Save Money by Supporting Yourself

Presented By: Cale Tanguay CPA CGA

Save Money by Supporting Yourself

Agenda

Customer-Source &

online information

Why doesn’t GP know

what I want it to do?

Errors

When GP goes bad

Small report changes and

year-end tips

CustomerSource & online information

• CustomerSource provides you with access to resources such as self-help tools, product updates, community forums, training, documentation and online newsletters to help you optimize your use of your Microsoft Dynamics product

CustomerSource

CustomerSource & online information

• If you’re registered for Microsoft Dynamics GP, you have the ability to access this information.

• One user will be a CustomerSource Administrator so they will have the ability to add new users from your organization (here is a link with information for adding new users)

• If you have any difficulties accessing CustomerSource, any member of Prophet’s team may assist.

CustomerSource

CustomerSource & online information

• There are hundreds of online resources for obtaining information specifically related to Microsoft Dynamics GP.

• Many consultants and experts offer information on resolving issues

• When following information, proceed with caution…be sure you understand the entire process and the effects

• If a backup is recommended – take a backup!

Online Information

Why doesn’t GP know what I want it to do?

• “I’m reviewing my accounts and found an entry that was distributed to the wrong account. I didn’t code it there so why did GP automatically select that account??”

Wrong distribution account

Why doesn’t GP know what I want it to do?

• Default accounts may be set up in several different windows: inventory card, customer/vendor card, company setup.

• GP will determine what account to use in this order (i.e. account from item card, then customer/vendor, then company).

• Should no account exist, GP will leave the account blank in the distribution window.

• Note that the default account for the class may not be the same as the default account for the customer/vendor/item.

Wrong distribution account

Why doesn’t GP know what I want it to do?

• “My co-worker and I are both printing the exact same report out of GP. The amounts agree, but the format is different.”

My report looks different!

Why doesn’t GP know what I want it to do?

• GP has a large number of reports built-in. By default, users are pointed to the unmodified versions of those reports.

• If a report is modified using Report Writer, the system determines whether to print the unmodified or modified report by user and company using the ‘Alternate/Modified Forms and Reports ID’.

• If users should all be using the same reports, ensure they’re all pointed to the same ID in each company.

My report looks different!

DEMO

Errors in GP

• You may encounter an error indicating you cannot access a form or report because the dictionary containing it is not loaded.

• Although a modified report or form may have been deleted, it’s more likely you lost connection. Try restarting GP and reprinting the report or accessing the form.

Cannot access this report

Errors in GP

• “I don’t have security privileges to open a window. I should have access so what can I do?”

You do not have permission

Errors in GP

• There are various reasons why you may encounter this message.

• Besides waiting patiently or pulling the plug on your workstation, what other options do you have?

Processes are currently running

Errors in GP

• To view processes that are currently running, you may open the Process Monitor. It will display a list showing all processes in the queue. Depending on the process, you may be able to remove the process to allow others to proceed.

• The most common issue is a user will have a report printed to the screen then try printing additional reports.

• In the event you need to force GP to close, review the processes that have not been performed.

Processes are currently running

DEMO

Errors in GP

• There may be times when you encounter an error message when trying to access a batch.

• It may indicate the batch must be recovered or it is being edited, locked, or marked for posting by another user.

Stuck batch

Errors in GP

• For some batches, it may be as simply as using batch recovery.

• What if no other user is accessing the batch?

• There are SQL scripts that may be run to identify the user, have them log out, and clear the locked record.

Stuck batch

Errors

What do you need to know about running SQL scripts?

SQL

When GP goes bad

• Have you ever encountered an issue where the totals don’t add up to the amount shown in a summary total?

The totals don’t add up

When GP goes bad

• There are some windows and reports that rely on a summary amount from a table. In some cases the summary amount may be incorrect, but fortunately GP has reconciling utilities allowing users to recalculate the summary total based on the details.

The totals don’t add up

When GP goes bad

• The reconcile utility will make changes that may not be easily reversed so it’s recommended to have a backup prior to running.

• You may want to run the report first without reconciling to verify changes before actually reconciling.

The totals don’t add up

When GP goes bad

• Financial• Sales• Receivables• Purchasing• Payables• Inventory• Fixed Assets

The totals don’t add up

DEMO

When GP goes bad

• “I was reading about how to fix an issue online and the solution recommended running ‘check links’ so I did. The report that subsequently printed shows it resolved the issue, but it also made a ton of other changes. Where is the undo button?”

• Answer – it does not exist

Check Links

When GP goes bad

• “Use the Check Links window to restore damaged data. You should check links if, after rebuilding a table, the rebuild report shows no damaged records but the original problems persist. Some of the information in table groups is stored in two or more of the tables that compose them. If information in one table is missing or damaged, the check links program examines other tables where the same information is stored, and re-creates the damaged record in the first table. If the damaged table is in the System or Company series, reconcile the damaged table or tables instead of checking links. In these series, table groups contain only one table, so there are no other tables for the damaged table to be compared to.”

Check Links

Small report changes and year-end tips

• “It’s year-end and I want to close my year. What do I need to do again?”

Year-end tips

Small report changes and year-end tips

• It depends on what modules you’re using.• You want to check your chart of accounts

to ensure your accounts are properly set up as balance sheet or profit & loss accounts. Use a Smartlist to review new accounts or accounts modified since the previous year-end.

• You want to ensure you have a backup.• You want to ensure you’ve posted all your

batches for that year (you will receive a warning if any batches exist regardless of the batch or transaction dates).

Year-end tips

Small report changes and year-end tips

• Although GP reports are built with Report Writer, the information in those reports may be used to produce Word templates available for e-mailing directly from GP

• “How do I modify a Word template?”

Small report changes

Small report changes and year-end tips

• Unless you need to add a field to an existing report you won’t need the Word Add-in for GP templates.

• Go to: Administration >> Reports >> Template Maintenance, select the report to be modified, and click the ‘Modify’ button in the toolbar.

• Make desired changes to the report and save your file. In the same window in GP, click the ‘+’ symbol and select your file.

• Before making changes, consider creating a backup file in case you want to reverse your changes.

Small report changes

DEMO

Help us help you

• When you can’t fix it, we’re available to help.

• What’s the best way to get the issue resolved in the least amount of time?

Let’s work together

Help us help you

• Ensure you provide all pertinent information. If you encountered any error messages, take snapshots or write them down.

Let’s work together

Help us help you

• Send requests for GP support through our website.

• http://www.prophet.ca/dynamics-gp-support/

Let’s work together

Help us help you

• “But Cale, I always work with the same consultant. They know my business better than anyone else at Prophet.”

• You’re probably right so we try to send those requests to that consultant whenever possible.

Let’s work together

Recap

• Make sure you check out CustomerSource.• If GP is consistently doing something

unexpected, it may be an issue with the setup options.

• When GP appears stuck use Process Monitor to see what’s running and what hasn’t been performed.

• If you encounter an error, read it carefully.• If you find an issue with data in GP, be sure

you have a recent backup before running any utilities or file maintenance.

Top 5 Takeaways

Questions?

What session do you plan to attend next?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

- Managing your Salary Cap with Payroll-as-a-Service.

- Payables Management Training Camp.

- Playing the Numbers with Excel and Power BI