitude

2010-03-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

The possibility of an integration is rarely due to the technology. Most people would agree, but qualify possibility with a budget. With that said, even with great technology, skilled professionals, and adequate budget, integrations can still fail.

I think the reasons boil down to attitude and behavior:

1) Building from the bottom up: Avoid diving directly into topics such as field mapping and data exchange mechanics. Initial conversations should include high level topics like division of labor, project goals, expectations and business processes. High level decisions will alter the low level details.

2) The integration will do all the work: Integrations make work life easier by altering roles and responsibilities - not by removing them. Instead of entering data, we are now monitoring it. People will always be involved.

3) Lack of functional understanding: I have walked into situations where a client has an integration, with little to no knowledge of what it is actually doing...talk about dangerous! Documentation is one method for keeping knowledge in house and maintained. Another method involves training and practice: software reliance can be reduced and understanding can be increased by having people perform the processes manually.

4) This is how we have always done things: Any implementation project should be viewed as an opportunity to better a process...not re-invent it. When it is time for the company to adapt and grow, the integration should be prepared. Conversely, integrations built out of tradition lead to rigid processes and logic. What happens when business changes? You may have to re-implement the integration.

5) Oversimplification: There are plenty of simple integrations in which we just map a few fields and move some data, but this is not always the case. As a colleague of mine likes to say, "The devil is in the details." The devil is not very forgiving.

6) Haste: In most scenarios, time is on our side. Remember to take the integration through a sound SDLC, complete with client QA. It is a lot more expensive to clean up an integration than to just wait for it to be correct.

7) Fancier is better: Adding complex decision logic and transfer mechanisms (real time versus manual, etc...) may not actually make an integration better. There are actually legimate reasons to simplify an integration. Those reasons may include maintainability, stability, and flexibility.

People dictate the success of a project, and we should believe that technology and knowledge are never the limitations. The only limitation is human ingenuity, which is something we can control through our attitude and behavior.

"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment." - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Great Plains Integration Requirements

2010-02-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my first Rose Business Solutions blog post. For my first series of postings, I thought I would cover a topic near and dear to every developer working with Great Plains: Integration.

Software is now an integral part to operating a business, and many companies are tracking information in multiple systems, each with its own purpose. Much of this information has a dollar amount associated to it, which means it should probably end up in the ERP system.

There are many tools to choose from when implementing an integration; each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, the solution choice is made based on the project budget, but what are some of the other factors that impact our choice of tool, and ultimately solution?

The answer: Requirements.

Over the course of implementing several integrations, I have compiled a list of requirement topics that are evaluated whenever an integration project arises:

1) Logistics: How exactly will the information get from point A to point B?
2) Security: Who has access to the integration? How sensitive is the information being transferred?
3) Tool Availability: Does a tool exist to help perform the integration, or are we starting from scratch?
4) Division of Labor: What are we responsible for? What is the client responsible for? What are third parties responsible for?
5) Automation: User driven, scheduled (how often) or real time?
6) Integration Points: What types of transactions are we integrating?
7) Integration Process: Where does the process begin? What happens with the data in GP before feedback? When does the process end?
8) GP Module Complexity: Are we integrating to the GL? Simple...Or are we integrating to Project Accounting? Not as simple...
9) Integration Volume: How much data will be transferred?
10) Field Mapping and Translation Logic: How many fields are mapped between systems? How difficult is the system translation?

Whew...I better stop before this gets too wordy. There are probably other factors to consider when deciding on an integration tool, but I think this list of ten is a good start. In my next few articles, I plan on drilling in on some of the tools and discussion some of the common mistakes. Until then, take care!

"Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays." - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Account Rollup Inquiry

2010-02-23T07:57:00.001-08:00

The Account Rollup Inquiry screen allows you to summarize information from several accounts, and display information of several types, including: Actual, Budget, Prior Years, Other Currency, and Calculated.

Here is the summary level inquiry:

Here is the first drill down on the actual number that shows the accounts included in the rollup summary:

I created a short video to show this functionality.

Cash Flow Forecast

2010-02-22T08:43:00.001-08:00

This is a screen in Dynamics GP that I suspect gets little use. But it really can be quite useful because it gives you a time sequenced view of your payables and receivables, and allows you to drill down to see the detail records.

This is the basic screen:

If you click one of the days, it will bring up the Cash Flow Explorer that will allow you to see the details:

The set up is very easy, and allows you to create several “profiles” so you can take different views of the information in your system.

I created a short video to show this functionality.

Requisition Management

2010-02-19T15:38:00.001-08:00

Requisition Management is an easy to deploy and easy to use system that allows you to automate parts of your purchase requisition process, and integrates directly to GP. Requisition Management is included in the Advanced Management version of GP. It does require the deployment of Business Portal.

The set up is fairly straight forward, requiring the following configurations:

Company defaults
Approval hierarchy and approval limits
Business Portal role assignment to users

I created a short video to walk through part of this process.

Requisition Management is also fairly easy to use and integrates directly with GP, creating PO’s for approved requisitions.

The process is essentially this:

Create a requisition, and submit for approval
Approve the requisition, and submit to purchaser
Final review and approval, and automatically create PO in GP

I created another short video to show this process in action.

There are generally two shortcomings I come across when determining a good fit for Requisition Management:

For any given requisition creator, there is only one available approval routing. The system cannot be configured to automatically route a requisition to different approval paths depending on what is being requested, e.g. a laptop computer request would not be routed differently than a trade show attendance request. This can be somewhat mitigated by allowing requisition creators to select who will approve their requests, but then this defeats a common control that organizations look for when considering a requisition system.
A requisition with multiple lines has to be approved, rejected, or deleted in total. There is no ability to manage these processes on an individual line basis.

But with that said, if an organization is wishing to replace a manual requisition process, Requisition Management is a good first step.

Combining budgets in Dynamics GP 11.0

2010-02-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Following the superb example of Steve Chapman I decided to discuss some new features of Dynamics GP 2010 by video.

Click here if you would like a demo of how to combine budgets in GP 2010 beta version.

Make sure you veiw the video by the highest quality 720p (HD).

I'm taking requests. Let me know if there is anything you'd like a demo on and I'd be happy to publish it on youtube.com.

My favorite blog entries

2010-02-09T16:55:00.001-08:00

After posting my last blog which was an update of an older post on top technical support issues I cited that the article was a very popular blog but it wasn’t one of my favorites to write. After seeing Mariano’s Best blogs of 2009 I started thinking about my favorite blog entries over the past couple of years.

Below are a few of my favorites:

Steve Chapman’s admission to how old he is
New Roseling announcement with potential baby names
What kind of training is most beneficial? I’m not sure if I followed up on this one or not. I guess I’ll do a future post on this
How long…before applying new SP’s? Dedicated to Rebecca Bunas from our office who is an avid U2 fan
Should you back up your database before posting payroll? I love horror stories from the trenches and this was a fun one. Here is another great “You should back up” blog
To upgrade or not to upgrade – we were going to upgrade this client last month then they put it off for another month. Maybe by this time next year they will be ready for 10.0 and decide why not redo the whole upgrade plan for Dynamics 2010
VAR versus Partner – I wax philosophical
The Famous David Musgrave – True story
Dynamics as a second language – probably my favorite one to write

I’ll hopefully add to this list as time goes on.

Dynamics GP Top Technical Support issues

2010-02-09T16:14:00.001-08:00

Writers comments: This is an updated version of a post I did back in February 2009. This has continually been one of the most popular articles on our humble blog since I wrote it. I wouldn’t consider it one of my favorite blogs but quite a few people seem to have found it useful.

****

I was asked what issues I deal with the most often. I'm sure there are many others but these are the first ones that come to mind along with the resolutions below.

Here's my Top support issues list in no particular order:

Batch stuck in posting, receiving, etc. status
Where do I find the table that holds a particular set of data?
My sub-module doesn’t tie to the GL
How do I set up a new fiscal year?
I can’t login to Dynamics – Unknown dictionary error
How do I import budgets?
Dynamics won’t let me post
I have a metrics error on my homepage
How do I move Dynamics to a new server?
After closing the GL I realized I have incorrectly listed a BS account as a P & L account, now there is not beginning balance. (or vice versa)
How do I adjust then print 1099’s?
When trying to access sales transaction entry I get the error "Your previous transaction-level posting session has not finished processing".
Inventory shows it is allocated when it’s not
I don’t have beginning balances in my balance sheet accounts for the new year
After applying a SP my reports will not print and GP crashes

Resolutions:

Doug Pitcher blog post - http://www.rosebizinc.com/gpblog/2009/01/stuck-batches-in-dynamics-gp.html. Dave Musgrave comment gives script that works well.
Blog post by MBS employee Dave Musgrave. http://blogs.msdn.com/developingfordynamicsgp/archive/2008/10/05/finding-table-and-field-information-in-microsoft-dynamics-gp.aspx
See Steve Chapman post-http://www.rosebizinc.com/gpblog/2008/02/reconcile-to-gl-easily.html
See Doug Pitcher blog Post- http://www.rosebizinc.com/gpblog/2009/07/setup-new-fiscal-year-in-dynamics-gp.html
Usually permissions error when network ID doesn’t have access to reports.dic file. Find path in Tools>>setup>>system>>edit launch file>>enter system password>>Highlight dynamics GP, look to see where Reports line is pointing to. Open a browser and try to path to this location. Need
Cards>>financial>>budgets. Use import wizard by choosing New>>using budget wizard for Excel.
Print edit list of batch (printer icon at top right hand corner of batch window). This will tell you why you can’t post
Tech doc: 918313. Install Office Web Components link, question and answer #21.
Doug Pitcher blog: http://www.rosebizinc.com/gpblog/2008/08/moving-sql-to-new-server.html
Tech doc #864913
Doug Pitcher blog: http://www.rosebizinc.com/gpblog/2010/01/1099-for-dynamics-gp.html or http://www.rosebizinc.com/gpblog/2009/01/dynamics-gp-1099-printing-for-90-and.html
Tech doc #852623. Run scripts to release captured user.
Run inventory reconcile at Tools>>utilities>>inventory>>reconcile. Everyone needs to be out of GP (well sop, pop, inv or any module that touches inventory)
You need to close out the year in GP. If you are not ready to do this and need a BS follow directions found here: http://www.rosebizinc.com/gpblog/2009/02/no-beginning-balances-in-frx-balance.html
Recreate the reports.dic file. See blog post - http://www.rosebizinc.com/gpblog/2010/02/recreating-reportsdic-in-dynamics-gp.html

I'd be interested in seeing your most common lists of frequently tackled issues in GP. Any issues come to your mind other than the ones above?

Recreating reports.dic in Dynamics GP

2010-02-01T15:06:00.001-08:00

Can I come up for air yet? Talk about a busy month. January is always crazy but for some reason it seems this past month has been extra intense. Now that Year end closes are coming less frequent and 1099's, W-2's etc. should be about done maybe I'll be able to call in sick a time or two and head up to The Big.

One common issue I've seen rear it's ugly head is not being able to print reports after applying a SP or Year End update. GP will either crash before the report is done or will error out and not give you a report. Is it me or has SP's and Year End Updates continually gotten more difficult over the years? I don't even waste time with trying to update the Reports.dic file anymore. I go simply to recreating. Here is the process:

Method 1

Make a backup of reports.dic
Go to Microsoft Dynamics GP>>tools>>customize>>customization maintenance
Highlight all reports and choose export. Export this out to a package file
Have everyone get out of GP
Delete the reports.dic file
Log into GP again and go to GP>>tools>>customize>>customization maintenance
Choose import and select the package file created in step 3

Method 2

Make a backup of reports.dic
Delete reports.dic (or rename reports.dic path to reports2.dic in dynamics.set if you don’t want to kick everyone out of GP)
Log into GP and go to Microsoft Dynamics GP>>tools>>customize>>report writer
Choose Import on the right hand side of the reports menu
Browse out to the copy of the reports.dic file created in step 1
Insert each report (makes you do it one by one)
Choose import
If you created a reports2.dic file in step 2 rename the file back to reports.dic

Method 2 allows you to recreate without having everyone get out of GP. However, you most likely will have to get everyone out to rename the file back to reports.dic in step 8 of method 2.

Outsource your Manual Payables and Receivables Functions

2010-01-27T11:44:00.001-08:00

This week I was given the opportunity to see the offering from Enliven Software that can help you streamline your payables and receivables functions using Dynamics GP.

Enliven Software has developed a SAAS offering that is very tightly integrated with GP. They use Dexterity to add buttons in familiar GP screens that seamlessly extend GP functionality for common manual processes, to their hosted solution; adding well thought out and comprehensive automation.

For example:

Provides automated workflow approvals for payables invoices
Payables invoice capture from various delivery methods, including e-mail, fax
Payables invoices can easily be scanned, indexed, and stored using OCR technology
Send payments via ACH/EFT
Provides an out sourced service to print, stuff, and mail payables checks
Send sales invoices and statements via e-mail or fax, and automatically provides reminders to customers
Accept payments electronically from a variety of payment types
Provides a customer/vendor portal to improve communication

If you want to streamline your payables and receivables functions, automate current manual processes, and store documents electronically, this is a comprehensive solution. To take a quick peek at this functionality you should check out the videos on these pages:

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Pay special attention to the integration with GP. They’ve done a good job.

Multi-company SmartLists

2010-01-21T13:36:00.001-08:00

Here’s a nice little option in SmartList Builder which I’m surprised few people know about. SmartList Builder allows you to create SmartLists that can report information from multiple companies in one list.

We have several real estate companies and family office clients that have dozens of GP company databases from which they want to report on rather simple things, e.g. all bank accounts, all fixed assets. SmartLists is perfect for this type of reporting.

To have a SmartList look at multiple companies, go to the “Options” button, check the “Multicompany SmartList” check box, and select the companies you want included.

Here’s an example of a multiple company bank account list:

The problem in this solution is to find a field in the data that identifies the company to which the results belong. In my example, this is easy because the CM Checkbook Master table includes the Company ID field that can be linked to the Company Master table, to return the name of the company.

I found this query on CodeSnippets to find all the tables in the company database with the column name “CMPANYID”

SELECT table_name=sysobjects.name,
column_name=syscolumns.name,
datatype=systypes.name,
length=syscolumns.length
FROM sysobjects
JOIN syscolumns ON sysobjects.id = syscolumns.id
JOIN systypes ON syscolumns.xtype=systypes.xtype
WHERE syscolumns.name='CMPANYID'

These are the results:

CT00001
FA49900
CT00002
SOPS113B
RM50103
CT00003
SY00600
POPS0231
JCPS0040
POP10100
PRPF0113
UPR70501
DD40400
QAPS0032
QAPU0032
AAG00906
POPF0113
POPS0132
CO010000
ECPS0000
COSS0401
ECPU0000
ENC40000
ENC40100
RM30701
POP30100
mops0100
MOPS0200
CM00100
EC090000
WCPS0100
MRP0200
BMPF0114
BMPS0114
SVC40500
CAM10210
GTM41000
SY04800
MPPS0230
CAM10200
MPPU0130
WCPF0100
TLPS0100
TLPU0100
RVP0100
RVPS0132
CPO40001
CPO40002
WPPS0114
WPPU0114
PAVW10600
RTPS0130
RTPU0130
PAVW30600

If you have SmartList Builder and several GP company databases, you should try this out.

1099 for Dynamics GP

2010-01-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

I've been really impressed with a lot of our clients this year. I usually don't start the 1099 rush until January 30th but I have been getting a lot of calls already about the 1099 process. I did a blog last year about 1099's found here. This is a good overview of the 1099 process.

A couple of comments about the 1099 process that I've come across this year are listed below.

I find it easiest to look at the yearly summary (still under Cards>>purchasing>>summary>>yearly tab>>change to calendar year view) and see how much was paid during the year versus the 1099 amount
To edit the 1099 amount it will have to be done in the 1099 detail window
If you only see zero's on your edit list you need to install SP2 or higher for 10.0
If you have a vendor listed as 1099 and it shouldn't be, delete the amounts in the 1099 window before changing the status to be "Not a 1099 Vendor". It will still show up on your 1099's otherwise
If you have a vendor listed as dividend and not the usuall miscellaneous you will have to zero out all dividend amounts and replace it in the miscellaneous window in the 1099 detail window
If you haven't listed the vendor as a 1099 vendor you will have to edit the amounts in the 1099 detail window as it doesn't go back and calculate for anything previous to the change
The minimum amount setting is under payables setup (Microsoft Dyanmics GP>>tools>>setup>>purchasing>>payables>>1099 setup). This used to be in the print 1099 window.
If you have a vendor that was paid $600, change the minimum in payables setup to be $599.99 or no 1099 will be printed for that vendor.
For 9.0 and before you edit 1099 details in the period view (cards>>purchasing>>summary>>period tab)
GP does not produce the 1096 summary form. Go figure.

Anyone else come across 1099 process issues not listed above?

Creating Custom Word Templates using the Letter Writing Assistant

2010-01-07T15:30:00.001-08:00

You may have used the standard Letter Writing Assistant templates that come out-of-the-box with GP, that allow you to create Word documents from SmartList data. There are actually some nice ones that I like to show when I demo GP.

But you can also modify the standard templates, and create your own.:

To access the Letter Writing Assistant, navigate to: Reports >> Letter Writing Assistant
Select, “Customize the letters by adding…”
Select the letter category that corresponds to the SmartList from which you want to pull data
Select one of the four options available
Select the document or action in the window:

Word will then open, with a blank document or the existing document you identified
Select the “Add-Ins” tab from the Word menu
Move the cursor to the spot on the Word document, at which you want the added field to appear
Select the field

The selected field(s) will then be added to the Word document
Save the Word document
Cancel the Letter Writing Assistant

You’re now ready to use the Word template with SmartList. The template will show up with the appropriate SmartList on the Word drop-down tab.

It’s easy to do. Try it out.

I recorded a quick video that shows this in action.

Multiple Site MRP Calculations in Dynamics GP

2010-01-07T11:06:00.001-08:00

Dynamics GP can easily be used to manage inventory demand and supply for multiple inventory locations. By using separate sales forecasts, the MRP functionality in GP can separately analyze forecasted demand, and suggest manufacturing orders and purchase orders to fulfill the demand.

This video shows this functionality in action.

Adjusting Standard Costs in Inventory Control

2009-12-30T10:02:00.001-08:00

Generally our clients who use the standard cost method to value inventory, use the Manufacturing module; and standard costs are easily managed in that module.

However the Inventory Control module can be used to accurately maintain and track standard cost items using the FIFO Periodic and LIFO Periodic Valuation Methods. Unfortunately the steps to adjust standard costs is a bit quirky. There is not a dedicated function in GP that allows you to specifically identify the standard cost items that you want to adjust.

There is a function in the year-end close routine for Inventory Control (Tools >> Routines >> Inventory >> Year-End Close) that allows you to automatically adjust standard cost to the current cost for all FIFO Periodic and LIFO Periodic items. This however does not allow you to select which items to update, what the new standard costs will be, and does not create a journal entry to revalue existing inventory in the GL; so really it’s useless.

The following is my preferred process:

1) Run a Stock Status report before any changes are made to show the inventory values with existing standard costs.

2) Change the standard cost for every item you want to change.

3) Run a Stock Status report after all the changes are made to show the inventory values with the new standard costs.

4) At this point you could enter a journal entry for the difference in inventory value as reported on the Stock Status reports, and you would be done.

But what I would do, is take the alternative step of adjusting the costs by using the Inventory Adjust Costs screen. Navigate to this screen: Tools >> Utilities >> Inventory >> Adjust Costs

Select the items and enter the new standard costs for all receipts, and Process:

This will update the receipt records and print the information you need to create adjusting GL entries.

If you use the Purchase Receipts report for any of your reporting, you will want to do this step; otherwise the new standard costs will not be in the report.

Temporarily Disable a Product in GP

2009-12-30T08:51:00.001-08:00

From time to time I want to disable some functionality in GP in order to make a demo more streamlined (e.g. disable Analytical Accounting) or to test some functionality without a specific product in the system.

For example, I was recently testing the Inventory Control module to find out how it handles changes in standard costs. I wanted to disable the Manufacturing module so I could get just the Inventory Control module functionality working in my system.

It’s easy to do. To temporarily disable a product, navigate to: Tools >> Customize >> Customization Status. This brings up the Customization Status screen.

Select the product you wish to disable, and click the Disable button. This will disable the associated functionality until you re-launch GP

If you want to disable the product for a longer period of use, check out KnowledgeBase article # 872087

Microsoft Dynamics GP - Year End Payroll Update

2009-12-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

The time is at hand for review and consideration of the payroll year end process for Great Plains. This year (as in 2008) the year end update involves a service pack installation. In other words, this year end update will change the Microsoft Dynamics version number and more importantly, it must be installed on the server (where it will update tables and stored procedures), then it must be installed on each workstation running Great Plains so each workstation “synchronizes” with the same version as the server. Depending upon the size of the database(s) and the number of workstations, this can take a few minutes, or several hours.
I am not overly found of how Microsoft deals with the Year End Update, especially since the timing for installation is always difficult at year end (re: holidays, scheduling, vacations, parties, etc, etc). Keep in mind the basic timing required for completing the year end processes successfully.

1. Make sure all 2009 pay runs are complete. This means all payroll checks and direct deposits with a date on or before December 31, 2009 have been run. Many companies will set a date after which no payroll checks are allowed to be prepared. Another way of saying this is don’t fire anyone after the cut-off date so you don’t have to provide a final check. Also, don’t wait till the last minute to issue bonus or holiday checks. Anyone still remember those?
2. Install the Year End Update. Remember, this is a Service Pack and can take time. It will probably involve the IT Department or your friendly neighborhood Great Plains consultant (all of which have holidays, vacations, parties and such on their schedules). It is also a good idea to have your Accounting Department verify all is well after the Year End Update install (accountants don’t generally have holidays, vacations and parties as they like to work all the time and don’t have many friends).
3. Create the Year End Wage File. This is the file that your W2s are dependent on. If this file is not created successfully your W2s will not be available for distribution. Not having W2s ready for distribution to employees can get really, really ugly, not to mention how the IRS feels about missing distribution deadlines (I have heard stories about them coming to get first born children after a deadline is missed, but I am pretty sure they are just stories).
4. Setup fiscal periods for 2010. This is pretty easy and has probably been done already, in fact it can be accomplished at any time. If you have rent checks due on January 1st, you have found out you cannot enter the invoice for payment without the 2010 fiscal year in place.
5. Install the 2010 Payroll Tax Update. This is not the same as the Year End Update. The Year End Update is nasty, this one is easy (at least for now it is, maybe Microsoft will change that next year). Once you install the 2010 Payroll Tax Update, you can run your first pay run for 2010. One thing to keep in mind is that the “Calculate Checks” function is when the new 2010 tax tables are accessed. You must install the 2010 Payroll Tax Update before pushing the button for Calculate Checks. If you run a 2010 pay run before creating the year end file, you are screwed (unless you have a backup and then all you have to do is restore the backup, reinstall the last 2009 payroll tax updates, create the year end wage file, reinstall the 2010 payroll tax update and then re-run your 2010 pay run). You really, really don’t want to do this, so make sure someone that can at least walk and chew gum at the same time is keeping track of things.

If you read the Payroll year-end checklists from Microsoft (and I highly recommend that you do so) you will find that they have 17 steps compared to my 5. Some of their stuff is optional (such as closing the 2009 fiscal year or deleting inactive employees). Other items are just plain not possible like “Step 12 Prepare and submit W-2 information in the federal EFW2 format, if required.” No one submits this stuff until it is nearly due and it has been reviewed, scrubbed and reviewed again, that is unless you are not fearful of discussing non reconciling items with the IRS, but then again maybe you don’t much like your first born child.

If you haven’t guessed by now, the payroll year end close can be somewhat intimidating if this is your first time. There are several backups listed in Microsoft’s checklists. Don’t try to save time by not doing the backups. If you have backups, your “you know what” can be saved. Without backups, I am not sure. Your boss just may shoot you.

Simple Dashboards Using GL Summaries and Excel Reports for Dynamics GP

2009-12-02T12:36:00.001-08:00

This video shows how to quickly create a dashboard that pulls information from the Dynamics GP general ledger and displays it as three separate graphs on one worksheet.

This is a good example of how to take a large amount of transactional data, summarize it, and present it in a graphical manner.

SmartList Export Solutions in Dynamics GP

2009-11-30T15:05:00.001-08:00

If you’re using SmartLists on a regular basis to report on information in Dynamics GP, you’ll want to learn how to use the Export Solutions functionality within SmartLists to add charts, pivot tables, calculated fields, and additional formatting to your data.

Export Solutions allows you to run an Excel spreadsheet macro on the data that SmartLists exports to Excel.

These are the basic steps to set up the macro:

Export a SmartList to Excel
Start and name a new macro in Excel
Perform the formatting you want in the Excel spreadsheet
Stop the macro
Delete any worksheets you may have added during formatting
Delete the data that was initially exported to Excel
Save the Excel spreadsheet as a template

These are the steps to attach the spreadsheet with macro to SmartLists:

Navigate from SmartList: SmartList >> Export Solutions
Document: Select the Excel spreadsheet that contains the macro you wish to execute
Works for Favorites: Select the SmartList(s) you want the Export Solution to be available with.

Once the Export Solution has been attached to the SmartList(s), you can use it when you wish. Just make sure to select it from the menu drop down, and not “Quick Export”:

I’ve created a companion video to this on YouTube.

Technorati Tags: Export Solutions,Dynamics GP,SmartList

Make Use of the Source Document Field on Journal Entries

2009-11-24T12:08:00.001-08:00

The Source Document field is a required field on a General Ledger journal entry but people rarely pay any attention to the field because it defaults to “GJ” for “General Journal”, which meets the basic criteria. GJ is certainly acceptable for a General Ledger journal entry but you could expand on that code to make it more meaningful and therefore provide another option for reporting transaction detail. The Source Document field is a field you can place a print/search restriction on for standard GL reports, GL transaction inquiries, and smartlists. Therefore, if you do a number of journal entries for the same purpose/event, you could assign them the same Source Document and then later do a search/print restriction on that specific Source Document code. For example, if you have to do some post year-end close journal entries, you could create/assign a source document of “GJ-PCADJ” for “General Journal – Post Close Adjustment” to those journal entries. Subsequently, you could easily run a smartlist of all the post closing adjustments by doing a search of Source Document = GJ-PCADJ. You can create as many Source Document codes as you like. I recommend that you start each new code with “GJ” in case you should want to run a report/smartlist on all journals that originated in the GL, you could easily pull all those that start with “GJ”.

To create a new Source Document code, you can type it into the Source Code field on the Transaction Entry window:

Dynamics GP will then prompt you to add it:

Enter the appropriate title and click the Save button:

Please note: If you select/view an un-posted journal entry that has any Source Document other than GJ (for example, CMTRX, PMTRX, PMCHK, RMSLS, etc), do NOT change the source document. These source document codes indicate that the journal entry originated from a subsidiary module and from which subsidiary module. Also, when you are entering a General Ledger journal entry, do NOT use these pre-defined source documents, because that would make your journal entry misleading as to where it originated from. If you are unsure which Source Documents are pre-defined and which ones are custom, you can view the pre-defined ones on the Audit Trails Setup window (Tools>Setup>Posting>Audit Trails).

The Confusing Name/Title of the Distribution Reference Field

2009-11-19T15:35:00.001-08:00

Every now and then, I find that a Dynamics GP user wants to show the Distribution Reference field on a smartlist or on a modified/custom report but they weren’t able to because they couldn’t find the field to add it. For some strange reason, the title of this field is, “Description”. So the next time you want a smartlist of GL account transactions with the Distribution Reference field displayed, add “Description” as a column. And, you can change the column header to prevent any further confusion by typing in “Distribution Reference” in the display name area:

Removing Discontinued Items during Inventory Year-end in Dynamics GP

2009-11-18T16:38:00.001-08:00

As a part of the Inventory year-end process in Dynamics GP, there is an optional feature to remove discontinued items. Although this option may sound like a nice “house-cleaning” feature, proceed with caution! Not only is the item removed from the Inventory Master file, all of the inventory historical transactions for that item will be gone too.

If this box is marked when the Inventory year-end process is performed, any item that meets the following criteria will be removed from the Inventory Item Master file:

1. Item Type = Discontinued

2. 0 quantity on hand

3. Not on any un-posted inventory, PO, or sales transaction

The reports and windows within the Inventory module will show as if the items removed never existed. You will be able to see the items on the historical sales and purchase order transactions but you won’t be able to see them anywhere in the Inventory Module. If you recently discontinued and item, you may still want to see the inventory activity for that item for a while. In which case, you would NOT want to select this remove option. A better/safer method would be to manually delete a discontinued item sometime well after you stopped selling/using it and you are sure you no longer need/want to view it in the Inventory module. (When you are sure you’re ready, you would bring up the discontinued item on the Item Maintenance window and click the Delete button.)

I discuss this closing feature along with many other Dynamics GP year-end closing features in our “Prepare for Year-End Processing” class. The class is a half day, information-packed class held numerous times in December. Checkout the training schedule on our website at http://www.rosebizinc.com/training/classes.asp for exact dates and times. Register soon, year-end will be here before you know it!