I have developed many .NET AddIns for Dynamics GP. They are great because they are relatively simple to develop, very simple to deploy, and they are also easy to update for new versions of Dynamics GP.
However, the big catch is preparing my development environment for a new version of GP.
I've been working on updating one of my development virtual machines to GP 2016 for the last TWO DAYS. It hasn't been two full days of work, but it has been 15 minutes of starting an install, then waiting 30+ minutes for installs to complete. I'll go work on something else, then come back whenever I remember and work on the next item.
In this particular case, I have a virtual machine dedicated to Project Accounting development. PA is a unique beast, so I keep a separate VM just for PA related projects. The dedicated VM makes it easier for me to deal with PA related config and development on this one machine, but it also means that I have to maintain and update this VM separately.
So to upgrade my PA customization to GP 2016 on this machine, I have to:
1. Install a new instance of SQL Server
2. Install GP 2016
3. Create new GP 2016 test company
4. Get PA configured in GP 2016 the way I need it
5. Install Visual Studio 2015 Update 1 from an ISO (since I only had VS 2013), which takes forever
6. Install Visual Studio 2015 Update 3 separately (6GB file!?!?!), which also takes forever
7. Create a new Git branch for the GP 2016 version of my customization
8. Finally work on updating my customization to GP 2016
9. Test the new version on GP 2016
10. Prepare a new release for GP 2016
I started this process on Tuesday. I'm on Step 6, and it's now Thursday afternoon.
Actually updating the Visual Studio solution to work with a new version of GP is usually simple and relatively quick, but all of the other tasks to prepare for that code upgrade can be very, very time consuming.
May the Patience Be With You.
Steve Endow is a Microsoft MVP
for Dynamics GP and a Dynamics GP Certified IT Professional in Los Angeles.
He is the owner of Precipio Services, which provides Dynamics GP
integrations, customizations, and automation solutions.
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