There is no doubt that Microsoft Dynamics GP offers a wide variety of custom reporting methods that can enable anyone in your organization to get real-time reporting quickly and easily – whether it be SmartLists, Linked Excel Reports, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), or Management Reporter (MR). As a report developer, typically it’s not too difficult to find the data that you need for a given reporting request – instead, sometimes the biggest challenge is just figuring out which reporting tool to use when creating the report.  I’ve found that there are a few key questions you can ask that can immediately narrow down your options for you.

Will non-GP users need access to this report?

If your answer is “Yes”, then SmartLists are automatically out of the question, as these can only be accessed from within GP.

Will users need to run this report for various scenarios?

If your answer is “Yes”, go with either SSRS or Management Reporter – these are the only 2 reporting methods that allow “parameters” that the user can play with before running the report.  These parameters make it easy for the user of the report to run it for a specific scenario that suits their needs.

Cloud computing has become the rule and not the exception for applications in today’s business world. It is with no doubt the default IT platform and the reality is a lot of organizations use multiple cloud environments delivered within different platforms.

The challenge of managing these cloud environments in a consistent way has created the need for what is known as cloud brokerage. That is, a third-party, vendor-neutral business that serves as a single point of contact when working with multiple providers. Cloud service brokers help users benefit from best-in-class offerings from different providers, while keeping the back end simplified.

Another trend is to certify trustworthy cloud providers. Certified clouds will lead to better take up and wider use of different services with the assurance they bring. After the NSA revelations, there has been an increasing need for cloud security in the business world that can be reassured by cloud certifications. WebSan Solutions has already amplified the importance of security by maintaining its hosted Dynamics GP solution in its state-of-the-art Tier II SAS70/SSAE16 certified data centre located in Toronto, Canada.

Finally, cloud - based applications are gradually gaining ground against on-premise software. Taking into account there is a Google or IOS application for almost everything in today's business world, people can work on one device, either it is a desktop, tablet or mobile and then stop and pick up right where they left off on a different device in another location.

Doriana Kote, Web Marketing Coordinator, WebSan Solutions Inc., a Channel Elite Awards Winner for 2013

With vacation season nearing, the last thing you want to worry about is the state of your company’s ERP system. Switch your focus to enjoying your downtime instead of thinking about a time consuming month end or gaining a competitive edge. A robust, simple, stand-alone ERP solution like Microsoft Dynamics GP allows you to kick back and relax on your vacation time.

Whether you need to manage your staff’s vacation pay by making changes to Payroll, schedule an advanced Distribution, or want access to Electronic Banking, Dynamics GP is a multi-functional system that’s cost effective, and easily caters to your growing business needs. On top of all that, the Human Resources module in Dynamics GP presents the Vacation Calendar option, which gives the user a calendar view that lists employees that have taken time off for each day.

WebSan Solutions’ hosted Dynamics GP offering gives you access and ownership of your data, and eliminates upkeep with software maintenance, upgrades, and back-ups. Compared to an on-premise offering, hosted Dynamics GP also gives you the option of faster deployment. Moreover, it’s one of the most notable accounting and ERP software solutions on the market today!

To learn more about Dynamics GP and to gain access to additional ERP resources, visit our hosted Dynamics GP page! 

Click here to learn more about Hosted Dynamics GP

In any window, users can select Help > About Microsoft Dynamics GP to determine what version they are using.  This is extremely useful when installing patches or making upgrades.  This information can even be critical when submitting a support request.

Hint:  From this window, one can select Options to determine what modules are registered.

The last release of Microsoft Office was in 2010, now three years later Microsoft unveils their new “sleek appearance” and features with Office 2013. The new appearance coincides with the Windows 8 look; they’ve added better functional improvement and links to SharePoint and SkyDrive.

There is the option of purchasing the software separately or getting Office 365 for your business. Still questioning if it’s time to upgrade? Here are some features that I’ve done research on that might change your mind.

Do you find that your desktop applications are taking up too much space on your hard drive? Microsoft has introduced SkyDrive Integration with Office 2013. Office 2013 is designed to integrate with the cloud using SkyDrive and SharePoint. That’s a big benefit to SMB if you prefer to store your documents in the cloud. If you're still skeptic about the cloud, you still have the option of saving files on your local drive.

Do you find that you are always on the go and can’t bring your laptop with you all the time? When business is booming you might find yourself all over the place, with no time to sit at a desk. But using Office 2013/Office 365 you will be able to view your documents online using a PC, tablet or WebApps. This feature makes it easier to pick up where you left off working, even if you open the file on a different device than you last used.

Do you have trouble using Excel? Do you need to use Excel to create charts and monitor sales? Excel 2013 has a new feature called Recommended Chart which you select the data to chart and click Insert > Recommended Chart to see options such as line, bar, and pie charts that the program recommends for your data. Click each chart to preview what your data will look like in that form.

Microsoft has recently announced the features that will be included in the 2021 Year-End update to Dynamics GP, which will include the 2021 feature release as well. Dynamics GP continues to add yearly updates in terms of hotfixes, tax code-compliant updates, and other regulatory fixes. The following features are all based on customer requests, so users can look forward to improvement to these updates. Another advantage of this release is that new registration keys are not needed for this release.  

Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.4 Updates include:

Distribution

In October 2019, Microsoft introduced the Modern Lifecycle Policy for Microsoft Dynamics GP  before this update Dynamics GP was governed by the Fixed Lifecycle Policy which in comparison has fixed end dates for their support. The Modern Policy offers continuous support and servicing, including bug fixes, new features, and the latest tax updates. This highlights the fact that Dynamics GP is not going anywhere soon with the Lifecycle Roadmap showing dates well into 2028 and beyond.

Dynamics GP customers can stay current by choosing at least one of the three all-inclusive Dynamics GP updates, typically released in June, October, and December yearly . The October update normally provides new capabilities whereas the two other updates will typically consist of hotfixes, tax updates, and regulatory updates.

Microsoft Dynamics GP is a powerful on-premises application that has built a huge community over the last 30+ years of Partners and Customers that love the product. Microsoft intends to continue both enhancing and supporting the solution in the future. Upgrading your Dynamics GP system ensures that you have access to new features, in addition to a resolution to any system glitches. Upgrading regularly also provides you with tax compliance, improved security, and more predictable costs.  

Everyone has turned to YouTube to gain information, insight and knowledge about everything and anything. Visit WebSan Solutions YouTube channel to watch helpful videos about GP modules. 

WebSan University is bringing knowledge to life by creating a series of interactive online courses through an easy-to-use intuitive system. Who said corporate training has to be boring? Empower your employees with online training!

Join WebSan University    Visit Our YouTube Channel

WebSan Solutions has launched the Project Accounting Webinar Series, aiming to take your skills to the next level, whether you are a total beginner or an advanced user in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Why do you need Project Accounting?

By taking an ordered and logical approach to your project accounting and training methods, you will be able to cut financial costs to your overall business activity.

Also, through logical project accounting and fundamental organisation techniques, you will be able to quickly see a marked improvement in expenditure and customer satisfaction.

Each month our Project Accounting Webinar Series will cover one of the following topics:

Once a project is finished, user should close out that project within Dynamics GP.  This helps to avoid errant postings to the project & ensures accurate reporting.

To close a project within Microsoft Dynamics GP, first set the status of your project to Completed within the Project Maintenance window.  Then, navigate to  Project > Transactions > Project Closing to access the Project Closing window.  Within this window, select the Contract Number that the completed project belongs to.  All the completed projects for that contract should then appear in the listing below.  To close a project, check the box under the Close column & select Process.

Users should note that even though a project is set to status of Completed, there may be additional transactions that may need to be completed prior to closing the project.  If additional transactions are required, the box under the C* column will be blank.  To obtain a listing of the transactions yet to be completed for a 'Completed' project, select the blue arrow beside the Project number field within the Project Closing window.  This will open the Project Closing More info window wherein users are presented with a check list of all the tasks required prior to closing the project.

[caption id="attachment_1505" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Project Closing[/caption]

There are times when users may have completed check list items, but they do not display within GP as completed.  If this occurs, it is good practice to run the PA Reconcile Utility.  This utility will search through the GP transaction tables to verify what activities have truly been completed.  To access this window, select Project > Utilities > PA Reconcile.  Select a data set to reconcile and then click Process.  The utility is fairly quick depending on the volume of data within your Dynamics GP environment.

Check out our YouTube page for great Dynamics GP Training videos and other informative tips!

Adam MacIntosh is a Senior Account & Project Manager with WebSan Solutions Inc, a Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner and 2013 Canadian Channel Elite Awards Winner.  Adam can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 416-499-1235 ext 213.

Many companies have a need to grant Dynamics GP users access to a window, but not all functionality within that window.  For example, many clients will want users to be able to input invoices, but not post them individually.  Instead, they will force users to save invoice transactions to a batch such that a manager can review the source documents and post.  An easy way to achieve this is through Field Level Security which allows the Dynamics GP admin to restrict user access to singular buttons within a window (such as the Post button).

To configure Field Level Security, navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > System > Field Level Security

This will open up the Field Level Security window.  Within the window, select Add to create a new restriction.

[caption id="attachment_1442" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Field Level Security window[/caption]

This will open the Field Security Maintenance window wherein one defines a the window and field to restrict.  Within this window, enter an ID and Description for the restriction.  Then select the Product Name, Form Name, Window Name & Field Name using the look-ups within the window.

Effective July 1, 2013, the Manitoba government is increasing the PST rate from 7% to 8%.

After this cutoff date, GP users will have to change the tax setup prior to inputting any Manitoba AR / AP invoices.  This change can be completed by navigating to Administration > Setup > Company Tax Details.  Then, select the appropriate tax detail (generally you will have one for Sales and one for Purchasing) and update the Percentage field from 7% to 8%.

[caption id="attachment_1229" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tax Setup"][/caption]

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our support team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Adam MacIntosh is a Senior Project Implementation Manager at WebSan Solutions Inc, a Microsoft Dynamics GP Silver Partner & 2012 Microsoft Impact Awards Finalist.  Adam can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 416-499-1235 ext 213.

Hi All

I discovered a couple excellent blog post from two fellow Dynamics community members that I wanted to share.  Both relate to upgrading to GP2013.  At this time, there are still a number of known issues with GP2013 even though Service Pack 1 has been released.  If you are looking to upgrade to GP2013, please contact me via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 416 499 1235 ext 213.  In the mean time, I encourage you to review the blog posts below.

Sarah Purdy discusses Modified Dictionary Upgrades:

https://community.dynamics.com/gp/b/dynamicsgp/archive/2013/04/11/modified-dictionary-upgrade.aspx

Chris Bulson discusses Version Checks & Upgrades:

WebSan Solutions Inc., Largest Canadian Cloud Dynamics GP Partner announced the latest release of its Time and Expense portal for Dynamics GP.

Working with Microsoft Dynamics GP for many years has given WebSan the opportunity to help clients overcome many business challenges. Their latest Time and Expense Portal continues to allow Dynamics GP users to enter time and expenses anytime, anywhere without the typical limitations of Microsoft's Business Portal solution.

Some of the key features that are now included in the latest release are the following:

• Seamless integration with Dynamics GP database
• Process timesheets and expenses in an easy to use, web-based format
• Handle Canadian VAT (value added tax) and US taxes seamlessly
• Automatic approval workflows for time and expense submission based on $ limits
• Track days off, holiday and vacation time
• Purchase requisition approval module
• Internal reporting for timesheet status, expense reports and history
• Works with on-premise or Cloud-deployed Dynamics GP
• SQL Report viewer with self-managed security and ability to export to Word, Excel, PDF or Images
• Built in user messaging

To see WebSan’s Time and Expense portal in action click the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCu3BM3DInA&list=UUHAtQ9fSm1oPZYDW37ELFAA&index=1

The long awaited Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 was recently released right before the holiday season.  The latest version has a number of new features which we have previously discussed in this blog, the most important of which is greater flexibility in terms of deployment.  Also included is RapidStart Services, a tool designed to speed up implementations while lowering project risk.

Contact WebSan Solutions Inc today at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more about Microsoft Dynamics 2013.

Adam MacIntosh is a Senior Project Manager at WebSan Solutions Inc, a Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner offering implementation & support services for large & small firms in a variety of industries.

Accounting staff must always ensure that the general ledger and the sub-ledgers are in balance at all times.  Often, our support team will be asked to assist when they aren’t in balance.  When this occurs, we generally run the Reconcile to GL routine in GP in order to determine the cause.

Dynamics GP 2013 includes a new feature to help reconcile the Bank & Inventory sub-ledgers to one’s General Ledger.  This functionality previously existed for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable sub-ledgers.  Further the Reconcile to GL window now includes both the General Ledger and Sub-ledger balances on it for quick review.  The additional sub-ledgers for reconcile will help ensure customers have a quick and easy way of ensuring their records are accurate.

Adam MacIntosh is a Senior Project Implementation Manager at WebSan Solutions Inc, a Microsoft Dynamics GP Silver Partner & 2012 Microsoft Impact Awards Finalist.  Adam can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 416-499-1235 ext 213.

Happy Canada Day!

For those enjoying a little R&R today, imagine this was your every day!  To get achieve that, you would need to start building some automation into your business processes.  The first step you can take is by ensuring your reporting is easily & readily available.

Homepage Metrics offer out-of-the-box reporting that covers all GP modules.  There exists an extensive list of potential reports one can use.  These are automatically integrated to ones Homepage for easy & quick viewing.

Try adding some Metrics to your Homepage today by selecting the pencil icon / edit button on the Metrics heading.

Management Reporter 2012 for Microsoft Dynamics has been released & is now available for use.  Management Reporter is a robust financial reporting tool that provides companies visibility into organizational health.  Management Reporter is available for the following Microsoft Dynamics products:

• AX 2009 & 2012
• GP 2010
• NAV 2009
• SL 2011

Upgrades include greater design flexibility, the ability to collaborates with co-workers, enhanced drill-down capabilities & a more interactive viewing experience.

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to upgrade today!

Spring is here & that means SPRING CLEANING!  With that in mind, system administrators should be thinking about cleaning up their Dynamics system & shoring up their licensing needs.  Thus, I would like to tell everyone about a free utility that will help cleaning up your licensing needs.

Microsoft Dynamics GP is licensed concurrently.  Meaning, if a user is logged into multiple companies at a single time, they will also be using multiple licenses at that time.  For firms with multiple companies running on Dynamics GP & where the number of licenses is very close to the number of actual users, this can present a problem.

For those where purchasing additional licenses is not an option, there is a utility to prevent users from logging into multiple companies at the same time.  To install, download from Customer Source & extract the Prevent_Users_Logging_In_To_Multiple_Companies.zip file.  Then  simply log into Microsoft Dynamics GP & select Tools > Customize > Customization Maintenance, then import the extracted file .

No longer will multiple logins from a single user burn multiple licenses.

Adam MacIntosh is a Senior Project Manager at WebSan Solutions Inc.  A certified Microsoft partner.