Great Plains Dynamics –General Interface Overview

There have been some changes to the Great Plains user interface from the current version to which you have become accustomed. Therefore, the purpose of this document is to familiarize you with those changes and help point out new features of the software that you might not yet have been familiarized with.

/ In some cases, the icons and windows will look slightly different than the pictures shown herein. This is because the version of the Microsoft Windows operating system running on your computer is different than the one used to generate this document. If you have any problems, please contact R-Squared Computing .
/ Warning!
Based on your security settings, you may not have access to all the sections of the Great Plains software. If you must access an area of Great Plains that is not available please contact R-Squared Computing.

Main Great Plains Dynamics Interface

This is the first screen you will see after you have logged into Microsoft Great Plains. After your computer has established communication with the server and your password has been verified, you will enter into this window:

This is the starting point for every task you will perform in Great Plains. Here you can access all of the features available to you. You can get to every aspect of the software using the buttons along the top of the window.

Main Window Buttons

/ Transactions menu
Allows you to open windows in which transactions can be entered such as entering sales orders, purchase orders or inventory transactions.
/ Inquiry menu
Lists all general categories (sales, purchasing, etc.) for which current information can easily be displayed, such as a summary of posted transactions.
/ Reports menu
Gives you access to options you’ll use to print reports and simplify the reporting process. You can set report options, save those options, and group the options so the reports you use frequently can be created more efficiently.
/ Cards menu
Allows you to create and maintain “master record” information. Master record information includes the customer, vendor, and item records.
/ Routines menu
Allows you to set up routines, or groups of tasks, that you want performed in a certain order and within a certain time frame. You can specify a group of Great Plains tasks to complete and you can add external applications and macros to the Routines windows. This menu also allows you to perform such routine tasks as posting, year-end closing, aging, and period consolidation.
/ SmartList menu
Launches the Great Plains SmartList. SmartList helps create inquiries, providing easier, faster access to information stored in the Great Plains system. SmartList also allows you to print or export the search results, as well as display them on the screen.
For additional information regarding SmartList, please refer to the “SmartList” document.
/ Shortcuts menu
Allows you to quickly access the windows that you use frequently. You can group typical work functions together and customize your work menu selections.
For additional information on this button, please refer to the document entitled “Shortcuts.”

Other Common Buttons & Interface Elements

/ Lookup button
The lookup button indicates that a lookup window—a list of items already entered in the Great Plains system—is available for a particular field or window. You’ll select an item from the list to enter in the window.
/ Expansion button
The expansion button opens an additional window for entering detailed setup information or changing information that was previously entered. For example, you can enter transactions, then choose the batch ID expansion button to open the batch entry window, where you can create a batch.
or / Hide and show button
Some scrolling windows allow you to view either single or multiple lines of information for each item in a scrolling window. If you choose the hide button to view a single line of information, only summary information is displayed for each item. If you choose the show button to view multiple lines of information, you can see detailed information about fewer items at a time. In both cases, you can scroll to view additional items.
/ Record Navigation buttons
If you have ever used a CD player then these buttons are self-explanatory. They allow you to scroll thru various records either one at a time or allow you to jump directly to the first or last record available.
/ Add Window Note
This allows you to add notes to the specific Great Plains window. This note will then be visible to everyone that uses that window. Notes can be edited and reattached, or deleted. If several people are entering information on the same note, you may want to identify each entry with a date and the user ID of the person entering the note.
/ Help
Launches the help file for Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics. The Help file consists of a window with a list of help topics related to the Great Plains window you’re working in. For example, if you click the help button while you are in the Sales Trx Entry window, the help file displayed will be for the Sales Trx Entry window.
/ Print
Prints the current window to either a printer, to the screen or to a file depending on the available options for the specific window. Some windows will permit all three options while others will not.
/ Common Windows buttons
These are the common Microsoft Windows buttons for controlling the viewing size of all dialog windows. The “_” minimizes the current window to the bottom of the program. The “ٱ” maximizes the current window to the full size of your screen. Finally, the “X” closes the current window.
/ OK button
This button signifies that you are finished with the window you are looking at. It is the equivalent of the “X” described above in many Great Plains windows.
/ Find button
Searches thru available records based on the criteria you set.
/ Hyperlinked Text
Just like when you browse the Internet, these links take you to additional information regarding the subject matter. Just click on the underlined text to open another window with additional information.
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Great Plains Procedures v1.0 / “Interface Overview” / Page 1 of 3