Merit Matters Blog

Businesses need solutions that reflect the way people really work – the tasks they perform, the information they use, the tools and formats that make sense for their individual jobs and that help them work more productively. The guiding principles behind Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions are designed to meet those needs. They are a foundation for a solution that offers a personalized user experience, and deep interoperability with the applications people use every day.

Microsoft Dynamics AX can fuel the personal impact everyone in an organization can bring to the table in a connected and consistent manner by driving personal productivity, collaboration and enhanced information. Users who only require limited functionality are now able to leverage many options to use the Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions. The introduction of the Light User license and the Employee Self Service User (ESS User) license allows customers to use the Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution, extending the benefits across the organization at a fraction of the full user prices.

You can now extend the reach of Microsoft Dynamics to virtually everyone in your organization. These access rights provide user interface choices when accessing Microsoft Dynamics by means other than the Rich Client User Interface, whether deploying a web-based experience or taking full advantage of the great interoperability with Microsoft® Office, Microsoft SharePoint® technology or any other third party applications. These licenses allow users through multiple client technologies to perform employee self-service processes, operational tasks through multiple devices, and reporting designed for people who are not full ERP users. Using Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint client software to access Microsoft Dynamics means that people can work more productively with a familiar experience.

The August edition of the Merit Momentum monthly newsletter is now available. In this month's issue:

What's New? Microsoft Dynamics News that Matters.

Product Spotlight: Microsoft SharePoint 2010 makes it easier for people to work together.

Advanced Distribution Shared Solutions: This program is designed to help Partners win and implement Microsoft Dynamics AX distribution opportunities.

Feature Spotlight: Drive sales productivity, user adoption and consistent best practices with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sales Force Automation.

Upcoming Webinar:Ten Things to Plan for in ’11 is designed to help distributors confront the obstacles they will need to overcome in the next year.

Tips and Tricks: Get rid of the Customer Experience Improvement Program Tasks in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Follow Us Online: Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Sign Up for Merit Momentum.

When everything goes smoothly with these so-called enterprise resource planning projects, the ratio of savings to dollars invested typically increases over time. When plotted on a graph, the return on investment looks something like Nike's trademark "swoosh," plunging as the firm spends more than it saves early on, but then moving upward as the company becomes a leaner, more efficient entity.

Why does enterprise resource planning, or ERP, work so well for some companies and not for others?

After studying dozens of these projects over six years, we concluded that executives need to think more broadly if they want enterprise resource planning to pay off. Too many executives see ERP solely as a technology project, believing that if they buy a new software system, inefficiencies will magically disappear. It's no surprise that it doesn't work that way. Instead, they need to treat ERP as a transformation effort involving three areas of their business: processes, technology and spending.

Continue reading the story at the Wall Street Journal Online:
Diets That Don't Work: Where Enterprise Resource Planning Goes Wrong

We've been asked the same question from a couple of our customers, so here it is... How to get rid of the Dynamics GP Task “Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP)” if you don’t want to participate:

First, click on the task as if you are going to perform the task:

Once the task window opens, click on the “Name”

This will open the Customer Experience Improvement Program participation window:

Click No, then Click OK. Once you are back on the Task window, click Delete to remove the task:

Then close the task window to get back to the main GP window. On the main GP window, click the “Refresh” button, and the task should be gone:

Task is removed (see example below):

Superior Supply Chains in the Food and Beverage Industries In a challenging environment full of new opportunities, food and beverage manufacturers must advance their supply chains beyond traditional buy-and-sell relationships to retain existing business and capture emerging markets. Without a strategic focus on supply-chain management and collaboration and the resources, best practices, and systems to support that focus—such as ERP, CRM, and BI solutions—operations throughout the supply chain can rapidly deteriorate, putting quality, profitability, and lives in jeopardy. In contrast, strategic supply-chain performance ensures that the right products hit the right markets at the right time, reducing waste, lowering inventories and costs, and improving customer satisfaction.

Is your food and beverage company ready to achieve world-class supply-chain management and collaboration?

View the White Paper:
Superior Supply Chains for the Food and Beverage Industry

Are you a Microsoft Dynamics GP customer in the market for a CRM solution?

Then we would be proud to introduce you to Microsoft Dynamics CRM through a special offer: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online at a 60% savings over regular subscription rates.

Eligible Microsoft Dynamics GP customers can receive Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online at a subscription rate of only $19 per user, per month. Where else could you get a complete sales, service and marketing suite within a native Microsoft Office Outlook experiences, supported with robust functionality like mobile access, offline data usage, powerful workflow, 5 GB of storage, a 99% financially-backed service level agreement (SLA) that can be integrated into your GP system?

Extend the Value of Your Microsoft Dynamics GP Deployment with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online!

Contact Merit Solutions for more information.

Efficiently managing a distribution business is a struggle in any market. Too little inventory causes delayed orders, creating missed deadlines. Too much inventory gives you dead weight and comes at a high cost to your warehouse. Finding that balance in an economy is an art form coupled with precision analytics.

Six-time best-selling Distribution Management Author – Brent Grover

Learn about Managing A Wholesale Distribution Business in the Muddle Through Economy with six-time best-selling distribution management author, keynote speaker and 20+ year veteran to the distribution industry, Brent Grover.

A muddled market can mean more obstacles to overcome, such as:

• Cautious and timid customers, suppliers and lenders.
• Potential government intervention with interest rates and tax rates creating sceptics.
• Managing the risk of deflation while managing the return of inflation.

Download the article now:
Managing A Wholesale Distribution Business in the “Muddle Through Economy”

Integrating TFS2010 with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 is not as easy as one might hope. There are quite a few prerequisites you need to worry about, but once you have everything in place you can just sit back and enjoy the development.

Step 1: Set-up AOS development instance on every development machine.

Unlike MorphX VCS where you can develop and check-in using clients only, in order to set up TFS VCS with AX you need to have AOS development instance installed on every development machine. This one is easy, just choose the predefined development instance from the AX2009 installation menu and let the setup do the rest.

MorpX VCS vs. TFS2010 VCS

Step 2: Set-up Team (ID) Server.

If you want to use VCS with AX you need to install the Team (ID) Server somewhere on you network. Team (ID) Server is responsible for assigning a unique ID to new AX objects in the multi-development environment. Team (ID) Server setup can be found on the AX2009 setup disk in the additional tools menu.

Step 3: Add appropriate users and computers to the Dynamics Team Server Users group on the Team (ID) Server.

Step 4: Install VS 2008 SP1 on every development machine.

Step 5: Install Team Explorer 2008 on every development machine.

Step 6: Install VS 2008 SP1 forward compatibility update for TFS 2010.

Forward compatibility update will actually enable Team Explorer 2008 to establish connection with the TFS 2010. Below is the forward compatibility update download link. Installation should be straightforward.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=CF13EA45-D17B-4EDC-8E6C-6C5B208EC54D&displaylang=en

Step 7: Connect to the TFS 2010 and create a new project using Team Explorer 2008.

Step 8: Assign developers (users) to the created the TFS 2010 project.

Step 9: Set-up version control parameters on each development machine.

In order to setup AX2009 to use TFS2010 go to Tools->DevTools->VerControl -> Setup -> Paramters. The Repository folder may be different and depends on the actual development machine. To setup the Team Server settings go to Tools -> DevTools -> VerControl -> Setup -> SystemSettings. Below are the version control setup screenshots.

Step 10: Enjoy TFS2010 enabled AX2009 development!

Note: You can find additional information in Team Foundation Server Version Control Setup Whitepaper for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009.pdf and Team Server (ID Server) Setup Whitepaper for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009.pdf documents available from Microsoft.

Merit Solutions, Inc., a Microsoft Gold Certified and 2009 President’s Club member, has been named to the 2010 President’s Club for Microsoft Dynamics for the second consecutive year. This achievement is a direct result of Merit Solutions’ outstanding dedication to customer satisfaction through the delivery of innovative business solutions.

President’s Club for Microsoft Dynamics honors high-performing Microsoft Dynamics partners whose commitment to customers is reflected in their business success and growth. This prestigious group represents the top 5 percent of Microsoft Dynamics partners worldwide. Membership is granted based on their continual, committed efforts aimed at offering solutions that meet the needs of their customers.

“Microsoft is proud to recognize Merit Solutions for its outstanding sales achievement,” said Doug Kennedy, vice president of Microsoft Dynamics Partners. “This honor is a direct reflection of Merit Solutions’ outstanding group of employees and management team, all of whom should be very proud of this accomplishment. Merit Solutoins plays a very important role in the growth and success of Microsoft Dynamics.”

Merit Solutions is dedicated to helping customers select the right solutions and services, which best meet their business needs, allowing them to achieve new levels of success. By working closely with the teams at Microsoft, Merit Solutions maintains a comprehensive understanding of the Microsoft Dynamics platform in order to provide leading-edge solutions, services, and unparalleled value to Microsoft Dynamics customers. Previous honors include: 2002 Microsoft Manufacturing Excellence Partner of the Year, 2005 Microsoft Vertical Excellence Partner of the Year, 2005 and 2009 Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club, and 2009 Business Transformation Award.

“Merit Solutions is honored to be included in this year’s President’s Club for Microsoft Dynamics,” said Bill Burke, President of Merit Solutions. “Our dedication to client success has enabled companies across the world to enjoy streamlined processes, increased sales, and reduced operational costs. We are excited to continue to meet and surpass all of our customers’ expectations.”

Merit Solutions has a ten year successful track record of providing Microsoft Dynamics implementation, training and consulting for medium to large enterprise businesses. Merit Solutions specializes in the Life Sciences, Food and Beverage, and Distribution industries. With MAXLife for Microsoft Dynamics AX, we provide Life Sciences companies a solution that fits with existing systems, is familiar to use and easy to deploy, and has a lower total cost of ownership than traditional systems. MAXLife helps leading global Life Sciences companies get to market faster and sustain continued success.

The first session of the Advanced Distribution webinar series is now available on-demand!

Discover how to drive More to the Bottom Line with Brent Grover, six-time bestselling distribution management author and 20+ year veteran/executive in the distribution industry, presented by the Advanced Distribution Partners (ADP). More to the Bottom Line is designed to provide distributors with practical advice on how to apply costs to optimize margins and drive their people to a new level of sustainable productivity. Learn how to outperform the pack in this 60 minute on-demand webinar.

Download the on-demand webinar:
More to the Bottom Line

We understand that you want your people to concentrate on your business, not on your IT systems. That’s why Microsoft Dynamics GP offers deep integration with other Microsoft products and technologies—including Office Excel, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft SQL Server. With this kind of system flexibility, integrated security features, and customization tools, Microsoft Dynamics GP gives you the ability to adapt the system to meet changing business needs with minimal cost. If you have existing IT staff, they will be instantly familiar with business software built on your existing Microsoft infrastructure, enabling them to support your people efficiently.

Developed with industry-leading Microsoft technologies.
Microsoft Dynamics GP provides the foundation and flexibility that help ensure smooth deployments, server-side updates, and efficient, cost-effective integrations and customizations. In line with Microsoft's mission to deliver people-ready solutions, our security model is tailored to roles and tasks within roles, enabling better auditing and reporting and simplifying administration.

Provide access to critical, timely information.  Through integration with SQL Server technologies - including extensive management and development tools - Microsoft Dynamics GP provides enhanced information retrieval and reporting. With Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, your company can increase the availability, performance, and ease of operation for business intelligence, data management, and developer productivity.

Open the flow of information across data sources and applications.
Microsoft BizTalk Server, Microsoft .NET, eConnect, and Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP enable businesses to integrate data from virtually any source, connecting people with the information they need to make decisions and drive growth. By deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP with Microsoft SharePoint, you’ll also gain advanced search, collaboration, workflow, and business intelligence capabilities.

Connect front-end customer relationship management with back-end financials. Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM delivers a complete customer view and integrated sales, service, and accounting information—helping reduce data entry and streamline front- and back-office processes.

Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is a commonly used term in companies that distribute products in the consumer goods and retail space. Often software vendors claim to support vendor managed inventory requirements simply through defining a separate ‘warehouse’ for inventory that is stored at the customer’s facilities. This answer however, only addresses part of the challenge that manufacturers and distributors face when trying to maintain vendor managed inventory programs.

Read more at the Advanced Distribution Software Blog. 

By adopting Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, companies that use Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions can reap significant gains in process efficiency. Incorporating powerful collaboration and communication technologies, Office 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 can help streamline complex business processes that require interaction across functions and roles.

Collaborate with Control
New co-authoring features included in Microsoft Word 2010 and Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 help simplify processes by eliminating the back-and-forth exchange of e-mail messages and attachments when drafting business documents, making it easier for multiple people to contribute to that document at the same time. As a result, the final version of the document can be distributed more quickly since the need to reconcile and edit changes can be reduced or eliminated.

E-mail communication plays a critical role in business processes, and new features in Microsoft Outlook® 2010, such as Mail Tips and Quick Steps, help employees manage their correspondence more effectively. External List folders can be configured to pull relevant information from Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions and make it available to employees in Outlook 2010, even when they are offline.

Extend the Reach of Business Data

New features of SharePoint Server 2010 can make Microsoft Dynamics ERP data accessible to more people across the organization. The External Lists feature displays ERP data in a SharePoint list and can enable users to change and update data from within SharePoint, according to validation and permission rules managed by the Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution.

The Fluent user interface is now consistent across Office 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010. This makes it easier to expose relevant tasks and actions when working with Microsoft Dynamics ERP information, and is aligned with the user interface design approach being adopted by Microsoft Dynamics solutions.

Merit Solutions has a ten year, successful track record of providing software solutions to Life Sciences companies. No matter what your specific business challenges may be, MAXLife for Microsoft Dynamics AX can help you overcome them in order to sustain profitability and growth.

What Is Your Business Challenge?

• I need to reduce ongoing operating costs in order to increase bottom line profits.
• I need to define solid business strategies and goals in order to satisfy investors and secure future funding.
• I need to enhance personal productivity and boost team collaboration by enabling team members to share data and make better informed decisions.
• I need to understand my cost of quality for specific products and product lines.
• I need to track incidents and events through the cycle of root cause identification, corrective action and preventive actions put in place.
• I need to track unstructured data, such as work instructions, specifications documents and standard operating procedures, in accordance with 21 CFR Part 11 regulations.
• I need to track, trace and authenticate the product from the time it is initially sold to a distributor all the way through the supply chain to the point of distribution.
• I need to facilitate operational and regulatory compliance without compromising quality and safety.
• I need to offer multi-level pricing specific to customers, and according to different channels with those customers.

Is your challenge unique to your business? If so, contact Merit Solutions today at 630-614-7133 to find out how MAXLife can help your Life Sciences organization successfully mitigate your pains.

Discover how to drive more to the bottom line with Brent Grover, six-time bestselling distribution management author and 20+ year veteran/executive in the distribution industry, presented by Advanced Distribution Partners (ADP).

Move Beyond the Analysis Paralysis to Drive More to the Bottom Line!

Join us for this exclusive webinar with distribution industry expert, Brent Grover. He provides insight on how to outperform the pack, providing distributors with practical advice to:

• Optimize margins with more accurate costing
• Make more money in this muddled economy
• Achieve a new level of sustainable people productivity

More to the Bottom Line Featured Speaker: Brent Grover
Date: 7/21/2010 2:00-3:00pm EST

More to the Bottom Line is designed to provide distributors with practical advice on how to apply costs to optimize margins and drive their people to a new level of sustainable productivity.

Register Now!