Microsoft Ships Updated Dynamics ERP Products

Microsoft this week unveiled new releases of two of its ERP products, including Dynamics GP 10.0 and Dynamics SL 7.0. Users of the new ERP systems will find greater refinement in the graphical interfaces, including the new capability to interact with the ERP systems through their standard Office productivity applications.

Source: Alex Woodie, www.itjungle.com


Microsoft has done a lot of work on the interfaces with the new ERP products, including enhancements to the products themselves, and the introduction of the new Dynamics Client user interface. The Dynamics Client product, which was first unveiled in March at Microsoft's Convergence 2007 conference, allows users to access specific ERP business processes through their Microsoft Office products, most notably Outlook. The new software is very similar to the "Duet" interface that Microsoft and SAP developed for the business software giant's ERP suite.

Microsoft says it has made more than 100 functional enhancements to Dynamics GP 10.0, including a new "RoleTailored" user interface that is customizable depending on the users' roles and looks like Windows Vista and Office 2007. Version 10 also receives enhancements to business intelligence, a new workflow engine, a new "light" interface for occasional users, and integrated structured and unstructured search capabilities.

Likewise, Dynamics SL 7.0 will receive a spruced up RoleTailored interface that looks and functions more like the current crop of Vista and Office 2007 products. The software, which was written in Visual Basic 2005 and is .NET compliant, also offers better compatibility with other Microsoft products, including the Office 2007 system, SharePoint Services, SharePoint Server, and SQL Server 2005.

One Dynamics SL beta tester smitten with the new Dynamic Client is Brooke Davis, controller for Moeller Design and Development in Seattle. "We have quite a few people at Moeller who have never used any type of ERP or modular system, so for those people who are a little intimidated by modular systems, the new user interface gives it such a familiar feel," she says in a PressPass Q&A available on the Microsoft Web site. "We love it."

A Dynamics GP beta tester had similar things to say about the new interface in GP 10.0. "The feedback I've been getting is quite positive," says Ken Green, director of IT for Clearwater Seafoods in Bedford, Nova Scotia, in the Q&A. "People have definitely noticed that this version of Microsoft Dynamics GP is easier to use."

One new feature in GP 10.0 that stood out is Action Panes, a graphical "command bar" that sits at the top of the screen and allows users to filter and perform actions on multiple records without opening multiple windows. Green says Action Panes "virtually eliminate the need to search around for what to do next and how to do it. . . . Action Panes makes their [accounts payable clerks] job much easier and repetitive."

Dynamics Client became available last month for Dynamics AX 4.0, which was launched in June 2006. With the general availability of Dynamics GP 10.0 and Dynamics SL 7.0, users can now use Dynamics Client with those ERP products. Dynamics Client will also be included with the next planned release of Dynamics NAV, version 5.1, which is slated to ship later this year.

Microsoft is gradually merging its four disparate ERP products, including Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains), Dynamics SL (formerly Solomon), Dynamics AX (formerly Axapta), and Dynamics NAV (formerly Navision) into a single unified code base. The company is either the fourth or fifth largest ERP vendor in the world by revenues, (the group that tracks such things, AMR Research, is due to produce its report on 2006 ERP spending), behind SAP, Oracle, and Infor. It has similar ERP revenues to Sage, which concentrates on the small to mid size (SMB) market.

Dynamics products are available in three versions, including Business Essentials, Advanced Management, and Advanced Management Enterprise. Depending on the product, the following modules will be available: Business Intelligence and Reporting 'Collaborative Workspace' Configuration and Development 'CRM' Field Services Management; Financial Management; Human Resource Management; Manufacturing; Project Accounting; and Supply Chain Management.