Microsoft is currently planning to develop a project for the entire business solution, Great Plains program. May be suitable for all sizes businesses, is characterized by agile, you can call the various databases.
The history of the 70-293. Great Plains Dexterity – is proprietary programming language and technology, designed back to earlier 1990th with the goal to build platform independent graphical accounting package – Great Plains Dynamics. Dexterity itself is written in C (following popular those days hope – that C will provide platform independence). You can install Dexterity from Great Plains 7.5 CD #2. Obviously it requires a lot of 70-647 learning / training, but it allows your custom piece be seamlessly integrated with Great Plains interface.
Great Plains Dexterity with SQL Stored Procs Nowadays, most of Great Plains installations are moved to SQL Server – so you can use Dexterity for custom forms drawing only and make the buttons run SQL stored procedures.
Native Dexterity Cursors. Dexterity was designed as platform independent 70-624 programming language and so if you want your code to be operable on all currently supported databases – you use Dexterity ranges and loops to manipulate the records
COM Objects calls. Beginning with version 7.0 Dexterity supports COM objects – you register them as libraries in Dexterity. Refer the manual. This technique allows you to call such nice things as web services across the internet.
Great Plains Alternate Forms. These are 70-649 modification to existing forms – the ones found in DYNAMICS.DIC. The most popular customization are made on SOP Entry form. If you are designing your customization – we recommend you to avoid alternate forms – the problem is customization version upgrade. In the case of alternate form – customization should be redone.
Dexterity Forms – if you like VBA and are comfortable to do all the business logic in VBA – you can use Dexterity as new forms creator/editor. This is OK – but you have to purchase VBA/Modifier and Customization Site Enabler from 70-284.
Some restrictions. Great Plains is actually integration of multiple dictionaries: DYNAMICS.DIC, ADVSECUR.DIC, EXP1493.DIC, etc. In your Dexterity customization you can deal with one dictionary – DYNAMICS.DIC. If you need cross dictionaries customization – consider using SQL Stored Procs for crossing dictionary borders and pulling data/making changes in the other dictionary.