Dynamics GP 2013: New Features in User Setup

In GP2013, 3 new features have been added in User Setup Screen.

• Status
• User Type
• Summary

Status

         Set the status for the user as Active or In Active. An inactive user cannot log in to Microsoft Dynamics GP or Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities. Changing a user’s status to inactive does not change the user’s company or security access. Even if a user has an Inactive status, you can still administer the company and security access for the user.

User Type

Set the user type as Limited or Full. for sa and DYNSA, default user type as Full and cannot be changed.

• Full User means a user who has unrestricted access to all of the functionality in the server software including setting-up, administering and managing all parameters or functional processes across Dynamics GP. 
• Limited User means a user who accesses Dynamics GP directly or indirectly for purposes of completing only the tasks described below. Any access beyond these limitations requires a Full User. 

1.  “Read” access to data contained in the ERP solution through any client for Microsoft Dynamics GP.
2. “Write” access via the time and expense functionality.
3. “Write” access through non-Microsoft created windows through any client accessing the ERP solution.

User Summary

Opens the User Summary window, where one can view the number of users who are currently logged in to Microsoft Dynamics GP, the number of users allowed to log in to Microsoft Dynamics GP, user status, and user type.

Hope this helps!!!

Providing permission to access MS-Office application through CRM Plugin

More often business need arises to update MS office word or excel with the data from MS CRM. But accessing MS Office applications using plugins result in security issues as these applications restrict CRM plugin directly accessing them. This need a special permission to be setup at the MS Office components which allows them to access via CRM plugin. Here I have provided the steps to achieve the same.

You must give the following permissions to office application to enable the access:

1.        Activation & Access Permission.

2.        Set the Identity.

Steps to provide the Activation & Access Permission:

Go to Control Panel->Admiration Tools->Component Services->Computers->My Computer->DCOM Config.

Click Microsoft Excel Application -> Properties.

Select customize option under the Security tab (Security->Launch and Activate Permission->customize & Security->Launch and Access Permission->customize).

Click edit and provide the administrator permission:

Set the Identity.

Select user option under the identity tab and provide the administrator username & password as shown below:

After providing these permissions, you could try access the Excel application programmatically with the following code from plugin:

ExcelSheet.Excel.Application excelApp = new ExcelSheet.Excel.Application();

string myPath = @"E:\File Maintanence\Sample.xlsx";

excelApp.Workbooks.Open(myPath);

int rowIndex = 1; int colIndex = 1;

excelApp.Cells[rowIndex, colIndex] = "Sample two";

excelApp.Visible = true;

Hope this blog helps!!!!!

Step to enable intelligence for MS CRM Form Scripting in Visual Studio

MS CRM Developers when working with SDK are given a quick and easy way to add analytics using the intelligence while coding through VS. But comparatively when they work with Xrm scripting they find it difficult to know the syntax and usually spend more time in troubleshooting for a syntax error than other issues.

But MS provides options to enable the intelligence for MS CRM Xrm scripting in Visual Studio by installing the Xrm.Page.Library Template. Below are the step for the same:

1.               Download the latest Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK (v5.0.14).

2.               Install the XRM.page.Library template using the exe.file. This will be  located in the following path: SDK\Templates\Xrm.PageScriptProjectTemplate\xrmpagescriptdevelopmentprojectcs_vs2010

3.               Select the option based on your Visual Studio edition and VB/CS

a.          Xrmpagescriptdevelopmentprojectcs_vs2010

b.          Xrmpagescriptdevelopmentprojectcs_vs2012

c.           Xrmpagescriptdevelopmentprojectvb_vs2010

d.          Xrmpagescriptdevelopmentprojectvb_vs2012

4.               Create your JS file with the reference of XrmPageTemplate.js.

/// <reference path="XrmPageTemplate.js" />

5.               Now the intelligence will be enabled in Visual Studio.

I hope this blog will more helpful for the CRM developers!!!!!!

Viewing Documents from One Responsibility Center

Whats this all about ??

Consider a scenario where a company has different work locations/branches across the country like where each location handles their own Sales Operation. Ideally from an end user perspective the requirement would be in a way where users from one location should only see the related records & documents from his/her location and not the Sale Orders from other Locations.

How this can be achieved?

The concept of Responsibility center plays a major role in Dynamics NAV where you can set up users in their daily routines so that the program retrieves only the documents relevant for their particular work areas. Users are usually associated with one responsibility center and work only with documents related to specific application areas at that particular center.

To set this up, you assign responsibility centers to users in three basic functional areas: Purchase & Payables, Sales & Receivables and Service Management.

Case Study:

Company named “ABC” has its branches across 3 different locations/branches namely ABC Loc1, ABC Loc2 and ABC Loc3 where each of the company handles its Sales operations individually and users from one location/branch must be restricted in viewing details of other branch

Keeping the above scenario in mind first we need to create all the branches of Company as responsibility centers

1. Create the Responsibility centers for the ABC Loc1, ABC Loc2 and ABC Loc3 like below

 

2. Open the User Setup window.

3. Select the user you want to assign a responsibility center to. If the user not is on the list, you must enter a user ID in the User ID field.

4. In the Sales Resp. Ctr. Filter field, enter the responsibility center where the user will have tasks related to Sales & Receivables.

 

Now for each and every Sales related screen\form we need to write the Code on “On Open Form” Trigger

Here I have created two functions to achieve this functionality.

Which are used to invoke the related responsibility filters (here ABC Locations) 

 Function to filter the sales order with responsibility center 

Finally function call to initialize the Responsibility center during OnOpenForm()

 

To create the new Sale orders by End users with in their respective locations, we need to call the function GetSalesFilter() from User Setup Management Code unit on

Form - OnNewRecord() Trigger.

With this we can able to full fill the requirement.

So that the users assigned to ABC Loc1 can only see ABC Loc1 Sale Orders and can create the Sale orders of same.

This is how we can achieve the functionality of accessing related documents to the related users.

Note: Users will still be able to view all posted documents and ledger entries across all the locations. This can be customized to restrict as how a responsibility center behaves.

How to use calculated field in the smartlist

Smartlist report can be used the calculated fields which is created by using smartlist builder. Smartlist builder has some inbuilt functions to create calculated fields. Those functions are available at function lists and they are categorized into five groups.

• Arithmetic Operators
• Date Functions
• Mathematical Functions
• System Functions
• String Functions

Below are the detailed steps to create calculated fields using Smartlist builder.

To add a calculated field:
1. Open or create smartlist report in Smartlist Builder.
2. Click calculations to open the calculated field window. This window displays a list of calculated fields created for particular Smartlist.

3. Click the Add button above the calculated fields list to open the Add calculated field window.

4. Enter the field name of the calculated field. This is the name of the field that will be displayed in Smartlist.
5. Select the field type.
6. Write the script using inbuilt functions.
7. Click save button.

8. Now the calculated field is added in the smartlist report.
9. Mark the Display and Default check box.

10. Now the calculated field (“Aged Days”) is added for displaying the data in smartlist report.

11. Click “Save” button.
12. Go to Microsoft Dynamics GP à Smartlist to open smartlist window and expand the report(E.g. Sample).

Hope this Helps!!!

Keyboard & Mouse Shortcuts in Dynamics SL - Value Add to SL users

Here are the lists of Key Board shortcuts to add more value for Dynamics SL Users.

F1 – brings up the help screen for the active working screen.

F2 – Locate the cursors in the active field with selection. User can change the values easily without mouse help.

Date Field vs F2 Key

If users press the F2 key in date field,the Relative Date (98.240.00) popup screen will appear for changing the date value using Relative/Absolute template.

This way user can set the Day, Month & Year of the date easily without any confusion against the system date formats settings.

Period Field vs F2 Key

If users press the F2 key in Period field,the Relative Period (98.250.00) popup screen will appear for changing the period value using Relative/Absolute template.

F3 or Double-right-click – brings up the possible values list for the current field (if one exists). This will only ever work on string fields and dates.

SHIFT + F3 – brings up the Look up extended possible values for a field

F4 – allows the user to change the screen between Form and Grid view for the active grid level. Also Property window appears when we press F4 in standard screen customization.

F5 – clears the value in the active field. If the field is required, this function will generate an error message and not work, but for any other field it will allow you to clear the existing value.

F6 – brings up the Insert Object wizard in Standard screen customization

F7 – sets the active date field to the current business date and shows up the visual basic editor in standard screen customization.

F9 – brings up the notes screen for the active level (if there is a note for that level).

F10 – brings focus to the SL menu screen.

DELETE - Used to delete the focused detail line, focus on entity Delete entity after confirmation. Delete either batch or document after confirmation.

INSERT- Insert new row, entity and batch or document after confirmation.

CTRL + S - After completing error checks, save all changes in the current screen.

CTRL + E - Exports the grid detail to an Excel Workbook.

Note: In Dynamics SL 2011 user can export the possible values lists to Excel using CTRL+E.

ESC - Abandons all changes in the current screen since last save and refreshes display.

ALT + F4 - Closes the active screen.

SHIFT + F4 – appears the customized property browser for the selected control.

HOME – moves the cursor to the first segment of selected row in the Grid.

END – moves the cursor to the last segment of selected row in the Grid.

CTRL + HOME - moves the cursor to the first segment of first row in the Grid.

CTRL + END - moves the cursor to the last segment of last row in the Grid.

Keyboard shortcuts combine the ALT key with another key to take you to an area of a screen or to open a menu. The additional key is identified by an underscore (_) below a letter in the name of a screen area or menu option. For example, if we press ALT+ A opens up the Action Menu in the screen.

I hope these tips are useful in our day to day Dynamics SL transactions :)