Reconciling Inventory, what really happens?

I’ve seen this question come up a couple of times lately, even here at the GPUG 2011 Summit. I have some good information about the details of the inventory reconciliation process so I thought it might help to pass it along to everyone.

The Inventory files involved in the reconcile are:

• Purchase Receipts (IV10200)
• Purchase Receipts Detail (IV10201)
• Item Master (IV00101)
• Item Serial Number Master (IV00200)
• Item Quantity Master (IV00102)
• Item Lot Number Master (IV00300)
• Item Vendor Master (IV00103)
• Inventory Transaction Amounts Work (IV10001)
• Inventory Serial and Lot Numbers Work (IV10002)
• Item Site Bin Master (IV00112)
• Inventory Transaction Bin Quantities Work (IV10003)
• Inventory Transaction Bin Quantities History (IV30302)

Additional files outside of Inventory are involved in the reconcile if modules Purchase Order Processing, Sales Order Processing, or Invoicing are loaded.

The files outside of inventory that may be involved are as follows:

• Purchase Order Line (POP10110)
• Purchasing Receipt Line Quantities (POP10500)
• Sales Transaction Amounts Work (SOP10200)
• Sales Serial/Lot Work and History (SOP10201)
• Invoicing Transaction Amounts Work (IVC10101)
• Invoicing Serial and Lot Number Work (IVC10102)

The Reconcile process goes like this:  

1. The quantities are reconciled first between the Purchase Receipts and the Item Serial Number Master file.
2. Then the Purchase Receipts and Item Lot Number Master files are reconciled.
3. At this point, the quantities are reconciled between the Purchase Receipts file and Item Quantity Master file
4. Reallocating of Inventory Transaction Amounts Work, Inventory Serial and Lot Numbers Work, Sales Transaction Amounts Work, Sales Serial/Lot Work and History, Invoicing Transaction Amounts Work and Invoicing Serial and Lot Number Work tables is done next.
5. The On Order quantities are determined for the Item Quantity Master and Item Vendor Master tables by comparing them to the Purchase Order Line and Purchasing Receipt Line Quantities tables.
6. The last step in the reconcile is to reconcile the quantities on each of the items’ individual quantity location records to the total quantity record for that same item.

This information is available in Article ID: 874220.
I created a picture for my slides:

I hope this is helpful!

Live the Dream!

Leslie Vail

Recording a Rebate from a Vendor

This has come up a few times in recent days, so I thought I’d post this quick tip about how to record a refund check or rebate received from a vendor.

You get a check in the mail!

Let’s say you buy enough office supplies to get a $100.00 cash reward from Advanced Office Systems.  They send you a $100.00 check. You could create a deposit in the Bank Rec module, but then you wouldn’t have a record of your good fortune with the vendor.

To record this $100.00 check and keep it linked to the vendor, use the Document Type Return in Payables Transaction Entry.

Put the amount of the refund in the Returns field and in the Check field. When you post the transaction, you will have evidence of it in the vendor record and the check will be waiting for you to deposit in the check register.



The $100.00 check is waiting to be deposited.


How do you apply it to a credit memo?

A kind user of the Community asked how to handle receiving the cash after they had already entered a credit document in anticipation of a credit or refund. My advice in this situation is to simply void the credit and re-enter it as a refund as described above.

Please let me know if you have more ideas!

Until next post!

Leslie Vail
leslievail@earthlink.net

---

Notable settings on the Account Maintenance Window

There are several settings on the Account Maintenance window that are underutilized. These settings have existed for over ten years, but still I see the default settings used in all but a meager number of installations. The following settings will be explored:

· Account Aliasing
· Allow Account Entry
· Account Category
· Posting Type
· Typical Balance
· Level of Posting from Series
· Include in Look up
· Effectively Inactivating an Account

Account Aliasing

Creating an account Alias allows you to speed data entry by creating a Nickname for an account. Instead of having to remember or search for a specific account number. To create an alias, simply add the nickname to the alias field just under the Description field.



To use the Alias during account entry, select the expansion arrow next to the Account Look up Button or use CTRL Q on the keyboard to open the Account Entry window. Enter the Alias in the Account entry window, and the corresponding account will automatically come into the transaction.

Allow Account Entry Check box

Using this check box can help keep your control accounts in balance with the general ledger. The default setting is checked thereby allowing this account to be selected if it has not defaulted in to a transaction. Therefore, you could make a journal entry directly to the cash account which most likely will create a problem during bank reconciliation. For all of your control accounts – those accounts updated by a subsidiary module – the Allow Account Entry check box should be cleared.



Once the check box is cleared, an attempt to use it will result in a warning dialog and the entry will not be allowed.

Account Category

This is a required field on the window and is used exclusively by the Advanced Financial Analysis module.



The category assigned to an account determines where the account will appear on the financial statements printed from the Financial Area Page.



The accounting system would run perfectly even if every account were assigned to the Cash category. Neither FRx nor Management Reporter relies on this setting to determine classification on the financials. Account Category reports CAN be used in financial reporting, and, you can create as many categories as you would like. In addition to creating new categories you can modify the descriptions of the default categories.

Add categories or modify category descriptions on the Account Category Setup window.

Financial > Setup > Category

Posting Type

The posting type determines which accounts are rolled into Retained Earnings during the financial year end close. This setting affects nothing else. As part of your year end close checklist be sure to check each account’s posting type. If you have a beginning balance in an income or expense account after year end close, then the posting type is incorrect. KB article 864913 provides detailed instructions on how to recover from this type of problem.

Typical Balance

This setting determines whether the account appears as a positive or negative number on the financial statements. The title is a bit misleading because even though the ‘typical’ balance of the accumulated depreciation account is a credit, the correct setting for purposes of the Account Maintenance window is Debit. Since accumulated depreciation functions as a reduction to an asset account, marking debit causes it to appear negative on the balance sheet. These settings were designed for the Advanced Financial Analysis module, and also control in which column (debit or credit) the cursor defaults during transaction entry.

In short, the following are the correct selections for this section regardless of the typical balance from an accounting point of view:

Account Type	Typical Balance
Asset	Debit
Liability	Credit
Equity	Credit
Income	Credit\
Expense	Debit

Level of Posting from Series

This setting works in concert with the ‘Create a Journal Entry Per’ option in the Posting Setup window. With ‘Batch’ selected and the ‘Use Account Settings’ check box marked, the system looks to the Account Maintenance window in order to know how to create the journal entry coming up from the subsidiary module.



Using the Payables Transaction Entry window as an example, the settings illustrated above would result in a single summarized entry to the Accounts Payable (000-2100-00) account per batch. Whether entries to the other accounts are made in detail or in summary would likewise be controlled by the settings on those individual accounts.

For example, suppose only the Accounts Payable account was set to ‘Summary’ and our batch contained three vouchers. Each voucher contained a debit to the Prepaid Insurance account and a credit to Accounts Payable.

The resulting entry posted to the GL for this batch would be as follows:

Dr. Prepaid Insurance 56.98
Dr. Prepaid Insurance 27.50
Dr. Prepaid Insurance 15.00
Cr. Accounts Payable 99.48

Include in Look up

If all of your accounts are listed whenever you click on the account look up button, then you haven’t made use of this powerful setting. The default setting marks all of the items (Sales, Inventory Control, Purchasing, and Payroll) and is rarely changed. To illustrate this setting, I’ve taken away the ‘Sales’ setting from all of the accounts except for the accounts I want to appear when I first hit the account look up button. Likewise, I’ve only included ‘Sales’ in the ‘Include in Lookup’ selection for my Sales accounts.



Now that my sales related accounts are marked to be included in the sales look up, my account look up window starts with Accounts Receivable instead of Cash.



The other accounts are readily available by clicking on the View menu and selecting All Accounts.

Inactivate that Account for good!

· Inactive – dah, enough said
· Allow Account Entry – uncheck this box
· Include in Look up – unmark all items



Until next post!

• Leslie Vail

Mekorma MICR error message (GP10)

I had a client get the following error when trying to create Payroll checks with the Mekorma MICR module:

Could not load external Get GUID@mdexlib.dll. Mekorma MICR needs to be re-installed on the workstation giving the error. Be sure to install using the MICR *.exe logged in as 'Administrator'

Mekorma did indeed need to be reinstalled. Reinstallation had been required before but I never understood what happened to the mdelib.dll file. Well now we know. The client’s malware detector isolated that file as a threat.

So, if this happens to you, be sure to identify the Mekorma .dlls as ‘friendly’ files.

Until next post!

Leslie

Dexterity I class scheduled for May 16th - 20th, 2011 will be running as scheduled

There are 3 seats left and still time to sign up!

Come join us in Orlando for Dexterity Basics training.

The Dex I class is being held at the facility of Integrated Business Group (IBG). IBG is a Certified Partner for Learning Resources and have the best classrooms I have ever seen. Comfortable chairs and lots of room to spread out!

For more information and to register call Roxanna Alvarez @ 407-677-0370 or e-mail her directly ralvarez@ibgnet.com.
Date and Location:

• When: May 16th – May 20
• Where: Orlando Florida

This class is very hands-on and starts at the beginning; no previous Dexterity experience is necessary.

A synopsis of the class is below this post.

I hope to see you there!

Until Next Post!
Leslie Vail

Dexterity I – Product Fundamentals
Synopsis:
Dexterity Product Fundamentals will teach you about the development environment used to build the Microsoft Dynamics GP family of products. This course will provide you with the foundation you need to build integrated, database-independent applications. In addition, you will learn how to provide powerful application functionality for Microsoft Dynamics GP.

By actively participating in these classes, you should learn:
Basic programming techniques used by Microsoft Dynamics GP to develop their core modules.

• How to modify existing Dynamics GP forms and reports in order to make customizations for customers.
• How to develop add-on applications that will interact with the Dynamics GP products to meet specific requests by customers.
• How to package and ship your dictionary allowing Microsoft Dynamics GP to make updates to Dynamics GP without affecting the developer's dictionary.
• How to register your product with Microsoft Dynamics GP using a unique Product ID to ensure no duplication of add-on applications with the same name.
• How to develop add-on applications that will "look and feel" like Dynamics GP and provide seamless interface between the applications to ensure a professional finished product.
• How to use object triggers, which are scripts in your applications that are invoked by events in Dynamics GP, allowing several developers to deliver enhancements to the same Dynamics GP form.

Who should attend?

Customers or Partners who will be customizing or building add-on or standalone applications to integrate with the Microsoft Dynamics GP products.

General Prerequisites:
Prior to attending the course, it is highly recommended that students prepare for the course by going through the Dexterity Quick Start reference manual and working through the lessons in that manual. The Quick Start manual is located on the second CD of Dynamics GP and can be found under the Help-Online Manuals option from within Dexterity. Also, necessary is knowledge of basic programming concepts.
Price: $2,995 for 5 day course
Accepted Payment Methods: Check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express

Granting Security to Basic Information and Navigation Windows

When security is converted, the DEFAULTUSER task is not included in the Role created for an existing user. Because this task is not included, some of the windows for general navigation new to GP 10 were not available to converted users. This post explains how to add the DEFAULTUSER role to a CNV Role.

On the Navigation Pane, select the Administration Series button to launch the Administration Area Page.

On the Administration Area Page, navigate to the Setup Content Pane and then the System menu. Select Security Roles from the System menu and the Security Role Setup window will open.

Select from Icon	Select from Button

On the Security Role Setup window select each user’s Role ID, scroll down to the DEFAULTUSER Security Task ID and select it. This will grant access to a variety of navigation and lookup windows. Save this record and move on to the next applicable User Role ID. For versions prior to GP2010 there is no utility to copy security between users.



Until next post!
Leslie

GP 2010 R2 – Ready to Download!

It’s HERE!

The covers have been pulled off of the newest version of Dynamics GP. Some fabulous new features have been added that really make it worth your time to install. Links to all of the download are at the bottom of this post.

Take a look at some of the R2 updates to Foundation alone:

Business Analyzer -  this is the absolute COOLEST!

You can use Business Analyzer to help you make business decisions by viewing
Microsoft Dynamics GP reports from your desktop. The following illustration
shows Business Analyzer from your desktop.

Home Page - Viewing multiple metrics
Multiple metrics can be displayed in your home page. You also can create your own
metrics to display in your home page.

Sending reports in e-mail messages
You can send most reports in an e-mail message if you’re using a MAPI compliant email
service. All reports sent in an e-mail will be sent in HTML format, which
doesn’t require any other setup procedures. The recipient of the report must be
using Internet Explorer 7 or higher to view the e-mailed report, but no additional
setup is required.

To send a report in an e-mail, you first must set up a report option. Then, you can set
up e-mail options for each report option. Those settings, which include recipients
for the e-mail and settings for embedding or attaching the report are saved with the
report option and you’ll be able to send updated reports to the same recipients.

Sending customized messages
You can create predefined messages to send to your customers and vendors. These
messages can be assigned to the documents that you want to send in e-mail so all
customers or vendors receive the same message for selected documents. For
example, you can send a promotional message to your customers when sending
sales quotes in e-mail. You also can assign a specific message to an individual
customer or vendor. For example, you can send a holiday greeting message to a
customer. When you create a message, you can enter an e-mail address so your
customer or vendor can reply to your e-mail.

You can customize your messages by adding fields that are associated with a
document type. For example, a message can be personalized to address each
customer or vendor by name. You could add the due date for a sales invoice in a
message or the PO number for a purchase order. You also can copy the message
information from an existing message ID to a new message ID.

Viewing Reporting Services metrics
You can use Microsoft® SQL Server® Reporting Services 2008 or Reporting Services
2008 R2 to display graphical representations of Microsoft Dynamics GP data in the
metrics area of your home page. Reporting Services metrics appear in the SQL
Reporting Services Report list.

Viewing additional information
If you want to analyze data in a Reporting Services 2008 or Reporting Services R2
metric displayed in your home page, you can click a data point in the metric to open
a detailed report for additional information. If you want to view additional data in
the detailed report, you can click certain data fields to open the maintenance or
inquiry window related to that data field.

Modifying a metric – At Last!
If you are using Report Builder 3.0 or Report Builder 2.0, you can open the Microsoft
SQL Server Report Builder window from the Metrics Detail window to modify SQL
Server Reporting Services metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators). SQL
Server Reporting Services R2 also must be installed and set up to use with Microsoft
Dynamics GP.

Opening a metric in Report Viewer
If you are using Reporting Services 2008 or Reporting Services 2008 R2 to display
metrics, you can click the View icon to display a metric in Report Viewer.

Installation and deployment features
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for Receivables Management is installed along with
Microsoft Dynamics GP instead of as a separately selectable Microsoft Dynamics GP
feature.

Human Resources and Payroll Suite
This is now installed as a separately selectable Microsoft Dynamics GP feature instead as an additional component.

When deploying Reporting Services reports using the Microsoft SQL Server
Reporting Services Wizard, you can deploy reports to either Native mode (SQL Server Reporting Services) or SharePoint® mode.

You can deploy Reporting Services reports and Excel reports using Microsoft
Dynamics GP Utilities. After creating the system database or company database,
you can select which reports to deploy and the location to deploy the reports to.
Instead of selecting the series that you want to deploy reports for, reports for the
components that you have installed are deployed. If you are upgrading a company,
the deployed reports are automatically upgraded. In previous releases of Microsoft
Dynamics GP, you had to use a separate wizard to deploy SRS reports and a
separate wizard to deploy Microsoft Excel reports to Microsoft SharePoint.
If you aren't ready to deploy reports using Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities, you can
deploy reports using the Report Tools Setup window in Microsoft Dynamics GP.
You can use the Report Tools Setup window to redeploy reports or deploy reports to
a different location.

List Performance Enhancements YAY! WOO HOO!
List views provide a view of your data that you can customize in a variety of ways.
In Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 R2, improvements were made to the speed at which
the information is displayed, enabling you to spend your time using the list rather
than waiting for it to display.

Report deployment
You can deploy SQL Services Reporting Services reports and Microsoft Excel report
using the Report Tools Setup window in Microsoft Dynamics GP. You also can use
the window to redeploy reports or deploy reports to a different location.

SmartList Builder Publish multiple Excel reports at once
You can use the new Bulk Deploy Excel Reports window and select multiple Excel
reports to publish at once, rather than publishing them individually.

SmartList Builder Set the default column order in SmartList Builder
You can define default column order using SmartList Builder so that the SmartList
is displayed with the columns in the order you want when it is first opened. A new
window, Default Column Order is added to SmartList Builder for determining the
column order.

SmartList Builder Drill Down to Extender and SmartLists
You can use the Drill Down Builder to create drill downs from Microsoft Dynamics
GP, SmartLists and Extender. A Dynamics GP Form drill down opens a Microsoft
Dynamics GP form and sets values on the form. A SmartList drill down opens a
SmartList and sets search parameters. An Extender drill down opens an Extender
Form or Detail Form and sets the values of the ID fields.

SmartList Builder Multicompany Excel Reports in a Single Excel Worksheet
You can add data from multiple companies into a single Excel Worksheet. In
addition, you can add the Company ID and/or Name to each line so that you can
see which company the data came from.

SmartList Builder Update Multiple field settings at one time
You have the ability to modify field options for multiple fields with the same field
type at once instead of one at a time. For example, you can select display options
such as currency symbols and percentage signs and mark several fields to display
the option for using the Set Field Options window.

Add Microsoft Dynamics GP forms to Extender menus
You can add Microsoft Dynamics GP forms to Extender menus using the Add
Dynamics GP Forms window allowing additional flexibility to the menus you
create.

Unified Communications and Office Communicator 2007 functionality was added. This functionality is also available using the Linked Lookup fields on Extender windows and forms, detailed forms, and extra windows.

Copy lists in Extender
You can copy list field items from one form or window to another one. The Copy
List Items window shows all the lists defined in Extender, so you can choose which
list to copy from; then, select all or individual list items to copy. In addition, you can
append the list you copy to the existing list items.

Matched Table Enhancements
In the Matched Tables window, you have new Table Description fields to help
identify the tables, and the ability to include fields that don't appear in both
matched tables.

GET YOUR COPY NOW!

PartnerSource
Product Release Downloads for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Word Template Generator for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 R2
Service Pack, Hotfix, and Compliance Update Patch Releases for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Software Development Kit (SDK) for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Software Development Kit (SDK) for Visual Studio Tools for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Software Development Kit (SDK) for Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Software Development Kit (SDK) for Workflow for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for eConnect for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for Integration Manager for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for Workflow for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for Personal Data Keeper for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010

CustomerSource
Product Release Downloads for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Pack, Hotfix, and Compliance Update Patch Releases for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Software Development Kit (SDK) for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Software Development Kit (SDK) for Visual Studio Tools for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Software Development Kit (SDK) for Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Software Development Kit (SDK) for Workflow for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for eConnect for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for Integration Manager for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for Workflow for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
Service Packs and Hotfixes for Personal Data Keeper for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010

Until next post!

Leslie Vail

Upgrade to 2010 R2?

I had no problem with a clean install of R2. When I tried to update a current installation I received the set of errors listed below right after the ‘Install Microsoft . . . ‘ was selected. Any ideas?

Until next post!

Leslie

Watch David Musgrave's Moves on You Tube!!

David Musgrave

Shattered is the image of David Musgrave staring intently at his computer screen putting yet another finishing touch on the Support Debugging Tool.

Here's the scene - the Convergence Reception reaches a fevered pitch, the music starts to pound, and then David breaks loose with some moves all his own!

The Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta was the 'Place to Be' on Tuesday night (April 12, 2011) where Musgrave moved to the beat in a way that was nothing less than astonishing. Sheila Jefferson-Ross, always ready with a camera, captured this legendary display for your viewing pleasure.
Watch, as David reveals yet another of his hidden talents!

Be sure to post your comments so that David can see how much you support him in pursuing a place on "Australia's Got Talent!" See the video here

Enjoy!  Until next post!
Leslie Vail

SOP order and POP document in the same order

Just a quick post from Convergence.

Yesterday I was asked if it was possible for the PO created from a SOP document to retain the line item order of the PO. Their customer matched up the invoice with their PO when approving the bill. You certainly don't want any delay in receiving our customer's payment, so having the two documents match is essential.

The answer, yes you can!

Microsoft Professional Services sells a tool that will cause the PO to be created in the same line item order as the SOP document that created it. At last call the tool was a mere $500. This tool is not on the regular GP product offering so you must submit a support request (non-chargeable) to acquire it.

There are several other tools available from Microsoft that solve problems we have been laboring over for years. I have more detail at: http://dynamicsconfessions.blogspot.com/2010/02/tools-available-from-professional.html

Until next post!

Leslie Vail

House passes repeal of new Form 1099 reporting rules!

We were all holding our breath waiting for this to happen! It’s hard to imagine, but there were some who voted against it. Go figure. 

CCH® PAYROLL — 03/08/11

The House passed the repeal, on March 3, 2011, of a section of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) that required businesses to file Form 1099 for all transactions valued at $600 or more, that is, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011 (H.R. 4). The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The Senate passed its version, as an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill on February 2, 2011 (S.B. 223) (see CCH Payroll Management Guide Report Letter 1333/2185, dated February 8, 2011).

The Obama Administration raised “serious concerns” about the method of paying for repeal of the Form 1099 reporting requirement for small businesses under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) contained in a House bill. The administration in a written policy statement, said the proposed offset in the Comprehensive 1099 Tax Protection and Repayment Exchange Subsidy Overpayments Act of 2011 (HR 4) would increase taxes on certain middle-class families that incur unexpected health care tax liabilities even though they followed the rules.

A provision repealing the same information reporting requirements in the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act also drew criticism by the administration. The aviation bill would pay for the repeal with an unspecified rescission of $44 billion which, the administration noted, could seriously disrupt services provided

by the federal government. The administration said it will continue to work with Congress to find an acceptable offset for repealing the bookkeeping requirement. (House Ways and Means Committee Report on the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011 (HR 4).)

Payroll Tax Round 4 for 2011 tax year

Time to update those tax tables again! This update does require a code change, so give yourself some time

Download them here:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 - Build 10.00.1727
This page contains the latest U.S. Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0.
https://mbs2.microsoft.com/public/insights/ReadArticle.aspx?rcpt_id=17551421&ja_id=49904

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 – Build 11.0.1708
This page contains the latest U.S. Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010.
https://mbs2.microsoft.com/public/insights/ReadArticle.aspx?rcpt_id=17551421&ja_id=49905

Until next post!

Leslie

The Vendor ID is Missing or Invalid

This will be a short post. When I come upon an error message in a third party product I am going to post it if a resolution does not come up on a search.

This error was received when using the Ethotech Commission Plan product. The error is presented when you try to Preview or Process commissions. If a salesperson is a contractor, s/he must be associated with a Vendor ID. The message is telling us something is wrong with that association. Open the Salesperson Maintenance window (Sales > Cards > Salesperson) and check for the existence of a Vendor ID.

Zoom back on the Vendor ID. To zoom, hover your mouse over the word ‘Vendor ID’, when the mouse pointer changes to a pointing finger , click. A menu will drop down that says Vendor Maintenance at the top. Click on the menu and the Vendor Maintenance window will open with the vendor associated with that salesperson displayed.

Because the Vendor Maintenance window opened displaying a vendor, we know the vendor is valid. Further investigation of the window revealed that the Status of the vendor was Inactive. Changing the vendor to Active status solved the problem.

GP2010 R2 - More Information Released with Tech Conference Materials

Tech Conference materials are available for download. Get all of the information from the 2011 Technical Conference in Fargo, including details about GP 2010 R2!

Very exciting features are coming with R2, download the resources and see for yourself!

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/newsevents/events/conferences/msdygp_techconference2011.htm?p=5

Dynamics GP 2010 R2 Features

We have tons of new features to look forward to with the release of GP 2010 R2. There are some VERY exciting things planned for version ‘12’ as well.

Take a look at all of the R2 new features!



Be watching CustomerSource/PartnerSource for the official announcement and a special ‘Feature of the Day’ series of articles explaining each of the new enhancements.

Fargo Tech Conference – Day One, Wednesday

Although we have been here for 3 days, this is officially Day 1 of the Conference.

 

David Musgrave and MVP Mariano Gomez delivered their first presentation of the conference today. Of course, they were stellar. Who’da thunk you could have this much fun listening to the finer points about a debugging tool! Actually debugging code? You’ve got to be kidding! I thought everyone just used the ‘let’s try this’ approach.

 

After the conference, about 25 of us braved the cold and walked over to the mall to meet up at Grizzley’s for dinner. OK, from the hotel to the mall was about 300 yds (275 meters), BUT IT’S MINUS 5F OUTSIDE ! (that’s –21C)  and that doesn’t even count the wind chill factor from the 14mph winds! Suffice it to say it was bitterly cold.

 

I made it across, but there was definitely a taxi in my future if I was expected to walk back. That’s right, a 300 yd taxi ride. Hey, I’m from Texas; we don’t do this kind of thing in Texas. David took a lot of pictures, I imagine some will show up on his blog. I did get a ride back to the hotel, so thankfully, I didn't have to call a cab.

 

Tomorrow is the 2nd presentation by the Dynamics Duo. That also means that tomorrow night is the Expo. David will undoubtedly instigate a Tim Tam Slam competition. What’s a Tim Tam Slam you say? Read on  . . .

 

Tim Tam Slam Instructions

 

Things You'll Need:

• Tim Tams
• Milk, Hot Chocolate, Tea, Coffee
• Sweet alcoholic beverage (optional)
• Cup
• Camera!

1.  
   Get hold of a Tim Tam! This may be easier said than done if you're outside Australia or New Zealand, but trust me - they're worth the effort. If you don't have friends willing to ship you these goodies, you can get some here:
   http://www.about-australia-shop.com/timtams.htm

    
2. 
3. Bite two of the four corners off your Tim Tam. You'll want to pick two corners that are diagonal to each other, lengthwise.
4.  
   Put one of the short ends of your Tim Tam into a glass of milk, coffee, hot chocolate, tea or Baileys, and then suck inward, like you're using the cookie (biscuit) as a straw. Once the liquid touches your tongue, shove the whole thing in your mouth (the Slam!) or it will collapse and make a huge mess.

While you are buying your Tim Tam’s, pick up some chocolate Chicos http://www.aussieproducts.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NECH19

The Masters at Work!

Here’s David Musgrave and Mariano Gomez honing their presentation on development tools (what else!). They have picked a quiet table in the corner of the bar at Basies. Hey, it’s never too late to prepare for your presentation, right?

David Musgrave & Mariano Gomez

We worked there all day, and David got to experience an ‘object reference not set’ error and couldn’t uninstall Dynamics from his computer. He was off to the races then trying 'things', but the computer was winning. After 6 hours we got a new set of eyes looking at it. David Eichner to the rescue. David E. suggested some pretty agressive 'fixes', but everything started working again at last. And it only took 6 hours! Welcome to my world David!

After our day at the bar, Mariano needed to get some fresh air. I guess two solid days inside the Ramada in Fargo was starting to close in on him. David M, David E, Mariano and me ventured across the street in the cold to Granite City Food & Brewery to get some dinner and exchange more stories and laughs.

We have an early day Monday, so we all headed upstairs to our rooms at about 10:00 pm.

Until next time!

Leslie

Tech Conference in Fargo–Cold Cold Cold

Fargo was cold (zero degrees F) when I arrived from 70 degree Dallas on Saturday. After enduring a two-hour delay in Chicago for de-icing, I was rewarded by meeting up with Haseet Sanghrajka at the Fargo airport. Haseet came in from England and was also on his way to the Ramada.

Mariano Gomez, Leslie Vail & David Musgrave

When I finally walked into the Ramada I was greeted by the best of the best – David Musgrave and Mariano Gomez! It was well past dinner time when I finally arrived, but David and Mariano waited for me to get there so we could all sit down together for a meal at Basies. Mariano was looking mighty hungry though.

All inconveniences of the cold and the delays soon vanished from my mind. David Eichner joined us for conversation and mashed potatoes during dinner and we gabbed until after 1:00 am.

What a great day to catch up and ready ourselves for the Conference!

Until next post!

Leslie

Dexterity Training in Orlando (May 16th to 20th, 2011)

Come join us in Orlando for Dexterity Basics training. We have nine people signed up so far!

It’s –1 F (-18 C) in Fargo, Orlando sure sounds a lot nicer!

The Dex I class is being held at the facility of Integrated Business Group they are a Certified Learning Resources partner and have the best classrooms I have ever seen. Comfortable chairs and lots of room.

For more information and to register call Roxanna Alvarez @ 407-677-0370 or e-mail her directly ralvarez@ibgnet.com.

Date and Location:

• When:  May 16th – May 20
• Where: Orlando Florida

This class is very hands-on and starts at the beginning; no previous Dexterity experience is necessary.

You can download a synopsis of the class Here:
http://www.4shared.com/document/gK3muz4n/Dexterity_I_Synopsis_.html

I have pasted the synopsis below if the download doesn't work.

I hope to see you there!

Until Next Post!
Leslie Vail

Dexterity I – Product Fundamentals

Synopsis:

Dexterity Product Fundamentals will teach you about the development environment used to build the Microsoft Dynamics GP family of products. This course will provide you with the foundation you need to build integrated, database-independent applications. In addition, you will learn how to provide powerful application functionality for Microsoft Dynamics GP.

By actively participating in these classes, you should learn:

Basic programming techniques used by Microsoft Dynamics GP to develop their core modules.

• How to modify existing Dynamics GP forms and reports in order to make customizations for customers.
• How to develop add-on applications that will interact with the Dynamics GP products to meet specific requests by customers.
• How to package and ship your dictionary allowing Microsoft Dynamics GP to make updates to Dynamics GP without affecting the developer's dictionary.
• How to register your product with Microsoft Dynamics GP using a unique Product ID to ensure no duplication of add-on applications with the same name.
• How to develop add-on applications that will "look and feel" like Dynamics GP and provide seamless interface between the applications to ensure a professional finished product.
• How to use object triggers, which are scripts in your applications that are invoked by events in Dynamics GP, allowing several developers to deliver enhancements to the same Dynamics GP form.

Who should attend?

Customers or Partners who will be customizing or building add-on or standalone applications to integrate with the Microsoft Dynamics GP products.

General Prerequisites:

Prior to attending the course, it is highly recommended that students prepare for the course by going through the Dexterity Quick Start reference manual and working through the lessons in that manual. The Quick Start manual is located on the second CD of Dynamics GP and can be found under the Help-Online Manuals option from within Dexterity. Also, necessary is knowledge of basic programming concepts.

Price: $2,995 for 5 day course

Accepted Payment Methods: Check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express

NEW! Keys.ini file Control your Macro's Date and Time

How to Test Date Driven Features in GP

I have added a new file to the .ini collection – the Keys.ini

This information comes compliments of Alice Newsman from the GP Test Team. Alice explains how to use the file, where to put it and why you NEED to use this file when testing date driven features http://blogs.msdn.com/b/developingfordynamicsgp/archive/2009/12/18/testing-date-driven-features-in-gp.aspx

Download the new file here: http://www.4shared.com/document/Dn7XeHVj/KEYSini_file_settings.html


Dex.ini Settings

Several settings in the Dex.ini file control the application and enable more consistency to be driven into tests.  The below settings will allow you to specify whether you want to use the Control Panel settings for date, time and currency values as well as allowing you to set the preferred format.

StdInternationalInfo
This setting allows the operating system settings for date, time, and currency formatting to be overridden.

TRUE = Use Dexterity standard formats for date, time, and currency values
FALSE = Use control panel settings for date, time, and currency values

StdInternationalInfoDateCentury
This setting allows control over the year portion of the date values used by StdInternationalInfo

TRUE = Four digits will be used for the year portion of date values
FALSE  = Two digits will be used for the year portion of date values

StdInternationalInfoDateZeroPrefix
This setting allows control over the date format for SdtInternationalInfo

TRUE = Single-digit day and month values will be prefixed with a 0 (zero)
FALSE = Single-digit day and month values will not be prefixed

Keys.ini Settings
The Keys.ini file contains commands that are run at startup to configure various system behaviors. The commands in the Keys.ini are run only if the file is included in the command to launch Microsoft Dynamics GP.

You create this file using a text editor such as Notepad. The Keys.ini file is typically stored in the Data folder of the Microsoft Dynamics GP installation.

To work properly, the Keys.ini file must also have a blank line as the last item in the file. The following commands allow the user to set a static system date and time.


SetEbDateTo
This command specifies the date value to use for the system date.  Note that for this setting the '=' is not included in the switch, it is here just for definition readability. Examples are included to clarify.

'o/s' = Use the operating system date
MM/DD/YY/DOW = Use the date specified, where MM is the month, DD is the date, YY is the year, and DOW is the day of the week

Example: SetEbDateTo date 01/01/1965


SetEbTimeTo
This command specifies the time value to use for the system time.  Note that for this setting the '=' is not included in the switch, it is here just for definition readability. Examples are included to clarify.

'o/s' = Use the operating system time
time HH:MM:SS = Use the time specified, where HH is the hour (from 0 to 23), MM is the minute, and SS is the second

Example: SetEbTimeTo time 4:15:00

Here is an example of how the switches would look in the Keys.ini file

      SetEbDateTo date 01/01/2001
      SetEbTimeTo 'o/s'

Once the above settings have been specified you will then be able to setup your starting data including specific dates for orders, items, etc to create in-depth testing for date driven features.

Enjoy!

Leslie Vail

Dex.ini Downloadable File Updated

Hello everyone,

I have updated my Dex.ini collection. The file name is the same, but it contains a few new switches. As before, please comment and correct me if the descriptions are wrong or give me some new ones that I can add to the list!

I’m still looking for an explanation for the two below. If anyone knows what they mean, please – speak up!

NextEntryID =

NextGroupID =

You can access the latest Dex.ini file on Box. Download here: DEX.ini. Here’s the link done the long way: https://app.box.com/s/xkgae2rz1vil1ap4o579

Until next post!

Leslie Vail

Remembering the Company, not the User

GP 2010 brought with it a couple of new features involving security. Mariano wrote a nice article about several new features on his blog last year:
http://dynamicsgpblogster.blogspot.com/2010/01/microsoft-dynamics-gp-2010-security.html

I would like to add a comment about security that I have seen misinterpreted quite a bit lately. There are two new options, (1) Remember user and password & (2) Remember this company. These two options are not related in any way.

Remembering the user and password can be turned on and off through System Preferences (see below). Turning off the ‘Remember User’ option does NOT turn off the ‘Remember this company’ option.



The Remember user and password checkbox is disabled in the Welcome window because it is not enabled in System Preferences.



The checkbox for ‘Remember this company’ is not controlled by System Preferences. You can always check this box. When the box is checked, you still have to log in to the system but then you are automatically logged on to the remembered company after your password is accepted.



I like the option to remember the company. I think remembering the user and password is too big of a security risk to be viable. For anyone who has Field Level Security, I recommend you hide the field (L) RememberMe on the Login form/window.

Until next post!

Leslie

Dexterity Training Rescheduled

The Dexterity Basics class that was originally scheduled for the week before Tech Conference has been rescheduled and moved to Orlando, FL.

The class is being held at the facility of Integrated Business Group (they are a Certified Learning Resources partner)

For more information and to register:
call Roxanna Alvarez @ 407-677-0370,
or e-mail her directly ralvarez@ibgnet.com.

New Date and Location:

• When:  May 16th – May 20
• Where: Orlando Florida

No previous Dexterity experience is required nor suggested. This class starts from the ground up. We only ask that you have some familiarity with programming in general.

You will be surprised at how much fun you can have in a programming class – and we are close to Disney World!

You can download a synopsis of the class here:  http://www.4shared.com/office/gK3muz4n/dexterity_i_synopsis_.html

I hope to see you there!

Until Next Post!

Leslie Vail

Update path is back for 9.00.0388 to GP 2010

The only path from 9.00.0388 is to 11.00.1667

Version 11.00.1667 is the resulting build after the installation of the 2011 US Payroll Round 2 Tax Update.
Download the tax update patch HERE. KB2477921

Dexterity – Learn it – Love it

With all of this discussion about the fate of Dexterity, I thought I would remind everyone that you can come to the Dexterity Basics class in Fargo the week before Tech Conference and decide for yourself .

Personally, I do not think Dexterity is going to disappear so long as Dynamics GP is alive. Remember the ill-fated project ‘Green’? As Tim Gordon reminds us ..." it  (Dexterity) was designed specifically as a language for building an accounting system…"


Dex is in a class by itself!

Until next post,
Leslie

GP Reports Viewer moves into the Shipping Lanes!

MVP Victoria Yudin just released a fabulous product that will remove so much pain that is now part of herding together all of the various reports in Dynamics. Wow, below is a list of what it can do (stolen directly from Victoria’s blog ).

Download a trial copy and see for yourself! http://www.flex-solutions.com/gpreports.html

Run Crystal and SSRS Reports directly from Dynamics GP

Organize your Crystal and SSRS Reports into Batches and run them all at once

Reports can be run from our GP Reports Viewer screen or from any window in GP - via the Print Button or Extras menu

Your report can automatically use data from the GP company you are in

Auto detection of report parameters and ability to pass parameters directly into reports from GP windows

Assign built-in GP lookups to parameters or easily create additional lookups as needed

Technorati Tags: reporting

Download GP 2010 Payroll Tax Round 2!

It’s finally here for real – GP 2010 Payroll Tax round 2 – and you can download it HERE
GPUG has a nice announcement on their site http://www.gpug.com/member-resources/payroll-update-news

Dexterity Training is coming to Fargo!

That’s right!  A Dexterity training class is being held the week before Tech Conference (Feb 21-25) in Fargo. If you have been wanting to get started with Dexterity, now is a great opportunity for some classroom training. Details of what is covered and other particulars can be had by contacting IBG.

It’s coming up fast, but it’s worth the trip. We are running the Dexterity I class covering the basics in Dexterity, it’s an introduction to the language aimed at a developer who has not worked with Dexterity before. You will learn how to create user interfaces having the exact same look and feel as Dynamics GP, how to create resources and interact with the core applications. This class will bring it all together for VSTools programmers and new Dexterity developers alike.

Don’t forget to bring a coat

For details and to sign up contact ralvarez@ibgnet.com. You could also fill out the ‘Request Information’ form on their web site. Their web site is http://www.ibgnet.com/.

You can download a synopsis of the class using the link below. http://www.4shared.com/document/gK3muz4n/Dexterity_I_Synopsis_.html
I hope to see you there, if not I will see you at the conference.

Until next post!

Payroll Tax Round 2 for GP2010 for year 2011 UPDATE

The KB article announced on January 26th (KB2477921) is still a no-show. That means the GP2010 Round 2 (aka, we’ve fixed the 4.2 – 6.2 FICA problem) is not available. The version 10 code is available, but that seems to be all.

We all wait with anticipation for the release of the real code update.

Stay tuned!

Find anything GP thank you Mark Polino!

MVP Mark Polino is at it again. As if it wasn’t enough to write the ultimate tips and tricks book in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook, he has developed a new web search called My GP Search. This is an amazing piece of work! Find it HERE. It’s a simple one-stop search engine for GP related information. I do not know where he finds time to do so much. Just three years ago we didn’t have blogs or communities or all the sites we rely on today for GP information. Today we can find nearly anything. So much information is now available that it is hard to find everything. Well, those days of going from blog to blog are over! Check it out!

How is FICA/S wages and withholding calculated?

It’s that time of year again! W-2s are due out early next week and we are just now looking at the numbers. You know who you are!

Have you ever noticed a difference between the Social Security Wages and withholding reported on the Form W-2 and the amounts in the Employee Summary record?

Understanding the relationships between the components listed below can be challenging. This post intends to clarify the inter-relationship between these items and the amounts recorded as Social Security wages and Social Security tax withheld.

Below are the components I discuss:

• The Year-end Wage Report
• The W-2 Validation Report
• The amounts displayed in the Edit W-2 window
• The amounts that print on the W-2
• The amounts that print on the W-3

Payroll Year-end close

1. When the year is closed the year-end wage file is created. The system captures the actual amounts from the employee summary record. The FICA limit and percentage in effect when the year-end wage file is created are also captured.

2. The Year-end Wage Report reads from the year-end wage file, so it shows the actual amounts withheld regardless of the limits

3. The Validation Report does two things

a. Compares the FICA wages recorded in the year-end wage file to the FICA wage limit that was captured when the year-end wage file was created

b. Calculates what FICA withholding should have been in accordance with the FICA wage limit and percentage captured when the year-end wage file was created

c. Any differences are reported on the Validation Report

4. The W-2 form that appears in the Edit W-2 window is reading the year-end wage file, so it shows the actual amounts withheld

5. The amount that appears in the Social Security Wages W-2 box is the lessor of:

a. The Social Security Wages from the year-end wage file or,

b. The FICA limit captured when the year-end wage file was created.

6. The amount that appears in the Social Security Withheld W-2 box is the lessor of:

a. The amount actually withheld as captured in the year-end wage file or,

b. The amount of the FICA limit in the year-end wage file times the FICA % captured in the year-end wage file. This amount is calculated without regard to the amount recorded in the year-end wage file as Social Security wages.

7. The amounts appearing on the W-3 are the sum of the amounts on the W-2s. The W-3 amounts are not the same as the Year-End wage report amounts.

Have fun with it!
Until next post!

v 9.00.0386 Upgrade Path to GP2010 Gone

Microsoft announced yesterday that currently there is NO upgrade path to GP2010 from version 9.00.0386 (2010 Canadian Payroll Year End Update & 2011 Round 2 Tax Update KB 2492902) until the release of the 2010 Canadian Payroll Year End Update & 2011 Round 2 Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010.

Click HERE to get the latest update document.

Click HERE to download the latest patch for Microsoft Dynamics GP2010.

Payroll Tax Round 2 for GP2010 for year 2011

Microsoft announced that the much anticipated Round 2 for GP2010 is out. The update filename is MicrosoftDynamicsGP11-KB2477921-ENU.msp (for U.S. English).

Read about it here: https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/downloads/taxupdates/usgptu10.htm?printpage=false

The Tax Tables themselves are here: TX.cab Round 2

Here is an excerpt from the U.S. 2011 January Payroll Tax Update For Microsoft Dynamics ® GP Round 2

“Installation is divided into two portions: the tax table update and the program code update. Installing the tax table update is required for all states included in the Round 2 update.

To install the tax table update:

You can run the tax update installation from any workstation. The update installs payroll tax table data on the server computer where your existing Microsoft Dynamics GP application data is located. You need to install the tax table update only once.

To install the program code update:

You need to install the update on the server as well as every workstation that runs Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Installation instructions vary, depending on the release you are using. Follow instructions for the release you are using:

Installing the program code update for Release 9.0 (links to a different part of the document)

Installing the program code update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 or Release 10.0 (links to a different part of the document)

Before you begin, ask all Microsoft Dynamics GP users to exit the application until the update is complete. Exit all other applications, turn off the screen saver, and back up important data (including Forms.dic, Reports.dic, and Dynamics.vba if they exist) before you proceed with the installation.

Note: The Payroll Update Engine, which is used to install the tax table update, is not supported on 64-bit operating systems when running Release 9.0, or Release 10.0 prior to Service Pack 3. For more information, refer to the Knowledge Base article at

https://mbs.microsoft.com/knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;947191

(https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/support/downloads/servicepacks or https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/support/downloads/taxupdates/.

Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0:

The update filenames are:

MicrosoftDynamicsGP-KB2477916-v10-ENU.exe (for U.S. English) and

MicrosoftDynamicsGP-KB2477917-v10-ESLA.exe (for Latin American Spanish).

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010:

The update filename is MicrosoftDynamicsGP11-KB2477921-ENU.msp (for U.S. English) and

MicrosoftDynamicsGP11-KB2477922-ENU.msp (for Latin American Spanish).

The file incorporates all previous code updates, including Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 and Release 10.0 Service Pack 5, the 2010 U.S. Payroll year-end update, and all recent hotfixes. If you are using Canadian Payroll, it also includes the Canadian 2010 Year-End Update/2011 Tax Update, as well as all previous Canadian Payroll tax updates.”

Stay tuned for upgrade path changes.

Until next post!

Change the Date at Midnight without the Dialog

A friend asked me recently how to get the date to advance if you are using the .ini switch SuppressChangeDateDialog=TRUE.

First, let me explain the .ini switch. If GP is open overnight, a dialog displays at midnight asking you if you want to advance the date.

Many firms run integrations overnight and this dialog displaying in the middle of an integration will cause it to crash. To keep the dialog from presenting, the ‘SuppressChangeDateDialog’ .ini switch was developed. If this switch is included in your dex.ini file, the date dialog will not be presented and therefore the integration will not crash.

A byproduct of the .ini switch is that the date does not automatically advance. So, we have a dilemma. In order to force the date to advance while suppressing the Change Date dialog, a tool was developed by Microsoft (then Great Plains). The tool is known as the ‘Update User Date’ utility. There is no charge for it, but you have to ask Tech Support in order to get it.

For versions GP 2010 and beyond, this utility is included as one of the free tools in the Professional Services Tools Library. Every GP installation should include this module because so many free tools are included. You can find the Update User Date utility in the upper left-hand corner of the Professional Services Tools Library window. In order to turn the functionality ‘on’ simply check the box to the left of the radio button.

I hope this helps you with your integrations.

Until next post!

Leslie

Check those 1099s! You may have more than you bargained for!

Version 10 introduced ‘date sensitive’ 1099 reporting. This allowed us to print 1099s for a year without regard to the actual closing date for that year. Prior to this, if you didn’t close A/P right at the year end, it was not possible to cut off payables for the purpose of accumulating 1099 amounts.

The introduction of this new feature brought with it a new ‘gotcha’ in the world of 1099 reporting. If you have a vendor incorrectly marked as a 1099 vendor during the year (and amounts are paid to the vendor in excess of the thresholds), a 1099 will be issued for that vendor even after you change the setting to ‘Not a 1099 Vendor’. In order to prevent the Form 1099 from printing, you need to zero out all of the 1099 amounts recorded in the 1099 Details window. (Purchasing Area Page > Cards Content Pane >1099 Details.)

In order to see the 1099 Details for a vendor, first mark them as a 1099 vendor. After the vendor is marked, remove any amounts from the 1099 Amount column in the 1099 Details window. Don’t forget to reset the 1099 option after clearing out the balances. Once the balances are cleared, the 1099 will no longer print for this vendor. Marking the vendor as ‘Not a 1099 Vendor’ is no longer sufficient to cause the 1099 not to print.

This was an issue in version 10 and continues to be an issue with version 2010.

Until next post!

Leslie