1. Logging into Dynamics GP
After installation and creation of DYNAMICS, TWO,
and your new company using Dynamics GP Utilities, you can perform the
Dynamics GP application installation on any computer where it will be
used. The rest of the setup steps, whether for a system or company, can
be performed on any computer where Dynamics GP is installed.
When you launch Dynamics GP for the first time on a new computer, you will be prompted for a Server, User ID, and Password:
For the Server, choose the ODBC data source pointing to your SQL Server (remember this will need to be created identically on each computer).
The first time you log in, use sa for the User ID. Dynamics GP will detect that this is a new installation and will prompt you to run Dynamics GP Utilities. Choose Yes, log into Dynamics GP Utilities as sa,
and follow the prompts. Your local Dynamics GP application will be
initialized and synchronized to the settings on the server. Once done,
click the Launch Microsoft Dynamics GP button at the bottom of the Additional Tasks window.
Log into Dynamics GP again as sa and you will see the Company Login
window with a drop-down selection for the companies that have been
created in Dynamics GP. For performing system setup steps, you can
choose any company on the list. To perform company setup, you will need
to choose the specific company you will be setting up.
2. System setup
System setup for Dynamics GP includes settings that
are global to your entire Dynamics GP installation such as the system
password, registration, creating users, setting up user security,
currency settings, exchange rates, and additional system-wide settings.
A very useful feature in Dynamics GP is the Setup Checklist,
which lists all of the setup steps with a brief description of each and
provides automatic links to the related setup windows. The setup
checklist also gives you the ability to assign tasks to others and
change the status of the various installation tasks as you go through
them. In the following sections, the navigation paths to get to each
setup window will be detailed using the Dynamics GP menus, however you
may find that bringing up the setup checklist can save you time during
the setup. The setup checklist is found under Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | Setup Checklist.
2.1 Show required fields
To help with system setup you may want to have
Dynamics GP highlight the required fields on windows for you. This
option is turned off by default. To turn it on:
1. Click on the Help icon in the upper-right corner and click on Show required fields. This setting is a toggle, once clicked it will display a checkmark next to it to show it is activated.
2. Navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP | User Preferences. On the User Preferences window, click Display to open the User Display Preferences window. Change the settings under Required Fields to be something other than the default settings. You can click on Apply to preview your changes and click OK to close the window.
Changes to the display preferences are specific to
the Dynamics GP user. Once set, they will be used on any computer where
the user logs into Dynamics GP.
2.2 System password
Most system setup windows will require the Dynamics
GP system password you entered during the initial Dynamics GP
installation. You can set this password to be blank while performing the
system setup, so that you are not constantly prompted for it. To change
the system password navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | System | System Password. It is highly recommended to assign a system password once you are done with the system setup.
2.3 System preferences
You can set overall system preferences for Dynamics GP by navigating to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | System | System Preferences. All of these settings are optional.
The Office SharePoint Server is used to enable searching Dynamics GP data from SharePoint.
The Home Page Defaults control what loads for newly created users in Dynamics GP. Note the critical word loads.
These sections will still exist on the home page for new users, but
they will not load with initial data if unchecked on this window. It is
recommended to uncheck all of the Home Page Defaults
to save time during initial login, especially when installing on a
computer where there may not be Outlook installed, or when logged in
with a Windows user ID that might not have an Outlook profile. Changes
to these settings will only apply to newly created users, no existing
user setup will be changed.
Remember User is a new feature in Dynamics GP 2010. This activates the Remember user and password and Remember this company
checkboxes on the Dynamics GP login windows. Unfortunately, there is no
way to separate these two options. While many companies may feel that
remembering the company is a nice option for users, remembering the User
ID and password may be against security policies in many organizations.
2.4 Dynamics GP registration
Dynamics GP will typically install without asking for
registration keys, however this should be the first thing entered as
part of system setup to ensure that the system is set up with the
modules you are registered for. Registration keys can be obtained either
from your Dynamics GP partner or from Microsoft.
To enter your registration keys, navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | System | Registration. On the Registration window enter your Site Name and Registration Keys. The Site Name is listed under License Holder
on your licensing information and must appear the exact same way, with
the same punctuation, spelling, and spacing. Even though there are five Registration Keys possible, you may have less. The keys listed as No key on the licensing information should be left blank on the Registration window.
Click on the Validate button and the Modules
list will populate with the Dynamics GP modules you have purchased. It
is recommended to uncheck any modules that you are not planning to use.
Leaving all the modules activated may cause some functionality not to
work as expected and to require setup for those modules prior to
entering transaction for other modules. Modules can be activated at a
later time if needed. Some of the modules may not sound familiar, but
may be core or internal modules needed for other functionality you are
using. If you are unsure about some of the modules on the list, consult
with your Dynamics GP resource.
2.5 Creating Dynamics GP users
Dynamics GP is licensed for concurrent users, so you can create as many named users as you would like. It is recommended to create a Dynamics GP
user for each individual that will be using Dynamics GP. The following
are the steps to create new Dynamics GP users:
1. Log into Dynamics GP as either sa, DYNSA, or a user that has been set up in SQL Server with the sysadmin server role.
2. Navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | System | User.
3. Enter a User ID.
Unlike most user IDs, the Dynamics GP user IDs are case sensitive.
Consider making user IDs the same as the users' Windows logins. Even
though Dynamics GP uses SQL Server authentication, it may be easier to
administer users when all the IDs follow the same pattern.
4. Enter the User Name.
While not required, it is helpful to enter the full name of the user,
so that this information is available when looking through a list of
users in the future.
5. Enter and confirm the Password.
Dynamics GP passwords are case sensitive. If you leave the password
blank, the user will be required to create a password the first time
they log into Dynamics GP. While that sounds like a handy feature, this
can be a security risk because while the password is blank anyone can
log in with just the user ID. This is not a concern if the user will be
logging in immediately, however if users may log in for the first time
days or even weeks later, this is not very secure. Users can change
their own passwords in Dynamics GP at any time, so create a unique
password for each user and ask them to change it as soon as they log in
the first time.
6. Class ID
is an optional setting that may be useful for grouping users in the
future. With the changes to the Dynamics GP security model starting with
version 10.0, user classes are not widely used anymore and are not
needed for security setup. The Class ID can be changed at any time.
7. Setting the Home Page Role
is also optional. If set while creating the user, this will save the
user from having to pick their home page role when they first log into
Dynamics GP.
8. Set the Advanced SQL Server options.
These options allow using your Active Directory domain password
policies with Dynamics GP. This is another feature that sounds more
useful than it often proves to be. There are many limitations and
workarounds for this, detailed in KB article 922456, Frequently asked questions about the advanced SQL Server options in the User Setup window in Microsoft Dynamics GP:
https://mbs.microsoft.com/knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;922456 (requires login). A common recommendation is to uncheck the Advanced SQL Server options when creating new Dynamics GP users.
9. If the Collections Management module has been installed and activated for Dynamics GP, once you click Save on the User Setup window you will receive the following pop-up message:
Clicking Add will open the Collections Management Collector Setup window where you can set up this user as a collector. Clicking Cancel
will allow you to continue without setting the user up as a collector. A
user can be set up as a collector at any time, so if you are not sure,
click Cancel.
When a user ID is created in Dynamics GP, a SQL
Server login is created with the DYNGRP role. The user password is
encrypted by Dynamics GP so that this login cannot be used outside of
the Dynamics GP application.
