Which data typically gets re-keyed from CRM to ERP and vice-versa?For most organizations it is adding a new customer or vendor as well as changing an address for a customer or vendor. Most people would like this integration to work both ways regardless of where the new customer or change in address occurs. Most organizations want only a few people to be able to add vendors.New projects to bill time against and sales orders are not far behind in demand from users of both a CRM and an ERP product.We have worked on large and small ERP/CRM integration projects with a capable CRM Consulting firm with a local office here in Minneapolis. Their name is PowerObjects. They wanted to see project actuals, project budgets, and estimated to … [Read more...] about Integrating CRM and ERP
Qualities of the Right ERP Consultant
Our business has the same problems that many consulting organizations have that support more than one ERP product.While prospects like choice and being recommended the appropriate product, consulting organizations go through frequent periods where consultants on product A are too busy while consultants on product B are not busy enough…then 6 months later…the opposite is often the case.Clients want consultants who know their products intimately. If the consultant has 8-10 years of experience with the product they are helping with—that’s ideal for client and consultant.I will say that Boyer & Associates was a more profitable organization when we had three consultants on staff that considered themselves ERP consultants rather than a … [Read more...] about Qualities of the Right ERP Consultant
Why is Microsoft’s Dynamics GP so unsettling to competition?
When you watch Netsuite videos poking fun at Dynamics GP-you realize how threatening GP is to its competition. They are making fun of Fargo and it is a little funny-but there’s a bigger purpose to the teasing.Microsoft’s competition is trying to make their point about cloud computing, and maybe have some fun too at Fargo’s expense (like the movie). The impression I was left with is that competitors want to appear to be harmlessly teasing; they are however poorly hiding their fear of the Microsoft competition. Below are the reasons I believe GP still unsettles competitors:1. Dynamics GP has 42,000 active organizations using GP and paying maintenance on the product. This is an enormous number considering that hundreds of thousands of … [Read more...] about Why is Microsoft’s Dynamics GP so unsettling to competition?
Dynamics GP Integration Manager versus Dynamics SL Transaction Import for Importing Data
Importing data via web services is quickly becoming the best way to create new integrations due to the fact that integration is possible with systems in a different location, on a different operating system, or written in a different programming language-or even all three simultaneously.For those that don’t have the patience, staff or experience with XML-there are the trusty data import tools. Unlike web services, these tools only work one-way. You can import data into your accounting/ERP system with them.Here in Minnesota, we offer the two most mainstream Microsoft ERP products (in terms of number of US organizations using). So let’s look at the differences between these two products’ import tools-Dynamics GP (formerly Great … [Read more...] about Dynamics GP Integration Manager versus Dynamics SL Transaction Import for Importing Data
The ISV (Independent Software Vendor) Reseller
John Howell, the founder of Solomon Software International, and an author of an excellent article on cloud computing, once said to me “if you are a reseller, you should be a reseller-and be the best one you can be. Don’t try to be a software developer and a reseller because you will exhaust your resources and end up being great at neither the software development part nor the reselling/consulting part."For 17 years, we’ve resisted the temptation to turn one of the hundreds of useful programs we’ve created for our Minnesota-based Dynamics GP and Dynamics SL clients into a for-resale product.What are the differences between a consulting (reseller) organization and a product-creating reseller organization?1. Quality of documentation. … [Read more...] about The ISV (Independent Software Vendor) Reseller
Dynamics SL 2011 Improvements
We work with a group in Ohio that does our Dynamics SL telephone support when things get too busy for our team. This only happens a few times a year but they are very good as many of the support people came from Solomon Software years ago.Their recent newsletter discusses some of the improvements to Dynamics SL that we believe will be extremely useful to our 120 active Dynamics SL clients in the Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota area.Here are some of the Dynamics SL 2011 enhancements:· Graphical alerts are displayed when your attention is needed on an item - such as approving a timecard or an account has become overdue. Links to the item needing action is provided.· Print Screen and Excel Export options are now available more … [Read more...] about Dynamics SL 2011 Improvements
ERP, CRM, and “The Cloud”
A lot of Accounting/ERP and CRM developers are making attempts to position their older offerings as “cloud computing.” Many articles in accounting journals are even defining cloud computing as the ability to run your application on a server based somewhere else. While many cloud applications are still short on features, cloud is now the buzz. Everyone wants in.I sat in on a cloud (SaaS) only vendor’s presentation last month where the vendor’s primary argument was that cloud saves everyone so much money in hardware and IT costs, well who would be foolish enough to continue running anything on premise? I then looked at the modules and functionality of the solution and found the product to be seriously missing key features, functionality … [Read more...] about ERP, CRM, and “The Cloud”
Most Prevalent Dynamics SL Issue at Year End
For those of you that did not attend our year end event at Microsoft in December-please attend next year. Our year-end support calls are down considerably and we believe it is because we reviewed what to do when closing out your year.If you’ve gotten the message “Sys Message 532 Date must be in an open 1099 Year” while printing checks, you need to gain access to the 1099 Calendar Year Control (03.530.00) screen and purge Oldest years so that 2011 is an open year. Microsoft Dynamics SL allows users to process checks into two years and that is controlled in the 1099 Calendar Year Control screen.Doing this will not cause you to lose any data, it will simply allow you to print checks in 2011. … [Read more...] about Most Prevalent Dynamics SL Issue at Year End
Excel-based Budgeting
Why is Excel-based budgeting still so incredibly popular?Earlier in December we held a year-end closing event for both our Dynamics GP and Dynamics SL clients. 70 people attended the event.Because there were too many people to have each person introduce themselves, I asked a series of questions to make people feel welcome and involved. One of my questions was “How many people use Excel to budget?” I was shocked. All but 3 of our largest clients raised their hands.Why was this so surprising to me? I hear a lot of complaining from accountants around budget-time. Most don’t like Excel for budgeting.Specifically, this is what I hear: 1.) There is no time to analyze numbers due to the fact it took us so long to get the numbers. 2.) … [Read more...] about Excel-based Budgeting
