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Streamline User security with Dynamics GP 2010 Security Enhancements

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

If you’re familiar with security roles and tasks in GP 10 you’ll be very pleased with the enhancements to security in the GP 2010 release.  Security roles were definitely a big step in the right direction, but there were areas that needed some fine tuning.  We are extremely pleased with the recent changes!

Display security roles and tasks

In the previous version , when viewing a user’s security, security roles, tasks and items, ALL items were displayed regardless of whether access was granted or not.  Now you can display only the security roles, tasks and items to which access has been granted.  See before and after screen shots below:

Before – the ‘Display Selected Tasks’ box was not available thus making the task of viewing access a bit tedious by scrolling through ALL tasks to determine what is marked/unmarked.

1-security-role-setup1

Security Role Setup

 

After – by marking the ‘Display Selected Tasks’ it reduces the list to only those items marked in the list:

 2-security-role-setup1 

Copy user security settings

You can now copy security from one user to another for company access, security roles and tasks!  This has made the process much more efficient!  No more opening multiple windows to setup a new user, now setup is complete in the user setup window. 

In version GP 10 setup of a user involved the following steps/windows:

1)      Setup user (User Setup)

2)      Grant company access (User Access)

3)      Assign security role(s) by company (User Security)

Now all three steps are combined  in one window using the copy functionality:

Simply click on the ‘Copy Access’ button in User Setup,

 3-user-setup

 Then select the user ID you would like to copy settings from using the looking glass.

 

4-copy-user-security 

This functionality is also useful when an employee is changing positions within the company.   Go to the User Setup window, click ‘Copy Access’ and select an employee in the new position to copy settings from.

If you would like more info why not check out the ‘What’s New’ document found on the Customersource website, or if you are already using Dynamics GP 2010 go to Help>What’s New in the application.

 

 

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Posted in Dynamics GP, Specific GP Modules, Tips 'n Tricks |

FUTA Surtax Expires 6/30/2011 – How to update Unemployment Tax in Dynamics GP

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

The FUTA rate will decrease from 0.8% to 0.6% effective July 1st, 2011.  The Wage Limit will remain at $7,000.  The IRS will be publishing a special Form 940 for 2011 to show the two rates.  Bookmark http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html  to find the form at year-end.

 

To change the rate in Dynamics GP, go to ToolsàSetupàPayrollàUnemployment Tax. 

In the Tax Code field, select FED.

In the Tax Rate field, type 0.6

Save and exit the window.

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Posted in Dynamics GP, Tips 'n Tricks |

Time-saving Tricks in Dynamics GP

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Grouping tasks into similar groups is a basic organizational tool.  For us bookkeepers, that means on any given day we will enter a pile of bills, record cash receipts, and generate sales invoices – each task requiring multiple entries with repetitive keystrokes and mouse-clicks.  I find any little trick to make these transactions go more quickly is a welcome addition to my toolbox.  Here are some of my favorite tips that increase efficiency:                    

1)       In any date field in Dynamics GP, users have the option of clicking on the calendar and navigating to the desired date or using the keyboard to manually enter the date.  If the desired date falls within the same month and year as your user date, you can just enter the DD portion of the MM/DD/YYYY format and the year and month will be completed by the system.  For example, if your user date is 06/20/2011, and you are entering a transaction dated 06/10/2011, all you need to type in the date field is 10, tab out of the field, and voila!  The date will read 06/10/2011. 

 

2)      Similar to tip #1, if the desired transaction date is within the same year as the current user date, all you need to type is the MMDD portion (skip the slashes!) and the YYYY will be completed by the system.  For example, if the user date is 06/20/2011 and your desired transaction date is 02/25/2011, all you need to type is 0225 and the date will read 02/25/2011. 

 

3)      Ever notice long it takes to load up the Checkbook Register Inquiry window?  Try this:  Enter the date range first, THEN select the Checkbook ID. 

 

4)      Keyboard shortcuts!  The less I have to move back-and-forth between keyboard and mouse, the faster every transaction gets entered. 

a.       Alt-R is the magic keystroke to open the Payables Transaction Entry window from the Payables Batch Entry window

b.      Alt-S opens the Cash Receipts Entry from the Receivables Batch Entry window, then use Alt-Y to open the Apply Sales documents window.

One of the best resources for new tips and tricks is from other users.  I highly recommend a GPUG (GP User Group) membership. GPUG’s community uses a variety of tools to share information, tips and tricks and best practices.  If you want to get the most out of Dynamics GP, GPUG is a great place to learn how.

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Posted in Best Practices, Dynamics GP, GP User Group, Tips 'n Tricks |

New Users and Dynamics GP

Friday, June 17th, 2011

While brainstorming about an interesting topic for my next Gilchrist Scott blog post, I got a call about setting up new users.  Seemed very straight- forward at the time. 

Step 1: Log into Dynamics GP, go to Tools ->Setup->System->User and enter an ID and Password.  You can enter a class if your company is using that.

Step 2: Once that part is done, you’d then go to Tools ->Setup->System->User Access and grant them access to each of the companies you want them to be able to get into. 

Step 3: Grant Security so that based on the work that they do, they will only be able to access those areas that have to do with the duties that they perform.

Well, we did this process together, and then tested the users.  Perfect!  We were able to log in as each user and all was working very well.

The part that was not so straight-forward? When they tried to log in as these new users on another machine.  They weren’t able to get these users logged in.  They kept getting the error “Your login failed.  Attempt to login again or contact your system administrator.”  Typically this means that you just entered the password incorrectly.  But while performing the definition of Insanity – “Performing the same steps over and over again, and expecting different results,” we found that we weren’t typing in the wrong password, because when we went back to the original machine that we setup the users on, the same password worked.

Now we needed to figure out what was different about these two machines that would play a role in these strange happenings.  There were several things that could have been contributing to the problem, so we decided to start with the most obvious first.  Any ideas?  Well, I took a look at the ODBC connection.  This is what is used to get Dynamics GP to be able to talk to the database where all your data is stored. 

When I looked at the connection, what I found was that the initial workstation was setup with an IP address (numbers that identify the server) and the other was setup using the server name as it appears on the network.  This was causing the issue for the Id’s and passwords.  The ODBC connections all need to be setup identically or there may be issues such as this.  It happens because the when the password is saved it gets encrypted based on the way the connection is setup, and if you try to access that new user on a workstation where the connection is not setup exactly the same as the workstation that created it, the decryption will not work to extract the password and allow the user in.

As usual with troubleshooting issues that come up, always be sure to look at the obvious first.  Just because something seems simple doesn’t always mean it is. 

Here’s to happy connections!

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Posted in Best Practices, Dynamics GP, Support, Technology |

How can Business Ready Licensing (BRL) for Dynamics GP save you money?

Monday, June 13th, 2011

At Gilchrist Scott, LTD, we know how important the relationship between clients and their Microsoft Dynamics Business Partner is.  You have made the wise decision to invest in Microsoft Dynamics GP. Now is the time to ensure that you are taking full advantage of all the Microsoft Dynamics features and capabilities to enable confident decision making, drive business productivity, and reduce operational costs.

 

BRL (Business Ready Licensing), was introduced in 2006 to help Dynamics customers get more value from their existing and new solution.  The bundle offers a wide range of functionality to support your business process.  Prior to 2006, customers purchased their solution using Module-based Licensing, adding new modules as needed.  This placed the value in the functionality, whereas BRL places the value in the number of users so customers don’t have to worry about which modules to buy initially.  You own the entire bundle, and may activate unused functionality as needed.  

 

With the special  promotional offers out there, many of our clients are able to move to BRL at a fraction of the cost that it was even a few short months ago. This will enable existing clients to access dozens and dozens of new modules, and freeze their annual enhancement at their current list price.

 

If your company is interested in a License Model Transition, now is the time to do it.  Microsoft’s year-end promotions offer this transition at a deeply discounted rate, but only until June 24th.  Please contact us now to discuss!

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Posted in Best Practices, Dynamics GP, Microsoft, Specific GP Modules |

SmartList Export Solutions for Dynamics GP

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

If you use SmartLists in Dynamics GP, you have most likely used the Excel button to export a SmartList to Excel.  What you may not know is that there is another option called SmartList Export Solutions that is available for you to use.

Examples of things you can use Smartlist Export Solutions for are to automate totaling and formatting of SmartList data in an existing Excel Spreadsheet.   And you can export SmartList Data to the same spreadsheet over and over again.  You also gain additional functionality by being able to use macros that automate various tasks like clearing data from an existing spreadsheet, creating a new sheet within a workbook before adding data, adding up columns etc..

To Setup a Smartlist Export Solution

1)      You’ll want to save a SmartList with the columns you want, as a Favorite

2)      Export your Favorite SmartList to Excel

3)      Save the Excel Spreadsheet to the location of your choosing  and close out of Excel

4)      View your Favorite SmartList in Dynamics GP

5)      Select Smartlist>>Export Solutions from the Menu

a.       Name:          Enter a Name to identify the Spreadsheet that you will be exporting to

b.      Document:                 Enter the Path or browse to where you previously exported and saved the SmartList in Number 3

c.       Preparation and Completion Macro:  If you added a macro to the Excel File enter those names here

d.      Visible To: Enter who you would like to be able to use/see this solution

e.      Application:  Select Excel

f.        Works for Favorites:  Check the box next to the Favorite that this solution is associated to

g.       Save and Close the Export Solutions window

Back at the SmartList window open your Favorite SmartList

1)      Click the Excel Button

a.       You will now have an additional choice of Export Solution (Quick Export is the usual way of exporting a SmartList)

b.      Click Export Solution and your spreadsheet will open

                                                               i.      If you created a before and/or an after macro these will run ahead of and/or after your is exported

It can be that simple, or you can design macros for different tasks like creating pivot tables etc..  This gives you quite a few more options when exporting SmartLists to Excel, especially when you do the same type of export month after month, and this should save you lots of time once the solution is in place.  Happy Exporting!

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Posted in Best Practices, Business Process Knowledge, Dynamics GP, Specific GP Modules, Support, Technology, Tips 'n Tricks |

SQL Server Reporting Services – Why should you deploy?

Monday, May 23rd, 2011
Curious about SQL Server Reporting Services’ features and benefits? Darren Woodbrey discusses security, subscriptions, drillbacks and report models in this post.
 
 
 
 

 

I am excited to join the team here at Gilchrist Scott Ltd.  This is my very first blog post and it’s obvious that I should start with SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) as I have a wealth of experience with it, and it seems like most customers can’t see the benefits until it’s deployed.  So that is the goal of this post, to convince you that SSRS is a platform you should deploy as soon as possible!

SSRS has been around for a while now, but only in the last couple of versions of GP has it been tightly integrated into the UI.  Reports can now be launched directly from GP Lists, and since GP 2010, the reports are separated into series (Sales, Purchasing, etc) with a link off of each navigation ribbon.  This makes them very easy to launch from within GP.  Some of the great features of SSRS that enable you to get business data out of GP easily and quickly are as follows:

Web Based / Security - Different from Crystal Reports, SQL Reporting Services does not have to be installed on all the workstations where the reports are launched.   The reports are created and then deployed to the Reporting Server, which is hosted just like any other web site.  SSRS also has built in security by report so you can restrict access based on the windows user or group.

Subscriptions – SSRS has a feature called subscriptions which allows you to schedule the delivery of reports through e-mail or to a folder.  This is certainly a very cool feature that enables you to take those reports you run on a regular basis and set them up to be delivered right to your email inbox.  This streamlines your reporting process and cuts down on time.  The reports can be sent in a PDF or Excel format among others.  You can also choose to run reports to a Windows file share.  This is great for “point in time reports” that you may need to go back and look at a later date.

Drillbacks – Drillbacks are an SSRS feature that allow links to be embedded into the report that will launch GP windows.  I have created Inventory reports for instance that have embedded links on the item number field that, when clicked, will pop open the Item Inquiry window in GP with that item already loaded.  This is great for when you need more information on certain items in the report in order to make smart business decisions on the fly.

Report Models – Report models are groupings of tables that are linked together and then published to the report server.  This allows users who are not familiar with complex table linking to be able to create reports for themselves, taking the report writing away from the IT department and allowing them to work on other projects.  The report creation process is done with a program called Report Builder.  This can be downloaded from the Report Server and installed on the users system simply by clicking on a link.

I think you will agree that this is very cool stuff!  So for those of you who do not have SSRS deployed; give us a call at 207.761.2133 or email us to schedule some time to get SSRS installed and start migrating you current reports or creating new ones.  If you do have it deployed and would like to start using it more, we can help with report creation, report model deployment,  and any questions/issues you may have.

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Posted in Dynamics GP, FRx / Reporting, Specific GP Modules, Technology |

Convergence 2011 - Premier Microsoft Dynamics event

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Why attend Convergence?  If you haven’t already seen this, I would like to share what Microsoft has to say about their most widely attended customer conference:

  1. Learn how we can get the most out of our Microsoft Dynamics solution.
    • Learn how to use the features and functionality of the Microsoft Dynamics solution we currently license to improve operational efficiencies and increase employee productivity.
    • Discover how Microsoft Dynamics can help us meet our fiscal responsibilities and compliance obligations.
  2. Network and collaborate with my peers and the product experts from Microsoft.
    • Tap into the strength of the Microsoft Dynamics community and get expert tips and see firsthand how users like us are optimizing their Microsoft Dynamics solutions to solve business problems.
    • Consult with our solution provider and the Microsoft personnel who are directly responsible for developing and supporting our product.
    • Take advantage of networking and learning opportunities outside of conference sessions. For example, in the Community and Learning Center, we can get free technical support, participate in hands-on lab exercises, and meet fellow users and product experts.
  3. Experience the latest solution innovations, new products, and technologies.
    • Get up-to-date on the latest Microsoft products and business technologies such as Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, and SQL Server and learn how these products can enhance our Microsoft Dynamics solution.
  4. Get insights into Microsoft’s corporate direction, and understand future plans for our Microsoft Dynamics solution.
    • Hear directly from key Microsoft Dynamics executive leaders about the broader Microsoft vision and company direction—and how Microsoft Dynamics strategy aligns.
    • Align our business to take best advantage of the insights I gain regarding Microsoft’s direction and solution investments.
  5. Become eligible for up to a 20% discount off when:
    • Purchasing additional users
    • Acquiring additional modules/granules
    • Transitioning to a Licensing Model

Plus, Convergence 2011 Atlanta is cost-effective and easy to attend. Atlanta offers many affordable hotel options, and the event starts on a Sunday so it will take less time from your work week.

For more information or to register to attend Convergence click on this link Convergence Web site.

 Feel free to give us a call at 207.761.2133 if you have any questions. 

We hope to see you there!

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Posted in Best Practices, Convergence, Dynamics GP, Microsoft |

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