Tech Tuesday: Checking User Security in SmartConnect

When setting up user security in SmartConnect, there is a fairly easy way to check exactly what the user is going to experience when logging in. By using the Change User option in SmartConnect, you can easily view the permissions for other accounts without having to actually log in on different machines or with different windows accounts.

Scared of Extender

Are you just a little scared of eXtender? Is the ability to modify GP and add all the fields you want just a little bit daunting? Are you a “please do not change things”, ‘out of the box’, 'vanilla', sort of person?  Have you been told dreadful stories about how difficult it is to report on data captured on eXtender.

If you agree with any of these points above then I strongly recommend that you attend one of our upcoming training opportunities. These sessions are built to remove any fear you have and open you up to a world of opportunities that you have been missing in the GP world.  These training opportunities come with a 100% money back, no questions asked guarantee.  If you leave one of our training sessions and are not happy with what you got out of it – you get your money back.   Please check out the training opportunities available: http://eonesolutions.com/Events.aspx

 

We will be running a variety of sessions online, but we recommend classroom training as it is still one of the best ways to learn anything. 

For those of you that are too stubborn or too busy for training then there are a few things you need to know about eXtender:

FACT: Extender is and has always been owned and developed by eOne. We allowed Microsoft to badge it and sell it for 5-6 years but are now taking on the sales responsibility.

FACT: Despite being on the market for 7 years – there is still nothing like eXtender in the ERP world. There are tools for other products that require developers and take you off the upgrade path – but nothing provides the configuration of eXtender.

FACT: Extender is a dex developer’s friend. Extender Enterprise lets you add Dex code anywhere in GP – without having to build a dictionary. Extender lets you do what would take 2 hours – in 10 minutes. (and you still get to charge 2 hrs!!)

FACT: eXtender works in the web client – so it’s a better option to use Extender over VBA etc.

FACT: Extender works with SmartConnect - which means you can use the data in eXtender screen and push it to any of the many SmartConnect destinations (including the creation of more GP records).

FACT: Reporting on Extender data is a piece of cake. If you do not think so, then get yourself to training. Extender views were built 7 years ago – and make eXtender as easy to report off as any other table in GP.

FACT: In 2013, the eXtender tables changed. Yes they did – and that was to accommodate the merging of two separate dictionaries and added new functionality. That said – as long as you used the eXtender Views for your reporting there is nothing to do. It just works. If you have taken the hard road, and read the eXtender tables directly, then you will need to review your reports and move them to Extender Views.

FACT: There are times when you should use Extender and times you should use DEx, VB, c#.  Extender should not always be used - but is a great solution to many small dev needs.

Interested in getting trained on eXtender? Want more details on what we have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us at sales@eonesolutions.com and we'll pass along more details!

SmartConnect Classroom Training Events for Fall 2013

Want to become an integration expert? We’re beginning a new round of SmartConnect Deep Dive classroom training events and would love to have you join us. Mark your calendars and join us at an event below:

September 17^th – Fargo, ND*

October 15^th & 16^th– Chicago, IL

November 19^th & 20^th– Minneapolis, MN

December 10^th & 11^th– Phoenix, AZ

January (TBD) – Seattle, WA

*The event in Fargo is a one day, partner-only session, prior to Microsoft’s Technical Airlift. The class fee is ½ off due to the length of the event.

During the sessions, you will receive two full days of hands-on training from our experienced consultants, our latest product training manual, our training image and lunch each day. The cost is $1400/person, however if you send two people from your organization, the second person is ½ off. After you attend classroom training you can expect:

·         To become independent on SmartConnect.

·         To leverage SmartConnect in additional ways at your site or at other customer sites.

·         Provide more value for the customer's overall solution.

Ready to sign up? Let us know right away so we can walk you through the next steps & reserve your spot in training! Email sales@eonesolutions.comtoday.

Tech Tues: What the Newly Released Extender & SmartList Builder Templates Are All About

We recently released a new set of templates for Extender and SmartList Builder to use with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013. I wanted to outline for you what they are and why I think they are a great resource for everyone to use.

 

Access Extender templates here.

 Access SmartList Builder templates here.

Extender Templates:

We have updated many of the templates that have been posted for Extender Enterprise and have also made some new ones for you to enjoy.  With these templates, we are hoping that you can take and use some of them right out of the box.  Others may need to be modified to fit your business needs or can serve as an example on how to start structuring something you are trying to build.  Some of the Enterprise templates have Dexterity Coding in them that can be used as sample code if you need for another resource you may be creating.

We aren’t done adding to the list, but here is what is posted today. Please note that not all of the templates will completely work on Standard.  When you download them, be sure you are downloading the appropriate file based on which release of Extender you are using.

With all of the Extender Templates, you will find the xml file to import the Extender Setup as well as a pdf file that outlines what each resource in the import does.  To import the xml file, log into Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 as a user with access to Extender and go to Microsoft Dynamics GP – Tools – Extender – Import.  Then select the xml file to import and click Import.  You will then find a new solution in Extender for the template.

SmartList Builder Templates:

The SmartList Builder Templates are very similar to the ones that have been posted on the Microsoft site for several years, however we have updated them to 2013 and taken advantage of some of the new features that have come out in SmartList Builder since the old ones were built.

While the list is long, what you will find with these templates is that they all mimic one of the default SmartLists that comes with Microsoft Dynamics GP. The real purpose behind these templates is to allow you a starting point to “modify” the existing SmartLists to meet your needs.  We have all had a scenario where we wished the default SmartList had another column, did a calculation, etc.  With these SmartList Builder Templates, you get a starting point to add those additional items you wished the default SmartLists had.

Each SmartList Builder setup has its own xml file to import for that particular SmartList.  To import the xml file, log into Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 as a user with access to SmartList Builder and go to Microsoft Dynamics GP – Tools – SmartList Builder – Import.  Then select the xml file to import and click Import.  You will then find a new SmartList in SmartList Builder to edit.

You may also be thinking to yourself, I wonder if they are going to do the same for Excel Report Builder and Navigation List Builder.  To answer your thoughts, YES, we are planning create imports for these two as well that mimic the default setups that come with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 for the Navigation Lists and Excel Reports.

Have you tried the new templates? Love ‘em or Leave ‘em? Let us know as we love your feedback!

Extender Templates and SmartList Builder Templates for Microsoft Dynamics GP

We have been working hard to provide resources for customers and partners to take advantage of and have recently released new templates to make your life easier and save you time. 

Top 3 reasons to use the Extender and SmartList Builder templates:
1. Don't reinvent the wheel - use a template and save yourself time.
2. Templates are a great way to learn the new product features.
3. Use templates out of the box.

With Extender templates, you have a solution right at your fingertips for many of the common uses of Extender. The SmartList Builder templates allow you to view lists you need, rather than spend time building them. Go ahead and check them out!

Access Extender templates here.

 

Access SmartList Builder templates here.

 

 

Also, watch for a Tech Tuesday article coming soon from Nicole Albertson. She will share further details on the templates, discussing what templates are now available to you.

 

Have you tried the templates already? How do you like them? Let us know! We love feedback!

Tech Tues: Setting Key Fields and Grouping Inside of SmartConnect Demo Video

All maps need to have key fields set on them and many maps require some form of grouping on the nodes. The video below is a quick illustration of what to consider when choosing what fields should be the keys and how the nodes should be grouped.

Tech Tuesday: Using Multiple Companies in SmartConnect

As we are getting very close to releasing new SmartConnect Excel Templates for Dynamics GP I am reminded of some really great features we have inside of SmartConnect. Today I want to give you a little insight into using multiple companies from your Dynamics GP implementation.

The new templates will allow you to pick which Dynamics GP company and send transactions into that company without reconfiguring the SmartConnect map each time. How did we do this? The answer is simple, inside of the Map in the Companies button for the destination. Normally in this window you would choose a specific company and check the box to have transactions created in that company. You do have the ability to create records in multiple companies by selecting each desired company. Why would you do this? Great question, and I think there are a variety of answers but here are a couple to think about.

1)      You have a master database of Accounts, Customers, Vendors, Employees and you want to synchronize those records.

2)      You want to use real-time Dynamics GP triggers to automatically create these records in other databases.

Another option is to not have any companies selected at all! How would that work? Well, we have a way to use data from your source to select which company the record should be using for integration. Let me explain a bit more, if you have a field of data that has your company id (database name) you can simply pass that in by using the define button on the companies button and returning that fields value. A simple example script is below:

                Return _GPCompanyID

You can also get a lot more sophisticated if you don’t have a specific field that spells out your company id by using a case statement like below:

                Select Case _mySource

                                Case "Far"

                                                Return = "FAR"

                                Case "Gra"

                                                Return = "GFL"

                                Case "Chi"

                                                Return = "CHI"

                                Case Else

                                'If no match is found, return an empty string

Return String.Empty

                End Select

Now you can do things like bring in Journal Entries into multiple Dynamics GP companies with one pass instead of running multiple maps.

I hope today you may have been inspired to try new options in how you setup maps.

Thanks,

Chris Dew

Director of Product Management

An Invitation to Connect at WPC

Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston is less than a week away and we are certain you are busy determining the sessions you'd like to attend and which booths to stop by. With that in mind, I would like to personally invite you to stop by and visit with me at our booth, #2030, while you're at the conference.

Top 5 Reasons to Stop By the eOne Booth

1. See SmartConnect, the integration solutions that's taking the CRM world by storm.
2. Discuss your customers' integration projects and get recommendations on the spot.
3. Learn how eOne can help you bill more and drive CRM projects galore.
4. Have an ISV solution that would benefit from flexible out of the box integration points? We want to partner with you & drive business together!
5. Tell us your CRM challenges. We want to hear 'em!

Thank you for your time and I truly look forward to meeting you at WPC!


Want to arrange for a meeting with the eOne team outside of expo hours? Email me (abbey.cooper@eonesolutions.com) and we'll get something set up!