Businesses today continue to rapidly change in their needs, particularly, for what an Enterprise Resource Software (ERP) can do to help support their operations and finances. Postmodern ERP, as defined by Gartner is a technology strategy that links and integrates administrative and operational business capabilities with the benefits of vendor-delivered integration to promote flexibility and agility.  

Software Advice, an advisory firm that helps buyers research and choose ERP software, conducted research and sought expert advice to look into the concept of Postmodern ERP and how it affects businesses, with findings compiled in this article.

A comprehensive postmodern ERP strategy aims to use the best applications possible in each business area while still ensuring that the different areas adequately integrate with each other when necessary.

The study is quick to note that “a postmodern ERP system will likely be comprised of applications from two or more vendors, and may include multiple deployment models.” This strategy can benefit businesses by ensuring your company is using the applications which are best suited for each job function. Moreover, should specific applications need to be changed, there would be no need to customize or upgrade the whole system.

Although the study suggests that the postmodern strategy would be best suited to growing midsize to large firms, organizations “should opt for a strategy that will provide them with long-term agility over short-term operational efficiency.”

Microsoft has already announced that the new Dynamics GP releases will be coming out every six months, starting from the Dynamics GP 2013 R2 release, so they can deliver new features as soon as possible to clients.

The new Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 release will debut later this calendar year on December 1st 2014. This new release will focus on four main aspects and lots of small enhancements around them.

Here are the four main points:

1. Service Based Architecture
   
   
2. Identity Management
   
   
3. Azure Procurement
   
   
4. Apps on multiple platforms

These new features will become the foundation for the further development of Dynamics GP over the next five years. Some of the system’s new capabilities will be copying the Home Page and Area Page from one user to another and new options for the Discount Date Calculation similar to the transaction due date’s when setting up payment terms.

Stay tuned for more Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 updates coming up soon!

If you haven't downloaded our Microsoft Dynamics GP Interactive Demo yet, you now have the chance to get our updated version, which includes Reporting Dashboards.

WebSan Solutions has created this interactive demo to help you experiment with Microsoft Dynamics GP on your own time and at your own pace. With over 100 downloads, this Interactive Demo will not only show you how to use Dynamics GP but you will be also able to input data, create invoices, Purchase Orders, reports and find out what it would be like to use the system for your everyday tasks. This demo is a FREE downloadable file that you can keep forever, show it to your boss and come down to a final decision.

Our Microsoft Dynamics GP Interactive Demo includes the following modules:

• Dashboard Overview
• Financial Module
• Sales Module
• Purchasing Module
• Reporting Dashboards

This is a foolproof way of getting your accounting system without the hassle of going through complicated trials and countless hours of research.

We are proud to announce the new features released with our Time and Expense Management System version 4.3. Expense group uploads, General Ledger uploads and overriding default supervisors are a few of the new enhancements that have been added to our system.

Expense Group Uploads

This feature will enable the upload of multi-user expense files. That is, specified users set in the security options have the ability to upload expenses for submission on behalf of other users. So if your department is responsible for submitting expenses, you can now gather all the expense sheets and submit them at once.

General Ledger Uploads

Upload journal entries through a downloadable template and synch them to your Microsoft Dynamics GP General Ledger.

When evaluating an ERP software and choosing a partner that will provide implementation, it’s important to consider how well both can support your organization’s needs. Along with our ERP Assessment, which measures how well an organization is optimizing their ERP software, WebSan’s ERP Whitepaper is a valuable resource that will give insight into ways an organization can benefit from a new ERP system.

The “27 Powerful Questions to Ask ERP Providers Whitepaper” addresses a variety of topics, including possible business opportunities, security and risk, implementation, training and support and scalability. The different sections of the ERP Whitepaper aim to provide information that will give an overview of the ERP software, data ownership, additional resources, tech support, and system updates.  

Download our free ERP Whitepaper and learn how you can improve efficiency and make better business decisions with the right ERP software. When you download our free ERP Whitepaper, you can take our free ERP Assessment and gain access to our Microsoft Dynamics GP and CRM demos! 

Click here to download our free ERP Whitepaper!

 Linz Tan, Web Marketing Assistant, WebSan Solutions Inc. a 2014 Ontario Business Achievement Award Winner for Service Excellence

When a user posts an individual transaction in GP, that transaction will likely display in the Financial Series Post, saved to a batch with an odd, automated ID.  These IDs are auto-created by Dynamics GP & are based on the source document / originating module from which the transaction was posted.  Generally, the first 2-3 characters of the these Batch IDs are based on the module, with 3 or so more characters to identify the transaction type.  this is or course followed by a numeric counter.

If one reviews the Source Document listing in GP, that will generally tell them what all the abbreviations represent.  For those more technical, source documents can be found in SY00900 in the database.

Below, I have listed a number of the more common prefixes to an automated Batch ID and have noted the module which they represent.

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.

Purchasing ERP software is a major investment for any organization as it is one of the most important technologies used to manage business functions and processes.  For an organization to determine if they are optimizing their ERP software’s capabilities, taking an ERP Assessment will prove to be extremely useful.

An ERP Assessment is used to evaluate the capabilities of an organization’s current ERP system. A valuable ERP Assessment will help determine whether an organization’s team is equipped with the tools and information it needs to function effectively and find out whether or not the organization’s ERP system is meeting the business’s needs.

An ERP Assessment will look into different aspects of the organization, such as system integration, quality of received data, use of Microsoft Excel, budget, and dependence on paper forms and templates.

Understanding how an organization utilizes their ERP system will provide insight into possible opportunities, potential risks, and areas that require improvement.

Take our free ERP Assessment and learn how you can best leverage your ERP software. When you take our free ERP Assessment, you will gain access to our free Dynamics GP and CRM demos and an ERP whitepaper!

New fixed assets are often added manually to the fixed assets module. This relies on users to remember to check if new assets are purchased. In Dynamics GP, there is a setup to link the purchase of new assets to the fixed asset module. The setup required is to input the Purchasing Posting Accounts. After the accounts are setup, Accounts Payable will enter their invoices as per the usual procedure and select the general ledger account that is used in the Purchasing Posting Accounts. Once the payables are entered, the purchases will show up in the fixed assets module. The fixed assets accountant will select the purchases and update the fixed asset's information. The fixed assets accountant will never need to remember to add in new assets manually. This eliminates the errors when new fixed assets are purchased but never inputted into the fixed assets module creating an imbalance of the GL versus the fixed assets subledger.

For more information on how to setup the Purchasing Posting Accounts, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Katrina She, CMA, Application Specialist ,This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Purchase Orders, widely known as POs, is vital for keeping track of your orders and inventory as well as for both forecasting and reporting purposes. As far as small businesses are concerned, they consider Purchase Order Processing (POP) a hassle or an accountant’s concern. Well they need to realize that POP is an essential part of any retailer’s or wholesaler’s day to day operation. Even if you use your supplier’s B2B portal, it is important to enter the same information into your system as well. Not only does it help streamlining internal buying procedures but also it provides management information about costs.

Here are some of the reasons why you should consider implementing a POP module, if you haven’t already:

1. Cut time - intensive activities and increase efficiency. A single centralized system is linking all departments together and there is no need for paperwork. This also speeds up the movement of documents within and outside the company, because everything is in electronic format and staff can circulate the documents to each other instantly via e-mail and the internet.
2. View your costs instantly. POP allows you to have information about your committed costs concerning Purchasing prior even to receiving the relative invoice. That is, when an order is placed in the system upon a specific supplier, you can view your costs immediately in the form of a Purchase Order, without waiting to receive an invoice and key it in the system. Therefore, at the same time POP allows you to have better control over your expenditures.
3. Improve your cash forecasting. Recording Purchase Orders in your system and being able to define your future costs, enables you to predict your future cash flows more effectively.

WebSan Solutions offers Purchase Order Processing for Microsoft Dynamics GP to help you improve your vendor relationships and minimize your costs. For more information, join our webinar on Purchase Order Processing on October 17^th.

Doriana Kote, Marketing Assistant, WebSan Solutions Inc., a Channel Elite Awards Finalist for 2013

I got the chance to interview Mark Polino a Microsoft Certified IT Professional for Dynamics GP. He is a well-known MVP in the MS Great Plains community. I attended Dynamics Decisions 2011 and I thought he did a wonderful job speaking about the worst mistakes that you can make with Dynamics GP, which was really helpful because I’m new to the system. These are the questions he was asked:

1. When did you realize this would be your career?

In my first few years as a consultant, I realized that my experience with Dynamics GP gave me an advantage even if I chose to go back into the industry. When I moved out of consulting and into a controller role for a while it made a huge difference in getting the job.

2. In 2010, you wrote the book “Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Cookbook” what was your inspiration for writing it?

I had built several “50 Tips in 50 Minutes for Dynamics GP” presentations that got great reactions. I was considering building them into an eBook and mentioned that to my friend and fellow MVP, Mariano Gomez. He was talking to a publisher about a book and he put me in touch with Packt Publishing. The rest is history and the publisher’s help made a huge difference in delivering a better book.

For those who drive, we’re all experiencing the same phenomenon of a lighter wallet. Reading and listening to news reports of rising gas prices has everyone in a cringe. Spending more money than what we’re use to isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, especially not mine. This poses a question for alternatives. There are lists of possibilities but one does seem like an effective solution, Public Transit. Why? It’s affordable and it’s just as efficient by getting me to work. I know you’re asking how does this relate to Microsoft Dynamics GP. Think about it this way. Your company is spending more money on antiquated systems that can’t keep up with  business or on multiple disparate systems which both have the effects similar to ‘spending more than you should’. You need a solution and that’s where Microsoft Dynamics GP comes in. Think of it as your company’s ‘Public Transit’ that can help your business do more with less. It incorporates all functions such as HR, Accounting, Sales and more, which adds to productivity. It’s a familiar interface, and gives you the power of choice in deployment, purchase and use.

Here’s a list of why you should chose Microsoft Dynamics GP for your company:

-         Affordability: One system that does it all

-         Great Fit: Easily integrates into your existing systems

-         Improve Productivity: Connect information across your entire organization

This article was originally published from https://winthropdc.wordpress.com/2016/03/09/sba-is-not-as-asynchronous-as-you-might-think/

Service Based Architecture (SBA) was released with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015, it covers technologies to make Dynamics GP more accessible to external applications by allowing Dexterity global procedures to be exposed as Web Services. It also allows Dexterity code to directly access and use .Net objects via the .Net Interop.

SBA opens up an entire new world of development opportunities.

As you might have noticed, in the last few days I have posted articles relating to Web Services using Service Based Architecture and the Batch Posting Service Toolkit (BPST).

There is a reason…. I have been working with Neal Santin from WebSan Solutions to implement BPST on their systems. Neal has been a great help to work through some of the issues we found and his assistance is appreciated. He told me of a new issue that he has come across which is the subject of this article.

Many companies have started to embraced enterprise resource planning (ERP) in order to maintain their competitiveness. They have quickly learned a fundamental truth: technology can move a company forward only as far as its business processes will allow.

Amongst most organizations, paper or hard copies is the principal format for sharing invoices and associated documents for approval. Paper processes generates uncertainty and blind spots in a business. An example could be your Accounting department. Accounting has no way of knowing where a paper invoice resides on someone’s draw or desk after it is sent around for approval, nor how long it will sit there. Executives are unable to make accurate financial predictions because they see only completed transactions—not those in process, floating somewhere in the company’s structure.

With paper processes restraining the real value of a paperless ERP for companies large and small, the need for a way to automate the transformation of paper documents into digital data and to manage the resulting documents has prompted technology developers to innovate a new generation of devices and services. This is where Hosted Microsoft Dynamics GP comes in.

The next technological move from paper format is for companies and their accounting departments to consider is the cloud—online services that can dramatically reduce the costs of technology. Instead of a company’s investing more in its own infrastructure—additional servers, software, networking and maintenance—it can turn to the cloud for the applications it needs. By integrating your company with the Microsoft Dynamics cloud platform, it easily scales with your company’s needs and automatically upgrades as innovations evolve.

To help your company get away from paper and into the clouds, contact us here.

Have you considered getting additional users for Microsoft Dynamics GP? Now it's your chance to purchase new licenses. Microsoft has recently made an announcement about increasing Microsoft Dynamics GP user prices across versions and licensing models effective July 1, 2014. So, if you think that you will need more Dynamics GP users in the next 6 to 12 months, we suggest this is the right time to buy those licenses before the prices go up.

The additional charge will not impact the enhancement plan cost of users you have licensed prior to 1 July 2014, subject to the Customer Services and Support Plan Policy.

WebSan Solutions offers a simplified pricing plan for Microsoft Dynamics GP for $250/ user/ month, including all GP modules:

• General Ledger
• Accounts Receivable/ Accounts Payable
• Management Reporter
• Electronic Bank Reconciliation
• Fixed Assets
• Sales Order Processing and Invoicing
• Inventory Management
• Purchase Order Processing
• Project Accounting
• Payroll (US or Canada)
• Human Resources
• Manufacturing

The price also includes training and other useful features such as multicurrency management and multiple companies. Get an instant quote and find out more details about WebSan's pricing plan.

Dynamics GP allows users to enter invoices through a number of different methods.  When first accessing the invoicing windows in GP, users will often encounter a system alert warning them of the fact that they have multiple windows with which to enter the data.  Without intervention, this warning will always appear for users moving forward.

To get rid of this warning, run your GP Utilities (from your Start menu).  In the Additional Tasks window, select the ‘Remove SOP and Invoicing message’.  Proceed to uncheck ‘Warn in Sales Order Processing’ & ‘Warn in Invoicing’.  When complete, the warning will be gone forever.

Adam MacIntosh is a Senior Account & Project Manager with WebSan Solutions Inc, a Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner and 2013 Canadian Channel Elite 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.

Have you seen us on the Microsoft Solution Profiler?

Click here.

WebSan is one of the few companies in North America that offers a hosted Dynamics GP solution. It reduces your total cost of ownership vs. an on-premise solution.

Check out our web page regarding hosted Dynamics GP for more information.

Several systems are now being integrated with or migrated into the cloud. Discussions regarding media sharing, searching, and collaboration systems will normally note that such forms of systems are on the exterior of the core business of the company. Because of this, it becomes a great idea to move your ERP to the cloud.

Just like any other businesses, you also demand scalability, flexibility, and security. The cloud offers all of these necessities and, what's more, it is really affordable. So, if you still can’t make up your mind on whether you will move your ERP to the cloud or not, the following are the advantages that may help you make the right decision.

Small Initial Investment

Services are given on a pay-as-you-go, subscription basis. This only means that the implementation of the cloud-based ERP system could hugely lessen the initial capital amount of investing within the ERP system. A lot of vendors might also guarantee that they won’t increase costs once you go on with the utilization of the system even the term has already expired.

Prompt Implementation

Have you ever attended a meeting, training session or webinar and left with unanswered questions? Did you feel there were all these little details that you wanted to learn about but time was running out?

This June WebSan Solutions is hosting a special user focused Q&A Webinar, where Andrew King, Managing Director will answer any questions about Microsoft Dynamics GP.

The following examples can give you an idea about things you can ask about:

• My aged trial balance with options-detail report is off by one penny. How can I balance this account?
• Is it possible to export our inventory items with list price using the Standard SmartLists, or is there another way to see List Prices for items?

Click here to Submit Your Questions

We will collect all the questions and try to answer as many as possible on June 12, 2014 at 11 am EST in our hourly webinar. WebSan Solutions Inc. is a Microsoft Dynamics GP Certified Partner located in Toronto, with over a decade of experience in implementing projects for small and medium sized businesses.

Welcome! This is the first entry in a series of posts focusing on some of the basic functionality within Microsoft Dynamics GP. This entry will cover the creation, use and advantages of classes.

Stated simply, classes allow various record types, such as customers, venders, items, users, or employees to be grouped together by a certain characteristic. For example, a New York customer class could be setup to group all customers based in New York together. To create a new customer class, browse to Microsoft Dynamics GP >> Tools >> Setup >> Sales >> Customer Class.

Enter a Class ID to identify the customer class, a description, and the properties associated with the class, including payment terms, salesperson, shipping method, and so on. In this example, I am creating a NEW_YORK customer class to group all of my New York-based customers together. Click the Accounts button to open the Accounts Setup window and to assign distribution accounts. Save the class when completed.

Now when creating a new New York customer, all I need to enter is some basic name, address, and phone information, and then assign the NEW_YORK class. The properties entered for the NEW_YORK class are carried over to the customer, including the distribution accounts. If I had to enter ten New York-based customers into Dynamics GP, I’ve just saved myself a lot of time and from a lot of tedious data entry. If there are properties that default from the NEW_YORK class that do not apply to the specific customer, I can still modify the individual customer. 

In the future, if a new salesperson needed to be assigned to all New York customers, I would make the change to the NEW_YORK class. Dynamics GP would then ask if I would like to roll-down the changes to the customer records. Selecting “Yes” will apply that change to every customer record the NEW_YORK class has Again, I’ve avoided a large amount of tedious data entry.

Download one of our free Microsoft Dynamics Demos

Part of what makes ERP software so popular within various industries is its ability to adapt alongside growing companies. Gone are the days where organizations were required to spend tens of thousands of dollars for system update fees. Instead, companies now have the freedom to grow freely, and no longer need to be tied down by software limitations. In this post, we discuss the three features of scalability in ERP software and how this benefits businesses:

Enhance customer account management:

As your company grows, so too will your list of clients and customers. Your systems must be able to handle this increase in customer information, ensuring you have the necessary space to add additional data entries and ensure that your systems continue to run smoothly under heavy workloads and across multiple applications within your system.

Cross-platform capabilities: