Of all the remarkable functionality that Dynamics GP offers, I am still amazed by Smartlist and Smartlist Builder.  So what could possibly make Smartlist more user friendly and effective than it already is?  There are 4 Willoware tools that will do just that:

1.  If you need to sum a column or find the most frequently occurring item, Smartlist Analzyer can do that without leaving Smartlist.  It adds mathematical and statistical functions so you can perform a quick count on the number of invoices created this week, or add a calculated column to find the total value of inventory in a site.  Functions include:

• Average – adds the values in a column and divides by the number of values in a column
• Frequency – counts how often each value occurs in the selected column
• Mode – finds the most frequently occurring value
• Standard Deviation – calculates the standard deviation of values in a column
• Sum – calculates the total of a column

2.   What’s better than one Smartlist?  How about keeping up to five Smartlists open at the same time?  SmartList Favorite Keep Open allows you to do just that.

3.  Not enough space to view all the columns of your Smartlist?  Maximize the screen area devoted to the Smartlist data with SmartList Resize.  Smartlist Resize allows you to resize the SmartList window in a way that maximizes the results-pane while keeping the Treeview compact.

4.  Last but not least, after you are done tweaking your Smartlist to make it exactly how you want it, Smartlist Favorite Lock will keep it that way.  This tool adds the ability to lock, and password protect, any user created SmartList Favorite.  

If you would like to learn more about any of these valuable Smartlist Tools by WilloWare or check out more of their Dynamics GP product offerings, please visit www.WilloWare.com or send an email to sales@WilloWare.com

As necessary as a System Password is for your GP environment, entering the System Password multiple times when reviewing setups or entering a new user can be cumbersome.  Creating the user, granting security and then assigning company access requires the password to be entered for each window.

WilloWare’s Cache System Password stores the System Password for the user after it has been entered the first time.  GP will remember the password so that any other system-level windows can be accessed without requiring the password for each window.  The password remains cached until the user exits.

WilloWare’s Cache System Password tool allows the benefits of a strong System Password to be used without the redundancy of the user having to enter it multiple times during his or her session.

If you would like to learn more about WilloWare’s Cache System Password tool or any of the other GP PowerPack tools, please visit www.WilloWare.com or send an email to sales@WilloWare.com

• Disassemble None: With this setting, the system will disassemble the first-level of the BOM only. Sub-Assemblies, therefore, are not disassembled; they are put into stock.
• Disassemble All: With this setting, any item on the BOM that has a Bill of Materials will be disassembled into its subcomponents.
• Disassemble Phantoms: This works in a manner similar to a manufacturing order where built subassemblies that have a “Regular” BOM are drawn from inventory, so with Quick Disassembly they are put back into inventory. “Phantoms” are made while producing the top-level finished good, so with Quick Disassembly a Phantom component is itself disassembled into the raw materials.

If you would like to learn more about Quick Disassembly or any Manufacturing PowerPack Modules, please visit www.WilloWare.com or send an email to sales@WilloWare.com

In regards to costing, new implementations of Dynamics GP 2013 require what’s called the Starter Pack. The Starter Pack is $5,000 for three concurrent users. Each additional Full User license is $3,000 and each Limited User license is $600. Purchasing more user licenses, especially full user licenses, can add up quickly.

ERP software prospects seem to be faced with only two options – purchase more user licenses or face the hassle of users not being able to easily access the system. The wizards at WilloWare are offering a third option with their product, Login Monitor. Login Monitor automatically logs out inactive users. Inactive users can be removed from the system on an as needed basis when a new user attempts to log-in, or they can be more aggressively removed when their inactivity reaches a pre-determined time period as defined below:

• During Log-In: This control method only logs-out users when (1) a new user attempts to log-in and (2) the user count is at a maximum and (3) there are inactive users who have exceeded the Allowed Inactivity period. This setting is used to make maximum use of your user licenses, while allowing as many users as possible to be in the system.
• When Expired: This control method logs-out users as soon as they have exceeded the Allowed Inactivity period. This setting is used if security is a concern and having idle, unattended GP clients provides an opportunity for unauthorized access to data.

(Specific users can be excluded from Login Monitor so their logins are never disconnected. Before logging-out a user Login Monitor checks that they are not in the middle of a long running process, such as posting a large batch or running maintenance.)

Login Monitor is part of WilloWare’s GP PowerPack. If you would like to learn more about the Login Monitor Module, any of the other features within the GP PowerPack or MFG Powerpack, visit www.WilloWare.com or send an email to sales@WilloWare.com.

• “Be quick, but don’t hurry.”  When working with your Dynamics GP partner to layout your implementation plan, be realistic.  Plan for the added workload the best you can while remembering vacations, sick days, and holidays will also be thrown into the mix.
• “Be prepared and be honest.” During my time as a consultant there really wasn’t anything worse than arriving at a client site to find team members ill-prepared for the day’s sessions.  In the long run, being unprepared will increase the cost of the implementation.  When laying out the initial implementation plan, be honest with what can truly be accomplished in a given timeframe.
• “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” Implementations of any new system require additional time and resources, with many client team members having dual duties.  They will have to maintain their normal responsibilities, with the added tasks of implementing the new system.  It can become a bit overwhelming for team members and needs to be planned for.  In addition, having executive support for the project is imperative.
• “It’s the little details that are vital.  Little things make big things happen.”  Communicating both internally and with your Dynamics GP Partner is key.  If the details of your business processes aren’t translated effectively, the design of your system may not complement your true business methods.  A good implementation team speaks up.  Likewise, a good partner will listen intently and recommend solutions that are efficient and cost effective.
• “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything.  I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” Sure enough, mistakes will be made along the way.  How you may have anticipated a business process to work, may not be the ultimate design.  Training and testing is one of the most significant components to an implementation with or without your Dynamics GP Partner on site.  Validating user knowledge and process design is incredibly important.  I assure you, I have never had a client tell me they trained or tested too much.
• “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” After Go Live, it’s important to remember that there’s a whole new implementation phase awaiting you called Optimization.  Perhaps there was a module you held back on due to time constraints or an ISV product, such as those offered by WilloWare, that can make a process more efficient.   Now’s the time to explore what you really can do with Dynamics GP!

SpellCheck is ready for GP2013!

The latest release of MFG PowerPack (10.0.82 / 11.0.56 / 12.0.7) adds support for global serial and lot numbering.  A single lot mask can be applied to all Lot Numbered items (one Lot Mask applied to generating all Lot Numbers), and a single serial mask can be applied to all Serial Numbered items (one Serial Number mask applied to generating all Serial Numbers).  It also supports a single mask to generate both serial and lot numbers (a single mask used to generate both).

Along with that are a number of new features:

• Stock Tag Reports: new reports include Over Allocations, Counted Lots Over Allocated, Uncounted Lots-Allocated, Uncounted Serials-Allocated
• Stock Tag Submission: several new checks were added regarding allocations to ensure the submitted counted can be Processed without errors in Stock Count Entry
• Stock Count Entry: we added the ability to delete an Item-Site (or Item-Site-Bin) from a Started Stock Count.  If there is an Item with a problem that cannot be resolved, which is preventing completing the physical count, simply delete it and resolve the problem later.
• Stock Count Schedule: if you perform regular cycle counts driven by the assigned Next Count Date and Count Frequency, and you also perform a yearly complete physical, the complete physical will overwrite the Next Count Date.  We added a new feature, Next Count Date Reset, which can be activated for a specific Stock Count, that resets the Next Count Date back to the value it had prior to the complete physical.
• Stock Count Filters: Have you ever tried to find a specific Item on the Stock Count Schedule or Stock Count Entry windows?  The new Stock Count Filters window provides several search/restriction criteria to help quickly locate information (such as all lines with a Variance Quantity).

EZImport (v10.0.5 / 11.0.2 / 12.0.1) the release for GP2013 is ready!

November 8, 2012, 1:00 PM (EST): MFG Powerpack modules: Capable to Promise, MO Split, MO Document Types

November 14, 2012 1:00 PM (EST): GP PowerPack modules: Alerts, Next Number Generator, Posting Controls

November 29, 2012 1:00 PM (EST): CompleteCount

December 6, 2012 1:00 PM (EST): GP Powerpack modules: Bin-to-Bin Transfers, Kit Transfers, Shortage Inquiry

December 13, 2012 1:00 PM (EST): Manufacturing Data Archive

To attend a webinar, please contact: Dee Dee Rea, ddrea@willoware.com

Please mention the dates of the sessions that you would like to attend. You will then receive a Go-to-Meeting invitation for those webinars.  Just accept the invite, and you’ll be all set. 24 hour notice prior to the webinars would be appreciated!

Please contact Dee Dee at the above email address if you have any questions. We’re excited to bring these webinars to you, and look forward to visiting with you soon.