SAP business one vs Microsoft Dynamics GP - highlights for consultants

In this small article we make not technical data of the side-by side comparison. Would rather we give you opinions from both sides - Microsoft and SAP. Both products were for medium-sized enterprises in the United States, Europe (but Microsoft Great Plains - leaves Dynamics GP version 10.0 - the continental Europe market somewhere in 2008, where Microsoft business solutions will probably put on Microsoft Dynamics NAV - again, this is contingent on progress with project green or now Microsoft Dynamics project). We come to the subject:
o strengthen Microsoft Dynamics GP. Microsoft, and the leader in operating systems, Office products, and also such platforms such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server - can now utilize ERP technology infrastructure, including ERP integration: SQL heterogeneous queries, SharePoint Workflows, web portals. At the same time, long time on the market for such products such as Microsoft Outlook Microsoft the opportunity offers, count on Outlook user experience - Microsoft Dynamics products need no user training (from the interface intuitiveness view) – Microsoft Dynamics CRM Outlook client, Microsoft Dynamics GP have closer integration with Outlook to version 9.0. It is some comments on another Microsoft product - Microsoft Small Business Accounting - integrated where to create invoices and to promote Outlook contacts to your MS-SBA customers with MS Outlook.
o SAP business one. This product was bought by SAP of Israel software development company four years ago. The driven reason was probably the need, enter into small and medium-sized customers, as well as SAP requires such product multilanguage and complex international taxation rules easily adaptable. SAP business one has CRM, ERP/production modules and technical ERP/MRP/CRM for production or maintenance subsidiary of large companies may be used as. SAP business one has modern architecture and design, and this is what might be, select one of the strengths of decision making ERP platform. Microsoft Office must SAP business one integration — e-Mail via MS Outlook client / SMTP to it and to integrate with MS Office on the level of COM objects
o Microsoft Dynamics arguments. At the time when Microsoft Dynamics / Project Green enable Microsoft ERP products work with Microsoft Office technologies, SAP several years behind in this direction is work. SAP is currently shrinking enable Microsoft SAP MySAP integration with Microsoft Office. Microsoft has this strong argument against SAP business one - SAP sets industry experts, which very much and probably business and industry vertical consulting implements come ERP from medium-sized enterprise in General ERP/MRP consulting and expertise first. The result is longer implementation cycle, as well as complexity with SAP business one integration with technology innovative and legacy products
o SAP business two arguments. Microsoft tries to resolve, technical solutions and technologies. It's excellent ERP platform enough, if we give you, which has plus allows good integration tools for Microsoft Office integration with Windows platform itself – can ASP.NET or c#.NET (our comment - can your SAP business one communicate with the outside world with such non-Microsoft platforms as IBM Lotus Notes Domino and Lotus Notes as a document workflow)
o additional Microsoft arguments. There are Analytics out there on the ERP strategic research market, Microsoft in the opinion to the support that business one need SAP technological advances (e.g. development, own Office platform, or more closely with Microsoft Office products) to stay current with the ERP market in 2010...
o additional considerations. SAP has change of course additional bells and whistles, such as language - you can switch keyboard shortcut Cnrtl German, French or Portuguese (Brazil), US English. Microsoft Dexterity has been in previous lighting technician and supports a nice feature and Unicode - not such the question asked by the view from China, India and Arab world.

Survive the changes in Microsoft Word 2003 mail merge

With each new release of Microsoft Office, it seems that in Microsoft's wisdom, that they decide how change, we are the modest merge. In earlier versions of Microsoft Word such as such as Microsoft Word 2000, the process for performing a mail merge was simple. The first step was to create the data source, which was a Microsoft Word document with a simple table in it by default. The next step was that create main document that could be a letter or a brochure. Then the third step was your fields add to perform the main document and then finally the merge.
In Microsoft Word 2003 when you start a new mail merge you should be then the data source that you create a Microsoft Access database aware, that you in fact is not to Microsoft Word document as a data source. To some degree, I welcome this step because I am a passionate supporter, who in fact should all raw data stored in a database of some kind, it does not matter, whether of a Microsoft Access database, a MySQL database or SQL Server. The reason for this is that the database allows it is much more stable as a Microsoft Word document users more than once to use this data and a database, especially if you are working with large amounts of data. You will also notice that the Microsoft Access database, created from the mail Merge Wizard is very simple and contains only a single table with the fields you defined.
The cool thing Microsoft has done with this, is that store your raw data in a Microsoft Access database, you change it in the future this data with other applications allows. Actually, it's much easier to move data in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, or even in a system of commercial database such as Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access. The new merge functionality, you can filter and sort your data also easy. Another important advantage is that the filter can you on what data you actually want to include in the mail merge process.
I have the problem but is to do with the new Microsoft Word 2003 mail merge process the complexity of a merge. Especially the long winded way, you must insert the merge fields in your document. In earlier versions of Microsoft Word application, such as Microsoft Word 2000 you could add your main document at once simply each merge field. In Microsoft Word 2003 you must first open the mail merge field dialog box each time you want to add a field. That of right, need to add each field by selecting the field and then insert the merge field, and then close the dialog, and then repeat this step for each field. I find more annoying than anything else.
We could of course manually enter each field with the key combination CTRL + F9 (used, insert a field), but a lot of work is that I agree. I think, in future, this is something that Microsoft changes, but I think that only time will tell versions.
I think all in all, this new Microsoft Word 2003 mail Merge Wizard is a positive step, but be a little overwhelming and confusing for the user that the merge can process earlier.