Microsoft Formally Introduces Dynamics GP 2010—Emphasizes Info Accessibility, Ease of Upgrading

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010-code-named GP 11-will become available in the U.S. and internationally May 1, providing major advances in "enhancing insight," according to Errol Schoenfish, GP Director of Product Management.

GP 2010 solves three related information-accessibility challenges, he said. "One is disparate information in different systems users want to aggregate. A second is finding information easily. And the third is whether the information is up-to-date."

Dynamics GP 2010 solves these three problems, in part by providing 15 "out-of-box role centers," he said. "Your role center has information according to who you are...for example, over 100 KPIs that make sense for that person." For executives who may not be residing in the application, role center information is available on SharePoint, he noted.

"Over and above, there is a whole host of reporting capabilities," he said. These include 200 Excel reports. "We provide tools so you can build your own Excel data connection." And users can drill down within charts to see actual source documents, like invoices and purchase orders.

Schoenfish also indicated that upgrades should be quick and trouble-free. He noted that, for the first time, Dynamics GP used real customers to test GP 2010 via its Technical Adoption Program (TAP). Some fifteen organizations participated, and nine actually used GP 2010 "in live production," Schoenfish said. One user, based in GP's home base of Fargo, ND, "got it (GP 2010) at 5 p.m. and they were live the next morning. It took five to six hours to migrate its 20 subsidiaries."

Based on the experiences of 15 ISVs that were involved in the beta program along with customers testing GP 2010, "We are really really optimistic about ISVs being able to get on 2010 quickly," he noted.

According to Todd M. Bowlsby, senior Dynamics consultant, InterDyn - Remington Consulting, ...