Let’s take a look at Sales Order Processing (SOP), one of the 11 report models available.  Using the SOP report model allows you to bypass linking together a dozen tables and views to create a comprehensive dataset.  The report model gathers all of the required information for you so it is much easier and more time effective.  There are no complex queries or stored procedures involved.

How to create an SSRS Report in Microsoft Dynamics GP with the Report Model
Simply open Report Builder 3.0, and select the “New Dataset” option.  (Please note that SQL Server 2008 R2 is required.  There is no backwards compatibility.)  Choose “Browse other data sources…” and navigate to the correct database directory underneath “Report Models” on the report server.  Select dbname_SalesOrderProcessing, and click ”open”.  You will be presented with a spreadsheet and two list boxes on the left-hand side of the screen. The top box contains entities and the bottom box contains fields.

The data available within this report model spans many tables and could normally take hours or days to replicate based on the skill level of the developer involved. But there is no need to waste that much time.  Microsoft Dynamics GP’s report models lets you skip past the query writing altogether. Simply drag and drop an entity or a set of fields into the spreadsheet header, and then pat yourself on the back for the speedy construction of a new SSRS report!

By Jason Wojtyna, Microsoft Dynamics GP Consultant, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Report Models in Microsoft Dynamics GP Helps You Get at Your Business Data Fast is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Offer Details:

With the ‘Give Me 5′ offer, you get 5 users of Microsoft Dynamics ERP (Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL or Microsoft Dynamics NAV) for one low price of $3,000 — up to an 85% discount off the regular license price!  The offer is available to all new customers and is effective October 3, 2011 through June 22, 2012.

TRICK-

• One caveat of the promotion is you are required to purchase a one year Business Ready Enhancement Plan (BREP). The enhancement/support plan fee will be calculated on the system list price of all users and components based on the regular Microsoft Dynamics price list.
• Another requirement is you must buy at least 5 users to get the discount.  Orders with fewer than 5 users will be licensed per regular Microsoft Dynamics price list prices. So if your company only needs a few users, you’ll still have to purchase some that you might not use.
• The promotion is not available for Microsoft Dynamics AX. 
• The offer can’t be combined with other promotions.

-OR-TREAT:

• The greatest benefit of this promotion is that it provides an extremely low cost of entry for an advanced system.  In our experience working with companies evaluating new ERP systems, price is often a barrier. There is a substantial price jump from entry-level accounting systems like QuickBooks, to moving to an ERP system like Microsoft Dynamics GP. There isn’t much available at a price point in-between the two, making it too big of a leap for some companies to make.  Therefore, many companies postpone moving to a new ERP system even though they are in dire need of one.  The ‘Give Me 5’ promotion helps remove the price barrier and allows companies to move to a new system faster, fostering growth rather than waiting until their existing system is so painful that they can’t properly run their business and are forced to switch.
• Another treat is that the offer is available for both the Business Essentials and Advanced Management editions, so even if you have more advanced needs, you can still utilize this offer.  The $3,000 price is the same for both editions.
• The promotion is available longer (through June 22, 2012), allowing you time to evaluate Microsoft Dynamics thoroughly and to make sure it is a good fit for your business needs.  Historically, Microsoft promotions for ERP have been shorter in length, making it difficult to take advantage of the offer without making a rash decision.  That said; make sure you start your evaluation now as it usually takes longer than you think to evaluate a new business system.
• The offer is also available for a Cloud ERP deployment.  If you prefer a hosted model instead of on-premise, you can still take advantage of this offer.  It is a little different than the typical hosting purchase as you would need to purchase the users up front to get the promotion price,  then pay a monthly fee for the hosting.  This means you would own the licenses rather than rent them and also get the benefits of ERP in the Cloud.

Overall I think the ‘treats’ outweigh the ‘tricks’ of this offer.  The discounted price is such a great deal and one of the best offers I’ve seen in the 9 years I’ve been working in the industry. View this ‘Give me 5’ Promotion flyer for further details, or contact The Resource Group to learn more.

By Ann Haucke, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Microsoft’s ‘Give Me 5’ Promotion – Trick or Treat? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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SQL Server is a relational database created by Microsoft.  This means that all of your data from your Microsoft Dynamics GP accounting system is stored within the database, and when you create, update, or otherwise modify your records, you are working with data stored in the SQL Server.  SQL Server works under an operational model of record locking.  With record locking, each individual record − when opened by a user − will be locked from change by any other user. This ensures that when multiple people are working in the accounting system, the actions of one user cannot be overwritten by another user. As long as multiple people are not working on the same record, they can work in the same area of the system without interfering with each other.

In addition, SQL Server has a robust set of maintenance tools.  Database backups can be performed easily and automated to ensure disaster recovery is possible.  Security within the database can be configured so users don’t have access to sensitive data.  And as an enterprise-grade database system, SQL Server can effortlessly process thousands of transactions simultaneously with the ability to scale from a small organization of a couple of users to large corporations with hundreds of users.  SQL Server has a legacy of extremely high uptime (99.9999%), high performance, and great security.

With your ERP software you want reliability, performance, and the flexibility to let your users work without interfering with each other to ensure that you can enter, review, and report on your data easily. SQL Server enables all of these things, and Microsoft Dynamics GP is built to take full advantage of the platform.

To learn more about selecting an ERP solution, please contact us at 425.277.4760 or email info@resgroup.com.

By Brian Bender Microsoft Dynamics GP Developer, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

The Microsoft SQL Server Advantage When Choosing an ERP Solution is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Fast forward to today, a business environment where your customers are expecting all three.  Quality has become a given, and when I can order a Kindle from Amazon in the morning and have it in my hands that afternoon (I actually did this one recent Saturday), customers also have the “need for speed.” 

That leaves price, and in this challenging economy, the pressures on price are front and center.  In order to give adequate attention to all three competitive aspects – price, speed, and quality – your business processes and supporting systems must be up to the task.

 Here are some of the ways Microsoft Dynamics GP Distribution software can address each component of the equation:

 Price 

• Enhanced pricing functionality to manage customer specific pricing, quantity discounts, and date-based promotional pricing
• Vendor Management functionality to help enforce negotiated contract pricing and provide insight into vendor performance
• Workflows and alerts to manage the approval of pricing exceptions

 Speed 

• Faster customer order processing with multiple options for integrated eCommerce and EDI
• Real-time visibility into the status of customer orders utilizing status queues and rules-based workflows
• Integration with a variety warehouse management systems to accelerate the pick, pack, and ship process

 Quality 

• Ability to track reason codes for product returns
• Robust business intelligence and reporting capabilities to quickly identify product sales trends that may indicate quality issues
• Enhance the overall quality of the customer experience with out-of-the box integration to Microsoft Dynamics CRM

 The Resource Group is a premier Microsoft Dynamics GP partner.  We can help you evaluate and implement a Dynamics GP system that will allow your company to compete on price, speed, and quality.  No longer a need to “pick two!”

To learn more, please contact The Resource Group at 425.277.4760 or email info@resgroup.com.

By Earl Hunt, Microsoft Dynamics GP Account Executive, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Price. Speed. Quality. Pick Two is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Here are some of the common business scenarios that might require a project accounting solution:

• Tracking capital expenditure projects / construction projects
• R&D projects
• IT Projects
• Training expenses
• Marketing expenses / Events

Here are some of the project accounting solution options and their benefits:

Microsoft Dynamics GP Project Accounting

• Flexible G/L mapping
• Billing and revenue recognition capabilities
• Sophisticated project configurations
• Time/Expense and Equipment tracking
• Multiple project types and accounting methods
• Track Change Orders
• Business Portal (web-based user interface)

WennSoft Job Cost

• Flexible G/L mapping
• Time/Expense and Equipment tracking
• More integration points than GP PA (SOP and AP)
• Integration with MS Project
• Sophisticated project configurations
• Multiple project types and accounting methods
• Job Cost Portal (web-based user interface)
• Deepest functionality set in Industry

Analytical Accounting

• Unlimited dimensions
• Included in base license
• Budget controls with Grant Accounting
• Data entry capture rules

TRG Project (custom module by The Resource Group)

• Track and report on specific project expenses and/or revenue
• Easy to setup and use, fast data entry
• Fully integrated, entry is done directly on GP transaction windows
• Tracks both expenses, revenue and time
• Two levels of projects tracked
• See budget to actual (either revenue or expense)

If you are ready to explore project accounting solutions in Microsoft Dynamics GP, contact The Resource Group or your Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner.

by Tim Tobias, Implementation Consultant, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Compare Project Accounting Solutions for Microsoft Dynamics GP – Which is Right for You? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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1. Secondary Status Code Field
   There is a new field for tracking a secondary status code for active and inactive employees to provide more detail regarding leave.  An active employee might be on probation, awaiting grant assignment, or between school terms.  You could also use this as an additional reporting field to show whether an employee has exempt status. 
2. W-2 Reporting Flexibility
   You can designate as many as four different locations on the W-2 forms for where the same amounts will be printed for some Pay Codes, Benefit Codes, and Deduction Codes.
3. Fiscal Year Tracking for Payroll
   You can track Fiscal year values for payroll expenses rather than just calendar year for budgeting and reporting purposes.  You can also set both fiscal and calendar year limits for Benefits and Deductions.
4. Simultaneous Pay Runs
   For organizations that have multiple payroll clerks who conduct separate pay runs for different departments or business units, they each can get through a build check process and validate transactions for errors and warnings. 
5. Payroll Posting Edit List
   There is a Posting Edit List available to review the effect on the general ledger prior to printing and posting payroll.  This is helpful if you add a new department or payroll code and you want to make sure you have all of the posting accounts set up properly.
6. Reprint Paystubs
   There is the ability to reprint paystubs and earnings statements! You can even print multiple checks at a time.
7. Improved Garnishments Management
   If multiple garnishments are levied against an employee, you can now deduct the garnishments in a specified order until reaching the limits. For more information on this feature, please see our blog post Payroll Garnishment Management Made Easy in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010

To learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 can help you automate your Human Resources and Payroll processes contact The Resource Group.

by Donna Church, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

7 Great New Features in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 for Human Resources and Payroll! is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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If you are a manufacturer or distributor of food products in the United States, you will need to be aware of the implications on many levels.  One of the major changes will give the FDA the right to order companies to recall tainted food products.  The bill has several sections that are dedicated to the topic of product recalls.  Here is a link to full text of bill:  S. 510: FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (GovTrack.us)

Even though the bill is not final, you should consider a plan for how your ERP system can accommodate the possible compliance issues faced.  Most specifically, you will need to have a product tracking and recall strategy. 

As a food manufacturer or distributor, here are some key functional capabilities that your ERP system should provide:

1. Lot Number Tracking for all Inventory
   A Lot Number is an identifier provided by a manufacturer that can be used for tracking a group of items.  In the food industry, you will want to track lot numbers for raw materials (purchased or created) and track them through the production process to finished goods.
2. Lot Number Trace
   A recall trace can show which customers purchased an item with a specific lot number. You also can use a recall trace to show where the items with lot numbers are located in your warehouse, including the bin.
3. Integrated Barcode Scanning for Lot receiving and shipping
   Your warehouse and production staff will need an easy way to capture the lot number during the receiving, production, and shipping process.  An barcode scanning solution integrated with your ERP system is highly recommended.
4. Recall notification by email for impacted customer orders
   If a product recall is issued, you will want to have an easy way to quickly notify customers who have received impacted orders.  Email notification is the fastest method.  This does require your ERP system to have customer email tracking at the order level. 

The deployment of these features is considered “best practice” for companies in the food supply chain outside of the pending Food Safety Modernization Act.  There are many benefits that can be gained such as lot shelf life management and lot attributes.  Microsoft Dynamics GP for supply chain offers a strong solution to meet these requirements.

So, keep an eye on the status of this bill and begin to think about your product recall plan. 

Also, you can learn best practices for how to prepare your business in case of a product recall by viewing our free on-demand webcast:  Best Practices for Meeting Product Safety & Recall Compliance for Distributors

by Brady Curtis, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 and ERP System Considerations is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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For more information on Report Builder 3.0 and to download click here.

by Sandy Daniels, Solution Consultant, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Dynamics GP 2010 Reports with Some Heat!!! is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Is your company considering purchasing an ERP software solution like Microsoft Dynamics GP in 2011, but you do not have money in the budget for a software upgrade?  Here are 2 tax incentives created by the U.S. government to increase cash flow and encourage small business growth.

1. Net Operating Loss Carryback: If your small company’s deductions exceed your income for 2010, you may qualify for a NOL Carryback. The Internal Revenue Service announced for the 2010 tax year that companies may carryback their Net Operating Loss two years to offset their 2010 Net Operating Loss against earned income in 2008 & 2009. You may need to contact your CPA to amend the prior year’s tax returns that are affected in the carryback. 
2. Section 179: In addition to the NOL Carryback offered by the IRS, they also increased the amount of which companies may write-off  qualifying equipment for 2010 tax year to $500,000, up from $250,000 in 2009, for companies that purchased $2,000,000 or less in business equipment in 2010. Fortunately, one of the qualifying items for the deduction is “Off-the-Shelf” software. Essentially, if you purchased $500,000 in software in 2010 you would be eligible to write off the entire amount in that tax year. This tax benefit would accelerate the depreciation on equipment when liquidity is needed. You must purchase qualifying equipment before December 31, 2010 to qualify for the increased deduction.  Get more information on Section 179.

by Brian Hayes, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

The Resource Group is a seasoned team of business professionals that help companies gain valuable business insight from their financial systems. If you are interested in learning how a Microsoft Dynamics GP software solution could benefit your company, contact The Resource Group.

2 Tax Incentives to Enable Your 2011 ERP Project is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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Excel is no doubt the most widely used budgeting tool for small to midsized businesses.  Let’s face it –   no one likes to budget, but it is a necessary evil for most organizations, especially in a down economy.  In fact, more and more organizations that I work with are looking at doing revised forecasts on a regular basis due to constantly changing market conditions.  As a result, the pains of using Excel as their budgeting tool increases with every budget revision or forecast that they need. 

Top complaints I hear from Excel budget administrators:

• Difficult to consolidate data:  Hours, days or even weeks can be spent in the process of consolidating budget spreadsheets from individual budget managers.  Until that process is complete, they don’t even know what the total company budget numbers look like.  Then, if a revision is needed, the process starts all over again.
• Hard to track versions: Manual consolidation means that keeping track of the most current spreadsheet from a given budget manager can be a nightmare.
• Time consuming to create templates year after year:  With Excel as the budgeting tool, a copy can be made from last year’s spreadsheet template, but any changes in the budget model can require significant time to update the templates.  And watch out for breaking any links between sheets!
• Hard to do ‘What if’ scenarios:  Because of the difficulty with consolidating data, tracking versions and creating new templates, doing multiple ‘what if scenarios’ becomes a pipe dream.
• Data isn’t secure:  To top things off, the valuable budget data is being stored in a spreadsheet somewhere on a network, where it could easily be lost or get corrupted.

The good news for Microsoft Dynamics GP customers is that Microsoft Forecaster can alleviate the Excel budgeting pains.  Forecaster is a SQL based budgeting and planning solution that helps you to budget more efficiently and accurately.  It creates a collaborative environment for users, regardless of their geographic location, by allowing access to custom budget templates via a web client or a local client installation.  When clients move from Excel to Forecaster, I consistently hear the same reasons why.

Top reasons customers switch form Excel budgeting to Microsoft Forecaster:

• Automated Consolidation:   With Forecaster, all of your budget data is captured in a centralized SQL database, so consolidation of the information is automatic.  You can review your budget numbers anytime during the budgeting process by simply clicking on a report and selecting the consolidation of data that you would like to view.
• Automatic Audit Trail:  Forecaster automatically captures the details of every change made to a budget.  It captures the date, time, user, method and amount of each and every change, line item by line item.  No more finger pointing about who came up with that budget number.  The answer is just a click away.
• Easy ‘What if’ Scenarios:  Forecaster provides a Copy Plan Wizard which will copy all setup configuration and data from your current budget into a new ‘What if’ scenario.  Creating your new ‘What if’ takes minutes instead of hours.  It also goes a step farther and provides for easy top down adjustments to a range of accounts and cost centers by either a dollar amount or a percentage.
• Detailed HR Budgeting:  Forecaster includes a Human Resources module that allows you to budget wages, taxes and benefits at the individual employee level via simple setup and import of your employees.
• Detailed Revenue Modeling:  Forecaster has a Revenue module that allows for budgeting revenue at whatever detail level you need:  Markets, Products, Customers, etc.  You name it.

If you are a Microsoft Dynamics GP customer with a Business Ready Advanced Management license, you already own Microsoft Forecaster!  In fact, you have the same number of user licenses that you have for Microsoft Dynamics GP, and they do not need to be the same list of users who use Dynamics GP.  So if you are ready to leave your Excel budgeting frustrations behind, contact The Resource Group or your Dynamics GP Partner and discuss implementing Forecaster as your budgeting tool. 

by Denise Hawes, Implementation Consultant, The Resource Group – Seattle, Washington Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

Frustrated with the Excel Budgeting Process? Microsoft Forecaster can help. is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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