Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics GP Integration Manager

Microsoft Dynamics GP advanced Integration Manager techniques: VBA scripting, advanced ODBC queries, translation
Integration Manager itself is often considered as end-user tool. However it is also powerful in custom integration, and here we would like to give you some directions and highlights. Before coming to technologies, we should tell you that integration manager integration validates GP business logic and so is the most reliable and probably in many cases preferable way. In some cases, IM performance might not be sufficient (when you move to GP thousands of transactions every hour, for example), however as IM will be rewritten in eConnect – its performance should suffuse such challenging data feedings as well
• Text documents. When you need to import report-like text file, containing for instance AP invoices with line items, here you need to design advanced ODBC queries. One query will be providing Invoice header, the second one will be giving Invoice lines or items. ODBC has some restrictions, it is not full-featured SQL environment, however it supports select with such clauses as where, group, etc.
• VBA scripting. Yes, it is still valid for version 9.0 of Dynamics GP. VBA scripting allows you to do such advanced things as make ODBC connection to cross-platform: Oracle DB, IBM DBII, Pervasive SQL, Ctree/Faircomm, Progress, etc, get info from there and apply business logic to incoming data, based on the cross-platform SQL query
• Translation. When you accept source field as incoming data, you may decide to translate incoming value to what it has to be in GP. Look translation feature for the field. Translation values could be even copied from Excel table
• Before Document Script. This scrip will allow you to reject text lines, that are line feed, carriage return, etc. It is helpful when you are importing data from text reports, produced by one of your legacy systems
• Spoke and Hub ERP model. You may have situation, when your headquarters uses GP and subsidiaries non-Microsoft MRP platforms, such as Oracle Financials/eBusiness Suite/Applications, SAP Business One, Microsiga, Peachtree, MYOB, SAGE, MAS 2000, etc. In this case IM may help you with data consolidation. Typically you need GL level consolidation. IM can process IDE type of file or even structured report (with VBA scripting and advanced ODBC queries)
• Beyond Integration Manager. If you are comfortable with .Net, C#, VB, XML Web Services you can program advanced integration with eConnect – feel free to use Microsoft Visual Studio.Net
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About The Author
Andrew Karasev
Alba Spectrum Group ( www.albaspectrum.com www.enterlogix.com.br ) is serving customers in Illinois, California, Missouri, Alabama, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin, Indiana, Nebraska, Utah, New York, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Virginia, Washington, Minnesota, New Mexico, Louisiana, and US Nation-wide and internationally: Latin America, Europe, Australia, Oceania, Asia via remote support and visits onsite.