Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade - Version 8.0 Overview for IT Director/Controller

!±8± Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade - Version 8.0 Overview for IT Director/Controller

If you have Microsoft Great Plains as main accounting and ERP system you need to know some technical details on Great Plains version upgrade and what is going on behind the scenes, which options do you have in case of Dexterity, VBA, SQL customizations, ctree/Pervasive migration to MS SQL/MSDE. As of right now it is reasonable to upgrade to Microsoft Great Plains 8.0

Is upgrade required? Not actually, but you have to consider these factors
o Technical Support discontinuation - the old version may not be supported - currently if you are on version 6.0 - support is already discontinued. You can not have Microsoft Business Solutions help you, but obviously you have MBS partners who can still help you. If you are on Ctree or Pervasive SQL, then your support expires December, 31 2004.
o Tax Updates/Magnetic media expiration - if you have US Payroll module and depend on it with W2 and other forms - you must stay with the version, which is supported and has tax updates. If you are on Ctree or Pervasive SQL - then you will not have tax updates for these platforms at the end of 2004 and your W2s maybe inaccurate. If you have a lot of employees - you may have issues with government.
o Following the Technology and Microsoft rules - Microsoft wants you to be on the newest platform and provides you the best support when you follow this rule
o If you do have heavy customization - we recommend you to skip one version, for example if you are on version 7.5 - do not upgrade to 8.0 and wait for the next version

What is upgrade in the language of technology? Upgrade has server and client sides.
o Server side - upgrade converts tables from old format to the new one. In general words - Microsoft Business Solutions developers may change table structure, append additional fields to add new functionality, things like that. Upgrade copies the table with changes to temporary table, then drops original table, recreates it with new structure and copies all the data from temp table to the newly created one.
o Workstation side - workstation is written in Great Plains Dexterity and has Dynamics.exe - engine and DYNAMICS.DIC - dictionary. These two plus all the additional files will be replaced with the new ones. Other dictionaries, such us REPORTS.DIC and FORMS.DIC should be also upgraded and upgrade will try to deal with them automatically. In some cases modified reports (in REPORTS.DIC) could not be upgraded and need to be recreated in the new version.
What is customization upgrade? You should consider different types of customizations: Dexterity, VBA/Modifier, SQL, ReportWriter, Crystal Reports
o Dexterity Customization - being very short - Dexterity may have so called Custom Forms - these do not need upgrade - they should work as is. Then Dexterity may alter existing Great Plains forms (so-called Alternate Great Plains forms) - in this case Dexterity customization should be redone for these forms/screens. Plus additional consideration should be given to Dexterity triggers, shadow tables, etc.
o VBA/Modifier customization - Modifier allows you to modify existing Great Plains windows - it creates so called modified Great Plains windows, stored in FORMS.DIC. Usually modification is placing new buttons or fields, which in turn will be given VBA scripts (stored in DYNAMICS.VBA). VBA scripts may call something nice, like Crystal Report, or have some data access logic. Usually the old version of DYNAMICS.VBA workds with the new version. You may need to rearrange buttons on the modified form.
o SQL - you may have some stored procs for data integration, EDI or the like - if the addressed tables will be changed in the new version then you need to analyze your SQL code. The good news is - Microsoft Business Solution doesn't make a lot of changes since version 7.0, because Microsoft is now trying to merge the products it owns: Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta - and so has different priorities
o ReportWriter - MBS doesn't change tables, but it keeps changing Dexterity formulas used in ReportWriter original reports - this is the problem in so-called Modified Reports upgrade - usually you have these reports modified: SOP Blank Invoice form, SOP Blank Picking ticket, etc. If report can not be upgraded - it should be redone in the new version with some exceptions.
o Crystal Reports - the nice thing about Crystal Report - id doesn't need to be upgraded (if the fields in the tables exist in the new version - which is usually true statement)
What is upgrade for third-party modules? Your Great Plains may have so-called third party modules: Mekorma, Kampdata, Horyzon, Wennsoft, Avalara, Truepay, Trinity, Intellisol to name a few

Third party modules may have their own utility for upgrade. You just need to know that your third-party is ready for the new Great Plains version - if not - you just wait and stay on the old version.

What is migration from Ctree/Pervasive.SQL 2000 to MS SQL/MSDE? MBS has migration tool. You need first to install Great Plains on SQL Server with exactly the same account/segments structure and then install migration tool (it is Dexterity chunk) on your ctree/Pervasive workstation - then, when you integrate the chunk - you will map it to target SQL-based Great Plains Company, select all system and company tables, click the button and it will move all your tables one-by-one. In the case when your Great Plains ctree/Pervasive has third parties - you need to check if the vendor has migration tool - otherwise you have to do manual move, use SQL Linked server to your legacy data

Do I need consultant? It is probably good idea to have consultant to do the upgrade. We strongly recommend you to use consultant in the following cases
o You have Dexterity customization
o You are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools
o You have a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports
o You have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnterprise 6.0 or prior - in this case you can not appeal to Microsoft Technical Support - it is discontinued
o Your Great Plains has more than 20 users and you have to have upgrade done over the weekend - if it fails - you have business problems
o You don't have support - in this case you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for the annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for the upgrade

Good luck with upgrade and if you have issues or concerns - we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade - Version 8.0 Overview for IT Director/Controller

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Tabata Anything - Four Minutes of Pain to Gain

!±8± Tabata Anything - Four Minutes of Pain to Gain

The Tabata protocol is a high-intensity training regimen that produces remarkable results. A Tabata workout (also called a Tabata sequence) is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes. In a group context, you can keep score by counting how many lifts/jumps/whatever you do in each of the 20 second rounds. The round with the smallest number is your score.

Credit for this simple and powerful training method belongs to its namesake, Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Their groundbreaking 1996 study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, provided documented evidence concerning the dramatic physiological benefits of high-intensity intermittent training. After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity in his subjects, along with a 14% increase in their ability to consume oxygen (V02Max). These results were witnessed in already physically fit athletes. The conclusion was that just four minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

Although Dr. Tabata used a mechanically braked exercise cycle machine, you can apply this protocol to almost any exercise. For example, a basic Tabata workout can be performed with sit-ups. The more muscles used the better, so use full knees-bent sit-ups. Sit-up non-stop for 20-second intervals, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat for a total of 8 cycles.

How effective can just 4 minutes of exercise be? ... Very. You will be amazed at how intense the four minutes of exercise will feel. The intervals tax both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. To be clear, this isn't "eight sets of eight," although the goal of doing eight reps in each of the 20-second clusters is about right. Instead it's "as many reps as I can get in" during the twenty seconds, followed by ten seconds rest.

It helps to be able to see a wall clock with a second hand during your four minutes of fun. Stop at twenty seconds, rest ten seconds, and go again. Watching the clock helps with your focus and also in keeping count of the eight cycles...

Here is a longer Tabata workout example. This workout consists of 4 separate Tabata Intervals, each 4 minutes. The total workout will last 16 minutes. Always begin with a moderate warm-up and cool down session. And if you are not already in good shape, check with a doctor before trying.

* Jump Rope

* Pushups

* Squats

* Chin-ups or Pull-ups

Note the 10-second rest periods in the Tabata workout are important, both physically and mentally. Not only do they allow partial recovery, they also provide psychological relief. Switching back and forth from work to rest makes the workout go quickly. Plus, it allows you to train at a higher level of intensity, which what intervals are all about.

Another good exercise for Tabatas is the "squat thruster." The squat thruster is one of the great lifts being made popular by organizations such as CrossFit. Take two dumbbells and hold them at shoulder height. Squat down, pushing your rear-end back, keeping the dumbbells on the shoulders. As you rise up, press the bells to the overhead lockout position. You can either press as you rise or use the momentum to help "kick" the bells overhead. Keep your weight in your heals and go light! A 25 pound dumbbell in each hand is a very difficult thruster workout!

Pretty much any form of cardiovascular exercise that uses a large number of muscles can be tailored to fit Tabata interval workouts, so feel free to be creative. In addition to the exercises mentioned above, use them with sprints, burpees, a jump rope, the heavy bag, treadmill or rowing machine. Lessen the likelihood of injury by choosing a rate of intensity suited to your level of conditioning - be conservative. Incorporate variety into your Tabata workouts. A few sessions per week will offer plenty of intensity.

Tabata Anything - Four Minutes of Pain to Gain

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Three Old School Fitness Exercises That Will Work Your Whole Body

!±8± Three Old School Fitness Exercises That Will Work Your Whole Body

More and more people are recognizing that certain types of fitness routines are more effective for getting your whole body in shape than the typical static training we have seen for awhile.

If you remember the movie Rocky IV when Rocky trained for his fight against the Russian powerhouse, Rocky's training regime was crude compared to the Russian. You would watch Rocky train in the snow carrying a log or running up a mountain while the Russian trained in a state of the art gym. Rocky would chop wood or hang from a rafter doing abdominal training. So what happened? Rocky beat the Russian because of his old school training.

You can do many old school type of training in your own life. In an earlier article I talked about sandbag training and some others. In this article I'm going to bring in chopping wood/sledge hammer training and a couple of other types of training that you can use.

Chopping wood and using the sledge hammer are both similar. They will give you a great core workout as well as your shoulders, back, arms and legs. In this workout use a sledgehammer. You can get one at any hardware store and also find an old tire. If you've never swung a sledgehammer or chopped wood, go slow. You can get sledgehammers in different weight sizes. Start out with a lighter weight until you get used to swinging.

The goal is to strike the tire with the sledgehammer. The starting position is important. Depending on whether you are right-handed or left-handed the hold will be different. It is the same way when you hold a baseball bat you will hold the bat different in your right hand versus your left hand because of the side you're hitting from. Now when you grip the handle of the sledgehammer you will start with one hand near the bottom and the other closer to the head. When you start your swing, lift up the sledgehammer over your shoulder (right or left handed) with the head just behind your shoulder. The grip is still in the same position at this time.

As you swing down the hand closest to the head will slide down to the other hand during the descent. Both hands will be near each other right before the strike is made. That will be the first rep. Repeat this for more repetitions. You can speed up when you become more proficient in the swing and strike.

The next exercise that is great for your whole body is the log carry. This exercise will work out your legs as the primary area. Your shoulders, arms, back, chest, and abdominals will be worked out as the secondary areas. This is pretty simple to do. Find an old log so you can carry on your shoulders. From this you would do lunge walks, runs, and regular walks. The lunge walks will tax your legs and hips as will the runs. You can even move from one exercise to another to keep it challenging. The goal is to get your heart rate up.

If you can't find a log, then you can substitute it with a duffle bag filled with sand and a rod (for stiffness). In addition to the lunges, walks, and runs - you can do squats too.

The final exercise requires that you have a car tire. I would recommend that you have several different sizes for this. In fact, if you can get a large tractor tire, that would be great. Let's start with the smaller tires. These will be used for tossing exercises. It will require a total body, dynamic type of workout. That's one of the reasons I want you to start with the smallest tire you can find for this. There are two basic tosses that you will be doing. The first one will be the flip over your head. The way you do it is to grasp the tire with both hands and with a swinging motion, toss it over your head behind you.

You will use your legs to help in the swinging motion and to develop the power for the toss. You may want to practice without the tire at first. Focus on the technique and then move to the tire. Heck, even a bicycle tire will help with this.

The next toss is like a discus throw. You will be using both hands for this one (unless you are strong enough to use one hand). Grasp the tire with both hands on top, around the inner edge. Start swinging from side to side until you gain some momentum. As the momentum increases, spin your body in a circle (again like a discus thrower would) and let go of the tire - tossing it into the air. This will work your whole body and especially your abdominal area.

If you are able to get a tractor tire, use it for lifting & flipping it forward. It will be heavy, make sure you use a good dead lift like form to lift it. As you lift it, get it to where you can push it forward where it will be flipped over and then continue for several times.

Have fun and experiment. Like the ancient warriors, you will build your body for functionality. Keep training for health too.

Three Old School Fitness Exercises That Will Work Your Whole Body

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My SQL Community Meeting at Google

!±8± My SQL Community Meeting at Google

Jeremy Cole host the April 9, 2007 My SQL Community meeting:

My SQL Community Meeting at Google

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2005 Tax File Viewer - Do You Really Need One?

!±8± 2005 Tax File Viewer - Do You Really Need One?

Many tax filers use downloadable software that leaves information on their hard drives. Although this made sense years ago, when Internet connections were slow, tax preparation websites are now far more effective than software you run on your own machine. For one thing, they can be automatically updated without forcing users to do any extra work. Another reason? They won't use obscure file formats that force you to track down a 2005 tax file viewer.

There's no particular reason tax software should work this way. There are standard formats for storing information (for example, the page you're viewing now is in HTML, which is easily readable by humans and computers). You only need a 2005 tax file viewer if the software package you used deliberately encoded the information in a special format.

It's not necessarily malicious that they created software that requires a 2005 tax file viewer to use. After all, everyone needs to make money somehow: desktop software companies sell a new version of their tax software every year, while online tax preparation companies charge for each use, or charge a subscription. But if you did your taxes online, you wouldn't need a 2005 tax file viewer: you'd have the information you needed right there, in printable, readable, sharable form.

If you're just looking for the information you wrote down in a tax form you later filed, you may not even need a 2005 tax file viewer at all! You can contact the IRS for a copy of your form, or a "transcript" which has just the numbers you entered. If you do need to use a 2005 tax file viewer, it's best to get the information and then use it to do your taxes on another tax preparation website.

There's no good reason to use old software when you can work with specialists who understand how to file your taxes for prior years. The 2005-era software you'd need for a 2005 tax file viewer isn't optimized to file late taxes, but filing late taxes is a specialized corner of normal tax filing. The experts who focus on that can optimize a filing to avoid triggering extra fees and interest, and can even help negotiate with the IRS.

2005 Tax File Viewer - Do You Really Need One?

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ATV Salvage Yards

!±8± ATV Salvage Yards

There are many people who like to tweak how their ATV performs in various conditions. For these individuals finding their ATV parts can be an exciting adventure as there are some very interesting places where you get these parts. One of the better places to find different ATV parts is the various ATV salvage yards. These places can give you ATV parts that otherwise can sometimes cost you quite a large amount.

One of the better ways to locate where you can get these ATV salvage yards is to ask your local salvage dealer about these types of salvage yards. You can also find different ATV salvage yards on the World Wide Web. However you should keep your salvage hunt to areas where you can go and inspect the parts that you want.

Now when you inspect the various pages for ATV salvage yards you will be confronted with many sites that that give not only their phone numbers but also where you can locate them. In addition to this information you will be given a brief description of the goods that you can get from their ATV salvage yards.

To find out the price of these ATV parts you will need to go to an ATV salvage yard and hunt for the various ATV parts that will fit the specifications of your ATV. At these places you can also inspect the quality of the ATV parts that you have found and decide whether they are worth your buying them or if you will have to pay more just to get these parts into working condition.

When you have made your selection of the various ATV parts – while restraining yourself from going crazy at the sight of all of these ATV parts – you can find out the total price that you will have to pay for these items. Besides getting ATV parts to fix your existing ATV you can use the ATV salvage yards for another purpose.

As I mentioned before you may have to restrain yourself while you are in an ATV salvage yard. This is because the ATV salvage yards open up the possibility of building a custom built ATV that is uniquely you. Here you can find different types of ATV parts that you can use to enhance the speed and performance of your ATV. You can also use these ATV salvage yards to change the appearance of your ATV.

Now as you can see there are many uses that ATV salvage yards hold for the discerning ATV parts hunter. Not only do you have the chance of finding inexpensive ATV parts at a fraction of what it could cost you in the shops but you also have an opportunity to build an ATV that will fulfill all of your ATV expectations and dreams.

ATV Salvage Yards

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