Posts Tagged ‘microsoft platforms’

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP is good platform for integration with your current and legacy applications: ecommerce, CRM, EDI, Microsoft Access and even non-Microsoft platforms, such as Oracle, Lotus Notes Domino, MySQL/PHP, DB2. In this small publication we would like to review Dynamics GP or Great Plains (as it was previously known) integrating tools and scenarios:

1. Dynamics GP Integration Manager text integrations. This module is user friendly and you can easy build CSV or Tab delimited text files integrations. IM has predefined destinations to such popular GP objects as Customer, Vendor, Employee, GL Account, plus Transactions: Sales Order Processing (Quote, Invoice, Sales Order), Purchase Order Processing (Purchase Order, Receiving Transaction). If you are Payroll outsourcing company – you can easily integrate your customers’ employee time cards to give you the idea about typical industry case

2. Integration Manager Advanced cases. Here you have more challenging scenarios, when you have to pull data from external database. In IM you likely will need to deploy Advanced ODBC queries, based on Microsoft SQL Server Views (which might be heterogeneous: SQL Linked Server to Oracle DB, for example). Plus advanced ODBC query should be considered when you have Text file to be integrated, which has non-structured format (you have to weed out comment lines, headers, footers and other attribute of human report). Also, consider the case, when you have to produce document header and lines from single text file – Advanced ODBC query with union construction should be considered

3. eConnect. This SDK has various exposures, however the core of this connector is set of encrypted stored procedures. Great Plains 10.0 installation automatically installs eConnect stored procs, for earlier versions, such as 9.0 you can install eConnect Runtime manually. We do not recommend eConnect to Great Plains customers, who are on version, earlier than 9.0. So, if you are on GP 8.0 or 7.5 – you can consider deploying eConnect, but just the fact of SDK maturity should incline you to the idea to upgrade your Great Plains installation to 10.0 or 9.0. eConnect is open for C# or VB.Net Microsoft Visual Studio programmer, who is also familiar with XML and SQL Stored Procedures concept. Just one warning – eConnect doesn’t post GP batches, consider Great Plains Auto Posting Server to fill this gap

4. Dexterity. Great Plains Dexterity is the EDI and fundament of GP architecture. Dex is almighty, when you are thinking about Great Plains customization and integration. However Dex requires professional Great Plains Dexterity programmer to be involved, and it might be not feasible to train your IT internal programmers to begin software development in Dexterity. Dexterity is good fit to program integration, when eConnect doesn’t provide functionality – good example is GP invoicing module

5. SQL Stored Procedures. As Great Plains, since version 8.0 is available exclusively on MS SQL Server DB platform, it is natural temptation to try program integration in SQL stored procedures. The drawback of this method is long learning curve in understanding the nature of programmed transactions, the disadvantage of “competing” with eConnect stored procedures, where all the work is already done

Author: Andrew Karasev
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card

There are two approaches for application integration:

Programmers approach for applications integration it is necessary to create some program codes;

Integrators approach in this case special software products are to be used and the integration process set up by those software settings.
The following tools may be used for the first approach:

ODBC. In Lotus Domino codes may be used:

o Three @-functions (@DbColumn, @DbLookUp and), which work with registrated ODBC-drivers . @DbColumn returns the whole column from external table, @DbLookUp process search by the key, and @DbCommand runs a command of ODBC-driver or external table (for ex, UDATE or DELETE);

o Three inside LotusScript Data Objects (LS:DO), which support connection process, running of SQL-request and provide operations with received result table. This tool is more flexible than usage of described above @-functions (specifically, transactions mechanism, errors handling, etc);

o Free NotesSQL ODBC-driver allows calling Lotus Domino databases by SQL. This method is available only for simple Lotus Domino databases, as them are not relation databases and SQL is not good to work with (problems with multiple fields values and different fields set in documents);

JDBC. For direct using of JDBC mechanism, free IBM JDBC-driver may be downloaded, which allows calling Lotus Domino databases from Java-applications. This approach is better then use NotesSQL ODBC-driver, but can not be use with complex databases. JDBC technology also using in some integration mechanisms, but JDBC itself is hidden from the programmer(as example, using build in JSP Custom Tag Libraries);

OLE. Using of this technology is in the Microsoft platforms frame. If this limitation is acceptable for a task, then using of this technology allows data exchanging from LotusScript to OLE-applications. Specifically it is possible to export data from Lotus Domino to MS Excel or MS Word. This technology often is using to create reports for Lotus Domino data. In Lotus Domino exists Notes/FX mechanism, which implicitly uses OLE- technologies. This mechanism allows to process automatic data exchange between fields of Lotus Domino forms and information stated on OLE-server. Lately Notes/FX are used in really applications very seldom;

XML. Using of this technology in Lotus Domino R 6 allows processing of Lotus Domino objects stream transformation (documents, design elements, ACL, etc.) into XML and back, apply in a stream XSLT to XML, put filters on translated/received information, as well as review XML by build in LotusScript-classes, processed DOM and SAX parsing;

HTML. If an HTTP task is started on Domino server, then from external applications is available sending/receiving data by of the same name protocol;

CORBA. This technology used in Lotus Domino more in Java content. Applets, servlets, Domino JSP Custom Tag Libraries, using this technology may exchange data with Lotus Domino;

Apart in integration solutions line are DECS (Domino Enterprise Connection Services), DCR (Data Connection Resources) and LEI (IBM Lotus Enterprise Integrator for Domino) technologies. These technologies except of coding request administration settings to be tuned and may be refer as to first (programmer) as to second (integrator) approaches to integrate applications.

DECS technology allows direct connection with DB2, Oracle, MS SQL Server, Sybase sources, and external sources by ODBC and OLE technologies.

DECS technology requests of the same name task on the Domino server, as well as some settings in DECS Administrator database. Two types of documents can be created in this database:

Connection, which provides the possibility connecting with an external system. Without details, let say that this document provides the path to external source and login and password for this connection;

Activity, provides correspondence between Lotus Domino fields and information from external source. The correspondence is assigned by special Lotus Domino form and fields. This document can support up to four case types (form open in Lotus Domino, data changing, deleting or new record creation in Lotus Domino). After Activity document is activated the same processes in external source will be started if the tracking cases happen in Lotus Domino. For example, imputing and saving the new data in Lotus Domino (in case if them are tracking), analog data arrive in external source.

DECS mechanism works correctly in case if external source data are worked with only by Lotus Domino. Otherwise, if the data arrived in external source omitting Lotus Domino they do not automatically transferred to Lotus Domino.

DCR technology appeared in Lotus Domino R 6, is an interface extension for DECS technology and work only with corresponding task on Domino DCR server. Without details, the new design element by name DCR may be considered as analog of Connection document from DECS Administrator database. By the way, analogies of Activity documents are determinated directly in Lotus Domino forms.

LEI technology may be considered as developing of DECS. Using of LEI allows to developers much more possibilities for data processing with build in Lotus Connector Classes for LEI.

Good luck in your system setting up and contact us for any help in Moscow +7 (095) 918-3314, +7 (095) 918-3111 , in USA: 1-866-528-0577!

Alba Spectrum Technologies

USA: 1-866-528-0577, 1-961-5918, Deutschland (0177) 8349 806, Moskau (095) 918 3314

help@albaspectrum.com

Author: Polina Gottmann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Multi-cooker