Microsoft Great Plains Dexterity Customizations

Writen by Andrew Karasev

Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way to popularize it's ERP systems implementation. Right now such products as Microsoft CRM and Small Business Manager (cheap version of Microsoft Great Plains, based on the same Great Plains Dexterity runtime and DYNAMICS.DIC dictionary) are targeted to self-implementation by in-house IT group. This is short article, written in question/answer/FAQ style to give IT Director/Controller balanced top level information on Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains implementation. If you have decided on Microsoft Great Plains as main accounting and ERP system you need to know some technical details on Great Plains installation and implementation and what is going on behind the scenes. As of right now the current version is Microsoft Great Plains 8.0. Plus you probably should know about programming language of Microsoft Great Plains - Great Plains Dexterity

If you are developer who is asked: how do we customize Great Plains with its native programming language – Great Plains Dexterity – read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.

The history of the Dexterity. Great Plains Dexterity – is proprietary programming language and technology, designed back to earlier 1990th with the goal to build platform independent graphical accounting package – Great Plains Dynamics. Dexterity itself is written in C (following popular those days hope – that C will provide platform independence). You can install Dexterity from Great Plains 7.5 CD #2. Obviously it requires a lot of learning / training, but it allows your custom piece be seamlessly integrated with Great Plains interface.

1. Native Dexterity Cursors. Dexterity was designed as platform independent programming language and so if you want your code to be operable on all currently supported databases – you use Dexterity ranges and loops to manipulate the records

2. Great Plains Dexterity with SQL Stored Procs Nowadays, most of Great Plains installations are moved to SQL Server – so you can use Dexterity for custom forms drawing only and make the buttons run SQL stored procedures.

3. COM Objects calls. Beginning with version 7.0 Dexterity supports COM objects – you register them as libraries in Dexterity. Refer the manual. This technique allows you to call such nice things as web services across the internet.

4. Dexterity Forms – if you like VBA and are comfortable to do all the business logic in VBA – you can use Dexterity as new forms creator/editor. This is OK – but you have to purchase VBA/Modifier and Customization Site Enabler from MBS.

Some restrictions. Great Plains is actually integration of multiple dictionaries: DYNAMICS.DIC, ADVSECUR.DIC, EXP1493.DIC, etc. In your Dexterity customization you can deal with one dictionary – DYNAMICS.DIC. If you need cross dictionaries customization – consider using SQL Stored Procs for crossing dictionary borders and pulling data/making changes in the other dictionary..

Happy customizing! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

About The Author

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies – USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, Arizona, California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York, UK, Canada, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer; akarasev@albaspectrum.com

The Newbies Guide To Personal Computer Maintenance

Writen by Austin Culley

When you turn on your computer, does it act like it needs a coffee to wake up? When you surf around the Internet, are you bombarded with pop-up windows? Does your computer freeze up or turn off for no apparent reason?

Before you decide to throw your monitor out of the nearest window, there may be a number of solutions to fix these problems that won't require you having a degree in computer technology.

There are two primary ways to maintain your computer's performance, and the maintenance should be done once a week or more. First, acquire and use software that will help you clean and protect your computer, and second, know how to use the programs already in your computer to keep it's engines running smooth.

SOFTWARE

The software solutions below will not cost you any money, nor will they take you much of your time to download, understand, and implement:

1) Virus Protection - Avast AntiVirus is an excellent free program to guard yourself against Trojans, Worms, and Hacks.

2) Spyware - AdAware and Spybot are terrific free programs for eliminating pop-ups and other wares from your computer. It is recommended that you use them both, as one may find problems that the other may not ... a great one-two punch to protect yourself.

3) Registry Cleaners - WinASO Registry Optimizer is a great program for repairing your computer registry. The free version allows you to clean or repair ten items at a time, so you will have to re-run it numerous times if you have many problems.

4) Internet Speed - If you use dial-up, or have a computer the size of a calculator, you may wish to use RamBooster to help give you the best speed possible for the limitations you have.

Go to http://www.download.com for these and other great resources.

PROGRAMS

Now that you've taken out the garbage, you should keep the place neat and tidy by using the programs already existing in your computer. Once again, you should do this once a week:

1) Clear your Internet History

2) Defrag your Computer

3) Use a Firewall

You can find the programs that will do this for you by looking in the System Tools or Security Center sections of your computer.

Another option for those of you who've got smoke billowing out of the back of your computer, with no seemingly useful solution in sight; you may wish to look at the System Restore feature that your computer may have. This allows you to revert back to a state when your computer actually worked well. It doesn't work all the time, by it is an option ... and not an end all be all ... use it only when absolutely necessary.

Austin Culley is the Chief Operating Officer for Oil-Net.Com Inc.
http://www.oil-net.com

Dvd The Ultimate Consumer Digital Media

Writen by Jay Corrao

Digital Video Disc or as it is sometimes referred to Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) has for the last several years been Hollywood's primary video delivery method and with good cause. This inexpensive, compact media delivers excellent video and audio quality. This same media has also become the preferred medium for many multi-media professionals and audiophiles. Technological advancement and availability have pushed this media into the consumer market for a number of reasons and its use and popularity will only increase over time. I will attempt to highlight some of the advantages this medium offers. This article is only intended to be an introduction to this incredibly diverse digital media and not to be considered a technical thesis.

The video quality of DVD is superb; offering greater resolution, more vivid color and higher contrast than VHS tape. DVD Video also allows for a number of features simply not available on VHS tape such as on-screen menus, chapters, and sub-chapters that allow for easy navigation. Multi-speed fast forward and rewind, multi-language support, multiple camera angles and a number of other enhancements too numerous to mention here.

DVD audio quality is excellent surpassing that of Compact Disc (CD) with a sample rate of 24 bits and a frequency response of 192 KHz which is several times that of the CD specification. Not to mention that the DVD specification supports multi-channel Surround Sound. It a nutshell DVD audio delivers a more high fidelity audio experience. Although CD is still more widely used for audio, as technology progresses the DVD will likely become the dominant media.

Conservative estimates as to the longevity of DVD are upwards of 35 years or more with proper handling. This is due to the fact that the only thing that touches the DVD's surface during playback is a tiny laser beam. Whereas VHS playback requires the use of a mechanical head that actually comes in contact with the tape and degrades the surface. Now with the Advent of D-Skin disc protectors™ which is a plastic cover that can be placed on the DVD and left on during playback the durability factor has just increased significantly.

For archiving DVD is the ultimate digital media not only because of its compact dimensions and ample storage space; 4.7 GB single sided & 9.4 GB double-sided or 8.5 GB dual-layer respectively. But because of the many different kinds of data that can be stored on it. Photos, movies, audio, text, graphics and other media types can all co-exist on a single disc. This kind of versatility is just not possible with any other readily available media.

As for the future of DVD; advances in technology will see the advent of greater storage capacity, higher video and audio quality, and an ever expanding feature set.

Copyright 2005

Jay Corrao is the founder and president of Memory Archivers, a video production company based in Apple Valley Minnesota. His company specializes in wedding and event videograpy, video biographies, and consumer digital archiving.

http://www.memoryarchivers.com
jay@memoryarchivers.com

How To Buy An Mp3 Player That Works For Your Life

Writen by Carol Finch

If you've just decided that the time is now right to buy an MP3 player then you might well feel completely confused about the choices you have to make. It doesn't matter whether you have a big budget or whether you want to keep it cheap and simple - there are a bewildering number of different players out there to choose from. Like any purchase if you buy the right MP3 player then you'll spend your money wisely - buy the wrong model and you'll end up having to spend more money in the long run.

The key thing to think about first of all when you look to buy an MP3 player is the type of player that will suit you best. There are two primary choices for you here. The first type of portable player you can look at is one that uses Flash memory. Players that use Flash memory have no moving parts - they work on an embedded memory chip. So, these models will be small and won't skip or jog even if you're training for a sprint or working out at the gym.

The downside here is that you won't get a huge memory capacity with a Flash player - but, if you're only using the machine to listen to music for short periods while you exercise or while you are out and about for a few hours then this won't be an issue.

The second type of MP3 player to consider is one that works on a hard drive principle. These machines hold their memory in a hard drive just like a computer - so they can hold more memory as they will have larger capacity than Flash drive models. Nowadays it's perfectly feasible to buy a player with a massive 60GB of built-in memory which is enough to keep the keenest music fan happy for a long time!

This does mean that these kinds of players will be larger than Flash based models - but with today's technology this won't mean a huge increase in size. And, you will find that a player with a hard drive is that bit more fragile in terms of skipping/jogging. Basically these models are not designed to let you listen to your audio while undertaking strenuous exercise!

Your choice here really comes down to what you want to buy an MP3 player for. If you have a vast CD collection that you want to rip to a player or hanker after using a download service to build up your music collection then you'll probably end up opting for a player with a hard drive to get a decent memory capacity. But, if you simply want to take your player out while you exercise or while you commute to work then you may well opt for a Flash based player instead.

It is vital to get this choice right as - if you get it wrong - you'll probably find you end up upgrading sooner rather than later. You cannot add memory to the majority of MP3 players - you have to buy a new one if you need more capacity as time goes on. There are however some players that come with memory card capacity slots which could be an alternative solution but this won't allow you to store all of your music on the player and you'll have to keep a library of memory cards as well.

For many of us the MP3 player of choice is the Apple iPod. This player has become a 'must-have' fashion accessory as well as a great MP3 player. There's nothing wrong with going with an iPod because it looks good and you'll score some points with your friends - but, if this isn't so important to you, then do shop around and look at other models before you make your final choice. Many manufacturers have made great moves to make their players look just as good as Apple's products (take a look at the Creative Zen Micro range as an example) and many will even give you features and benefits that you won't get from an iPod.

Many of us buy an MP3 player on impulse but this really isn't the way to go. If you want to make the right choice for your needs you should do dome research first and the easiest way to do this is to go online and read some reviews or guides - ideally those written by other consumers like yourself as well as the official literature produced by the manufacturers. These kinds of consumer reviews will give you a great idea of how a digital player will actually work 'in the field' so you'll get an instant feel for the best player for your needs.

For example, if you read reviews on particular players you'll learn all kinds of stuff that you wouldn't otherwise be able to find out without buying and using a player. There are all kinds of issues associated with finding the right player that don't get covered elsewhere. A good review, however, will tell you all about stuff such as:

Software issues

Most MP3 players come with their own software to help you manage your audio ripping and downloads. If you take some time to look at reviews you'll get an idea for how the software works and how useful it actually is from people that have already used it.

Sound quality

One of the biggest issues with MP3 players is the sound playback quality of the players. A good review will tell you what you need to know here.

Downloading compatibility

You may be able to find out if the player you favor works with specific legal music download services or not. Don't assume that all players work with all services as this isn't the case.

Battery life

Some players have a built-in battery that you need to recharge and others work on standard batteries. In either case you need to get a feel for how long a battery charge will actually last - if your batteries only last a couple of hours then your player will be expensive to run and not as truly portable as it should be. The actual battery time can be a lot less than the time quoted by manufacturers in their marketing literature.

Ease of use

All MP3 players are not equal and some are not as easy or as convenient to use as you might think. Again, quality MP3 player reviews will give you an insight into this.

Finally, the best way to buy an MP3 player is to make sure that you get it at the cheapest cost possible. Prices in the sector are extremely changeable and it's always possible to get a good bargain if you shop around a little. Online price comparison sites are always very good at digging out the lowest cost with major stores both on and offline and could help you save a lot of money.

By Carol Finch of http://www.mp3-players-n-reviews.com

Carol Finch is a regular contributor to MP3 Players N' Reviews, a website built by MP3 player lovers FOR MP3 player lovers. Find everything from un-biased product reviews and tips here: http://www.mp3-players-n-reviews.com