January 31, 2011

Didn't make it to the GPUG meeting last week

I was planning to attend the GPUG meeting in Atlanta last Wednesday and report on how it went but the Go Live gods had other plans for me.  We're in the midst of Go Live support for a new implementation and I just wasn't able to break away.  As soon as I attend my first GPUG meeting, I'll let you know all about it!

In the meantime, let me give GPUG another GPlug - www.gpug.com.  Check them out!!

January 22, 2011

A new focus for awhile

Over the last year or so, my focus has been providing bite-sized nuggets of info to help make using GP easier and more productive.  I'd now like to take a turn to something that is near and dear to my heart - training.  In my experience, most GP (or any software app for that matter) users are seriously under-trained in the finer points of the application.  An ongoing program of training can do so much to unlock additional productivity and make a user's experience much more satisfying.  

So, for the next few months, I want to encourage users to take advantage of the many, many opportunities that exist to get more out of GP and make their work-a-day lives easier.

And in this first installment, I want to introduce GPUG to users who don't know what it is or what they offer.


GPUG (the Great Plains User Group www.gpug.com) is an organization 100% dedicated to improving the Dynamics GP user experience.   I recently joined GPUG and cannot believe how many different programs they offer to help the GP user improve their understanding of and proficiency in Dynamics GP.  Not only that, but as a community of users, there are tons of ways to connect with other users and share experiences.  GPUG has only been around since 2006 but has seen significant growth and reach since then, with 20 regional chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada.

As stated on their 'About Us' page, GPUG's mission is 'To engage every individual and company using Microsoft Dynamics GP in value-added networking and knowledge sharing and to be the single most important conduit for Microsoft to seek guidance on future development of Dynamics GP.'

To  that end, I want to do what I can to help GPUG fulfill its mission.  I'm going to go to my first GPUG regional meeting this week in Atlanta.  I'll blog about the experience later this week.  In the meantime, I encourage you to check out their website and see if GPUG would be a good fit for you.

January 10, 2011

Review of 'Microsoft Dynamics GP2010 Implementation'

Having just reviewed Victoria Yudin's new book over the weekend I can say 'wow - what a treasure trove of information'.  You can tell from the very beginning that the book was written by someone who knows implementing GP cold.  A person could literally sit down with SQL Server and GP discs in one hand, this book in the other and install GP in an afternoon with the confidence that it has been installed properly.  But much, much further than that, the book lays out step-by-step instructions on putting together a GP implementation team, project plan, infrastructure, SQL Server and GP configuration, data migration, user training etc., etc.  Every base is covered, along with tips, tricks and traps.


If you're even considering implementing or re-implementing any version of Dynamics GP, this publication is a must have.  You can get it here - https://www.packtpub.com/microsoft-dynamics-gp-2010-implementation/book in print, ebook, or both.

This one will definitely be part of my GP toolkit.  Bravo Victoria, bravo!