| Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains and MS CRM | | | | to link SOP and POP invoices in the settlement |
| (client relation management system) are very popular | | | | process.o eConnect. Each logistics business has unique |
| in various industries and market niches. In previous | | | | business processes and this is why we see software |
| article we described Microsoft Great Plains | | | | developers in staff plus strong IT department. This |
| implementation for transportation & logistics | | | | makes eConnect (Microsoft Great Plains SDK) very |
| company. Having more material, we would like to | | | | popular among logistics companies. You can create |
| share with you how you can leverage Microsoft | | | | Great Plains objects: Customers, Invoices, Purchase |
| Business Solutions products to automate your | | | | Orders, etc. Plus it allows you to eliminate GP licenses |
| business. We'll try to be both technical and business | | | | cost - you can have users work with Great Plains |
| processes specific and be laconic to comply the rules | | | | through web formso Integration Technology. In the |
| of tiny article.o Cargo/Shipment Tracking System. | | | | case of both Great Plains and Microsoft CRM you use |
| Transportation & Logistics industry is pretty | | | | MS SQL Server linked server technology. Then you |
| mature and you more likely have industry standard | | | | deploy MS CRM SDK, Dexterity, Heterogeneous |
| (like Efreight) or custom system. So, if you plan to | | | | Stored Procedures.o Programming Tools. You use |
| implement new ERP - it should be tightly integrated | | | | Visual Studio.Net to program MS CRM lookups, in |
| with your cargo tracking system.o Customer Base. | | | | some cases you can use WebMatrix, but we do not |
| This is the question of the core application. If you | | | | recommend tools, which do not have rich debugging |
| have to sell to a large number of prospects and | | | | features.o Reporting. Crystal Reports is the tool of |
| track their relatively small shipments - you should first | | | | choice. You should create heterogeneous SQL view |
| consider Microsoft CRM, which has Sales and Service | | | | and base you Crystal Report on this view. Microsoft |
| modules. In this case - you should enable shipment | | | | CRM security suggests you to use MS CRM SDK or |
| status lookup from MS CRM screens. In the case | | | | built-in Crystal Reports Enterprise to comply.o MS |
| when you ship to limited number of large customers - | | | | CRM Messaging. Microsoft CRM Exchange connector |
| you are focusing on the profitability of the shipments | | | | has relatively straightforward mechanism - GUID in |
| and looking at Great Plains as the core system.o | | | | the message header. If you need advanced |
| Agent Settlement. This seems to be logistics industry | | | | messaging - capturing emails, based on contact email |
| feature. You use agents and settle their AR/AP | | | | or domain - you main consider advanced connector, |
| invoices on the monthly or weekly basis. In Great | | | | developed and supported by Alba Spectrum |
| Plains you should use customer/vendor consolidation, | | | | Technologies. In some cases you would like to use |
| available for Great Plains Professional version. Plus you | | | | Lotus Notes Domino as email server - this is also |
| will need Great Plains Dexterity or .Net customization | | | | possible. |