When Cost Control Meets Complex Data Migration: Dynamics GP Tools and Techniques in One Company's Quest

In a previous article I began the discussion on controlling the cost of implementing Microsoft Dynamics GP for wholesale distributors.  Today I'll discuss some of the tools we used for one of our clients who wanted to design their system on their own and do self-training.  The goal was to implement Dynamics GP with less than 100 consulting hours for four company databases across two languages.  They called upon us for primarily tool use.

With both Spanish and Portuguese-speaking personnel, making decisions was a time-consuming process.  They wanted to do primary design and project management internally to keep consulting costs down.  We cooperated in various stages and processes. What follows is a review of the different tools we recommended as needs arose and how well each one performed for us in the project.

Rapid Migration Tool

We used the RMT (Rapid Migration Tool) to move data from QuickBooks to Dynamics GP.  During the prototype, the client wanted to test various setup options, breaking apart one QuickBooks database for their multiple companies and locations into multiple Dynamics GP databases.  They would utilize their US company database as the template for three other company databases.

Primary Benefit of the RMT

1. It allows for rapidly testing many migration approaches, giving the customer a chance to see real business benefits and risks associated with each one.
2. It enables rapid deployment of setup options across numerous company databases.

Drawback of the RMT:  Doesn't import historical transactions

Changing the Account Format

After the RMT migration the client wanted new general ledger account numbers and customer and ...