In case you haven’t already heard murmurs of the major changes Microsoft is making to Dynamics GP, you can now brush off those feelings of missing out. Microsoft is dishing up a slew of bright and shiny enhancements that are sure to make Dynamics GP an even greater value than it already is, and we’ve got the lowdown on the new Dynamics menu to prove it.
Here’s what it all hinges on: how you like your ERP served. Dynamics can be implemented on premise, via the cloud (private or public) and on many other devices such as tablets and smartphones. Microsoft is pushing forward to ensure that customers have all the choices they can imagine to make use of the software. Read on for all the details.
Greater Value for Your Annual Enhancement Plan
We have often heard customers ask why they should keep their annual enhancement plans current. In addition to updates to address fixes and alternative functionalities, Microsoft has delivered upgrades on an average of every six months for the past year, and has committed to continuing this practice moving forward. According to Errol Schoenfish, Director of Product Management for Microsoft, in May of 2014, Microsoft will release Dynamics GP 2013 R2. Expect to see Dynamics GP 2015 in December of this year.
The Development Team has Been Busy!
There will be many new features in Dynamics GP 2013 R2, including:
- Perform Azure backups with a single click
- Cash Receipts now show to which checkbook the receipt was posted
- Smartlist Designer will allow you to do more without having to purchase a third-party tool
- Links to Office 365 give you the power to drill back to Dynamics GP via the Web Client directly from an Office App
- Use Office 365 on your tablet or smartphone to read and approve requisitions within your workflow
- Email attachments are now supported
- Sort checks by the type of your choosing. They can now be set as a default, instead of making a selection every time you do a check run
- Print payroll checks by check date
- Vendor Combine eliminates the need to use professional tools as it is now built right into the application
- Fix Assets Auto Numbering give you a separate numbering sequence for each class
- Inventory now allows you to select all sites at one time instead of selecting individually
- Copy and paste from Excel into General Ledger Journal Entry screen. This will save some major time for those of you who create long JE’s
- Dashboards are available via Office 365
Using Windows 8 on a tablet, you can use Business Analyzer to show information in either text form or in graphical elements, and configure the information by “role”, “divisions” or “companies”. Additionally, you can add charts on the fly.
There’s good news for those already using “financials” and “distribution”, as well. If you have not already reviewed the Field Service, Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) or Work Orders modules, you should do so as many customers are finding they add great value to the total use of Dynamics GP.
The Future – We Have an App For That
Microsoft’s vision includes a bold plan for additional apps for Dynamics GP. To illustrate one example of what we could see in the near future, consider this example illustrated at the Microsoft Convergence Keynote Address:
Imagine a salesperson calling on his client, a retail store. The store manager asks if the salesperson’s firm carries a specific light bulb. The salesperson sees that the product has a QR code on the bulb package and then scans the code into his smartphone. This action then checks inventory at the salesperson’s company warehouse(s). Seeing that the product is not currently carried, an opportunity in CRM is automatically created. Because the App is using the GPS of the smartphone, the customer is already identified for the salesperson to confirm. Back at the salesperson’s office, a purchasing agent creates the item in inventory. Most of the required fields have already been filled in thanks to the information captured by the QR code the salesperson scanned. Adding social listening and data from around the country provides the purchasing agent with information on projected sales and allows him/her to forecast volume to maintain. The main order is delivered to the central warehouse. Individual shipments to the retail stores are auto generated based on the information gathered from all sources.
Although not everything listed above is here just yet, you can bet most of this wish list will find its way into the upcoming enhancements to be delivered in the coming year thanks to the foundation of Dynamics GP.
Business Portal will not be around in Dynamics GP 2015 – so plan now…
Key functionalities that were in Business Portal will be going away along with its phase out – for good. For starters, if you want to stay current with your software, Dynamics GP 2015 will not be supporting Business Portal any longer. eConnect will be phased out along with BP, and Dynamics GP 2015 will only be supporting web-based time and expense tracking, so you’ll want to look into time and expense add-ons for a more streamlined functionality.
What new Dynamics addition are you the most excited about? Leave a comment below and let us know!
About the Author: Curt Finch is the CEO of Journyx, a Certified Microsoft Partner. Journyx maximizes the value of Microsoft Dynamics by adding enterprise time tracking. Journyx Accountlink for Microsoft Dynamics allows companies to quickly implement a complete time tracking solution using existing business data in Dynamics. Connect with Curt on Google+.
About Journyx
A Certified Microsoft Partner, Journyx enterprise time and expense tracking software is an add-on that integrates with Microsoft Dynamics GP as well as Project Accounting. Learn more at http://journyx.com/dynamics.
The post Nom Nom: The Dish on New Additions to Dynamics GP appeared first on goERPcloud.