Microsoft Great Plains Dexterity Customizations – Alba Spectrum Dallas

Alba Spectrum Group, Dallas, Houston, TX, http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.enterlogix.com.br help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918

This small article is written, based on new features of the product, as well as considering Microsoft Dynamics GP customization tools combining: Dex, eConnect, SQL Stored Procs, Extender. Currently we assume that you are using Microsoft Dynamics GP version 9.0, soon we should expect Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 to be released
• Microsoft Dexterity. It is also often associated with so-called Dynamics GP source code

programming. MBS VAR, who has access to source code (DYNAMICS.DIC dictionary with dex sanscript scripts present). Dexterity has no limits in accessing and modifying GP resources, such as tables, forms, reports, scrolling windows, data types, etc. Obviously, when you get such a powerful tool, you should expect that it will have as pluses as well as minuses. Dexterity is not formally object oriented language – you will need to program old-good-days procedures, functions.
• Dexterity improvements. Beginning with version 7.0 – you may operate COM objects. Historically when SQL Server 6.5 was introduced Dex enabled calling stored procedures, more resent improvements allowed developers call SQL scripts from dex.
• Dexterity and eConnect. Contrary to Dexterity, eConnect allows you to manipulate GP objects: Customer, Vendor, Sales Order, Purchase Order, Employee, etc. – and so has elements of object-oriented programming. We recommend you to consider scenario, when Dexterity is used for new form generation and then from these new forms you call eConnect via eConnect XML Web Services interface. This approach allows you to create seamless GP client/workstation integrated custom logic
• SQL Scripting. In new Microsoft ERP products, such as Axapta or Microsoft CRM – direct SQL scripting is typically not supported. GP was traditionally leveraging SQL coding, so you are welcome to create SQL integrations, however you should have some familiarity with Microsoft Great Plains Dexterity architecture: DEX_ROW_ID, for example. Dexterity has so-called atomic scripts – stored procs, allowing Dex shell, written in C programming language to read SQL tables by dex indexes, these stored procs have prefix zdp_*

Alba Spectrum Group: http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.enterlogix.com.br help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains customers in USA/Canada nationwide. Local service is available in Dallas downtown and metro area, Houston, TX: Richmond, Sugar Land, Katy, Rosenberg, Aldine, Jersey Village, Humble, Channelview, Tomball, Dayton, Missouri City, Pearland, Friendswood, Meadows, Mission Bend, Jersey Village; Chicago, IL: Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Joliet, Wheaton, Lisle, Downers Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove, Lombard, Woodridge, Darien, Westmont, Batavia, St. Charles, Elgin, Crystal Lake.