Dynamics GP Adds Integration to Great Plains

The ninth version of Dynamics GP (formerly known as Great Plains) refines core business management features and adds new portal features and a role-based user interface (UI). A new Web services programming interface will ship in the first quarter of 2006. Dynamics GP is the first of Microsoft’s four accounting and business management packages for mid-size companies to be released under the new Dynamics brand. The company continues to pursue consolidation of Dynamics GP with the other Dynamics ERP products, but the most difficult consolidation challenges are not addressed in the release.

Positioning for the Future, Updating Features

Acquired in the Dec. 2000 purchase of Great Plains, Dynamics GP consists of dozens of software modules that support broad business management capabilities, such as financial accounting, human resources management, and supply chain management. The product has garnered almost 40,000 customers to date. Microsoft originally planned to release an incremental update to Great Plains 8.0 (which shipped in June 2004) in the fourth quarter of 2005, but subsequently said it would label that release version 9.0 rather than version 8.5.