Microsoft Great Plains Payroll Module Customization Scenarios

It is now common thing when large corporation selects mid-market ERP or so-called standard functionality MRP solution as its corporate accounting system. Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is very good candidate. As all MBS ERPs it has MS SQL Server 2000/2005 database platform and allows you to deploy customizable and altered solution, serving large corporation HR department. If you use US / Canadian Payroll module as paycheck solution for internal employees - you probably don't need custom logic. In this small article we'll show you the way of tailored integrated solution for nation-wide placement agency.

? The Market. There is huge placement market in healthcare - registered/certified nurses, also we see growing placement market in other industries, especially looking for temporary workforce: wholesale & retail, manufacturing, agriculture, etc.

? Paychecks. Temps might work for one or several of your regional clients and they may decide to walk in to one of your regional offices to request immediate paycheck for their weekly work. Each office should be capable to issue paycheck immediately and the problem is to process and post it in Great Plains. Definitely you can use eConnect to create work checks, but eConnect doesn't allow you to post transactions, this is why you need custom solution. If you are large company - you may have a need to issue several thousand checks per day - automatic posting is the must.

? Additional Complications. US and Canadian payroll regulations have specific payroll deductions. If the paycheck amount is small - there is no sense to withhold the deduction (it is designed for regular employees, who get their paychecks twice per month). So, these deductions should be accrued in the custom logic and then paid when specific criteria are met.

? Customization Tools. In the described case we suggest to use SQL stored procedures for calculating checks and Dexterity process server to post checks (creating SQL stored procs for posting would be virtual rewriting 40% of Great Plains Dexterity based payroll module). And of course eConnect should be used to pull employee/temp master record: deductions, state tax, local taxes, address, etc.

? Targeted Clientele. We certainly understand that placement & recruiting midsize and small market is underserved. We have to tell you here that proposed solution is for large corporate clients only. It is expensive to tailor it for the unique business (we know that each placement business is unique).

Currently we are confident in MS Great Plains ability to automate the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Advertising & Publishing, Distribution & Logistics, Beverages, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Pharmaceutical, Nonprofit, Healthcare/Hospitals, Wholesale/Retail, Manufacturing/Assembling, International Business/Multinational Corporation, Government.

You can always have us help you, give us a call: 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is consultant and CTO in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) - Microsoft Business Solutions partner, serving clients in Illinois, New York, California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, Minnesota, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, Russia. He is Microsoft Great Plains certified master, Great Plains Dexterity, Microsoft CRM SDK C#.Net, Crystal Repots developer. You can reach Andrew: akarasev@albaspectrum.com