Microsoft Dynamics GP Report Design - Alba Spectrum
Released on = May 1, 2006, 4:10 pm
Press Release Author = Alba Spectrum Group
Industry = Computers
Press Release Summary = Microsoft Dynamics or former Microsoft Business
Solutions products line, including Microsoft
Dynamics GP – Great Plains, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft
Dynamics AX – Axapta, Microsoft Dynamics NAV – Navision – is now
on the way to move to .Net platform
Microsoft Dynamics or former Microsoft
Business Solutions products line, including Microsoft Dynamics
GP – Great Plains, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics AX
– Axapta, Microsoft Dynamics NAV – Navision – is now on the way
to move to .Net
platform, this will mean that for the development community
we should pay more and more attention to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting
Services and probably deemphasize Crystal Reports/Crystal Enterprise.
At the same time Microsoft
Business Solutions reopened Great Plains Source Code program
for MBS partner channel, this signals to us that we need to rehabilitate
old Great Plains/Microsoft Dexterity based tools: ReportWriter,
Microsoft Dexterity itself to customize Microsoft Dynamics GP so-called
“fat” client. Please read below “balanced” and “reasonably conservative”
Microsoft Great Plains / Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 report design
overview:
Let’s first look at the advantages of using ReportWriter:
• Seamless integration with Great Plains forms – the most typical
scenario – you modify SOP_Long_Invoice_Form or SOP_Blank_Invoice_From
and then print
your invoices with modified form – usually with your logo and
changed formats and positions of the fields
• Parameters Entry Forms. Each existing report (Reports section)
has associated parameters entry form.
Restrictions:
• No Cross-Modules links. You can not associate report with the
tables from non-related modules. For example you can not have Sales
Order Processing (SOP) and Purchase Order Processing data on the
same report (you actually can – but you need Dexterity programmer
help)
• Custom Reports. You do not have parameters entry interface for
your custom reports, but you could use restrictions to restrict
the selection. Custom reports could be used to export
data from Great Plains in text (and then Excel format)
Advanced ReportWriter programming
• Rw_ functions in Great Plains Dexterity. When you need cross-modules
data on the same report (Bill of Lading, which you could produce
on the base of Picking List) you need to move the report you want
to customize into your custom DYNAMICS.DIC and fill the gaps with
RW_ functions – these are allowed to be placed on the report with
parameters
If ReportWriter doesn’t do the job:
• Crystal Reports. Current version 8.0 and 8.5 (July 2005) are MS
SQL Server based, where Crystal Report could work at will and produce
all the desired links – we recommend you to base Crystal Report
on SQL Stored Procedure or SQL View. You call Crystal Report engine
via Modifier/VBA – you need Customization Site Enabler license.
If you are on Great Plains Standard version: 7.5, or Great Plains
Dynamics/eEnterprise 7.0, 6.0, 5.5 or 5.0 Btrieve/Pervasive SQL/Ctree
– you need to install Pervasive SQL driver (or Faircomm driver for
Ctree)
Please do not hesitate to call us: 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918,
Europe: +44 20 8123 2580, +45 36 96 55 20, Mexico: 52-55-535-04027,
help@albaspectrum.com or skype: albaspectrum
About Alba Spectrum Technologies. Alba Spectrum Technologies is
joint venture of several IT and business consulting companies, now
operating as single business entity. We have local presence in the
Houston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, Miami,
Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, New Orleans, Minneapolis, San Francisco,
LATAM & Brazil, Germany, Russia, South East Asia and Oceania. We
believe in the coexistence of Java (J2EE, EJB, Linux, Unix), Oracle
and Microsoft (.Net, C#, VB) platforms and systems and specialize
in several product lines and cross
platform integration, customization, heterogeneous report design,
plus we provide ERP/CRM
systems comparison and reviews, not being committed to just
on MRP platform. We also stake on XML cross-platform data interchange
to be advanced in the coming decade.
Alba Spectrum Technologies websites:
http://www.albaspectrum.com
http://www.greatplains.com.mx
http://www.enterlogix.com.br
http://www.ronix-systems.de
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