Keeping it simple

5 Reasons To Consider Microsoft Dynamics GP On Demand Vs. NetSuite

Looking for a hosted accounting solution for your company. The author, S Meyer, expressed his opinion in his blog on 5/26/09 at this website:

http://www.erpsoftwareblog.com/2009/05/5-reasons-to-consider-microsoft-dynamics-gp-on-demand-vs-netsuite/

Why not give it read.

First, you're probably saying to yourself, "How can they even compare Microsoft Dynamics with NetSuite it's apples and oranges? NetSuite is a SaaS (Software as a Service) application and Microsoft Dynamics GP isn't." But that's only partly true, while NetSuite is strictly a SaaS application, Microsoft Dynamics GP can be configured either on-premise or on-demand-expertly hosted by a Microsoft Partner.  So let's start our comparison right there.

Reason #1 - NetSuite SaaS Only versus On-Premise and On-Demand with Microsoft GP
Microsoft Dynamics GP offers flexibility in deployment models, hosted (on-demand), on-premise and even a hybrid of both.  With a GP deployment you can change as your company or business needs change.  For instance, if you're a start-up or small business, an on-demand accounting solution is ideal.  You can pay a low monthly fee to license the software, and access it via the internet without having to buy any hardware or software, maintain cash flow.  Then, as your business grows and you add users, it may make sense to establish an IT environment, add IT resources to your staff and bring the accounting solution in house.  You can't do that with NetSuite.

Reason #2 - Familiar and Role-tailored Experience
Most business people today spend a good deal of their time within the Microsoft Office applications whether it's Excel, Word or the biggie, Outlook.  The interface for Microsoft Dynamics GP was modeled to look and feel like the Microsoft Office tools we use every day.  Additionally Dynamics GP offers an industry role-tailored interface for a task-centric experience.  This adds up to ease of use with minimized training time and costs as users easily adapt to the familiar structure.  You don't get that with NetSuite.

Reason #3 - Total Cost of Ownership and ROI
According to information from Forrester and Nucleus Research, 87% of Dynamics GP small and mid-sized business customers achieved positive ROI from their deployment with an average payback time of 21 months.  In contrast, NetSuite fees and add-on module costs can exceed the Microsoft Dynamics GP maintenance fee per user, adding up to higher overall TCO.

Reason #4 - R & D, Stability and Experience
Microsoft invests around $5 billion dollars a year in research and development as part of their commitment to their customers' long term success.  This investment along with 25 years of experience helps support almost 39,000 Microsoft Dynamics GP customers worldwide.  And with over 2300 certified solution partners, compared to NetSuite's estimated 150 resellers, you have no trouble finding a partner to deliver a successful GP implementation. You don't get that with NetSuite.

Reason #5 - Functionality and Adaptability
CPA Technology Advisor's review of high-end accounting systems gave Microsoft Dynamics GP a 5 out of 5 stars rating and labeled it as "an adaptive solution with a broad set of functionality" which crosses financials, supply chain, manufacturing, project, payroll human resources and business intelligence with built in functionality specific to the manufacturing, distribution, retial, service, healthcare, public sector and not-for-profit industries. A report from the Accounting Library states that 84% of Microsoft Dynamics GP overall customer needs were met.  The same report states that only 31% of NetSuite customers basic features needs were met.

If you're considering a SaaS application for your accounting solution because of the upside associated with a monthly subscription, ease of implementation and hassle-free IT, look at Microsoft Dynamics GP on-demand and you'll also get the flexibility to move on-premise, the familiarity of Microsoft Office and a low total cost of ownership.

To host or not to host. Maybe that should be the subquestion for this blog.

 

Regards,

 

Jeff Cozens

History via short video clips of a company called Microsoft

I ran across a series of short online "videos" about Microsoft. The series that Tina Wood is posting on Channel9 about the History of Microsoft is very interesting. How the company we're now was built, products, headcount, areas, new offices and subsidiaries around the world and what was happening around the world. These links take a yearly look in the history of Microsoft.

Check out the short videos and text to understand where Microsoft started and how it grew and progressed, at least between 1975 to 1990.
Who knows when Tina Wood will finish this series, which is definite must see for those who grew up and have used Microsoft for years.

 

Enjoy this link:

http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/History/The-History-of-Microsoft-1990/

 

PS. Did we really dress and ware our hair like that some 30 years ago????

 

 

Regards,

 

Jeff Cozens

 

 

 

Understanding how Microsoft Dynamics GP works with Microsoft SQL Server

This article was written by an escalation engineer for Microsoft Dynamics GP for the Asia Pacific region. David Musgrave has many years experience with Great Plains as a long time GP developer. Dave gives a brief history of the migration for GP from flat file structures in the 1980 and 1990's to the current MsSql databases. This article will likely be more interesting to our GP readers.

Many people who have not been working with Microsoft Dynamics GP since the early non-SQL versions of Great Plains Dynamics sometimes wonder about the way that the application works with Microsoft SQL Server.

The answer is in the long history of the product and especially in the fact that it originally did not work with Microsoft SQL Server, but instead with the flat file database platforms of Ctree and Btrieve (later called  Pervasive.SQL). Flat file database platforms are also known as ISAM (Indexed Sequential Access Method) database platforms.  Support for the Microsoft SQL Server relational database was added for version 3.15.

To make the development environment Dexterity (and hence Dynamics) work with SQL Server required mapping the existing functionality supported by ISAM platforms to SQL Server equivalents.  As some features of SQL Server were not available in the ISAM platforms they were not leveraged until the code was changed to be SQL optimised.

The full article can be read as:

 

http://blogs.msdn.com/developingfordynamicsgp/archive/2009/05/22/understanding-how-microsoft-dynamics-gp-works-with-microsoft-sql-server.aspx

 

Regards,

 

Jeff

Critical Warning- Dynamics SL users- Version 7.0

Please check to see what version of SL you are running. From within the SL application, click on Help, then about Microsoft Dynamics SL. If your version is shown below, then action is recommended:

 

Version 7.0: no service packs: (i.e. 7300.10515, 7.00.10810,7.00.10824, 7.00.10831, 7.0.11008,7.00.11026, 7.00.11106, 7.00.11121) I recommend you upgrade at least to service pack 2 for Solomon 7.0 (i.e. 7.02.21010)

 

Version 7.0 sp1 service packs (i.e. 7.01.xxxxx except 7.01.30213) I recommend you upgrade to version service pack 2 for Solomon 7.0 (ie. 7.02.21010)

 

Version 7.0 Sp2 no action is recommended

 

We have seen problems with some 7.0 SL users getting error messages when they try to start their software. This error causes to user not to be able to get into Solomon at all.

 

This was a message we recently received from the SL tech team:

(this is) … a .NET Framework 3.5sp1 issue, this is documented in bug number 17220. Unfortunately, .NET Framework 3.5sp1 causes SL 7.0 and SL 7.0sp1 to crash upon launch. However, there is currently a hotfix for SL 7.0sp1 specifically. The bug has been completely corrected in SL 7.0sp2 and SL 7.0fp1. I have copied in the link to the hotfix for 7.0sp1 below:

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/downloads/hotfixes/h701_12361sy.htm?printpage=false&stext=17220

There is a second reason that all uses of SL version 7.0 without a service pack should upgrade. This message from tech support explains why this is critical:

Currently the supported version-service packs are Dynamics SL 6.0, Dynamics SL 6.0 SP1, Dynamics SL 6.5 SP2, Dynamics SL 6.5 SP3, Dynamics SL 7.0 SP1, Dynamics SL 7.0 SP2 and Dynamics SL 7.0 FP1. See http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectmonbus for currently supported service packs and versions. Support ends 12 months after the next service pack releases or at the end of the product's support lifecycle, whichever comes first. For more information, please see the service pack policy at http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/#ServicePackSupport.

So, as 7.0 currently has two service packs out, we provide support for the latest service pack (7.0sp2), and the one previous to that (7.0sp1). 7.0 plain falls outside of that spectrum, so we no longer support it.

Please give us a call if you need assistance in upgrading. Better to take proactive action to minimize getting caught with this problem during a critical accounting period like closing. We have seen this problem show up for unexpected causes like: Microsoft update service loaded this version of .net3.5 sp1 on certain workstation, or an upgrade to another software package caused this .net3.5sp1 to be loaded. In any case act now to avoid problems.

 

Regards

 

Jeff Cozens

 

 

Improving Performance for GP or SL

Both of the Dynamics SL and GP product lines were developed as multi-tier applications. Simple stated you can install different portions of the software on different servers and gain performance improvements. Typically we see many sites starting off with all of the software loaded on one server. By setting up a separate server for dedicated use you can give improved performance to all of your users. Here are some examples where you get improved performance for Dynamic's software:

1. Sql server    
   1. Set up a dedicated server as a 64 byte operating system using the newest Sql version 2008
   2. Load up your Sql server with extra ram and dedicate as much ram to Sql as possible
   3. Use multiple hard drives to separate the application /system databases (ie xxx.mdf files) and a different server for the log files (xxx.ldf)
2. Load your Solomon software on a dedicated server (32 byte recommended)
3. Load all business portal application on separate servers.
4. Use hard drives with fast speeds for both spinning and data access
5. Minimize using your accounting servers for other purposes such as print services, terminal services etc. Put these services on different servers.
6. Buy hardware classified as server grade, minimize using desktop hardware as a server
7. Install a good amount of local ram on all servers; as the servers can use the ram for better performance.
8. Monitor your servers to make sure they have plenty of free space. Sql servers in particular literally can "die or choke" when they run out of hard drive space.
9. Upgrade your cabling/routers/nic cards to allow the faster network traffic

Hardware prices have never been as low as they are today. By improving your back end hardware, everyone who is using the Dynamics software will benefit. Accounting departments often tend to take the position, often, that if it is not broken, don't fix it. With additional workloads being but on all users of the Dynamics software due shrinking staff sizes, it is time to give your staff the benefits of improved software performance. With improved software performance, your staff can also do its work faster.

 

Regards,

Jeff Cozens