#GPPT Top Benefits of GP Power Tools

I was recently asked to distil the top benefits of GP Power Tools (GPPT) down to a short list which can be used for marketing purposes by partners and consultants.

This will be difficult as GP Power Tools has so many great features, but listing them all can be a little overwhelming. So, here goes….

I will break down the benefits into four areas: End Users, Administrators, Developers and Support Engineers.

End Users

GP Power Tools benefits for End Users of Microsoft Dynamics GP:

• Always knowing which company you are logged into. This ensures that data is not mistakenly entered into the wrong company. Using a combination of Company based Colour schemes and add the company ID to the title bar of all windows provides visual cues to avoid errors.
• Never have a window open outside the visible desktop. Windows that remember their last position and size (such as Note windows) can sometimes open off screen, causing confusion. GP Power Tools can monitor all windows and prevent this issue from occurring.
• Simplify switching between companies. GP Power Tools can make the files on the Company Login window wider so you can read long company names and also defaults the company selection to the last company used.
• Easily provide application logs, screenshots and system information to support. A user can start and stop up to five logging features with a single click and send screenshots of all open windows along with a system information report with another click. No need to change Dex.ini settings or restart the application. Works well on terminal servers as it only affects the current instance.

Administrators

GP Power Tools benefits for Administrators of Microsoft Dynamics GP:

• Simplify administering Application Security. With profiling and logging capabilities it is easy to see what users have access to and what they are using. Providing access data to auditors and making changes is simple with multi dimensional views and reporting of the relationships between Operations, Tasks, Roles, Users and Companies. Easily remove access to specific resources with Deny Based Security.
• Update settings on workstations remotely. Dex.ini settings on workstations can be administered centrally and be automatically updated the next time a workstation logs in. No need to physically visit machines to change settings.
• Validate all users, companies and tables in your databases. Ensure that the application settings for users, companies and their access are correctly reflected in SQL Server. Check for and fix differences between application definitions and actual tables and columns. Simplifies moving servers, creating test systems and minimizes upgrade errors.
• Create Self-Service scripts for users. Create custom scripts and publish them for end users to execute to resolve issues or perform additional actions without needing to provide access to any development tools.

Developers

GP Power Tools benefits for Developers of Microsoft Dynamics GP:

• Easily identify application resources. Quickly and simply identify any resource in any dictionary in the system, including fields, windows, forms, tables, reports, security objects and scripts. Just provide or lookup what information you know and the rest is displayed for you. Just click on a window field and have the full details displayed for you.
• Create scripts in multiple languages. Create and execute scripts in Dexterity, Transact-SQL, C# and VB.Net without having any extra development tools loaded. Trigger of multiple events in the application to create customisations. Create scripts and publish them to end users. Prototype and test code in the live environment. Use helper functions to mix and match languages, dictionaries and database in a single script.
• Create custom Report Writer Functions. Write Dexterity scripts and expose them as user defined functions in the report writer to include data on reports that cannot be added using standard methods. Optionally execute additional scripts written in Transact-SQL, C# and VB.Net.
• Create custom Web Services. Write Dexterity scripts and expose them as Service Based Architecture web services to return any data or perform any action not supported by the built in web services. Optionally execute additional scripts written in Transact-SQL, C# and VB.Net.

Support Engineers

GP Power Tools benefits for Support Engineers of Microsoft Dynamics GP:

• Automate capture of Logs. Create triggers to capture and email logs and screenshots when specified events occur and an error condition is identified. Capture logs only when specific events occur. Find those issues which cannot be reproduced easily but can be seen in the data.
• Simplify troubleshooting. Temporarily or permanently disable installed product dictionaries without having to change security settings, edit the Dynamics.set file or restart the application. Works well on terminal servers as it only affects the current instance. Also temporarily disable Visual Basic for Applications or Visual Studio Addins.
• Transfer Data between systems. Export and Import XML files with data from specified tables to obtain data from a system or send fixed data back to a system. No need to backup and send massive company databases via the internet.
• Create scripts to fix issues. Resolve issues by running scripts written in Dexterity, Transact-SQL, C# or VB.Net on a target system. Use Dexterity triggers to execute the scripts more than once if the fix needs to be applied more than once.

Ultimately all of this boils down to saving time and eliminating frustrations; Users are going to make fewer errors, Administrators and Developers can quickly access essential information and automate repetitive tasks and Support Engineers can go straight to the heart of any problem, all of which adds up to one huge benefit for the Company Managers – Efficient, happy staff.

Check out the GP Power Tools Portal for more info:

• http://WinthropDC.com/GPPT

Hope this helps explain why every Microsoft Dynamics GP system should have GP Power Tools installed.

David

11-Mar-2016: Added Links to GP Power Tools Portal.

This article was originally posted on http://www.winthropdc.com/blog.