Great Plains Dexterity: Customizations & Source Code Programming

By Andrew Karasev

Alba Spectrum Technologies

1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 help@albaspectrum.com  

Great Plains Software Dynamics, Dynamics C/S+, eEnterprise were written on GPS proprietary programming language and development environment – Great Plains Dexterity.  When Microsoft bought Great Plains Software, Dynamics was renamed into Microsoft Great Plains, but Dexterity is still the architectural base, there were trends to move MS Great Plains to .Net and reprogram it in C#, but in our opinion Microsoft is probing its own technologies and places them into competition with each other.  Microsoft Business Portal is probably the direction, when existing ERP products: Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Solomon will have seamless web interface.  In this small article we’ll try to give your Dexterity source code programming options and directions.

• Source Code Program Closing.  This move was announced by Microsoft Business Solutions in the beginning of 21^st century.  It should be probably attributed to .Net optimism.  In time MBS acquired Great Plains Software (with GP and Solomon), then Navision Software (with Navision and Axapta).  Microsoft had to plan its newly acquired products integration and synergy
• Source Code Program.  Great Plains Software provided participants with DYNAMICS.DIC and its third party dictionaries with Dexterity sanscript codes (in commercial DYNAMICS.DIC these codes are stripped off).  Source code program allows your dexterity developers to deploy advanced technologies, such as tax engine calls and replacements, posting engine call, etc.  Plus it allows you to deploy GP lookup forms in your customization.
• Source Core Program Reopening.  As it was announced on the recent MBS conference – Microsoft may reopen the program, this is very interesting move, which signals that MBS takes more conservative approach and might decide to support its products with their legacy technologies
• The Future.  Project Green, or Microsoft might decide to rename it, the idea is to form business suites from existing products and code base.  However we should be reasonable and respect the efforts of MBS – to form business suites – this is very serious move and it should take several years to come out with the first version.
• Great Plains as Mature ERP.  Yes – this is the phase of the product life.  Great Plains Dynamics was released in 1994 and it is 11 years old product.

We are confident in Great Plains as an ERP platform for the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare & Hospitals, Insurance, Textile, Apparels, Services, Placement & Recruiting, Apparels, Beverages, Logistics & Transportation, Food, Restaurants Supply Chain Management, Gold & Mining, Jewelry, Consignment, Wholesale & Retail.

Good luck with selection, implementation, customization and integration and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help!  If you want us to do the job - give us a call 866-528-0577 or 630-961-5918! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew is Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com  ) – Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Microsoft CRM Partner, serving clients in

California, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Canada, UK, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Russia