Reasons to Switch to an ERP System

Every business needs a solid and streamlined system, whether it’s a start-up business or multi-national corporation. Most businesses have acquired ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning to improve and streamline their business processes. Agencies, like ERP Consulting LLC offers ERP software such as Microsoft Dynamics  to aide businesses in changing their current management system. ERP software Microsoft Dynamics  can greatly benefit companies in driving towards a more unified system.

If you are still hesitant in upgrading your system to an ERP system, you should consider the following factors:

1. You use various software for different tasks and processes.

The ERP system if very useful when it comes to running various front and back-end systems separately. This will ensure smooth and accurate processing. Integrating an ERP system into your business will allow you to integrate various processes so that every business function relies on a single database. With one source of information that contains accurate, real-time data, an ERP solution helps staff make better decisions more quickly.

2. You need quick and easy access to all facets of your business.

The pace of business is quick and relentless, which means your employees need immediate access to key data. With an ERP system, executives and supervisors can get a holistic view of business operations at any time, while other staff can get the information they need to do their jobs more effectively.

3. Accounting tasks take longer and is complicated.

The first department that indicates that your company needs ERP software will come from your accounting department. With an ERP solution in place, your employees won’t need to rely on paper-based invoices, sales orders, purchase orders, etc. Countless hours won’t be wasted manually inputting this information into various accounting and sales systems. This bodes similar to financial reporting. Consolidation and reconciliation of financial information across a wide system will be swifter and straightforward.

4. Sales, Marketing and Customer services are compromised.

With an ERP system, employees are able to easily access updated information about services and client information which will enable business front-liners to immediately and accurately address customer needs and queries. Better yet, customers should be able to simply go online to their account and view status information.

Aside from the obvious reason of being able to run your business hassle-free and smoothly, acquiring an ERP system such as MicrosoftDynamics GP

 will greatly benefit your employees and customers. It’s a system which helps provide holistic solutions to age-old issues. We at ERP Consulting LLC want to become your trusted partner and contribute to your business growth and success.

Account Modifier and Combiner in the Professional Tools Library

I was using the GL account modifier/combiner today and was having trouble importing the changes of 83 accounts.  It would validate properly but when I clicked on modify it returned quickly and prompted to convert. The convert worked for about 2 seconds, a little too fast to combine 83 accounts. I then found in the instructions (no I didn’t read it first) I see that the changes get put in a table called TACHANGE. Nothing was there. After reading the instructions it tells me to create a text file. That was the key. Not a comma separated text file but a tab separated using the extension .txt. I didn’t try to rename a CSV to test to see if it works. Anyway, in case you hit the same issue.

ERP Consulting, LLC Upgrading To Dynamics GP 2016

Upgrading To Dynamics GP 2016

To begin the upgrade for the customer you will need to download the GP 2016 code.  Currently it can be found on Partnersource using the following link.

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/downloads/product-releases/MDGP2016_Release_Download#Downloads

You may want to check back from time to time on this GP 2016 upgrade page.  It contains the upgrade paths and other materials you may find helpful.

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/support/hot-topics/HOT_TOPIC_MDGP2016Upgrade

Current upgrade paths are from 2013 and 2015

Upgrade Paths

Upgrading From	Patch Requirement for the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 Upgrade	Notes
12.00.1826 January Hotfix KB 3030071	​RTM or later Version 16.00.0371 or later	Release 2013 Service Packs Release 2015 Service Packs
​	​	​
​14.00.0725 R2 KB 3063038	​RTM or later Version 16.00.0371 or later	​​Release 2013 Service Packs Release 2015 Service Packs

Before you start make sure there is a current SQL backup.  Then go to the customization maintenance window to backup your customized reports and forms.  The following screen shot shows you the menu to go to.  It will create a package file for later import into your new GP 2016 instance.

At this point I usually go out to Partnersource to get my clients registration keys.  When you go to partnersource up in the upper right corner you will see a link called, PartnerSource Business Center.  This will take you to the following screen so you can look up the customer to get their keys.

Now it’s time to start the installation of the software.  In the directory that GP 2016 was extracted in double click on the setup.exe file.  The following window will pop up for you to continue.  Click under the Install portion “Microsoft Dynamics GP”.  Follow the prompts accepting the defaults until you get to the SQL server screen selection.

On this screen you will select the existing SQL Server.  If this was a brand new install you can provide a system database name (DYNAMICS) or another name if using the multi-tenant functionality where you may want two instances of GP on the same SQL Server. Click next and let the wizard complete the install.  You will get a windows when complete and simply press exit.

Now you will want to start up GP Utilities.  Login using the sa login and password.  This is the window you will get telling you that this is a new version and have to upgrade.

After the system updates the Dynamics database you will be presented with this screen showing all companies that need upgraded. Leave all the boxed checked and select next.  This will proceed to upgrade all the companies and may take some time depending on the number of databases and their respective size.  

After this you can launch GP 2016.  The first time you login you will use see a message in the lower left “Updating SQL Get Messages”.  This happens on the first time launching GP on this workstation.

After starting up GP you should enter the new registration keys.  This is found under the Administration window.

Enter the keys that you found on Partnersource/Customersource. Click on the validation button to make sure you entered them properly and you will see the modules you are registered for checked.  Some may be unchecked if previously unmarked as you may not want the items used.

Finally you can import your customized forms and reports. As previously shown go to the Microsoft GP button and select tools – customize-customization maintenance.  Click on the import button.  Browse out to your package file location and select.  This will import all records in that file.  There is no option to pick and choose. Make note of where your reports.dic file is so that it may be shared with all other users.  You would edit the launch file (Dynamics.set) and point to the shared file.  

That completes the GP 2016 upgrade.  You can then proceed and repeat the steps to upgrade all workstations. 

ERP Consultng LLC Dynamics GP Landed Costs

Landed Cost Procedure

Landed cost will allow you to add cost from different vendors to an item that is received.  To do this we need to create the landed cost ID and then add the cost id to a landed cost Group.  Here is an example of creating a landed cost for sales tax.

Here you will create cost id’s that will span all the sales tax jurisdictions you collect for.  Select the vendor that matches the cost id you are creating.  Next you will select the cost calculation method for this cost id.  In this example a percentage of the cost of each item is used.  Enter in the sales tax percentage for this cost.  The two check boxes should be checked.  This allows this cost to be added to

the inventory cost at the time of matching invoices to shipments received.  The tolerance percentage is if you don’t want inventory revalued unless this percentage is greater than this value.  Leaving it at zero will revalue inventory (recommended).  Enter in your gl accounts for accrued purchases and purchase price variance.

Landed Cost Group

After creating the Cost ID you must enter it into a group.  The purpose of the group is if you have multiple landed cost id’s that are assigned to purchase orders.  In our example there will be one group for each cost id.  See below:

Create the Group ID and then in the grid click on the lookup next to Landed Cost ID and select your sales tax.  Click Save.

Entering Landed Cost on a Purchase Order

To now use the landed cost we must assign it to lines on your purchase order.  

As you add lines to your purchase order you can drill in to the details.  See the marked area.

While highlighted on the line click the blue arrow and the following window will open.

Note the area for the selection of the landed cost.  Press the lookup button and select your tax needed that will be applied to the item. Save your purchase order and you are ready to receive.

When performing a shipment receipt, you will see the following screen.  Please note the landed cost field displaying the percentage that we setup in the beginning.  At this point the inventory cost is going to reflect the cost plus the landed cost. Also the general ledger will show accrued purchases account at the enter/match invoice process being credited and inventory debited.  

Enter/Match Invoice

Below is the screen shot when entering a matching invoice.  The original step of receiving against the main vendor does not change.  Select the vendor and click Auto – Invoice and select the PO and line items you want to receive.  After you post that transaction you then enter another invoice.  In our example we select the sales tax vendor.  Not the circle on the column associated with LC (landed cost).  Check that box.  Then go to the lookup on item number.  Note the circle.  This will bring up the lookup table on the right.  Select your sales tax landed cost group.

When completed and posted a invoice will be in AP for this vendor and if the cost and landed cost are different they inventory will be revalued and an additional general ledger entry will be made to inventory (or purchase price variance depending on setup).

That completes the landed cost setup and processing.

First blog post

Thank you for visiting my Blog featuring Microsoft Dynamics GP.   I first started with GP in 1993 when it was first released. Though there was a version 1 (System Manager and GL) my first implementation was with Version 2. Using 15 – 3 1/2 in floppy disks I got it along with btrieve loaded and running. It was very exciting. I was a Qualified Installer before that with Great Plains Accounting Software. Moving to Dynamics (a lot of name changes from the original) I was mesmerized. Reprinting posting journals was the most exciting thing. 32 bit application. Graphical. Works on Mac’s. It was a glorious time to be in accounting software. 20+ years later it is still great and I love working with it. I will start sharing things that I have learned over the last 2 decades and would love to hear from you on questions or comments.

Thanks
Mike Taranto

Dynamics GP mid year payroll tax update.

Dynamics GP mid year payroll tax update. It also includes fixes to GP that are not payroll related.  Check out the fixes in this article.

https://community.dynamics.com/gp/b/dynamicsgp/archive/2016/06/20/microsoft-dynamics-gp-mid-year-tax-update-released