6 reasons to get excited about Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016

Blog: Professional advantage - BPM blog

Here are two pieces of good news for Microsoft Dynamics GP users. The first is that the next Dynamics GP release, Dynamics GP 2016, is packed with features to help organisations improve financial control and see exactly what’s happening across their business.

The second is that Dynamics GP 2016 is just a few months away from release. Microsoft expects the product to be available around May 2016.

If you’re looking to upgrade to Dynamics GP 2016, or considering moving from another accounting and finance solution to Dynamics GP, now is the time to start planning.

To help you get started, here are six reasons why we’re excited for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016.

Goodbye Silverlight, hello HTML5

One of the most significant changes in Dynamics GP 2016 is the introduction of a HTML5 web browser client. Dynamics GP forms will render as intuitive and easy-to-use HTML5 web pages.

This means that unlike in previous Dynamics GP versions, users won’t need a Silverlight plugin to use Dynamics GP.

Dynamics GP 2016 will work on any HTML5-supported browser, including Firefox, Chrome and Safari. It will also support a wider range of operating systems, including non-Windows systems like iOS and Android.

For the first time, users will be able to run full Dynamics GP on a tablet or smartphone, regardless of device.

User interfaces that work in Dynamics GP 2015 R2 should upgrade smoothly to Dynamics GP 2016. This means Dynamics GP 2015 R2 users don’t need to wait for Dynamics GP 2016s HTML5 client to make lasting changes to user interfaces.

View every document for a single transaction with all-in-one document viewer

This Dynamics GP 2016 feature has been particularly well received by Microsoft’s developer community. With new all-in-one document viewers, users will have improved sales and inventory visibility.

Dynamics GP 2016 users will be able to view all sales documents for a transaction, as well as quantity in and quantity out transactions for one item, in a single window. This feature is likely to be accessed via Customer Maintenance, selected sales inquiry windows, navigation lists and the homepage.

Improved workflow experience

Dynamics GP 2016 gives users tighter control over workflows. Users will be able to change workflow approval conditions, as well as set up workflow reassignment notifications for delegations, escalations and alternate approvals.

New SmartList features

There are two main SmartList developments in Dynamics GP 2016. The first is the ability to import and export SmartList definitions created with SmartList Designer from one install to another, which saves on reporting time.

The second is the ability to create a new SmartList from a favourite using SmartList Designer. Users will no longer need to ‘reinvent the wheel’ every time they create or modify a new report, making it more efficient and user friendly.

Power BI reports on the homepage

Dynamics GP 2016 will give users an even better idea of what’s going on in their organisation. With Power BI reports on the homepage, users can get a quick view of their business performance without digging around the site to find that information.

There are also rumours that Dynamics GP 2016 could introduce support for Power BI charts on GP role centres, but Microsoft has not confirmed if this is true.

Export numbers to Excel as numbers, not text

Some long-time Dynamics GP users may be surprised to learn that exporting numbers to Excel as numbers (as opposed to text) wasn’t possible in older Dynamics GP releases – though we bet there are a few users who will be glad to see this introduced. It’s another way Microsoft is working to make Dynamics GP more flexible and easy to use.

Which Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 features do you look forward to using? Let us know in the comments below.

You can read more about Professional Advantage and Microsoft Dynamics GP here.