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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

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/

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

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 It's out of date, but hey, it was on the list.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 . . .

Moving from Work to Open to History

This article started from a question posted on the newsgroup. There doesn't seem to be any summary of how transactions move from Work to Open to History.

I put together this document attempting to address this for the following series:

  • GL
  • CM (Bank Transactions)
  • AR
  • AP
  • SOP
  • POP
  • Invoicing
  • Inventory
I haven't worked on Payroll yet.

GL

Work - Unposted GL Transactions
Open - Posted GL Transactions
History - When GL Fiscal Year Closes


Until the year closes all of the GL transactions are in the Year to Date Transaction Open table. You cannot move them back to the Open table after the year end closes. Entries cannot be ‘unposted’ and moved back into the Work table.

CM (Bank Transactions)

Work – Unposted Deposit Transactions
Open – Posted Bank Transactions
Posted Deposit Transactions
Reconciliations
History – There is no history table

AP

Work – Unposted AP Transactions
Open – Posted AP Transactions that are not yet fully applied.
Posted Purchasing Invoices that are not yet fully applied.
History – Transactions automatically move to history when the document is fully applied (a transaction is a check, credit memo, invoice, etc.) For a check or credit memo it is when the amount is fully applied to an invoice or invoices. For an invoice it is when it is fully paid off, or a credit memo, or memos takes the balance to zero. Voiding a document in the Open file moves it to history. Documents can be voided after they have been moved to history and that moves them back to the Open table. Documents cannot be 'unposted'.

AR

Work - Unposted
Open - Posted AR Transactions
Posted SOP Invoices
Posted SOP Cash Receipts
History - You need to run the 'Paid Transaction Removal' routine in order to move transactions to History. Nothing automatically moves to history. This routine will only move 'fully applied' documents to history. So if you still have a balance on an invoice it stays in the Open Table. If a credit memo or receipt has not been applied to an invoice, it will stay in the Open table. The fact that the customer's net balance is zero does not impact whether the document moves to history.


When you run the Paid Trx Removal you specify a cutoff date that applies to
NSF checks
Voided documents
Waived (finance charges)
Paid Transactions

You specify a separate date for:
Checks

Once AR transactions are moved to history - they cannot be voided thereby moving them back to open. This is why the checks have a separate date - what if they bounce!



Documents can be 'unapplied' only while they are in the Open file, not after they have been moved to history. For instance, if you applied a cash receipt to the wrong invoice, you can change it to the correct invoice only if it has not been moved to history.



Documents can be voided only while they are in the Open file.

SOP

Work - Unposted documents
Open - There is no Open file (when SOP docs are posted the transactions go into the AR Open file)
History -These transactions automatically move to history:
Posted SOP Invoices or SOP Returns
Voided SOP Documents
Orders whose items have been fully transferred to other documents
Quotes that have had any item transferred to another document
Backorders that have been fully transferred to other documents
For documents that do not automatically transfer to history, run the Reconcile-Remove Sales Documents utility.

The following documents cannot be posted
Quotes
Orders
Backorders

POP

Work - Any document that has not been moved to history
Open - There is no open file
History
Posted Receipts automatically move to history
Posted Purchasing Invoices automatically move to history
Voided Purchasing Documents automatically move to history
Purchase Orders - You must run the Purchasing Routine 'Remove Completed Purchase Orders'. This will move all of the closed or canceled POs to History. If a PO is not closed or canceled it will not be moved, so there is no danger of moving a PO that doesn't qualify. You can set restrictions on which POP docs are examined for removal.

IVC (Invoicing)

Work – Unposted Documents
Open - There is no open file (posted transactions update receivables, like SOP)
History
Posted Invoices automatically move to history
Posted Returns automatically move to history


IV (Inventory)

Work – Unposted Adjustments
Unposted Variances
Unposted Stock Counts
Unposted Transfers
Open - There is no open file
History – Posted Transactions




Friday, November 6, 2009

Database Maintenance Utility

After you load GP 10 you will notice a little extra item has loaded. That extra item is called the Database Mantenance Utility. I've been asked many times of late as to what it does and why we should care. Here goes. When the databases are created by GP several other objects are created as well. Views, Triggers, Stored Procedures and functions. Sometimes these objects become corrupted or messed up in some other way and need to be reloaded. The Database Maintenance Utility is the tool for the job. Before running this utility please be sure to back up your database. Also script out any customizations you have made to any of these objects, because they will need to be reapplied.

As an aside, you want to script any changes made to table keys and indexes because you will most likely need to re-run those modifications after any table update.

That's all for now, I'm heading to the Tech Conference Friday.

Hope to see you there!

Using the Adjust Costs inventory Utility Warning!

Adjust Costs.

It looks like a simple enough tool and it does exactly what you tell it to do. However, read on, what it does may not be exactly what you want it to do. Here's what it does. Say you have a purchase receipt that went through the system at $1465. Several of the items were sold but now the inventory is obsolete and the powers that be task you to write it off. They still want the items in inventory in case they can sell them later, but the carrying value should be zero. No Prob! you say. You open up the adjust cost screen and take each of the receipts that have not been completely sod and adjust the cost to zero. A bunch of reports print, you check that your stock status shows zero and you think you are done.

Not so fast. When you make a cost adjustment to a receipt in the Adjust Cost window you are telling the system that the entire receipt had a bad cost, not just the items left over. Dynamics GP will go back and attempt to adjust the cost on the posted sales from this receipt to the new cost (in our case $0). You may not want that. If all you are trying to do is write the current inventory down to zero cost, make Inventory Transaction Entries. First, a negative entry which will pull the correct cost. This will give you your 'write off' journal entry. Next do an increase adjustment at $0.00 cost. Now you have written off exactly the inventory you want and the carrying value is zero.

You can go home fulfilled from a good writeoff :)

UPDATE! I read a post on the GP Forum the other day that was posted by fellow MVP Mahmoud M. AlSaadi  where he provided an excellent explanation of how the Adjust Cost Utility worked. I've modified the post only slightly, but this is what it told us.
The Inventory Adjust Cost Utility primarily does the following;
· Update the (UNITCOST) field  in IV10200 | Inventory Purchase Receipts Work. (The old Unit Cost will be reserved under ADJUNITCOST field ) 
· Since the purchase receipt within the IV10200 is linked to the Inventory Purchase Receipts Detail, these cost layers will be updated accordingly.
· A new Cost Adjustment Record is written to the HITB | Historical Inventory Trial Balance either to decrease or increase the cost.
· A Corresponding Journal Entry to adjust the Purchase Receipt Cost in General Ledger is created. That Journal Entry is linked to the cost adjustment record in the HITB
· No changes at all to the IV30300 | Transaction Amounts History
In summary, if you have received and invoiced the items, but the cost is not correct and needs to be adjusted, the best way is to correct this is to use the "Adjust Cost Utility". If the cost had been corrected through the Enter/Match invoice transaction, then the cost adjustment record and all of the corrections mentioned above would have been applied. However, if the invoice cost was not corrected at the time of invoicing, the Adjust Cost Utility is your answer for fixing it.

Until Next Post

Leslie