Microsoft set to roll out ERP upgrades
Microsoft today is set to unveil upgrades to its Dynamics GP and SL ERP suites that add tighter integration with the vendor’s desktop and workflow software. The upgrade also provides access to tools for building customized user interfaces.
June 17, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Microsoft Corp. today is set to unveil upgrades to its Dynamics GP and SL ERP suites that add tighter integration with the vendor’s desktop and workflow software. The upgrade also provides access to tools for building customized user interfaces, Microsoft said.
The new version 10 of GP and version 7 of SL will improve integration with Microsoft Office applications and the SharePoint Server suite of middleware, content management and collaboration tools,? said Eric de Jager, director of Microsoft Dynamics SL.
The improved integration will let users more easily share data and analyze it using the Excel spreadsheet, he added.
The new versions will also allow users to use the SharePoint Web portal to compile important customer information, such as lists of invoices and orders, de Jager said.
Edward Lux, vice president of technology at ChemPoint.com, in Bellevue, Wash., said his firm plans to upgrade from Dynamics GP 8.5 to the new version 10 over the next few months.
Lux said he expects that the new SharePoint links will let the firm add role based security and workflow control capabilities to its ERP process.
He noted that the new version can also utilize SharePoint tools to build customized user interfaces for its workers.
Lux said that the online distributor of chemicals hopes to create interfaces that present only the data each employees needs for their job.
The current version requires that users learn how to navigate through a full set of GP screens to complete various tasks, he noted.
Therefore, customizing the interface would slash training requirements and make workers more productive, Lux said.
Additionally, the new version will let ChemPoint.com fine tune workflows — such as automatically sending documents to employees that need to view them, he noted. “That’s a hug win,” said Lux.
Microsoft noted that the SL7 application, which targets process-based industries such as a construction or professional services, can also be used to customize workflow menus.
Ray Wang, analyst at Forrester Research Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., credited the growing support for .NET in the ERP applications for speeding their ability to integrate with other Microsoft software.
Dynamics GP 10 and Dynamics SL 7 will be available through Microsoft’s partners starting today.
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