Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Airlift 2012: Day 1

Here we are starting Day 1 of the Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Airlift 2012. After some prep work the day before, I was now ready to get with the program.

The morning started out with a hearty breakfast at the Microsoft Commons building dining area, where I also had a chance to catch up with old time friends David Eichner and Sheila Jefferson-Ross. We also had the fortune of sharing the table with Windi Epperson from The Knaster Group and Dawn Prigmore from Software Consulting by Dawn.




From left to right: David Eichner, Mariano Gomez, Sheila Jefferson-Ross

After breakfast, it was time for the Technical Airlift Opening Session. Upon arriving to the Dakota conference room, I had a chance to catch up with the Product Development and Management team prior to their presentations.



Gary Tronson, Kevin Racer, Errol Schoenfish, Jay Manley

The first few minutes of the Opening Session revolved around a very amenable introduction of GP PartnerConnections (GPPC) by Bob McAdam (twitter: @4mcadam) and how to become involved with the program, which is mainly directed at Microsoft Dynamics GP partners and ISVs. It's worth noting the GPPC is hosting this year's Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Airlift.

The Opening Session progressed with demonstrations on the Quote to Cash process which showcased enhancements in the Web Client navigation with extensive use of window ribbons, enhancements in Sales Order Processing like the ability to produce consolidated invoices from fulfillment orders, and the solid integration with Microsoft Exchange and Office 365 for emailing documents.

Next up was the Procure to Pay process, covering some of the new features like prepayments in Purchase Order Processing, with the ability to process checks on the fly for these, and the ability to produce Word Template reports for every report that is generated by the Microsoft Dynamics GP application within the Web Client.

Some other cool demos included tight integration with Business Analyzer and SQL Server Reporting Services on the Web Client, the fantastic use of Microsoft Office Excel for report delivery, the new Management Reporter web viewer. The highlight of the morning was the announcement by Errol Schoenfish of the availability of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Beta on PartnerSource. The Beta release can be downloaded from:

 Beta Release Download for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013

I have to say I was most impressed by the Web Client's performance - more on how this was achieved in a future Web Client series starting next week.


It was time for lunch break. I took the opportunity to meet with my long time friend Beth Gardner, who used to work on the Escalation team and later became a part of the Community and Support teams, now maintaining Knowledgebase and interfacing with the Microsoft Online Support team to make sure your KB articles are up to date and retiring those that are obsolete.

Beth escorted me to the Developer Support and Escalation teams, where I had a chance to say hi to my friends Patrick Roth, Dave Duzek, Aaron Donat, and Jason Lech.



Lunch time under the big tent

After making the line to grab some food, I joined my assigned Table Topic: Developer's Unite: Tools & Integration. Our table counted with some familiar faces in Rob Anderson (Microsoft), Dave Duzek (Microsoft), Steve Endow (Precipio), and Jon Rivers (Data Masons) among others.

Table Topic: Developer's Unite - Tools & Integration

Following lunch, it was time to find a quiet place to decompress prior to my session at 3:45 PM CST. I had a chance to review the material, walk through the demos, and make sure everything was properly set for the session. D103 Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics GP Customization Tools started sharp with a full room of developers of all walks and degrees of experience.

Attendees to D103 Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics GP Customization Tools session

Presenting the Hybrid Visual Studio Tools customization

The session was fast paced and fill of samples. However, I blew the allotted time by 10 minutes. Despite this, I was able to keep attendance until the last minute, considering my session ran right into the Welcome Reception. Be this the time to thank all attendees of my session.

The Welcome Reception was hosted under the tent outside of the Commons' dining area, featuring the local band, Dfrag. The group is mostly made up of Microsoft employees.

Dfrag: Rob Wagner (Guitar), Russ Brown (Drums), Matt Carlson (Bass), LaDonna Carpenter (Vocals),
Kevin Racer (Guitar and Vocals),  Bill Thompson (Bass and Vocals)

 

Rob Wagner and Kevin Racer

It was now time to board the buses back to the hotel and to rest my vocal cords for my next presentation on Friday. Tomorrow, I will get to enjoy some sessions and perhaps, be the one asking some questions. Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
IntellPartners, LLC
http://www.IntellPartners.com/