The Top Five Reasons To Use Short Cuts in Dynamics GP

Most people forget that they have a very fast shortcut to creating new records – the shortcut bar as shown in Figure 1.     

Figure 1 – The Shortcut Menu

By clicking on any of the small icons, you can create a record for entering Purchase Orders under Purchasing, or creating Customers, or setting up for easy Collection access.  And, don’t forget that you have a quick access tool bar as well.  You can see the start of the tool bar in Figure 2.

Figure 2 – Right click on the menu and use ADD to put on more short cuts

There are different ways to create shortcuts, either by using the short cut link on a window under FILE, or by right clicking as in Figure 2. This is a time saver that allows you to spend time entering data, not searching for the window in the menus.

Why do I like using shortcuts?  Here are my top five reasons.

1.  I can get to my work faster.  Regardless of the program, the menu process is a series of steps.  With each step, a little bit of time gets eaten up.  For example, you do need to go several layers to get to pay one single vendor bill.

2. I can arrange my shortcuts to suit the type of work I am doing that day.  As a senior consultant, I do wear many hats as I work on a task for a client.  I like my shortcut menu and my short cut bar specifically for arranging the work that I will be focusing on during the day.  For example, I have what I call my Tools shortcut for easily building reports for a client.  Here is a shortcut menu (Figure 3.)  Note that one of my Tools is a link to an external website for doing Character Counts.

Figure 3 – The Shortcut Menu for Tools

3.  I can use shortcuts like bookmarks.  If I am working on something, and I know that I won’t get back to it for several days, then I can shortcut to it, and know I won’t have lost where I was.  I can cross reference what I was doing either with a screen shot, or with a tag in Evernote or Microsoft’s OneNote, depending on what I am working on.

4. Shortcuts let me multitask.  By using the “open in new tab” feature on my shortcuts, I can have all the things that I am working on up so I can flip between windows, and do my work more quickly, and, have the information at my fingertips.

5. It’s fun!  I don’t think that being at work excludes having fun.  I like the creative challenge of making up new shortcuts, and finding names that mean something that fit in the short labels…. yes I know that I could make the label space longer.  I just couldn’t see the fun in that.

Do you use shortcuts?  If so, do you have different reasons than I do?  Let me know.  Email me at jhirst@esicanada.com.  You can even send me your favourite short cut list, and I will put it on the blog.

Have a great day!

Judy, ERP Consultant for Etelligent Solutions

Streamlined Purchase Processing in Dynamics GP: Processing from the List View

As I continue this series of articles on streamlined data processing I will stick with Purchase Order Processing.  I have already addressed “copy” functionality and now I will address use of the List View for Purchase Order Transactions as a launching point for multiple purchasing actions. In the past I have often used separate windows for assisting GP users that are searching, inquiring, reporting, or entering purchase order transactions.  However, that is due to ingrained behaviour that was established prior to version 10 of Dynamics.  Within GP 10 and GP 2010 I think a more efficient practice is to use the Purchase Order List window as a home base for these activities.

Lists are accessed from the Navigation Pane on the left side of the GP application window and displayed in the content pane. 

Part of the Purchase Order Transactions list is shown below:

There are multiple actions that can be taken from this starting point as follows:

• Easily Apply Restrictions or a Filter to the current list.

These filters are more efficient to apply than a SmartList filter.  Also note the presence of the menus to launch a Report or to Go To a related window.

• When a document is selected, a preview of the document details is available in the lower region of the content pane.

• When a single document is marked then Actions can be taken, such as Print or Send in Email, Copy to a New Purchase Order, Receive Items or Invoice Items from a PO, Post a Shipment or Invoice, or more.  Also the user can choose to modify a document by choosing to Edit, Delete, or Edit the Purchase Order Status.  Specifically with purchase order processing where shipments and receipts reference the originating PO number it is effective to use the Purchase Order Transaction List as a launch point for any of these actions.

• Another feature of lists is the ability start New documents from within a list.

• Finally, for this article, lists can be personalized or customized and then saved for future recall.  Along with this they can be conveniently added to the Home Page or as a Shortcut.

There is significant functionality within GP lists and it is functionality that has been improved with recent updates to Dynamics GP.  So, if you aren’t accustomed to using lists I suggest that you make an effort to try them out and consider how you could use them to make your purchase order processing more efficient.

Sheldon, ERP Consultant for Etelligent Solutions

How To Combine GP Procedure Files to Make A Master Document in Word 2010

This document shows you how to make your own Policy and Procedure guide for Accounting, for Dynamics GP 2010, using the Word Master Document process.  Policies and procedures help to clarify what steps need to be done in what order so that data is input is consistent, and results of sales or purchases can be measured. 

When you start down the path of creating a procedure manual for using with GP 2010, keep the following suggestions in mind:

• layout the manual sections according to the flow of your business.  This will help the users to picture the flow of documents from department to department.
• use lots of pictures.  Words can be confusing when the language of the business/industry is new to the user.
• have someone test the procedures as they are being written.  It is easier to clarify the writer’s ideas around the task when everything is still fresh in the writer’s mind.
• remember that for very important procedures or processes, you can also attach the procedure to the window using the NOTE tool on the lower right corner of a window.

Figure 1 – Don’t forget about attaching notes to windows in Dynamics GP.

To create a Master Document in Word 2010, use these steps.

Exhibit One -  Getting a Master Document Started

1.   Make your life easier, and add the Master Document icons to the Quick Access Toolbar, as I did in #1 in Exhibit One above.  (Note that you find the Master Document menus under the VIEW >> OUTLINE menu.)

2.   Click on the NEW icon to pull up a new Word document.

3.   Click on the Master Doc icon, and create a new Master Word document.

4.   Give it a name, and save it so that you can find it again. 

5.   Hit the drop down arrow by Master Document (#2 in the above exhibit) and you should jump to the circle with a dash through it, which indicates Level 1 in the document.

6.   Click the INSERT button in #3 in the exhibit above to insert the documents that you wish to combine.

7.   In my example, the INSERT command lets me search for my first document, #4 in the exhibit above, called “Paying Credit Cards”.

8.   Click on the OPEN button at the bottom left of the window.

9.   Your file will now pop into the open document as shown in exhibit two, below.

Exhibit Two – First document into Master Document

10.  The document is quite long, so I have the opportunity to split it by using the SPLIT button as shown in exhibit three below.

Exhibit Three -  Button to Split

11.   Place your cursor where you want to split the subdocument, and hit SPLIT.  Two distinct documents are created as shown in exhibit four.

Exhibit Four -  Split to two documents

12.  The new document shows up with a document icon in the left hand corner in Exhibit Five.

Exhibit Five -  Now there are two documents

13.  Using the Outlining tools, headers (Level 1 or 2 or 3, etc.), may be added as in Exhibit Six.

Exhibit Six – Add a heading – Level 1, 2, 3, Etc.

14.   At any point, additional documents can be added by using the INSERT button noted in step 6 above.

Exhibit Seven – New document inserted into Master, between existing documents (Procedure For Paying Contract Workers)

15.   To remove the subdocument, and add the sub to the format of the Master Doc, put your cursor inside the subdocument box, for example, beside the “Procedure for Paying Contract Workers”, and then hit the UNLINK button, as noted below.

Exhibit Eight – UNLINK has a red X beside it

16.  When you click the CLOSE OUTLINE VIEW, then the document shows the format that will appear when the Master Doc is completed.

Exhibit Nine – Close Outline View

17.  This Master Document is now complete, except for the editing.

Some things to remember:

• Set up your outlining levels before you create the Master Doc.
• If you combine documents with different outlines, the Master Doc outline prevails.
• To make retrieval faster, put all of the subdocuments into one folder – the foundation for your Master Doc.

Creating your policy and process manual for the ongoing use of the Dynamics ERP system should be a much easier task now.  Assign different subject experts to write the pieces that they do, and combine the pieces into a master document.  Edit and publish.  You are done!

Judy, ERP Consultant for Etelligent Solutions

Email me at judy@esicanada.com with your comments.

Use Word’s Master Document To Organize Dynamics GP 2010 Procedures Manual

A “best practice” way to ensure processes and procedures are adhered in a new system to is to give the teams doing the work a tool to help them – that is, procedures or policies.  When I am out at client sites, I am  asked the easiest way to write up policies and procedures around the Dynamics ERP system. 

I tell the client that an easy way to write the accounting procedures is to take the the steps, either from the manuals or from help, and paste them into a Master Document in Word.  Then, modify the steps and add policies for your company and industry.  Typically, the procedures would be divided into functional areas like General Ledger, Bank Rec, etc., which is similar to the way that Dynamics GP 2010 is organized. 

Since it is a challenge to write a document in many parts, I suggest  to write a large document with many parts is to use the “master document” tool that is available in Word 2010. Most people are a little fuzzy on what a master document concept is.

What is it?

Figure 1 -  Master Document controls are in View > Outlining

A master Document can be considered as a main document which would contain a set of separate sub files or subdocuments.  In my example, each functional area such as Finance, Payables, etc., could be a subdocument. 

Why do you want to do this?

· Big documents in Word can get very slow. 

· And, you sometimes lose the formatting by inadvertently sticking in an incorrect heading status. 

· If you have several people working on a document, they can each work on their portion without affecting someone else’s work.

· The master document lets you see the document from an overall project perspective or by parts of the document.

· Formatting rolls down to the sub documents.  (Note: changes to the sub do not roll up to the master.)

When should you use it?

Use it for policy and procedure (manuals), proposals, technical documents, text books, manuals, large how-to’s, thesis papers, magazines, and for restructuring writings or articles on one topic into one, useable document.

What is an easy way to access it?

Figure 2 – Putting the Master Document Icons on the ribbon for faster access

Since I write many documents for clients, I have put the Master Document icons on my ribbon.  When I click on the icon, I am able to see Create, or Merge, or whatever I need to do.  This is very handy when writing up month end and year end procedures.

Watch for the next post that explains how to use the Master Document to create a Procedure Manual for Dynamics GP 2010.

Judy, ERP Consultant for Etelligent Solutions

Email me at judy@esicanada.com with your comments.

Five Reasons To Keep Calendar Year History (Even Though Your Fiscal Year End Is Different!)

    Picture from Clipart

As one year closes and another begins, we accountants think about the housekeeping that needs to be done in our offices and in our ERP systems.  If our fiscal year end is December 31, then we will be closing our files on our accounting system, and rolling to the next year.  We will also be pulling out vendor and customer files out of the filing cabinets to make way for the 2012 files. 

What happens though, if our fiscal year end is not until April or May?  Do we need to close any files?  The answer is “Yes!”  It is a “best practice” to close history for a calendar year end for vendors, customers, payroll, and in some cases, inventory and projects.  ERP systems, like Dynamics GP, provide the ability to track history both by calendar and fiscal years.  There are five good reasons to use calendar year tracking. 

1.  Reporting to Government Agencies

If you are a business that has reporting to do for a specific industry type, generally, Revenue Canada or the IRS wants information based on the calendar year.  Yes, you can go through and collect and compile the data manually, in spreadsheets.  Why not do with your accounting program, as a good information habit.

2.  Negotiating new rates with suppliers

When in negotiations for better rates from suppliers, the information on purchases, returns, and days to pay is done in calendar year time reference because often your year end and the supplier’s year end are different.  Closing the history for the calendar year automatically cuts off the dollar value of purchases for the calendar year. 

3.  Negotiating with customers

Often, negotiations for different terms with customers also happens on a calendar year basis.  It is much easier to track what is happening with clients if you look at their historical information.  Decisions that may be affected by the annual volume are credit terms, discounts, shipping costs, and delivery dates.  When a customer ask for new terms, the company’s reputation is enhanced when it can make a speedy decision.

Figure 1 – screen shot of customer calendar year for 2016 from Dynamics GP

4.  Tracking trends

As a company gets more sophisticated with its data tracking, it can graph things like sales, or returns, or inventory purchases, as examples, against staff vacations.  This type of analysis has been the reason that some companies close down their offices or plants for several weeks during the summer, fall or winter.  It simply makes economic sense to do so.

5.  Long and short term planning

In the same management space as tracking trends, planning carefully around the  ebbs and flows of business, using a calendar year, has provided companies with different information that sometimes causes them to change their fiscal year ends.  Business changes, needs change, and tax laws change.  If a business continues to look at their data in one way only, they never have the opportunity to see a bigger picture.  Comparing fiscal year and calendar year data may provide some surprises. 

These days, business is not just about making money – it is about making money with less effort and being kinder to resources.  The resources may be people or materials, either way, if you can do more with less, and if pressure on people and material is relaxed, the company is successful.  If the company currently has a non-December 31 year end, try tracking the results by a calendar year end for a year, and check to see what new information is available. 

Judy, ERP Consultant for Etelligent Solutions

Email me at judy@esicanada.com with your comments.

Remember that you can find out more about Dynamics GP year end closing in the post by Sheldon Gitzel of ESI at GP Year End Close Resources.

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