Configuring Label Printing Software
Label printing software establishes an ODBC connection to a SQL database. Since Dynamics GP transactions reside in multiple tables, and move from open, to work, to history tables during the posting process, it is difficult to use this ODBC functionality to print labels from Dynamics GP transactions because a different report would be needed for every transaction type.
Dynamics GP space fills strings. If you print labels directly from a GP table, the software will pick up these spaces and not print the bar code correctly (it will contain the symbol for “space”). LabelLink strips trailing spaces.
Dynamics GP stores dates in date-time fields. When GP Dates are pulled onto labels, the display shows the full datetime value. LabelLink formats date fields to show only a date.
LabelLink simplifies the use of the label printing software’s ODBC functionality by pulling together Dynamics GP information from multiple tables to populate a single flat table so there is one record per label with all the information needed for that label.
The data for labels will come from one of four SQL views depending on your labelling software, use of automation, and whether you are printing Transaction Labels (i.e. for PO Receiving) or SmartList Labels. The views are:
- LabelLink – Transaction labels using locally installed labelling software
- LabelLinkAuto – Transaction labels using labelling automation software
- LabelLinkSL – SmartList labels using localling installed labelling software
- LabelLinkSLAuto – SmartList labels using labelling automation software
Dynamics GP string fields are filled with trailing spaces, so that a short Item Number such as “100XLG” will actually be filled with spaces to fill the field’s full length of 30-characters. If you use the Item Number field from any other GP table, the label printing software will print all 30 characters. The LabelLink SQL views strip trailing spaces off of the string fields.
Follow the label printing software instructions for creating an external ODBC datasource to SQL Server and creating label reports.
The main source of data for your label reports will be the LabelLink sql views in the Company Database.
The following table lists other Dynamics GP tables you might link to for transaction information not contained in LabelLink.
| Table Name | Description | Links |
| Item Master (IV00101) | Contains information from the Item Maintenance window. | LabelLink.ITEMNMBR = IV00101.ITEMNMBR |
| Lot Attribute Master (IV00301) | Contains information from the Lot Attribute Entry and Lot Attribute Inquiry windows. | LabelLink.ITEMNMBR = IV00301.ITEMNMBR
& LabelLink.SERLTNUM = IV00301.LOTNUMBR |
| Purchase Receipt Line Quantities (POP10500) | Contains the quantities from the PO receipt line, for both un-posted and posted receipts. | LabelLink.POPRCTNM = POP10500.POPRCTNM
& LabelLink.RCPTLNNM = POP10500.RCPTLNNM |
| Purchasing Serial/Lot Work (POP10330) | Contains the serial or lot numbers received for each PO Receipt Line. This table has the Date Received, Manufactured Date, and Expiration Date. | LabelLink.POPRCTNM = POP10330.POPRCTNM
& LabelLink.RCPTLNNM = POP10330.RCPTLNNM |
| Purchasing Serial/Lot History (POP30330) | Contains the serial or lot numbers received for each PO Receipt Line on posted transactions. This table has the Date Received, Manufactured Date, and Expiration Date. | LabelLink.POPRCTNM = POP30330.POPRCTNM
& LabelLink.RCPTLNNM = POP30330.RCPTLNNM |
| Sales Transaction Header (SOP10100) | Contains the Customer Number, Address, and other information about the sales transaction | LabelLink.SOPTYPE = SOP10100.SOPTYPE
& LabelLink.SOPNUMBE = SOP10100.SOPNUMBE |
When using locally installed labelling software, a key aspect of configuring your labels is to build an appropriate filter so the label report prints only the labels for one user (or one computer). LabelLink sends the data for labels to one table for all of the users/workstations that are printing lables. If multiple users are (or could be) printing labels at the same time, your label report MUST have a restriction by User ID so it pulls only the labels for one user. This restriction is not required when using label printing automation.