Great Plains 8.0 Ships

A new release of Great Plains, one of Microsoft’s four accounting and business management packages for mid-sized companies, includes improved manufacturing and distribution features and two new modules geared toward the public sector. These moves continue Microsoft’s goal of positioning Great Plains as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform capable of supporting a spectrum of vertical markets. Great Plains 8.0 also offers better integration with Word and Excel and a revamped user interface (UI) modeled on Outlook, which could help pull Office 2003 into Great Plains accounts and improve Great Plains’ usability.

Refining Features, Extending Reach

Originally geared to professional services companies, such as consulting or accounting firms, the Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) Great Plains product line has steadily grown to support other businesses such as manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Great Plains consists of dozens of software modules that address specific functions, such as managing a general ledger or processing sales orders. Modules are grouped in “Series” of like functionality, such as the Financial Series and Manufacturing Series, and are licensed independently.