Integrations with SalesForce.com

Did you know SmartConnect has a connector with SalesForce.com? Take a look at our 3 minute demo video showing an integration between SalesForce.com and Microsoft Dynamics GP.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about the SalesForce connector for SmartConnect, please email sales@eonesolutions.com.

What is SmartList Builder?

With the exciting news that eOne is taking back full control of SmartList Builder on Jan 1st 2014 - we have had a number queries asking 'what is actually meant by SmartList Builder?'

So, as a clarification, SmartList Builder is made up of some very distinct products. All of the Products/Functionality are part of SmartList Builder and all will be returning to eOne - and will no longer be available from Microsoft. For those of you that are nervous - do not be. eOne had always developed SmartList Builder and always done all the quality assurance and testing of all aspects of SLB. For the past 6/7 years we simply allowed Microsoft to do the selling for us (and they have done a very good job) - and now we are going to do that as well!

SmartList Builder: Provides the ability to build a brand new SmartList based on any data in any GP module or third party module (or external SQL data). SLB provides detailed formatting of fields to ensure they display as you need them to display for end users. SmartList builder also provides the ability to create and assign GOTO's to all your new List's. 

Excel Report Builder: Excel Report Builder provides all the power of SmartList Builder - but rather than building a list in SmartList - it generates this same list live into Excel. It is awesome and it is how i do all our internal reporting at eOne (when I am not using SmartView of course). All I do is open the spreadsheet each Friday and get a full picture of how sales went this week. 

Navigation List Builder: This is the best kept GP secret ever. Navigation lists are actually very cool - but almost no one knows about them. If you are using the GP web client you will be forced to use Navigation Lists - and rightfully so. BUT - they are pretty much unusable without SmartList Builder's, Navigation List Builder functionality.  Navigation List Builder allows you to add any new list to Navigation Lists - (and importantly allows you to restrict the data to ensure the Navigation List runs FAST). You can also define your own actions - that allows you to do just about anything in GP (or outside GP) from a Navigation List. (Watch for the upcoming NLB/SmartConnect integration which is very sweet indeed). 

Drill Down Builder: DDB is to Excel Report Builder what GOTO's are to SmartList Builder. This lets you build your own drilldowns - which means drill from Excel direct to anywhere in GP you want to go. There is no tool that embodies the Microsoft Stack better than DrillDown Builder. 

For anyone out there still sniffing around the GP designer - rest assured it is an entry level product (as designed by Microsoft). It is a good tool for the tiny end of GP rapid sales. It does about 50% of what SLB does, and does NOTHING that ERB, NLB or DDB does. So in reality it is a v1 version of about a 15% of the full functionality of SmartList Builder. The designer is a good tool for the new entry level Rapid Deploy GP customer. SmartList Builder will remain the tool of choice for the rest of us.    

Tech Tuesday: Extender Window Table Links

For this week's Tech Tuesday we will feature an Extender demo video from Nicole Albertson, our Extender Product Specialist. She will take you through using Table Links to make sure that your Extender data and your Microsoft Dynamics GP data stays in synch. Please note that this video utilizes Extender in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013.



Curious about what else Extender has to offer? We'd be happy to share with you and answer your Extender questions at sales@eonesolutions.com.

A Peak into a Conversation on Integration Manager

From time to time, we are privy to conversations between a customer & a partner where the customer expresses frustration in their current solution and the partner decides that putting a band aid on the problem is not a solution. Here is an example of one of those conversations we received yesterday. (Note that all names have been changed to protect the customer and partner.)

Joe the Customer: "Integration Manager crashed TWICE before finally working (I hate that program). So each time it crashed it caused an invoice to get stuck somewhere that I can't see. Could you go in and find those invoices and delete them?"

Paul the Partner: "Which company?"

Joe the Customer: "Company A."

Paul the Partner: (One day after initial reported problem - due to emails back and forth.) "Ok, take a look now."

Joe the Customer: "That worked. Thank you."

Joe the Customer: (One day later) "Argh. I had to repost this batch, and forgot to turn off AA. So the same thing just happened. Is there any way you can do this again?? Annoying!!"

Paul the Partner: "No problem. What are the invoice numbers? By the way - have you thought of using SmartConnect?"

Joe the Customer: "Should be the only one in there... and yes, I would like to try SmartConnect. I just don't know where to begin."

Paul the Partner: "I'll reach out to eOne to have them provide info on using SmartConnect in Fabrikam to test it out."

From this conversation, the eOne team was able to provide the customer and partner information on testing out SmartConnect in Fabrikam without needing reg keys, pointed to the great resources and online manual available to utilize for their tests and shared training and support options to get the customer up and running.

If you feel like Joe the Customer or Paul the Partner, reach out to us and learn how SmartConnect can replace Integration Manager. Email sales@eonesolutions.com for more info.  

Attention: Our website & email will be down this weekend!

Attention eOne Partners -

This weekend, beginning Friday, Sept. 20th at 5 pm CST until Sunday, Sept. 22nd at 5 pm CST, eOne's website and email will be down due to scheduled system updates.
 

If you have scheduled installs or plan to work at a customer site over the weekend, we highly encourage you to download the builds and reg keys you need by tomorrow at 5 pm CST.

 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our website or email, please feel free to reach out to us (before Friday at 5 pm) at sales@eonesolutions.com.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

Tech Tuesday: Sales Order Import with GL Distributions

Today we are privileged to have our first guest Tech Tuesday author, Janeece Moreland, Managing Consultant/Business Process Change Agent for Conexus SG, sharing her insights into Sales Order imports with GL Distributions. 

To learn more about Janeece and Conexus, please take a look at their bios at the end of the article.


The purpose of this example is to provide the technical user with the details of how to create a map with a SQL Select statement and group data appropriately on the detail map functions. 

The original map provides Distribution lines, EFT imports, Post Import SQL tasks and Rolling columns. We will be exploring only one portion of the map in this article.

 

Problem Statement: A user has provided you with an excel spreadsheet with Customer, item description, line amount, GL account numbers and distribution references to be imported as Invoices.

Issue: When you have one source line of data you will need an Accounts Receivable offset account and group the data for 1 invoice, multiple line items and multiple GL distributions.

Example: Our example today will create a Sales Invoice, Line Items, and distribution lines with distribution references.   The complication in the data is the distribution lines normally sum based on the account number on the item but we are supplying the account number instead.  In addition to the GL distribution, we want to provide the distribution reference which will be shown in the financial detail when the Sales Transaction is posted in the General Ledger. The Customer Number will be used to group the data on the Create Sales Transaction.

First, we will look at the ODBC connection.

The data is provided in an Excel file format but we want to control the fields that will be used.  The following selections were made:

Data Source: ODBC Connection.

Connection Type:  Custom Connection

Connection String:

Excel Workbook:

Key Fields: CustNbr 

 

 
Select Workbook

Select the Drive+Path+Name of File

Our next step will be to select the data from the Excel spreadsheet.

This will be entered in the data source.  An explanation of each field and its use is listed below:

The Statement accomplishes the following functions:

·         TrxType - It establishes the type of transaction.  The assumption is that all these transactions are invoices.  Additional select statement functions can be added to create Returns if needed.

·         Customer Number - used for the SOP Header and the Payment

·         Invoice Date - Used for the SOP Header

·         Item Number  - used for the SOP lines

·         Quantity - used for the SOP Line

·         Item Desc - used for SOP Line

·         Unit Price - used for the SOP Line

·         Document Amount - used for the SOP Header, Payment and Cash Distribution

·         EFT Date - used on the Payment map

·         Distribution Reference - this could have been concatenated from the Item and Item Desc but the user wanted to have the flexibility to use it for additional maps.  If the user types over the GP field length of 30 characters, the select will truncate the text.

·         GL Account  - used on the Distribution map

·         DistType - used on the Distribution map

·         Unit Price - used for sop line and distribution map

·         Credit and Debit Amounts are used on the distribution map

·         The UNION statement creates another line item that will be used for the distribution.

SELECT 3 AS TrxType, CustNbr,[Invoice Date],[Item Number],[Item Desc],[Quantity], [Unit Price] ,[DocumentAmount],[EFT Date],LEFT([Distribution Reference],30) AS DRef,

[GL ACCOUNT NUMBER] ASAccountString, 1 AS DistType,

[Unit Price] AS CreditAmount, 0 AS DebitAmount

FROM[Import$]

WHERE [DocumentAmount]> 0

UNION

SELECT 3 AS TrxType,

CustNbr,[Invoice Date],[Item Number],[Item Desc],[Quantity], [Unit Price] ,[DocumentAmount],[EFT Date],'EFT' AS DRef,

'10700-5101-00000-00' ASAccountString,3 AS DistType,

 0 ASCreditAmount,[DocumentAmount] AS DebitAmount

FROM[Import$]

WHERE [DocumentAmount]> 0

 

Grouping Data

Grouping Data imports the data into the GP Sales Invoice by Customer Number based on the default set on the high level map.

MAP: Create Sales Transaction

Notice that the Group data is checked but the CustNbr is not checked.  The default is the Key field from the Data Source.

 

 

MAP: Add line item

Customer Number and Item Description are selected in this map. The item description was selected since the item number does not exist in the Inventory. The items are non-inventory items. The default is the Key field from the Data Source.



About the Author:

Janeece began her consulting career in 1987 working as the IT manager for the largest independent software distributor at the time in the US, Software Spectrum.  She then worked in Sales at International Business Machines (IBM).  From IBM she then moved to Platinum Software Corporation, now known as Epicor Software.  At Platinum Software, Ms. Moreland served as a member of the SWAT consulting team covering the United States working with difficult installations as a problem solver.    She joined Oracle in 1996 as a part of sales and consulting group focused on the Utilities Industry then moved to back into as an Oracle Sales Manager.  Now a managing partner in the Microsoft Business Applications consulting world she manages varying projects but focuses on integrations from varying operational systems into Accounting applications and Manufacturing implementations. Her broad Applications software experience includes: Financial Accounting, Financial Analysis, Project Accounting (Costing), Distribution and Manufacturing Planning systems.

 

To contact Janeece, please email jmoreland@marksmangroup.com.

About Conexus SG:

Conexus SG specializes in financial systems and process consulting.  A significant portion of their business revolves around the implementation, support, enhancement and upgrade of Microsoft ERP (accounting) software such as Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains), Dynamics AX and Dynamics SL (formerly Solomon).  To learn more about Conexus SG, visit their website: www.conexussg.com.