| One of the key elements of SCM theory is the | | | | and final posting all the way to General Ledger. |
| concept of Warehouse Management System, | | | | Alba Spectrum Posting and Workflow Server |
| where you open your Corporate ERP application | | | | for version 2010/11.0, 10.0 and 9.0 allow you post |
| forms and transactions to barcoding technology. | | | | all sorts of GP batches, including manufacturing |
| There are various definitions of SCM, some of | | | | and it allow you to have pre-posting workflow |
| them also emphasize manufacturing and parts | | | | with Dexterity Sanscript scripts, DLL procedures |
| restocking and in-time delivery, others are more | | | | called out, Exe applications with parameters, etc. |
| centered around scheduling packages to end | | | | 5. Barcoding with Microsoft Dynamics GP. |
| customers and reordering merchandise for | | | | Obviously it is available in Warehouse |
| delivery (as in generic distribution oriented | | | | Management System or Extensions. If you have |
| business) In this small publication we would like to | | | | retail outlets, instead for opening Dynamics GP |
| suggest balanced approach, honoring all the SCM | | | | screens for POS transactions, we rather |
| definitions and how Supply Chain operations could | | | | recommend to deploy professional RMS |
| be implemented or integrated in such mid-market | | | | application, such as Microsoft Retail Management |
| Corporate ERP application as Microsoft Dynamics | | | | System (or Microsoft RMS), where all the possible |
| GP (formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics): | | | | POS devises are supported |
| 1. Some of the SCM definitions, given in Wikipedia. | | | | 6. Electronic Commerce, especially in its B2B |
| First one Supply Chain Management is the | | | | (Business-to-Business) scenario is good candidate |
| systemic, strategic coordination of the traditional | | | | to be included into Supply Chain Management |
| business functions and the tactics across these | | | | theory. B2B ecommerce is modern way and |
| business functions within a particular company and | | | | competitor to legacy EDI protocols. eCommerce |
| across businesses within the supply chain, for the | | | | shopping cart (we recommend you to stick to |
| purposes of improving the long-term performance | | | | such industry leaders as Magento/PHP and |
| of the individual companies and the supply chain as | | | | ASP.Net Storefront), is typically transferred as |
| a whole (Mentzer et. al., 2001) (we like this one | | | | Dynamics GP Sales Order or Invoice with |
| as a good example of staying on the theoretical | | | | customer deposit (if you require immediate |
| side and giving the option to project that kind of | | | | payment by Credit Card) or as sale on account |
| definition to such areas as Manufacturing, | | | | (where customer is your business partner and |
| Distribution, Logistics, Consignment, Warehouse | | | | you will have the way to mail invoice and collect |
| Management and Barcoding ground technology). | | | | based on the payment terms) |
| And here is the second one, where | | | | 7. Some words about older Great Plains Dynamics |
| Manufacturing and Production, plus MRP are | | | | versions and SCM. If you think that you got the |
| emphasized: Supply chain management (SCM) | | | | budget to rush into Supply Chain Management |
| is the management of a network of | | | | World, we recommend you to update your |
| interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate | | | | Dynamics GP to current version 2010/11.0 (as it is |
| provision of product and service packages | | | | current in September 2010) or at least version |
| required by end customers (Harland, 1996).[1] | | | | 10.0. In our opinion, the cost of version upgrade |
| Supply Chain Management spans all movement | | | | and even paying all the fees associated with the |
| and storage of raw materials, work-in-process | | | | process of being reenrolled into Microsoft Business |
| inventory, and finished goods from point of origin | | | | Solutions Dynamics GP annual enhancement |
| to point of consumption (supply chain).. If | | | | program is fraction of the cost of SCM |
| you are student, who is interested in studying | | | | implementation |
| SCM course in conjunction to such Corporate ERP | | | | 8. If you have one of the custom SCM |
| applications as Microsoft Dynamics GP, this is good | | | | applications implemented and integrated with |
| paper to glance at. For the rest of us, | | | | legacy Great Plains version (likely in Microsoft |
| let’s review practical aspects of Supply | | | | Access, or earlier versions of MS SQL Server: 6.5, |
| Chain Management for Great Plains | | | | 7.0 or 2000). We certainly respect your |
| 2. Warehouse Management System, or WMS. | | | | commitment and ready to support your Great |
| This is subset of SCM, where you typically | | | | Plains. In fact, our company supports all the |
| review three components: Sales Order Fulfillment, | | | | versions of Great Plains ever released, obviously |
| Inventory Restocking and Inventory Adjustments | | | | Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010/11.0, 10.0, 9.0, 8.0, |
| (including transfer from one location to another). | | | | 7.5, Great Plains Dynamics Select and eEnterprise |
| When you come to practical WMS software | | | | on MS SQL Server 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0, 3.2, |
| selection for Dynamics GP you have to choose | | | | Great Plains Dynamics on Pervasive Sql Server |
| philosophically on either external self sufficient | | | | 2000/Btrieve or Ctree/Faircom: 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, |
| stand alone Warehouse Management System, or | | | | 5.0, 4.0, 3.2, plus Great Plains Accounting for DOS, |
| pick WMS extension for Dynamics GP. There | | | | Windows and Macintosh 9.5, 9.2, 9.1 and earlier |
| are pluses and minuses of these two approaches. | | | | 9. Great Plains Dexterity Supply Chain |
| To the pluses of External WMS — it has | | | | Management Custom Programming. In some |
| large number of installations, its business logic is | | | | cases it is better to consider Dynamics GP SCM |
| very rich and you can have more options in | | | | related customization, versus to purchasing high |
| business processes automation, it supports | | | | priced WMS application, especially when you only |
| broader list of barcode scanners and probably has | | | | plan to use several percent of the available |
| more advanced level of technical support. There | | | | business logic. It is important to be sure that |
| are some minuses to consider, as well — it | | | | you have full control over Dexterity add-on |
| is typically more expensive, it has certain level of | | | | source code to secure your future version |
| Distribution business logic duplication (comparing to | | | | upgrades and possible transition to alternative ERP |
| Dynamics GP Sales Order Processing, Purchase | | | | platform |
| Order Processing and Inventory Control modules), | | | | 10. Integration Manager and SCM. In Supply |
| it requires separate phase of WMS integration | | | | Management Scenarios you often cross the |
| implementation. WMS extensions, in their turn | | | | border of your ERP application and do custom |
| work directly out of Dynamics GP tables and | | | | coding in such peripheral systems as MS Access, |
| extend direct transactions in Great Plains. This | | | | Linux/PHP/MySQL, custom Oracle Database, MS |
| fact eliminates the need for integration phase; | | | | Excel Portal (the set of linked Excel worksheets). |
| there is no need to pay twice for WMS logic. | | | | In Dynamics GP the easiest way to integrate |
| There are some minuses, to be aware — | | | | these external systems is via Advanced ODBC |
| extensions probably have smaller number of | | | | query (where you can base it on MS SQL Server |
| installations USA, Canada and Worldwide (as they | | | | Linked Server related cross platform Select |
| are apparently committed to just one Corporate | | | | Statement of View), or in even more common |
| ERP platform — Great Plains Dynamics GP) | | | | case on CSV or tab delimited text file, exported |
| 3. Electronic Document Interchange. EDI | | | | from UNIX/Linux/Oracle |
| definitely improve SCM processes as they | | | | 11. International Implementations aspects. Here |
| automate Purchase Order as well as placing Sales | | | | you need to be familiar with Corporate ERP |
| Order. There are full featured professional EDI | | | | localization points. They include local country |
| add-ons for Dynamics GP, where all or most of | | | | language support in Dynamics GP user interface |
| the EDI protocols are available and supported. | | | | (in general Dynamics GP is recommended in |
| As alternative, more budget oriented approach | | | | English speaking countries, or in the countries |
| you may consider to deploy less powerful EDI | | | | where English is the language of the business: |
| solutions, that just do what you need. From our | | | | USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, |
| side we recommend you to consider even further | | | | South Africa, Pakistan, India, Philippines, Oceania, |
| scale down, where you do EDI parsing in precisely | | | | Taiwan, Singapore, most of African countries), |
| formatted SQL Select statement (saved into text | | | | Spanish speaking Central, South America and |
| file or XML) | | | | Caribbean basin. Also Dynamics GP is available in |
| 4. Manufacturing improvements. We also | | | | Arabic (Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Libya, |
| recommend for smaller or even mid-size | | | | Algeria, Tunisia). Second aspect of ERP |
| customers with Dynamics GP discrete | | | | localization is about compliance to the local country |
| Manufacturing Suite implemented to simplify | | | | business related legislation. |
| Manufacturing bill of materials entry, processing | | | | |