Thank you for all the love!

In the last few weeks I got feedback that many people found GPWindow.com to be slow. I checked the website analytics and found that over 4000 people were hitting the website everyday. I didn’t think that was too much, but the shared hosting GPWindow was on was having trouble keeping up.

So GPWindow.com now on a faster dedicated server! Let me know if you notice an improvement in speed.

Thank you all for the great feedback and reviews. Below are some highlights and some features highlighted by other bloggers and MVPs.

GPWindow.com Directory

Your window into the Microsoft Dynamics GP community – David Musgrave, Microsoft 

GPWindow: The next best thing after the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook - Mariano Gomez, MVP

GP Window – Mark Polino, MVP

Microsoft Dynamics GP Window - Mohammad R. Daoud – CTO, MVP

http://www.gpwindow.com/ – an absolute Masterpiece! - Leslie Vail, MVP, MCT

GPWindow - A Site for Dynamics GP Resources by Jivtesh - VAIDHYANATHAN MOHAN, MCP

GPWindow.com: Wonderful Resource - JANAKIRAM M.P

GPWindow.com – Thousands of GP Tips and Tricks from All MVPs and Experts – Jivtesh

Custom GP Search

GPWindow Now Searches Dynamics GP Communities and Forums (Alpha Version) – Jivtesh

Custom Search Engine to Search All Dynamics GP Blogs – David

Search for a Dynamics GP Window Path

• Where’s that GP Window
• Where’s that GP Window AUS/NZ/UK Version

GPWindow Tells Us Where's GP Windows Are – Vaidy

GPWindow: Where's that GP Window? – David

GP Support Tip : Sending a GP Window Path in an Email ? – Jivtesh

Security Helper Pages

• Search for Roles and Tasks for a GP Window or Report
• Setting up a Security Task/Role for a GP Window or Report

Security Task/Role associated with a Dynamics GP Window – Jivtesh

GPWindow.com Articles

Support Debugging Tool Essential Series

• Dynamics GP SDT Essential Series 1 – Working better with Multiple Companies
• Dynamics GP SDT Essential Series 2 – Transfer AA Dimensions and Codes from Test to Production
• Dynamics GP SDT Essential Series 3 – Using Triggers (GP on Steroids)
• Stop cash receipts for a customer on hold – Dynamics GP SDT Essential Series 4

GP ISV Product Reviews

• Nolan Advanced Bank Reconciliation – Dynamics GP Product Reviews
• Greenshades Center – Dynamics GP Product Reviews #2
• Dynamics GP Product Reviews – Mekorma MICR
• …Watch out for reviews every week

Dynamics GP ISV Product Reviews at GPWindow.com – Jivtesh

Dynamics GP ISV Product Reviews at GPWindow.com – Mark Polino

Dynamics GP Blog Resources Compilation

• Dynamics GP Customizations (Best Practices, Extender, Macros, Modifier)
• Dynamics GP : Reporting (FRx, Management Reporter, Business Alerts, Crystal, Report Writer, Smartlist, Builder and SSRS)
• Dynamics GP Integrations using Integration Manager, Table Import, eConnect and Web Services

 

Dynamics GP Customizations Summary – David

'Feel Good' Tech Support

So often we hear stories of bad tech support, so once in a while when you get good tech support, it might not be a bad idea to mention it.

Greenshades - with their e-Filing center has been popular with Great Plains customers for a while. Last week I got a call from a customer who was on a deadline and getting an error while filing. The customer was frantic and his sense of urgency transferred to me. He said he was trying, but just couldn't get in touch with Support.

I called the Greenshades tech support people. It took me about 30 minutes to wait in queue before I could speak to the tech support guy.

I was ready to blurt out the story with urgency befitting that of a person being rushed to the ER. However, as soon as the person on the other side of the phone said - "Hello there!" (Calm voice, possibly smiling), all I could do was just mention the problem. We got the problem resolved pretty quickly and it was all over.

This has happened to me multiple times over the years, with separate tech support people at Greenshades. Each time I call, and there is an emergency from a customer, and each time I hear a calm voice on the other side, with somebody who is smiling, and get a quick resolution.

Greenshades has the happiest group of Tech Support people I know of.

Snapshot tool from David Musgrave

David Musgrave has released a basic unsupported version of a highly useful product Snapshot to setup, pre-load and migrate data to GP. I am as excited about this as I was about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "The Dark Knight".

Here are the the example uses -

•  Automatic pre-loading of data into new companies. You could pre-
load tax schedules, charts of accounts, module Setup information, etc.

•  Pre-loading of data into new companies using the wizard to select the
appropriate  profile.    For  example,  you  could  supply  profiles  for
different business types.

•  Copying  specific  data  from  any  product  for  backup  or  support
purposes.  Can be used to send specified table data via email rather
than an entire company. 

•  Backing up and restoring Sales Consultant’s demonstration systems
created for demonstrating specific products.

•  Backing up and restoring specific data to return to a known state for
development SQA (Software Quality Assurance) purposes.

•  Copying data between different companies on a system.

•  Copying  data  between  different  systems,  independent  of  database
platform, account framework or sort order.

•  Corporate data archiving by copying selected data using the where
clause and then clearing those selected records from the table. 
 
•  Migrating data between platforms, especially for 3rd  party products
that do not have migration facilities.
 
•  Creating or re-creating tables, especially for 3rd  party products that do
not have installation scripts.

•  Creating  or  re-creating  the  Dexterity  automatic  stored  procedures,
especially when a Dexterity runtime update recommends recreation of
the store procedures.

•  Ensuring  access  is  granted  to  tables  and  stored  procedures,  by
requesting SnapShot to create the tables without dropping them first.

•  Obtaining a resource description report for tables and fields from any
product.

•  Obtaining resource information as a tab delimited file for importing
into  the  data  dictionary  of  your  favorite  data  mining  or  reporting
application.

•  Obtaining resource information as an XML file for use with any XML
compatible application.

Do check it out!

SmartFill - Google for Great Plains

You know that a product is good, when a customers tells you he really wants it.

We are scheduled to install SmartFill for some new customers next year, but from what we have seen - we love it so much that we are going to try and sell it to our existing customers as well.

I have had "Install and Test SmartFill" on my to do list for a while now. Yesterday after hearing Therese Rudzis of Rockton Software on GP Rocks - I finally got down to installing it.

I will come back and write a detailed review once I have seen it running for multiple users, but for now I loved what I saw. This software provides the usability experience that would make users love Great Plains.

I would recommend checking out their demo - Click Here

Its reasonably priced per user and you could install it for one user to begin with. I am sure others would plead for it soon enough!

Here is a screen shot I took from our test machine after installing smartfill-

After you type “State” and Press TAB – You get a filtered Customer List in the Lookup