Summit Group Software Blog

GP Security Tasks are not always what they are said to be!

Sheila Ochoa — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:18:04 +0000

In researching some tasks regarding payroll, I came across four tasks that are default tasks in Microsoft Dynamics GP10 and GP2010. These four tasks all have access to the Payroll Inquiry window and the Payroll Audit Trail Inquiry window even though they are financial tasks. If you do not want users accessing payroll information, I would suggest that you edit the predefined task and remove access to these two windows.

The tasks are:
INQ_FIN_001*
INQ_FIN_002*
INQ_FIN_004*
INQ_FIN_005*

Please contact your Microsoft Dynamics Partner if assistance in editing tasks if needed.

Scribe Insight 7.5 Released!

Tyler Sand — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:57:16 +0000

Last week, Scribe Software released the long awaited Scribe Insight 7.5. The biggest new feature of the release is support for Unicode, which is of particular importance for international users, however it also included over 24 bug fixes, several of which I have run into so having them finally resolved is great news! In addition, Scribe released adapter updates to add compatibility with Scribe Insight 7.5, in additional to resolving many other bugs. The CRM adapter includes over 18 bug fixes and the GP adapter includes over 11. Here is a summary of the fixes included in Scribe Insight 7.5, the Dynamics CRM Adapter 5.2, and the Dynamics GP Adapter 4.2 (the issues that I have ran into first hand have been bolded):

Scribe Insight 7.5

Support for Unicode
HEX2DEC function is returning incorrect values (doc only)
Query Publisher has a limit to the number of repeating nodes it supports
Cannot create Data Views using column names that contain spaces
Target Adapter settings: DRSProperties not being honored from parameter switches in command line or console
Sales Order line updates are not consistently correct when integrating to CRM 2011 (when using both the 4.4 and 2011 adapters)
Email Bridge stopped working after upgrade from 6.5 to 7.01
XML Adapter – problems working with sample docs that have nodes with same name in multiple namespaces
Creating XML only creates one XML record which is the last record from source, not multiple XMLs for all objects in source
Console not allowing view of rejected rows
The default internal DB connection cannot be used as the ‘source’ of a DTS used in a Query IP (doc only)
Console version issue
Calculated Variable seems to only be calculated if the user edits the formula in the WB, clicks OK
GetRowError() is not releasing the results from row to row, it’s caching the error causing the wrong information to be updated
Step names are lost when connection info is updated
Message Processor not observing the “reuse connection” DTS setting
Document how the XML Schema option works in Queue Event Settings
Default folder required for Collaboration Root; Doc needs to be changed to specify that default folder is needed for Collaboration Root
Issue with PAD function
Large adapter metadata sets are truncated: Unexpected end of file while parsing Name has occurred
Workbench UI issue with Custom Query not being recognized as a query
Pre-operation formula incorrectly applied to new step
EndJobSuccess should commit before dropping out if there are open uncommitted operations
the /TS parameter with a timed IP does not correctly handle slashes ( / ) – it errors out – Fatal error 306 occurred: Error opening data source
Notify Workbench user if UAC is enabled and identify restrictions that will result

Dynamics CRM Adapter 5.2

Support for Insight 7.5, including support for Unicode
Timeout exception in multithread environment
Source connection fails to AX db with Danish_Norwegian_CI_AS collation
AxServerHost must be run on AOS box
Runtime error when processing 33500 records from a text file into AX
Connecting to CRM2011 OnPremise systems getting a Timeout error
CRM 2011 adapter, error occurred while receiving the HTTP response
Unable to Insert an attachment from CRM 4 to CRM 2011
Regardingobjecttypecode falsly returns #NULL! Value
Principal user is missing the prvCreatenew_scribepublisherqueue privilege when saving in CRM (Doc change only)
Filtering on regardingobjecttypecode field in Publisher for CRM fails to generate messages
Adding “type” to the end of field cause CRM as Source and Publisher to fail
BridgeServer climbs in RAM until it stops working
CRM Publisher creating Schema wrong with Child object (Doc change only)
CRM 2011 Publisher no longer has the Retrieve Entire Object checkbox
CRM 2011 adapter v5.2 should allow “Compare fields on updates (only update if changed)” to be selectable
XML will not be complete if there are more than 100 child records being pulled from CRM
CRM Boolean issue with -1 versus 1
Aliasing field no longer works with Fetch must convert code to use retrieveMultiple

Dynamics GP Adapter 4.2

PA Project Access does not work with Deletes
Deleting SOP Transactions with multiple SOP Lines
Default Selling UofM should be read only on the Item Object
POP Transaction Line is missing a field
Update the metadata to pass the new GP 11 field Ledger_ID to the taGLTransactionHeaderInsert stored proc
GP Publisher does not allow customer numbers with a apostrophe
Scribepublisherqueue table locking in gp adapter 4.0.1
Sales Order line updates are not consistently correct when integrating to CRM 2011 (when using both the 4.4 and 2011 adapters)
Resolve performance issue with GP publisher
Receiving multiple messages per GP action

For more information on Scribe Insight 7.5 and its adapters, please visit the following links:
Scribe Insight 7.5 – https://openmind.scribesoftware.com/releases/insight-75
Dynamics CRM Adapter 5.2 – https://openmind.scribesoftware.com/releases/dynamics-crm-adapter-52
Dynamics GP Adapter 4.2 – https://openmind.scribesoftware.com/releases/dynamics-gp-adapter-42

To get upgraded to the latest version in order to take advantage of the gargantuan number of new features and fixes or for more information, please contact Summit Group Software.

Project Server and Business Portal…let the fighting begin!

Joseph Tews — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:11:48 +0000

I recently upgraded a client from SharePoint v2.0 to v2010. The upgrade was successful, and the Business Portal implementation on SharePoint Server 2010 was also successful. Then, we installed Project Server on the same web application that Business Portal was installed on. After the Project installation, SharePoint stopped working and threw up the generic error of death. After turning on the errors on the page, I realized that there was a conflict in the section of the web.config file. When I opened it up, I noticed the following:

      http://WEB01:48620/Dynamics/GPService/GPService” binding=”wsHttpBinding” bindingConfiguration=”DynamicsGPWCFService” contract=”Microsoft.Dynamics.GP.Proxy.WCF.DynamicsGP”>

Notice the duplicate sections. When Business Portal is installed, it creates its own bindings for the DynamicsGPWCFService, that utilizes WCF for Business Portal needs. Now, when Project Server came along, it also required a binding for its projectBasicHttpConf service. Instead of realizing there was already a section created, it decided to create a second one. SharePoint only wants one section. So, I moved the Project binding in with the DynamicsGPWCFService, and it all worked well together!

Manually changing the SysData location…one more thing…

Joseph Tews — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:09:20 +0000

I’m sure all of you have read and thoroughly enjoyed my blog post on manually changing the SysData location. Well, today I was doing a server move and ran into the same issue, so I followed my own advice but it still wouldn’t update properly! I was stumped, until I realized that, sometimes, there is a line in a file in the SysData folder that causes issues. My problem was, whenever I would change the location, it would always revert. There is one more step to those mentioned in the previous post. In the SysData folder, open the System.cfg file and remove any lines that contain a “MOVETO” command. This was making my .xml file revert back to the original location. After changing all three locations, FRx opened with no problems!

Benefit/Deduction Summary window in Microsoft Dynamics GP Human Resources

Gina Hoener — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:49:02 +0000

So here it is–year end…and it’s time to start preparing. You may be reviewing salaries, deductions etc. along with updating benefits in Human Resources. The Benefit and Deduction Summary window (HR/Payroll–Cards–Human Resources–Employee Benefits–Benefit and Deduction Summary) is a valuable resource when reviewing employee benefits. But did you know that the Retirement benefit information does not appear at all? Try as hard as you can, you won’t get the employee and/or employer contribution information to populate in this summary window.

This is a confirmed bug (#11954) and is scheduled to be resolved in SP3 for GP 2010. If you use any of the Benefit letters in Microsoft Dynamics GP the letter will not properly report retirement contributions. As a temporary solution you can update the table through SQL.

To update JUST the HR Benefit and Deduction Summary window you will look at table BE010130. The columns that you need to update are COSTEMPLOYEE_I AND COSTEMPLOYER_I. Retirement benefits have a value of 3 in the BENEFITKIND_I column. After updating the table you will see the amounts in the Benefit and Deduction Summary window and the HR Benefit Letter will print properly.

Please have a complete and restorable backup when testing this update. Testing in a test company is always recommended. If you have questions contact your Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner or email us at: support@summitgroupsoftware.com

Here’s hoping you have a peaceful payroll year end!

Gina Hoener

Trouble Importing Microsoft Dynamics GP Excel Budgets using the Excel Budgeting Wizard

Gina Hoener — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:56:24 +0000

Recently I have had several clients with problems importing their new budgets. They receive the message that the number of period columns do not match the Excel columns. Well, simple to fix right? For sure someone has edited the format of the spreadsheet; added a column, hid a column, removed the blank row at the top…something changed right?

Wrong

It appears that during the exporting process of the budget (creating a blank budget to work with) Excel has a habit of changing the format of the column headings to Date. So Excel thinks January is a date and changes the heading to Jan-12. GP cannot import this value and thus the message about the number of columns not matching. Oh, and I might add, this doesn’t happen every time and isn’t version specific!

Notice the message really has nothing to do with your problem?

So, couple ways to fix this…highlight the row with your column headings and change the format to Text. If that doesn’t work you can type each of the column headings in yourself. I had a customer actually copy the column headings from LAST YEAR’s imported budget to her new budget…and voila…it imported!

Nothing on PartnerSource about this…would love to know if it is documented anywhere.

As always, if you have questions, contact your Microsoft Dynamics Partner or email us at support@summitgroupsoftware.com.

Until next time!

Gina

Microsoft Dynamics GP and Pennsylvania Local Tax Act 32

Gina Hoener — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:09:36 +0000

You’re wondering aren’t you? Will there be a tax update for the new Pennsylvania Local Tax Act 32?

Well, thank you to Microsoft’s Terry Heley for once again clarifying the wild world of payroll and payroll taxes! On her blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/dynamicsgp/archive/2011/10/06/pennsylvania-local-tax-act-32-will-microsoft-dynamics-gp-support-it.aspx) she reminds us that Microsoft typically does not support local taxes. Updates are for Federal, State and Social Security only (with a few exceptions). This Pennsylvania tax is effective as of January 1, 2012 and is a local tax. Thus, there will be no update to the payroll tax tables for GP.

The new tax effects both employers and employees. Users will have to now keep track of the PSD codes for employees and there will be a PA employee’s certification of residency form that is required from each PA employee to fill out similar to the W4.

Greenshades Software (www.greenshades.com) will have a product for purchase for customers if they need this tax. Greenshades specializes in local taxes and will be able to help.

As always, if you have questions contact your Microsoft Dynamics GP partner or email us at support@summitgroupsoftware.com

Get ready! It’s coming! Payroll year-end 2011!

Yes Virginia, you CAN post to a closed fiscal period!

Gina Hoener — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:33:53 +0000

Consider this scenario: In preparation for your fiscal year-end close you have closed all the fiscal periods in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Fiscal Period Setup for that year. You have the new year created and users have been posting in that new year.

You notice that the checkbook register balance has changed even though there has not been a check run in the new fiscal year. Upon further investigation you see that several manual payments have been posted to a fiscal period that is marked as CLOSED! How can this happen you ask?

Well, it can happen…and it does happen. If you post a transaction (any type of transaction–not just manual payments) to a GL period that is OPEN, even if the subledger period is closed, the transaction WILL post to both the subledger and the GL. Crazy, I know. What’s the use of closing the fiscal periods if you cannot prevent posting?

I am told by a very nice support engineer that this is ‘operating as designed’ and that due to my posting settings (Posting date comes from the batch) these transactions will post. If the GL fiscal period is open and the batch posting date is in that period, the transaction will post. In my situation I had a client whose transaction date was 9/30/11 (last day of their fiscal year) and a batch posting date of 10/12/11. Yep, October was open in the GL…September was closed. The transaction posted to both the Purchasing subledger as of 9/30/11 and to the GL as of 10/12/11.

Needless to say I believe this is a huge flaw…and I don’t agree that the feature is ‘operating as designed’. Check out the documentation, help files, training manuals…and everything in between…what you’ll see is if the fiscal period is closed you cannot post to it.

The Support Debugging Tool (free) will allow you to create a trigger and a warning dialog to the user if the fiscal period is closed; it won’t stop them from posting but it will give them a message.

I’m told to make a product suggestion. However, if this is operating as designed whose gonna change it? Crazy, crazy, crazy…Yes, Virginia, you CAN post to a closed fiscal period.

Raising More While Spending Less

Bill Malone — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:39:14 +0000

When it comes to donor management or fundraising software very few Nonprofits claim to be satisfied with the software solutions they have in place. There are many reasons for this dissatisfaction but in the end most are tied back to cost. Nonprofit customers state that solutions are too expensive, generate steady streams of fees, and are too complicated. These same customers try to cut costs by skipping training and avoiding pay per incident support. We find that in most solutions out there, two commonly paid for services are training and support. In short, these added expenses only add to the frustration, confusion, and complication of this type of software.

If you are frustrated with your donor management/fundraising software and are considering implementing a new solution, there are a few costs you need to consider. Look very closely at what you get for the purchase price or subscription price. Costs can surface in a variety of ways.

First, the cost of the actual application—the software solution itself. Some on-premise solutions will run thousands of dollars per user with setup fees, licensing fees and annual maintenance fees of 20%…more.
Second, the cost of training and support—these costs can vary widely solution to solution.
Third, the cost of added functionality—many popular solutions charge setup fees, licensing, and maintenance for any additional modules or functionality you might select.
Consider the task of data conversion. Data conversion is critical to ensure that your historical data is brought over and is usable in the new system.
Along with the application you must consider where the application will reside—on your existing server, a workstation, new hardware, the cloud? All are possibilities, which one best fits your organization?

Let’s take a moment to delve into data conversion. Along with license costs, data conversion tends to be the second big cost in implementing a new system. Unless you are starting from scratch, moving your data from your old/current system to the new one will cost you time/money. Many vendors will provide this service and they are normally quoted on a case-by-case basis and
billed based on the amount of time required to move the data from the old system into the new system. Companies should provide estimates of the expected cost before any work begins.

Training and support are areas that are commonly overlooked or cut in the budgeting process for a new software project. Our position is that you can buy the best system in the world, but without first preparing and then supporting your users training, the staff will struggle and ultimately the system will go underutilized. Plan for training staff when you first purchase the system and
ensure adequate training and support in each and every year. If you have a plan for training and support each year it will allow you to train existing users in the more sophisticated features of the system or train new staff members as they join your organization. Ongoing support must also be considered. If users get stuck it is important to get them answers quickly so they can keep moving
in their jobs.

Recently, a number of options are becoming available online. Monthly per user, subscription-based pricing exists for around $40 per user upwards to $200 per user. Keep your eyes on exactly what is included in any purchase or subscription price. Remember, some companies provide additional modules for advanced functionality that further increases cost.

Cloud-based subscription services bring with them a very interesting value proposition. You needn’t maintain a server or system upon which your solution resides. This means no expenses tied to hardware upgrades, and no expenses tied to product updates. In other words, your server never gets old or fills up, and your software doesn’t require constant updating and patching. To put it another way, your software is always the current version. The “cloud” brings with it some very compelling economies any business must consider, but perhaps most importantly, a small to medium sized Nonprofit with no dedicated IT department. You can spend your time and resources furthering your mission, not updating and maintaining hardware and software.

One fundraising solution that is designed to lower your overall costs and increase your success is PeakNFP Donor Management built on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. Check it out today at www.peaknfp.com or email info@peaknfp.com.

Scary Sales Tax Notices That Can Hurt Business

Geniece Kizima — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:40:04 +0000

Scary Sales Tax Notices That Can Hurt Business
by Gwen Rivera

As a business owner, you know the value of being prepared and delivering on time. In the sales tax compliance world, responsiveness is just as important to prevent major repercussions and an audit.

In Texas, one company was shut down due to an error that resulted in a notice. The notice was not responded to promptly enough, so the state pulled their business license and refused to allow them to do business. The main office had no idea there was an outstanding notice—they discovered it when they were notified of the shut-down. Several stressful days later, they had an employee in the state of Texas hand carry the check to the Department of Revenue to remove the business block.

Responding to notices in a timely fashion is critical to ensuring that your sales tax liabilities are paid promptly and correctly. Notice management is a time-intensive part of sales tax compliance that can eat up your tax department’s resources.

In Missouri, a large hospitality firm received a single notice for one month and one return. The notice itself filled a case-sized box! The total liability: 10 cents. The business offered to come down and pay cash, but the state wouldn’t accept cash. It also wouldn’t accept an overpayment in order to allow the business to write a check for $50 with the remaining amount left on account as a credit. The discussion of payment and reading the full notice cost more than the liability!

Think you don’t need to file once you’ve registered? In Arkansas, if the state shows that your business has not filed a return, they send an estimated assessment. Unfortunately, they use an average tax due which means Walmart’s average tax due is also included in that average. A small company that generally only owes $100 a month in tax may get an assessment as large as $150,000 for tax due!

Businesses must pay special attention to ensuring sales tax compliance; they can no longer afford to not. With new nexus laws that broaden the reach to remote sellers for collection and remittance of sales tax and Congressional bills being considered to manage Internet sales tax issues at the federal level, businesses today need to be proactive to make their processes compliant and easy to manage.

Thankfully, technology has a solution. Microsoft Dynamics has a seamlessly integrated sales tax solution that provides your company with accurate sales tax calculation, intelligent customer exemption certificate management and timely filing and remittance of liabilities as well as notice management (to prevent scary stories like the ones above).

Automating these processes reduces your risk, increases the amount of time your teams have to work on income-producing projects, improves customer relationships and best of all—provides an affordable solution!

Download your FREE copy of Avalara’s “Sales Tax Survival Guide” to learn about the challenges of sales tax compliance and how to navigate the risks associated with sales tax collection, then contact your Summit Group Software representative today! Download now < https://www.avalara.com/Media/DownloadDocs/Whitepapers/survivalguide_2011?blgr942>.