Technology Solutions & IT News Blog | FMT Consultants

Technology choices matter. Applying new technology tools, or revising existing ones, requires a significant effort and sustained commitment to transformation. All, while continuing to run a business at top speed. Whether you work in operations, finance, IT… or all of those (and more), creating lasting value takes real work from people committed to building better business solutions one business at a time, every time. In this discussion between Eric Casazza, CEO at FMT Consultants, and Dave Siebert of SMB TechFest, we discuss advanced supply chain solutions ranging from Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), to Demand Planning, to Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). It’s not just about financial management software. New technology investments can pay real dividends in operational efficiencies, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and stronger distribution networks.     At FMT we have decades of experience working side-by-side with businesses looking to take the next step (or giant leap) forward using the right […]

We all know how to create an Extender window and track additional information. Recently there was a customer request to track the Revision Level whenever an item is purchased. In order to track the Revision Level, an Extender window has been created and linked with the Purchase Order Detail Entry window as shown below. During the Item purchase, the Revision Level can be tracked by entering data into this Extender Window. So far good. However, the customer requirement has a twist. The Revision Level for the purchased Item has to be automatically created once the Purchase Order line is saved by retrieving the value from Item Engineering Data window. Out of the box, Extender will not do this. However, it is possible by creating actions using Extender Actions. Extender Actions allow a window or form to perform specific actions based on user input. (Note: - Extender Actions are only available […]



This is the first part of a three part deep dive guest post about Buyer 2.0 written by Darren Stordahl Recently, FMT attended an interesting partner conference at Microsoft campus in Redmond, where an excellent presenter shared his perspective on today’s “Buyer 2.0”. His assertion, was that in the modern supply chain, buyers are engaging much later in the evaluation cycle. Before ever speaking with the manufacturer, distributor or service-provider, this new buyer has self-educated and conducted significant anonymous research in order to become highly informed. Buyer 2.0 carries an industry-specific expectation, avoids risk, maintains broad social media connections, and has high expectations for service quality and speed to fulfillment. They Tweet. The impact of Buyer 2.0 on sequential and historical stage-based sales models includes lower conversion rates, prospects falling out of the funnel at unpredictable intervals, lack of connection/clarity into the customer relationship, and a reduction in perceived value […]

This is the second part of a three part deep dive guest post about Buyer 2.0 written by Darren Stordahl Continued from Buyer 2.0 part one: Lane Departure Warning! Because the Microsoft conference took place in the gray and green Northwest, the messaging brought to mind an exceptional book on effective sales: “Les Schwab Pride in Performance: Keep It Going” (Les Schwab; Maverick publications). It’s a manageable biographical/business tome that describes the life and unique business philosophy of Northwest icon, Les Schwab. Starting in 1952, Les and his team built a retail distribution chain of tire stores in the western United States. Each of his stores followed a similar approach to customer service and sales: when a prospective customer pulled into the parking lot, the attendants sprinted to the car; Les Schwab also offered special promotions including free beef (from his ranch!) with the purchase of new tires; he offered […]

This is the third part of a three part deep dive guest post about Buyer 2.0 written by Darren Stordahl Continued from Buyer 2.0 part two: From Flat to Fantastic! Connecting these two potentially disparate discussions can help correct fractures in a modern engagement funnel and increase the relevance of experienced analog sales-people in a digital world. Buyer 2.0 won’t wait for you. They are probably tweeting your competition right now for pricing or configuration information. What can you do, with the tools and technology available, to stay relevant and build your business? Sprint to the Car: Make every effort to make a good first impression. Engage quickly. Be polite. Maintain focus and intensity throughout the ever-shortening sales cycle. For those in the customer engagement end of the technology spectrum, this means using both marketing automation and CRM efficiently, correctly, and with a prioritization for managing KPI’s associated to response […]

As a collaborative tool, Office 365 has a feature called Office 365 Groups to collect resources to share with group members. Office 365 Groups allows the option to consolidate conversations, calendar items, files, and tasks. The feature integrates with existing Microsoft products like Outlook, Yammer, Teams, SharePoint, and Planner. When a user is part of a group, all emails and meeting invites are sent directly to the user’s inbox and stored in the group folder. Conversations in Office 365 Groups in Outlook happen in the shared inbox for the group. Users can participate in discussions and activities within the Outlook client as each conversation appears separately in the message list. The message itself is displayed as a conversational stacked thread and can be responded to directly. With the Version 1712 (Build 8827.2148) update released by Microsoft on January 2018 through the Office 365 Monthly Channel, it included a feature update […]

Recently, I had a client that needed to integrate fixed assets from an Excel spreadsheet into Dynamics using SmartConnect. When building the integration, I encountered an issue with using a GP Rolling Column for the Fixed Asset ID; SmartConnect does not include the native capability to capture the next Fixed Asset ID with their GP Rolling Columns. I was able to customize SmartConnect in order to provide this capability of finding the next Fixed Asset ID and updating the GP table where this ID is stored. When SmartConnect is added to Dynamics GP, there are some stored procedures that are added to the GP database and one of them is to get what is referred to as “next” numbers. This is how the GP Rolling columns in SmartConnect know what the next number is, whether it is the next journal entry number, payment number, etc. Since there is no stored […]

Creating new companies in GP and copying the set-up on an existing company into them, is frequent request consultants usually get. In this blog, we will go over how to create a new company with the setup of a current company with the same chart of accounts using data The traditional method for creating new companies in GP is to open GP Utilities and then configure it from the ground up based on the characteristics of that company. However, there are many situations when there is a company or multiple companies that you want to be configured in nearly or exactly the same way as an already existing company. You could manually copy all of the configuration settings, but that is time-consuming and prone to human error. Performing a backup and restore to a new company will duplicate the configuration, but it will also include all of the transaction detail […]

2017 was a big year for sales and use tax, and 2018 promises to be even bigger. States will likely continue to creatively redefine physical presence nexus, impose use tax reporting requirements, and tax third-party (marketplace) sales. They’ll almost certainly have to adjust their sales tax laws if Congress succeeds in enacting federal tax reform. And 2018 could be the year the Supreme Court of the United States reconsiders Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298 (1992), the seminal ruling that prohibits states from taxing remote businesses without an in-state presence. While we can’t tell the future, we can anticipate some of the trends sales and use tax will see in 2018. Read on to learn more. State efforts to tax marketplace sales Collect tax or comply with use tax reporting Although Amazon now collects tax in all states with a sales tax, it only does so on its […]

SQL Server Reporting Services is an amazing reporting tool. However, I recently noticed that most of the reports print in detail.  Users want the same functionality from SSRS that is available to them in Dynamics GP, such as Detail and Summary versions of reports.  In this step-by-step guide, I will walk you through creating a Summary version of the Payables Historical Aged Trial Balance. Go to your SQL Server Reporting Services reports page Click on the Company Folder Then Click on the Purchasing Folder Click on the Historical Aged Trial Balance and select Edit in Report  Report Builder will launch. Click the Pie Icon in the left hand corner and click Save As Rename the Report to Historical Aged Trial Balance-Summary and click Save Remove the Row Groupings for Tbl_Main_Details_Group, to do so: Right click on the Group and click Delete Group. Choose Delete group and related rows and columns. […]

You’re in the business of making, moving and managing inventory. To keep operations running smoothly and to maximize profit, you need to do more than just track inventory levels. You need real-time visibility that can help you effectively manage your product and streamline ordering and fulfillment. With advanced inventory and EDI from SalesPad and SPS Commerce, you can extend the functionality of your Dynamics GP solution for complete control and visibility.   Watch this video to learn how you can take control of your inventory, and: Process your orders faster Increase accuracy in your warehouse operations Streamline order fulfillment and processing Manage your business on the road     Ready to take control of your inventory? Fill out the contact form below to get started today!