Summit Magazine Winter 2010

8/8/2019 Summit Magazine Winter 2010

1/11

2010.4

In this issue:

Life In the Cloud

MicrosoftDynamicsCRM & GoalManagement

Year-End

Procedures

Best Practices:Maintenance& Backups

the

SummitA quarterly publication o Summit Group Sotware


2/11

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Ican hardly believe 2010 is almostover - 2011 will mark the begin-ning o Summit Group Sotwares

7th year in business! It is hard tobelieve how ast the time goes andI want to extend a thank you or therole each and every one o our cus-tomers has played in our successstory.

As many o you may know, weannounced in November that wewere brining on board Jody Miller

rom Miller & McKenna Consulting. I want to welcome the40+ Microsot Dynamics GP customers that are now part othe Summit Group Sotware amily. Jody wil l be working orSummit Group Sotware out o northern Minnesota. We will be holding our rst User Group Meeting at Spirit Mountain

in Duluth on December 16, 2010 at 9:30 am. I you want moreinormation on this event or our upcoming year-end closingevents, (both online and in person) visit www.summitgroup-sotware.com to register.

Summit Group Sotware held our 2nd annual customerconerence in late October at the Microsot Executive BriengCenter in Fargo, ND. There were 115 people in attendancethis year. Concu rrent sessions ran throughout the day ocusedon Microsot Dynamics GP, Microsot Dynamics CRM, andnumerous ISV products. There was something or everyonewith positive eedback rom attendees about topics and con-tent. Mark your calendars or next years event. It will be heldon October 13, 2011 at the same location. We are already inthe planning stages to make the 2011 event bigger and better.We would love to hear rom you with any eedback, ideas orchanges you would like to see.

I want to encourage everyone to plan ahead as we hit theend o the year. Whether you need assistance with year-endclosing, upgrading, installing a service pack, or any other typeo service its a busy time of year. I encourage you to workwith your account manager now to get your projects and/oryear-end close time scheduled. Our team is here to help andmake sure things go as smooth as possible. As a reminder, ourholiday hours are on our webpage.

Finally, in addition to our newest employee, JodyMiller, Christine Hoper joined our team this all. Chris-tine previously worked or Microsot and has a verydiverse background both technically and in a proj-ect management capacity. We look orward to the im-pact Christine and Jody will have as part o our team. As always, thanks or your continued business and support.Happy Holidays!

Eric

From the Presidents Desk

With 2011 nearly upon us, it remains

important to review year-end proce-

dures or the various modules within

Microsot Dynamics GP. The most important

thing to remember prior to doing year-end

close or any module is to make a recoverable

backup. The second most important item - re-

view all of the necessary closing procedures prior

to making that backup.

Year-End Closing Procedures

Planning ahead and making a back up is

the most important thing. Ninety-nine per-

cent o module year-end closes go awlessly as

long as processes and procedures are ollowed.

Whether running on a Fiscal Year or Cal-

endar Year, both sets o closing instructions

rom Microsot are provided with each mod-

ule. For your convenience, the articles or

closing each module will be published directly

on our website or download once they have

been released rom Microsot later this month.

Year-End Procedures orMicrosot Dynamics GPBy Janelle Montplaisir, Microsoft Dynamics Consultant, MCT

Module Close Order

Another important item related to year-end closing is the ORDER in wthe modules are closed. Listed below is the order in which you should closmodules or the year.

1 Inventory2 Receivables3 Payables4 Fixed Assets5 Analytical Accounting (Microsot DynamicsGP 10.0 Service Pack2 or

6 General Ledger

Payroll Close

For those using Microsot Dynamics GP Payroll or Canadian Payroll, it

tremely important to complete ALL 2010 pay runs prior to processing any Payrol

End Procedures. Microsot will release the 2010 Payroll-Year-End Close Proce

2010 Payroll Year-End Updates, and 2011 Payroll Tax Updates sometime in Dece

I at any point you are unsure o these procedures, please take a momcontact us and discuss any uncertainties.

For more inormation and details regarding Year-End Close ProcedurMicrosot Dynamics GP, visit our website SummitGroupSoftware.com whercan access helpul tips and register or a Year-End User Group or Webinar.

888.929.1387 :: SummitGroupSoftwarethe Summit 2010.4 :: a publication of Summit Group Software


3/11

Microsot Dynamics CRM 2011 certainly DOES have a uture in the clouds. Muchhas been made in the technology and development realm over the last ewyears concerning computing in the cloud. For developers, the ability to lever-

age Microsots Azure Platorm is exciting! But or the rest o the world, particularlythose who are avid consumers o Microsot Dynamics products, why care? Is WindowsAzure and its technical cohorts simply the avor o the day and is it all much ado aboutnothing? This article will explore where to begin in understanding what Azure is andwhat it could mean to an organization.

Terminology

To start, here are a ew common terms used in cloud computing and how thisarticle uses them.

Cloud Computing: Web-based processing where shared resources, sotware, andinormation are provided to client computers and other devices on demand such assmart phones.

Windows Azure: A cloud services operating system that serves as the develop-ment, service hosting, and service management environment or the Windows Azure

platorm. Windows Azure provides developers with on-demand computing and stor-age to host, scale, and manage web applications on the internet through Microsot data-centers. Windows Azure is essentially the operating syste m all Cloud enabled applica-tions run on or interact with.

Microsot SQL Azure: Microsot SQL Azure extends Microsots SQL Server Dataplatorm capabilities to the cloud. SQL Azure provides data services (including a rela-tional database), reporting, and data synchronization with mobile users, remote oces,and business partners.

SaaS: Sotware as a Service. An example o this is Microsot Dynamics CRMOnline.

IaaS: Inrastructure as a Service. An example o this is Microsot Active Directory.PaaS: Platorm as a Service. A n example o this is Microsot SQL Azure.

By Josh Behl, Microsoft DynamicsCRM Consultant, MCT

Microsot Dynamics CRM 2011 and Windows Azure:

Life in the Cloud

Windows Azure Benets

Agility Through the exposure anduse o development tools, online applica-tions, and datacenters, organizations canadjust inrastructure more quickly thanhosting these services on site. Consider-ing the cost o additional hardware andsotware when installing Microsot Dy-namics CRM or any other business ap-plication and the time it takes to imple-ment, troubleshoot, and support thoseitems, Cloud enabled applications pro-vide an agile alternative.

Efciency When evaluating pro-ductivity relative to the investment oCloud based computing, consider anexample our organization internallyencountered. For some time, our orga-nization had been running MicrosotExchange and Microsot SharePoint on

a Small Business Server. A n internal re-source was tasked with maintaining theserver and the sotware on it. This re-sources time was split between regularcustomer-acing projects and internal IT.Too requently, the resource had to stopwhat he was doing to correct various Ex-change server issues. Business Produc-tivity Oce Suite (BPOS) came to therescue! Our organization implementedBPOS and we now have Exchange and

SharePoint components o the environ-ment hosted by Microsot and it is work-ing well.

Trustworthy and Reliable FromMicrosots perspective, organizationsutilizing Cloud available applicationsenjoy a 99.9% uptime and the assuranceo inormation being secure. One areao concern is the security challenge thatis posed by a Cloud service that allowsthird party developers to create applica-tions and host them in the Azure cloud.Microsot has designed the Azure plat-orm with security in mind building ina number o diferent security eatures. An important aspect o securing data isveriying the identities o those who re-quest access. Microsot has .NET AccessControl Service, which works with webservices and web applications to providea way to integrate common identities.

How Microsot AddressesCommon Cloud Concerns

Despite its growing inuence, con-cerns regarding cloud computing stillremain. However, the benets outweighthe drawbacks and the model is worthexploring.

Data Protection Organizationsear losing data to competition and thedata condentiality o customers. In the

existing models, rewalls acrosscenters (owned by enterprises) pthis sensitive inormation. In the model, service providers are respoor maintaining data security and nizations have to rely on them.

Microsot SQL Azure 2008Transparent Data Encryption (Twhich enables developers to encrypully with very little efort. AdditioSQL Azure 2008 has the SQL Azurewall tool which unctions essentialsame as the use o local soware reor even SQL Server security suractoolsets.

Microsot Dynamics CRM O

For organizations looking to purchSaaS product such as Microsot Dyics CRM Online, it uses WindowsID to manage the authentication prThe Windows Live ID service is desto manage identity and trust withiWindows Live ecosystem. WindowID provides a single-sign on expethat allows businesses and custto use a single set o credentials (name and password) or accessingous Web sites or Web applications.Windows Live ID authentication, Msot Dynamics CRM Online usersnavigate their Microsot Dynamics

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4/11

In todays ast paced, data-driven business world it is not uncom-mon or customers and suppliers to request access to the sameinormation employees get through their enterprise resource

planning (ERP) system such as payment history, order statusand inventory levels. The only catch is customers and supplierswant access to this inormation anywhere, at any time. The so-lution or many is bringing together ERP and e-commerce plat-orms which can result in a more transparent and user-riendlyenvironment where inormation is readily available or employ-ees and external suppliers and consumers. However, providingthe necessary links between an ERP and e-commerce platormthat manages product catalogs, website content, browsing capa-bilities, customer inormation, orders and transactions is a hugeundertak ing. Evaluating a solution that involves so many difer-ent components and requirements that work together as one canprove to be a daunting task or any company.

Part o the complexity associated with this comes in de-veloping diferent web portals so users can access specic in-ormation. Whether it is dealing with suppliers and dealersthrough business-to-business environments, customer oriented business-to-consumer sites, or customer service ocused salesportals, each site needs to have the intended unctionality and

eatures needed or the right audience. Companies that meet thechallenge o suciently integrating their ERP and e-commerceplatorm, in addition to providing a secure payment processingenvironment that keeps customers cardholder data sae, canoperate more eciently and enhance customer satisaction andservice.

The Benets o Bringing ERP Systemsand Web Stores Together

In order or inormation to be updated continuously andow rom the internal ERP environment to the web store envi-ronment, organizations need to properly manage two separate

By Giuseppe Ianni,Director of Sales and Marketing.

Connecting Enterprise Resource

Planning and E-Commercedatabases one database serving the web server and the otherserving their back-oce nancial ERP system like MicrosotDynamics GP. This is where Microsot SQL Server transactionalreplication comes in to play to help manage the ow and stor-age o data across separate databases. SQL Server transactionalreplication provides a way to distribute data between two sepa-rate databases and then synchronize that data to maintain con-sistency. This makes it possible to take orders, sales, or quotesentered online and automatically update them into an ERP likeMicrosot Dynamics GP real time.

With dynamic database management between two sys-tems, e-commerce becomes truly integrated and makes it easierto manage inventory stored in an ERP program while havingthe ability to display and publish that inventory catalog simulta-neously to the web store. Imagine being able to make changesto the pricing structure o select items in the Item Maintenancewindows o an ERP business solution sotware such as Micro-sot Dynamics GP and apply discounts like ree shipping orbuy-one-get-one-ree ofers to a certain group o customers whologin. Lets say a company wants to show the stock availabilityand quantity on hand or certain items in Microsot DynamicsGP displayed and reected on their web store with direct SQL

reading and writing, all o these scenarios are possible.Bringing these two systems together allows or the abilityto make changes in one database and have those changes au-tomatically update across the other system. Not only will thissave time, but it reduces duplicate entry errors that can plaguemanual double order entry processes.

Operating a Secure Environment andKeeping Cardholder Data Sae

For companies that are taking orders online and handlingcredit card data that ows back into an ERP, using a secure, test-ed, and proven payment sotware application is a must. Making

sure card data like CVV codes and ullmagnetic strip track data is not stored,in addition to encrypting and maskingcredit card numbers, are just some o thecommon saeguards and security proce-dures necessary to protect sensitive cred-it card inormation. With credit card databreaches becoming a major problem, thePCI Security Standards Council (the gov-erning body responsible or oversight osecurity standards or account data pro-tection) has developed a set o mandates.These mandates are designed to helpprotect merchants rom credit card raudand are called the Payment Card IndustryData Security Standard (PCI DSS). ThesePCI security requirements apply to bothsotware applications that process creditcards as well any company completingtransactions with credit cards. For com-panies processing credit cards, it meansmore standards and best practices to ad-here to.

Companies need to make sure thatthe payment application sotware theyare using is PA-DSS (Payment ApplicationData Security Standard) validated. PA-DSS applies to any third party paymentapplication sotware that stores, process-es, or transmits cardholder data as a parto an authorization or settlement. Using

applications that are PA-DSS validatedhelps companies in the overall processo maintaining a PCI compliant environ-ment. It is also important to mention thatcompanies that use an uncertied creditcard payment solution may be unable toreceive a merchant account or be orcedto pay higher rates. Once a company isPCI DSS compliant, it makes it easier togain customer trust and assurance thattheir purchasing environment is sae. Inaddition to that, it also makes companiesless likely to receive hety nes due to se-curity breaches. With organizations andeven legislatures pushing or more lawssurrounding data security, companiesneed to realize that securing their envi-ronment and using a PA-DSS validatedpayment application are important stepsin the sotware selection process.

Azox Bringing TogetherERP and E-Commerce

Bringing e-commerce and internalenterprise resource planning systems to-gether involves consideration on manydiferent levels including connectivity,unctionality, and security. Azox realizesthe complexities in implementing a solu-tion like this. By using integrated e-com-merce solutions, like the products rom

Azox, the path to a more connectcure, and easier to manage shoppinvironment can be reached.

Azox is a Microsot Managed Icused on providing e-commerce anment processing solutions or MicDynamics GP. Azox develops and ers ully integrated Business to Bu(B2B), Business to Consumer (B2CSales Portal e-commerce websiteare built on Microsot DynamicConsumers, distributors, and cusservice representatives have theity to place orders or quotes onlinhave that inormation automaticaltered into Microsot Dynamics GPtime with Azox solutions. From oping more ully eatured online ronments, to building PA-DSS cecredit card/check processing or Msot Dynamics GP with online bicapabilities or existing websites, can ofer a complete and secure shoenvironment that ts individual buneeds.

For more inormation about e-commerce products, visit azox.ccontact Giuseppe Ianni at 734-928or [email protected] or contact yocount manager.

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5/11

In previous versions o Microsot Dynamics CRM, goal management was primarilyrelegated to the use o the limited Sales Quota unctionality, the installation o aclever accelerator rom CodePlex, or the creation o custom entities to accommo-

date goal management needs. None o these solutions was scalable. With the pend-ing Microsot Dynamics CRM 2011 release, Microsot introduces a very viable solu-tion to this gap in unctionality with the creation o the Goal Management eature.

In Microsot Dynamics CRM 2011, users can create goals or users or teams.

These goals can measure anything rom sales numbers to customer satisaction to

nearly any other kind o metric. For example, i a customer service manager wants

to track the number o surveys returned by customers that ranked overall satisac-

tion o their service seven or higher, a goal could be setup to be associated with a

customer service team and the metrics could be evaluated against a custom entity

called Survey.Additionally, when one considers user acceptance and use o Microsot Dynam-

ics CRM, one o the most challenging things to glean rom the raw data is trackingcreation and modication o records. Goal management can provide a great dealo insight into customer interactions and calculate user and team progress towardparticular thresholds that measure success.

Lets take a look at a real example to illustrate the useulness o Goal Manage-ment: A sales manager wants to evaluate how many completed phone calls the salesteam is making. The goal o 160 calls over the next two months is established.

There are metrics to track progress or any goal. Within Goal Management,this metric could be Weekly Completed Phone Call Goal. Goal Management willdene criteria or evaluating a phone call record to ascertain whether or not it shouldbe counted against a goal or not. In Microsot Dynamics CRM 2011 these are calledRollup Fields records. Multiple rollup elds can be created or any one goal metric.

Once we have determined what is being evaluated, the goals or each salesper-son can be set up. To do this, a Goal Record is created or each salesperson. Whendening any goal, it is important to give it a timerame to evaluate progress against,such as a particular date range.

Microsot Dynamics CRM 2011 will support both the denition o parent andchild goals. In a scenario where goals established or users are more complex or

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 &

Goal ManagementBy Josh Behl,Microsoft DynamicsCRM Consultant, MCT

Online site are prompted to provide Windows Live ID credentials.Data exchanged with Microsot Dynamics CRM Online uses the Mic

implementation o the industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocohelps secure data at several levels, providing server authentication, data ention, and data integrit y. T hese eatures help secure data rom incidental cotion and rom malicious attack, and are intended to avoid common Web-threats. Microsot Dynamics CRM can support rom 40 to 256 bit encrypednections. Data is securable i choosing to use SaaS, IaaS, or Paas and in tho Microsot Dynamics CRM Online, data is very secure.

Data Recovery and Availability All SaaS business applications have selevel agreements that are stringently ollowed. Operational teams play a key rmanagement o service level agreements and runtime governance o applicaIn production environments, operational teams support appropriate clusand ail over, data replication, system monitoring (transactions monitoringmonitoring, and others), maintenance (Runtime governance), disaster recoand capacity and perormance management.

Regulatory and Compliance Restrictions As a service provider, Micmust comply with regulatory requirements o the governmental entities wwhose jurisdictions Azure operates, along with industry regulations that

many companies in specic elds. Microsots compliance ramework is desto address this challenge. The Microsot Cloud undergoes annual audits oDSS, SOX and HIPAA compliance, as well as internal assessments throughouyear. The Microsot cloud has obtained ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certication an70 Type I and II attestations.

Jump into the Cloud?

The answer depends upon the organizations short and long term IT strat

business objectives, and the comort level regarding common concerns relat

computing in the Cloud. Contact your account manager i you want to talk

about Microsot Dynamics CRM Online, Microsot Azure, or Cloud computin

multi-aceted than the previous example,the application can accommodate. TheGoal Management Feature will alsoshow the progress against the goal andactual data progress. The Rollup Query- Actual (Integer) eld can be created todene exactly which records the goalwill be evaluated against. I needed, agoal can be dened against a particularsubset o data.

Microsot Dynamics CRM reportssuch as the Progress Against Goals orembedded charts available by deaultallow goal administrators and users theability to see how their teams and mem-bers are progressing with particular goaltypes or metrics. Additionally, MicrosotSQL Server Reporting services can cre-ate even more advanced or customizedreporting.

This inclusion o a truly viable goalmanagement solution in Microsot Dy-namics CRM is just one o the manyreasons why Microsot Dynamics CRM2011 should be seriously considered oran upgrade or replacement o currentsystems. I you have questions about goalmanagement or would like to visit aboutMicrosot Dynamics CRM, contact youraccount manager.

> Cloud, continued from page 5



6/11

Migrating from FRx toManagement Reporter

By Rhonda Hawley, Microsoft Dynamics GP Consultant, MCT

With the new version o Microsot Dy-namics GP 2010 comes a new look toa amiliar tool. Companies that have

used FRx or previous versions o Microsot Dy-namics GP need not ear! Continue to utilizeFRx with Microsot Dynamics GP 2010. At thesame time, install Management Reporter andtake time to convert FRx reports into the newsystem. Many customers nd this is a great timeto do some clean-up such as delete old layouts/reports never used or completed.

Conversion Process

The conversion process is quite simple. TheMigration Wizard tool comes with ManagementReporter and allows users to convert companiesand reports rom FRx to Management Reporterquickly, while leaving all o the FRx installation,companies, and reports intact. This enables theuser to run FRx reports and compare with the

new Management Reporter generated reports.When complete, a log le lists the convertedRows, Columns, Trees, and Catalogs along withany anomalies ound.

When attempting to run the convertedReport Denitions in Management Reporter, ierrors are ound, the application will place nicelittle red stop signs beside particular items in theRow or Column that are causing the issue. Sim-ply x the issue and re-run the report.

Things to Keep in Mind

Management Reporter utilizes new terminology,here is a summary:

Management Reporter FRx

Report Denition Catalog o ReportsRow Denition Row FormatColumn Denition Column LayoutTree Denition Reporting TreeReport Viewer Drilldown ViewerLink to GL Link to Financial DimensionsGL FD (Financial Dimension)

Management Reporter does not utilize Row Linking. Reportsusing Row Linking within FRx will convert, but will notcontain links to other Row Dimensions. These reportsmay need to be re-written depending on user needs.

Full Accounts dened in the Link to GL Row Formats inFRx will not migrate to Management Reporter. The rowsthemselves will come over, but the Link to Financial Dimension

will be blank. These will need to be re-keyed or brought inutilizing a cut and paste method rom Microsot Excel.

Security rom FRx wil l not convert. Secur ity will need to be re-set in Management Reporter and assigned accordingly and there iscurrently no ability to drill right back into Microsot Dynamics GP.

Currency Translation is scheduled to be available rom Microsotthe end o Q1 2011 and will tie directly with Multicurrency withinMicrosot Dynamic s GP 2010. (No more DAX tables). BasicForecaster integration is scheduled to be available the end o Q1 201

Contact your account manager today to discuss your organizationgrade plans or Microsot Dynamics GP 2010 as well as the impacts to FRManagement Reporter or your organization.

Many Not-For-Prot organizations

(NFP) have had diculty nding

a solution to efectively and e-

ciently handle needs such as donor and

pledge management, membership man-

agement, and event management. While

a solution could always be custom createdor their needs, the cost was oten prohib-

itive to many limited NFP IT budgets and

was never pursued. Microsot has created

a powerul solution specically or NFPs

that is both ecient AND cost efective!

Earlier this year, Microsot releaseda specialized version o Microsot Dy-namics CRM Online product address-ing many needs o NFP users. A resulto signicant research, ocus groups anddevelopment have produced a version oMicrosot Dynamics CRM that allowsNFP organizations to track the inorma-tion that is important to them while alsousing the terminology that is consistentwith many o their operations.

Real Benets to NFPs

Microsot Dynamics CRM On-line or NFP ofers the exibility o be-ing hosted by Microsot and accessedthrough user workstations. This elimi-nates the need or managing yet anotherapplication on an organizations servers

allowing or reduced inormation tech-nology costs associated with its use. Withupgrades and service pack updates beinghandled by Microsot, be assured that so-lutions will be up to date with the mostcurrently released version.

Donations

Microsot has taken the general

Microsot Dynamics CRM application,

which boasts easy usability and adoption

by those organizations utilizing Microsot

Outlook and other popular Microsot O-

ce products, and created specic NFP

unctionality. The rst customizations

provide or donor and pledge manage-

ment. Track the donor inormation and

contributions made and track items such

as the success o a given donor campaign

or program to determine true return. Thecollection o online donations can also be

simplied through a built-in integration

with Amazon Payment Services and the

provision o related source code to allow

or potential integration with other online

donation portals or systems. Combine

this with the creation o a workow and

things such as creating thank you letters

or e-mails to donors becomes simple as it

can be made as automated as preerred.

Management o pledges is also handled

by Microsot Dynamics CRM and can be

incorporated into workows to make sure

staf can track those valuable pledges.

Members

Providing or tracking o members is

easy with Microsot Dynamics CRM or

NFPs. The ability to track membership in-

ormation by individual or organization is

built into the solution. Attributes such as

membership beginning and end dates, pro-

gram and benet qualications, and dona-

tions are just a ew o the many valuable

pieces o inormation easily tracked. Thetracking o benets provided to members

is easy whether they are inventoried items,

services, or subscriptions. Even track ul-

lled benets and the associated cost.

Marketing and Events

Whether ocused on large directmail or und raising campaigns or some-thing smaller like a limited event, Micro-sot Dynamics CRM Online or NFPs hasit covered. Allowing or the easy track-ing o communications such as e-mails

sent or RSVPs received, the applicationwill help determine what is working andwhat is not. Using things such as tem-plates in the system provides a signicanttime-saving opportunity by avoiding theneed to recreate communications or di-

erent campaigns.Event planning comprises a signi-

cant amount o time or many NFP or-ganizations. Utilizing the unctionalityin Microsot Dynamics CRM Online orNFP makes event management mucheasier. Tracking inormation such as re-sponses to invitations, attendees, spon-sors, speakers, vendors, organizationsstaf participation and many other itemsallows to efective management in mostcomplex events. Enter inormation suchas associated revenues and expenses toprepare metrics such as ROI.

Service management can be in the

orm o service activities, cases, contracts,

or orders or products and/or services.

Utilizing the service management unc-

tionality allows users to capture services,

associated contracts and other docu-

ments, and the resources to provide them

such as equipment, staf, and acilities.

Efective and Afordable

Ofering role-based security and

reporting unctionality, tailored dash- boards providing the most user-applicable inormation and metrics, and manyother eatures makes this a very efec-tive application or every NFP. Add inthe very afordable price being ofered byMicrosot currently $9.99 per user permonth or qualiying organizations and you have a very cost efective solution.Contact your account manager to learnhow Microsot Dynamics CRM Onlineor NFP can benet your organizationand to set up your ree 30-day trial!

By Paul Johnson CPA, MBA

Microsot Dynamics CRM :

Made orNot-or-Profts



7/11

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Payroll Tax Compliance isa Breeze with Greenshades

Featured ISVGreenshades Online Employee Services

Along with simpliying payroll tax compliance, Greenshades ofers a secure em-ployee sel-service portal or Microsot Dynamics GP, which allows businesses to em-power employees while streamlining the payroll and HR process. Greenshades OnlineEmployee Services saves time and money by reducing paper and taking advantage oour direct integration to present important data to employees with point and click ac-cess. The bi-directional connection urther streamlines unctionality by using an ad-ministrator approval process which pushes approved data back into Microsot Dynam-ics GP automatically. This hosted solution does not require any expensive hardwareor IT services to get up and running. And, because Greenshades Online is a direct in-tegration to Microsot Dynamics GP, in less than a day, go live in a very cost-efectivemanner.

Not only does the portal allow e-mail notication o paystubs and direct depositearning statements to employees, it gives ull, hosted employee services portal. So,along with current and historical pay inormation, employees have:

Electronic W-4s and I-9s

Electronic W-11s or automated management o HIRE Act tax credits

Direct Deposit Account Management

Prole Management or update o mailing address,

emergency contacts, email address, etc. Time Of Requests

Time Entry or simple punch in/out or as a robusttime capture/time sheet solution

Greenshades Online is bi-directional and collects requests that are submitted orapproval to the appropriate manager, payroll or HR contact. Data is then synchronizedwith Microsot Dynamics GP and processes are that much easier to handle, resultingin less stress as an administrator and happy employees with access to what they needwhen they need it.

Additional Options

In addition to these time, mand paper saving solutions, Greensofers Downloadmyorm.com, a plete year-end portal or hosted e-and convenient distribution optionW-2s and 1099s. By giving employevendor access, avoid the cost or prand mailing altogether. With the selectronic consent, rest assured thIRS requirements are met. And, oo the small number o orms thnot picked up on the portal, priblank, perorated paper (no need oexpensive pre-printed orms) or sthe remaining orms to Greenshadoutsourced printing and mailing at counted bulk postage rate. And, juall o the other Greenshades proDownloadmyorm.com direct inte

with Microsot Dynamics GP, so uis a breeze.

Between your Microsot Dyics Partner and Greenshades ware, your company is in good hFor more inormation please co your account manager, or your Gshades Sotware account maChris Hadden, at 888.255.3815 ext [email protected].



8/11

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Microsot SQL Server 2005/2008Best Practices Maintenance Plans and Backups

By Shawn Stewart, Microsoft DynamicsConsultant, Project Manager

truncated rom the database. I this is the case, run a transactionlog backup rst then manually shrink the size o the transac-tion log database. (The used space drops dramatically ater thisbackup, but the ree space remains high.)

Simple Recovery

Run in the SQL Server environment, Simple Recoverymode transactions are truncated rom the transaction log da-tabase once they are committed. Transactions are committedonce the database hits what is called a Checkpoint. When thischeckpoint occurs, transactions are committed to the databaseand the transaction log is truncated. This ensures that the size othe transaction log database does not get out o hand and doesntrequire having transaction log backups running throughout theday.

The drawback o simple recovery or organizations thatcannot aford a great amount o data loss is there is no abilityto run transaction log backups throughout the day. I backupsneed to run throughout the day, run ull backups when the sys-tem resources are not being utilized (like over lunch or breaks).Typically, companies running in simple recovery mode runnightly backups. I something were to happen during the day,transactions are reentered up to the last ull backup.

The advantage to having a database in simple recoverymode is the ease o setting up and monitoring the maintenanceplans. Full backups only need to run nightly (or as requentlyas needed). There is no need to run transaction log backups totruncate the transaction log database as these are truncated atthe checkpoints throughout the day.

Specic SQL Server Tasks

Running o specic SQL Server tasks ensure data is in agood state. There are three specic options that need to be add-ed to each maintenance plan within SQL Server: Data Integrity,Shrink Database, and Update Statistics.

Data Integrity task runs a specic SQL Server command(DBCC CheckDB) to make sure there are no bad data connec-tions within the core SQL Server data. It does not check thedata at a Business Logic level that one would see in MicrosotDynamics GP or example, to be sure the SOP Header and SOPLine Items are correct.

Shrink Database task runs another SQL Server command(DBCC ShrinkDB) to reduce the amount o ree space within thedatabase les and return it back to the operating system.

By issuing the Update Statistic task, the database essentiallyreevaluates how it accesses the data within SQL Server. The

method or logic that SQL Server uses to most eciently accessthe data will change as the volume o data grows within thegiven database.

The combination o these tasks along with the backupswithin the SQL Server maintenance plan will ensure the orga-nizations SQL Server databases are monitored, backed up, andrun at peak eciency. Hopeul ly this inormation will assist indeciding which SQL Server Maintenance plan to setup or theorganization. For help determini ng an appropriate plan or yourorganization, please contact your account manager to get start-ed creating a plan that works best.

One o our most common requests is or recom-mendations on Microsot SQL Server Mainte-nance and Backups. Questions ranging rom

how oten should backups be run and how long theyshould be kept, to the right types o backups to doon a regular basis. T he simple answer to these ques-tions is whatever works best in the environment.

Here are a ew scenarios to help understandwhich approach is best or an organization.

Full Recovery

Setting the database to ull recovery enables anorganization to experience less data loss in the evento a catastrophic ailure assuming the ailure did notinclude the backups. Full recovery is ideal or organi-zations that cannot aford to lose more than an houror two o data entry. This is because multiple, small-er backups are run throughout the regular businessday. One caveat to point out is data can be restoredto an exact hour, minute, and second. An issue thatis inherent in this situation is what was happeningin the system at that very moment. One needs to becareul to not create a larger mess by recovering toan unknown data status when utilizing this eature.

Here is an overview on how Full Recoveryworks. Whenever a transaction is entered into Mi-crosot Dynamics CRM or Microsot Dynamics GPthere is a record o the transaction stored in the trans-action log database. In ull recovery mode, thesetransactions remain in the transaction log databaseuntil they are removed via Transaction Log Backups.

These backups truncate the transaction log and storethe transactions that have already been committedto the live database. In the event o a catastrophicailure, this enables the users to restore the last ullbackup taken plus restore the transaction logs o theuncommitted transactions and bring the databaseback to the point o the last transaction log backup ora specic time prior to that backup.

I the database is in ull recovery mode andtransaction log backups are not running, the trans-action log database will become very large becausethose uncommitted transactions are not getting



9/11

Summarize AccountsQuestion: Is there a way to quickly summarize totals or

a group o accounts in Microsot Dynamics GP without writinga report or downloading inormation into Microsot Oce Excel?

Answer: One o the more overlooked eatures o Microsot

Dynamics GP is the Account Rollup Inquiry. T his eature allows

users to dene account ranges and summarize diferent types o ac-

count balance inormation such as Actual, Budget, Previous Year,

and Calculated up to our columns per inquiry option. This also

gives the ability to drill down to individual accounts within a period

or a quick view o account details within that summary.

Use in a variety o cases, such as: Using a calculated eld to display the diferencebetween actual and budget amounts.

Monitoring a group o accounts, suchas multiple inventory accounts.

Assisting with month-end reconciliationsor AR or AP accounts.

Ater creating an inquiry option, use the Account Rollup In-quiry window to summarize a group o accounts at any time oropen or historical years.

To create an Account Rollup Inquiry option:1 Open the Account Rollup Inquiry window (Inquiry > Fi-

nancial > Account Rollup) and choose Modiy to open theAccount Rollup Inquiry Options window.

2 Enter a name or the option.3 Select the segment to use to sort the inormation.4 Select the number o columns o inormation to display.5 For each column o inormation, enter the column heading

and the type o inormation to display. I Budget or Other

Currency or the type is selected, enter or select the bud-

get or currency to display. I the type Calculated is selected,

choose the Selection lookup button to open the Account

Rollup Inquiry Calculated Column window.

6 Enter restrictions to dene the segment ranges to createthis inquiry option or. Multiple ranges or a single seg-

ment can be set up. Choose Save.

Ask the Expert By Danny Rose, Microsoft Dynamics GP Consultantand Margaret Saville, Accountant, MCP

Reconcile Help!Question: What steps should I take to

locate diferences between my General Led-ger Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivableaccount and my subsidiary Accounts Payable(AP) or Accounts Receivable (AR) trial bal-ance?

Answer: First, make sure all transac-tions related to AP or AR are posted in theGeneral Ledger module. Also, make sureto add together all General Ledger accountnumbers which apply to AP or AR (example:discount accounts may apply or there may beother AP or AR accounts being used as dis-tribution accounts on customer transactions).

Second, ensure comparison o the same

period o time or General Ledger and subsid-

iary balances. The historical APor AR trial

balance report should be compared to the pe-

riod end General Ledger account balance or

Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable.

The open APor AR trial balance report should

be compared to the current General Ledger

account balance or Accounts Payable or Ac-

counts Receivable. Historical subsidiary trial

balance reports contain transactions postedas o a specic point in time, whereas open

subsidiary trial balance reports contain all

transactions which have been posted prior to

running the report. Be sure that the AP or

AR trial balance report does not contain any

restrictions or exclusions which may not al-

low all applicable transactions to be included,

and that it has the same date range as General

Ledger.

Once it is determined that there trulyis a diference between General Ledger and

the subsidiary trial balance, start by run-ning the Reconcile process between Gen-eral Ledger and Accounts Payable or Ac-counts Receivable. T he potential issuesusually lie in the Unmatched Transactionsection or sometimes in the PotentiallyMatched Transactions section.

I unable to locate the diference between General Ledger and AccountsPayable or Accounts Receivable rom theReconcile to GL spreadsheet, try to locateany transactions which may have beenentered directly into General Ledger. Goto Inquiry/Financial/Summary or De-tail, restrict the view o transactions or aperiod o time to a source document id oGJ. GJ is the deault source documentor General Journal entries.

Diferences between General Ledger

and Accounts Payable and Accounts Re-

ceivable can also be caused by a variety o

system issues, which may make it advis-

able to contact your Microsot Dynamics

GP support contact or assistance. There

are other reconcile processes and le

maintenance or the Financial, Purchas-

ing, and Sales series that may need to

be run, as well as possible posting issues

which may have led to General Ledger

and the subsidiary being out o balance.

Good Luck!

Matt BitzegaioMathew Bitzegaio joined Summit G

Sotware in July 2010 as a Senior MicDynamics CRM Consultant. Matt bwith him a broad range o experience rastructure planning, project manage business analysis, and sotware architand development. Prior to joining thenization, Matt served as the IT Directoa company where he had many diverties including leading them through aand highly customized Microsot Dyn

CRM deployment. Matt has a unique perspective and is able to understandects rom the customers perspective.

At Summit Group Sotware, Matt is actively involved in Microsot DynCRM projects which include: Migrating various CRM systems such as Goldhome grown systems, and other third-party sotware applications to MicrDynamics CRM; developing and customizing services around Microsot Dyics CRM; perorming Business Analysis or customers and creating projecting documents based on their business needs; implementing Business AppliIntegrations using Scribe and the Microsot Dynamics CRM to Microsonamics GP Adapter or CRM 4.0; developing applications in .NET (C# andNET); and contributing to business process consulting.

Matt enjoys time with his wie and three children, leads the oce opool so ar this season, and appreciates hunting and shing in the great outd

Meet the Team



10/11

Events Calendar2010.4To register or any o these events, go to SummitGroupSoftware.comand click on Training.

Date Workshop Type Location Course

12.13.10 to 12.17.10 Online Introduction to Microso t Dynamics GP Financials

12.14.10 Online Microsot Dynamics CRM 2011 Launch User Group

12 .16 .10 C la ss ro om D ul ut h, M N M ic ro so t D yn am ic s G P Ye ar E nd U se r G rou p

12.16.10 to 12.17.10 Classroom West Fargo, ND Microsot Dynamics and Microsot SQL Reporting Services

12. 20.10 C lassr oom West Farg o, ND Mark et ing in Mic roso t Dy nam ic s CR M 4.0

12 .2 0.10 C la ss ro om We st F ar go, N D M ic ro so t D yn am ic s G P Ye ar E nd U se r G rou p

12 .21.10 C la ss ro om We st F ar go, N D M ic ro so t D yn am ic s G P Ye ar E nd U se r G rou p

12.21.10 Online Microsot Dynamics GP Year End Closing Process

12 .2 2.10 C la ss ro om We st F ar go, N D M ic ro so t D yn am ic s G P Ye ar E nd U se r G rou p


1.10.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics CRM or Sales

1.10.11 to 1.12.11 Classroom West Fargo, ND SharePoint Technologies and Microsot Dynamics GP 2010

1.14.11 Online Microsot Dynamics CRM Advanced Find

1.18.11 to 1.19.11 C lassr oom C hic ag o, IL FR x Esse nt ia ls I

1. 20.11 to 1.21.11 C lassr oom C hic ag o, IL FR x Esse nt ia ls II

1 .20.11 to 1.21.11 Classroom West Fargo, ND Microsot Dynamics and Microsot SQL Reporting Services

1.24.11 to 1.28.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP Financials


1.25.11 to 1.26 .11 Cla ss ro om Chica go , IL M an agem en t Repo rter or M icro so t D yn am ics GP 2 010

1.27.11 to 1.28.11 Classroom West Fargo, ND Management Reporter or Microsot Dynamics GP 2010

1.31.11 to 2.2.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP Distribution


2.2.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP Table Relationships

2.3.11 to 2.4.11 Classroom West Fargo, ND Business Intell igence or Microsot Dynamics GP 2010

2.7.11 to 2.11.11 Classroom West Fargo, ND Microsot Dynamics GP 2010 Financials

2.7.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics CRM or Marketing

2.9.11 Online Introduction to Microsot SQL Server Views or Microsot Dynamics GP

2.11.11 Online Microsot Dynamics CRM - Report Wizard

2.14.11 to 2.15.11 Classroom West Fargo, ND Administration in Microsot Dynamics CRM 4.0 Workshop

2.15.11 to 2.16.11 C lassr oom C hic ag o, IL FR x Esse nt ia ls I

2.16.11 Online Introduction to Smartlist Builder or Microsot Dynamics GP

2.17.11 to 2.18.11 C lassr oom C hic ag o, IL FR x Esse nt ia ls II

2 .21.11 to 2.23.11 Classroom West Fargo, ND Microsot Dynamics GP 2010 Distribution


2 .2 2.11 to 2.25.11 Cla ss ro om Chica go , I L M icro so t Dyna mics GP 201 0 Fina nc ia ls

2.23.11 Online Introduction to Views or Microsot SQL Server Reporting Services

2. 24.11 C lassr oom West Farg o, ND Pay rol l or M icr oso t Dy na mic s GP

2. 25.11 C lassr oom West Farg o, ND Mark et ing in M ic roso t Dy nam ic s CR M 4.0


3.1.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP- General Ledger

3.1.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP Inventory

Date Workshop Type Location Course


3.4.11 Online Microsot Dynamics CRM - Advanced Find

3.7.11 to 3.9.11 Cla ssroom We st Fa rg o, ND Microsot Dynamics CRM 4.0 Customization and Workow Works

3.7.11 to 3. 9.11 C la ss ro om C hi ca go , I L M ic ro so t Dy na mic s G P 2 010 Di st ri bu ti on

3.8.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP - Payables Management

3.8.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP - Purchase Order Processi

3 .14 .11 to 3.15.11 Cla ss ro om West F ar go , N D F R x I Ess en ti al s


3.15.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP - Receivables Managemen

3.15.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP - Sales Order Processing

3.15.11 t o 3.16.11 Cla ssroom Ch ica go, IL F Rx Essent ia ls I

3.16.11 to 3.18.11 Classroom West Fargo, ND SharePoint Technologies and Microsot Dynamics GP 2010

3.17.11 to 3.18.11 Cla ssroom Ch ica go, IL F Rx Essent ia ls II

3.21.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics CRM or Service

3 .21 .11 to 3.22 .11 Cla ss ro om Chica go , IL M icro so t D yna mics a nd M icro so t SQL R epor ting Ser vices

3.22.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP - Bank Reconciliation

3 .2 2.11 to 3.23 .11 Cla ss ro om Chica go , IL M an agem en t Repo rter or M icro so t D yna mics G P 20 10

3.23.11 to 3.25.11 Classroom Chicago, IL SharePoint Technologies and Microsot Dynamics GP 2010


3.29.11 Online Introduction to Microsot Dynamics GP - Fixed Assets

3.30.11 Cla ssroom We st Fa rg o, N D Ma rke ti ng in Mic roso t D yna mics CR M 4.0

3.31.11 to 4.1.11 C la ss ro om We st Fa rg o, N D F Rx I I E ss en ti al s

To register or any o these events, go to www.summitgroupsoftware.com and click on Training.Courses subject to change, check the website or the most up to date schedule.

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11/11

Convergence is the premier Microsot Dynamics event where you

can experience the Microsot Dynamics community in action. This

event oers you a unique opportunity to network with your peers,

partners, Microsot team members, and industry experts together

to share ideas and knowledgeall in one place. Youll experience

frst-hand how you can use the power o Microsot Dynamics and

the ull range o Microsot products to optimize your business and

improve your bottom linenow and in the uture.

We look orward to seeing you there!

CONVERGENCE2011April 10 13, 2011 | Atlanta, GA

The Premier Microsoft Dynamics Event

Documents

Summit Magazine Winter 2010