Microsoft Great Plains Integration with Microsoft Access ? Overview for Developer


Microsoft Business Solutions stakes on Microsoft Great Plains as main Accounting/ERP application for US market. At the same time it seems to be staking on Navision in Europe and has Axapta as high end large corporation market competitor to Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, IBM. This article is brief review of Microsoft Great Plains integration with Microsoft Access. This is also applicable to Small Business Manager (which is based on the same technology ? Great Plains Dexterity dictionary - DYNAMICS.DIC and runtime DYNAMICS.EXE) and Great Plains Standard on MSDE or MS SQL Server.

If you are developer who is asked: how do we implement Great Plains integration/interface with your MS Access-based system ? read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.

  • Great Plains Integration Manager - this is rather end-user tool - it is very intuitive, it validates 100% of business logic, brings in/updates master records (accounts, employees, customers, vendors. etc.) brings in transactions into work tables. The limitation of Integration Manager - it does use GP windows behind the scenes without showing them - so it is relatively slow - you can bring 100 records - but when you are talking about thousands - it is not a good option. By the way you can program Integration Manager with VBA. Microsoft Access is ODBC compliant and so you can do direct Integration Manager query to MS Access
  • eConnect ? it is type of Software Development Kit with samples in VB.Net. Obviously the development environment should be Visual Studio.Net. eConnect will allow you to integrate master records - such as new customers, vendors, employees, etc., plus you can bring transactions into so called Great Plains work tables (eConnect doesn't allow you to bring open or historical records - you need to post work records in Great Plains, the same limitation applies to Integration Manager above) eConnect is rather for ongoing integration. It was initially created for eCommerce application integration to Great Plains.
  • SQL Stored Procedures. Obviously you have unlimited control and possibilities with SQL queries. You need to know Great Plains tables structure and data flow. Launch Great Plains and go to Tools->Resource Description->Tables. Find the table in the proper series. If you are looking for the customers ? it should be RM00101 ? customer master file. If you need historical Sales Order Processing documents ? they are in SOP30200 ? Sales History Header file, etc. Do not change existing tables - do not create new fields, etc. Also you need to realize that each GP table has DEX_ROW_ID - identity column. Sometimes it is good idea to use inbound/outbound XML in the parameters - then you can deploy web service as a middle party between two systems.
  • Data Transformation Services (DTS) ? Good tool for importing your third party data into staging tables in GP - then you can pull them in using either stored procs of Integration Manager. You can also deploy this tool for EDI export/import. You can have DTS working with Linked Server - SQL Server Construction for linking to Microsoft Access
  • Great Plains Dexterity Custom Screens. Sometimes users prefer to have seamlessly integrated into GP interface custom screens - for parameters settings and initiating integration. Dexterity is a good option, however remember - it is always better to create new custom screen versus customizing existing one - due to the future upgrade issues. Also - Dexterity is in phasing our by Microsoft Business Solutions.
  • Modifier/VBA custom buttons on the existing screens - alternative to Dexterity is you are comfortable with VBA and ADO.
  • SQL Linked Servers ? you can do direct SQL queries to other ODBC compliant platform via SQL Linked Server (including Microsoft Access) - you may need to familiarize yourself with OPENROWSET command in Transact SQL. This is also good option if you need cross-platform Crystal Report - pulling data from SQL Server and third party databases on the same report.
  • Warning - do not place existing GP tables into Replication! - you will have upgrade issues.
  • Happy integrating! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

    Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies ? USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Oregon, Arizona, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (help@albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.

    move in cleaning service Mundelein ..
    In The News:

    Kodiak Driver autonomous truck achieves perfect 98 safety score, matching top human fleets in groundbreaking AI evaluation by Nauto's VERA system.
    New 401k catch-up contribution rules in 2026 will change taxes for high earners over 50. Learn how scammers exploit these changes and protect your retirement savings.
    Kurt Knutsson's guide covers social media privacy protection through location settings, account privacy controls and two-factor authentication to prevent scams and data breaches.
    Revolutionary retinal implant restores central vision in 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration, offering hope where treatments once only slowed blindness.
    Learn how to use passkeys on Windows and Mac computers without cameras or fingerprint readers. Discover secure authentication methods that replace passwords.
    Tesla's FSD v14.1.2 update reintroduces Mad Max mode, enabling higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the standard Hurry profile setting.
    A phishing email scam targeting American Express customers shows how cybercriminals use fake urgent messages to steal personal and financial information.
    Facebook's new Meta AI feature analyzes your camera roll photos to create polished collages automatically, but requires cloud processing and raises privacy concerns.
    A New Jersey teenager filed a major lawsuit against AI/Robotics Venture Strategy 3 Ltd. over ClothOff, an AI tool that created fake nude images from her social media photos.
    Microsoft reports Storm-2657 cybercriminals sent phishing emails to 6,000 addresses at 25 universities to steal payroll credentials and redirect funds.
    Astronomers have discovered asteroid 2025 SC79, a skyscraper-sized space rock orbiting the sun in just 128 days. the second-fastest known.
    The Fox News AI Newsletter delivers the latest developments form the world of artificial intelligence, including the technology's challenges and opportunities.
    A cyberattack on SimonMed Imaging exposed personal information of 1.2 million patients, including medical records, financial details and identity papers.
    Spotify's managed accounts for kids under 13 now available in at least seven countries, allowing parents to filter and block explicit content and songs.
    Friendly text conversations about BBQs and social events can lead to WEEX gold trading scams that target older adults with fake investment opportunities.
    California company Skyeports creates self-healing glass spheres from Moon regolith that generate solar power and support plant growth for sustainable lunar living.
    Cleafy researchers discover fake VPN streaming app Mobdro Pro that installs Klopatra banking Trojan, giving attackers full control over Android devices.
    Police departments across the U.S. and Canada are adopting virtual reality training to better prepare officers for high-pressure, real-world situations.
    House Bill 469 would prevent AI systems from owning property, serving as executives, or gaining legal personhood in Ohio under Representative Thaddeus Claggett's proposal.
    Public voter records expose retirees' personal details to election scammers who create targeted cons using names, addresses, and voting history data.
    Instead of fearing what comes next with artificial intelligence, think outside the box. Here are high-earning AI jobs that don't require a computer science degree.
    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says polite words like "please" and "thank you" cost millions annually, while direct prompts may improve ChatGPT accuracy by several points.
    Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.
    New Instagram parental controls allow families to manage teen screen time and content limits through the Family Center with stricter safety settings.
    Third-party security breach at Discord exposes sensitive user information including government IDs, highlighting cybersecurity risks from external service providers.

    Bill of Lading ? Custom Reporting for Microsoft Great Plains ? Overview for Consultant

    Bill of Lading is required report for Logistics and Freight... Read More

    Preventive Maintenance Software Companies

    Several software companies design programs for preventive maintenance. Most of... Read More

    Tools for Customizing Great Plains

    Microsoft Business Solutions ? Great Plains has captured the US... Read More

    Did You Ever Want to Completely Erase Everything on Your Computer?

    Did you ever want to erase everything on your computer?... Read More

    Four Easy Ways To Prevent Spyware

    How would you like to prevent spyware and adware from... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains: Service Business Customization & Integration Example

    Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains might be considered as ERP... Read More

    Microsoft CRM Conversation Gateway: VoIP - Implementation & Customization

    Microsoft CRM is winning market share step-by-step from such the... Read More

    Explore the Internet in a Whole New Way

    For a long time now Microsoft's Internet Explorer has ruled... Read More

    Crystal Reports For Microsoft RMS ? Overview For Developer/Report Designer

    If you are software developer or database administrator - we... Read More

    Huddle Up; Groupware on Three

    It could just be me, but my experiences with document... Read More

    Will Adobe Manage to Replace Industry Work Horse Quark Express by Giving Adobe InDesign for Free?

    Heard about the Quark "killer"?Adobe InDesign CS2. Will it really... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Customization Recovery & Upgrade for Large Corporation

    At the end of XX century, in the late 1990th... Read More

    Free Software: How Not To Get More Than You Bargained For!

    I completed an experiment recently. I wanted to find out... Read More

    OSI Layers Model

    IntroductionDuring the early years of our modern computer era, very... Read More

    Who?s Watching What You Type?

    If someone entered your home, uninvited and installed numerous cameras... Read More

    netstat - Linux Command to Display Networking Information

    In linux, one of great commands for finding out information... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains Implementation for Large Corporation ? Overview for VP IT

    Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains was historically designed to serve... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains - Payroll & HR Inexpensive Solution? Not Any More

    Microsoft Great Plains is main Microsoft Business Solutions accounting package... Read More

    Dig Out That Worm

    Internet worms. Is your PC infected?If your computer has become... Read More

    Making The Decision To Automate Your Software Testing

    Not every software testing project can or should be automated.... Read More

    Perfectly New Database Query Tool - Foxy SQL Pro Released

    Are you a database professional? Do you work with a... Read More

    Oracle Development: JDeveloper 10G ? Java, J2EE, EJB, MVC, XML - Overview For Programmer

    In 2004 Oracle, Inc. made its new step toward J2EE... Read More

    Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Axapta ? Selection Considerations

    During the years of our consulting practice, which comes back... Read More

    Algebra Help Software

    Need help making sense of algebra? Have algebra lectures in... Read More

    Internet Security Threats: Who Can Read Your Email?

    Before being able to choose a secure Internet communication system,... Read More

    insured cleaning company Highland Park ..