Integration Manager Expired? Dynamics GP Direct Table Imports To The Rescue!

Picture this – you are implementing Dynamics GP for a new client who is going to use the application for the first time.

For any of a variety of reasons (hardware related, vacation time of employees at the client, customized dexterity work delays, etc.) this particular client has yet to go live nine months after purchasing their GP Licenses, and therefore their free subscription to Integration Manager has expired.

Under normal circumstances this would be disconcerting news to you as an implementer, having to pass this information over to your customer, informing them of considerable manual data entry that will need to be done in Dynamics GP in the days ahead.

However, through a simple Data Import tool inherent in the GP application itself, your firm could still come out smelling like roses, integrating in the information thought to be impossible to do once IM licensing expired…all through simple .csv files.

The key here is to use DIRECT TABLE IMPORTS into the system, which I have previously used on many occasions for our various clients, especially in instances where routines do not even exist in Integration Manager, such as Item Bin Maintenance and Customer/Item relationship set-ups for example.

Note – Another key point to be made here is that only an individual with somewhat extensive GP knowledge should be using this table import process, as, unlike Integration Manager, which validates data as it is imported in by failing records which don’t meet GP functionality/rules, the Table Import process described below will bring information into the system with no boundaries, thus possibly corrupting data records if you have not validated your file before starting your import.

For starters, I would recommend opening the window in Dynamics GP where you would like to import data into, which I have done below, with the end goal of creating all the BINS in the system for my California site id.
Next, in our SITE BIN MAINTENANCE window (or whatever window you happen to be attempting to import data into) I go to TOOLS->INTEGRATE->TABLE IMPORT as per below, to start your integration set-up work
In the subsequent window, one can find the different GP tables the import process would work with related to Bin set-ups, and in this case, I will choose the SITE BIN MASTER table to pull my data into.
In the TABLE IMPORT DEFINITION window below I continue on to:A) Give the routine a meaningful name in the Definition ID field (in case we would like to re-use in future)
B) Give a description for this particular table import routine.
C) Set the source file format to be COMMA delimited.
D) Once doing so I would also be able to view what the exact columns on my file must consist of in the lower portion of the window, and, more importantly, the character limits of the data I should be using – where one could plainly see that our BIN designations could be no longer than 15 characters in length
This is the final step in the Table Import Process. Click the IMPORT button in the first screen shot below, where your results can be viewed afterward in the IMPORT STATUS window, giving you an indication of the success rate of the process/import (Second Screenshot).
Now if one were to go back and look at our originally blank Site Bin Maintenance window, we would see 9 new BIN records for our CALIFORNIA site id in the system.

Of course, best practices, steps, and precautions should be in place here, especially due to the lack of validation when using data imports – so, be sure to:

A) Backup your Live SQL database first before attempting any direct table imports into Dynamics GP.

B) On your first attempt to import into your client’s Test database, validate how the data looks and behaves by processing a few transactions with whatever you have imported. Then, and only then, perform the same import into the LIVE company if you are satisfied with your results.

I hope this helps!

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As a Dynamics GP user, it is important that you understand GP End of Life. It is not just a distant event; it carries substantial implications that every business must be aware of. To learn more, please watch our on-demand webinar, Microsoft Dynamics GP End of Life – What’s Next, to:

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Decode the terminology to understand how it will directly affect your day-to-day operations & future of your org.
Delve into the security & business continuity risks that may jeopardize your organization.

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