Although the terms ERP system and accounting system are often used interchangeably, they are not one and the same thing.  Typically, a basic accounting application consists of what we in the industry call GLAPAR – General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable.  ERP on the other hand stands for Enterprise Resource Planning, defined by Wikipedia (an invaluable but sometimes dubious reference tool) as a system which is intended to manage all the information and functions of a business or company; a commercial software package that promotes seamless integration of all the information flowing through a company. 

All the information flowing through a company?  This means that the accounting system – the GL, AP and AR – is actually a subset of the ERP system.  What else is included in an ERP system?  Well, it does somewhat depend on the package, but typically there would be modules for manufacturing, wholesale/distribution, inventory management, supply chain management, human resources, payroll and perhaps  more.  Microsoft Dynamics GP, for example, is an ERP solution that covers all of the above-mentioned bases. 

What’s more, since an application like Dynamics GP – for accounting and ERP – can integrate with Microsoft Dynamics CRM – for Sales Force Automation (SFA), marketing automation, and service management - and with SharePoint – for document management and much more – this ultimate,
end-to-end integration of three applications translates into total accessibility of business critical data. 

Add dashboards into the equation and you have the best of all worlds.  By accessing data from Dynamics GP, individualized dashboards can be created to meet the needs of every end user.  Dashboards consolidate KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in dynamically updated graphical format – easy to read and easy to understand.  Reports don’t have to be re-created and re-run every time you want to view a business indicator, say for example, sales by sales rep or by product line or by accounting period.  Just refresh the dashboard and the up-to-the-minute data appears (like magic).  What a concept! 

Here’s a link to view a random sample of executive, sales, and inventory dashboards.

Submitted by Altico Advisors, Microsoft Dynamics Partner serving New Hampshire (NH) and specializing in Manufacturing and Distribution

January 23, 2010 by Marcia Nita Doron, Sikich Boston

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Tags: Dashboards, ERP integration, ERP Software, manufacturing software, Microsoft Dynamics GP, wholesale/distribution
Posted in About Microsoft Dynamics GP, Dynamics ERP for Distribution, ERP Software Information | 3 Comments »

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