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Great Plains Implementation cost: approximate breakdown overview for Controller – Alba Spectrum

New ERP and budgeting for it is normal process and from time to time you should undertake such adventures. Microsoft Dynamics GP MRP application is targeted to mid-size and in some cases small businesses. If you would like to compare competition, please call to Accpac, MAS 90 and SAP Business One VARs. If you are on Microsoft platform internally in your organization, you may also consider others Microsoft Dynamics products: Navision and Axapta. If you selected GP as your future ERP, then you need to budget or at least get the idea on the implementation cost. Let’s try to review this topic in this small publication:
1. GP software license cost. Here you have two options: Business Ready (or analogue to all-in-one user license) and Professional (where you select modules – this is typically for high-end customers or large companies). Business Ready cost range is from 10 to 20 thousand dollars, and Professional is typically higher. If you are on Great Plains Dynamics GP standard, then this licensing line is no longer available for new customers
2. Annual Enhancement program cost. ERP software vendors nowadays typically charge customers every year and the name of this program in the case of Microsoft Dynamics GP is annual enhancement or its various blends. The difference in price is attributed to the number of included support cases per year, plus assignment of personal technician for your organization. The cheapest option doesn’t have included support cases, and it only includes access to GP technical knowledge database
3. Software Implementation Consulting cost. This is very flexible in approximation as it depends on MBS implementation partners availability and competition in your area. Plus, it is up to your ability to select the best partner to do implementation job. Implementation typically includes customization, integration and reporting fragments. In our opinion, ERP implementation cost is similar or higher than software licenses. Here we would like to separate GP implementing cost from such an expense subject as GP data conversion
4. Data migration and massage for GP. Initial data conversion might be simple enough and limited to GL initial balances entry. More advanced data conversion scenario is importing customers and vendors records import. Again, the more heavy data conversion is in your plans, the more we would like to discourage you from doing so. There are numerous records in our experience, where data conversion cost exceeds users training, software installation and even software licenses cost
5. GP reporting. You can not typically go live without making GP report your old traditional way as you had it from your legacy ERP. GP reporting is separate topic, however top level of reporting review suggests you to select reporting tools: GP ReportWriter, FRx, Crystal Reports, MS SQL Server Reporting Services or SRS
6. GP Customization Cost. If you need to modify or in other words to involve GP programming scenarios, then there should be budgeted cost
Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.com , help@albaspectrum.com. 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving GP customers USA and Canada Nationwide, local service in Chicago and Houston. We specialize in technically challenging GP upgrade, integration, customization projects, including GP support for large corporations. We also do Great Plains Dexterity programming: upgrade Dex modifications, Dexterity custom reporting, Crystal Reports. Give us a call if you need in-depth Great Plains technical expertise