Dynamics GP - Version 10 Breakthrough Innovation

Microsoft's huge R&D spend on Dynamics is now bearing fruit. Here are some of these new capabilities which have shipped with versions 9 & 10.

Roles Based

Years of Microsoft research into how users perform their jobs on a day to day basis, in many different types of organisations, has yielded over 40 different Roles/Industry types.

Credit Manager Role Home Page Example

In the above example, one can see information and tasks relevant to a credit manager. Also note the toast notification - bottom right - advising of approval needed, which is part of the new workflow engine.

Integrated Search Business Data Catalogue

Leveraging features in SharePoint 2007, Dynamics GP 10 takes advantage of the new powerful enterprise search capability enabling users to search unstructured and structured information at the same time. The business data catalogue provides the taxonomy (categorisation) to introduce structure to valuable data held outside the ERP system and enabling them to be linked together in a meaningful fashion. In the following screenshot a credit manager is searching on a customer ID, pulling together lots of information and history relevant to that customer, so that she can confidently and rapidly make the correct decision regarding credit limit approval.

Workflow

Dynamics GP10 takes full advantage of the new Windows Workflow Engine, shipping with numerous pre-defined workflows,which can easily be amended or added to without the need to involve software developers and coding. In the following example an Approval Workflow for a Credit Limit Increase is automatically kicked off because a customer order is being entered that would take that customer over their limit if processed. When this is kicked off, a notification immediately appears on the credit manager's screen (see Credit Manager Role home page above) advising her that a decision needs to be made, in order to release the order for further processing.

Intuitive - Process Centric - Ribbon Interface

Based on Microsoft research into user / computer interaction Dynamics GP10, like Office 2007, has a new context sensitive Ribbon Interface.

In the following window example, for a warehouse operative, instead of having to navigate via numerous menus and sub-menus from just a single screen, the user can easily perform a whole host of relevant activities, such as easily finding and filtering relevant transactions, then printing picking tickets, confirming picking, printing packing slips, confirming packing, printing despatch notes, confirming despatch.

Office 2007 Integration

Dynamics GP 10 is deeply integrated with Office 2007. In the following screenshot, one can see a context sensitive Excel report with data related to the search instigated within GP (see above) including calculations and charts to assist with confident, rapid decision-making.