Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Dynamics GP Tech Conference 2017. I am following along on Twitter using the #GPTechConf hashtag and thought I’d post about some of the information which is being released; sort of a digest series of posts on the new features and anything else which strikes me as interesting enough to share.
Check back over the next few days as the conference is ongoing.
Continue reading “Dynamics GP Tech Conference 2017: Series Index”
This post is part of the Hands On With the GP Power Tools (GPPT) – System Module series in which I am taking a hands on look at the various tools offered by GPPT.
The Administrator Password Setup () window allows a different password than the standard Microsoft Dynamics GP System Password to be required when trying to access a GPPT Advanced Mode window:
Continue reading “Hands On With the GP Power Tools – System Module: Administrator Password Setup”
This post is part of the Hands On With the GP Power Tools (GPPT) – System Module series in which I am taking a hands on look at the varioues tools offered by GPPT.
The Configuration Export/Import () window allows settings to be exported from once implementation of Microsoft Dynamics GP and imported into another:
The checkboxes are disabled when there is no configuration for that section which can be exported.
The ability to export and import settings is a good one; it allows you to create a default configuration which can then be transferred to a different system, or to transfer settings from a test system to a live one.
The Dynamics GP Support and Services Blog blog announced the availability of the Microsoft Dynamics GP July Hotfix – 2017 Mid Year Tax Update towards the end of June.
This hotfix is available for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 R2, 2015 r2 and 2016 R2.
While all of them have updates for the US and Canadian Payroll systems, there were three changes in the 2016 version which caught my eye:
The fixes to Document Attachment are good to see, but the Invoice Receipt Date was especially interesting as it results from new legislation which came into effect on April 1st for businesses of a certain size in the UK with a duty to report on their payment practices, policies and performance. This new requirement was introduced to protect smaller businesses that suffer from late payments, which can adversely affect their cash flow and jeopardize their ability to trade.
The new Invoice Receipt Date field is available on Payables Transaction Entry (), Receivings Transaction Entry () and Purchasing Invoice Entry ().
The Doc Attach changes only effect 2016, but the new field is available in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
This post is part of the Hands On With the GP Power Tools (GPPT) – System Module series in which I am taking a hands on look at the varioues tools offered by GPPT.
A couple of posts ago in this series, I covered the configuration of Email Settings. The main use of these is in the ScreenShot tool which is useful for users to send error reports including screenshots to their support team.
However, there is also functionality which allows an email to be sent directly from within Microsoft Dynamics GP. To send an email, open the Send Email window ():
The To, Subject and Body fields will default from the Email Settings window.
Attachments can be added to the email as well as a body of text entered.
This tool is useful when working on a server and there is no email client or available as it allows information to be sent or attached to the email.
This post is part of the Hands On With the GP Power Tools (GPPT) – System Module series in which I am taking a hands on look at the varioues tools offered by GPPT.
ScreenShot is a tool which can capture screenshots of all the open windows in the application as well as a System Status report and then either email or save the files. Screenshot creates reduced color bitmaps (4 bits per pixel, 16 colors) to ensure that the size of the email is kept to a minimum. It can capture all open windows regardless of whether they are overlaid by other windows.
Included on the email, is a System Status report which contains information about the system including registration information, current login information, environmental information (such as operating system, database and ODBC versions), product information (including all version and build numbers) and a list of the attached screenshots.
The current downside of this report, is that the database information includes information on every database in the system. For the majority of users, this won’t be a problem, but I do have a few clients with a lot of databases. One of whom has well over 100 companies; this umber of companies takes some time to retrieve all of the required information.
I recently flagged this with Davied Musgrave of Winthrop DC, and he is looking at adding an option in a future version which will allow only information for the company the user is logged into to be included. One of the nice things about Winthrop DC, is how open they are to including new or enhancing functionality based on feedback.
The ScreenShot tool is a very useful one for user to be able to send issues to their support team or partner; the system report can be invaluable in reproducing the error as it can show exactly which products are installed and when you deal with dozens of clients it can sometimes be difficult to keep track.
This functionality is available from four places:
Continue reading “Hands On With the GP Power Tools – System Module: ScreenShot”
This post is part of the Hands On With the GP Power Tools (GPPT) – System Module series in which I am taking a hands on look at the varioues tools offered by GPPT.
There is functionality in GPPT which allows screenshots to be taken and emailed to the administrator. However, before this is used, there are some email settings which need to be configured. To configure the email settings, open the Email Settings window ().
In the Administrator Email field, enter the email address which should receive the emails.
Default settings can be defined for the subject and body of the emails. I have entered the text Issue Report in the Default Subject. If a default body is required, click the Edit Bidy text button.
A signature can be added to the email by clicking the Edit Signature button.
Email Server Settings are required fields; these are details of the SMTP server which will send the emails. Depending on which Email Mode is selected, different fields will be enabled.
Once you are finished, click the OK button
This post is part of the Hands On With the GP Power Tools (GPPT) – System Module series in which I am taking a hands on look at the varioues tools offered by GPPT.
All of the logging modes I covered in the overview are activated by default when Manual Logging Mode is switched on, and this can be done with very few clicks. The Logging Settings window ().
To switch on Manual Logging Mode, open the GP Power Tools Logging Control window from one of the three access points:
Click the Turn on Manual Logging Mode button:
The same button is used to switch off Manual Logging Mode.
Each time Manual Logging Mode is activated, the log files contain the user, company, date and time so no log files are overwritten. The log files are created in the GPPT data folder which is selected during the installation of the GP Power Tools.
{User} will be substituted with the current User ID and {Company} will be substituted with the current Company ID code (InterCompany ID).
{Date}_{Time} will contain the date and time at which the logging was started in the format YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.
{Mode} will be replaced with a letters A to E depending on the SQL Profile Trace mode used.
Due to the overhead on the processing when the Manual Logging Mode is switched on, it is recommended to minimise the time logging is enabled and also to minimise the amount of information which is captured in the logs. This can be done by getting the user to perform all actions until just before the point at which the issue arises and then enable logging and perform the final actions. Once these actions have been performed and the error produced, switch off the logging.
This post is part of the Hands On With the GP Power Tools (GPPT) – System Module series in which I am taking a hands on look at the varioues tools offered by GPPT.
In the overview of Manual Logging, Macro Recording was mentioned. This records, as a macro, all of the actions of the user in the application. This is very useful when it comes to reproducing the steps taken by the user.
However, Macro recording is not enabled in GPPT by default, although it is very simple to enable it.
Open the Logging Settings window () and mark the Capture Macro Recording checkbox (ringed in red):
Click the OK button to save the changes and close the Logging Settings window.
The system (minimum) requirements for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 are now available on CustomerSource (login required):
There are a few versions of OS and software which are not supported with Dynamics GP 2018; the following are not supported in any edition (e.g. Professional, Standard or Enterprise):