>> 1. Is SBF considered to be Great Plains from a technical / integration
>> standpoint?

> 2. Can SBF directly import orders / customers from Yahoo! Store?

> 3. Customer / Receivables Data & Sales Data in SmartList Seems Siloed - is
> there any way to customize / integrate views?

> 4. Finally, customizing fields in SBF seems to be a pain -

> 4B. as does adding any fields (if it's even possible).

> 4C. For instance, we want to turn User Defined Field 2 in the Order form
> into Actual Ship Date

>
> Hello,
>
> Our company (small, growing to mid-sized manufacturing firm) is evaluating
> CRM and e-commerce options and looking to optimize our current investment
> in
> SBF 8.0
>
> Any help regarding any or all of the following questions is much
> appreciated:
>
> 1. Is SBF considered to be Great Plains from a technical / integration
> standpoint?
>
> Specifically, we're looking at Maximizer Enterprise (9.0), and have found
> a
> third-party module (see www.accmax.ca ) which will integrate Maximizer
> with
> Great Plains. I understand SBF to be an app that was / is part of the
> Great
> Plains group, but am not positive. Please advise.
>
> 2. Can SBF directly import orders / customers from Yahoo! Store?
>
> Currently, we literally print out those orders, and have someone re-enter
> them in to SBF manually (inefficient, to say the least). If they can't be
> exported / imported, is there any kind of a workaround (or suggestion /
> idea
> you may have) that might improve efficiency?
>
> 3. Customer / Receivables Data & Sales Data in SmartList Seems Siloed - is
> there any way to customize / integrate views?
>
> When selecting columns to view in the SmartList, the available fields seem
> to be different - and data that can be selected in the Sales view is not
> available in the Customer view, and vice-versa.
>
> For instance, I was recently seeking to create a report which show a
> customer's sales history, along with their payments. Under "Find Customer
> Documents", I can see it all -- but under SmartList - I can't find a way
> to
> pull up PYMT documents (payment records) in the Sales view, and can under
> Customers - but under Customers, can't pull up certain key sales data
> (i.e.
> products by line item, etc.).
>
> Can anything be done?
>
> 4. Finally, customizing fields in SBF seems to be a pain - as does adding
> any fields (if it's even possible).
>
> For instance, we want to turn User Defined Field 2 in the Order form into
> Actual Ship Date - but the two of us at the company who know SBF pretty
> well
> can't get it to work - even following Help instructions.
>
> Also, just as important - is it possible to add fields, and/or extend
> their
> size?
>
> Thanks very much for any help you can offer.
>
> DC
>
> PS - Bonus Question (so to speak ...) -- If anyone has opinions /
> knowledge
> concerning Maximizer Enterprise, QuickBase or other CRM apps. (comparison
> between them, relative advantages, etc.) - please let me know, and/or
> point
> me to any known resources (and yes, I know this is more appropriate for
> the
> CRM group ... just adding it in to this message as a PS in case anyone has
> any info. Thanks again.
>

> D. Charles,
>
> >> 1. Is SBF considered to be Great Plains from a technical / integration
> >> standpoint?
>
> This question is really several questions and they need to be asks just
> right to get the correct answer!
> Is SBF considered to GP? Whatever it is considered it IS GP with some
> features removed. Microsoft's GP team is the team that developes SBF. (at
> least they did last year) It appears that Microsoft for sales/marketing
> reasons keeps it seperate: for example it is NOT included in the new
> Dynamics branding and some other anomolies.
>
> Related to your specific addon, ask the ISV whether they support this
> product with SBF. That is the only way to find out. I have worked with GP
> ISV products that actually worked with SBF that the ISV would not SUPPORT on
> SBF.
>

> > 2. Can SBF directly import orders / customers from Yahoo! Store?
> Can it? Yes! How? There are many ways to approach this. You could write
> integration or there are several out there. There is one from
> binarystream.com that mentions Yahoo in there brochure. But there are more:
> theworldon-line.com's missinglink product and smartrabbits import tool.
> There are probably more out there. The answer to your question is that it
> can be done, you and your freindly reseller/consultant work out the
> specifics.
>

> > 3. Customer / Receivables Data & Sales Data in SmartList Seems Siloed - is
> > there any way to customize / integrate views?
> Not sure I understand this one. Having a report that shows payments recieved
> and item line items seems a little odd to me. If this is a really a custom
> thing there are several approaches: Smartlist Builder (eonesolutions) may
> help, or build a totally custom report. Pretty much if what you want is
> logical it is possible...
>

> > 4. Finally, customizing fields in SBF seems to be a pain -
> Changing exisiting fields in any accounting system is dangerous activity!
> This is a fundamental change that may change things you never thot of.
> Consider a new field intead.
>
> > 4B. as does adding any fields (if it's even possible).
> This is possible with eonesolutions Extender or a knowledgeable programmer.
> Add unlimited amount of fields to almost any screen.
>
> > 4C. For instance, we want to turn User Defined Field 2 in the Order form
> > into Actual Ship Date
> Setup > Company > Transaction Setup > User-defined button.
>

> SBF is a VERY power accounting system. Many addons to solve just about each
> and every problem. The biggest problem most users of SBF make is not getting
> or utilizing a knowledgeable SBF reseller/consultant. I recommend you work
> with yours and if you don't have one we can assist.
> --

> Thanks,
> Matt Landis
>

> Four New Modules to Help You Use or Resell SBF:
> Service Management - PO Generator - Quote Copier - QuickPrint - Advanced
> Pricing
> Download Free Trial at http://www.landiscomputer.com
> (717) 733-0793 x101
>
>
>
> "D. Charles" wrote in message
> news:3E00826D-BA28-4750-97ED-075C13659BDE@microsoft.com...
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > Our company (small, growing to mid-sized manufacturing firm) is evaluating
> > CRM and e-commerce options and looking to optimize our current investment
> > in
> > SBF 8.0
> >
> > Any help regarding any or all of the following questions is much
> > appreciated:
> >
> > 1. Is SBF considered to be Great Plains from a technical / integration
> > standpoint?
> >
> > Specifically, we're looking at Maximizer Enterprise (9.0), and have found
> > a
> > third-party module (see www.accmax.ca ) which will integrate Maximizer
> > with
> > Great Plains. I understand SBF to be an app that was / is part of the
> > Great
> > Plains group, but am not positive. Please advise.
> >
> > 2. Can SBF directly import orders / customers from Yahoo! Store?
> >
> > Currently, we literally print out those orders, and have someone re-enter
> > them in to SBF manually (inefficient, to say the least). If they can't be
> > exported / imported, is there any kind of a workaround (or suggestion /
> > idea
> > you may have) that might improve efficiency?
> >
> > 3. Customer / Receivables Data & Sales Data in SmartList Seems Siloed - is
> > there any way to customize / integrate views?
> >
> > When selecting columns to view in the SmartList, the available fields seem
> > to be different - and data that can be selected in the Sales view is not
> > available in the Customer view, and vice-versa.
> >
> > For instance, I was recently seeking to create a report which show a
> > customer's sales history, along with their payments. Under "Find Customer
> > Documents", I can see it all -- but under SmartList - I can't find a way
> > to
> > pull up PYMT documents (payment records) in the Sales view, and can under
> > Customers - but under Customers, can't pull up certain key sales data
> > (i.e.
> > products by line item, etc.).
> >
> > Can anything be done?
> >
> > 4. Finally, customizing fields in SBF seems to be a pain - as does adding
> > any fields (if it's even possible).
> >
> > For instance, we want to turn User Defined Field 2 in the Order form into
> > Actual Ship Date - but the two of us at the company who know SBF pretty
> > well
> > can't get it to work - even following Help instructions.
> >
> > Also, just as important - is it possible to add fields, and/or extend
> > their
> > size?
> >
> > Thanks very much for any help you can offer.
> >
> > DC
> >
> > PS - Bonus Question (so to speak ...) -- If anyone has opinions /
> > knowledge
> > concerning Maximizer Enterprise, QuickBase or other CRM apps. (comparison
> > between them, relative advantages, etc.) - please let me know, and/or
> > point
> > me to any known resources (and yes, I know this is more appropriate for
> > the
> > CRM group ... just adding it in to this message as a PS in case anyone has
> > any info. Thanks again.
> >
>
>
>

>
> Matt,
>
> Thanks very much - a couple of follow-on queries, if I may (see below, in
> body of the message) -- Thanks.
>
> "Matt Landis" wrote:
>
>> D. Charles,
>>
>> >> 1. Is SBF considered to be Great Plains from a technical / integration
>> >> standpoint?
>>
>> This question is really several questions and they need to be asks just
>> right to get the correct answer!
>> Is SBF considered to GP? Whatever it is considered it IS GP with some
>> features removed. Microsoft's GP team is the team that developes SBF. (at
>> least they did last year) It appears that Microsoft for sales/marketing
>> reasons keeps it seperate: for example it is NOT included in the new
>> Dynamics branding and some other anomolies.
>>
>> Related to your specific addon, ask the ISV whether they support this
>> product with SBF. That is the only way to find out. I have worked with GP
>> ISV products that actually worked with SBF that the ISV would not SUPPORT
>> on
>> SBF.
>>
> ***That's kind of what I thought; if the code is close enough, it should
> work - but I have asked the ISV, and am waiting to hear back.
>
>> > 2. Can SBF directly import orders / customers from Yahoo! Store?
>> Can it? Yes! How? There are many ways to approach this. You could write
>> integration or there are several out there. There is one from
>> binarystream.com that mentions Yahoo in there brochure. But there are
>> more:
>> theworldon-line.com's missinglink product and smartrabbits import tool.
>> There are probably more out there. The answer to your question is that it
>> can be done, you and your freindly reseller/consultant work out the
>> specifics.
>>
> ***Well, we don't really have a friendly consultant (had one, but
> apparently
> they're a bit light, technically - as are we (our IT guys are great for
> network, and general apps management and trouble shooting - but something
> like this is not really within our in-house skill sets.
>
> So, I was hoping for "Sure, just go to sbf.yahoo.store.integrate.com and
> click the link, and all your orders will import automatically" (or barring
> that, something along the lines of POP3 email set-up.).
>
> The less out-of-the-box it is, the tougher it is for us to do - but if
> there's ultimately and ROI case to do this, we may take a serious look.
> I'll
> check out the apps you mentioned ... they're fairly straightforward for a
> non-technical user? Or is code-level know-how required?
>
>> > 3. Customer / Receivables Data & Sales Data in SmartList Seems Siloed -
>> > is
>> > there any way to customize / integrate views?
>> Not sure I understand this one. Having a report that shows payments
>> recieved
>> and item line items seems a little odd to me. If this is a really a
>> custom
>> thing there are several approaches: Smartlist Builder (eonesolutions) may
>> help, or build a totally custom report. Pretty much if what you want is
>> logical it is possible...
>>
>
> ***I may not have explained myself well, and was pulling examples out of
> the
> air.
>
> It's actually more straightforward: In SmartList, in the the Sales
> Documents
> (or Line Items) views, doing anything with PYMT documents does not seem to
> be
> an option.
>
> In Receivables, some facets of payment history can be addressed, but not
> individual PYMT documents.
>
> However, under Find Customer Documents, everything, including PYMTs, comes
> up.
>
> SmartList seems to contain everything under the Sun - except access to
> PYMT
> info.
>
> Any thoughts on any possible fixes? (Hopefully within standard use of
> SmartList?)
>
>
>
>> > 4. Finally, customizing fields in SBF seems to be a pain -
>> Changing exisiting fields in any accounting system is dangerous activity!
>> This is a fundamental change that may change things you never thot of.
>> Consider a new field intead.
>>
>> > 4B. as does adding any fields (if it's even possible).
>> This is possible with eonesolutions Extender or a knowledgeable
>> programmer.
>> Add unlimited amount of fields to almost any screen.
>>
>> > 4C. For instance, we want to turn User Defined Field 2 in the Order
>> > form
>> > into Actual Ship Date
>> Setup > Company > Transaction Setup > User-defined button.
>>
>
> ***Yep - got that. I don't have that level of access, and our sa had issue
> with following that path (I think - "couldn't get it to work" was the
> quote).
> If we sit down together their may be hope ....
>
> (We're not as clueless as we may sound re: SBF -- we've just hit the few
> areas where we want to do something, and can't figure out how - other than
> that, version 8.0 is great, and we live in it most of the day)
>
>> SBF is a VERY power accounting system. Many addons to solve just about
>> each
>> and every problem. The biggest problem most users of SBF make is not
>> getting
>> or utilizing a knowledgeable SBF reseller/consultant. I recommend you
>> work
>> with yours and if you don't have one we can assist.
>> --
>
> ***That's a thought ... I'll check into status of agreement with the one
> mentioned above. Do you guys operate long-distance? We're not huge - but
> are
> likely upgrading to Enterprise within 6-12 months (we pretty much have to,
> and have gotten our CFO / COO to realize this) -- we're growing pretty
> fast.
>
>> Thanks,
>> Matt Landis
>>
>
> Thank you - your help is appreciated.
>
> DC
>
>
>
>> Four New Modules to Help You Use or Resell SBF:
>> Service Management - PO Generator - Quote Copier - QuickPrint - Advanced
>> Pricing
>> Download Free Trial at http://www.landiscomputer.com
>> (717) 733-0793 x101
>>
>>
>>
>> "D. Charles" wrote in message
>> news:3E00826D-BA28-4750-97ED-075C13659BDE@microsoft.com...
>> >
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > Our company (small, growing to mid-sized manufacturing firm) is
>> > evaluating
>> > CRM and e-commerce options and looking to optimize our current
>> > investment
>> > in
>> > SBF 8.0
>> >
>> > Any help regarding any or all of the following questions is much
>> > appreciated:
>> >
>> > 1. Is SBF considered to be Great Plains from a technical / integration
>> > standpoint?
>> >
>> > Specifically, we're looking at Maximizer Enterprise (9.0), and have
>> > found
>> > a
>> > third-party module (see www.accmax.ca ) which will integrate Maximizer
>> > with
>> > Great Plains. I understand SBF to be an app that was / is part of the
>> > Great
>> > Plains group, but am not positive. Please advise.
>> >
>> > 2. Can SBF directly import orders / customers from Yahoo! Store?
>> >
>> > Currently, we literally print out those orders, and have someone
>> > re-enter
>> > them in to SBF manually (inefficient, to say the least). If they can't
>> > be
>> > exported / imported, is there any kind of a workaround (or suggestion /
>> > idea
>> > you may have) that might improve efficiency?
>> >
>> > 3. Customer / Receivables Data & Sales Data in SmartList Seems Siloed -
>> > is
>> > there any way to customize / integrate views?
>> >
>> > When selecting columns to view in the SmartList, the available fields
>> > seem
>> > to be different - and data that can be selected in the Sales view is
>> > not
>> > available in the Customer view, and vice-versa.
>> >
>> > For instance, I was recently seeking to create a report which show a
>> > customer's sales history, along with their payments. Under "Find
>> > Customer
>> > Documents", I can see it all -- but under SmartList - I can't find a
>> > way
>> > to
>> > pull up PYMT documents (payment records) in the Sales view, and can
>> > under
>> > Customers - but under Customers, can't pull up certain key sales data
>> > (i.e.
>> > products by line item, etc.).
>> >
>> > Can anything be done?
>> >
>> > 4. Finally, customizing fields in SBF seems to be a pain - as does
>> > adding
>> > any fields (if it's even possible).
>> >
>> > For instance, we want to turn User Defined Field 2 in the Order form
>> > into
>> > Actual Ship Date - but the two of us at the company who know SBF pretty
>> > well
>> > can't get it to work - even following Help instructions.
>> >
>> > Also, just as important - is it possible to add fields, and/or extend
>> > their
>> > size?
>> >
>> > Thanks very much for any help you can offer.
>> >
>> > DC
>> >
>> > PS - Bonus Question (so to speak ...) -- If anyone has opinions /
>> > knowledge
>> > concerning Maximizer Enterprise, QuickBase or other CRM apps.
>> > (comparison
>> > between them, relative advantages, etc.) - please let me know, and/or
>> > point
>> > me to any known resources (and yes, I know this is more appropriate for
>> > the
>> > CRM group ... just adding it in to this message as a PS in case anyone
>> > has
>> > any info. Thanks again.
>> >
>>
>>
>>

>
> Matt,
>
> Thanks very much - a couple of follow-on queries, if I may (see below, in
> body of the message) -- Thanks.
>
> "Matt Landis" wrote:
>
>> D. Charles,
>>
>> >> 1. Is SBF considered to be Great Plains from a technical / integration
>> >> standpoint?
>>
>> This question is really several questions and they need to be asks just
>> right to get the correct answer!
>> Is SBF considered to GP? Whatever it is considered it IS GP with some
>> features removed. Microsoft's GP team is the team that developes SBF. (at
>> least they did last year) It appears that Microsoft for sales/marketing
>> reasons keeps it seperate: for example it is NOT included in the new
>> Dynamics branding and some other anomolies.
>>
>> Related to your specific addon, ask the ISV whether they support this
>> product with SBF. That is the only way to find out. I have worked with GP
>> ISV products that actually worked with SBF that the ISV would not SUPPORT
>> on
>> SBF.
>>
> ***That's kind of what I thought; if the code is close enough, it should
> work - but I have asked the ISV, and am waiting to hear back.
>
>> > 2. Can SBF directly import orders / customers from Yahoo! Store?
>> Can it? Yes! How? There are many ways to approach this. You could write
>> integration or there are several out there. There is one from
>> binarystream.com that mentions Yahoo in there brochure. But there are
>> more:
>> theworldon-line.com's missinglink product and smartrabbits import tool.
>> There are probably more out there. The answer to your question is that it
>> can be done, you and your freindly reseller/consultant work out the
>> specifics.
>>
> ***Well, we don't really have a friendly consultant (had one, but
> apparently
> they're a bit light, technically - as are we (our IT guys are great for
> network, and general apps management and trouble shooting - but something
> like this is not really within our in-house skill sets.
>
> So, I was hoping for "Sure, just go to sbf.yahoo.store.integrate.com and
> click the link, and all your orders will import automatically" (or barring
> that, something along the lines of POP3 email set-up.).
>
> The less out-of-the-box it is, the tougher it is for us to do - but if
> there's ultimately and ROI case to do this, we may take a serious look.
> I'll
> check out the apps you mentioned ... they're fairly straightforward for a
> non-technical user? Or is code-level know-how required?
>
>> > 3. Customer / Receivables Data & Sales Data in SmartList Seems Siloed -
>> > is
>> > there any way to customize / integrate views?
>> Not sure I understand this one. Having a report that shows payments
>> recieved
>> and item line items seems a little odd to me. If this is a really a
>> custom
>> thing there are several approaches: Smartlist Builder (eonesolutions) may
>> help, or build a totally custom report. Pretty much if what you want is
>> logical it is possible...
>>
>
> ***I may not have explained myself well, and was pulling examples out of
> the
> air.
>
> It's actually more straightforward: In SmartList, in the the Sales
> Documents
> (or Line Items) views, doing anything with PYMT documents does not seem to
> be
> an option.
>
> In Receivables, some facets of payment history can be addressed, but not
> individual PYMT documents.
>
> However, under Find Customer Documents, everything, including PYMTs, comes
> up.
>
> SmartList seems to contain everything under the Sun - except access to
> PYMT
> info.
>
> Any thoughts on any possible fixes? (Hopefully within standard use of
> SmartList?)
>
>
>
>> > 4. Finally, customizing fields in SBF seems to be a pain -
>> Changing exisiting fields in any accounting system is dangerous activity!
>> This is a fundamental change that may change things you never thot of.
>> Consider a new field intead.
>>
>> > 4B. as does adding any fields (if it's even possible).
>> This is possible with eonesolutions Extender or a knowledgeable
>> programmer.
>> Add unlimited amount of fields to almost any screen.
>>
>> > 4C. For instance, we want to turn User Defined Field 2 in the Order
>> > form
>> > into Actual Ship Date
>> Setup > Company > Transaction Setup > User-defined button.
>>
>
> ***Yep - got that. I don't have that level of access, and our sa had issue
> with following that path (I think - "couldn't get it to work" was the
> quote).
> If we sit down together their may be hope ....
>
> (We're not as clueless as we may sound re: SBF -- we've just hit the few
> areas where we want to do something, and can't figure out how - other than
> that, version 8.0 is great, and we live in it most of the day)
>
>> SBF is a VERY power accounting system. Many addons to solve just about
>> each
>> and every problem. The biggest problem most users of SBF make is not
>> getting
>> or utilizing a knowledgeable SBF reseller/consultant. I recommend you
>> work
>> with yours and if you don't have one we can assist.
>> --
>
> ***That's a thought ... I'll check into status of agreement with the one
> mentioned above. Do you guys operate long-distance? We're not huge - but
> are
> likely upgrading to Enterprise within 6-12 months (we pretty much have to,
> and have gotten our CFO / COO to realize this) -- we're growing pretty
> fast.
>
>> Thanks,
>> Matt Landis
>>
>
> Thank you - your help is appreciated.
>
> DC
>
>
>
>> Four New Modules to Help You Use or Resell SBF:
>> Service Management - PO Generator - Quote Copier - QuickPrint - Advanced
>> Pricing
>> Download Free Trial at http://www.landiscomputer.com
>> (717) 733-0793 x101
>>
>>
>>
>> "D. Charles" wrote in message
>> news:3E00826D-BA28-4750-97ED-075C13659BDE@microsoft.com...
>> >
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > Our company (small, growing to mid-sized manufacturing firm) is
>> > evaluating
>> > CRM and e-commerce options and looking to optimize our current
>> > investment
>> > in
>> > SBF 8.0
>> >
>> > Any help regarding any or all of the following questions is much
>> > appreciated:
>> >
>> > 1. Is SBF considered to be Great Plains from a technical / integration
>> > standpoint?
>> >
>> > Specifically, we're looking at Maximizer Enterprise (9.0), and have
>> > found
>> > a
>> > third-party module (see www.accmax.ca ) which will integrate Maximizer
>> > with
>> > Great Plains. I understand SBF to be an app that was / is part of the
>> > Great
>> > Plains group, but am not positive. Please advise.
>> >
>> > 2. Can SBF directly import orders / customers from Yahoo! Store?
>> >
>> > Currently, we literally print out those orders, and have someone
>> > re-enter
>> > them in to SBF manually (inefficient, to say the least). If they can't
>> > be
>> > exported / imported, is there any kind of a workaround (or suggestion /
>> > idea
>> > you may have) that might improve efficiency?
>> >
>> > 3. Customer / Receivables Data & Sales Data in SmartList Seems Siloed -
>> > is
>> > there any way to customize / integrate views?
>> >
>> > When selecting columns to view in the SmartList, the available fields
>> > seem
>> > to be different - and data that can be selected in the Sales view is
>> > not
>> > available in the Customer view, and vice-versa.
>> >
>> > For instance, I was recently seeking to create a report which show a
>> > customer's sales history, along with their payments. Under "Find
>> > Customer
>> > Documents", I can see it all -- but under SmartList - I can't find a
>> > way
>> > to
>> > pull up PYMT documents (payment records) in the Sales view, and can
>> > under
>> > Customers - but under Customers, can't pull up certain key sales data
>> > (i.e.
>> > products by line item, etc.).
>> >
>> > Can anything be done?
>> >
>> > 4. Finally, customizing fields in SBF seems to be a pain - as does
>> > adding
>> > any fields (if it's even possible).
>> >
>> > For instance, we want to turn User Defined Field 2 in the Order form
>> > into
>> > Actual Ship Date - but the two of us at the company who know SBF pretty
>> > well
>> > can't get it to work - even following Help instructions.
>> >
>> > Also, just as important - is it possible to add fields, and/or extend
>> > their
>> > size?
>> >
>> > Thanks very much for any help you can offer.
>> >
>> > DC
>> >
>> > PS - Bonus Question (so to speak ...) -- If anyone has opinions /
>> > knowledge
>> > concerning Maximizer Enterprise, QuickBase or other CRM apps.
>> > (comparison
>> > between them, relative advantages, etc.) - please let me know, and/or
>> > point
>> > me to any known resources (and yes, I know this is more appropriate for
>> > the
>> > CRM group ... just adding it in to this message as a PS in case anyone
>> > has
>> > any info. Thanks again.
>> >
>>
>>
>>