The Latest Coming from The 2012 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Team:

Tracks and sessions have been published! It’s your first look at what’s in store at the 2012 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference July 8 – 12. Embrace all that Toronto has to offer and register today for an experience that will elevate your course of business.

HOW CAN WPC IMPACT YOUR BOTTOM LINE?…

Mark your calendars for the Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Airlift event, September 12-14, 2012 in Fargo, ND. Historically a Microsoft-hosted event, GP Partner Connections (GPPC) is hosting this event.

The GP Technical Airlift event is designed to deliver advanced technical skills around Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 via two tracks, one for consultants and one for developers. Attendees will learn in the areas of workflow, business intelligence, SQL Reporting Services, and planning for security or compliance.

Designed for Dynamics GP implementation professionals, consultants, developers and technical sales engineers who work for Microsoft Dynamics VARs and ISVs, Kim Peterson, GPPC Director, anticipates that the event will likely sell out with…

Bob McAdam, GPPC Co-Leader; Jesse Byam, GPPC Co-Leader; and Kim Peterson, GPPC Director, recently reminded this year’s GPPC PreGAME attendees in Houston that they can provide feedback on the event via a quick survey. GPPC is a partner-driven group and your feedback is critical!

They’ve also made the presentation materials available to review and share with your team members…

With all my encouragement for the community to get ‘social’ and join what Microsoft is doing, it was rewarding to see all of the social activity going on around Convergence 2012. Not only was the Twitter hashtag #CONV12 highly-used to promote the event goings-on, but there were also many other noteworthy examples of individuals and groups upping their activity and going the extra step to engage in the social media space.

For example, I thought what NAVUG did at its DayONE event was a great example of getting the community engaged in using social media channels. In talking with Trish Boccuti of NAVUG, I asked how they came up with the idea of hosting a “Twitter Hunt” during the event…

From EDI Expert, Glenn McPeak:

The automation of the transaction flow in the world of EDI is unclear for companies that want to automate the exchange of business documents between themselves (OEM for this discussion) and a sub-contract manufacturer, or those companies that are the subcontracting partner for others. Issues such as materials ownership, stocking, arrival notification, production scheduling, ERP system integration and the costing of the goods and service are not always well understood by EDI and ERP systems.

Often times the service provided is just one step in a manufacturing sequence that’s driven by a step in a shop order, as opposed to a purchase order or similar document. Some component materials may be provided by the sub-contractor, while others are owned by the buyer of the product and service. Lack of communication and integration of business systems result in scheduling challenges, stock shortages and other problems caused by the lack of communication within this supply chain exchange.

Handling these situations in a manual environment has its challenges and high overhead given…

Now with Convergence 2012 under our belts, it’s time to mark our calendars for other upcoming Dynamics-focused events. While the calendars are always full with local and regional events, below are some of the larger events yet to come in 2012. And don’t forget that Convergence 2013 is already on the calendar, taking place…

Back in the office after an uneventful trip home from Houston. There’s no time to rest – there’s so much to do to followup from the Convergence goings-on. Here’s what’s top of my list and some items you want to act fast on as well as they will help increase the ROI from this event and help Microsoft in preparing for Convergence 2013…

During Monday’s opening keynote session in Houston, Microsoft officially announced that the next version of GP will be Dynamics GP 2013 due for release calendar Q4 of 2012. This is not just a web client release – there are more than 150 new features to help GP-based organizations get down to business without over-burdening the IT person.

Errol Schoenfish gave a good overview of the highlights in his post “Announcing Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013“ on the Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP blog. Errol reports that with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 you can…

Data Masons welcomes The Tapco Group as a new customer who purchased Vantage Point EDI for Microsoft Dynamics GP in March 2012.

Headquartered in Wixom, MI, The Tapco Group brands offer innovative home building solutions for distributors, contractors, architects and homeowners. The company’s products include housing trim, mounting blocks, gable vents, shutters, InSpire Roofing tiles, roof ventilation, snow guards, Foundry siding, StoneCraft stone veneer and Wellcraft Egress Systems.

The Vantage Point EDI for Dynamics GP solution gives The Tapco Group an all-in-one, cost-effective EDI solution that is easy to learn and quick to implement.

Data Masons welcomes BoDeans Baking Group as a new customer who purchased Vantage Point EDI for Microsoft Dynamics GP in March 2012.

BoDeans Baking Group located in LeMars, IA is made up of two companies, BoDeans Cone Company that produces more than 500 million cones and 250 million sleeves annually, marketing to dairy clients across the United States and throughout the world. And then there is the BoDeans Wafer Company that manufactures wafers for ice cream sandwiches.

The Vantage Point EDI for Dynamics GP solution brings BoDeans Baking Group a solution that requires no customizations to their Dynamics GP implementation. This technology will lower ownership costs, reduce complexity, eliminate upgrade issues and expand flexibility when purchasing other Dynamics GP add-ons going forward.