Course 8506: One days; Instructor-Led

Introduction

The one-day Foundation course explores the basic elements of Microsoft Dynamics GP. Topics covered during this session include: system and company setup procedures, how to use key reports and inquiries, how to use SmartList to expand inquiry and analysis capabilities, business alerts, process server and tips for the user to personalize shortcuts and checklists to streamline business practices.

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Audience

Customers wanting to learn the basic features and elements required to effectively use each Microsoft Dynamics GP module. The class is targeted toward data entry clerks, administrators; office managers, CEOs, and consultants who need to understand the technical aspects of Microsoft Dynamics GP Foundation and gain basic general knowledge of the application functionality.

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At Course Completion

After completing this course, students should be able to:

•	Customize system and company setup procedures using the Setup Checklist
•	Assign and track setup tasks
•	Use the Posting Setup options to define posting processes
•	Enter record and window level notes
•	Attach OLE Notes
•	Use inquiries and reports to get at the information you wish to access
•	Use SmartList to export data to Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel for further analysis
•	Describe the benefits of using Business Alerts and Process Servers
•	View and print resource descriptions for tables and fields in Microsoft Dynamics GP
•	Set up fiscal periods, account formats, credit cards and payment terms

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Prerequisites

Before attending this course, students must have:

•	General knowledge of Microsoft Windows
•	Basic knowledge of accounting principles

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Microsoft Certification exams

No Microsoft Certification exams are associated with this course currently.

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Course Materials

The student kit includes a comprehensive workbook and other necessary materials for this class.

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Chapter 1: Overview

Course Outline

This chapter introduces you to the Microsoft Dynamics GP Series. Microsoft Dynamics GP is comprised of modules or applications that work together for accounting and business purposes. These modules are arranged into solutions series with one module acting as the "core" where permanent records are stored. An integration overview is included in this chapter.

Main Topics

•	Microsoft Dynamics GP Series
•	Integration

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Identify series in Microsoft Dynamics GP
•	Understand basic integration flows in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Chapter 2: Basic Elements

This chapter introduces you to many of the basic elements in Microsoft Dynamics GP. Each part of the main window is discussed, and common window functions and objects are identified and explained.

Main Topics

•	Toolbar
•	Menu Bar
•	Window Components
•	Keyboard Equivalents
•	Notes: Record-Level, Window-level, and OLE
•	Help
•	User Preferences
•	Role-based Home Pages
•	Setup Checklist
•	Navigation Pane

Labs

•	Advanced Lookups
•	OLE Note
•	User Preferences
•	Using the Shortcut Bar

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Navigate in Microsoft Dynamics GP using the keyboard and mouse
•	Understand the layout of the Microsoft Dynamics GP desktop
•	Customize the way information is retrieved in the application
•	Set user preferences and use Notes to attach important information
•	Access help topics using the online documentation
•	Utilize the Navigation Pane shortcuts to maximize efficiency when using Microsoft Dynamics GP

Chapter 3: SmartList

This chapter explores SmartList, a great inquiry tool that can be used to access data. SmartList uses sets of predefined search criteria or "objects." The user may create an unlimited number of searches or "views" and save them as "Favorites" in the system. SmartList also allows you to access other Microsoft Dynamics GP windows related to the data contained in your search. Additionally, data collected using SmartList may be exported to Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel for further analysis.

Main Topics

•	Types of SmartList objects
•	Creating SmartList Favorites
•	Linking to related Microsoft Dynamics GP windows
•	Exporting data to Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel

Labs

•

SmartList

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Gain instant access to a large variety of information in your system using SmartList
•	Create and save views of your data
•	Export data to Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word from SmartList
•	Add Microsoft Dynamics GP windows, macros, or external applications to the Navigation Pane
•	Create folders to manage large numbers of shortcuts

Chapter 4: Reports & Inquiry

This chapter examines how to print reports in Microsoft Dynamics GP. The purpose of this chapter is to define ways to create report options, print group reports for a specific series or to create combined group reports using data from multiple series. Named Printers functionality provides the ability to designate a printer for specific applications, such as a dedicated printer for payables checks. The Process Monitor displays processes that are occurring in the background on the local workstation or on the server. Since processes may involve several steps, use the Process Detail window to view the steps in detail.

Main Topics

•	Report Options
•	Report Groups
•	Combined Groups
•	Named Printers
•	Process Monitor

Labs

•	Setting up Report Options

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Create and save report options
•	Select a destination for reports
•	Export reports in a variety of formats
•	Organize reports into groups for easy access
•	Assign applications to specific printers
•	View background processes on their local workstation or at the server level

Chapter 5: Company Setup Procedures

In this chapter, we examine how to set up companies in Microsoft Dynamics GP and then define options specific to each company. The company setup windows are used to define company parameters such as company information, Internet information, fiscal periods, account format, credit cards, shipping methods, payment terms and custom links. We'll look at the company reports that are available to create a permanent record of the settings that were used when the company was set up.

Main Topics

•	Switching Users and Company
•	Company Information
•	Global Features
•	Internet Information
•	Fiscal Periods
•	Account Format
•	Credit Cards
•	Shipping Methods
•	Payment Terms
•	Custom Links
•	Company Reports

Labs

•	Account Format
•	Set Up Fiscal Periods
•	Specify Company Settings
•	Set Up Shipping Methods
•	Set Up Payment Terms
•	Set Up Custom Links

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Set up companies in Microsoft Dynamics GP
•	Assign an account format for each company
•	Specify company-wide settings, such as fiscal periods, shipping methods, credit cards, payment terms and Custom Links

Chapter 6: Posting Setup Procedures

In this chapter we examine the different ways to post transactions in Microsoft Dynamics GP. Options are available to customize how each series updates the General Ledger and include: post to or through General Ledger, post in detail or in summary or post based on the account settings. We look at setting up default posting accounts, audit trail codes and define destinations for printing posting journals.

Main Topics

•	Transaction Posting Methods
•	Posting Setup
•	Posting Accounts Setup
•	Source Documents
•	Audit Trail Codes
•	Batch Inquiry

Labs

•	Modify Posting Settings

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Control the way General Ledger is updated by other modules
•	Add additional batch data entry accuracy controls
•	Control the level of detail entered in the General Ledger during the posting process
•	Set up default posting accounts to be used by Microsoft Dynamics GP modules

Chapter 7: Taxes

This chapter examine how to set up tax details and tax schedules to calculate taxes for many types of transactions. We examine the bases upon which taxes are calculated, such as tax included with item price, percent of sale/purchase or percent of another tax detail. Next, we look at the qualifiers and enter the minimum and maximum taxable amounts for a specific detail. Once the tax details have been defined, tax schedules are created to group the tax details together and then assign them to sales or purchase transactions. Tax Calculation Examples are provided for Receivables, Payables Management, Invoicing and Sales Order Processing transactions.

Main Topics

•	Tax Detail and Tax Schedule Overview
•	Tax Details
•	Determine Tax Calculations
•	Select the Qualifiers
•	Tax Schedules
•	Tax Calculation Examples

Labs

•

New Taxes

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Create Tax Details and Tax Schedules for different tax rates
•	Charge multiple taxes per transaction
•	Report on tax transactions
•	Handle taxes on miscellaneous and freight amounts

Chapter 8: Customization

The objective of this chapter is to tailor a number of elements in the system to your specific needs, enabling you to work more efficiently. Routines and toolbars can be customized for each of your companies and specific tasks can be added to the Shortcut Bar for each individual user. We discuss creating a routine checklist for standardized procedures that are completed on a routine basis. Another time saving feature, macros, which are automated key stroke commands to perform certain tasks are discussed in this chapter.

Main Topics

•	Routine Checklists
•	Customizing Toolbars
•	Using Macros

Labs

•	Checklists
•	Toolbars

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Create routines
•	Customize toolbars
•	Use existing routines to set up Microsoft Dynamics GP
•	Automate keystrokes using macros

Chapter 9: Business Alerts and Process Server

This chapter examines how to use business alerts to notify managers and executives whenever "alert" situations are reached. You define these alerts as they relate to your business, such as budgets being exceeded, sales falling below expectations or if a new employee is added to the system. Activity Tracking allows you to define the types of activities that should be tracked, such as attempts to Login/Logout, Posting activities or file tracking. Process Server allows you to continue working on other tasks while other process like printing reports or posting can be completed in the background. This allows you to take advantage of directing processes to designated workstations and freeing up resources on the local workstation.

Main Topics

•	Business Alerts
•	Activity Tracking
•	Process Server

Labs

•	Activity Tracking

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Set up Business Alerts to send email notification to key business managers when needed
•	Track specific system activity using Activity Tracking
•	Set up a process server to alleviate processing time on local workstations

Appendix A: Installation

This chapter contains information to be aware of and plan for before actually installing Microsoft Dynamics GP. The selections that are made during the installation process impact system and company setup options that are available after installation is complete. Registering your Microsoft Dynamics GP solution, creating passwords and defining security profiles are also covered in this section.

Main Topics

•	Account Structure
•	Account Framework
•	Sorting Options
•	Edit Launch File
•	SQL Options
•	Users and User Classes
•	Security
•	Registration
•	Creating a Company
•	Table Maintenance

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

•	Consider and plan for how settings defined during the installation process affect system and company settings
•	Create Users and User Classes
•	Define Security for classes as well as individual users
•	Register the application & create a new company
•	Perform table maintenance and make backups