Overview

Overview

WilloWare’s LabelLink acts as an intermediary between Microsoft Dynamics GP and label printing software. There are two modes of deployment:

  • Local: All three pieces of software must be installed on the same computer, along with a barcode label printer.
  • Automation: Dynamics GP and LabelLink are installed on a client while label printing automation software runs on another computer and prints labels sent to it by LabelLink.

LabelLink provides seamless label with multiple label printing packages, such as:

In addition to LabelLink from WilloWare, you must also purchase:

  • Label printing software
  • A Barcode Label printer (a roll printer is strongly recommended)

Data flow from Inventory Transfer LabelLink LabelLink Database Table

LabelLink supports printing barcode labels from many places in GP:

  • Receivings Transaction Entry
  • Receivings Transaction Inquiry Zoom
  • Manufacturing Order Entry
  • Manufacturing Order Receipt Entry
  • Item Transaction Entry
  • Item Transfer Entry
  • Item Bin Transfer Entry (Bin to Bin Transfers)
  • Purchase Order Entry
  • Smart List
  • Fixed Assets General
  • Inventory Assembly Transactions
  • Sales Transaction Entry
  • Sales Transaction Inquiry
  • Sales Order Fulfillment

LabelLink reads the inventory items from the transaction, such as an Inventory Adjustment, then provides several options in LabelLink for how to print the labels. For example, you may choose to generate one label per Base Unit of Measure, Per Transaction Unit of Measure, change the number of copies, or make manual edits to the label data.

LabelLink collects data from several places in GP to create the labels. If labels are being printed from a PO Receipt, LabelLink will include data from the PO, PO Receipt, PO Receipt Lines, PO Serial Lot table, Item Master, Vendor Master, and so on. One record per label is created and sent to the LabelLink table in the SQL database.

Regardless of the location in GP from which labels are printed, the generated labels are always sent to the same LabelLink table. This greatly simplifies creating label reports, allowing a single report to be created for all labels regardless of the source data in GP. Without LabelLink a separate label report would be needed for printing from Purchase Orders, PO Receipts, MO Receipts, and so on.

Data flow from the LabelLink Database Table to the Label Printing Software (here it is Codesoft) to Printed Labels

After sending the generated labels to the LabelLink table, LabelLink either launches the labeler software installed locally on the Dynamics GP client, or the labeler automation component automatically retrieves the new labels from the LabelLink table and prints them.

The LabelLink table contains a column for User ID (GP User ID), and a column for Machine ID (the name of the computer that generated the labels). If barcodes are printed by multiple users on different computers, the label report must contain a restriction by User ID so that the label report only pulls the records for one user. The LabelLink table also contains the Windows Machine ID of the GP client, and that can also be used as a restriction field to ensure the label report retrieves the correct records.

When the labels are printed, the label printing software will only pull records from the LabelLink table that belong to the specified User ID (or Machine ID). If multiple users are printing labels at the same time, each user’s labels will be in the LabelLink table, so each user must have their own label report which has a restriction so that it pulls only records for the correct user.

The LabelLink Setup window is used to associate each User ID to their own label reports. This is necessary because the label report will have a restriction by User ID. LabelLink can then launch the correct report depending on the user printing labels.

With an automated label printing solution, a single label report is used for all users. The automation software can use information in the LabelLink table to make decisions about what to print and where to print it.

Since the label report will have an ODBC connection to a GP Company Database, if you have multiple company databases, a separate label report is required for each User-Company combination. For example, if LESSONUSER1 needs to print labels from both TWO and TEST, you will need two separate label reports—one linked to the TWO database and restricted to user LESSONUSER1, and one linked to TEST and restricted to user LESSONUSER1. The LabelLink Setup window will map a label report to a user, and automatically select the correct report when the user prints labels.

See the table below for filter/restriction requirements. “Labeling Software” means Wasp Labeler, Code Soft, NiceLabel , etc.

GP & Label Software Configuration Label Report Filters
The labeling software is installed on one computer, with Dynamics GP, and only this one computer will be used to print labels. No filters needed.

If multiple, different users will use GP on this computer, create one Label Report and map all users to the same report in the LabelLink Setup window.
The labeling software is installed on more than one computer with Dynamics GP. Each computer must have its own copy of label reports, and each report must have a Filter/Restriction. If each GP client is used by only one user, the label report can restrict/filter by Machine ID or User ID.

If each GP client is (or could be) used by multiple users, the label report MUST restrict/filter by Machine ID.
The labeling software is installed on a terminal server with Dynamics GP. Only one user prints labels. No filters needed.
The labeling software is installed on a terminal server with Dynamics GP and multiple users print labels. Each user must have their own copy of the label reports. Each report must have a restriction/filter on USERID.

In LabelLink Setup, map each user to their label report (the report that has a restriction for their User ID).
Labeling Automation No labelling software or hardware is installed on the Dynamics GP client.

There is one copy of each label report that is used by all users. No User ID restriction is required.

A “filter” or “restriction” is created in the labelling software, and will look like this:

LabelLink.USERID = ‘JOHNDOE’

The label printing software pulls data for the barcode labels from the LabelLink table. Since LabelLink has done the work of collecting all the needed data into one record in one table, no complicated table linking is required when building the label report in the label printing software.

The label printing software packages (i.e. Wasp Labeler, Codesoft, NiceLabel) support all of the most common printers, and can print complex barcode labels with multiple barcodes in different orientations. The label printing software packages are similar to Crystal Reports. They are graphical report design packages that pull data from a database via an ODBC connection. They have special features designed to handle complex graphical layouts for labels.