#GPPT Importing CSV Data using GP Power Tools

I have been asked many times about integrating data using GP Power Tools. While this is not what GP Power Tools – Developer Tools module was originally designed to do, it can be used to integrate data (for both adding and updating records).

The main reason for writing this article and creating the updated project was because a friend asking for a quick method for updating Item List Price information because their suppliers are providing new pricing information on a weekly (or less) basis.

The IMPORT_EXAMPLE Project take an original example script and massively improves on its capabilities to make it really simple method to integrate data for Accounts, Customers, Vendors and Items from a CSV (Comma Separated Values) text file. The file can be edited with Excel or your favourite text editor.

#GPPT Obscuring Bank Account Numbers in Microsoft Dynamics GP

This article covers the latest “Must Have” free sample project for the GP Power Tools – Developer Tools module (requires Build 28 or later).

Back in 2012, I created code to obscure customer credit card details (see more information below). Using the same concepts, I have now created a project to obscure Bank Account Numbers for Checkbooks, Customers, Vendors and Employees.

Whether you have a requirement (see NACHA Security Requirements article) or not, best practice would be to make sure that Bank Account Numbers in your system are not human readable while stored in the database.

#GPPT Free SQL Search across Multiple Fields Lookup Example Version 2

After three week’s work, I am thrilled to be releasing a second version of the Free SQL Search Lookups Example. Based on feedback from a number of users, the code for this example has been significantly improved and extended. It even now has an optional Automatic Selection mode for when there is only one record returned.

Please see the GP Power Tools Samples page for additional examples that you can download and use for free.

To give you an idea of how much it has changed, the old exported dbg.xml file was 321KB and the new one is 929KB. Read on to learn about all the changes made ….

#GPPT Iterating through a Dexterity Scrolling Window Sample

In my previous article I discussed a method I have developed for Iterating through a Dexterity Scrolling Window.

This technique is something that has been requested many times as working with scrolling windows from the user interface side has always been extremely difficult. Especially when trying to reference it as a VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) or VS Tools (Visual Studio Tools) “Grid”.

This article provides a real life example implemented using GP Power Tools (build 28 or later).

#GPPT Iterating through a Dexterity Scrolling Window

Over a year ago, October 2020 to be exact, I mentioned on a forum post that I have finally worked out how to cycle through a scrolling window using Dexterity code.

Being able to perform an action for each line in a scrolling window has been something that Microsoft Dynamics GP developers have been trying to do since VBA was added to version 4.0 of GP and Visual Studio Tools was added to version 9.0 of GP.

I promised I would blog about this technique … so read on for the details.

#MySummitNA Materials from my Dynamics GP Development Tools Session

Community Summit Conference 2021, hosted by Dynamic Communities (DC) ran in Houston, Texas, USA last week from 12^th to 15^th October 2021.

I presented a session on Microsoft Dynamics GP development tools. Because I am still unable to leave Australia due to the pandemic border closures, the session was a pre-recorded video presentation.

#MySummitNA Don’t miss my Dynamics GP Development Tools Session

Community Summit Conference 2021, hosted by Dynamic Communities (DC), is happening right now in Houston, Texas, USA until from 12^th to 15^th October 2021.

I am presenting a session on Microsoft Dynamics GP development tools as the first session of the day on Friday. As I am still unable to leave Australia due to the pandemic border closures, the session has been pre-recorded and will be run as a video presentation.

However, I will be online in a Microsoft Teams Meeting for the duration of the session and would love for anyone attending the conference (and those just interested in GP Development) to join me and others in the community for a chat and Q & A session.

#GPPT Updating a Security Role to all Users and Companies in a system

Today’s article comes about because I was asked if GP Power Tools could easily assign a Security Role to all users in all companies in a Microsoft Dynamics GP system.

GP Power Tools does have a copy feature in the Enhanced Security window which can copy all security settings from a selected user/company to all users in the same company or all companies for the same user, but it does not have the option to push a specific Security Role ID across the entire system.

No problem. We can just use the Developer Tools module to create this functionality in an hour or two.

#GPPT Moving on from the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) Mindset

As a follow on from yesterday’s article on how different languages can be used to drive the Microsoft Dynamics GP user interface, this article discusses the need to move away from the old Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) way of thinking. If you missed yesterday’s article, here is the link.

• #MSDynGP Development: Driving the User Interface of Microsoft Dynamics GP using Code

Now that VBA is “End of Life” and many sites are starting to use GP Power Tools – Developer Tools module to replace the VBA business logic with GP Power Tools triggers and scripts. However some developers are still trying to write code as though they were still limited by VBA rather than leveraging the more powerful capabilities of GP Power Tools and Dexterity.

#MSDynGP Development: Driving the User Interface of Microsoft Dynamics GP using Code

Over the last couple of months I have been seeing a huge uptake on the sale and use of GP Power Tools – Development Tools module as more and more Microsoft Dynamics GP customer sites move their customizations away for the now “End of Life” Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

This article explains some of the differences and techniques for the common method driving the user interface using code written in VBA, Dexterity and Visual Studio Tools (C# or Visual Basic .Net).

#GPPT Adding a Custom Salesperson ID Field with Lookup, Zoom and On-The-Fly Adds

A long time customer recently asked if they could get a second Salesperson ID associated with a customer on the Customer Maintenance (RM_Customer_Maintenance) window using GP Power Tools.

There is already really good guide for adding custom fields to windows and reports published (see article: #GPPT Beginner’s Guide to Adding Custom Fields), but that example does not add a field linked to an existing table and so does not have the standard GP features of a lookup button, a zoom button and on-the-fly adding of records.

IMPORTANT: This example uses functionality only available in GP Power Tools Build 28.9.

#GPPT Reversing the sort order of the Item History window

A recent post on the GPUG (Dynamic Communities) forums asked How to change the default sort order for Item History. The Item History (IV_Item_History) window in Microsoft Dynamics GP shows period summary data from the IV_SUM_HIST_Period (IV30102) table based on the Item Number, Site ID and date range on ascending period basis.

This means that once you have a data for a number of periods, the latest data is always at the bottom of the window and will require the user to scroll down to the bottom to view it.

#GPPT Adding 6 Additional Item Category Fields

Here is another awesome customization created using GP Power Tools. A customer requested additional Item Category fields, so this customization was created to double the number of Item Category fields from six to twelve.

The customization uses Modifier to add the additional fields to the Item Maintenance (IV_Item_Maintenance) window and the Inventory Control Setup (IV_Setup) window. The Report Writer has also been used to add the additional category fields to the Item List By User Category report.

#GPPT Tracking changes to Customer and Vendor Cards

As promised in my previous article, this article contains awesome example GP Power Tools – Developer Tools projects for tracking changes to customer and vendor cards records.

Thanks to Eric Gernan from Amaysim Mobile whom I worked with to create this custom functionality and gave me permission to publish generic versions of the projects.

#GPPT Using GP Power Tools to track specific changes Revisited

Back in 2017 I wrote an article which demonstrated how to get GP Power Tools to send an email every time the Credit Limit Field on the Customer Maintenance window was edited by a user and saved.

• #GPPT Using GP Power Tools to track specific changes

This article revisits this article by enhancing the functionality with the options to log changes to a text file or a SQL table instead of sending an email.

#GPPT Building Self Service SQL Scripts

This example shows the different methods that can be used with GP Power Tools to create Self Service SQL Scripts which can be made available to all users or just specific users.

The actual SQL Script used for this demonstration is a simple select query on the Customer Master (RM00101) RM_Customer_MSTR table, but can be replaced by any SQL statements to achieve any manipulation of the data desired.

#MySummitNA Dynamics GP Development Tools Session

Dynamic Communities (DC), the team behind GPUG, will be hosting their Community Summit Conference on 12^th to 15^th October 2021. The agenda with sessions has now been posted online and I will be presenting a session on Microsoft Dynamics GP development tools.

#DynamicsCon Dynamics GP Development Tools Session

The Dynamics User Group (DUG) will be hosting its DynamicsCon Conference on 20^th to 23^rd September 2021. The agenda with sessions has been posted online after the session voting and selection has been completed and I will be presenting a session on Microsoft Dynamics GP development tools.

#DynamicsCon Last Chance to Vote for Sessions

Today is the last day to vote for your favourite DynamicsCon conference sessions ahead of the conference scheduled for 20^th to 23^rd September 2021.

Make sure that you register and apply your 12 votes today to shape what you want to see at the conference.

#DynamicsCon Vote for Session: Microsoft Dynamics GP Development – Choosing the Right Tool

The next installment of DynamicsCon conference is scheduled for 20^th to 23^rd September 2021. The session submission period is over and now we enter the session voting period until 28^th July.

During this voting period all registered attendees have 12 votes to apply to sessions as they wish, then the votes will be tallied and the final session lists published. See this explanation for more details of the process.