Category: Technology

The Cost of Upgrading vs. The Cost of Fixing Problems

Upgrading an accounting system can be a daunting task for some. I often here from clients that they feel as though they have just implemented a system and now there is a new version to upgrade to. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the case. Dynamics, for instance, now does 6 month cycle releases for their new versions. Meaning there will be a GP2015, GP2015 R2 and then GP2016. So what is the point in trying to keep up? Is there really that much value in upgrading?

March 30, 2015

5 overlooked activities that give online sellers a sales tax obligation

For many companies selling online, figuring out where to collect and remit sales tax requires the expertise and bandwidth of the Amazon legal department. Given that most companies don’t have access to those kinds of resources, this quick list will help determine whether you’re overlooking sales tax obligations.

1. Drop shipping

In some states, use of an in-state third-party shipper by an out of state retailer can trigger a sales tax obligation. In California, New York, Texas, and Florida for example, if a drop shipper delivers goods on your behalf, you could be obligated to collect tax.

March 27, 2015

How To: Modify Dynamics GP with Modifier and Dot Net

For years I have been creating customizations for Microsoft Dynamics GP using a combination of Modifier and VBA. This has always worked well for me in the past with a few quirks and hiccups in VBA from time to time. I have created simple additional fields on screens, complex logic to enhance our customers business and many other types of projects. All of this has worked well, been easy to upgrade to the next GP version and been basically stable code for many years.

March 26, 2015

Microsoft Business Intelligence (BI) Tools Can Jumpstart your BI Initiative

I often get asked about Business Intelligence and related tools, as dashboards and data integration have become so common today, and everyone wants “instant information”. After all, aren’t we all information workers today?

Since my company is a Microsoft Partner, doing Dynamics (GP, SL and CRM) business applications, my first recommendation is to “look close to home”. You may be surprised how much existing BI you already own and are not utilizing if you use Microsoft products. (Dynamics, SQL, SharePoint, Office) The Microsoft BI toolkit is not a lightweight player in the BI market, as you can see from the 2013 Gartner’s Magic Quadrant graphic below.

March 19, 2015

OWIN Specification.

The Open Web Server Interface for .Net or OWIN for short is a specification that is meant to decouple the dependency a web application has on a specific web server technology. It specifies a simple delegate function that is used to separate a server and application and to let the server know how to pass the responsibility of filling out the response data to the application.

March 2, 2015

Web-Series and the ERP Client

What am I doing? The same thing I have always done? The same thing that hasn’t given me the results that I wanted, that hasn’t helped me hit my goals?

These are the questions businesses are asking themselves all the time. They know what they are doing, they know it’s not working, but they don’t know how to change it. And in the world with budgets, time restraints, managers and employees to answer to the idea of changing what you are doing to get better results can leave you stagnant while you figure out what exactly it is you need to change. And being stagnant means losing money. Who has time for that?

February 19, 2015

Five Steps to Keeping Software Selection Focused

I often speak with owners, managers and staff at organizations struggling with growth or a changing business model who sense “things are out of control” and believes there “must be a better way” to manage their business. Many reach out to technology as a corrective path to this “better way”. With so many different technology solutions on the market, each offering a countless number of unique attributes, sorting through them and selecting the right solution for your organization can be an extremely time-consuming and even mind-numbing task. I’ve often seen this process become unfocused, frustrating your attempts to improve things. I have boiled a technology selection process to five focused steps.

February 16, 2015

Entering a Fixed Asset in Acumatica

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines a Fixed Asset as a “tangible object of a permanent or long-term nature. Businesses of all sizes purchase and maintain equipment, computers, machinery, furniture, tools and other items to assist in running their enterprise. Tracking the cost, current value and the depreciation expense of these items is a vital exercise of the accounting department of a business. The accurate accounting of assets is important for annual overall profitability of the business and for accurate income tax calculation. Large organizations, as well as some smaller ones, will use some sort of fixed asset tracking software. Asset tracking software allows companies to track what assets they own, where they are located, how much they cost, the monthly or annual depreciation expense and their current value.

February 12, 2015

The Importance Upgrading

We often say that accounting systems are “sticky”. Once you find one that works for your business you feel locked in because of:

1. The cost.
2. The fact that you need it up and running every single day so that your business can function efficiently.

The problem is that most organizations are constantly evolving and changing and re-evaluating their needs. You may now need functionality that was not initially needed when you implemented the system. How do you rectify this without starting from scratch with a new system? It’s actually quite simple; you upgrade your current system.

February 10, 2015

Can Peer Feedback be Your Best Influencer?

Have you ever had that one friend who was always “down with the trends?” He/she would also have the designer clothes, newest kicks, or best hairstyles before any of it even came into your radar, or better yet before it even hit stores. You would, in some ways, look up to them for advice on where to get these items for; where was the best deal or bargain; and what was coming out next so you could try and prepare yourself for it. They were, in a labeling sense, your “influencer.”

February 9, 2015