Beware the .NET Framework 3.5 sp 1

DEX.DIC version 10.0.320.0 is not compatible with executable version 10.0.324.0

This error came up yesterday while trying to load the 2009 year end update. Going from build 1237 to build 1400 I did not expect any problems (my first error of the day).

This only happened on the new machines, not on the older ones. hmmm.

It turned out that the culprit was .NET Framework 3.5 sp 1. Every machine with 3.5 sp 1 on it threw an error. There was an old machine that I installed 3.51 on just to check, and sure enough, the same error. What to do . . .

I tried a variety of things, but here's what worked for me.

Choice 1 -- Download and install build 324 of Dexterity.

Choice 2 -- Simply copy the files from one of the functioning workstations to the one giving you a problem. You need to go as far as you can with the installation before doing this in order to load the Dex components.

Tomorrow we'll see if the Forms 1099 and W-2 print correctly after all of this effort.

Until next time!

Leslie Vail

Can't Import Excel Budget??

Here's the story. You export a 'blank' budget to Excel to make sure you have the format correct. You make all of your adjustments, save it and then try to import it back into GP.

Have you ever been thanked for all of your budgeting efforts with the message above?

You think -- but I exported the format from GP and then tried to import it back in, I didn't change it!

And I believe you :)

Check your column headings in Excel. If even one of your period descriptions is interpreted as a date by Excel, you will get the above message. Easy to fix, just turn it into a string and you're good to go. Don't forget to go into your Fiscal Periods Setup screen and modify your Period Name(s) so that it doesn't happen again.

Until next time!

Leslie

Wasted, Unused or Voided Checks

This is a little tip for anyone who wants to keep track of all of their check numbers to account for 'voided' checks. By 'voided' I mean checks that were not actually used in a transaction, they were wasted. Like when someone prints a report on your check stock.

The method I use to record 'wasted checks' is very simple, here it is:

Go into Bank Transaction Entry, fill in everything except the amount. No
need to deal with the distribution accounts, leave everything zero. I usually
put 'wasted check', or something to that effect in the description field. It's nice to have something show up on reports. Post the check; boom, you're done.

I've recorded the wasted check and I don't have to do anything else.

I think this works very well and it keeps the auditors happy :)

Dynamics for Manufacturing - Understanding the difference between NAV, GP, SL and AX

The link is to an article by Houston Neal comparing the 4 products in the area of Manufacturing. I'd love to see more like this. If you have any articles comparing the products, Please send me the link.

Thanks!

Leslie

http://www.softwareadvice.com/articles/manufacturing/understanding-the-difference-between-gp-nav-sl-ax-1111709/

Dex.ini Switches Part 3

Now that I have figured out that I can't attach a file to this blog, I thought now would be a good time to add more to the list. Hopefully I haven't included any repeats (or if I did I gave the same explanation).

ADCProcessor=TRUE
You will see this line in the Dex.ini file if you are using Manufacturing and have the checkbox marked in ADC Preferences.

AdvLookups=FALSE
New Users created will NOT be granted access to the Alternate lookup windows in the SmartList dictionary and will instead be assigned the old ‘green bar’ lookup windows.

AllowBCPTest=FALSE
Prevents utilities from running the BCP test.

AllowWrongDex=TRUE
Will allow Dynamics GP to launch with mis-matched versions of dexterity. This switch can get you in trouble, so make sure you know if this is OK. It should NOT be used just to get rid of the error. If you are getting the error, something is amiss.

ApplicationName=name
Changes the name the runtime engine displays when it is launched. Without this setting the name “Dexterity Runtime” is displayed. Kind of fun, but you have to watch carefully because this isn't displayed for very long.

AutoDisplayUpdate=TRUE
Automatically redisplays the process monitor queue.

AutoInstallChunks=TRUE
Causes Dynamics to automatically include the *.cnk file not prompting the user for 'Add New Code to Dynamics.set' during launch.

BTInterface=NoLoad
This applied to the old Btrieve file handler (PSQL 2000) as to whether the interface would load when Dynamics was launched. This one only applies to versions 7.5 or before, assuming PSQL 2000 is being used. It's out of date, but hey, it was on the list.

Buildphantom=TRUE
Allows creation of a Manufacturing Order for a Finished Good Phantom Item.

BuildSQLMessages=TRUE
This one will copy the Dexterity messages to a SQL table on next login and then it will set it back to FALSE. Once in a SQL table the messages can be used in stored procedures. The table is DYNAMICS.dbo.MESSAGES. Give this one a try, it's pretty neat. It's also a very good way to easily 'browse' all of the message resources. If you have Modifier, these are fun to change. I especially like changing the droll descriptions Check Links adds to recovered records. Be sure to keep track of what you changed so you can change it back if you did something for a laugh.

DebugFonts=TRUE
This setting causes Dexterity to generate a trace file named "debuglog.txt". This file lists the fonts that were considered and why particular fonts were chosen or rejected.

DebugRW=XXX
Where XXX equals the sum of the values you want to trace from below.

1 = QueryOK Specifies if the report will use a single query or not
2 = Sanscript Logs the run report statement as the Report Writer sees it
4 = RW Query Logs all API calls from RW to the Data Manager
8 = RW Setup If used with RW Run, logs all data returned by Data Manager
16 = RW Steps Logs internal RW steps in processing the report
32 = RW Run Logs all RW runtime calls to the Data Manager
64 = DM SQL Logs internal Data Manager structures and SQL Generation
256 = RW Frames Logs the beginning of each report frame
512 = Tab Delimited Logs output as tab delimited output

Output will appear in a log filed named DebugRW.txt next to the application dictionary.

Example: If you want to log if a report is using a query and the SanScript and SQL code used, then add the following line to your Dex.ini file:
DebugRW=67 ; 1 + 2 + 64

To help in trouble shooting problems related to the generation of reports, before printing a report you may choose to mark the Where XXX equals the sum of the values you want to trace from below.
Value = Name Description
1 = QueryOK Specifies if the report will use a single query or not
2 = Sanscript Logs the run report statement as the Report Writer sees it
4 = RW Query Logs all API calls from RW to the Data Manager
8 = RW Setup If used with RW Run, logs all data returned by Data Manager
16 = RW Steps Logs internal RW steps in processing the report
32 = RW Run Logs all RW runtime calls to the Data Manager
64 = DM SQL Logs internal Data Manager structures and SQL Generation
256 = RW Frames Logs the beginning of each report frame
512 = Tab Delimited Logs output as tab delimited output

Output will appear in a log filed named DebugRW.txt next to the application dictionary.

Example: If you want to log if a report is using a query and the SanScript and SQL code used, then add the following line to your Dex.ini file:
DebugRW=67 ; 1 + 2 + 64

To help in trouble shooting problems related to the generation of reports, before printing a report you may choose to mark the Suppress SQL Query option on the Report Definition window. This will force the system to perform individual table operations instead of creating a query. If you have the SQLLogSQLStmt = TRUE setting included in your DEX.INI. The individual select statements are then included in your DEXSQL.LOG file and can be analyzed to uncover any potential problems.

DebugUnknownFile=TRUE
Returns a Btrieve or Ctree error code to help track problems with table errors back in the day of Btrieve and Ctree. (version 7.5 and previous)

DevAssistHide=TRUE
This is a 'Dexterity' ini switch used to keep the Developer Assistant window from automatically opening after you login to a company when you are running in test mode.

DexHelpPath=pathname
Path to Dexterity help files.

Dictionary Version=
This isn't a switch you can set, it is set for you by the application. It displays the current version of the Dynamics.dic file.

DisplayTableErrors=TRUE, ALL or OPEN
This is used to display an ID for an unknown table error when the Dexterity Database Management Subsystem encounters one. The ID that's displayed can be used to determine the cause of the error.
TRUE – Displays only unknown errors.
ALL – Displays all table errors except the two most common: “duplicate” and “not found”.
OPEN - Displays all table errors for an open operation.

DPSInstance=number
Where number indicates the instance number. This tells the engine which instance of the Dynamics Process Server to use.

DynHelpPath=pathname
Path to Dynamics help files.

EmailStmtStatusPath=pathname
The path for the delivery of e-mail statements.

EXTPRICINGQTYFREEISADDER = TRUE
The EXTPRICINGQTYFREEISADDER option is included in the extended pricing component to let you type a negative value in the Maximum Quantity Free box. The extended pricing component uses a negative value in this box to let the Maximum Quantity Free field behave in an additive manner instead of as a multiplier. Refer to KB article 910125.

FAGroupPath=Pathname\filename
FAPhysicalInventoryPath= Pathname\filename
FAPhysInvInfoPath= Pathname\filename
FAAssetImportPath= Pathname\filename
FAAssetIDExportPath= Pathname\filename
FAAssetLabelExportPath= Pathname\filename
FAMacroPath= Pathname\filename
FASampleDataPath= Pathname\filename
This is the group of settings that determine the import/export file names for user preferences in Fixed assets. Setup>>Fixed Assets>>User Preferences

FHCheckRanges=TRUE
This setting specifies whether to log the instances when Dexterity decides which type of range to use for tables that use the SQL database type. The log will list all instances when Dexterity detected a range that was not “well-behaved” and whether Dexterity used an exclusive or inclusive range. The FHRANGE.LOG text file to be generated in the same location as Dexterity or the runtime engine. This setting is pretty much outdated too, because now SQL is the only allowed database type.

FileHandler=database type
This used to be the Database Type that was used to determine, in part, what kind of tables to create when Ctree and Btrieve (PSQL 2000) were supported. Now the FileHandler type will always be SQL.


That's all for now. Until next time . . .