Microsoft Dynamics Salary Survey 2013

The folks over at Nigel Frank have published a link to their 5th annual Microsoft Dynamics Salary Survey for YOU to participate and express your views. You can find the survey here:

Microsoft Dynamics Salary Survey

This year the survey added some new interesting questions allowing for more insight into retention and recruitment as well as the general Microsoft Dynamics labor market trends. The report is due to be revealed at Convergence 2013, so you won't want to miss out.

In addition, it seems like you can enter into the draw for a Microsoft Surface Pro, so really, there's nothing to lose. Go fill out your survey now!

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
IntellPartners, LLC
http://www.IntellPartners.com/

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Meet me at GPPC PreGAME

As if 5 Convergence sessions weren't enough, I am also doing a presentation at PreGAME 2013 hosted by GP Partner Connections (GPPC) with my good friend Aaron Donat, Escalation Engineer in Fargo.

Aaron and I will be presenting Implementing Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client which will run from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Grand Salon 3 & 6 at the Hilton New Orleans River Side. This event is open to Microsoft Dynamics GP partners and ISVs, but you must register to attend.

Following this presentation is the Microsoft Partner Reception and Executive Q&A. Please be sure to attend this event as well as it will be one of the unique opportunities to question Microsoft executives in attendance directly.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
IntellPartners, LLC
http://www.IntellPartners.com/

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Microsoft Dynamics Convergence is around the corner!

This is it! Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2013 New Orleans is here. If you haven't registered it's never too late. All my sessions are now scheduled and I just wanted to walk through some of them and ask for your support - this is, I want to see you there!

GENGP01 - Getting Inspired with Microsoft Dynamics GP
Tuesday, March 19th from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Well, I finally get my 5 minutes of fame on the big stage - a chance to present at the General Session. I will be doing something pretty neat with MVP Mark Polino over at DynamicAccounting.net, together on stage. Needless to say, it involves swords and axes, but you need to come to see it.

CSGP24 - Administering SQL Server for Microsoft Dynamics GP
Wednesday, March 20th from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
I have been asked to pickup on a topic that garnered some attention at the past Microsoft Dynamics Convergence in Houston, and for the first time I will be dedicating a full hour to SQL Server administration for Microsoft Dynamics GP. Come learn some of the tips, tricks, and considerations I used to maintain my customers' database environments running like a Swiss clock.

CSGP30 - The Microsoft Dynamics GP Support Debugging Tool
Thursday, March 21st from 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Someone has to carry the Support Debugging Tool flag, correct? It's too bad that my good friend David Musgrave will not be here to introduce the upcoming build 18.

Well, this time I have a dazzling array of features to show you including some exclusive ones to appear in the upcoming build 18. Also, want to see the Support Debugging Tool on the Web Client? Come and learn what will work and what won't. I have it all for you.

CSGP32 - Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Web Client For Smaller Companies
(R1) Wednesday, March 20th from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
(R2) Thursday, March 21st from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm    
This is my second 5 minutes of fame. The good fellows over at Microsoft have invited me to present with the dynamic duo of Kevin Racer and Daryl Anderson - twice! You know you have made it in the Microsoft world if you start to hang out with these two. Nonetheless, come see us. This session promises to be very fun, while very instructive.

Well, as you see, lot's on my plate for this upcoming event, but you know what, I LOVE IT! I love seeing every single one of you in my sessions: I love to meet first time attendees just as much as I enjoy talking to my long time followers and by now friends. If you are not attending my sessions, oh well! Just make sure you attend many of the other fun and instructional ones.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
IntellPartners, LLC
http://www.IntellPartners.com/

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MVP Summit 2013 in Seattle

This week marks the 2013 MVP Global Summit in Bellevue & Redmond, Washington. Unfortunately, I cannot be at every event (?), but it's good to know that a few fellow Microsoft Dynamics GP MVPs have made the trip.

Microsoft Dynamics GP MVPs at the MVP Global Summit
From left to right: Leslie Vail, Belinda Allen, John Lowther, and Mark Polino

My personal take... until the MVP Global Summit begins featuring Dynamics GP content, it will be hard for me to justify making the yearly trip. However, that's not to say I won't appreciate meeting other MVPs or knowing what's going on with other products such as Office, SQL Server, or SharePoint.

See you all at Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2013 New Orleans!

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
IntellPartners, LLC
http://www.IntellPartners.com/

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GPUG Georgia Regional Chapter Meet Up

I did not want this to pass me by.

Last Tuesday, February 12, 2013, I had the opportunity to participate as a guest speaker at the GPUG Georgia Regional Chapter meeting, hosted at Prosys Information Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics GP customer.

Our chapter meeting had two topics being discussed for the day:

• Advanced Analytics for Microsoft Dynamics GP. This first topic was very exciting and was conducted by Dwight Specht, COO of IBIS, Inc. Dwight demonstrated the power of Analysis Cubes for Microsoft Dynamics GP and showed how Excel can be leveraged as a client to interact with these.

• Where to Go for Answers? I championed this topic and explored some of the options for finding information within the Microsoft Dynamics GP community with all attendees. We had a great deal of discussion around the use of social media from a corporate and personal perspective and how it can be leveraged as a tool for building your professional network and obtaining support.

All in all, it was an exciting afternoon and attendees had a chance to interact with the presenters and discuss how they are taking advantage of analytics and social media in their organizations. I can't wait for next quarter's meeting.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
IntellPartners, LLC
http://www.IntellPartners.com/

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OLE Notes and Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Web Client

In the past years, I have written extensively about Microsoft Dynamics GP OLE Notes and the Dexterity OLE Container application, in the hopes of finding a way to extract the Container documents and links (unsuccessfully so far) as a result of several issues I have encountered in the past with customers attempting to migrate their notes to a different server, see:

All about the Dexterity OLE Container
All About Dexterity OLE Container - Follow Up

My good friend David Musgrave has also written a couple articles on the subject of record notes in two articles as well, see:

Understanding Notes and the Note Index field
OLE Attachments and Record Notes

Now with the release of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Web Client, a new challenge is presented around the use of OLE Notes: the OLE Container cannot be exposed to the Silverlight application.

The Dexterity OLE Container, from past articles, is a 32-bit C++ application and as such, calls to the paperclip attachment button made from the Silverlight application will launch the Container in the Silverlight application - that is expected.

Let's take the following sequence of events, where an OLE attachment is added to an item number in the rich client environment. The attachment and all the behavior we expect occur normally and we get an indicator of an attachment being present.

Rich Client with OLE Container Note

Under the web client, you will still get an indicator of the record note being present, along with the "OLE Link present." message, but will not be able to access the OLE attachment as there's no paperclip button - and by definition, you cannot load a Win32 program from within a Silverlight application front-end - again, this expected.

Web Client displaying attachment present, but no paperclip button

Upon closing the note window, the note indicator disappears for the record being displayed, conveying the impression that there's no record note attached.

Web Client no longer shows an attachment being present

But back in the rich client, if you retrieve the record once more, the "OLE Link present." message is restored and the OLE attachment is certainly present.

Rich client still shows attachment and re-adds the "OLE Link present" text.

In summary, it seems this is just a behavior you will experience on the Web Client, but rest assured that your notes and attachments are still there, just the visual cue is not updating properly upon closing the note window under Web Client. I am sure the good folks in the Microsoft Dynamics GP Development team are already looking into this.

Now, since you are not able to use the Dexterity OLE Container in the Silverlight application, the alternative is to - perhaps - slowly but surely migrate your notes to the more robust Document Attachment feature. I will talk more about this in my next installment and will also compare it to your traditional Dexterity OLE Container notes.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
IntellPartners, LLC
http://www.IntellPartners.com/

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Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Web Client Training in Atlanta (Continued)

This is the last article in this series and I have to say with it comes the end of a fabulous 5-day training course on Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Web Client. The first 2 days of this event were solely focused on the functional aspects of the Web Client implementation - everything that happens after the GP logon window is presented to the end user.

The last 3 days of the course - USWK019 Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Web Client for the Implementation Consultant Workshop - were a full deep dive into the nitty gritty aspects of the Web Client from a technical implementation standpoint - everything leading up to the GP login window. I think I learned more about certificates, network load balances, firewalls, and a number of other underlying stack elements than I ever wanted to know about in just these 3 days. However, this is what the new brave world brings to bear.

These 3 days brought almost 25 consultants together in one room - some of the top guys in the business. Frankly, we had a great time and carried all the labs out with enthusiasm and lots of questions for Jason and Lucas. There was a moment during the labs where Lucas was shadowing every machine in the environment, troubleshooting a multi-machine Web Client installation.

Lucas Miller working his way through the implementation labs

I have to say that after 5 grueling days, it was time to get some rest from it all. Nonetheless, the content of the classes were great, the material was superb, and the instructors were fabulous. I appreciate the opportunity to meet so many cool folks in the industry and hope to see everyone soon at Convergence 2013 New Orleans.

Side note: In the Microsoft Dynamics GP development world we have a series of principles and best practices, collectively known as the "Musgravion Doctrines". Similarly, in the Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client world, there a number of specific terms and particulars, collectively known as "Aaronisms". Any misuse of a term or incorrect reference within the context of your cursory explanation or write up can earn you a follow up email as a result - Aaron Donat, smile! Just messing with you.

Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
IntellPartners, LLC
http://www.IntellPartners.com/

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