Microsoft Dynamics GP Workflow 2.0 Second Edition Now Available in Paperback

Microsoft Dynamics GPMy sixth book is now available to buy in both eBook format from azurecurve Publishing and paperback. Currently the paperback is available only via CreateSpace, but should be on Amazon in the next week or so.

This is an update to the original Workflow 2.0 book I wrote a couple of years ago. This edition includes coverage of the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016, a new chapter on adding table joins to workflow to allow additional conditions to be created, and some chapters and sections have been rewritten to either expand or make clearer the topics being covered.

Dynamics GP includes a variety of tools and modules to assist in controlling processes and data; one of the major modules for this was the Dynamics Workflow module. However, this module had major flaws which very much limited its usefulness; it was slow, clunky and difficult to install, configure and maintain.

Microsoft Dynamics GP Workflow 2.0 Second Edition

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Workflow Error Sending Email: “Execution Of User Code In The dotNET Framework Is Disabled”

Microsoft Dynamics GPThis has come up twice fairly recently. In the first case it was following an upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 and workflow was being introduced for the first time, and in the second it was when a client had created a new test system:

Execution Of User Code In The dotNET Framework Is Disabled

Microsoft Dynamics GP

[Microsoft][SQL Server Native Client 11.0][SQL Server]Execution of user code in the .NET Framework is disabled. Enable "clr enabled" configuration option.

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MS Connect Suggestion: Allow SQL Views to be Included in Workflow Conditions

Microsoft Dynamics GPContinuing my list of suggestions for improving Workflow, I have another one for you to vote for.

Through enabling a Dex.ini switch, an enhanced Workflow Condition Query Editor can be enabled, which allows Dexterity tables to be joined into the workflow. However, there have been a few times recently when being able to join in a SQL View would have been most beneficial. This functionality is available in SmartList Designer where Dex tables can be selected and at the bottom of the list is a node for SQL Views which displays all of the views in the database and allows them to be selected.

I’d like the same functionality made available to Workflow Maintenance to add flexibility to workflow design.

You can vote for this suggestion here.

Microsoft Dynamics GP Roadmap 2017-2019

Microsoft Dynamics GPA new roadmap for Microsoft Dynamics GP was released at GPUG Amplify last week which shows the next three releases:

Microsoft Dynamics GP Roadmap 2017-2019

The next version, due for release in 2017 H2 (most likely December) is Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 and includes updates to Workflow (first time I’ve seen references to Workflow 3.0 and 4.0), Finance and HR Optimizations, Doc Attach, Power Suite (?) and top new features requested by customers.

I believe there is still time for you to get your suggestions onto Microsoft Connect.

If you see posts of the slide presented at GPUG Amplify you’ll notice that the 2016 and 2016 R2 columns were identical; the one posted above does not have this same issue.

.NET 4.6 Installation Error When Installing Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 R2 Prerequisites

Microsoft Dynamics GPOne of the prerequisites of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 R2 is .NET 4.6. However, occasionally when installing it, the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 Bootstrapper Setup will throw an error showing that the .NET Framework installation failed:

.NET installation error

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 Bootstrapper Setup

An error occurred while installing system components for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 Bootstrapper. Setup cannot continue until all system components have been installed.

The problem is that neither this error message nor the error log it directs you to contains information as to the cause of the error.

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Error Creating A New Company: Cannot Insert Duplicate Key In Object ‘dbo.SY60100’

Microsoft Dynamics GPOne of our clients was creating a new company recently when GP Utilities produced an error:

Microsoft Dynamics GP: Cannot insert duplicate key in object 'dbo.SY60100'

Microsoft Dynamics GP

[Microsoft][SQL Server Native Client 11.0]p[SQL Server]Violation of PRIMARY KEY constraint 'PKSY60100'. Cannot insert duplicate key in object 'dbo.SY60100'. The duplicate key value is (sa, 114).

The client clicked the OK button and GP Utilities ran through to completion. However, when the user logged into Microsoft Dynamics GP using the sa account, the company was not available for selection.

This is when they called us asking for help.

When we connected in we found that the company did have a record in Company Master (SY01500), but did not have an entry in User-Company Access (SY60100).

The company was listed in the Delete Company window (Administration >> Utilities >> Delete Company). However when the company was deleted, the database remained behind.

I’ve had problems deleting databases this way before, so when I was called over, I directed my colleague to delete the database directly in SQL Server Management Studio and run the Clear Companies script available in Microsoft KB 855361.

A quick search for the error message, revealed a Microsoft Knowledge Base article covering this exact issue.

At some point, the system database’s owner had been changed away from DYNSA. Running the following script set the owner back to DYNSA, allowing the company to be created:

sp_changedbowner 'DYNSA'

Manually Activating Windows 10 Enterprise

Microsoft SQL ServerOne of the perks of being a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) is the fRee MSDN VisualStudio account. This gives access to pretty much all of Microsoft’s software for development and testing purposes.

The main pieces of software I use is Windows and SQL Server. Usually when writing blog posts about Microsoft Dynamics GP, I use Windows 2012 or 2012 R2, but occasionally I create a Windows client machine with Windows 10.

Usually these machines don’t last long enough to need registering, but I have lately been working on one or two projects which required a somewhat longer life than the free registration period. For Windows Server, this isn’t a problem as the server version of Windows registers online without problems. However, registering Windows 10 Enterprise is not so simple, as the Enterprise editions of Windows requires a Key Management Server to successfully register.

I have never configured one of these as my installations for development and testing are usually fleeting. Instead, there are a couple of commands which can be run which will allow Windows 10 Enterprise to be registered online.

The first command is where you install the KMS key:

slmgr.vbs /ipk {Windows 10 Enterprise Key}

slmgr.vbs /ipk {Windows 10 Enterprise Key}

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Workflow Email Action Request Error After Approval

Microsoft Dynamics GPA client who had recently upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 reported an error when approving a purchase order via Workflow 2.0 Email Actions. The user would click Approve on the email, enter their comment and click Approve and then received the following message:

Workflow Email Action Request Error

Request Error

The server encountered an error processing the request. See server logs for more details.

The purchase order was showing as approved, so Workflow itself was working correctly from this point of view and I couldn’t find any logs which might explain the issue.

However, while I was having a look at the workflow setup, I noticed that the Purchase Order Approval workflow type, did not have a manager set. There had been a workflow manager defined or the workflow process could not have been activated, but at some point it disappeared.

Adding a manager for the workflow type, saw the error message stop appearing.

The manager’s disappearance could be related to the upgrade, but I’ve upgraded some other clients who were using workflow and not had his same problem.

MS Connect Suggestion: Allow Workflow Steps to Have Multiple Parents

Microsoft Dynamics GPI have another Workflow related MS Connect Suggestion I’d like you to vote for.

I have worked on a number of projects for clients implementing Workflow 2.0 where being able to set one step with multiple parents would greatly reduce the work involved in creating the workflow.

For example I have recently worked with a client who has a Function segment in the chart of accounts, which requires approval by the Function Approver, which is a different person for each Function, and then a second level of approval by a Finance Panel, which is always the same five people.

When we create the workflow for POs we need to create forty Steps, one for each Function with it’s set of approvers, and then forty Finance Panel Approval Steps after each of the Function approval steps.

For example:

Step for Function = "IT"
	followed by a Finance Panel approval step.
Step for Function = "HR"
	followed by a Finance Panel approval step.
Step for Function = "TRAINING"
	followed by a Finance Panel approval step.
Step for Function = "SALES"
	followed by a Finance Panel approval step.
Step for Function = "ADMIN"
	followed by a Finance Panel approval step.
Step for Function = "OPERATIONS"
	followed by a Finance Panel approval step.

If we could define the Finance Panel step and assign it to follow multiple steps instead of only the one parent which can be assigned at the moment, it would save so much time and effort when creating and maintaining the workflow.

You can vote on the suggestion here.

Management Reporter Fact Check

Microsoft Dynamics GPFollowing the announcement by Microsoft back in June last year of a partnership with Jet Reports, the future of Management Reporter has been a topic of conversation amongst the community with rumours constantly swirling that Management Reporter would disappear from the Microsoft Dynamics GP space.

On the Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP team blog, Pam Misialek has posted a Management Reporter Fact Check:

  • Management Reporter is available and fully supported by Microsoft. It is still included in the Starter Pack and will continue to be.
  • Management Reporter will ship with GP Next later this calendar year and will ship in future releases as well.
  • Microsoft are looking for any feature enhancements ideas which can be added to the product.
  • HTTP support was added for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 R2
  • Management Reporter will not go fully to the cloud in a multi-tenant environment. It can be used in the cloud, with a RDP connection.

Management Reporter is technically a separate product because it works across all Dynamics products. So what? Who cares? It works great at creating financial statements.