2008 Convergence Newsletter

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News from Convergence 2008

March is a great time of year to be in Orlando and that’s where Dave Caldwell and I were this year. We weren’t there with our families at Disney, though. Even better, we were with our clients and about 10,000 other people at the Microsoft Convergence Users Conference. That many people may sound a little overwhelming, but it wasn’t at all. The event was extremely well organized and a huge success. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we wanted to share with you a few highlights: The conference opened with keynotes speeches from Steve Balmer and Kirll Tatarinov, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions. Steve and Kirill confirmed Microsoft’s long-term commitment to Dynamics and talked about Microsoft’s new CRM 4.0 and how Dynamics users can benefit from it. Also on the first day was a general session on Dynamics GP. At this session, they announced that there is a Feature Pack coming out in the May/June timeframe that will include compatibility with Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 as well as several enhancements to Project Accounting, Field Service and Analytical Accounting. They will also be introducing new Business Intelligence options among other things. Further details on the Feature Pack will be published soon. Following the keynotes and general sessions, Microsoft hosted a private party for everyone at Universal Studios. It was a great time for all and a perfect way to end an exciting first day. The rest of the conference consisted of hundreds of breakout sessions, hands-on labs, interactive discussions and other educational opportunities. There was also a product expo with over 120 exhibitors showing various products that will enhance your Dynamics GP solution. One of the new products that debuted at the Expo is the Infinia Excel Integrator that is profiled in this newsletter. On Wednesday night, Dave Caldwell and I hosted a dinner for our clients at B.B. King’s Blues Club. It was a little loud, but the food was good and the music was fantastic. Next year’s conference is in New Orleans so I imagine our client event will have even better food and music. We hope to have all of you there. If you’re wondering if Convergence is worth going to, here is what Kristin Bartley of Two Mean and a Truck had to say about this year’s event:

As for Convergence ... it was great! I think one reason people hesitate to attend is because it's Microsoft ...attending a Microsoft conference can seem a little intimidating or overwhelming, especially for some smaller companies. I was new to GP just a couple years ago and I would have never imagined attending a Microsoft conference. But once you get there and attend the sessions you realize that they are designed for you, the user. It's not about this big huge powerful successful company called Microsoft, it’s really all about the end user. My first time at Convergence was about taking everything in ... from the whole design/schedule of the conference, to all the different products that Microsoft offers, to the new features being introduced with GP10.0, to the expo hall and hands-on learning labs. This year, my second time at Convergence, was about digging deeper into the areas I was interested in, especially now that I had one Convergence under my belt. I was able to head to Orlando with specific questions or interests in mind because I knew what to expect and I knew what my company's wants and needs were. I was able to take my Convergence experience one step further and dig a little deeper into the knowledge that is available there. Attending Convergence is not cheap by any means, but the benefits far outweigh the expenses and it's definitely an investment worth making."

Introducing Infinia Excel Integrator

Have you ever put together complicated journal entries in an Excel spreadsheet and then struggled to import them into Dynamics GP? You know there must be a better, easier way to import from Excel and there is. We have the solution you are looking for, Infinia Excel Integrator. With Infinia Excel Integrator, you can transfer your complex schedules and journal entries from Excel to Dynamic GP with ease. Featured at the 2008 Convergence, this is an excellent tool for importing Excel spreadsheets to create general ledger transactions in Microsoft Dynamics GP. All you do is select the company, choose a batch, input a date and paste. The journal entries are fully validated before being loaded into Dynamics GP. Best of all, there are no complex integrations to define. You will be able to import entries into an existing batch or create a new one. Reversing entries, including historical data, are also supported. For additional information, a demonstration and pricing on Infinia Excel Integrator call Dave Caldwell at (517) 323-7500.

Did You Know?

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Assistance with Newsletter Items

If you need more information or assistance with any of the items in this newsletter or other business matters related to your company’s technology and business processes, email Christine at cstrukel@manersolutions.com