Dynamics University Fall 2014 by Dynamics University

Fall 2014

DYNAMICS UNIVERSITY Providing Learning Opportunities for Microsoft Dynamics速 Users

UNDERUTILIZED FEATURES OF

PAYROLL

SAVING TIME WITH

MANAGEMENT REPORTER MAINTAINING ACCURATE

DATA

IN MICROSOFT DYNAMICS CRM

THE DYNAMIC FACES OF

MARK ROCKWELL DynamicsUniversity.com

DYNAMICS UNIVERSITY Dynamics University represents the culmination of great ideas and content from the best reselling Microsoft Dynamics partners with a focus on helping Microsoft Dynamics customers achieve more for less. The idea for Dynamics University was born out of a desire to drive greater educational offerings within the Microsoft Dynamics community.

Partner

Location

Website

Advanced Solutions & Consulting Business Ready Solutions

Solana Beach, CA

www.solutionsco.com

Durham, NC

www.businessreadysolutions.net

Cargas Systems

Lancaster, PA

www.cargas.com

Express Information Systems

San Antonio, TX

www.expressinfo.com

Integrated Business Group

Altamonte Springs, FL

www.ibgnet.com

Knaster Technology Group

Englewood, CO

www.theknastergroup.com

Summit Group Software

West Fargo, ND

www.summitgroupsoftware.com

The TM Group

Farmington Hills, MI

www.tmgroupinc.com

Turnkey Technologies, Inc.

Chesterfield, MO

www.turnkeytec.com

WebSan Solutions Inc.

Toronto, Ontario CAN

www.websan.com

Products

GP CRM RMS SL NAV AX 2

Dynamics University Fall 2014

Fall 2014

Keeping Your Vision Alive Ensuring your project keeps moving forward

Welcome

Eric Gjerdevig

CRM Exam Cram certification questions

Debits & Credits for gp users

Customer Feature FirstLink

Tips & Tricks for crm users

GP Exam Cram certification questions

CONTENTS

Achieve Expense Reporting Nirvana And Integrate T&E Data to Microsoft Dynamics GP

5 Underutilized Features of Payroll Features that provide significant value to users

E-Commerce Experience Deliver a consistent experience across devices with a Responsive Web Store

Government Agencies & CRM U.S. Agencies turning to CRM

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Show Me the Money - Part ll Better Control of Expenditures with Microsoft Dynamics GP

credits Dynamics University is a free magazine published four times a year. Request a subscription by going to dynamicsuniversity.com

Maintaining Accurate Data 5 ways with Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Josh Behl Executive Editor Kristen Juven Design & Layout l Website Content Kate Mund, Lucy Communications Copy Editor Midstates Printing, Inc. Printing & Distribution

Saving Time with Management Reporter Time-saving tips & tricks

Shutterstock.com Photographs & Images Contact Us 1405 Prairie Parkway, Suite A West Fargo, ND 58078 701.551.6660 Email Us learn@dynamicsuniversity.com

Manufacturing and Microsoft Dynamics GP 2 ARTICLE FEATURE

Harnessing the Power of Microsoft Dynamics GP, SQL, and Excel

Dynamics University Fall 2014

welcome Fall 2014 Greetings! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve spent approximately 17 years of my life working within the Microsoft Dynamics GP community. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been fun watching products evolve over nearly two decades. Having watched this evolution, I also have an appreciation for how fast technology continues to change. Today, more than ever before, technology presents an enormous opportunity for growth. It has the ability to dramatically change how all of our businesses work. As companies, we must be open to that change, embrace it, and be confident in its ability to transform the way we engage with our customers and employees. In the experience economy, customers and employees want to experience technology in ways that enrich and improve their lives and business success. Modern commerce is about selling this experience and rethinking your customer journey. That journey is customer-driven, continuous, and dynamic, and it requires more focus on solutions and less on products. On page 24 you can read about how Mark Rockwell from Rockton Software is doing just that with a focus on customer service and efficiency. Another product at the heart of this new experience for users and their customers is Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Gone is the day where this application (or another CRM application) is simply a standalone database for tracking information. Today, the solution is enhanced and enriched through integrations with other systems using products from companies such as Scribe. CRM applications are more powerful thanks the immense value captured through the use of tools like ClickDimensions. They are also more connected to your customers through the addition of customer communities and portals provided by CRM Vertex. These are just a few of the solutions that exponentially enhance the experience and value of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. I hope you all take the time to consider and evaluate the customer and employee experience your organization is providing. Technology is more than simply the sum of bits and bytes of data. It represents the opportunity to dramatically change and improve your business by providing better service, greater value, and entirely new offerings. Convergence is a fantastic opportunity to see how technology is impacting businesses throughout the world. I hope to see you in Atlanta in March for Convergence 2015! Thank you for your continued support and business!

Respectfully,

Eric Eric Gjerdevig President Summit Group Software

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KEEPING YOUR

VISION ALIVE

ENSURING YOUR PROJECT KEEPS MOVING

Dynamics University Fall 2014

“

By Greg Reid, Myappsanywhere

AS YOU LOOK FOR WAYS TO KEEP THE ERP VISION ALIVE, THERE ARE SIX TIPS CAN HELP YOU MAXIMIZE YOUR MICROSOFT DNAMICS GP IMPLEMENTATION

“

hat magic moment has arrived: Your Microsoft Dynamics GP implementation is complete.

You are prepared and ready to take advantage of the new ERP power at your fingertips, and Microsoft Dynamics GP is poised and ready to deliver the value that you promised your executive team. Three months later, your team is waist-deep in work. Reports are overdue. Trial balances are not balancing, and the aging report that the CFO wants on his desk every Monday morning is still sitting on the printer. Maintaining the momentum of continual improvement is hard work, and many organizations struggle to have the enthusiasm and passion they had before and during an implementation project. The dynamics and collaboration that were present during the implementation are often replaced by the urgency of day-to-day work and other priorities that demand your full attention. Don’t worry – this is normal.

FORWARD

Several years ago, we were working with a company that had made the jump to Microsoft Dynamics GP. After a couple of years on the new ERP system, the company asked us to come in and see if we could help them realize the additional value out of the investment they had made in the solution. The company brought us to their main office for a tour, and as we walked by the accounts payable/accounts receivable department and general finance area where payroll was handled, I noticed there was an inbox. This inbox was full of papers – really full. There were invoices, receipts, purchase orders, and all kinds of different papers in the box, and when I asked what that was, the client said that was how they received all of their paperwork they used to power Microsoft Dynamics GP. In short, this company hadn’t changed their processes at all. They were still working just as they had before the implementation. Implementing an ERP system such as Microsoft Dynamics GP is an opportunity to take that next step to not only replace what you do today, but also to achieve greater value. When you think about an ERP system other than email, no other system has the power to reach out into an organization and touch every facet of your business the way that Microsoft Dynamics GP does. It has the power to influence, either positively or negatively, each and every employee in a meaningful manner.

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Vision, continued from page 7

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go back to this company we visited. I had the opportunity to interview the CEO, and I asked him why his company was continuing to do the things they had done before with their other accounting system. His answer was that at the end of the implementation project, his employees were just exhausted. They had been through six months to a year of change and training while also trying to do their regular jobs. They just needed some time, he said, to reestablish that thought of operations and efficiency, and that time had grown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not just from a few months, but to a couple of years. Exhaustion is understandable, and change is notoriously difficult. So how do organizations recover from an implementation in a meaningful way and still continue to evolve and grow? As you look for ways to keep the ERP vision alive, these six tips can help you maximize the value of your Microsoft Dynamics GP implementation:

6 TIPS 8

Dynamics University Fall 2014

MAXIMIZE THE VALUE OF YOUR MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP IMPLEMENTATION MAINTAIN VISIBILITY TO YOUR GOALS

HOLD REGULAR STATUS REPORTS

BUILD UP YOUR CHAMPION

I do mean this literally. Whether it’s a phase-two integration with your e-commerce tool or making use of an EDI solution to facilitate your work, post your goals at your desk and refer to them in your monthly status reports. You can even put them in your department plan. Keep those goals alive so that your team and management have them in their sight and therefore, their thoughts.

During the implementation project, your project manager probably held regular, weekly status reports. It’s a good idea to maintain these updates even after the project is over. Hold them monthly or quarterly. The key is to continue to report and communicate about recent improvements, needs and gaps, and training and usability.

Do you remember that executive or senior manager that fought for the investment and cleared all the barriers for your project? That person is still there, and if he/she was supportive before and during the initial project, odds are that he/she understands a longer-term vision for what can be done with Microsoft Dynamics GP. Maintain the relationship and keep that person aware of how the continued effort to move the project forward is going. He or she might even be able to relight the desire to move the organization to achieve the next set of goals.

SCHEDULE PRODUCT CHECKPOINTS

ANALYZE, ANALYZE, ANALYZE

LEVERAGE YOUR RESOURCES

As part of your closeout, schedule a quarterly checkpoint with the key stakeholders of the project. Include managers or leaders from organizations that could benefit from future integrations or expansion in the use of the system. Measure your success and review the performance and value that the organization has realized to date. As part of the review, discuss the list of future opportunities and the status of those initiatives. Keep this steering committee alive to help drive the next round of improvements. It’s a product that needs care and feeding –keep asking yourself what’s next for Microsoft Dynamics GP in your organization.

Research suggests that most Microsoft Dynamics GP users are only leveraging 30 percent of the capacity of this system. I know some companies that run a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis on their ERP system every year to help boost those numbers. It’s important to comb through every use, every function, and every element of how your company is using the solution. This can help you identify new possibilities (new ISV applications, for example, or benefits that could be gained by moving Microsoft Dynamics GP to the cloud) as well as threats to the system (misuse, mismanagement, or members of the team in need of training).

Your partner or VAR is more than just the person that you call when you need new software or licenses. Your partner or VAR can assist you in a number of ways to help in developing and executing a strategy for success. Nothing drives your partners more than the ability to help you be successful and achieve your goals. From integration packages to connections to key add-on applications, their job is to know how to make you work better than you do today. Schedule a periodic meeting to keep up on changes in the Microsoft Dynamics world and learn about new ways Microsoft Dynamics GP can help you improve the performance of your small- to medium-size business.

With a bit of planning and a focus on keeping your vision alive – and a few intentional business practices – you will be in a great position to achieve your Microsoft Dynamics GP strategic vision.

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ACHIEVE EXPENSE REPORTING NIRVANA INTEGRATE T&E DATA TO MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP By Gorilla Expense

et’s face it: Nobody likes doing expense reports! But it is a necessary function of today’s increasingly mobile workforce. Yet, companies continue to struggle with inefficient manual processes that not only provide limited visibility into travel and expenses (T&E) spend, but also frustrate travelers. With T&E spend ranging from seven to 15 percent of the total budget for the average mid-market company ($50 million to $800 million in revenue), the challenge facing CFOs and controllers in this area is dramatic, with millions of dollars at stake. Consider this: For most companies, travel-related expenses remain a significant area of spend – second only to payroll.

SCOPE OF CHALLENGE Fundamentally, most companies struggle to tackle the challenges related to the T&E reporting process because of not knowing where to start. This results in thousands of dollars of reckless spending and waste. Aberdeen Group’s report (Expense Management for a New Decade and The Mid-Market Expense Management Program) says that: • 56 percent of mid-market companies have limited visibility into T&E spending. • Less than 45 percent track their expenses via analytics and business intelligence in real time. • Only 33 percent leverage cloud-based expense reporting solutions, and 28% utilize corporate cards. • Just 15 percent provide T&E data to C-level executives for financial forecasting purposes.

Dynamics University Fall 2014

56% OF MID-MARKET COMPANIES HAVE LIMITED VISIBILITY INTO T&E SPENDING

CURRENT & FUTURE CORPORATE T&E SPEND Company-wide T&E spending is clearly on the rise due to increased travel. According to Aberdeen’s report, companies averaged approximately $15 million of spend, and 80 percent of these companies indicated that their expenditures have increased by an average of 18 percent over the past year. Rising costs is the number one reason influencing companies to improve their expense management systems and processes. The other areas that companies are looking to tackle are enhancing productivity, improving visibility, and achieving compliance.

FALLING PRODUCTIVITY - SYMPTOMS & PREVENTITIVE MEASURES Companies with frequent travelers face constant challenges in improving productivity related to expense reporting. Most employees view expense reports as a distraction from the important tasks – whether it is a sales team that puts customer follow-up ahead of expense report creation or pilots who don’t have the time to collect and compile expenses before the next leg.

LESS THAN 45% TRACK THEIR EXPENSES VIA ANALYTICS AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE IN REAL TIME.

ONLY 33% LEVERAGE CLOUD-BASED EXPENSE REPORTING SOLUTIONS, AND 28% UTILIZE CORPORATE CARDS

Companies also find that travelers are always playing catch-up while accounting is constantly struggling with manual keying of data in multiple systems. The situation is exacerbated when this process repeats itself after every trip, thus, adding to the chaos. It is very obvious that productivity is sapped while efficiency tumbles. With increased travel, employees are also dealing with tighter deadlines and mounting pressure. Due to this, there is also an emotive aspect to expense reporting. The constant “dreading the expense report” feeling causes delays in report submission. By investing in an expense reporting system that is intuitive and user-friendly, companies can improve productivity, boost morale, and reduce inherent delays.

SOLVING THE COMPLIANCE PROBLEM One of the biggest challenges companies face while looking to improve their T&E systems is the enforcement of compliance. By setting policies, companies expect to improve compliance in an attempt to standardize processes and drive efficiencies.

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Expense Reporting, continued from page 11

Enforcement of compliance also ensures that business travelers adhere to policies by following correct processes and procedures. This automatically lowers cost structures and helps manage expenses better. Companies that are motivated to improve compliance take several strategic steps and constantly strive to overcome any latency in the process: • They establish clear and well-defined travel-related policies and procedures.

down processing time, and removes hassles for AP/accounting managers.

IN CONCLUSION

The good news is that cloud-based expense reporting solutions have significantly brought down the cost of automating T&E processes. These solutions have proven to deliver huge reductions in expense processing costs. But the big question companies face is this: Where do we start?

ACTIONABLE STEPS FOR TAKING ON

EXPENSE REPORTING

• They regularly communicate and educate employees about corporate travel policies. • They audit expense reports to monitor any deviations from established policies.

INTEGRATION OF T&E DATA WITH MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP Once the T&E processes are defined, compliance is enforced, and technologies to manage expenses are identified, the next challenge is integrating T&E data with Microsoft Dynamics GP to minimize manual data entry for accounting. The expense report can include data provided by the employee for out-of-pocket expenses and/ or corporate credit card expenses. As we all know, Microsoft Dynamics GP can be configured in many ways to meet the unique requirements of an organization – and this extends to expense reporting as well. Gorilla Expense provides an automated and seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP, referred to as “1-click’ integration”. Using Microsoft Dynamics GP’s web services or eConnect, T&E data can be sent to various Microsoft Dynamics GP modules. The standard and most common integration of T&E data is to Payables in Microsoft Dynamics GP. Here, Gorilla Expense sends expense data as a Payable Transaction Entry within the Purchasing module. Expenses imported into Microsoft Dynamics GP show up as invoices. Depending on the payment method defined in Gorilla Expense and the setup of vendors, the invoices are created to pay the employee and/or the corporate credit card. Gorilla Expense also supports integration with Project Accounting in Microsoft Dynamics GP for project-related expenses that may need to be billed back to clients. With our seamless handshake with Microsoft Dynamics GP, Gorilla Expense takes the pain out of manually having to key in every line within Microsoft Dynamics GP. Plus it greatly reduces data entry errors, cuts 12 12

Dynamics University Fall 2014

Centralize the control and operation of T&E management programs.

Automate the process to greatly reduce manual work and eliminate errors.

Integrate the expense reporting system to Microsoft Dynamics GP (or other ERP systems) to minimize manual data entries and errors.

For some companies, executing on all 10 steps immediately might prove to be a challenge. In those cases, it would be beneficial to select a few and to focus on those until the desired results are obtained. But the verdict is clear: The analysis clearly points to the fact that by using an integrated expense reporting system, companies can cut costs, improve compliance through better communication, reduce of errors, and capture relevant data. By applying the guidelines outlined here, companies will be able to take control of their expenses and reap the benefits of centralizing their T&E systems.

Establish generally accepted corporate-wide policies and processes.

Are you looking for single sign on for Dynamics GP?

Educate employees regularly on T&E-related policies and appoint a designee to answer questions from employees.

Encourage travelers to use corporate cards for better accuracy and mobile applications for convenience.

Look no further than Config AD from Fastpath. With Fasptath’s Config AD, you can:

Leverage and close the loop on T&E data to fine-tune the system and also provide better deals with travel vendors for the company.

•

Eliminate the use of 'sa' and Administrator for better security management

•

Allow users to synchronize Windows IDs and passwords with Dynamics GP

•

Logoff users after periods of inactivity

•

Manage Dynamics GP security via Active Directory groups

•

And much more

Develop audit mechanisms that capture errant data and provide real-time visibility into spend.

If you’re looking for an add-on which will both simplify the maintenance of Dynamics GP security and allow for single sign on, then Config AD is definitely worth considering

Invest in the latest technology to maximize efficiency and reduce paper usage.

- Ian Grieve, Dynamics GP MVP

Provide flexibility and convenience to the end users to improve productivity and to capture expense data immediately after incurred.

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UNDERUTILIZED

FEATURES OF

PAYROLL FEATURES THAT PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT VALUE TO USERS

PTO Manager

Many companies that utilize Payroll often have a need to create more complex vacation and sick accrual schedules than what the standard Payroll vacation and sick feature offers. PTO Manager allows users to create accrual schedules based on years worked or hire dates, define waiting periods, and set a maximum of carryover hours for vacation and sick time. PTO Manager also allows users to define an unlimited number of calculation formulas for those accrual schedules and provides the ability to assign a PTO Code to multiple employees who have the same PTO policies within the organization. PTO Manager helps automate many processes that were once completed manually, which can save staff resource time and improve data accuracy.

Dynamics Dynamics University University Fall Fall 2014 2014

By Janelle Montplaisir, Summit Group Software

Deductions in Arrears

Deductions in Arrears (DIA) tracks a

payroll deduction balance when an

Payroll Integration

Payroll Integration to Payables Management Processing payroll creates many different payroll liabilities that a company must track and pay for on behalf of its employees as well as its own company payroll liabilities. Taxes, insurance premiums, and gar-

nishments are just a few examples of

Post-Date Pay Rates

Most companies give employees pay rate increases at some point such as a hire date anniversary, a promotion, a certain time of year, etc. For users with a large number of employees, this can be very stressful to manage as many users manually track pay rate increases in Microsoft Excel, Post-it® Notes, and so on, and then have to remember to adjust employees’ pay code rates in-between pay runs. The Post-Date Pay Rates feature allows users to enter and save pay code rate changes in advance with a specific effective date and activate them as needed prior to pay runs. When the user is ready to activate saved pay rate changes, he/ she can sort on effective dates and only activate those needed for the next pay run.

the different payroll liabilities for both the company and employees. Keeping track of these liabilities and making payments on them can be a very manual and time-consuming process. Many users ask if the system can simply post payroll liabilities as vendor

employee’s pay amount is not sufficient to cover all deductions. Also, DIA allows the collection of mandatory arrears for employee deductions when an employee does not receive a paycheck at all. When future pay runs are completed for employees with uncollected deductions, DIA will attempt to collect the deductions until the outstanding amount has been successfully collected. If an employee continues to have a shortage of wages in the future for deductions, DIA will create a new arrears record for those deductions to that employee. Deductions in Arrears allows users to manage those arrears and make manual adjustments as needed per employee and per arrear.

invoices so those invoices/liabilities can be tracked and paid through Payables Management. The Payroll Integration to Payables Management (PIP) module does just that. Users can set up different transaction liability types (federal/state taxes, company/employee deductions, company/employee benefits, etc.) and create associations to specific vendors. When Payroll is processed, PIP automatically creates a batch of invoices in Payables Management for all of those liabilities that have been set up. A user then just needs to verify and post the batch. The next time vendor payments are processed, those payroll liabilities will be available for payment.

Gross Up

Payroll Gross Up provides a calculation tool to quickly determine the gross pay amount that would be needed to provide an employee with a specified net pay amount. Many companies use this tool to determine what an employee’s gross pay needs to be in order for him/her to receive a net bonus amount of $1,000. The Gross Up calculation is based on the net amount and tax percentages entered at the time of calculation. DynamicsUniversity.com DynamicsUniversity.com

DELIVER A CONSISTENT

eCOMMERCE EXPERIENCE ACROSS DEVICES WITH A RESPONSIVE WEB STORE

T By Stephanie Burke, k-eCommerce

he way consumers use the Internet has evolved over the last few years. The popularity of eCommerce has continued to grow, which is reflected in annual online sales growth. Not only has eCommerce grown in popularity, but also the evolution of web-enabled devices available to consumers has left them with smartphones, tablets, and other devices that offer quick Internet browsing and the ability to shop online anywhere, at any time. These factors have led to a consumer that is always connected, leaving businesses with the challenge of meeting consumers how, when, and where they choose to shop online. In the past, businesses that offered a mobile-friendly version of their website did so by using â&#x20AC;&#x153;m.dotâ&#x20AC;? redirects. A mobile site redirect takes the consumer from the desktop version of the website to a mobile version for a better user experience. The problem with this option is that businesses were left with two separate eCommerce sites to manage. Then came responsive web design, which is the latest technology for offering consumers a strong user experience no matter what web-enabled device they are using.

Dynamics University Fall 2014

responsive web design IN DETAL

CRM

Responsive web design requires just one URL, one version of the content on that website as well as the singular code used to design it, which, using CSS3 media queries, creates a website that automatically responds to the user’s device. This means resolution, image size, videos, and a website’s navigation all resize and reorganize in order to provide a user-friendly experience regardless of the device being used to browse the site.

BENEFITS OF A RESPONSIVE

ecommerce site Consumers demand a strong user experience. If your eCommerce website doesn’t offer this, it is very easy for consumers to find a similar eCommerce site that does. The best way to provide your customers with an online shopping environment that offers a similar experience across their devices is through responsive web design. In addition to strong user experience, it is also recommended by Google that a website incorporate responsive web design. Google refers to this as an industry best practice. While there is no proof or guarantee that this alone will increase a website’s visibility on search engine results pages, it will provide an optimum user experience, and that is an SEO benefit. From a maintenance standpoint, an eCommerce site that uses responsive web design only requires management of one version of website content. Updates can be made once and will be reflected across the entire site while the strong user experience established through responsive web design technology remains in place across all devices.

STILL THINK MOBILE ISN’T IMPORTANT? CONSIDER THIS... Consumers may not always complete transactions from their mobile device, but they still use them to make price comparisons, shop around to find good deals, or read product reviews. Consumers also value mobile and tablet devices for their convenience; these devices allow them to shop anywhere and at any time. Mobile shopping can be done while multitasking and alleviates the pain of shopping in big crowds or waiting in long lines. Further, according to Forrester, mobile commerce sales in 2013 reached $72 billion. Forrester predicts that number to increase to $293 billion by 2018. Therefore, businesses that don’t hold their mobile web store to the same standards as they do their eCommerce site may be missing out on significant revenue.

MOBILE MATTERS FOR B2B, TOO From a B2B (business to business) standpoint, it may seem that the way consumers use their web-enabled devices to shop online doesn’t pertain to the way their organization conducts business. However, consider the usefulness of a self-service online store – accessible 24/7/365 – that provides customers with the experience they’re accustomed to receiving from a desktop version of a web store. These B2B customers can log in and place orders at their convenience using their mobile or tablet devices. This saves them time and allows them to make purchases when and where they choose.

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E-Commerce, continued from page 17

Forrester recorded B2B eCommerce as a $559 billion industry in 2013. Forrester also found from a survey of B2B professionals that 80 perfect of them either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that what their customers want in a web store mirrored that of what B2C organizations deliver. Forrester stated, “Customer expectations are being set by best-of-breed eCommerce sites: shoppers quickly transfer their expectations from these sites to all sites they shop and expect similarly robust, rich, informative, responsive, and personalized experiences.”

THE K-ECOMMERCE SOLUTION Not only does k-eCommerce offer an eCommerce platform with integration to your Microsoft Dynamics ERP or Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution, but it also incorporates responsive web design along with all the other latest technologies businesses demand for selling online. A responsive web store from k-eCommerce provides your business with just one set of content to manage for an eCommerce site that displays in a user-friendly way, no matter the device. Additional benefits of a k-eCommerce web store include complete integration to your Microsoft Dynamics ERP or Microsoft Dynamics CRM. On top of managing just one set of website content with responsive web design, an integrated web store means your business only has to manage one database. Any inventory or pricing changes made in your ERP or CRM are reflected real time in your web store. Learn more about k-eCommerce at www.k-ecommerce.com, and schedule a personal demo by calling 1-855-k-eCommerce or sending an email to sales@k-ecommerce.com.

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dynamics crmexamcram how well do you know CRM?

The questions are similar to what you’ll find on certification exams. Visit page 47 for the answers. Good luck!

Contoso wants to use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to manage its consultants’ time entry goals. Josh goes into the application and creates a goal for each consultant that tracks only those time entries tracked as billable. “Time Entry” is a custom entity within CRM, and “Billable” is a custom field that was added to the form and is a Yes/No type of field. Also, there is one field on the form to track “Number of Hours”. For example, if Josh billed 1 hour and 30 minutes, he would enter 1.5 in that field. Once Josh has created these goal records for each consultant, he notices that when the goal results are calculated, the results seem to be including non-billable time as well. What did Josh forget to do when he set up these goals for his consultants? a) b) c) d) e)

2 3

He did not create a “Goal Metric” record. He did not create a “Rollup Field” record. He did not create any “Child Goals”. He did not create a “Rollup Query” record. He didn’t have his consultants enter their time entries yet.

When creating a Knowledge Base Article in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, what two record types must exist first? a) b) c) d) e)

Contract Templates Contract Records Sales Literature Documents Subject Tree Records Article Template

Bill, the sales manager, wants to be able to add products that are part of a sales opportunity to the opportunity record in CRM. He first creates the appropriate Units of Measure, the Price Lists, the Products, and then adds those products to the Price List records. Today, a potential customer wants to include a service that is not something normally offered. Bill doesn’t plan on offering this service to other customers on a regular basis and is considering this a one-time offering. Which of the following options allows Bill to quickly include that service on the opportunity? a) He needs to go into the product catalog and add the product and set it up correctly so that it can properly be calculated on the opportunity. b) He needs to go into the product catalog and add the product and set it up correctly so that it can properly be calculated on the opportunity. Once he is done, he needs to delete the product. c) He needs to create a “write-in” product on the opportunity. d) He needs to include a note on the opportunity that this extra service should be included.

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MORE U.S. & STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TURNING TO MICROSOFT DYNAMICS CRM By Sarah Tackett, Advanced Solutions & Consulting Co.

s government agencies encounter mounting pressure to reduce costs while still improving services, more and more public sector organizations are turning to Microsoft Dynamics CRM to replace their legacy IT environments. Further gains are expected with Microsoft’s recent announcement that Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will join Azure and Office 365 as part of a Microsoft government cloud initiative. This new Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online program for the U.S. government will be a separate offering for government customers in compliance with Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) and operated by U.S. citizens. FedRAMP, a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continu-

Dynamics University Fall 2014

Microsoft officials said more than 2,200 government customers in the U.S. are using the Office 365 Government Cloud ous monitoring for cloud products and services, granted Azure joint authorization board provisional authority to operate in the fall of 2013.

Federal and state agencies already rely on Microsoft Dynamics CRM to maintain everything from field inspections to grants and more. But now, with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM cloud for U.S. government, federal government business users will be able to access their important applications and workflows anytime, anywhere, and on any device. The new Microsoft U.S. government CRM will be available in Q1 of CY 2015. It will be designed to support integration with Microsoft’s Azure and Office 365 government cloud offerings. According to an article that appeared on ZDNet. com on July 9, 2014, “Microsoft officials said more than 2,200 government customers in the U.S. are using the Office 365 Government Cloud. They also said that in the last 90 days, more than 750 state and local governments and more than 60 federal government agencies have purchased seats of Office 365.”

CRM

CURRENT GOVERNMENT CUSTOMERS OHIO In 2014, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM in its new people-centric philosophy for case management. The DODD IT team chose to use Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a platform, and then tailored it to the needs of their people-centered approach.

NEW HAMPSHIRE In May 2014, the New Hampshire DMV chose to replace and modernize its existing 30-year-old IBM mainframe environment with a Microsoft Dynamics CRM-based solution. The New Hampshire DMV was looking for a way to operate more efficiently and decided that a Microsoft Dynamics CRM-based solution provided a framework that could be customized to fit its needs. The solution will enable the New Hampshire DMV to digitally manage all driver licenses, financials, financial responsibility, hearings, inventory, dealers, and inspection stations.

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gp Debits & Credits HOW TO COPY INTEGRATION MANAGER INTEGRATIONS By Linda Brock, Knaster Technology Have you ever wished you could just copy an Integration Manager integration? Perhaps you want to set it up for another company or perhaps use it with a slightly different source file, but don’t want to start from scratch? One easy way to copy integrations is to create a new Integration Manager (IM) database by opening Integration Manager, clicking the Tools menu, and selecting Create Database. Once the Create Database window opens, click the small browse button, and select the location where you want to create the IM database, then name your database, click Save, and then click Create. You will receive a message that the database was created at the path you selected. Next, from the Integration Manager Tools drop-down menu, choose Options. On the General tab, click the ellipsis to the right of the Default Integration Manager Database field and browse out to the new database you created. Once you’ve selected the new .imd file, click Open, and then click Apply on the Options window. Click Okay and then close Integration Manager. When you open Integration Manger again, and click Open Integration, the list should be blank. Close the Open Integration window, and from the Integration Manager File drop-down menu, choose Import Integrations. In the Import Integrations window, browse to your previous Integration

Manager database. Once you’ve selected it, the list of existing integrations in your original database appears. Highlight each integration that you wish to copy to the new database. Once those integrations are copied to the new database, you can pull down the Integration Manager – Tools menu, choose Options, and change the Default Integration Manager database back to the original database name and location. Once again close and reopen Integration Manager. Now when you click on the Open Integration button within Integration Manager, you should see all of your existing integrations again. Close the Open Integration window, and from the File menu, select Import Integrations. This time browse to the new Integration Manager database, and you should see just the integration(s) you copied. When you select them this time, you will receive a message that the integration already exists, and you will be asked to rename the integration. Once you enter a new name for the integration and click OK, you will be asked to rename each source on the integration(s) as well. And there you have it – copies of your integrations with new names and new sources. Also, now that you have that new database, you can use it again for other copies as the need arises.

SHIPPING METHODS ON SALES DOCUMENTS AND PURCHASE ORDERS By Bob Callanan, Business Ready Solutions For many companies, the shipping method on a Sales Transaction or Purchase Order is given very little notice and is often thought of as simply a text field for printing on the document itself. However, there are a couple of important functions that the shipping method performs. When you create a shipping method, you must choose a Shipping type – either Pickup or Delivery. The shipping type will affect the calculation of taxes on both Sales Transactions and Purchase Orders and can affect the ship to address that prints on Purchase Orders. Here’s an example, assuming that the Sales Tax options for our items are set to “Base on customers”. If Delivery is chosen, the Tax Schedule ID that will be used is the “Ship to Tax Schedule ID from the Customer Ship-to Address”. If Pickup is selected, then the Tax Schedule ID that will be used is the “Site Tax Schedule from the Site ID”. Whenever creating new shipping methods, be sure to give extra consideration to the shipping type.

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TRACING TRANSACTION ACCOUNT ENTRIES By Praveen Parameshwaran, WebSan Solutions A common issue in Microsoft Dynamics GP processing is determining whether transactions originating in your sub-ledger (Sales/Purchasing Modules) have actually created a subsequent Journal Entry in Financials for the specified distributions. Clients often will post a transaction in purchasing not belonging to a batch and assume it has posted to their General Ledger. Since transactions are only posted through to the GL when belonging to a batch that has been posted, confusion often follows as to whether the correct accounts have been posted to. Perform the following steps to help reconcile and trace transaction account entries. 1) Depending on the transaction (Sales or Purchasing) document, navigate to the appropriate module in Microsoft Dynamics GP. For this example, we will use the Sales Module. 2) Upon entering the Sales Module, select the Transaction by Customer option to open the Receivables Transaction Inquiry. 3) Enter the Customer ID for the transaction, which will bring up a list of all transactions for the customer. Alternatively, you can then filter for a specific document number to narrow down your search results. 4) Once you find the document in question, highlight the document line and click the Document Number hyperlink

(Column Title) to bring up the Sales Transaction Inquiry Zoom window. Here you can view further information relating to the document. Once you have this window open, select Distributions. 5) The Sales Distribution Inquiry Zoom window will open and provide further details as to what accounts were hit for the specific documents. 6) Once you have noted (written down) the account numbers, you can verify these accounts were affected by checking the specific account entry details within the Financial Module. Select Financial from the left navigation pane, click Summary within the Inquiry window, and enter one of the account numbers previously noted. 7) You will now be presented with a summary of entries for this specific account by month. Select the month in which the document was posted. Once the month is highlighted, select any of the four hyperlinks (Debit, Credit, New Change, or Period Balance) to drill further into that month and view specific entries. 8) You will now be able to confirm the appropriate amounts were affected for the specific transaction.

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THE DYNAMIC FACES OF

MARK ROCKWELL FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT ROCKTON SOFTWARE

ROCKTON’S PRODUCTS SMARTFILL – GOOGLE-STYLE SEARCH TOOL HELPS USERS FIND ANY DATA 83 PERCENT FASTER. AUDITOR – TRACK, AUDIT, AND AUTHORIZE ALL CHANGES TO DATA. DYNAMICS GP TOOLBOX – MANY HELPFUL TOOLS THAT STARTED OUT AS THE OMNI TOOLS. DYNAMICS REPORT MANAGER – MANAGE AND PRINT ALL REPORTS FROM ONE SPOT. OMNI PRICE – SIMPLIFY COMPLEX PRICING SCENARIOS WITH POWERFUL FLEXIBILITY.

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t’s not often that you meet a computer programmer who has college degrees in both theatre and mathematics and admits that he picked math over programming in college because he felt it was less “nerdy”. In the first few minutes of talking with Mark Rockwell, you realize that the words he uses are important to him. It also only takes a few words to know Mark Rockwell, who he is, what’s important to him, and what drives him every day.

AUTHENTIC – Being real, building trust, and having strong relationships are all important items to Mark. Some people may misunderstand his intentions, but the reality is that he is driven to improve whatever the topic is (software, processes, or remodeling a house) and believes that improvement starts with an honest conversation.

INTEGRITY

– Mark believes that integrity is a core value that has been an important part of his success. Mark stated that he is “driven to do what I say I’m going to do no matter what it takes”. Mark also expects his team to treat people with respect in all areas. It’s very clear that Mark also treats his employees in the same way.

BORN: 1972 IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON EDUCATION: MARK GRADUATED SUMMA CUM LAUDE FROM PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY WITH BACHELOR’S DEGREES IN THEATRE AND MATHEMATICS. BUSINESS: FOUNDED ROCKTON SOFTWARE IN 1999. COMPANY VISION: TO IMPROVE THE LIVES AND BUSINESS SUCCESS OF EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS. PERSONAL LIFE: MARRIED TO HIS WIFE, KELLI, AND HAS FOUR CHILDREN AGED 17, 15, 12, AND 8. PASSION FOR TRAVELING, FAMILY, AND BUILDING/ REMODELING HOMES (BUILT TWO AND REMODELED FIVE IN 21 YEARS OF MARRIAGE).

HUMILITY – Maybe it’s the acting and

improvisation skills, but Mark is an individual that is certainly comfortable in front of an audience or wearing a Hawaiian grass skirt (or other costume) at the Rockton Software Convergence booth. He does this while also demonstrating humbleness. He isn’t afraid to admit if something goes wrong. Mark looks to learn from mistakes and “fall” forward.

ADAPTABILITY – To succeed in a

technology-related business you must be adaptable. Everything is changing all the time. Mark believes in always asking questions and striving to improve, and he admits that inefficiency drives him crazy.

PASSION – Whether talking about

Microsoft Dynamics, his family, his company, or his internal drive at what he is working on, it’s clear that Mark is passionate. He looks for this same passion in his employees, starting with a passion for customer service. Mark despises poor customer service. Rockton Software also looks to drive passion in its staff through personal development funds. Employees are provided up to $2,500 a year to be spent on something that improves their lives that is NOT directly related to work. The goal is to enrich employees’ lives outside of work.

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By Ken Jacobsen, The TM Group

SHOW ME THE

MONEY part

BETTER CONTROL OF EXPENDITURES WITH MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP Organizations are often so preoccupied with getting more sales and more resulting cash into the business that they overlook the second pillar of improving cash flow: controlling their expenditures. According to the third annual Accounts Payable Benchmark Report 2014, an organization’s invoice costs with low levels of automation will continue to increase, but the productivity of payables staff will increase significantly with higher levels of automation. Poorly run payables departments can lead to both financial issues and poor vendor relations. The first step is to actually get your AP invoices into the accounting system, where

finance will have visibility into their purchase commitments. I’m surprised by how many organizations are still managing payables with folders or stand-alone Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. An accounting system will allow you to start capitalizing on early payment discounts, reduce your invoice processing costs, and improve your vendor and customer relations. Microsoft Dynamics GP has some built-in features to help run an efficient payables department and control expenditures, as well as some very popular third party products focused on improving the payables processes, including the following:

Vendor Letter & Electronic Payments The Letter Writing Wizard of Microsoft Dynamics GP is a great feature for creating a welcome letter. It spells out all the information your organization needs to add an accounts payable vendor, including a W-9 and the vendor’s banking information. Whenever possible, leverage Microsoft Dynamics GP AP EFT functionality to pay vendors electronically, and utilize Positive Pay to protect against unauthorized transactions. Companies can save a lot on postage and processing time by using electronic payments and sending remittances by email.

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Requisitions & Purchase Orders If an organization isn’t using purchase orders or requisitions, then it has no real visibility into its outstanding payables commitments. ReQlogic, for Microsoft Dynamics, offers a powerful browser-based eProcurement solution, including requisitioning, invoicing, expense reporting, and time tracking. Using the Requisitioning Module, users can add items to their requisition from your purchasing database or by accessing your supplier’s website using Punch Out. Once the requisition is completed, it can be routed through approval processes according to the type of item being purchased and the total amount of the purchase. ReQlogic will even work with Microsoft Dynamics GP’s Encumbrance Management.

Paperless AP

Vendor Invoice Management ReQlogic can also be used by employees to enter and monitor the status of vendor invoices and their check requests. Like requisitions, invoices can be routed for approvals based on your routing policies. Once an invoice is approved, ReQlogic can create corresponding AP transactions for the invoices and check requests in Accounts Payables, allowing the payables department staff to be more efficient. You can even grant log-in access to vendors so they can enter their own invoices and submit them for approval and payment.

MetaViewer’s goal is not only to more efficiently handle paper invoices using document imaging, but also to prevent paper from entering your organization in the first place. The paperless AP solution from MetaViewer locates and recognizes key invoice information automatically on paper or electronic invoices for a fraction of the cost of a typical separate OCR capture solution, and without the pay-per-invoice burden of public invoicing networks. As invoices are routed through the workflow process, MetaViewer can automatically alert your vendors of payment status and even allow them to access transaction documents via a supplier self-service portal.

1099’s Budgets & Encumbrances Designed specifically for not-for-profit and public sector organizations, Microsoft Dynamics GP’s Encumbrance Management can help any organization better control its expenditures and stay within established budgets. Using this functionality, you can validate payables against budgets based on year-to-date, fiscal period, or yearly budgeted amounts, and automated alerts notify you of budgetary deviations to ensure that actual expenditures and related commitments do not exceed funds allocated.

Chasing down 1099 information is common in every business. Some organizations have boxes full of 1099s. Avalara 1099 is a web-based tool that helps ensure IRS compliance for Accounts Payable departments by streamlining the collection, storage, and management of 1099s. This saves organizations time while also protecting against unnecessary audit penalties. With the Real Time Bulk TIN Validation tool, you can also proactively discover invalid TIN/name combinations before filing.

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Standardize the Data Entry Process Simplify the Data Entry Process Merge Duplicate Data

Use Pre-built and Configurable Security Roles Prioritize User Adoption

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CRM

5 WAYS TO

MAINTAIN ACCURATE DATA WITH MICROSOFT DYNAMICS CRM

ith the recent Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2014 Spring Wave release, everyone is talking mobility, social listening, and marketing automation. But what good is any of this without accurate data in your CRM solution? Read on as Microsoft Gold-certified expert Turnkey Technologies shares tips to encourage user adoption and data maintenance to result in more sales for your business. Customer relationship management provides powerful tools to your sales, marketing, service, and project management teams. But those tools aren’t so powerful when the data that drives them is outdated, inaccurate, and improperly maintained. Accurate data in any CRM solution is the sole driving force behind every benefit you can achieve with CRM. If it isn’t accurate, your business will suffer from missed opportunities otherwise available with high-quality data driving the CRM solution. This is why maintaining data accuracy in your Microsoft Dynamics CRM database is an absolute must. If you want your data to be useful and relevant, it has to reflect reality. From our years of experience working with various Microsoft Dynamics CRM users in a multitude of industries, it’s apparent that inaccurate data is the most common reason why many companies do not receive the greatest possible return on their investment. While there are plenty of methods to manage data, here are five best practices that literally any organization can implement so they can lean into their software with confidence and put their data to work.

By: Michael Ramatowski, MCP, Brad Vorbeck, MCP, Jennifer Espelien Turnkey Technologies

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29 29

Accurate Data, continued from page 29

Standardize the Data Entry Process

Define the practices you want your users to follow when entering data into Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Having a structured process laid out for this provides consistency and ensures data quality from the moment it enters the system. A great way to standardize this process is to create a company-wide CRM data entry guide. The guide should include information such as the solution’s primary goals in the organization, the various ways it should be applied to key tasks, and the importance of certain fields and record types for their use in segmentation and reporting. The CRM data entry guide should provide a structured process for populating key fields for each record type used within the organization. This step can be further ensured by configuring mandatory fields and the potential data entered for each record type. Consistent data is the goal of this practice.

Simplify the Data Entry Process

Make it easy, and perhaps even automated, for users to enter data correctly. An effective way to do this is to allow only valid entries to be entered into designated fields using filtered lookups. Imagine this scenario: When entering a customer’s address into Microsoft Dynamics CRM, the organization requires the user to enter the customer’s state or province. By default, the user is required to manually type in the state’s name. This can lead to errors in spelling or inconsistencies in format, such as entering the state’s name versus its abbreviation. Consider applying a drop-down list to the “state/province” field, where only one of 50 options is available. Each state is spelled correctly, and formatting is consistent. Now, misspelling the state or entering the wrong format has been made impossible. Imagine how well this can reduce the number of undelivered letters for a company that mails out 50,000 direct mail pieces each year! Encouraging valid entry by restricting the number of options that can be entered into a field restricts the number of potential errors that can be made.

Merge Duplicate Data

Duplicate data is the number one reason for incomplete activity history between companies and their clients. In almost every case, duplicate customer records lead to duplicate follow-up calls and an incomplete view of your customer. How awkward! This happens because two or more records exist for the same customer, and that customer’s key data is scattered between the multiple records. A salesperson may document a phone call on one record, while the other record shows no indication of the phone call. 30

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Deleting a duplicate record may lead to a loss in crucial information that wasn’t documented on the other record. Merging the two records combines the scattered information into one complete picture.

Use Pre-built & Configurable Security Rol

Microsoft Dynamics CRM comes with pre-built job roles that determine a user’s access to records and system modifications. These roles can be customized to better fit the organization’s needs. This is a great feature for restricting access to records that don’t apply to certain users, or for assigning records to users who should manage them exclusively. Establishing field level security roles will set certain fields to either be available as “Read Only” or perhaps not visible at all to certain users or levels of users. This is especially helpful when not all teams within an organization need to work with sensitive information potentially collected, such as social security numbers. Most organizations have some mission-critical records that they don’t want just anyone to touch. Configuring your security roles applies those restrictions across the entire system and organization, keeping your sensitive records safe and accurate.

Prioritize User Adoption Get your users onto Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and get them to love using it. The most effective CRM solution is one where its users understand its true value and aren’t afraid to dive in! A great way to facilitate user adoption is to conduct routine user meetings and request feedback, challenges, questions, and suggestions from the people working within the solution every day. When users are able to contribute and learn more about a colleague’s needs within Microsoft Dynamics CRM, it not only provides valuable feedback from a user perspective, but it also fosters a sense of teamwork and fulfillment in their role. When onboarding new members, having a formal training process in place that clearly defines the importance of using Microsoft Dynamics CRM within the company helps to foster user adoption. Furthermore, it’s important to develop a philosophy where Microsoft Dynamics CRM is fully integrated into your users’ job roles. In other words, properly using the solution should be considered part of the job, not just as a way to complete day-to-day tasks. For huge improvements in your data accuracy and the ROI of your CRM solution, start by utilizing the five best practices above. Keep in mind that there are many additional measures one can take to further enhance the accuracy of their data.

PSP_DU_3.5x9.75_2013.pdf

7/24/13

6:14 AM

In fact, several large organizations have dedicated staff whose sole responsibility is to update, maintain, and clean their database.

Important Tip! As an overall database best practice,

we also encourage you to perform data audits on a regular basis. Audits help to indicate what data needs to be fixed, and they identify where your data entry processes need improvement. Data integrity is important not only for the sake of the records themselves, but also for every single user throughout the organization that interacts with the record or its related contacts. By maintaining your CRM data, you protect your organization from unnecessary expenses, enhance the overall perception of your brand, and most importantly, serve your prospective and current clients efficiently. To learn more about how Turnkey Technologies encourages data accuracy and provides the endless benefits of increasing user adoption among Microsoft Dynamics CRM, contact the Turnkey team at www.turnkeytec.com or 888-876-5393.

CMY

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PeakNFP Donor Management for Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides an affordable and powerful fundraising solution to engage your constituents and enhance your development efforts.

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NONPROFITS

EMBRACING THE

CLOUD Customer Profile

FirstLink

By: Bill Malone, PeakNFP

irstLink is a private, nonprofit human service agency that began with the incorporation of the Volunteers for Community Service in 1967 and the incorporation of HotLine in 1971. In 1974, the Holiday Clearing Bureau coordinated the first Cass-Clay community holiday giving program. From its earliest beginnings, FirstLink began to assemble a set of services specializing in suicide support services, volunteerism, and the linking of people in need of thousands of community resources. Today, FirstLinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to assist people in identifying, accessing and making effective use of community and volunteer resources. Successful implementation and management is germane to FirstLinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success in its human services endeavor and is at the heart of the work they do. Due to its rapid growth both in terms of the number of people served as well as the increase in services provided, FirstLink realized that the organization must adjust its Information Technology Strategy to embrace and react effectively to this change. After much research and discussion, FirstLink turned to the Microsoft Cloud.

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BUSINESS NEEDS

FirstLink also reached a point where managing its vast portfolio of donors was a challenge. FirstLink was faced with the upcoming renewal of a donor management software package that didn’t meet their needs and that was being used less and less within the business. The use of spreadsheets to manage events, engage donors, and track communication was becoming the rule within the business. The upcoming renewal of the old system presented the perfect opportunity to research new solutions.

SOLUTION Working with Summit Group Software, FirstLink quickly determined that Microsoft’s Cloud-based solutions coupled with Microsoft’s attractive subscription programs and pricing for nonprofits presented the perfect opportunity to move some of these services to the Cloud. They immediately began a review and test of PeakNFP Donor Management by Summit Group Software to accommodate their donor management and engagement needs. PeakNFP Donor Management is a nonprofit constituent management system built upon Microsoft Dynamics CRM. It integrates tightly with Microsoft Office as well as existing line-of-business applications (LOB integration, which FirstLink may consider for future phases). By moving email, file storage, and collaboration to the Cloud via Microsoft Office 365, they could immediately eliminate the risk of an aging and failing server while providing great service to their users. The migration of Exchange-based email and server-based file shares to Office 365 took a matter of a couple of weeks and immediately upgraded the level of service and responsiveness to end users while reducing the risk of managing their aging infrastructure by taking advantage of Microsoft’s Cloud-based solutions.

BENEFITS PeakNFP Donor Management, based upon Microsoft Dynamics CRM, solved the problem of the upcoming renewal and reduced usage of the existing donor management package. Additionally, FirstLink is able to reduce the amount of work managed through spreadsheets on individual computers or file shares. Better and more constituent engagement is a result of centralizing this effort in a shared system designed for the purpose. Moving email, file sharing, and collaboration moved to Microsoft Office 365 immediately removed the risk of a failing server. In addition, with Microsoft’s pricing breaks granted to qualifying nonprofit organizations, Firstlink is dramatically saving on their IT spending for services housed on internal services or software formerly licensed and maintained in a traditional install/upgrade mode.

THEIR

MISSION & INFORMATION

NONPROFIT

CRM

FirstLink struggled with the maintenance of on premise technology infrastructure, whether it be managing systems, software, and upgrades, or planning for and replacing aging equipment. It was a challenge for FirstLink staff to manage and maintain their equipment and they felt like they were consistently looking for the right IT help to support their business.

FirstLink has been linking people to resources since 1968, giving others help and hope. FirstLink serves all of: North Dakota Clay County Minnesota 24 hours a day

Resources:

2-1-1helpline dial 2-1-1 or 701-235-7335

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline dial 1-800-273-8255 Volunteer Network

Website: www.myffrstlink.org

Access volunteer & community resources online

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Mark Your Calendar!

Convergence

2015 Convergence 2015 is set for

MARCH 16 – 19

(Monday through Thursday) and will again be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Convergence is the premier event bringing the entire Microsoft business community to life. It is where opportunity and innovation meet to deliver real business value and truly amazing customer experiences. It’s the chance to make key business connections and to discover the full potential of Microsoft solutions.

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crm Tips & Tricks SERVICE MODULE IMPROVEMENTS WITH SERVICE PACK 1 By Andrea Lange, Summit Group Software While there have been many enhancements made to Microsoft Dynamics CRM since the release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, possibly the most exciting are the improvements to the Service Module. There are several new entities that replace previous entities, including: • Service Level Agreements and Entitlements will work together to replace Contracts. • The Holiday Schedule and Customer Service Schedule will replace the Service Schedule. Notable other enhancements include: • You can now have a Parent case with multiple Child cases. • You can easily set up Routing Rule Sets and Automatic Case Creation Rules to assist in automating your business processes. To utilize any of these enhancements, you will need to visit Install Product Updates (available in the Settings > Administration area). Once you have installed these updates, most of these entities will be available for use in the Settings > Service Management area. Please note that the original Contracts and Service Schedule options will still be available if you want to continue using them.

CHECK OUT THE XRMTOOLBOX! By Josh Behl, Summit Group Software Often, I am asked by CRM Administrators and fellow consultants to help them perform tasks within Microsoft Dynamics CRM that “should be easy” but they find themselves snooping around online only to find a dizzying array of code samples and tools that are either overwhelming to understand or too cumbersome to configure and use. Enter the XRMToolBox. The XRMToolBox has 24 different tools you can use (for free nonetheless) that help with an array of common tasks and requests. While there are too many to go through in this small article, the one I find myself using the most is the SiteMap Editor. The SiteMap is the main navigation bar you find at the top of your CRM 2013 window. You’ll normally see Sales, Marketing, Service, Settings, and Help in the SiteMap along with all the different entities you normally use. Using the SiteMap Editor tool enables you to quickly and easily modify the SiteMap without needing to hack away at an XML file and deal with the importing and exporting process. This is just one of the 24 available tools you might find helpful. Download at http://xrmtoolbox.codeplex.com/

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SAVING TIME WIT MANAGEMENT REPO Most of us are guilty of not learning all the time-saving tips and tricks related to software solutions. And yet, taking the time to explore an application can offer big paybacks in time saved. Here are numerous time-saving ideas related to Management Reporter:

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE TIME BY SCHEDULING REPORTS IN MANAGEMENT REPORTER? Scheduling reports is convenient and easy. You can schedule an individual or a group of reports for many frequencies. You can set a recurrence start date and time. You can also set the schedule to active or inactive and set security permissions. To get started, click New-Report Schedule.

WHEN STARTING MANAGEMENT REPORTER, YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM: You can load the report that you viewed last, open the search window to quickly find building blocks, or display an empty Management Reporter screen. There is a checkbox to display a warning message to confirm your choice for exiting Management Reporter. By unchecking the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Automatically apply cell underline in column headersâ&#x20AC;? option, your column headers will be created without an underline. This is convenient if you typically have several rows of headers in a column definition. You also have the choice to default the Management Reporter Viewer when generating reports. If the option is unchecked, the report will generate using the Web Viewer. Other Default Settings include selecting the default location for the Report Library and Management Reporter files.

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By Wendy Ponseti, Express Information Systems

TH ORTER WISH YOU COULD CUSTOMIZE MANAGEMENT REPORTER FOR YOUR USER? You can! The User Options window in Management Reporter provides an easy way to default individual preferences. To access the User Options window, click on the Tools menu, then Options.

EVER WONDER HOW TO RELEASE A CHECKED-OUT BUILDING BLOCK? If you can only select a building block in “read only mode” because it is checked out to a user, there is an easy way to unlock it. First, make sure no one is currently accessing the building block, then go to Tools-Checked Out Items. If you don’t see the building block, you may need to select the “Show items from all users” checkbox. Select the building block, then click the “Undo Checkout” button to release the building block.

NEED TO CREATE A CASH FLOW STATEMENT AND DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START?

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN ADD COMMENTS AND GRAPHS TO A REPORT? Comments and graphs can be added in the Desktop Viewer. To add a Comment, click on a report row in the Desktop Viewer, then click the plus sign under Comments. While printing the report, there is a checkbox to print the comments. In Desktop Viewer, you can also quickly create a chart from highlighted rows or columns of data within a report. Open a report in Desktop Viewer, then select the rows or columns to include in the chart. Right-click on a row or column in the report, and click “Select Row” or “Select Column”. Right-click again, choose Quick Chart, and then select the chart type.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO SEE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF A REPORT? Yes, it is! Just open the Desktop Viewer, and click the Report Library in the navigation pane. Select a report, then go to View-Show Versions or right-click on the report, then click Show Versions. In the Versions window, select the report version, then click Open to view the report. You can also rightclick and Rename a version for managing purposes.

Just add the Cash Flow report from the Default Reports to your Building Block Group. To access Default Reports for Management Reporter, go to Tools-Import Default Reports. Select the building blocks you want to import, then click the Import button. The building blocks will import into your current Building Block Group.

These are just some of the great features of Management Reporter; there are many more to explore. Happy reporting! DynamicsUniversity.com

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www.binarystream.com • info@binarystream.com • 604.522.6300 Contact us today for a Dynamics GP or AX demo.

Innovative Solutions for Microsoft Dynamics ERP.

www.binarystream.com • info@binarystream.com • 604.522.6300 Contact us today for a Dynamics GP or AX demo.

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dynamics gpexamcram how well do you know GP?

The questions are similar to what you’ll find on certification exams. Visit page 47 for the answers. Good luck!

What happens when posting a General Ledger Reversing transaction in Microsoft Dynamics GP? a. b. c. d.

Two Journal Entries are posted, one for the original transaction date and the second for the reversing transaction date. One Journal Entry is posted, backing out the original transaction dated Journal Entry. One Journal Entry is posted which contains both the original dated transaction and the reversing dated transaction. One Journal Entry is posted with the original dated transaction, and the reversing dated transaction is placed in a batch to be posted at a later time with a different Journal Entry number.

2 3

In Sales Order Processing, which document types can be a repeating document? a. Back Orders b. Quotes c. Orders d. Invoices

Contonso has set up a two percent finance charge for all customers with past due balances greater than 60 days. They have a number of customers with past due balances of 60 days or greater. During month-end processing, the Access Finance Charge process was completed and included the 60 day and older options, but no finance charges were showing on those customers’ statements or account balances. What should be verified to determine why no finance charges were posted to those customers? (Choose two that apply.) a. b. c. d.

Verify Finance Charges have been set up for all Customer Class IDs. Verify the option of “Compound Finance Charge” is selected in Receivables Management Setup Verify that the finance charge batch that is created during the Access Finance Charge process was posted. Verify customers have been set up for Finance Charges in the Customer Maintenance Options window.

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MANUFACTURIN

IN MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP

Dynamics University Fall 2014

NG 2

ARTICLE FEATURE

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Manufacturing in Microsoft Dynamics GP

without the Complexities of the Manufacturing Module By Dave Kramer, Cargas Systems

he Manufacturing Module within Microsoft Dynamics GP is fairly complex and time-intensive to implement. If your needs do not include MRP or time-phased manufacturing processes, many customers adapt Inventory Bills of Material to meet their needs.

Let’s evaluate a method to include labor and overhead in your Assembly Bills of Material, which provides a straightforward approach to full absorption costing as well. There will be no WIP material, labor, or overhead on hand at any point in time because we’re assembling complete; in effect, we’re backflushing. So at any point in time, inventory consists of raw materials and finished goods only. The key to this process is setting up Labor and Overhead as inventory items, adding them appropriately to Assembly Bills of Material, and manipulating quantities on hand to provide complete finished goods costs and financial transactions. First, we need to set up GL accounts for absorption. Recall that absorption, simply put, credits manufacturing spending (production labor and overhead) and puts those costs into inventory associated with the finished good that used (absorbed) them. Next to be set up are the Item Masters themselves for both labor and overhead. Let’s look at the example of setting up the labor item. The Unit of Measure Schedule ID is HOURS, as the unit of measure for time is HOUR. The Item Type is Sales Inventory, in order to track quantities. The Current Cost is the rate per hour. The rate per hour should be representative of the average rate for the production worker(s) performing the task. The Overhead Item Master is set up in a similar manner with the Current Cost representing the “standard” overhead rate for the shop. You can set up as many of these Item Masters as you have different Labor and Overhead rates. Now that we have all our items, we can set up an Assembly Bill of Material. Units of Measure for Labor and Overhead are HOURS, and Each for the inventory items. Set up the same Design Quantity for both Labor and Overhead. Also known as the runtime hours per piece, the value can be derived in many ways: observation, industry standards, equipment documentation, and the like. For example, if it takes three workers 45 minutes to assemble a “standard” batch of 500 pens, the hourly Design Quantity would be 45 * 3 / 500 = 0.27 minutes = 0.0045 hours. Enter this as the Design Quantity in the Assembly BOM. Now let’s see how this comes together in practice. As Assembly transactions are processed throughout the month, negative quantities on hand for the LBR- and OVH- items accumulate. At 42

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month end, these values represent hours of labor and overhead applied to the month’s production of finished goods. The valuation of on-hand finished goods now includes labor and overhead. Recall that this method does not produce or manage Work In Process, but backflushes finished goods production. When assembling a batch of items, you will get a message noting a quantity shortage (for labor and overhead). Override this. The distribution accounts for labor and overhead; as such, credit the WIP accounts and debit Finished Goods. Coupled with materials, this provides a fully costed finished good in Inventory Control and a corresponding valuation in the finished goods GL account. At the same time, we are left with credits in the WIP accounts and negative on-hand quantities for labor and overhead. By month-end, and many Assembly transactions later, we will have a sizable negative value in the WIP Labor and Overhead accounts as well as negative on-hand quantities for labor and overhead. Therefore, we will do an inventory adjustment to zero out the negative labor and overhead; this represents labor and overhead absorbed. The inventory adjustment clears the GL WIP accounts and credits (absorbs) production labor and manufacturing overhead in the General Ledger. We will use Reason Codes, a new feature in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013, to ensure we get our accounting right! This provides a simple way to get the “absorption” accounts entered for these adjustments. Be sure the transaction quantity offsets the Quantity Available. Enter all the Labor and Overhead items, and post. We can now properly state the value of finished goods in inventory, and reflect those same values in cost of goods when the inventory is sold. This article provides an overview of a relatively straightforward method to include labor and overhead in inventory valuation and cost of goods sold while applying full absorption costing techniques. To see an example with screen captures, visit the blog, Manufacturing in Dynamics GP without the complexities of the Manufacturing module - http://dynamicsuniversity.com/blog/manufacturing-dynamics-gp-without-complexities-manufacturing-module

How to change quantity

Decimal Places in Microsoft Dynamics GP without Restrictions By Jim Batty, Cargas Systems

The need to add Decimal Places is usually discovered when setting up Bill of Material (BOM) for new items that require a component with a fractional quantity, oftentimes where previously existing items did not require fractional quantities because they were not used in a BOM and/or shrinkage percentages were not considered when the items were setup initially. However, the need to subtract Decimal Places typically occurs when all items are set up with the same number of Decimal Places, but the Finished Goods are always sold in whole units. This requires the Quantity Decimal Point to be keyed on each Sale Order Line, which if missed, can result in incorrect shipments to customers.

Why Not Use the Change Decimal Places Utility? While the Microsoft Dynamics GP Change Decimal Places utility works when changing a couple of items, it has restrictions and limitations that make it unusable when the items have outstanding transactions, there are several items to be corrected, or when using the Manufacturing Module. For instance, the utility will NOT run if there are open Purchase or Sales Orders for items being changed. When it does run, the Price List and UOM Schedule are deleted and have to be manually set to new ones with the correct number of decimals one by one. Plus it does NOT currently change any of the manufacturing-related tables. The alternative solution is to create SQL scripts that will change all of the affected tables. However, because there are many different variables involved, it is hard to come up with one script that fits all solutions. In this article I will discuss a specific solution I have used and the rules for using it. Additional solutions and the applicable rules for their use will be discussed in future issues.

Quantity Decimal Place Details

DECPLQTY. The only exception to this rule is in the SQL table that is in the UOM Schedule (IV40201) where the column name is UMDPQTY. The value in this field is one (1) higher than the number of decimal places specified in the UI. For example: • If the UI specifies the minimum quantity decimal places of 0, the database will contain a value of 1. • If the UI specified the maximum quantity decimal places of 5, the database will contain a value of 6. UOM Schedules are at the foundation of the number of Quantity Decimal Places followed closely by the Price Lists that are assigned to each inventory item. This is why the Microsoft Dynamics GP Change Utility deletes both of these when it does changes. As such, it makes sense to use specific UOM Schedules as a controlling factor when making these changes via SQL, which means the associated UOM Schedule MUST also be involved in any changes. Because of this, the RULES are: 1. ALL items assigned to this specific UOM Schedule WILL have their Quantity Decimal Places Changed. a. If here are items assigned to the specific UOM Schedule that should not be changed, those items must have their UOM Schedule changed prior to running all of the scripts. 2. Verify that the UOM Schedule does not require more than the number of new decimal places. a. The decimal places will be changed in the UOM Schedule Price Lists require the quantity values to the right of the assigned decimal places to be zeros in the price list table for each item, which means any Price List assigned to affected items MUST also be changed and are addressed in the scripts. For the specific scripts to reduce the Inventory Quantity Decimal places, check out the blog titled “How to Reduce Inventory Quantity Decimal Places” at http://dynamicsuniversity.com/blog/part-1-how-reduce-inventory-quantity-decimal-places. Also, check back soon for a blog on Increasing Inventory Quantity Decimal Places.

In Microsoft Dynamics GP, all of the quantity fields actually have five decimal places behind the User interface (UI) in the SQL Database tables. The number of decimals displayed and available to users is controlled by a setting in a column called DynamicsUniversity.com

Harnessing the Power of

Microsoft Dynamics GP, SQL, and Excel All in a Few Mouse Clicks By Mark Polino, Integrated Business Group

ver the years, as Microsoft has continued migrating its product lines to work well with each other, we users have been the happy recipients of the efforts. For example, Excel has had the ability (for years) to tap into your SQL databases for data extraction. However, most users either didn’t know how to utilize this feature, or even more likely, didn’t know this feature even existed. It was a secret safeguarded by the IT departments of the world! Fortunately, accessing features such as this is now easier than ever before.

Today with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013, there are dozens of Excel Reports available to you. These reports have data connections that are already programmed to retrieve data from your live company databases. You simply have to open the file and click refresh. By using these “canned” reports, you can then use Excel to analyze your data and even create – with just a little Excel know-how – user-friendly dashboards. For this example, I’m using the Fabrikam sample company and the Excel report labeled “Customers Average Days to Pay”. The standard report has a plain data table (as all the Excel reports do); however, this data is a live connection tied directly into your company database (and that is only the beginning of where the magic starts!). Click any cell inside the table, then in the Excel Ribbon Menu, click Insert, then PivotChart. This will open a PivotTable and Chart on a new tab. Once there, using the PivotChart Fields Menu on the right, drag Average Days to Pay into Values, and Customer Name into Axis. From here, you can add a Slicer to filter on customer or number of days to pay (click the chart, Excel Ribbon Pivotchart Tools Analyze Insert Slicer Average Days to Pay).

Sum of Average Days to Pay - Year

Total

400 350 300 250 200 150 Total

100 50

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Leisure & Travel Consultants

Network Solutions

Dial Direct Paging Inc.

Nova Systems, Inc.

National Shopping World

Computers Unlimited

Cellular Express

Place and MacDero Associates

Multitech Office Components

Computer Equipment Leasing

Associated Insurance Company

S & S Properties

Boyle’s Country Inn’s

North College

Northern Family Hospital

Super Foods Plus

Crawfords, Inc.

Central Illinois Hospital

Home Furnishings Limited

Puluski Enterprises Inc.

International Mailing Corp.

Manchester Suites

Central Distributing

Advanced Paper Co.

Company Name

Computerized Phone Systems

You now have a chart representing all customers with their average days to pay with a selectable filter, or in other words, you just built a custom dashboard! (Just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell your IT department that you are learning their secrets; you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to make them nervous!) With a connection to your database, you can grab any data you need and utilize Excel to present this data in a dynamic report. Think of all the Excel reports you currently do by hand or all the data you regurgitate for one purpose or another. Imagine how a data connection could change how you approach your job! Of course your reseller is always there to help, and I would also encourage you to check out http://mpolino.com/gp/analytics/ for refreshable dashboards by Integrated Business Group consultant Mark Polino.

Scribe is a global provider of Dynamics integration solutions to help customers increase revenue, provide superior service, and create business value faster. Thousands of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, GP, NAV and AX customers use Scribe to get the right data to the right person at the right time. For more information, visit www.scribesoft.com/du

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dynamics exam cram answers crm 1 2 3 Answer: d

If Josh didn’t create a “Rollup Field” or a “Goal Metric” record, the goals for his consultants wouldn’t have been able to calculate in the first place. Every goal must have a goal metric. The goal metric must have at least one rollup field record. So, a) and b) cannot be correct. If his consultants had not completed their time entries, he could not have been able to determine that the goals were including non-billable time entries in the first place. As such, e) cannot be correct. Finally, “Child Goals” have nothing to do with an individual’s goal calculation calculating correctly in this example. “Rollup Query” records allow a goal to calculate a smaller sub-set of data and make the goal much more specific. In other words, “Rollup Query” records enable a goal to calculate only those records that meet a specific set of criteria.

Answer: c

When a General Ledger Reversing transaction is posted, only one Journal Entry is created from that posted transaction and contains both the original dated and reversing dated transaction, updating your account information immediately upon posting.

Answer: d & e

Although they are both part of the Service Module within the application, Contracts and Contract Templates have nothing to do with the creation or management of Knowledge Base (KB) Articles. The same goes for Sales Literature Documents. When creating a new Knowledge Base Article, the first thing you are asked to select is the Article Template. In fact, it is impossible to even start entering the content of your KB Article without first selecting the template. Additionally, to create a KB Article, you must have at least one record in your Subject Tree hierarchy. It is important to note that by default, Microsoft Dynamics CRM comes with a number of default article templates and a default subject tree already created for you.

Answer: b & c

Quote and Order type documents can be set up to be repeated as long as the user has selected each of those document type IDs to allow repeating under Sales Order Processing Setup > Sales Document Setup.

Answer: c

Options a) and b) would technically work, but there are too many steps involved for this one-time offering to add the product and fully configure it in the first place. Option d) is incorrect because the opportunity does not look at notes when it calculates the total value of the opportunity. Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows users to create “Write In” products on opportunities, quotes, orders, and invoices. These would commonly be used when the “product” or “service” sold are very customized or not standardized enough to set them up in a formal pricing structure in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Answer: c & d

In order for a Finance Charge of two percent to show up on customer statements and account balances, the customer must be set up with Finance Charges in their Customer Maintenance options window before the user completes the Access Finance Charge process. Once the Access Finance Charge process is complete, a batch of finance charge invoices is created in Receivables Management, and the user must post the batch as the finance charge batch does not automatically post. DynamicsUniversity.com

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