Remember when you had to record your time on a spreadsheet? Then your boss had to approve it and send it to HR in order for you to get paid? Spreadsheets are still an important way to track information; however, tracking your time and expenses on a spreadsheet can become time-consuming and leaves room for more inaccuracy. WebSan Solutions has developed an add-on to eliminate spreadsheets in order to create efficiency within your organization.

The benefits of our system include:

• Seamless integration with Dynamics GP database
• Handle Canadian VAT (value added tax) and US taxes seamlessly
• Track days off, holiday and vacation time
• Internal reporting for timesheet status, expense reports, and history
• Supports attaching receipts and documents to expense and timesheets
• No need to use PDK to approve timesheets, ONE complete integrated solution
• Full browser interoperability, so you can use your favorite browser and not just IE.

We fully integrate with Microsoft Dynamics GP, there are no firewall issues and our solution is 90% easier to setup and use! To find our more information about our Time and Expense Management System, contact us today!

Natalie Williams, Marketing Coordinator, WebSan Solutions Inc.

Want to upgrade to Dynamics GP2013 and enjoy all the new system benefits, call WebSan!  We are experienced with Microsoft Dynamics GP2013 upgrades and can help guide you in order to avoid typical pitfalls.  Microsoft is currently supporting Dynamics GP 2010 and 2013.  All users on older versions should look to upgrade immediately to ensure they are supported.

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

Are you not current with your Microsoft Dynamics license maintenance?  Not ready to move off of Dynamics but not ready to pay the maintenance penalty?  Move to hosted Microsoft Dynamics GP.  We will upgrade you & move the system onto our servers.  You will be instantly up-to-date on your licensing and supportable my Microsoft.

Our clients are already enjoying the following benefits of hosting:

• 24/7 access to Dynamics GP via our secure, SAS70/SSAE16 Tier II data centre located in Toronto, ON
• Web-based access to Dynamics GP from anywhere, at any time
• Backups every 30 minutes and the ability to restore to any point in time!
• Weekly offsite, secure backups of their environment
• Free upgrades and patches, based on their own timing and needs

You continue to own your licenses, we just host them for you.  Call now to find out how you can enjoy these same benefits.

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

The Microsoft Dynamics GP Professional Services Tools Library (PSTL) is a group of tools that allow users to improve system capabilities & increase productivity.  Users generally have access to these at no cost but do not take advantage of them.

Within the Finance module, one can Modify Accounts, Fiscal Periods, or Fixed Assets, allowing end users to convert historical records to new records, maintaining the necessary history & without corrupting your database.  Within the Purchasing module, users are able to update / convert vendor records, similar to the above.  Further, users have the ability to set minimum values for payabales cheques or combine cheques where necessary.  Similar updates are available throughout the system, allowing updates to master data records such as salespeople, territories, customers, employees, inventory, etc while maintaining the proper history.  One key feature many users like is the ability to unapply receivables documents, opening them back up for one to enter transactions against.

Ask us about how you can get free access to this wonderful tool today.

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

Customers are always looking to find the best deal possible, no matter what the product or industry.  Why not shop around?  Use our quote generator today to ensure you are saving money on your IT systems.  We offer hosting services, on-premise support, free upgrades, and more.

Check us out!  It only takes a couple minutes:

https://www.websan.com/quote

Despite the weather conditions this week, summer is approaching its peak and while employees are taking their vacation leave time, many organizations find it difficult to capture time off. Managers are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of accrued vacation leave records and they also need to ensure that time is reported accurately in accordance with the respected policies regarding vacation leave.

So what if employees could request time-off via the internet and managers could approve these requests and view their department’s work schedules online? It is obvious that a time tracking software reduces the time required versus manual options and the savings accelerate quickly. Additionally, the costs of archiving paper documents will vanish.

WebSan Solutions offers a robust, out of the box Time and Expense Management System that keeps track of your employee’s time and expenses easily. Moreover, its unique project management features will monitor your projects and your costs efficiently.

For more information on our web-based Time & Expense Management System, register for our free webinar on July 11^th, at 11:00 am EST or contact us here.

Doriana Kote, Marketing Assistant, WebSan Solutions Inc., a Microsoft Dynamics Silver Partner

Yesterday’s rainfall was the most rain in Toronto’s recorded history. Toronto is still recovering from an unprecedented rainstorm that shattered records and paralyzed the city. Yesterday’s storm dropped more rain in two hours than the city usually receives in the month of July. More than 300,000 residents were without power.

However, WebSan’s Microsoft Dynamics GP hosted environment was up and running full speed. We experienced no issues throughout the storm and our backup generating system was on standby when needed. Our SAS70/SSAE16 certified data centre was not affected by the severe weather; it was business as usual for all our clients. You always have access to your data, through our secure network, in our SAS70/SSAE16 certified data centre!

WebSan University officially opened its doors to the public and takes WebSan Solutions webinars to a whole new level. The program consists of a series of extensive Microsoft Dynamics GP courses, from Bank Reconciliation to Project Accounting and is making its debut on July 25^th, 2013 with its first course “Microsoft Dynamics GP Orientation”. In this introductory course new users will learn the basic principles of navigating and personalizing important areas of Dynamics GP as well as posting and integrating with other applications.

Why Online Training?

• Immediate, cost- effective and easily affordable
• Corporations save between 50-70% due to elimination of travel expenses according to Training Magazine
• ROI to the Max - Affordable online training can be up to 93% cheaper than classroom training
• Multimedia content, including dynamic video and graphics to efficiently illustrate key concepts
• A new, easy and interactive way to learn.
• Focus on the practical application of new approaches and tools
• Contains applied work assignments that put learning into action
• Ability to answer questions live

For more information on WebSan University Online Training and our upcoming courses, visit our website or contact us here.

Doriana Kote, Marketing Assistant, WebSan Solutions Inc.

Did you know you can receive up to $100K in government funding through IRAP Digital Technology Adoption Pilot Program(DTAPP)?

DTAPP is a component of the Government of Canada’s overall strategy to boost the productivity of small and medium – sized enterprises (SMEs) and improve Canada’s digital economy. The contribution acts a cost sharing mechanism and will be applicable to the expenses associated with the analysis, implementation and customization of new software or the direct labor and consulting components of implementing new digital technologies. If your proposal is accepted by the program, the government will also provide up to 80% of the payroll costs and 75% of the applicable sub-contractors fees for a project up to $100k contribution.

To be eligible for DTAPP services or funding, your firm must:

• have 500 employees or less
• be incorporated, for-profit and operate in Canada
• be growth oriented
• demonstrate plans to carry out a project designed to adopt digital technologies

WebSan Solutions Inc. will work with you and your company to find the best small-medium enterprise solution that will help your business grow and become more efficient. If you are considering implementing a new ERP project, contact us to learn more about the IRAP DTAPP funding opportunity.

Doriana Kote, Marketing Assistant, WebSan Solutions Inc.

On June 2^nd 2013, WebSan Solutions took part in Becel’s 26^th annual Ride for Heart. More than 13,000 cyclists rode their bikes across the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway. The event raised a record of $5.5 million, which is $500,000 more than it did in 2012.

We are glad that we could make a positive impact in eradicating heart disease and stroke! It has been a proud moment for all the employees here at the office.

To view our photo and the July edition of Snap North York, click here: http://www.snapnorthyork.com/index.php?option=com_sngevents&id[]=520947

By: Natalie Williams, Marketing Coordinator, WebSan Solutions Inc.

You may think that tracking time and expenses to optimize your team and satisfy your clients is an easy, routine task. The truth is that tracking staff’s timing and expenses is about making insight-driven decisions a key part of your business culture and day-to-day activities.

Usually, a new company will start small by tracking employees’ hours in an Excel spreadsheet or even in traditional, handwritten records. As your client portfolio grows and your team gets larger, your time management needs to change. Whether you are an accounting firm, an IT consulting company or a bank, there will come a point where you will need to better take advantage of your resources and track your revenue and costs.

A lot of times, people consider buying a time management system an unnecessary expense. In fact, the effectiveness of it in tracking, analyzing and reporting on employee’s timekeeping, outweighs its cost. Today’s software options focus on web hosted portals with reporting and time tracking features, as well as various options for recording expenses towards clients and projects. You can also bill an employee’s time at various rates depending on the client and the tasks to be performed.

Therefore, a time and expense management system helps you to better leverage your employee time and keep track of how you utilize your resources. As you build an historical database, the better you plan and manage, thus the more revenue you generate

WebSan Solutions offers a robust, out of the box Time & Expense Management System that keeps track of your employee’s time and expenses easily. Moreover, its unique project management features will monitor your projects and your costs efficiently.

Cloud computing has become a huge trend in the last five years; IDC has predicted a 130% increase in cloud computing by 2016. There are so many benefits to moving to the cloud that companies cannot resist anymore. For example, companies prefer a subscription payment model because they only pay for how much data they need. Cloud computing recovery services have been a cost-effective way to back up your whole company. Also, security is improving all the time; there is continuous effort to provide cloud computing companies with top quality safety structure. Here are three interesting cloud trends to watch which could help boost cloud computing in the long-term:

1. In a study done by Gartner, they predict the size of the cloud computing market could reach $150 billion in 2013.This is not a surprising number due to the excitement and benefits that cloud computing can offer businesses in the long run. An on-premise solution looks less appealing as the cloud computing market thrives.
2. Mimecast did a statistic based study and found that 7/10 companies using cloud services will move new applications to the cloud. Only 70%? Have you heard the saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”? This means some businesses are still skeptical about moving to the cloud. However, based on trends, they will probably move their applications to the cloud sooner or later.
3. Gartner also predicted that 60% of server workloads will be virtualized by 2014.This was not news to me because of the number of benefits you get in return. You don’t need to purchase hardware; you can reduce your carbon footprint and lower your energy costs. This is a great way to save money in the long run. At WebSan Solutions, you have access to your data, through our secure network, in our SAS70/SSAE16 certified data centre.

To see what our business accounting software can offer you visit our website.

To read more about different cloud computing statistics click here.

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

Business owners have many decisions that they have to make. From hiring employees to how the business should operate. Choosing the most efficient technology is not always priority number one. With the rise of software-as-a-service (SaaS), business owners have taken advantage of what SaaS has to offer. If you are still on the fence about switching to a cloud-based solution, make sure you take the following reasons into consideration.

The software is affordable

Business owners sometimes don’t have the extra funds to deploy a new system. The cloud is a fantastic solution because it’s less expensive than any on-premise system. You pay a lower subscription and maintenance cost and don’t require additional software and infrastructure.  For instance, Cloud hosted Dynamics GP is a robust, cost-effective business software that could meet your business needs.

Do you wonder how much it  would cost? Try our three step quote generator for instant results!

You can get started right away

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:

The most arguable myth about cloud ERP solutions refers to organizational data not being as secured as in an on-premise solution. In fact, SaaS security and privacy of data has proved to be customers’ biggest concern.

The top 4 most important issues about data security in the cloud are:

1. Your data storage location

This issue is related to the physical location of the data. When it comes to cloud ERP vendors, their data centers are housed in multimillion dollar facilities and have a 24/7 security all year long. After all, most cloud providers are actually better with physical security than an onsite solution vendor because they don’t have a lot of staff hanging around the facility. Thus, they are able to control physical access to various parts of the office space.

2. Who has access to your data and when

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.

Yesterday 13,000 cyclists headed out on the two major Toronto highways, Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, in this year’s Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart.

Despite the bad weather, this year the event raised a record of $5.5 million, which is $500,000 more than it did in 2012.

Here at WebSan Solutions Inc., we strongly believe in the value of community and we were thrilled to take part in the Ride for Heart and help towards funding more research that extends and saves lives.

We had a great time and we are proud that we contributed to the eradication of heart disease and stroke.

See you all again next year!

Incrementing an integer in SQL is easy; all you have to do is + 1 to the value. However, incrementing a number that has padded zeros is a little trickier, since it is probably a string value and not a number. Luckily with some type conversions, it becomes just as easy as incrementing an integer.

First thing you want to do is to get the length of the string, so you know how many padded zeros to add. You can do this by using the LEN function:

1. SELECT @Length = LEN(RTRIM(LTRIM(@Num)))

It is also a good idea to trim the value just in case there are extra spaces.

Next we can increment the number.  Now we can't just do a + 1 to the value since it’s a string and doing a + 1 to a string would just concatenate the 1 to the end of the string.  So let’s convert the string to an integer:

Nowadays business professionals have access to a vast variety of technologies and sources of information. Big data is growing fast as organizations devote technology resources to tapping the terabytes of data flowing into their organizations and externally in social media. Thus, a major challenge has come up recently: how to leverage Big Data analytics and improve business performance by using current Business Intelligence (BI) practices?

The current thinking around big data and business intelligence tends to be built around a very simplistic model. You acquire lots of data, in all kind of formats, from a myriad of sources, apply some business intelligence and get your answer to the above question. However, executives thinking that a big data dive is all they need to exploit conclusions are mistaken. While big data might be getting ahead of itself in enterprise promises, you need to think about the skills you have in your company and develop the relevant data skills to adapt to this new model. At the same time, BI kills the need to develop, administer and analyze this huge amount of corporate data. Therefore, big data and BI can be integrated within the business context for better, faster decision making.

Keep in mind, though, big data can make or break a company. Integrating advanced analytics for big data with business intelligence systems is an important step toward gaining full return on investment. That is, BI systems and advanced analytics can be highly complementary; the latter ones can provide the deeper, exploratory perspective on the data, while BI systems provide a more structured user experience. In addition, BI systems’ richness in data visualization and reporting can be vital to making advanced analytics actionable.

The first step to understanding big data is collecting all of your data into powerful, integrated solutions. The second step is to identify correlations with your data to make improvements in your operations and find new opportunities. Microsoft Dynamics GP Business Intelligence (BI) module provides people with the insight they need to take quick action and pursue opportunities. What is more, using a single software solution, like Microsoft Dynamics GP, will make it easier for you to find and use the important business data you need to drive your business forward.  The more efficiently you use this data, the faster you can respond to new opportunities.

At the end of the day, while big data is a hot term, it doesn't mean much unless you can complement them with BI systems and expand their power. Thus, big data can be very helpful if you can wade through it to obtain meaning, i.e. they always have to make sense. It's not enough to gather accurate and timely data. Professionals need powerful and user friendly BI analysis tools to help them understand context and trends. You need to focus on evolving your BI approaches and integrate them with big data analytics to fuel faster and more accurate decision making. In this way, you will be able to gain a competitive advantage by understanding how big data can supplement the outcomes already achieved through “traditional” BI.

Today companies struggle with a volume of information that has the force of a tidal wave. You can either float or sink into that wave, depending on whether or not you can leverage the exponential growth of business data.

The current thinking around big data though, tends to be built around a very simplistic model. According to that, you acquire large amounts of data in lots of formats from various sources. Then apply some business intelligence into that mix and get your solution. However, this data has to make sense and be as simple as possible.