Barcoding for Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains – customization overview

By Andrew Karasev

Alba Spectrum Technologies

USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, São Paulo 55-11-3444-4949, help@albaspectrum.com

As we see ERP system are implemented in the companies, where it must be tightly integrated with existing or legacy system, automate warehousing, shipping & receiving operations, bar code scanners (Symbol wireless and stand alone scanners) inventory order fulfillment.  One of the directions is so-called supply chain management implementation (Radio Beacon, for example), integrated with Microsoft Great Plains.  Another solution, which should be cheaper and fit for mid-size warehousing operations – use third party custom modules for Microsoft Dynamics GP as well as have customization partner to tune custom piece for your unique warehousing operations.  In this small article we will give you an overview of light barcoding functionality, available for Great Plains.

• Sales Order Processing (SOP) custom logic.  Barcode scanning is in general similar to entering characters from the keyboard itself, and it is natural to improve SOP logic to automate such processes as order fulfillment or shipping.  In this case you should be able to invoice more than it was ordered, for instance.  Simple Great Plains prompt screen should just let you decide if you would like to overship or not.
• Barcode – Item number.  You should probably be able to have these two coexist in parallel – we suggest the association to be stored in custom table.
• Serial/Lot Number.  We often see the need to associate lot number with the specific large unit of measure, like roll (of cloth/fabric), having slightly variable number of yards or meters each new time (having new lot number or serial number).  The variable length must be associated with the lot number in parallel with standard unit of measure logic
• Technology.  The customization technology for Microsoft Dynamics GP is still the same as it was 5-10 years ago – Microsoft Dexterity or former Great Plains Dexterity.  Customization exists in the form of chunk (file with .CNK extension), which is integrated with Great Plains workstation the first time you launch the application and then becomes custom dictionary file (DYNAMICS.DIC is core functionality, CUSTOM.DIC is your customization dictionary for example).  Dexterity uses scanscript coding and has Microsoft Dexterity IDE.  In some cases you can extend Dexterity customization with SQL stored procedures, VBA scripting with Microsoft Great Plains Modifier (DYNAMICS.VBA), but the Dexterity is still preferable, if we are talking about standard Great Plains client application.  If you plan to deploy web interface, you should consider newer technologies, such as eConnect.
• SQL Tables.  In the case of SOP you deal with SOP10100 – Sales Document Header, SOP10200 – Sales Document Lines, plus you need to read IV00101 – Inventory Item Master and IV00102 – Item QTY Master tables
• Microsoft RMS Integration.  If you sell on the retail level and would like the transactions to be consolidated into Great Plains – you need Microsoft Dynamics GP – MS RMS Integration module.  In our case we have it for AR/SOP/POP level, then you post transactions in Great Plains and have them come through the whole way up to GL

Give us a call 1-866-528-0577 or help@albaspectrum.com if you need additional information or directions.

Andrew Karasev is technical consultant at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.greatplains.com.mx http://www.enterlogix.com.br ), serving clients in Illinois, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, and having locations in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Germany, Mexico