Back in 2004, I had a client who wanted to to have their internal staff help implement, configure, and support their Dynamics GP installation. They essentially asked, "How do we learn everything we need to know about Dynamics GP?". Naturally, the client didn't want to send several people to off site training, and wanted practical knowledge that the employees could immediately apply to their specific GP implementation. I wish I would have had a copy of Victoria's book back then. It is much more concise and practical than the dozens of GP user manuals, and vastly more efficient than attending two weeks of training to get up to speed with Dynamics GP.
Packt Publishing was gracious enough to send me a complimentary evaluation copy of Victoria's new book, and I am amazed at how much content she has packed into just over 300 pages.
The book is an excellent guide to the entire Dynamics GP implementation process--not just the installation, or configuration, or module specific features, but also the planning and design process that is essential to properly implementing GP.
Victoria starts with a concise overview of the Dynamics GP application, it's modules, licensing, and architecture--a great introduction to GP for a new user or consultant.
She then devotes three chapters to planning an implementation, covering business requirements, the implementation team, data migration, and project timelines. A chapter is devoted to properly desiging the fundamental configuration of a Dynamics GP installation, including companies, the account framework, security, and key system and company setup records. Another chapter covers a topic that is sometimes endlessly discussed during GP implementations: the infrastructure that will be used to run GP. If you are a GP consultant, how many times have you been asked about the GP hardware requirements? Or whether GP should run on workstations or a Terminal Server? Or whether the client can use virtual servers? Everything from shared dictionaries to OLE notes, to database backups is also covered, all in specific and concise terms to help you implement properly.
The next 200 pages are devoted to installation, system setup, module setup, and data migration--a phenomenal amount of ground to cover. Everything from Dynamics GP Utilities to vendor classes to UOM schedules to bank reconciliation is discussed, with tips and recommended settings, links to additional Microsoft resources, and an average of nearly one screen shot per page.
Obviously, Victoria couldn't exhaustively cover every possible Dynamics GP topic. The book covers the "core" Dynamics GP modules, such as GL, AP, AR, SOP and POP, but doesn't cover the many other Dynamics GP modules available, as that would result in an encyclopedia. And you will still need to know, or research on your own, what a SQL transaction log backup is or what a trade discount is. And, of course, there is still alot of knowledge and expertise required to determine how many of the hundreds of Dynamics GP options should be configured to meet a specific customer's business requirements--which is why there are many GP partners and consultants available throughout the world who have spent years working with Dynamics GP.
But for anyone looking to have a single, comprehensive Dynamics GP handbook, I would strongly recommend purchasing a copy of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Implementation. It's a great, low cost investment to help you get more value out of your Dynamics GP solution.
You can purchase the printed book and eBook directly from Packt Publishing with free shipping, or from the usual outlets like Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.
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