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Microsoft Great Plains Technical Support : Typical Questions and Answers
By Vincent Ong
Microsoft has always been known for two things - outstanding products and even more outstanding product support. Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) continues the tradition by providing excellent customer support for partners and customers worldwide.
Technical support offered by MBS depends on the region. For North America (NA), support is available to both partners and customers who availed of the support plan. In Asia Pacific (AP), Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) though, support is only available to partners.
Unfortunately, not every customer in North America can avail of support from their vendor. Some who opted not to renew their annual enhancement plans are orphaned from their vendors and do not receive free upgrades. If they need immediate support, they can contact the MBS Support Team directly but they are charged a higher premium. In this case, it is best to get support from partners such as Alba Spectrum Technologies or the like instead of directly from MBS.
Below are some questions and answers that the MBS Support Team (Asia and EMEA) receive:
Q1. Will Microsoft Great Plains run on operating systems other than Microsoft Windows?
A1. Microsoft Great Plains was first developed to support both Microsoft and Mac operating systems. However, later versions of Great Plains do not support Mac specially when Microsoft acquired the company (Great Plains Software).
Q2. What database platforms are supported by Microsoft Great Plains?
A2. Version 8 and above of Microsoft Great Plains supports only SQL Server and MSDE. Versions lower than 8 support SQL Server, MSDE (version 7.5), Ctree (for Great Plains Standard), and Pervasive SQL (formerly Btrieve).
Q3. We are currently using a different ERP system but we’re interested in migrating to Great Plains (GP). Is this possible?
A3. This is very much possible depending on the ERP system being used. Migrations have been done from Peoplesoft to GP as well as JD Edwards to GP. If interested, we will conduct studies for possible migration between your ERP system to GP.
Q4. Is integration possible between Microsoft CRM and Microsoft Great Plains?
A4. This is definitely possible but it will either rely heavily on MS Biztalk Server (if you follow the MS CRM to GP Integration document) or on Dexterity customizations.
Q5. Can Microsoft Great Plains be accessed via the internet using an internet browser?
A5. There are some eProducts for Great Plains which will allow the company to create an online store. However, this only pertains to the Sales Order Processing side of Great Plains. To access Great Plains remotely, you would need to have Citrix (http://www.citrix.com) installed. If you want to access Great Plains on the browser itself, you need to configure the web server component of Citrix into the web server that you’re going to use GP from.
Q6. What if I am having some problems with Great Plains or if I want to satisfy my curiosity on certain aspects of the ERP system without bothering my vendor?
A6. All Microsoft Great Plains customers have access to CustomerSource. This is an area in the MBS website specifically catered to MBS Customers. Here, you can search the extensive KnowledgeBase relating to any MBS products as well as download service packs and patches for your GP install.
Happy computing! If you’re interested on how Great Plains can help your business, don’t hesitate to contact us. 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
About the Author
Vincent is formerly a Technical Support Engineer for the MBS Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa support team based in Manila, Philippines. Currently, he is a Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies (http://www.albaspectrum.com) – USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, New Orleans, Toronto, Montreal and having locations in multiple states and internationally.
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