Month: March 2015

The Cost of Upgrading vs. The Cost of Fixing Problems

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

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March 30, 2015

5 overlooked activities that give online sellers a sales tax obligation

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

1. Drop shipping

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

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March 27, 2015

How To: Modify Dynamics GP with Modifier and Dot Net

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

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March 26, 2015

Upgrading why should I do it? What are some benefits from upgrading?

Each year there is a new version of your ERP software and the big question is should this be the year that we upgrade.  Many may see upgrading as a large project that will take time and resources but what you don’t see are all the benefits you will have from upgrading.  These benefits are not always limited to the ERP enhancements with an upgraded software.  A lot can happen in the year or two that it has been since your last upgrade.  Businesses are constantly changing and the need for more automation and functionality out of your software is always there. 

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March 24, 2015

Paying Employee Expenses By EFT Part 2

In part 1 – We went thru the steps to setup the Company EFT Information. In this Section we will go thru the steps to setup the Employee as a Vendor and to setup the EFT Information for that Vendor.

Step One – Create a Vendor Class – this class will be assigned to all Employees setup for Expenses

Go To Purchasing >> Setup >> Vendor Class

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March 20, 2015

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

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

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

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March 19, 2015

3 Reasons Why You Need a CRM System (Customer Relationship Management)

Here are three pertinent reasons your business needs and can benefit from having a CRM.

1. YOU NEED METRICS
How many successful projects have you had in the past week, month or even year? What is your conversion ratio and what are the best methods to make sure you are reaching your customers? Knowing your business metrics is critical to your business growth and success. A CRM will give you instant metrics of dozens of aspects of your business plus it allows you to create custom reports to better track metrics to your specific needs. Once you have those reports at your fingertips, you will never look back. Just think. No more time wasted on excel spreadsheets!

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March 18, 2015

Get your Elbows Dirty with BI

I love listening to the Kane Show on Hot 99.5 during my morning commutes into the office.  So I couldn’t resist using Arnetta’s saying in the title of this month’s blog.   When someone calls in to the Kane Show saying that today is there last day at their company they like playing a clip from Arnetta.  In my case it’s not my last day at KTL Solutions but a job change within the company.

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March 16, 2015

Project Budgeting and the Questions You Should Ask

Budgets are one of the 3 pillars that hold-up a project and they ensure that there is enough of “it” to support the other 2, viz. scope and time. All three are just as important but for a successful project implementation a smart budget is at its core.

The PMBOK talks about several methods we can use for budgeting but the one that is my favorite and is most accurate is “bottom-up estimating”. When using this method we break down each task into a smaller component and such a component can be assigned anywhere from 8-16 hours to complete. We then work our way up into estimates of higher-level deliverables.

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March 11, 2015