From the Microsoft Dynamics GP Blogs: Table columns; Bank reconciliation; Tips & tricks; Stuck batches

This week, on the Dynamics GP blog roundup

• Why are most table columns in GP 8 uppercase characters?
• Work smarter in Dynamics GP: tips and tricks
• How to do a bank reconciliation in Dynamics GP
• How to recover stuck batches in Dynamics GP

Why are most table columns in GP 8 uppercase characters?

Writing on his blog, David Musgrave stated that recently someone questioned on LinkedIn why most of the column names in Microsoft Dynamics GP are cryptic abbreviations of eight upper case characters. Microsoft MVP Jen Kuntz responded, tagging Musgrave in that response. Ultimately, Musgrave decided to write a blog post about this issue. He noted that the reason comes down to history and the legacy of a product that was created in the era of 8.3 DOS filenames.

At the time Great Plains launched in the late 1980s, DOS only supported 8.3 file names and the Ctree only supported eight character column names. So both table/file names and column/field names were limited to eight uppercase characters.

Later support for Btrieve, then Pervasive.SQL which still had limitations. Then MS SQL Server was added and Dexterity (the language behind GP) was updated to allow longer names and upper and lower case. However, all the existing names in the data dictionary could not be updated without breaking the product.

How to do a bank reconciliation in Dynamics GP

Writing on the Encore Business Solutions blog, Don McNulty explored the components of doing a bank reconciliation in Dynamics GP. He discussed the different types of transactions, how to post them through, and what the bank reconciliation looks like when it's completed.

According to McNulty, transactions are sourced from all over GP, but most often from accounts payable and accounts receivable. Bank reconciliations include bank transactions, bank transfers, and deposit entries. 

When users reconcile, they can print a few different items. If users have things that they know belong somewhere, they can do adjustments. The adjusted bank balance should equal their adjusted book balance. There is an electronic version of doing bank reconciliations. This helps if users have large numbers of checks that get processed monthly and it's a lot of work to tick and check them off repeatedly.

McNulty explained more about the elements of a reconciliation and also noted that there is a reconcile-to-GL function inside Dynamics GP for routines. And he explained the options for using it, including voiding transactions and following currency rules.

Work smarter in Dynamics GP: Tips and tricks

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