Microsoft Great Plains Integration Manager: using Continuum – overview for developer

By Andrew Karasev

Alba Spectrum Technologies

USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains has I’d say end user integration tool – Great Plains Integration manager.  Integration Manager itself uses OLE functionality to validate text or ODBC integration files data through Great Plains forms behind the scenes.  This sounds very promising and powerful – however the realities place the restrictions.  We heard a lot of complains about Integration Manager slowness and inability to integrate data to multiple companies automatically – without operator intervention.  This is probably true if you do not have IM expertise in your company.  However there are Microsoft Great Plains maestros who could make magic things happen

• Great Plains Macros.  Continuum could deploy Great Plains Dynamics macros, recorded to switch companies.  This fact is almost unknown and the reason is – you can not have these macros to be replayed in the Great Plains itself
• Integration Manager Before Integration Script.  This script is often used by third party software vendors to run their data manipulation routines.  The challenge for integration automation is to automate modal dialog login screens, originated from third party applications
• Customization Site License.  In order to enable custom integration you need to have this license – which costs $750 for Great Plains Standard.  Please be sure that you do not have to have Modifier with VBA if you outsource the development.
• Drawbacks – unfortunately nowadays practice of service packs has the drawback if you plan to deploy Continuum-  each service pack has a tendency to modify fields names in the code and this is where Continuum gives up – because it uses object calls
• Outdated Technology? Well – maybe.  But you have to have work done.  Continuum does the job
• SQL Cursor approach.  The other way would be using SQL cursors with either eConnect or MS SQL Stored procedures calls.  This will certainly allow you to switch companies, but this requires programming.

Good luck with 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 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew is a Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) – USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, New Orleans, Toronto, Montreal and having locations in multiple states and internationally