When you launch Dynamics GP for the first time on a new computer, you will be prompted for a Server, User ID, and Password:
For the Server, choose the ODBC data source pointing to your SQL Server (remember this will need to be created identically on each computer).
The first time you log in, use sa for the User ID. Dynamics GP will detect that this is a new installation and will prompt you to run Dynamics GP Utilities. Choose Yes, log into Dynamics GP Utilities as sa, and follow the prompts. Your local Dynamics GP application will be initialized and synchronized to the settings on the server. Once done, click the Launch Microsoft Dynamics GP button at the bottom of the Additional Tasks window.
Log into Dynamics GP again as sa and you will see the Company Login window with a drop-down selection for the companies that have been created in Dynamics GP. For performing system setup steps, you can choose any company on the list. To perform company setup, you will need to choose the specific company you will be setting up.
System setup
System setup for Dynamics GP includes settings that are global to your entire Dynamics GP installation such as the system password, registration, creating users, setting up user security, currency settings, exchange rates, and additional system-wide settings.
A very useful feature in Dynamics GP is the Setup Checklist, which lists all of the setup steps with a brief description of each and provides automatic links to the related setup windows. The setup checklist also gives you the ability to assign tasks to others and change the status of the various installation tasks as you go through them. In the following sections, the navigation paths to get to each setup window will be detailed using the Dynamics GP menus, however you may find that bringing up the setup checklist can save you time during the setup. The setup checklist is found under Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | Setup Checklist.
Show required fields
To help with system setup you may want to have Dynamics GP highlight the required fields on windows for you. This option is turned off by default. To turn it on:
- Click on the Help icon in the upper-right corner and click on Show required fields. This setting is a toggle, once clicked it will display a checkmark next to it to show it is activated.
- Navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP |User Preferences. On the User Preferences window, click on Display to open the User Display Preferences window. Change the settings under Required Fields to be something other than the default settings. You can click on Apply to preview your changes and click OK to close the window.
Changes to the display preferences are specific to the Dynamics GP user. Once set, they will be used on any computer where the user logs into Dynamics GP.
System password
Most system setup windows will require the Dynamics GP system password you entered during the initial Dynamics GP installation. You can set this password to be blank while performing the system setup, so that you are not constantly prompted for it. To change the system password navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | System | System Password. It is highly recommended to assign a system password once you are done with the system setup.
System preferences
You can set overall system preferences for Dynamics GP by navigating to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | System | System Preferences. All of these settings are optional.
The Office SharePoint Server is used to enable searching Dynamics GP data from SharePoint.
The Home Page Defaults control what loads for newly created users in Dynamics GP. Note the critical word loads. These sections will still exist on the home page for new users, but they will not load with initial data if unchecked on this window. It is recommended to uncheck all of the Home Page Defaults to save time during initial login, especially when installing on a computer where there may not be Outlook installed, or when logged in with a Windows user ID that might not have an Outlook profile. Changes to these settings will only apply to newly created users, no existing user setup will be changed.
Remember User is a new feature in Dynamics GP 2010. This activates the Remember user and password and Remember this company checkboxes on the Dynamics GP login windows. Unfortunately, there is no way to separate these two options. While many companies may feel that remembering the company is a nice option for users, remembering the User ID and password may be against security policies in many organizations.
Dynamics GP registration
Dynamics GP will typically install without asking for registration keys, however this should be the first thing entered as part of system setup to ensure that the system is set up with the modules you are registered for. Registration keys can be obtained either from your Dynamics GP partner or from Microsoft.
To enter your registration keys, navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | System | Registration. On the Registration window enter your Site Name and Registration Keys. The Site Name is listed under License Holder on your licensing information and must appear the exact same way, with the same punctuation, spelling, and spacing. Even though there are five Registration Keys possible, you may have less. The keys listed as – No key – on the licensing information should be left blank on the Registration window.
Click on the Validate button and the Modules list will populate with the Dynamics GP modules you have purchased. It is recommended to uncheck any modules that you are not planning to use. Leaving all the modules activated may cause some functionality not to work as expected and to require setup for those modules prior to entering transaction for other modules. Modules can be activated at a later time if needed. Some of the modules may not sound familiar, but may be core or internal modules needed for other functionality you are using. If you are unsure about some of the modules on the list, consult with your Dynamics GP resource.
Creating Dynamics GP users
Dynamics GP is licensed for concurrent users, so you can create as many named users as you would like. It is recommended to create a Dynamics GP user for each individual that will be using Dynamics GP. The following are the steps to create new Dynamics GP users:
- Log into Dynamics GP as either sa, DYNSA, or a user that has been set up in SQL Server with the sysadmin server role.
- Navigate to Microsoft Dynamics GP | Tools | Setup | System | User.
- Enter a User ID. Unlike most user IDs, the Dynamics GP user IDs are case sensitive. Consider making user IDs the same as the users’ Windows logins. Even though Dynamics GP uses SQL Server authentication, it may be easier to administer users when all the IDs follow the same pattern.
- Enter the User Name. While not required, it is helpful to enter the full name of the user, so that this information is available when looking through a list of users in the future.
- Enter and confirm the Password. Dynamics GP passwords are case sensitive. If you leave the password blank, the user will be required to create a password the first time they log into Dynamics GP. While that sounds like a handy feature, this can be a security risk because while the password is blank anyone can log in with just the user ID. This is not a concern if the user will be logging in immediately, however if users may log in for the first time days or even weeks later, this is not very secure. Users can change their own passwords in Dynamics GP at any time, so create a unique password for each user and ask them to change it as soon as they log in the first time.
- Class ID is an optional setting that may be useful for grouping users in the future. With the changes to the Dynamics GP security model starting with version 10.0, user classes are not widely used anymore and are not needed for security setup. The Class ID can be changed at any time.
- Setting the Home Page Role is also optional. If set while creating the user, this will save the user from having to pick their home page role when they first log into Dynamics GP.
- Set the Advanced SQL Server options. These options allow using your Active Directory domain password policies with Dynamics GP. This is another feature that sounds more useful than it often proves to be. There are many limitations and workarounds for this, detailed in KB article 922456, Frequently asked questions about the advanced SQL Server options in the User Setup window in Microsoft Dynamics GP: https://mbs.microsoft.com/knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;922456 (requires login). A common recommendation is to uncheck the Advanced SQL Server options when creating new Dynamics GP users.
- If the Collections Management module has been installed and activated for Dynamics GP, once you click Save on the User Setup window you will receive the following pop-up message:
Clicking on Add will open the Collections Management Collector Setup window where you can set up this user as a collector. Clicking Cancel will allow you to continue without setting the user up as a collector. A user can be set up as a collector at any time, so if you are not sure, click on Cancel.
When a user ID is created in Dynamics GP, a SQL Server login is created with the DYNGRP role. The user password is encrypted by Dynamics GP so that this login cannot be used outside of the Dynamics GP application.
