| Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and | | | | 3. Smart List - Export to Excel - this is nice feature in |
| more popular, partly because of Microsoft muscles | | | | Great Plains - you could create a list with simple |
| behind it. Now it is targeted to the whole spectrum | | | | criteria and then export it to Excel. |
| of horizontal and vertical market clientele. Small | | | | 4. Crystal Reports. It gives you unlimited functionality. |
| companies use Small Business Manager (which is | | | | Obviously flexibility requires you to know Great Plains |
| based on the same technology - Great Plains | | | | table structure: Launch Great Plains and go to |
| Dexterity dictionary and runtime), Great Plains | | | | Tools->Resource Description->Tables. Find the |
| Standard on MSDE is for small to midsize clients, and | | | | table in the proper series. If you are looking for the |
| then Great Plains serves the rest of the market up | | | | customers - it should be RM00101 - customer master |
| to big corporations. There are several reporting tools | | | | file. If you need historical Sales Order Processing |
| available and you definitely need to know which one | | | | documents - they are in SOP30200 - Sales History |
| to use for different types of reports. | | | | Header file, etc. Create ODBC connection to GP |
| If you are developer who is asked: how do we | | | | Company database. Use the same technique as when |
| create report for Microsoft Great Plains - read this | | | | you create standard ODBC connection for GP |
| and you will have the clues on where to look further. | | | | workstation - but change default database to |
| | | | targeted company database. Create SQL Query to |
| 1. Great Plains Report Writer (ReportWriter) - this is | | | | probe the data - we always recommend tuning your |
| built-in reporting tool. All the original report in Great | | | | query and see that you are getting adequate results |
| Plains are written in ReportWriter. ReportWriter itself | | | | - in any case - Crystal Report is just a nice tool to |
| is Dexterity module. You should use this tool if you | | | | show the results of your query. |
| would like to modify existing Great Plains reports, | | | | 5. Direct Web Publishing off Great Plains databases - |
| such as Blank Invoice Form - here you can place your | | | | yes - it is easy now with Visual Studio.Net and you |
| company logo, change the positioning, fonts, colors, | | | | can hire good programmers. This is good - Microsoft |
| etc. ReportWriter will allow you also do new reports - | | | | Business Solutions products: Great Plains, Solomon, |
| simple option if you want to export all the records | | | | Navision and Axapta will be integrated into so called |
| from one Great Plains table - use it. New report, | | | | Microsoft Business Portal - which will have web |
| however doesn't have interface where you would | | | | interface - you can get the idea if you look at |
| enter parameters - so it is not useful for real custom | | | | Microsoft CRM web client - so direct web publishing is |
| reports. Another limitation of ReportWriter - you can | | | | good taste. |
| not do cross-modules report - when you need sales | | | | 6. SQL Queries. If you have SQL background - this is |
| and purchasing info on the same report for example. | | | | great field for you. You know - with properly |
| 2. FRx. This is excellent tool when deal with financial | | | | formatted SQL query you can realize simple EDI |
| reporting - it works on the General Ledger level | | | | export/import for the integration with legacy |
| (Balance sheet, P&L, Cash Flow Statement, etc.). | | | | systems. |
| It also allows you to do multiple companies | | | | Happy designing! If you want us to do the job - give |
| consolidation - when you do consolidated Balance | | | | us a call 1-866-528-0577! |
| Sheet (with inter-companies transactions elimination). | | | | |