Microsoft Great Plains Project Accounting - Overview For IT Director/Controller

Microsoft Business Solutions is now in process of creating so called Microsoft Suites: Microsoft Financials, Microsoft Logistics, Microsoft Manufacturing, Microsoft Professional Services - this last one will be based on Solomon Project module. The long story of Great Plains Software Project Accounting - it was originally created by MatchData, which was bought by Great Plains in late 1990-th and renamed into Great Plains Project Accounting. Great Plains Project accounting future is uncertain - it will not ( according to rumors in Microsoft) become the base for one of the Microsoft suites. However right now it is used by variety of businesses and has good functionality to fit general project accounting needs.

Strong Points:

It is very simple and intuitive - if you are certified accountant and know the GAAP on project accounting - you should be able to understand all the data flow and distribution in GL - Great Plains Project Accounting is following the rules.

Simple budgeting and project tracking - if this is your goal - consider it, especially if you already have Great Plains implemented in your company.

Microsoft SQL Server platform allows you to deploy all the industry tools, such as Crystal Reports, SQL Stored Procedures and Views

Seamless integration into Great Plains interface - Great Plains Project Accounting is Dexterity-written module, so it is in Dexterity interface and security model.

Weak Points:

Poor customization possibilities - I would say that Dexterity is now a good option here, because Project Accounting is itself Dexterity third party dictionary - Dexterity is good to customize core DYNAMICS.DIC, not third parties. VBA/Modifier are available but we would not recommend them, because they are now legacy technologies.

Poor integration with Microsoft Office tools - as of right now Microsoft is in process of moving all its ERP packages: Great Plains, Navision, Solomon into .Net platform. So, this is where all the efforts are applied. Microsoft Office is now the second priority

Good luck deciding and implementing and if you have issues or concerns - we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is CMA, Great Plains Certified Master, Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. You can contact Andrew: andrewk@albaspectrum.com

MORE RESOURCES:

Elliott Terminates Tender Offer to Acquire Epicor Software Corporation - MarketWatch

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/epicor-comments-on-the-termination-of-elliott-associatesrsquo-tender-offer,632860.shtmlcid=1272902427ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNExkTGGMUcjKJV0SvZDwfF2bEVWyAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=-zwqhIcofgUJimgurl=www.earthtimes.org/newsimage/Bus_20081121191102_35.jpg width=80 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Earthtimes (press release)/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Elliott-Terminates-Tender-Offer-Acquire/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B715050E5-AD0A-4808-A8D6-38ED8DF5BC63%257Dcid=1272902427ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNGZiFkHcgmH1nfIJlqaYKCpLN0FJgElliott Terminates Tender Offer to Acquire Epicor bSoftware/b Corporation/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr16 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b LP and Elliott International, LP (collectively, quot;Elliottquot; or quot;wequot;), a major shareholder of Epicor bSoftware/b Corporation (the quot;Companyquot; or quot;Epicorquot;), b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-1fd=Rurl=http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/11/21/ap5729568.htmlcid=1272902427ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNH8h26Py8CpmuOp9VOW9nU75A8K4gEpicor drops after hedge fund ends hostile bid/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrForbes/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-2fd=Rurl=http://www.ocbj.com/industry_article.asp%3FaID%3D75658381.8793711.1711307.8237208.5233255.264%26aID2%3D131630cid=1272902427ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNGV4Rwupkl6rac_rJBi8dWHQzmW7AHedge Fund Elliott Associates Withdraws Offer for Epicor bSoftware/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrOrange County Business Journal/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-3fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/mergersNews/idUSBNG18344320081121cid=1272902427ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNHz01M683FLeKu_Ox3qh8021p8o-gUPDATE 1-Hedge Fund ends offer for Epicor/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-4fd=Rurl=http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx%3FId%3D782142%26SMap%3D1cid=1272902427ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNEAqrHYeaYzMh1U5H2FM_Nl0Vp3UgnobrRTT News/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-5fd=Rurl=http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2008/11/21/epicor-elliott-associates-drops-bid-stock-tumbles/cid=1272902427ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNH484ABFnZetvvhrHVEojTPmJGgXAnobrBarron's Blogs/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272902427hl=ennobrall 44 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

The best thing about the 2.2 iPhone software update - CNET News

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1i-0fd=Rurl=http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/picture-google-street-view-on-the-iphone/cid=1272850889ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNGHZXoQ2Riw-7VZeoK918WZLwhUtgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=DbM9qO9EamEJimgurl=graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/11/21/technology/personaltech/iphonemap2.480.jpg width=80 height=32 alt= border=1brfont size=-2New York Times/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10105305-1.htmlcid=1272850889ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNHQ6MSIe1gJenYH3qOsBsZztP5nUAThe best thing about the 2.2 iPhone bsoftware/b update/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fCNET News,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1When it some to iPhone bsoftware/b updates, I#39;m all about the basics. Apple could enable the iPhone to cook my dinner every night, but if it added multimedia b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-1fd=Rurl=http://www.crn.com/networking/212101415cid=1272850889ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNGnkGA5hfQfaRzU4IcAKv0pF8oaxgFirst Look: Apple#39;s iPhone 2.2 bSoftware/b Hits The Street (And b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCRN/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-2fd=Rurl=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081121-lots-to-like-about-new-iphone-2-2-software-update.htmlcid=1272850889ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNHMInt5T_JZ38SknesN6E1QczrlCQLots to like about new iPhone 2.2 bsoftware/b update/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrArs Technica/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-3fd=Rurl=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/11/21/apple_releases_iphone_software_v2_2.htmlcid=1272850889ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNFaDwmKmrvGaDN0ivYOyhO18zmkoAApple releases iPhone bSoftware/b v2.2/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrApple Insider/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-4fd=Rurl=http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/691179/iPhone_Software_Update_22_Out_NOW.htmlcid=1272850889ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNFDB-BWUgUIJO0pt1-gFI4aDWa8sQnobrG4 TV/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-5fd=Rurl=http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/9932.htmlcid=1272850889ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNEz_qoH3X9CR0PylOHIbOhnY_XjOgnobrinfoSync World/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272850889hl=ennobrall 119 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Microsoft to offer free security software to attract beginners - eTaiwan News

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2i-0fd=Rurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7737520.stmcid=1272030386ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNG618NJAWMuZhmIirxAIgQQ5gMBLgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=ZEi3QvPWjUEJimgurl=newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45151000/jpg/_45151313_windowsindex.jpg width=80 height=60 alt= border=1brfont size=-2BBC News/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-0fd=Rurl=http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php%3Fid%3D794127%26lang%3Deng_newscid=1272030386ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNHDBf7f3b9QfsxdqX8fz1G1Fmfq7QMicrosoft to offer free security bsoftware/b to attract beginners/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6feTaiwan News,nbsp;Taiwannbsp;-/font nobr18 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-119 to stop selling personal computer security bsoftware/b and to use free personal anti-virus bsoftware/b instead. The new bsoftware/b called Morro can support seven b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-1fd=Rurl=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/11/spamhaus_microsoft_now_5th_mos.html%3Fnav%3Drss_blogcid=1272030386ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNGFkbOkSHFl-AVPvyXFrZr1iuO_5gSpamhaus: Microsoft Now 5th Most Spam Friendly ISP/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWashington Post/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-2fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE4AI7T420081119cid=1272030386ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNFZ8z8Mkm1M0pqerCdx-p9BcRKAtAMicrosoft: New bsoftware/b not Symantec, McAfee rival/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-3fd=Rurl=http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111808-microsoft-drops-onecare-antivirus.html%3Ft51hbcid=1272030386ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNH5mfzYoQ3PRAdsTcY86aw9bEEBDAMicrosoft to offer free security bsoftware/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNetworkWorld.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-4fd=Rurl=http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013120895cid=1272030386ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNEO8Oh4Wm46hoIIm4Avi3f6D-L6KAnobrAHN/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-5fd=Rurl=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122706587967940197.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsjcid=1272030386ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNHN-PUa45Lxay9N_wyC8ilDd-UFjAnobrWall Street Journal/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272030386hl=ennobrall 304 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Traction Software Introduces Live Blog Micro-Messaging and End-of ... - MarketWatch

Hann’s On Software bouht by Mediware - Bizjournals.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-0fd=Rurl=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/11/17/daily94.htmlcid=1272927325ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNHzlYybYUDSByhrnJXV4O_ZBXXcJwHann’s On bSoftware/b bouht by Mediware/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBizjournals.com,nbsp;NCnbsp;-/font nobr11 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Mediware Information Systems Inc. has bought the assets of Hann’s On bSoftware/b, a pharmacy-management bsoftware/b provider based in Santa Rosa, for $3.5 million b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-1fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Mediware-Acquisition-Adds-320-Pharmacy/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BD97D6EA2-0A06-49FD-BE33-0A9811CA460D%257Dcid=1272927325ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNG4oQ2DsbB-APB6l_NrGlgVzqHP0gMediware Acquisition Adds 320 Pharmacy Facilities/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-2fd=Rurl=http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx%3FId%3D782712%26SMap%3D1cid=1272927325ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNEuM6kSYWfUWpv-rWfKx6E4whbSawMediware Information buys assets of Hann#39;s On bSoftware/b - Quick Facts/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrRTT News/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-3fd=Rurl=http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081121/pharmacy-software.htmcid=1272927325ei=oJEnSee2MJ_S9QSvuLUHusg=AFQjCNEErNUQYGx1bvT2Jhbo5-eAEWJZ-QMediware Acquisition Adds 320 Pharmacy Facilities/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrInternational Business Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272927325hl=ennobrall 19 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Vertical Releases Feature-Rich Software Update for Wave - MarketWatch

PAR Technology Corporation Releases Next Version of SpaSoft(R) Spa ... - MarketWatch

Progress Software and QAD Propose A Formula for The Perfect Lean ... - MarketWatch

DR Systems to Feature Software-Only, Enterprise Web-PACS for ... - MarketWatch

Check Point Software Announces Participation in Fourth Quarter ... - MarketWatch

Software - Google News

RELATED ARTICLES

Microsoft Great Plains Partner Selection: Overview
Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Solomon and Axapta are Microsoft Business Solutions ERP applications, serving to the whole spectrum of vertical and horizontal markets. Assuming that you already have one of these systems installed and implemented we would like to give you - IT director, Database Administrator, Programmer, Software Developer, Controller your options in supporting/upgrading Microsoft Great Plains for your companyIt is always good idea to install everything on your own - however Great Plains requires combination of computer networking, some programming, good accounting/distribution/logistics/reporting background - so it is not a surprise that Microsoft Business Solutions requires their customers to have specially assigner Microsoft Great Plains Partner/VAR/Reseller to serve the account.

C++ Tutorial 2, Input and Variables
This is the tutorial where we really get into programming. Input and variables are the essence of programming.

Microsoft Great Plains: Annual Enhancement Program - How To Be Re-Enrolled
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is mid and even corporate market ERP and as being relatively complex and difficult to do self-support in-house, Microsoft Business Solutions requires you first to have so-called VAR of record, or your MBS partner and second - pay annual enhancement program, which is typically 16% of you software price list. Enhancement program allows you to get new version of the product as well as purchase and add new modules you might need.

Microsoft CRM Implementation & Customization: MS CRM Fax Gateway
With this small article we are continuing Microsoft Business Solutions CRM customization, development, modification, setup and implementation discussion.Microsoft CRM at this moment doesn't have advanced fax automation - you can register the fact of fax receiving or sending, but it is not sufficient for your daily work with your clients.

10 Steps To Secure And Manage Your Passwords
Passwords protect your most sensitive personal, financial and business information. They are the key to accessing membership, financial, and other web sites that you are a member of.

Destination: Desktop for Google
First we had the original Google search that evolved into the leader in its class. In fact, it became so popular that the word "google" worked its way into our everyday language as a verb, as in "to google" something.

Downloading Spyware Removers: Think Before, not After
Just imagine: you are walking, say, towards your car, and all of a sudden somebody comes up to you and begins? polishing your shoes. Or even better example--a guy you've never met before opens the hood of your car, says the engine is broken and tries to persuade you to add some gadget your car desperately needs--and now! What you'd do if such a crazy thing happened? Wouldn't you readily accept the help, paid for it and thank this unknown altruist for his generosity? Why not? Lots of people are doing exactly the same on their PCs.

Can Group Collaboration Software Meet Business Needs?
According to a survey conducted by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures entitled "Content-Centric Collaboration," 51 percent of businesspeople utilizing technology such as Microsoft Office and e-mail collaborate almost daily as a part of their business operations and need group collaboration software to support electronic collaboration.The report indicated that the need would continue to grow over the next year.

Microsoft eCommerce Web-development: Great Plains eConnect .Net - Highlights for Programmer
In our small article we'll consider Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains Sales Order Processing module as eCommerce backend. Plus we'll cover what is possible and impossible in eConnect and why.

RSS: Get Notified When Your Favorite Websites Are Updated
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a way for a site to publish it's updates. RSS readers can read these notifications and display a listing of the updates to you, the user.

Great Plains Bill of Materials Setup & Customization for Process Manufacturing - Overview
Microsoft Great Plains has full-featured Manufacturing suite of modules: Capacity Requirements Planning, Job Costing, Master Production Scheduling, Materials Requirements Planning, etc. However Microsoft Great Manufacturing serves so-called discrete manufacturing market niche.

Hubris - Definition: Microsofts Passport
Before September of 1995, Microsoft ignored the Internet because their 16-bit Windows 3.1 operating system couldn't handle the 32-bit Internet world.

Vlans
In order to implement VLANs in a network environment, you'll need a Layer 2 switch that supports them. Almost all switches sold today that are described as "managed" switches provide the ability to make ports members of different VLANs.

Microsoft CRM for Corporate Business - Working Offline
If your company has regional and worldwide operations, you might already realized that it is very hard to get decent internet connection in your remote locations. In this small article we will try to give you highlights on how to implement Microsoft Business Solutions CRM for worldwide operations with restricted internet connection.

SpyBot - Search and Destroy versus Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta).... My personal experiences...
Ok..

ERP Consulting: Microsoft Great Plains Partner Future Directions
In the Clinton era the status quo was simple: you serve your local clients and if you want to expand your business - open offices in other business metros. Great Plains Software was granting generous margins on the software sales and stimulated local leading VARs/Partners/Resellers with so-called orphan leads - customers who lapsed in payment annual enhancement program or called Great Plains Software directly to comply about quality of service by their VAR.

Dreamweaver vs FrontPage
There are two major WYSIWYG(What You See Is What You Get) editors available for beginners. These are: Microsoft FrontPage and Macromedia Dreamweaver.

Databases - How We Love to Hate Them!
You've finally created databases that you can actually use to store and manipulate all your critical data. That's great news and quite an accomplishment.

Navision Attain C/ODBC Crystal Report - Customization Example
Microsoft Business Solutions Navision is main ERP application for European, Brazilian markets plus it serves vertical segments of the USA market, such as light manufacturing, POS, CRM. As our experience indicates - Navision implementation requires more customization and tuning in comparison to another mid-market ERP solution from MBS: Microsoft Great Plains.

Microsoft Great Plains: Offshore Customization & Development - Overview for Consultant
When you visit department stores and see that majority of the apparels are produced in other countries, not US - you probably do not worry about this fact. About 10 years ago, when Clinton's high tech era was at the inception - we saw the signs of high tech professionals inflow in the USA from overseas.