The Dynamics GP Blogster

Yesterday was ceremoniously an unofficial holiday. That's right! The date did not show up on any local or international calendar, it wasn't part of any federal or state registry. Frankly, the world did another spin on its axis without skipping a beat and life for billions of people on this planet went on without a hitch - OK, I'm not trivializing what's going on around some problem spots in the world, but I digress. Not so for a few hundred in the Microsoft Dynamics GP community of customers, partners, and independent software vendors (ISVs). We celebrated our own 'holiday' of sorts: #FabrikamDay . Breaking it all down To understand what Fabrikam Day is , you first have to ask yourself, " What is Fabrikam? ". Fabrikam (and more precisely, Fabrikam, Inc. or Fabrikam, Ltd, formerly The World Online) is the sample company used for demos, development, and testing in Microsoft Dynamics GP. The sample company provides sample data for all core and extende...

My latest article is out over at MSDynamicsWorld . In it I take a swipe at 5 things I believe you should be doing today to get up to speed with the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Web Client. Of course, these are only my observations. If after reading you feel there's something else to add, please feel free to drop a comment. 5 Ways to Prepare for the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Web Client Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP IntellPartners, LLC http://www.IntellPartners.com/

"Just about every day it seems, something new is added to the way pricing is going to work..." My new MSDynamicsWorld article is out and in it I provide a comprehensive summary of the upcoming changes in licensing (as of the date of publication) for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 . The article is generating a lot of traction, so be sure to check it out and add your comments to it. Navigating Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Licensing: What Does it Mean for the Customer? Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP IntellPartners, LLC http://www.IntellPartners.com/

My new article is out over at MSDynamicsWorld ! It's been a long time coming, but finally, and per the insistence of Jason Gumpert , I was able to get to it - Jason has his ways for sure :-) This time around my article, Where Do the Microsoft Dynamics GP Experts Turn for Answers? A Preamble to GPUG DayONE , looks the Microsoft Dynamics GP application's dependency on the overall Microsoft technology stack and guides you on how you can find answers to the growing number of questions arising from this interdependence. In truth, the article serves as an invitation to come see David Musgrave and I talking about this subject at the next GPUG DayONE opening event for Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2012 in Houston, TX - see Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2012 sessions now published . As the saying goes: be there or be square! Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP IntellPartners, LLC http://www.IntellPartners.com/

"Understanding the Microsoft products that will drive Dynamics GP forward" My new article is up over at MSDynamicsWorld.com. This time I take a look at The Future of Microsoft Dynamics GP: 5 Cool Technologies You Should Watch For (and Learn) in the Coming Years , based on my past experiences and learnings at the Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2011 in Fargo, North Dakota - see my article Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Conference 2011 Wrap Up . In this article I explore Microsoft Lync, Microsoft Silverlight, Microsoft Visual Studio Lightswitch, cloud computing, and even Microsoft Dexterity. If you have experience with any of these technologies it would be very cool to know your thoughts and how they have helped your work. Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP IntellPartners, LLC http://www.IntellPartners.com/

"Significant gaps remain as eConnect and Integration Manager stagnate" MVP Mark Polino If you are familiar with MVP Mark Polino  you will know that he has always had a love-hate relationship with Microsoft Dynamics GP integration tools - see Mark Polino's Integration Manager Rant . This time Mark vents out his frustrations (again!) with Integration Manager and eConnect over at MSDynamicsWorld in his new article Integration Frustration: Why Microsoft Dynamics GP Integration Tools Need a Kickstart . If you have your own comments, complaints, or if you are enamored with the tools and think Mark is simply overreacting, please read Mark's article and add your comments. Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP IntellPartners, LLC http://www.IntellPartners.com/

Over at Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP , Pam Misialek has been posting feature after feature of the upcoming Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 R2, letting you know why the enhancement is so darn cool and what you can expect to see when you get to it. So, with no further due, here is the roundup of features and enhancements covered by Pam over this week: Feature of the Day: Business Intelligence Refresh Feature of the Day: Drilldown from SQL Server Reporting Services Reports Feature of the Day: New SQL Reporting Services Reports Feature of the Day: Report Builder Integration Feature of the Day: Report Builder Integration (Export) Feature of the Day: SOP Return Word Templates Feature of the Day: TFS Source Control Provider It's time to start familiarizing yourself with these features and enhancements. The next wave of Microsoft Dynamics GP products will bring a new spotlight to middle-market ERP products. Go catch the wave! Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP IntellPartne...

"Convergence is more than just the sum of its keynotes and sessions" My new article is out over at MSDynamicsWorld  with some pointers for a successful Convergence here in Atlanta. Wheather you are a local or coming from another city or country there are a few things to take into account even before you arrive at Hartsfield-Jackson. You can read about these ingredients here . All comments welcome, so please let me know what you think. Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

No, it's not a new Salsa group, but they will sure write to the tune of it. It's actually the brand new Microsoft Dynamics Latin American blog, Dynamics Latam , featuring my buddy Francisco Hillyer and Betrand Desmarest (left to right) showcasing content for the Spanish speaking Dynamics community around the world. I have been in touch with Francisco for the past 3 years. He just recently moved from California to become a part of Microsoft's Mexico's support team. Chances are you will see future contributions of mine added to this new blog - ehem! Muchos exitos compadres, Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

If by now you are not familiar with fellow blogger Jivtesh Singh , it's time for you to go take a look at his work. Jivtesh has set out to disect the Microsoft Dynamics GP community by the numbers in his latest article Dynamics GP Experts . In addition, he has worked tirelessly in putting together what I have denominated The Mother of All Blogs . Yes! Jivtesh is the author and matermind behind the now popular GPWindow (see my previous article GPWindow: The next best thing after the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook ). In his latest iteration of the popular site, Jivtesh has incorporated searches to all the Microsoft Dynamics GP community forums currently available. If at first you complained about not being able to search every site for what you are looking for, there are virtually no excuses now for not being able to find a specific topic across the spectrum of resources across the community. Jivtesh already did his part, now you do yours! Check out GPWindow , do a few searches...

I have to give credit where credit is due. MVP Mark Polino may have the hottest summer read (see my article Cookbooks ), but my good friend and fellow blogger Jivtesh Singh has the mother of all blog sites... literally! Jivtesh is one of those die hard and passionate about Dynamics GP individuals. He probably saw the same problem many of you have seen with the proliferation of Microsoft Dynamics GP blogs and asked himself the same set of questions you may be asking yourself: "how the heck do I keep up with all these blogs?" , "I saw an article on [some topic here], where did I read it?". Jivtesh now provides an answer to these questions with his new GPWindow platform , which aggregates every single blog article, video, and resource about Microsoft Dynamics GP. C'mon, you know there's absolutely no reason to do this! For all I know, Jivtesh could be home writing cool articles for his own blog... but that's not how we Microsoft Dynamics GP advocates and ...

"The term "customization" can mean different things to different people..." My new article is out over at MSDynamicsWorld. This time, I go back to basics defining what is a customization and what tools are available to customize the Microsoft Dynamics GP user interface. This article is a good start if you are still trying to figure out your options for developing add-on solutions to Microsoft Dynamics GP. To read the full article, click here . Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

It is just about right that I start out this article with the definition of Urban Legend . According to Wikipedia , " An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or a contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of apocryphal stories believed by their tellers to be true. As with all folklore and mythology, the designation suggests nothing about the story's factuality or falsehood, but merely that it is in non-institutional circulation, exhibits variation over time, and carries some significance that motivates the community in preserving and propagating it. " The definition seems just about right for what you will read next. If you are the type who believes everything you read without questioning it, then for your own sake, please stay off the Internet ! Rumors -- as they can only be referred to -- began circulating today on claims of someone cracking the Microsoft Dynamics GP user password encryption algorithm -- if you are interested in the original article,...

"Personally, I believe this transition is the best outcome for the Microsoft Dynamics GP community in general..." My new MSDynamicsWorld article is out! Since I featured the article on the newsgroups being phased out on this blog, I have received numerous inquiries on the subject, so I just decided to expand on the article over at MSDynamicsWorld. Please be sure to read the follow up here . MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Ok, so why the journalistic type nature of this article? Well, if like many users out there you tend to export tens of thousands of records out of Microsoft Dynamics GP using SmartList and you complain about the export's performance, then I guarantee you will want to read Patrick Roth's new article Smartlist: Exports slowly to Excel - Part 1 . In his article, Patrick details an undocumented DEX.INI setting that changes the way records are exported from SmartList into Microsoft Office Excel. The feature was added since release 10 and remains active in release 2010. SmartlistEnhancedExcelExport=TRUE Patrick further explains the feature trades formatting for performance, so if you are an Excel wizz just looking to get data out so you can do the rest on your own, then this switch is for you. The DEX.INI is the Microsoft Dynamics GP defaults file containing setup and operating information about Microsoft Dynamics GP. Each line of information, or setting, in the file contains inform...

I am back at MSDynamicsWorld with a new article looking at how Microsoft Dynamics GP support incidents may (relatively quickly) end up being consulting engagements . Please take a look at this new post as it is full with useful guidelines... it may just save you some money next time when you open that new incident. Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

"If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.' - Abraham Lincoln" MVP Frank Hamelly quotes Abraham Lincoln in his new MSDynamicsWorld article and presents a tale of sorts to illustrate the importance of keeping your skills "axe" very sharp through training. Frank also discusses the different training options available and how employers and employees can take advantage of these to improve productivity during these difficult times. Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com

Over at Developing for Dynamics GP , Patrick Roth has a new article describing the new Visual Studio Tools 2010 shiny features , in particular Modal Dialog handling, passing table buffers as parameters, and function and procedure notifications. Patrick also provides sample code showing how to respond to Modal Dialog events as well as code to display notifications. For the most part, VST now behaves likes Dex so, don't complain and enjoy the new enhancements. PS. Wait until you see the new Menus for Visual Studio Tools... sure not to dissapoint. Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

"It didn't take long to figure out that the problem wasn't with Business Portal, but rather the way they were trying to use it and NOT using SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). Both tools have a place in their environment, but one is not a substitute for another" My friend Michael Johnson , a.k.a. "The MBS Guru" has finally come out of hiding and has decided to publish a really clever solution for filtering salesperson-specific data in GP using SSRS over at MSDynamicsWorld. The good thing about Michael's solution is, you can apply it to pretty much any report that requires such type of access and filtering capabilities. They don't call this guy the MBS Guru for nothing! Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

"When I first started using Microsoft Dynamics GP almost twenty years ago... there were limited options for getting help" MVP Victoria Yudin gives an account of her 20-year career history with Microsoft Dynamics GP and how the support landscape has changed over those years. She also gives out some important pointers on how to request help on newsgroups, forums, and even from Microsoft Dynamics GP Support. Be sure to check out her article over at MSDynamicsWorld. Until next post! MG.- Mariano Gomez, MVP Maximum Global Business, LLC http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com