We have been getting a lot of requests from partners excited about the new Self Service functions introduced in Dynamics GP 2013 R2.  Partners are asking what type of licensing is required for a customer to use these features. In order to use the new self-service functions added to R2 right now, a user must be able to login to GP whether it be on the Web client or the Desktop client at least as a Limited user.  Several Self Service tasks were built into core GP including: Requisition Management, Employee Self Service, and Project Time.

Here are brief descriptions of each:

• Requisition Management- In Dynamics GP2013 R2 Purchase Requisitions lets a user enter a requisition.  The requisition ties in with Purchase Order Processing functionality and is workflow enabled. 

• Employee Self Service - In Dynamics GP2013 R2, you can enter timecards and enter time on behalf of a user directly in Dynamics GP.  Deployed on either web client or desktop client and integrated with workflow, employees can submit a timecard or recall a previously submitted timecard.

• Project Time-  Project Time allows users to enter time against projects and incorporates full workflow functionality. Users will be able to view the timesheet document as it flows through the approvals system, and recall and edit documents prior to approval completion.

If users are only logging into GP to use any of these functions, you might consider setting them up as a limited user type.

With enhancements made to GP2013 R2, there are 2 user counters in GP (one for Limited and one for Full) and they are both concurrent with perpetual licensing (not a named user). You would setup a GP user at Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools> Setup> System> User and set the user up as “Full” or “Limited”.  You would likely want to setup users that would only access these Self Service functions in GP (if the user is not also using GP for other reasons) as Limited users. When they log into GP they would track against the Limited user counter. Limited users also have access to reports and inquiries.

Additional enhancements were made to the limited user functionality in GP 2013 R2: There is a security check for the resource itself and also that the resource is available to a limited user. This feature will restrict the Limited user to only access things such as inquiry windows, reports, navigation lists, SmartLists, etc.  Windows that allow users to create or update any data will not be available.  The exception to this are Self Service windows that allow the user to read, write or update information pertaining only to that user.  Check out the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 R2 System Wide New Features video for more information on the limited user type.

Both Full and Limited are concurrent users so if you have 150 users that would need to logging in to GP for example only to enter payroll time, you would need to gauge how many might be logged in at a time when deciding how many concurrent limited users you might need. Both Full and Limited users can be purchased and prices are on the Microsoft Dynamics GP2013 Price List.  For technical presales assistance or an advisory request, feel free to email: napa@microsoft.com to reach a partner technical consultant.

For more information on the Transition Upgrade Policy, see the document at the link below. Appendix A has a detailed chart:

Transition Upgrade Policy 

To summarize, most users that are going to take advantage of these functions and aren’t using Dynamics GP for other reasons, would be looking at ensuring they have Limited users.

*** FUTURE (COMING SOON) We are also building out Companion Apps for certain Self Service functions such as Procurement and Time Management. These cross platform apps will enable “on the go” users to use their favorite device.

*** For SPLA licensing, a limited user is also needed to access these functions in Dynamics GP. SPLA users are named unlike the concurrent users for perpetual licensing.

Links to other licensing documents:

Microsoft Dynamics SMB SPLA Licensing Guide

Licensing Guide

The Microsoft Dynamics GP team will be creating blogs around our most common support topics.  We will be publishing these throughout the week in the month of September.  As the post publish I will make an active link here.

Below you will find the schedule of upcoming blog posts.

Payables

September 02, 2014 – FAQOpen apply table (PM20100) inPayables Management
September 03, 2014 – Custom fields for EFT

September 04, 2014 - Quick Setup Guide to send PM EFT Remittances in GP

Word Templates

September 09, 2014 – You must have the Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS Add-in for 2007 Microsoft Office installed to send documents
September 10, 2014 – Image Content Control in Word Templates

September 11, 2014 – Exchange E-mailing in GP 2013

GL/AA

September 16, 2014 – AA GL Issues

Encumbrance

September 18, 2014 – Everything you want to know about Approvals and Encumbrance used together

Payroll

September 23, 2014 – Employee Summary SmartList shows no data when copied/modified with SmartList Designer
September 24, 2014 – How to Process a Manual Check

September 25, 2014 – How to Troubleshoot Quarterly 941’s in Payroll!

September 30, 2014 - What Payroll changes are coming for ACA (Affordable Care Act) compliance reporting in Microsoft Dynamics GP?

Make sure to check back to this post or check back Dynamics GP Support and Services Blog at the dates listed. 

Enjoy :)

There are many Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) formats available in Microsoft Dynamics GP.  These formats were coded to make sure all the required fields in these formats are available, and intended to be used for 'EFT' transfer file purposes.  With that said, we know that many banks offer other services, such as Check Printing services, and we know that many of you are trying to use these EFT file formats to make flat files or xml files to provide to the banks to be used for these other services.  Our support policy is that we will help you with one field or error message per support case, or 30 minutes per custom field.  Not all fields are attainable with the current functionality in Microsoft Dynamics GP and some may require a consulting service to achieve.  The intent of this article is to share with you some of the fields that I have been asked to help with and provide information on whether specific fields can be achieved, provide a work-around, or simply to state if it can't be done with the current functionality in Microsoft Dynamics GP.  Hopefully this will save you some time so you don't have to test for these custom fields.

UNIQUE FILE IDENTIFIER / EFT DOCUMENT ID: 

A unique number per EFT file generated is not a requirement on the standard NACHA EFT format, and therefore, this functionality in not available in Microsoft Dynamics GP at this time. You will need a dexterity customization to achieve this unique number per file. Please consult your Partner, or open an Advisory/Consulting request with Microsoft to request this customization.

The work-around is a manual process to hard-code a constant value such as XX in the EFT file format as a placeholder.  Then the user must store this unique number in a different location outside of Microsoft Dynamics GP such as an Excel spreadsheet.  The user will need to edit the EFT file each time to replace the XX with a valid number, and save it, before sending the file to the bank each time.  (Be sure to hard-code as many X's as you need for the unique number, as the spacing is very important on a fixed format file.  You should not enter more or less digits than what you are overwriting as the bank may require the line to be a certain number of characters across.)

BATCH ID IN BATCH HEADER/BATCH CONTROL LINES:

Microsoft Dynamics GP is designed to put all payments into a single batch in the EFT file, and this is acceptable. (Most banks don't care how many individual batch ID's were included in Microsoft Dynamics GP.) So all the batches pulled into the file will appear as one big batch in the EFT file. Therefore, you will only see one  Batch Header , and one Batch Control line per file. This is by design and is acceptable to the bank. 

SEQUENCE NUMBER:

This field was designed to work in the Addenda  Line type only. If this field does not work in any other line types, you will need to request a customization. 

CHECK NUMBER:
The Check Number and Check Amount was intended to be in the Addenda Line and should be mapped as follows to pull the correct information:

Check Number:
Maps to:  Data Field
Table:  PM Apply To History File
Field:   Apply To Document Number

Check Amount:
Maps to:  Data Field
Table:  PM Apply To History File
Field:   Applied Amount

ANY 'COUNT' or 'SUM' fields in Header Lines:

As a general rule, any 'count' or 'sum' fields will only work in footer lines, or AFTER the lines have been listed. Therefore, most of the 'count' or 'sum' fields only work in the Batch Control and File Control footer lines, and do not work in Header or Detail lines. You will need to test to verify.

NUMBER OF ADDENDA RECORDS ON DETAIL LINE: 
The  Addenda Count will only work in an Addenda line type, and does not work in a Detail, Batch Control or File Control line. The Addenda lines can only be counted after they are consecutively listed, and not before. 

For example, the 'Addenda Count' will not work in a File Control header line, or the Detail payment line because the number of addenda records has not yet been listed. The system is unable to count or total them before they are listed.

As a work-around, there is an option for 'Detail + Addenda' available in the Batch Control and File Control lines that has been accepted by most banks instead. So verify with your bank if they would accept this field instead. Another option is to generate the EFT file using 'one check per invoice' instead of 'one check per vendor'. Since you will have one addenda line per Detail line with this option, you can then hard-code this as '1' in the Detail Line.

LINE COUNT:
The Line Count data field was designed to work in the File Control line and will count all lines of the file. This field does not work in any other line type.

For example, if you have 10 total lines in an EFT file, the Line count in the Batch Control line will list 9 because it can only list the preceding lines. The Line Count in the File Control Line will list the correct count of 10, as this field was designed to work in this line. However, the Line Count field will not work in the additional footer lines (Trailer Label 1 and Trailer Label 2) since these additional footer lines are not part of a standard NACHA format.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

•KB ARTICLES:  The above information is documented in KB 2956922.   For more information on EFT setup, troubleshooting tips, etc, I recommend to read the Commonly Asked Questions section at the end KB 945855.

• SUPPORT POLICY: Please review the support policy in the KB 850201 for Configurator File setup for eBanking modules.  Our support policy is that we will help you with one field or error message per support case, or 30 minutes per custom field/format.

• CONSULTING: If you need assistance to set up an EFT file, or a custom field, please create an Advisory request for a consulting service.  To open an advisory case to request a customization, please contact your Partner first.  An advisory case can be opened with Microsoft, but all customizations will be billed through the Partner. Partners can submit an advisory service online under the Support Benefits and Incidents page in PartnerSource.

• SUGGESTIONS: If there are any fields you would like to see considered for a future enhancement, please enter your suggestions in to the MS Connect product suggestion database.

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I hope this information will be helpful to you and save you time from having to test for these fields in the future.  For any additional questions on the above information, please open a support case so a Support Engineer can work with you directly. Thank you in advance.  

Best Regards,

Cheryl Waswick | Sr. Technical Support Engineer | Microsoft Dynamics GP Support

Have you ever wanted to utilize the Encumbrance Management module but would like to put in more complex controls for individuals to approve the purchase order before applying it against a budget?  Well then this set up is for you!  Below I have outlined things to consider and the basic setup to utilize the Encumbrance Management module with the Purchase Order Enhancements Approvals to have more control over your budgets.

Steps to utilize Encumbrance module and PO Approvals

*This will allow users to have values against budgets in Encumbrance but control the POs thru Approvals. 

 You will first need to determine how you want the Approver to see or handle the Encumbrance piece.  If you navigate to Purchasing >> Setup >> Encumbrance Management, you will have some options when Approvals are on:

When Document is Approved

You can select what actions occur when a purchase order or general entry is approved. These options are available if you have activated Workflow or purchase order approvals in Purchase Order Enhancements.

Ask when over budget - Encumbers any purchase order lines that are under budget. Displays a message for lines that are over budget; the person who is responsible for approving the purchase order has the option to encumber those lines or leave them pre-encumbered.

Always pre-encumber - Pre-encumbers all purchase order lines, regardless of their budget status. With this option, one person does not need to approve purchase orders and manage encumbrances. After a purchase order has been approved, the person who performs the encumbrance tasks must review all pre-encumbered purchase order lines.

Pre-encumber when over budget - Encumbers any purchase order lines that are under budget and pre-encumbers lines that are over budget. With this option, one person does not need to approve purchase orders and manage encumbrances. After a purchase order has been approved, the person who performs the encumbrance tasks must review only those line items that are over budget. Under-budget lines are encumbered automatically.

Once this is set, this is what I recommend for processing:

Step 1: Enter the PO as you would like.

*Note, you should not Approve and Encumber from this step.  

At this point, once you hit save, the PO is not Approved or Encumbered so the line is sitting in a “Pre Budget” state.  You will not be able to print the PO as the PO needs to be approved first.  This is normal:

There are 4 Encumbrance status’ that exist:

1 = Encumbered– counted toward budget totals

2 = Pre Encumbered– has not been counted toward budget but one step forward to Encumbered status (typically means some kind of support action is needed)

3 = Invalid– Data entered is incomplete

4 = Pre Budget– has not been counted toward budget. (Typically means some kind of support action is needed)

*Pre Budget is used for approvals because the user needs to approve the PO to push it down the chain.  This status is considered a stepping stone and nothing more.

Step 2: The PO needs to be approved.  Navigate to Purchasing >> Transactions >> Purchase Order Enhancements Entry. From here, you can approve the PO and how we Encumber will be based on the settings under Purchasing >> Setup >> Encumbrance Management.  For my example, I would like to only see when I am over budget so this is what I see from the window once I approve:

 Once I select Yes to encumber, the report that comes out looks like this:

It even produces a report showing the PO coming out of Pre Budget and into Encumbered (some users like to be aware of this):

 Step 3: Now the PO is Approved and Encumbered so the PO can now be printed from the Purchase Order Entry window with no issues. 

 If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact Support and we would be glad to assist you further if needed.

Have a great day!

The Payroll Employee Summary SmartList is linked with the UPR00901 (Reported Tips Table) on the core Employee Summary SmartList. When you modify/copy this list with SmartList Designer, no data appears due to no information in the tips table.

The GREAT news is you can create a SQL View to fix this!

Click HERE for an example of an Employee Summary View which pulls data from the UPR00900 (Payroll Employee Summary Table).

Always test any changes in a Test Company with a copy of live data prior to implementing any changes in production.

Here is a link to KB 871973 - "How to set up a test company that has a copy of live company data ":
 
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/871973

To use the Employee Summary View attached to this blog to create your own SmartList Designer list, take the following steps:

1.    Run the Payroll_Employee_Summary.sql script against your company database.

      *Be sure to replace ‘enter your company database here’ with your company database:

       USE [ENTER YOUR COMPANY DATABASE HERE]

      Now the view is available to be used in SmartList Designer!

2.    Log into Microsoft Dynamics GP, and click on Microsoft Dynamics GP >> SmartList to open the SmartList Window.

3.    Click the ‘New’ button to open the SmartList Designer Window.

4.    Next to ‘List Name’, enter a name for your new smartlist (I recommend Employee Summary View).

5.    Next to ‘Series’ choose ‘Payroll’.

6.    Under ‘Database View’, scroll down and expand the ‘+’ next to ‘Views’:

 

7.    Expand the ‘+’ next to ‘Company’, and scroll all down to ‘PAYROLL EMPLOYEE SUMMARY’ and expand to show all columns available for this list:

• Select the box next to ‘PAYROLL EMPLOYEE SUMMARY’ to select all available columns included in the view.

• OR, select only those columns you want to include individually.

8.    To preview the list, simply click on the ‘Execute Query’ button at the top of the window.

9.    Click the ‘OK’ button to save your new smartlist.

10.    View the new list in your SmartList Window by expanding the newly created folder under ‘Payroll’, and enjoy!

ENJOY!

IF your ‘core’ Employee Summary Smartlist is not showing expected data due to the link between the UPR00900 and UPR00901:

You can test running the following script against your Test Company database for the year in which data is missing:

INSERT INTO UPR00901 ([EMPLOYID],[YEAR1])

select EMPLOYID, YEAR1 from UPR00900 where EMPLOYID not in (Select EMPLOYID from UPR00901) and YEAR1 = 'XXXX'

IF Non-SA users are unable to view data in a SmartList that was generated via SmartList Designer, please see Sarah Purdy's BLOG:

SmartLists created using SmartList Designer return no results for users who are not ‘sa’ or not in the sysadmin Server Role

Thanks!

Andrea

Hi Everyone,

It’s almost that time of year again! That’s right: time to print and submit the Quarterly 941!

It can definitely be frustrating to find that the amounts you see on the Quarterly 941 Report are not what you expect to see, and we get a lot of questions around this in support.

Before you can begin to troubleshoot incorrect values on this report, it is important to understand what the values mean, how they are calculated, and where they are coming from.

As such, I wanted to provide you with information that describes the following in regard to the Quarterly 941 Report:

• What each line means
• How each line is calculated
• Where you can see amounts associated with each line in Microsoft Dynamics GP
• What tables these amounts are being pulled from

Click HEREfor a DETAILED document that explains each line on the Quarterly 941 Report.

NOTE: Simply click on each 'arrow' in the attached document to contract or expand details regarding each line on the 941:

I hope this information is helpful!

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for my next blog which will address HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT incorrect values on the 941!

Andrea

Hi everyone,

Yes, it's time to start planning for Year-End again!  I'd like to provide you with information to help ensure that your U.S. Payroll Year End goes smoothly.

In Support, we are often asked "if it is okay to install the 2014 Year End Update even though 2014 payrolls are not completely processed?" The answer to that is YES YOU CAN!  Please review all documentation in detail so that you are well prepared for the year-end close, and knowledgeable about what has changed for this year.

What versions of Microsoft Dynamics GP will be supported with the 2014 Year End Update?

     • Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010   *This will be the LAST year that a Year End update is available.  Click HERE for more information on the lifecycle for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010.

     • Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 - (This does include Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 R2)

     • Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015  - (YEC update to release January 15 ,2015) 

     • Note:  The Year-end/Tax Update is inclusive of all previous hot fixes, services packs and year-end downloads.

What are the target release dates?

• The 2014 Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 and Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 are targeted to release by the end of November. (This will be updated when it is available.)

• The 2014 Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 is targeted for January 15 release.

• The 2015 Round 1 Tax Update (tax table update only) for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 and Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 will be available the week of December 19th, 2014.   This update will increase the FICA Social Security Limit to the new 2015 calendar year amount.  *NOTE: Therefore, do not install this tax update until the 2014 Year End Wage file is created and ALL pay runs for the 2014 year are completed!

• The 2015 Round 2 Tax Update will be available mid-January.

When should the Year End Close be performed?

The Payroll Year End Close should be processed after all pay runs have been completed in the current year, and before processing any pay runs in the New Year.

Are there any changes I should know about related to the Year End Update for Payroll?

• There are NO W2 form changes

• There are W3 form changes

• There are EFW2 (Electronic Filing) changes. *The file will error if these changes are not incorporated.

• 1099-R (Retirement) distribution code changes

• Affordable Care Act changes - available in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 and higher versions only

• Product Quality Fixes around Payroll Year-End

Where can I learn more about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) changes?

• Another blog will be released tomorrow to further discuss the Affordable Care Act changes in Microsoft Dynamics GP and will include Frequently Asked Questions.

• For more information on the table/column changes due to the Affordable Care Act, click HERE.

• For more information on the Affordable Care Act, click HERE to read Terry's preliminary blog.

What does the Year End Close (YEC) process do?

The YEC process creates the 'Year End Wage' file with annual wage information used to generate W2s, W3s, 1099-R's, and the W2 Electronic file for the year being closed.

What steps should I take to close the year? (See KB Article 850663 for detailed instructions on each step listed below):

**First and foremost make a restorable backup of the company database so you can restore should you run into a problem.**

1.  Verify that you have installed the latest 2014 payroll tax updates. The 'Last Tax Update' should read 12/17/2013 or later in the Payroll Tax Setup Window (Microsoft Dynamics GP >> Tools >> Setup >> System >> Payroll Tax).   (Verifying that the Last Tax Update is dated greater than the Round 1 tax update for 2014 will ensure you have the correct FICA limit in place when you create the Year-End Wage file.)

2.  Complete all pay runs for the current year. 

3.  (Optional) Complete all month-end, period-end, or quarter-end procedures for the current year. 

4.  Make a backup of the original file.

5.  Install the Year-End Update. 

6.  Create the Year-End file. 

7.  Make a backup of the new file. 

8.  Verify W-2 and 1099-R statement information. 

9.  Print the W-2 statements and the W-3 Transmittal form. 

10. Print the 1099-R forms and the 1096 Transmittal form. 

11. (Optional:) Create the W-2 Electronic file. 

12. (Optional:) Archive inactive employee Human Resources information. 

13. Set up fiscal periods for 2015. 

14. (Optional:) Close fiscal periods for the payroll series for 2014. 

15. Install the payroll tax update for 2015. 

To recap, prior to processing a pay run in 2015 the following is:

Required:

• All 2014 pay runs completed.

• Year End Wage File created.

• Backup of company database made.

• Payroll Tax Update for 2015 (2015 Tax Update Round 1) installed.

Optional:

• Print W-2s.

• Create W-2 Electronic File.

Can we run a payroll in the new year prior to closing the 2014 year?

If you must process a payroll for the new year before the 2014 year-end closing procedures are completed, refer to the 'Alternative Payroll Year End Checklist' steps in KB 850663. 

Why may those using Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 want to upgrade?

The functionality needed to track the Affordable Care Act changes for calendar year 2015 is included in the Year-End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 and higher versions.  If assistance is needed for the install or upgrade, click HERE.

ASSISTANCE: Here are some links to use if you need assistance for Payroll Year End Close

• Refer the landing page for the 2014 Year-End Blog Series.

• Microsoft Dynamics GP Blog - https://community.dynamics.com/product/gp/gptechnical/b/dynamicsgp/default.aspx

• Microsoft Dynamics Community - https://community.dynamics.com/default.aspx

• Microsoft Dynamics Support - https://mbs2.microsoft.com/Support/newstart.aspx

   If you are creating a case with the Technical Support Team for assistance with Year End close for Payroll, please refer to the category selections below to ensure you are routed to the correct Support team for assistance:

     --Support Topic Selection:    Payroll

          --Sub-topic Selection:      Year End Procedures 

RESOURCES:

•Year-end closing procedures for the Payroll module in Microsoft Dynamics GP are found in KB 850663:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/850663

•Be sure to check back to the Year-End Blog Schedule for current posted blogs and upcoming blog posts related to Year-End Closing for Dynamics GP.

•Here is a link to a comprehensive video presentation for "What's New in Year-End 2014" for Microsoft Dynamics GP.

•Check out the" What’s New for Year-End 2014” slide deck now available for download.

•Download the U.S. Year End Update.pdf  (refer to the year-end update page link below) 

YEAR-END UPDATE LINKS:  Here are the 2013 Year-End Update pages which will provide you with documentation and installation instructions:

2014 U.S. Payroll Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Download Pages:

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/deployment/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/usgpye2013

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/usgpye2013

2014 U.S. Payroll Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Download Pages:

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/deployment/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/usgpye2010

 https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/usgpye2010

TAX UPDATE LINKS:  Use these links to access the latest (and previous) Tax Updates:

Latest U.S. Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP2013:

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/deployment/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2013

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2013

Latest U.S. Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010:

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/deployment/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2010

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2010

I hope you find this information helpful!  Please watch for more blogs and helpful information to come.   Have a great Year End!!!

Cheryl Waswick | Microsoft Dynamics GP  | Senior Support Engineer

It’s that time of year again, Year End is right around the corner, and the Affordable Care Act is on everyone's mind!!

In this blog, I’d like to provide you with information regarding Affordable Care Act changes included in the 2014 Year End Update; give you an idea of what you can expect to see in future code releases throughout the upcoming year; and provide you with answers to FAQs regarding ACA and Microsoft Dynamics GP.

First, let’s cover the basics:

With mandatory reporting required for the Affordable Care Act at the end of the 2015 year, we wanted to lay the foundation for this as soon as possible. We've begun by implementing ACA tracking mechanisms with the 2014 Year End Update. In addition, changes we make throughout the year will ensure you'll be able to successfully generate the 1094-C and 1095-C forms at the end of 2015. The 1094-C and 1095-C forms will be included in Quarter 1 of 2015.

Affordable Care Act (ACA) changes will be implemented and supported for the following versions:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013, and beyond

Affordable Care Act (ACA) changes will not be implemented or supported for the following versions:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, or previous versions

If you are currently on Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 you may want to consider upgrading soon.  Mainstream support (ie. tax updates) will end on 10/13/2015.  Extended support with no updates will end on 10/13/2020. Please refer to the Support Life Cycle for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010.

 Note: No changes were made to Business Portal Benefit Self Service or Human Resource Management Self Service for ACA.

Requirements to Implement Changes Associated with the Affordable Care Act:

In addition to Payroll, the Human Resources module is required to track Affordable Care Act information in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

The GREAT news is that Human Resources is FREE with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 and beyond!

Recommended to Track ACA Information:

• Install the 2014 Year End Update
• Install Human Resources
• Install Human Resources and Payroll Suite to utilize Deductions In Arrears (DIA)
  
  • Deductions In Arrears allows you to track uncollected deductions to ensure they are recovered in a future pay run.
    

• Add all Employee Dependents
• Ensure Benefits and Deductions exist both in Human Resources and Payroll (Integration between HR and PR complete)

Affordable Care Act changes included in the 2014 Year End Update:

Changes to Windows:

Health Insurance Setup Window
The Offer Of Coverage Code (line 14) and Safe Harbor Code (line 16) fields were added to accommodate ACA changes implemented with the 2014 Year End Update in the Health Insurance Setup window. To open the Health Insurance Setup window, click the HR and Payroll series button, click Human Resources on the Setup content pane, click Benefits and Deductions and then click Health Insurance:

The codes you assign in this window will be stored in the BE020230 - HR Benefit Setup table. Users can ‘roll down’ changes made here to the Health Insurance Enrollment Window to update the employee level if desired.

Health Insurance Enrollment Window
The Offer Of Coverage Code (line 14) and Safe Harbor Code (line 16) fields were added to accommodate ACA changes implemented with the 2014 Year End Update in the Health Insurance Enrollment window. To open the Health Insurance Enrollment window, click the HR and Payroll series button, click Human Resources on the Cards content pane, click Employee -Benefits and then click Health Insurance:

       
Users can assign appropriate Affordable Care codes in this window, or code changes can be ‘rolled down’ from the Health Insurance Setup window.  ACA codes in this window (Offer Of Coverage Code and Safe Harbor Code) are be stored in the BE010130 - HR Benefit Master table.

Employee Dependents Window
The Health Insurance Coverage field was added accommodate ACA changes implemented with the 2014 Year End Update in the Employee Dependents window. To open the Employee Dependents window, click the HR and Payroll series button, click Human Resources on the Cards content pane, click Employee, and then click Dependents:

Things to know about this window:

• Dependents in this window will default to ‘covered’.
• If the dependent is not covered, you will need to change the ‘Health Ins. Coverage’ to ‘not covered’ in this window. Dependent coverage information is stored in the UPR00904 table and can be updated throughout the year.
• Dependent coverage data in the UPR00904 is not updated retroactively. As such, if the dependent is entered into the system on 03/15/2014: the UPR00904 will store records for that dependent starting in March of 2014 and going forward.

New Windows:

Affordable Care Act Codes windows
The Affordable Care Act Codes window was added to accommodate ACA changes implemented with the 2014 Year End Update. The Affordable Care Act Codes window can be opened by clicking on the Lookup buttons in the Health Insurance Setup window or in the Health Insurance Enrollment window:

The Affordable Care Act Codes window contains a list of available (pre-determined) codes for line 14 and line 16. Data for this window is stored in the UPR40105 table.

Changes to Existing GP Tables:

BE020230 - HR Benefit Setup table (HR_Benefit_SETP) had the following fields added:

•     OfferOfCoverageCode
•     SafeHarborCode

BE010130 - HR Benefit Master table ( aka HR_Benefit_MSTR) had the following fields added:

•     OfferOfCoverageCode
•     SafeHarborCode

New Tables:

UPR40105 - UPR 1095 Setup File

The UPR40105 holds ACA codes and descriptions. You can see the data stored in this table when you open the Affordable Care Act Codes window.

This table is utilized to allow users to fill out boxes that will show on the Federal Government’s 1095 form.

UPR00904 – Payroll Master Dependent ACA

The UPR00904 table stores a record for every dependent associated with each employee.

Things to know about this table:

• Health Insurance Dependent Coverage (HealthInsDependentCov) field meaning:
  • 1 = Covered
  • 2 = Not Covered
• Dependents are marked as ‘covered’ in this table by default
• This information can be updated throughout the year, and is tracked on a monthly basis

UPR00905 – Payroll Master Employee ACA

The UPR00905 table stores Affordable Care Act Codes assigned in the Health Insurance Enrollment window.

• ACA Codes can be updated in the Health Insurance Enrollment window.
• These codes are tracked monthly throughout the year.

UPR10108 – Payroll Master Dependent ACA History and UPR10109 - Payroll Master Employee ACA History tables

While these tables were added with the 2014 Year End Release, they are not currently being used. Code will be added to populate these tables with an upcoming release.

• The UPR10108 will be updated during the year-end close process in Payroll using data from the UPR00904 (Payroll Master Dependent ACA) table.  
• The UPR10109 will be updated during the year-end close process in Payroll using data from the UPR00905 (Payroll Master Employee ACA) table.  

Expected to be included in a future release this year (2015):

The 1095-C (given to employee from the employer - like a W2- to show Employer Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage) and 1094-C (summary the employer fills out of all employees that received the 1095-C) forms will be added in Quarter 1 of 2015.

When you create the Year End Wage File for the 2015 year, all Affordable Care Act information you've been tracking will be accumulated to the year end tables, similar to how we accumulate the W2 information. 

Just like the W2:

• You can edit 1095-C information if needed.
• Edits will lost if the Year End Wage File is removed and recreated.

Upcoming Windows:

 
Edit 1095-C Covered Individuals and Edit 1095-C Information windows (to be included in future release)
The Edit 1095-C Covered Individuals and the Edit 1095-C windows will be added to accommodate ACA.

• You will be able to open the Edit 1095-C Covered Individuals window by clicking on the HR and Payroll series button, click Edit W-2s on the Routines content pane, and then click the Dependents button.
• You will be able to access the Edit 1095-C window by clicking on the HR and Payroll series button, click Edit W-2s on the Routines content pane, and then click the 1095-C button.

Note: The Dependents and the 1095-C buttons are greyed out in the Edit W-2 window after you install the 2014 Year End Update. This is because the new windows will be added in a future release:

• Information in the upcoming Edit 1095-C Covered Individuals window will be stored in the UPR10108 table.
• Information in the upcoming Edit 1095-C Information window will be stored in the UPR10109 table.

Human Resource Setups You Should be Aware of:

Payroll View for Human Resources in User Setup Window

It is important to mark the box next to Payroll View for Human Resources in the User Setup window. To open the User Setup window, click the Administration series button and then click User on the Setup content pane:

• If Payroll View for Human Resources is selected, a message will prompt the user to set up corresponding benefit/deduction codes in Payroll to complete the integration between HR and Payroll when a user creates a benefit or deduction in HR.
• If Payroll View for Human Resources is not selected, the benefit enrollment will be incomplete. As such, users need use the Reconcile Human Resources window to update the benefit definitions appropriately.

Automatically Update Payroll Benefits & Deductions in Benefit Preferences Setup Window

Consider unchecking the box next to Automatically Update Payroll Benefits & Deductions until you are familiar with setting up benefits and deductions in HR to ensure they flow appropriately into PR.
To open the Benefit Preferences window, click the HR and Payroll series button, click Human Resources on the Setup content pane, click Benefits and Deductions and then click Benefit Preferences:

Marking the box next to Automatically Update Payroll Benefits & Deductions will update payroll benefit and deductions records without displaying integration messages.

Note: If you are unsure whether or not the HR benefit/deduction has all pertinent data entered to integrate successfully: I recommend you leave this box unmarked. When this box is unmarked, you will able to watch the flow from HR to PR, and this will reduce the chances of failed HR to PR integrations.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question 1:
What is the best way to setup benefit and deduction codes to facilitate ACA reporting to ensure we can break out the cost of the benefit from the cost to the employee?
Answer 1:
Please refer to Terry’s blog Guidelines for Payroll W-2 Benefit Reporting that describes steps you can take to ensure successful reporting on benefits and deductions.
Question 2:
We’ve never used HR in the past. How can we ensure that all of our benefits and deductions are integrated successfully between Human Resources and Payroll?
Answer 2:
If you are implementing HR for the first time, it will be necessary to process ‘Reconcile’ Routine in Human Resources to ‘Update Benefit Setups’ and ‘Update Benefit Enrollments’.  

Click HEREfor a detailed document that walks you through the steps needed to process ‘Reconcile’ Routine in Human Resources to ‘Update Benefit Setups’ and ‘Update Benefit Enrollments’. 

Question 3:
I don't want to install Human Resources. Is there any way to track ACA information in Payroll only?
Answer 3:
Human Resources must be installed to utilize Affordable Care Act functionality. Again, the GREAT news is that Human Resources is FREE in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 and beyond.

Question 4:
What if I don't upgrade right away?
Answer 4:

If you aren't able to install the 2014 Year End Update right away, never fear! We've got you covered! You can utilize the Edit 1095-C and the Edit 1095-C Covered Individuals windows to record ACA information from prior to when you upgraded.

Microsoft Dynamics GP will not retroactively update ACA tracking. It will track ACA information going forward only.

Question 5:

Where can I track 'Lowest Coverage Offered' in GP?

Answer 5:

With the release of the 2014 Year End Update, there is no tracking available for 'Lowest Coverage Offered'. Development haven't yet determined how or where this will be tracked. As soon as we've decided on this, you'll be the first to know!!

Question 6:

Can I submit my 1095-C's and 1094-C electronically in Microsoft Dynamics GP?

Answer 6:

Currently, ACA Electronic Filing is not scheduled to be implemented in Microsoft Dynamics GP in the upcoming year.

Question 7:

Can I track employee hours worked in Microsoft Dynamics GP?

Answer:

Yes, you can! Click HERE, and view the video in Terry's blog, "Affordable Healthcare Act, are you prepared and are you using Microsoft Dynamics GP to its full potential?" The video is full of great suggestions around how to utilize Microsoft Dynamics GP to track employee hours!

Additional Resources:

Assistance for Affordable Healthcare Act Questions

Microsoft Dynamics GP Blog -https://community.dynamics.com/product/gp/gptechnical/b/dynamicsgp/default.aspx

Microsoft Dynamics Community - https://community.dynamics.com/default.aspx

Microsoft Dynamics Support - https://mbs.microsoft.com/support/newstart.aspx

If you are creating a case with the Technical Support Team for assistance with questions regarding the Affordable Care Act in GP please refer to the category selection below to ensure you are routed to the correct Support team for assistance:

     --Support Topic Selection:    Human Resources or Payroll (depending on the question)

Helpful Links:

• Click HERE to view Terry's AWESOME blog around the Affordable Care Act.

• Click HERE to view Affordable Care Act Tax Provisions Questions and Answers from the IRS.

• Click HEREto view Questions and Answers on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Under the Affordable Care Act provided by the IRS.

• ClickHERE for U.S. Payroll Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013.

• Click HERE for U.S. Payroll Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010.

**Be sure to check the Year-End Schedule post for current posted blogs and upcoming blog posts related to Year-End Closing for Dynamics GP.

Wishing you a seamless and successful Year End!!

Andrea Melroe | Technical Advisor | Microsoft Dynamics GP Support

Hi Everyone,

Below you will find some tips to help ensure that your Inventory Control Year End Close process goes smoothly for you!

When should the Inventory Control Year-end close be done?

1. The Inventory module should be closed at the end of your fiscal year, before any new transactions that would affect inventory quantities are posted.

What does the year end close process do and/or affect?

1. Transfers all of your summarized current-year quantities, costs and sales amounts to last-year, for the items which you are maintaining summarized sales history for.

2. Updates each item’s Beginning Quantity, from the Quantity on Hand, at each site.

3. Zeros the Quantity Sold field in the Item Quantities Maintenance (Cards | Inventory | Quantities/Sites) for each site.

4. Gives you the options to:

a. Remove discontinued items
b. Remove sold purchase receipts
c. Remove sole lot attributes
d. Update items standard cost

What steps should you take to close the year?

1. Enter and post all Purchase Order Processing, Invoicing/Sales Order Processing, and Inventory transactions for the current year and then continue with the steps outlined in KB 872713 titled “Inventory year-end closing procedures in Inventory Control in Microsoft Dynamics GP”

Key points to remember:

1. Make restorable backups when it is recommended in KB 872713

2. If you are using Sales Order Processing and/or Purchase Order Processing, be sure to reconcile each of these modules along with the Inventory module prior to closing.

a. The order in which to reconcile these modules is: SOP, POP and then Inventory.

Assistance for the Inventory Control Year End Close

Microsoft Dynamics GP Blog - https://community.dynamics.com/product/gp/gptechnical/b/dynamicsgp/default.aspx

Microsoft Dynamics Community - https://community.dynamics.com/product/GP/default.aspx

Microsoft Dynamics Support - https://mbs.microsoft.com/support/newstart.aspx

If you are creating a case with the Technical Support Team, please refer to the routing below to ensure you are routed to the correct Professional for assistance.

1. Assistance with the Inventory Control Year End Close
a. Support Topic Selection: Distributions - Inventory
b. Sub-topic Selection: Inventory - Other

Resources:
• To see the Year End Closing Procedures in Inventory Control Management for Microsoft Dynamics GP, click on KB 872713.

• To see Information about the order in which the reconcile procedures should be run in Microsoft Dynamics GP, click on KB 864622.

• For Information about Inventory accidentally closed twice, click on KB 855316.

• For information about The Inventory Year End Close Routine does not remove Discontinued Items in Microsoft Dynamics GP, click on KB 872172.

****Click to see a comprehensive video for "What's New in Year-End 2014" ***

•Click here to see the slide deck for this video for "What's New in Year-End 2014".

•Click here to get back to the main Blog Series page for "What's New in Year-End 2014" for more links and information.

Good luck and have a great Year-End!

Shannon Aune | Microsoft Dynamics GP Support  | Sr. Technical Support Engineer

Starting today we will be kicking off a blog series to help you gear up for what's new in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 which was formally released on December 2nd!  This will be a great location to get everything you need to know about Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 all in one place!  

To start off, let me give you some great links to more information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

For comprehensive videos - Applications

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 New Features - Applications

 Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Wide New Features 

To go straight to the Downloads:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Product Download Page  

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Requirements

Up to date information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Upgrade Hot Topic

So now that we have the housekeeping items done, let's get to the fun stuff!  Here is what we will be learning about in the upcoming weeks:

December 15^th             Table Changes for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015

December 18^th             Creating Refreshable Excel Reports based on SmartList Designer

   queries

December 22^nd            Web Client Updates

December 26^th            Copy function for Users

December 30^th            Self Service User Client Access Licenses 

January 2^nd                  Never forget to Invoice a Purchase Order again

January 6^th                   Enhanced Payment Terms

January 13^th                 Human Resources and Payroll Enhancements

January 15^th                 Project Time and Expense - Employee Expense

January 20^th                 Benefits Self Service Enhancements

January 22^nd                Workflow Additions

January 27^th                 Service Based Architecture Enhancements

January 29^th                 Identity Management for Azure

Please let us know if you have any questions and we would be more than happy to answer them.  Bring on 2015!

Hello all and Happy New Year!  Have you ever been in the position where a user has created a Payables invoice only to find out the items originated from a PO or PO shipment and would cause a duplicate transaction?  If so, this new feature is definitely what you are looking for!  

We have received several requests over the years asking for a way to warn or prohibit a user from creating a Payables invoice for items that were currently on a Purchase Order or shipping receipt that could potentially lead to a duplicate transaction.  With the new warning in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015,  you will be prompted when entering a Payables invoice, if the invoice could be a potential match to an existing shipping receipt or Purchase Order line item.  What is great about this feature is the added ability to drill into a Purchasing Navigation list directly from the Payables transaction to view the potential match(s). This new feature is located under the Payables Setup.

This is a great example of what we do for you, the users, when you ask for features to make your day to day processes better.  I encourage you to give this new feature a try and see what you think!

Until next time - here's to 2015!

For more information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

What's New for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Blog Series!

For comprehensive videos - Applications

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 New Features - Applications

 Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Wide New Features 

To go straight to the Downloads:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Product Download Page  

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Requirements

Up to date information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Upgrade Hot Topic

Are you ready for some exciting changes around payment terms for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015?!?  For some time, we have heard from you in regards to the limitations with payment term offerings.  For example, if the payment term is a discount date term, in previous versions, it would go to the next month and then the due date goes to the following month.  This is another feature that you asked for and we hope you like the new capabilities. 

With Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015, you will have the ability to set the Due Date based on Months, Month/Day or Annual.  With this increased functionality, you will now have 8 different options for calculating the due date.  That is pretty awesome!  We have also added a new feature to help assist you in setting this option called the Calculate Action.  This new action will allow you to set up a Payment Term, then calculate to see the potential Due Date and Discount Date based on your setup of the Payment Terms.  We have taken out the guess work on how you want your Payment Terms to function!  Here is what the new window looks like:

We have also made similar changes to the Discount field to include new options to calculate based off EOM(end of month), Next Month, Months, Months/Day and Annual.  As you can see, this is a big change and we will address your current payment term settings when you upgrade to fit into these new options.  Below is an outline of how you could potentially have your payment terms today, and then what we will populate the Calculate Date From Field based on your current settings:

We are so excited to offer this increased functionality to make your day to day processing easier!  Please offer your feedback once you get Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 loaded and let us know what you think. 

Until next time!

Deseree

For more information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

What's New for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Blog Series!

For comprehensive videos - Applications

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 New Features - Applications

 Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Wide New Features 

To go straight to the Downloads:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Product Download Page  

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Requirements

Up to date information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Upgrade Hot Topic

In versions of Microsoft Dynamics GP greater than 10.0 SP4, there is a known issue with the 4-4-5 calendar in Fixed Assets (otherwise known as a Manufacturing or Retail calendar). This issue causes overstated depreciation in the year in which a 53 week year is necessary. Mathematically, the overstated amount will show as the expected depreciation amount times 13/12. For example
If the periodic depreciation should be $1000. The overstated amount will be:

$1000 * 13/12 = 1083.33

When this occurs, there are two workarounds to the issue depending on your version:

Workaround 1:

For versions Dynamics GP 10.0 and Dynamics GP 2010, support has developed a custom chunk file to resolve the issue. If you are on these versions, please contact Microsoft Dynamics GP Support for the file and instructions on use. This case will not be charged/decremented as this is related to a known issue.

Workaround 2:

For Dynamics GP 2013 and Dynamics GP 2015 you can resolve the problem through the following steps. Note that it is recommended to take this action in a test company first per the following article:

KB 871973 How to set up a test company that has a copy of live company data by using SQL Server 7.0, SQL Server 2000, or SQL Server 2012
 
https://mbs.microsoft.com/knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;871973 

1. Go to Financial >> Setup >> Fixed Assets >> Calendar
a. Select your calendar
b. Select the 53 week year.
c. Mark the Short/Long Year option.
d. Leave the Depreciation Percentage at 100%, save your changes, and close the window.
 

2. In Dynamics GP click Transactions, point to Fixed Assets, click Select Assets, and then click New Group. Name the group, and then click OK.

3. Under Current Groups, click the newly created asset group, click to Mark, and then click OK.

4. Click Transactions, point to Fixed Assets, and then click Mass Change.

5. Select the newly created asset group ID, click the Book tab, select the book ID, select Reset Year, and then click Apply Changes.

6. In the following message, click OK:
“Are you sure you want to apply changes to group (New_Group_Name) “

7.  Close the window.

8. Review the depreciation results. If these come out as expected, repeat the above steps against the live company.

Cheers,

Ken Hubbard

Microsoft 

2015 is flying by, and the Microsoft Dynamics GP Round 2 Payroll Tax Update and January Hotfix is already here!!

I have included the most important information you’ll want to know regarding what’s changed and what’s been fixed by version below. Enjoy!:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, 2013, and 2015:

After you install the Round 2 Tax Update and January Hotfix (code update on all workstations and the server), and the 2015 Round 2 Tax Table Update (tax tables only and installed once): The Payroll Tax Setup window (Microsoft Dynamics GP >> Tools >> Setup >> System >> Payroll Tax) should display the following dates:

Last Tax Update = 01/18/2015
Last Tax Code Update = 01/18/2015

US Payroll Tax: Arkansas and Rhode Island code updates.

Please Note: If you do not calculate payroll tax in Arkansas or Rhode Island, you can continue to process pay runs without installing the January Hotfix. However, as always we recommend you install the latest and greatest code.

Click HERE to download detailed documentation regarding the Round 2 Tax Update and January Hotfix.

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 (version 11.00.2390)

Canadian Payroll: After the Year End Update for Microsoft Dynamics 2010 was installed, the ROE Generate window had missing buttons which made the window difficult to use. Resolved!

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 (version will be added upon release)

Canadian Payroll:T4 Box 86 not updating T4 xml correctly, thus rejected by CRA. Resolved!

Affordable Care Act:
As you all know, with the 2014 Year End Update we started to implement ACA tracking mechanisms to ensure you can report on ACA data at the end of 2015. With this new functionality of course, we’ve found a couple of issues. We wanted to make you aware of them and get them fixed right away!

• ACA codes were defaulting on ALL existing Health Insurance for lines 14 (Offer of Coverage) and 16 (Safe Harbor Codes), thus updating the BE020230 (HR Benefit Setup) table incorrectly. These codes ‘should’ default in as ‘None’. Resolved!
• The‘Reconcile Human Resources’ process results in ACA codes defaulting on ALL existing Health Insurance for lines 14 (Offer of Coverage) and 16 (Safe Harbor Codes), thus updating the BE020230 (HR Benefit Setup) table incorrectly. These codes ‘should’ default in as ‘None’. Resolved!
• Benefit information was over-written in the UPR00905 table causing incorrect data when more than one Health Insurance code is assigned to an employee. The UPR00905 table was originally designed to hold Affordable Care Act Codes assigned in the Health Insurance Enrollment window for ‘one’ Health Insurance Code per employee. As such, if one employee has multiple Health Insurance codes, the associated ACA codes would be overwritten. Thus we have decided to add a Benefit column to the UPR00905 to enable tracking of multiple Health Insurance Codes with ACA data per employee. Resolved!

• • Going forward, Microsoft Dynamics GP will read ‘covered’ (ACA code assigned) and ‘not covered’ (ACA code not assigned) for Self (the employee), based on the ACA code entered in the Health Insurance Enrollment window.  Previous to the January Hotfix, the employee was considered to be ‘covered’ all the time.
• Note: DON'T WORRY! These changes will not affect Affordable Care Act data you are currently tracking in your system.

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 (version will be added upon release)

US Payroll:

• Tax engine  was updated, so you can successfully install Payroll Tax Table Updates. Resolved!
• 2014 Year-End changes are included.

Canadian Payroll: 2014 Year-End and 2015 Tax Update changes are included. It’s very important for Canadian Payroll customer to install the January Hotfix for GP 2015, as it includes all Canadian Payroll tax changes.

PSTL (Professional Services Tools Library):PSTL will load and patch with the January Hotfix. Resolved!

eConnect:Changes with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 R2 caused some eConnect stored procedures to update incorrectly. Resolved!

Self Service/Payroll:

• Self-Service time cards do not allow Managers to see start and stop times when approving. Resolved!
• Employee Self-Service time card start and stop times do not work with over-night shift entry. Resolved!

Self Service/Project Accounting: Project Time and Expense encounters the following error while trying to approve a timesheet "Unposted Recognized Revenue : Please set up the Project/Customer/Contract". Resolved!

Affordable Care Act: All Affordable Care Act changes noted for GP 2013 are included in the January Hotfix.

TAX UPDATE LINKS:  Use these links to access the Round 2 Payroll (and previous) Tax Updates and January Hotfix:

Latest U.S. Payroll Tax Update and January Hotfix for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010:

PartnerSource:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/deployment/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2010

CustomerSource:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2010

Latest U.S. Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 (January Hotfix available upon release):

PartnerSource:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/deployment/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2013

CustomerSource:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2013

Latest U.S. Payroll Tax Update for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 (January Hotfix available upon release):

PartnerSource:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/deployment/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2015

CustomerSource:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/downloads/tax-regulatory-updates/TUGP2015

I hope this information is helpful!

Andrea

Hello!

I wanted to provide some information on Service Based Architecture, which is a new feature in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015.

Service Based Architecture is a method for accessing Dynamics GP functionality through a standards-based services model. The applications and services that leverage Service Based Architecture are created by Microsoft and its partners.

To boil this down, it means that we can utilize logic that is already created in a dictionary in a GP Client and expose that to an endpoint for Consumption.

Design

The introduction of the Web Client in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 paved the way for Service Based Architecture. It is deployed in the same installation as the Web Client and the same technologies (Certificates\Firewalls\Internet Information Services) need to be understood.

There are two main differences in the design between the Web Client and Service Based Architecture. The first is that unlike the Web Client which connects directly to the Dex Process, Service Based Architecture connects to the Dex Process via the GP Service and the Dex Service Controller.

The second is the nature of the connection. With the Web Client, it requires a stateful connection. Should the state be lost, Silverlight will produce Async errors. With Service Based Architecture, the connection is stateless.

What can we do with it?

With Service Based Architecture, you can perform the following actions:

• GET - Obtain a list of objects or details on a specific object.
• POST - This action is used for the creation of an object
• PATCH - When an update needs to be done, this HTTP Request Type is used.
• DELETE - This is used when an object needs to be deleted

Here is what is exposed to Service Based Architecture with Dynamics GP 2015 RTM:

• Administration
  • Countries
  • Currencies
  • Payment Terms
• Companies
• Financials
  
  • Checkbooks
  • Currency Accounts Setup
• Inventory
  
  • Classes
  • Item Currencies
  • Item Price Lists
  • Items
  • Item Sites
  • Item Vendors
  • Lot Categories
  • Price Groups
  • Price Levels
  • Sites
  • Transaction Headers
  • Transaction Lines
  • Transactions
  • Unit of Measure Headers
  • Unit of Measure Lines
  • Unit of Measures
• Modules
• Products
• Purchasing
  
  • Payables Transactions
  • Requisitions Transaction Headers
  • Requisitions Transaction Lines
  • Requisition Transactions
  • Vendor Addresses
  • Vendors
• Sales
  
  • Classes
  • Customer Addresses
  • Customers
  • Receivables Transactions

Not all of the above actions (GET | POST | PATCH | DELETE) are available for each of these objects.

Thanks,

Jason Lech | Escalation Engineer | Microsoft Dynamics GP

For more information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

What's New for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Blog Series!

For comprehensive videos - Applications

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 New Features - Applications

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Wide New Features 

Microsoft Dynamics GP2015 Service Based Architecture New Feature

To go straight to the Downloads:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Product Download Page  

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Requirements

Up to date information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Upgrade Hot Topic

Full Documentation – Service Based Architecture New Features

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 - Service Based Architecture

Hello!

Identity Management for the Web Client was introduced in Dynamics GP 2013 R2. This feature allowed us to map our Windows credentials to our Dynamics GP user to allow for a more streamlined login. Here is the blog that discussed this feature when it was released.

https://community.dynamics.com/gp/b/dynamicsgp/archive/2014/06/03/identity-management-for-the-web-client.aspx

With Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015, Identity Management has been extended to include authentication with Organizational Accounts, which are accounts set up in Windows Azure Active Directory.

The biggest benefit comes from the ability to log into Dynamics GP using the same identity when logging into other cloud applications, like CRM Online an Office 365. This prevents being challenged for another set of credentials when utilizing the Web Client and accessing those cloud applications.

The implementation of Identity Management with Organizational Accounts does require knowledge of Windows Azure. In addition to a Windows Azure Active Directory Domain needing to be created with users setup, the global administrator of the domain will need to create an application that will be used to authenticate to Windows Azure Active Directory.

The Web Client installation has included two new windows to address authentication with Organizational Accounts. Dynamics Utilities also has a new option on the Additional Tasks window to handle Organizational Accounts.

The last thing to remember is that when mapping your GP User to an Organizational Account, it has to be done from the Web Client. You are not able to map a GP User to an Organizational Account from the Desktop Client.  Detailed documentation click HERE.

Thanks,

Jason Lech | Escalation Engineer | Microsoft Dynamics GP

For more information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

What's New for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Blog Series!

For comprehensive videos - Applications

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 New Features - Applications

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Wide New Features 

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Identity Management New Feature

To go straight to the Downloads:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Product Download Page  

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Requirements

Up to date information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Upgrade Hot Topic

Full Documentation – Identity Management New Feature

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 - Identity Management

With the announcement of the discontinuation of BP, a new solution has been made available within Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 to allow users to track Employee expenses.  This allows users to enter Project Accounting Employee Expenses, and they will flow through the Workflow 2.0 approval workflows that the users create.

There is also a new Project Time and Expense section that can be added to the Home page. This allows users to quickly see the active Timesheets and Expenses they have entered. Users can also enter or approve Timesheets and Expenses, and they can see a list of recent documents.

Give this new feature a try today!

For more information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

What's New for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Blog Series!

For comprehensive videos - Applications

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 New Features - Applications

 Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Wide New Features 

To go straight to the Downloads:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Product Download Page  

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 System Requirements

Up to date information regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Upgrade Hot Topic

Full Documentation – PTE(Project Time and Expense) New Features

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 - PTE

UPDATE:
This issue has been fixed in the March Hotfix that was released on 4/7/2015.  This hotfix can be accessed via this link:
MicrosoftDynamicsGP14-KB3045195-ENU.msp

Hello!

Recently we have seen a number of cases coming in that are failing on the following table in the company database: APR_BSSBEN02.  This table is failing to insert the records from the HRPBEN02 table because it needs to create the dependents from beneficiaries. 

If you are currently in the failed state and have created a DexSQL.log, you may see the following statement in the log file:

Cannot insert the value NULL into column 'SEQNUMBR', table 'Databasename.dbo.APR_BSSBEN02'; column does not allow nulls. INSERT fails.

Please run the following script PRIOR to kicking off the Upgrade if you haven't already done so to resolve the issue before you encounter it:
(As always, ensure that you have a valid working backup of the DYNAMICS database and all Company databases before proceeding.)

https://mbs.microsoft.com/Files/customer/GP/Downloads/Updates/CreateDependentsFromBeneficiaries.sql

 
Otherwise, if the database is already in the failed state, you can go through the following steps:

1. Do not restore the company databases.  All troubleshooting can take place at the time of failure.
2. Make sure you have a valid working backup of the Dynamics database and all Company databases before proceeding.
3. Run the following script against all of your company databases.
   

   https://mbs.microsoft.com/Files/customer/GP/Downloads/Updates/CreateDependentsFromBeneficiaries.sql

4. Run the following script against the System Database:
   Delete DU000030 WHERE (Status <> 0 or errornum <> 0) and Status <>15  
5. Launch Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Utilities to continue the upgrade from the failed state.

This issue is tentatively set to be fixed in the March Hotfix.

Thanks!
Lance

Sure, Convergence 2015 offers plenty of “wow factor” activities, with keynote speeches from visionary leaders, a surge of stadium-sized rock with OneRepublic, fabulous food, and late night parties in a city famous for its night life. But when it comes right down to it, one of the main reasons for attending Convergence is the support you receive for the products you already use.   I have been privileged to attend Convergence every year since 2003, and can’t wait for the excitement to begin again.

Here are some tips to think about as you prepare for Convergence or why YOU should attend:

1. Bring Your Questions: Write down the issues or ideas you have for improving your processes and find answers at the Experience Center!  

2. Ask Your Coworkers: Not everyone in the company can make it to Convergence, so ask your team mates for their questions and issues.  

3. Prepare for Remote Access: Sometimes the only way to explain a situation is to show us using your own system. At the Experience Center, we can stream into your system with you, so you can show us exactly what’s going on, and we can work with you to come up with a solution.  

4. Talk to Other Customers: Creating relationships with other customers is an important part of Convergence, and will help you long after you return to the office.  

5. Build Your Schedule: Don’t just sit and work in your hotel room! Block time for as many concurrent sessions, keynotes, expo visits, Experience Center sessions, and meetings with customers and partners as you can possibly fit in, and make sure you plan to use the evening events to meet people and have a great time!

6. Find Out What’s New: New features and enhancements can make a huge difference to your business, and Convergence is the best way for you to truly see, hear, and understand the value of these enhancements.  

I feel the experience of Convergence is really amazing.   There are many customers that never get this opportunity. Come feel the love, make connections, and talk to other customers who really understand the system. The relationships you make can last a lifetime, and they’ll help you long after you return to the office.

Click HERE for more information.

Convergence begins in... 10 days, 18 hours, 5 minutes, 8 seconds, see you in Atlanta!

Terry Heley
Microsoft

We've had a couple of questions on how it works when both the Purchase Requisition Approval and Purchase Approval workflow types, for Workflow 2.0, are setup and activated for the same company database, in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 R2 and Dynamics GP 2015.

What happens is that when we have both activated in the same company, when we create a requisition and submit it for approval, it goes through the workflow approval process until it has completed all steps and approvals, then in the Purchase Requisition Entry window, we can pull up the requisition, click on Actions > Purchase, and convert it into a purchase order, where it gets a PO number.

However, since we also have the Purchase Order Approval workflow activated, and because we are in essence creating a new purchase order, even though it is from the requisition that has already gone through the approval process, the new purchase order is given a Workflow_Status of 4, meaning it is 'Pending Approval' and if we bring it up in the Purchase Order Entry window, it shows as 'Pending Approval', because it is forced into the Purchase Order Approval workflow steps and process as well. Only once it has completed all of the approval steps in the Purchase Order Approval workflow, does it become a completed purchase order available for use within the Dynamics GP application.

If we only have the Purchase Requisition Approval workflow activated in a company database, the completed PO would receive a Workflow_Status value of 9, meaning the PO Approval workflow is not activated, thus it is not pending any approval.

This is all by design in Microsoft Dynamics GP and is how the system works if both Purchase Requisition Approval and Purchase Approval workflow types are being used in the same company database. The questions we've seen mostly is why the completed requisition, once converted into a purchase order, must go through the approval process again/shows as 'Pending Approval'.

I hope this helps explain this part of the Workflow 2.0 functionality in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 R2 and Dynamics GP 2015.