If you are in the market for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system or you are just not satisfied with your current CRM solution, then you should consider Microsoft Dynamics CRM for the following reasons:

One of the main advantages of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is its familiar look and feel. If you are using Microsoft Outlook and/or Microsoft Internet Explorer, then you will find Dynamics CRM's interface very user-friendly. Research has proven that employees spend a significant amount of time daily using their Microsoft Outlook account. Compared to other CRM vendors, Microsoft doesn’t have to worry about integrating Dynamics CRM to Outlook because this is an inherent feature of Microsoft’s CRM solution.

Another reason to consider Microsoft Dynamics CRM for your business needs is flexibility. Not only can the system be customized to support your tailored needs but also the total cost of ownership (TOC) provides the best value in the market.

Last but not least, Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers a unified customer experience, connecting your employees around the world and empowering them with an integrated yet localized set of tools for success.

WebSan Solutions offers a robust hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution along with other integrated, end-to-end business solutions.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been a growing trend in the last couple of years. Any business owner knows that your sales team is only as good as the tools and the people it employs. Dynamics CRM is the right solution for your unique business needs because your sales team is able to market and sell your goods or services efficiently and effectively.

Sales people need a way to monitor, track and record sales force automation, marketing campaigns and funnel management. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 focuses on 5 aspects of the sales cycle: Sales, customer care, marketing, social and technology.

Here is a list of benefits that Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 as to offer:

• Easily configurable
• Powerful tablet applications
• Touch-optimized phone applications
• Communicate with ease (Microsoft Lync, Skype, Yammer)
• Real Time Workflow
• Enhanced business processes

At WebSan Solutions, we offer robust, integrated end-to-end software solutions for managing your business.

Natalie Williams, Marketing Coordinator, WebSan Solutions Inc., a Canadian Certified Microsoft Partner

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

WebSan Solutions, largest Canadian Cloud Dynamics GP Partner, has been named a 2013 VAR Star by Bob Scott’s Insights magazine. http://bobscottsinsights.com/

The Top 100 are chosen from organizations specializing in the sale and implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning and accounting software.

The selection of mid-market accounting software resellers for Bob Scott’s VAR Stars rest on one basic principal: quality, not revenue, as the deciding factor in picking the 100 businesses that are selected for this honor.

A variety of criteria go into the definition of quality including including awards resellers have received from vendors, such as the Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club and Inner Circle, Million Dollar Club and Chairman’s Club of Sage North America. Other factors involved in the selection include performance, contribution to the industry and reputation.

“We are pleased to be recognized as a Top 100 VAR” said Andrew King, Managing Director. 

WebSan Solutions, largest Canadian Cloud Dynamics GP Partner, has been named a 2013 VAR Star by Bob Scott’s Insights magazine. http://bobscottsinsights.com/

The Top 100 are chosen from organizations specializing in the sale and implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning and accounting software.

The selection of mid-market accounting software resellers for Bob Scott’s VAR Stars rest on one basic principal: quality, not revenue, as the deciding factor in picking the 100 businesses that are selected for this honor.

A variety of criteria go into the definition of quality including including awards resellers have received from vendors, such as the Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club and Inner Circle, Million Dollar Club and Chairman’s Club of Sage North America. Other factors involved in the selection include performance, contribution to the industry and reputation.

“We are pleased to be recognized as a Top 100 VAR” said Andrew King, Managing Director. 

Saturday’s ice storm was one of the worst ice storms in Toronto’s history. A utility company described the ice story as‘ far worse than imagined. Forestry crews have been brought in to help cut up and move massive tree limbs littering streets and roadways. Over 225,000 homes and businesses are still without heat and light across the city. The city is currently working to restore power and heat across Toronto. (Source: metronews)

It was business as usual here at WebSan Solutions! We experienced no issues throughout the storm and our backup generating system was on standby if needed. Our Microsoft Dynamics GP Hosted environment was up and running without a hitch. You always have access to your data, through our secure network, in our SAS70/SSAE16 certified data centre!

WebSan Solutions is dedicated to helping all businesses make better business decisions by improving their access to important company data and information, in rain or shine!

Natalie Williams, Marketing Coordinator, WebSan Solutions Inc., a Channel Elite Awards Winner for 2013

WebSan Solutions is featured again in the Globe and Mail Challenge Revisited column, where experts provide advice to help small and medium – sized companies overcome key issues. This time WebSan, is showcasing the challenge of clients failing to stick to their testing and training schedules.

Andrew King, Managing Director of WebSan Solutions Inc., explains how he had a problem that was spiralling out of control. “How do I manage a positive client relationship while enforcing my contractual terms?” he wondered last spring.

Check out the full article here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/the-challenge/what-happens-when-customers-are-naughty-not-nice/article16003601/

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

As 2013 comes to a close, we are all considering our New Year’s Resolutions to make 2014 the best year ever. This is a great opportunity to consider last minute adjustments for fine-tuning your business. Remember to follow all the recommended year-end procedures so that all associated systems are ready for the challenges of the New Year.

• Reconcile all your books - Prepare your Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Statement, Statement of Cash Flows and Statement of Retained Earnings.
• Complete the posting procedures and the closing procedures for all relevant modules.
• Post the final adjusting entries in General Ledger.
• Make a backup.
• Print any year-end financial statements that are required.
• Set up a new fiscal year.
• Close the fiscal year.

Another thing to verify as part of the year-end closing process is the company’s backup procedures. Many organizations have poor or non-existent backup procedures. If there is a hardware failure, the organization may not have a secure offsite copy of its business data to ensure things can pick back up quickly. WebSan provides top cloud security with our Hosted Dynamics GP solution, maintained in our state-of-the-art SAS 70 certified data centre located in Toronto

If you want to learn more about year-end procedures in Microsoft Dynamics GP, join our webinar on Thursday, December 19^th, at 11:00 am EST and learn how to successfully close your books.

We help you make it a success every year!

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

Learn more about Dynamics GPView Dynamics GP PricingFree Dynamics GP Training

Printers get jammed!  It happens ... sometimes even when you are printing a cheque.  Fear not, there is a solution.  If your GP environment does not allow Duplicate Cheque Numbers (as per the Chequebook Maintenance window), you can simply add (or subtract) a leading zero from the Next Cheque Number field & voila, its a new, UNIQUE cheque number for GP to use.

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

It is essential to promptly prepare your Bank Reconciliation and reconcile the transactions of your bank statement to the transactions in your General Ledger. In this way, you will match your cash balance in the bank with your company’s financial records. Bank reconciliation usually occurs at the end of the month; however some smaller companies might perform it daily.

What happens though if you want to edit or delete a transaction that has already been entered and posted in Bank Reconciliation? You should use the Bank Transaction Entry window to void the transaction. The following steps will show you how to void a bank transaction:

• First, open the Bank Transaction Entry window by going to Transactions-Financial-Bank Transactions
• Then choose Void Transaction
• Type or select the checkbook ID for the particular transaction you want to void
• Select or type the transaction number to void and make sure the transaction has been distributed
• Select Void to void the transaction. Now the checkbook has been updated and the distributions have been posted to GL
• Exit from the Bank Transaction Entry window. Notice that the Bank Transaction Posting Journal has been printed. An asterisk (*) will indicate which Transactions have been voided since you opened the window

If you want to learn more about Bank Reconciliation, join WebSan University, WebSan’s comprehensive e - Training solution for Microsoft Dynamics GP. This month’s course on November 28^th, focuses on Bank Reconciliation in Microsoft Dynamics GP. Videos, tests and a lot more of interactive documentation will help you understand and apply procedures easily in the convenience of your own time and place.

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

When developing Dynamics GP customizations in our WebSan environment, our development phase is contained within a local server configuration to ensure that all modifications to the forms and reports dictionaries are local and will not affect our hosted users. However, there are a few more items to note when separating a development from a production environment.

When enabling and granting access to modified forms and reports in GP, administrative users would navigate to the Microsoft Dynamics GP menu >> Administration >> Alternative/Modified Forms and Reports and grant access to the modified item by selecting the ID, Product, and Type (Windows: Forms or Reports), then checking the box beside the version they would like accessible:

The ID field at the top of this window is used to specify which group of users has access to the forms and reports chosen in the list underneath. Users are assigned an “Alternate Modified Forms and Reports ID” in the ‘User Security’ window:

If you are doing business in finance, health care or the government, which are in need of highly protected data management procedures, you know security is an essential part when you are looking for a cloud solution.

According to Gartner’s report, the cloud-based security services market totaled $2.1 billion in 2013 globally. Gartner also expects the market to grow up to $3.1 billion until 2015.

“Encryption will be a new area of growth, but it remains a complex activity. The strongest interest will be in encryption products from cloud security brokers, which are relatively easy to deploy and have options for on-premises encryption management”, said Ruggero Contu, research director at Gartner

This projection anticipates an increasing demand for cloud security services. The good news is at WebSan Solutions your data is secure and accessible when you need it! We offer a hosted-enterprise business software solution, leveraging the vast capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics GP. Our Hosted Dynamics GP solution is maintained in our state-of-the-art Tier II SAS70/SSAE16 certified data centre located in Toronto, Canada.

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

Our clients will often have the need to attach supporting documentation to transactions within Dynamics GP.  These might be for odd / correcting entries, entries required by auditors, or large dollar value entries.  Further, it is good practice to attach supporting documentation for transactions if possible.

To attach supporting documentation to a transaction within GP, select the yellow paper icon beside the transaction number within the entry window for that transaction.  This icon is also available within master data setup widows & essentially every other window within GP.  Once within this window, select the paperclip icon at the bottom of the window (Note:  Your system admin may have to enable this functionality to have this icon appear).  This will open a new OLE Container window wherein one can select Edit > Insert New Object.  From here, the process is as simple as selecting the file & clicking Attach within the note window.

WebSan has found this feature very helpful to our clients whenever they need to track down the supporting documentation for a transaction.  As transactions move throughout their life-cycle in Dynamics GP, they will maintain the supporting documents attached to them, making audits a breeze.

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.

If you have a lot of data that doesn’t quite fit into one of Dynamics CRM 2011’s existing entities, you may decide to create your own custom entity and fields to house that data of yours.  If you take this route, don’t waste your time building the entity and creating all of your fields ahead of time!  Instead, you can use CRM 2011’s Import Data Wizard, which allows you to create entities and fields on the fly as you import the data for this new entity.

After selecting the file you want to import in the Import Data Wizard, you will reach the Map Record Types step of the Wizard – here, you can select to “Create New” Dynamics CRM Record Type, which will prompt you for more information to create the new entity within the Wizard.  Next, you’ll reach the Map Fields step – here, you can dynamically create new fields for each column in your import file (or ignore fields that you don’t want to bring into CRM).  While doing so, it even defaults the Field Name to match the column header from your import file, so all you really have to do is select the type of field that it is.  And if that wasn’t enough – if you select “Option Set” as the field type, the Wizard will automatically create values for your option set based on the unique values in that column of your data file!  The only thing left to do at this point is to set any additional options on your new entity as necessary and configure the entity form that will be used to manage the data – both of which can be done through the usual customizations window.

So if you find yourself needing to create a new entity along with having to import your data into this new entity, save yourself some time by combining both steps into one using this helpful trick in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Import Data Wizard.

Rahim Jiwani is an Implementation Lead at WebSan Solutions Inc, a Microsoft Dynamics GP Silver Partner & 2012 Microsoft Impact Awards Finalist. Rahim can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 416-499-1235 ext 217.

You can probably guess that GP Sales Order Processing is used to enter, print and post sales orders. But did you know that you can also enter quotes, invoices, back orders and returns individually or in batches?

Are you aware that Sales Order Processing in Dynamics GP allows you to transfer sales documents from one type to another? For example, when goods or services are delivered to a customer, you can transfer the order to an invoice. The price the customer will pay and your cost will be calculated automatically.

Here are a couple of points you need to keep in mind, before transferring a document:

• Make sure there are actual quantities to transfer to an order, invoice, or back order
• Verify that the appropriate transfer options are marked for the type ID in sales setup
• Enter a batch ID for the document
• Approve the document, if required

For more information about Sales Order Processing in Dynamics GP, join our webinar on November 14 and learn how to cut lead times and speed up your transactions.

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

It will surely be!

 Many business owners that are in the process of expanding their company will need a bigger and better ERP (enterprise resource planning) system to handle day-to-day business operations. According to a report called “ERP – The Cuckoo in the Cloud Land”, 84% of respondents said that they used at least one form of ERP. More businesses are moving to the cloud for a number of reasons which can include: Lowering the cost of ownership, becoming eco-friendly and reducing dependence on internal IT personnel.

The report also advocates 2014 will be the year of the ERP cloud. According to survey respondents, 14% have fully migrated an ERP system to the cloud, with the majority (31%) saying they will migrate in the next 12 months. A further 27% said they’d be in by the end of 2015.The report also conducted a survey of critical areas of the organization that were important to business owners and SQL databases got 69% of the vote, followed by ERP (66%) and accounting and finance apps (66%),Business intelligence (48%) and CRM (40%).

At WebSan Solutions, we offer an online (SaaS) hosted-enterprise business software solution, leveraging the vast capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics GP. Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains) is one of the top-rated accounting and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solutions on the market today.

Not everybody is convinced about moving to the cloud, but in time that will change. If you have any questions about ERP Cloud or migrating to the cloud, contact us for more information.

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.

Today Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPs) are developed and implemented so fast that it is hard to keep up with all this surplus of information. What is more, companies should make sure that during and after the implementation, all employees must be adequately trained on the system’s capabilities.

Using technology to facilitate this process is an essential technique to minimize costs and improve its effectiveness. Instead of buying expensive classroom training courses, nowadays you can easily buy e – learning courses that will save the company money, time and a lot of effort. Below you will find some of the benefits that e –Training will bring to your organization:

1. Combine theory and practice by applying your knowledge in real – time.
2. A fun and interactive way to understand complicated software, such as ERP.
3. Test your knowledge by completing online quizzes.
4. Learn on your own pace.
5. More affordable than classroom training.

WebSan Solutions offers a comprehensive e - Training solution for Microsoft Dynamics GP through WebSan University. Videos, tests and a lot more of interactive documentation help you understand and apply procedures easily in the convenience of your own time and place. You can also choose between a variety of courses for both beginners and advanced users. You can even setup your company’s unique course catalogue customized to your specific needs.

For more information visit WebSan University and sign up free for our Learning Management System. This month’s course on October 31^st focuses on Payables Management in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

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

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.

I was recently deploying a number of GP customizations in the model of Forms and Reports with VBA, when I encountered the following error during package importing:

I had never seen this error before but upon review of the customized form, I realized that my VBA code failed to import along with the form itself. All users had logged out of the current environment and the customizations had been tested successfully in a test system. I was stumped. One common IT phrase came to mind when deciding on the next troubleshooting step: “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”

Although I did not restart the terminal server, I took to a similar strategy: I wiped all customizations and started clean. This step has worked in the past when users were navigating through customized GP windows, where the application would suddenly crash without warning. The following entry was logged in EventViewer on the server:

Any time you experience strange application crashes, or error messages when importing custom VBA packages, chances are there are corrupt dictionaries and VBA files sitting in your Dynamics GP program folders. The following are a number of steps to resolve most of these issues in a short period of time:

1)      Export all custom packages from the instance of GP that you are experiencing said errors. If you imported a package and received an error, ensure that you do not include the half-imported customization within your exportation (you will be importing the necessary package separately).