Software Information

How to Upgrade Dexterity Customization - Tips for IT Manager


If you have Microsoft Great Plains and support it for your company and have light or heavy Great Plains customization, written in Dexterity - you need to know your options in upgrading Great Plains or migrating it from ctree/Pervasive to MS SQL/MSDE.

Great Plains Dexterity is proprietary programming language/environment, which was created in early 1990-th to provide platform / database / graphical interface independence for Mac and Windows based Great Plains Dynamics.  Today it is legacy and Microsoft Business Solutions is phasing Dexterity out.

However Great Plains 7.5 and even 8.0 is Dexterity based application, so you have to deal with it and it's customization.

 

Good news.  Prior to version 7.0 Great Plains had plans on expanding GP functionality and so was changing tables structure - forcing Dexterity customization to be analyzed and partially rewritten with each upgrade.  Not any more - GP structure stays the same - Microsoft is doing new modules acquisition and unifying it's graphical interface to move all it's ERP packages: Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta to web-based Microsoft Business Portal.

 

Still pain.  Dexterity has possibility to customize existing Great Plains screens, so called Alternative Great Plains forms.  This was upgrade problem in the past and it stays now - there is no way to do it in house (until you are willing to pay for full-time internal developer - who is usually in the learning curve).  You got to bring in consultant.

Recommended approach.  You should have the strategy to migrate Dexterity customization to SQL, Crystal Reports, custom web publishing - Visual Studio.net and slowly abandon Dexterity customization

  • SQL Stored procedures - performance improvement.  Consider replacing dexterity data manipulation with SQL stored procedures.  Dexterity is cursor-driven language and it is not efficient when processing huge datasets.
  • Crystal Reports.  Take advantage of open and leading technology.  Crystal Reports will eliminate the need in the future for painstaking Dexterity reports upgrade.  Base you Crystal report on the SQL view or stored proc
  • Do direct web publishing off your GP database.  Use Visual Studio - it is easy to find specialists and have them in staff.  We are in the World when web publishing is very easy.
  • Good luck and if you have issues or concerns - we are here to help! 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, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, New York, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.


    MORE RESOURCES:

    FRANCE 24

    Oracle Rejects $272M SAP Award, Demands New Trial
    ABC News
    Business software maker Oracle Corp. has turned down $272 million in court-ordered damages from SAP AG in hopes of leaving a much bigger dent in its rival's pocketbook and reputation during a second trial over allegations of corporate theft.
    Oracle Seeks New Trial Against SAP After Verdict DismissedBloomberg

    all 231 news articles »


    Jive Software Q4 Earnings, Revenue Beat Street
    Forbes
    Updated: Enterprise social networking company Jive Software reported its first earnings as a public company today, beating Street earnings and revenue expectations. Jive generated $22.5 million in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011, up 53% from the ...
    Photo Release -- Jive Software Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 ...MarketWatch (press release)
    Jive Software Q4 Loss Widens - Quick FactsNASDAQ
    Jive reports bigger 4Q loss, higher revenueBusinessWeek

    all 49 news articles »


    Advent Software Beats on EPS, but GAAP Results Lag
    msnbc.com
    31 (Q4), Advent Software beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share. Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly and GAAP earnings per share contracted significantly. Advent Software notched revenue ...

    and more »


    Guidance Software Acquires CaseCentral
    socalTech.com
    Pasadena-based Guidance Software, which develops digital forensics and e-discovery software, said Tuesday afternoon that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire CaseCentral, a developer of electronic discovery software.
    Guidance Software to Acquire CaseCentralMarketWatch (press release)
    GUIDANCE SOFTWARE, INC.: Guidance Software Reports Q4 2011 Financial Resul..4-traders (press release)

    all 13 news articles »


    1 Software Stock to Buy Now
    DailyFinance
    The company, which specializes in providing accounting, inventory management, and other operational software over the Web, projected $0.19 to $0.21 in adjusted earnings on $295 million to $300 million in profits. All figures represented an increase ...

    and more »


    Bradenton Herald

    Hydrovolts Uses Autodesk Software to Create Plug-and-Play Water Turbines
    MarketWatch (press release)
    SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb 07, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Clean technology innovator Hydrovolts is using software from Autodesk, Inc. /quotes/zigman/68719/quotes/nls/adsk ADSK +1.55% to create unique hydrokinetic turbines that are more easily installed in ...
    Hydrovolts Turbine For Clean Energy Generation, Designed With The Help Of ...TheStreet.com (press release)
    AUTODESK, INC.: Hydrovolts Uses Autodesk Software to Create Plug-and-Play ..4-traders (press release)

    all 7 news articles »


    eNewsChannels

    TeamF1 Announces Support for Cavium OCTEON® III Multicore MIPS64® Processor Family
    Sacramento Bee
    TeamF1.com), the leader in embedded networking and security software solutions for wired and wireless applications, today announced it will support the new state-of-the art OCTEON® III MIPS64® family of 1 – 48 core multicore processors from Cavium, ...
    6WIND Announces Packet Processing Software Optimized for Cavium's OCTEON® III ...PR Web (press release)
    6WIND Announces Packet Processing Software Optimized For Cavium's OCTEON(R ...Daily Markets (press release)
    MontaVista Software Announces Support for Cavium OCTEON(R) III Multicore ...MarketWatch (press release)
    eNewsChannels
    all 63 news articles »


    Tax Software Vs. An Accountant: Which Is Right For You?
    San Francisco Chronicle
    While the ever improving selection of tax preparation software certainly makes it easier to do your own taxes, it has hardly put Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and other personal tax preparers out of business. There is no way around the fact that ...

    and more »


    Polarion Software Makes a Bold Move Into the Software Testing Market With ...
    MarketWatch (press release)
    ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, Feb 07, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Polarion Software, a recognized leader in application lifecycle management, announced today it has further expanded its end-to-end support for software development teams with the launch of ...

    and more »


    Software Engineering Institute Hosts Free Software Architecture Virtual Event
    MarketWatch (press release)
    7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI) will host "Architecting Software the SEI Way: Essential Steps Toward Mastery," a free virtual event on Tuesday, February 28, from 1 pm to 4:30 pm (ET).

    and more »

    Google News

    Home | Site Map

    Powered By: Free Work At Home Business Opportunity!

    © 2006