I can offer a range of services for your Microsoft Dynamics GP installation. This page is divided into a number of sections, so use the  links below to jump to the topic you are interested in.

Implementing a new or replacement system can be a stressful time for organisations and their staff. I can provide the expertise to guide a company through its implementation of Great Plains and hopefully smooth out any difficulties that might arise.

I have much experience of implementing systems having carried out 30+ implementations of Great Plains over the past eight years. Before that I implemented legacy products such as Omicron Power Systems, Multisoft and Exact, again for in excess of 30 customers.

Training of users is a vital part of any new installation and it is important that the training is targeted at the right areas.

Training on site is often the best option but it is essential that users are given time for training. It is my normal practice to set up a training company which mirrors the actual live company. This means that when the user returns to their desk they can use and practice the skills that they have learned in the training exercise.

I am able to carry out training on the Financial, Foundation, Analytics and Supply Chain Management modules of Great Plains as well as some of the add-on products such as the Nolan Computers Advanced Bank Reconciliation.

When changing over systems it is not always possible to re-key the data into the new system. Great Plains has various tools which can be used for importing data. The main tool is the Integration Manager which will import a variety of data into Great Plains not only master data but also transactional data.

There are occasions when the Integration Manager is not suitable, in those cases the Great Plains macro facility will provide a way in for the data. In addition the Microsoft SQL database has table import routines.

If you can get the data out of an old system, then you can usually import it in some or another.

I have carried out many data imports into Great Plains of customers, suppliers, stock items, fixed assets and brought forward ledger balances.

Great Plains is supplied with a range of report writers from its own report writer to Crystal Reports. Each report writer has its own place within the application.

The Great Plains report writer is useful for all those standard reports such as aged debt reports as well as all the forms that need to be produced by business such as Invoices, Statements and Purchase Orders.

The Advanced Financial report writer in the Nominal Ledger can be used for standard Profit & Loss and Balance sheet reports.

FRx is the report writer for management reports. It is a very flexible tool using row formats, column layouts and account code tree structures combined into a reporting catalogue.

Crystal Reports is for those reports that are not easily obtained elsewhere as well as giving the capability of graphical reporting.

For all those ad-hoc reports, the Great Plains Smart List (Explorer) feature can be useful, especially when data needs to be exported into Excel.

I have had experience with all the report writers, so I am able to offer a comprehensive report writing service.

The modifier tool along with VBA is an under utilised aspect of Great Plains. The modifier will allow any screen within Great Plains to be changed, though in fact it is a copy which is modified. This means, of course, that you can never lose the standard screen.

I have modified transactional entry screens for customers where they require simplification of the standard entry screen, e.g., the purchase ledger transaction entry screen is a typical one.

I now have a portfolio of modified screens which can be altered to suit a clients requirement.

One area that is neglected is the production of user guides. Most companies have requirements different to the standard and although there is a comprehensive set of Great Plains manuals available to all users, it is my experience that many users never use them. By their very nature the manuals are general and do not deal with the specifics.

I have produced user manuals for several clients. An area which seems to need them more than any other is the Purchase Ledger and in particular the payments routine.

I am building a portfolio of guides which can be adapted to a particular clients requirements.

There are times even with the best system that something goes wrong and you are left with some data problems. By using tools such as SQL query analyser and the report writers it is often possible to track down errors in the system.

As I have trained in analytical techniques including statistics, I can use those skills in problem solving situations.

There are often occasions when companies need someone with Great Plains knowledge to cover a temporary gap in staffing levels. I am able to provide that cover if you need it. As I have had experience with most of the Great Plains modules, I can work in most situations.

If you need someone in a hurry , then I might be able to help.

To make the best use of any system, it is vital before implementation takes place, that a thorough understanding of the business processes is obtained.

I have been involved in many pre-implementation studies not only with Great Plains but also legacy products such as Omicron Power Systems. My consultancy experience has covered wide spectrum of organisations as the following list shows.

Central Government                                               Wholesale & Distribution
Transport                                                                  Printing Industry
Manufacturing                                                          Local Government
Electronics                                                               Education
Oil Industry                                                               Housing Society
Hotel Industry                                                          Insurance
Financial Services                                                  Retail                                    

Great Plains is a feature rich product and with knowledge of the business processes it can be adapted to meet most needs.