Question
How is the connection to Microsoft Dynamics SL configured?
Answer
Use ICTool on the IIS server to connect an sfPMS site to a Microsoft Dynamics SL (DSL) APP Database!
Prerequisites for Dynamics Integration
The admin user that runs ICTool on the IIS server must have admin write access to the Dynamics SL Application server file share and the ability to create a folder
For example: \Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics\SL\Applications\
SQL Tab
- Integration DBN should be set to the target DSL APP database. The second SYS database name should fill in automatically.
- Click the TEST SQL button; the check marks should stay green.
XTS Tab
- Check “Enable Microsoft Dynamics SL(tm) integration”
- On the DSL Sub tab
- Specify the name of the DSL Application Server
- Specify the path to the DSL installation.
- Screen Customization – Leave Publish unchecked. These are deprecated.
- Synchronize
- Recommended: Check Customers to bring over customer company data into sfPMS. To limit by Customer Class, contact Support.
- Recommended: Check Project/User Employees to automatically bring over employees that are enumerated in DSL PJEmploy.
- Rare: Check All Employees to automatically bring across all employees. Leave unchecked to manually link the few non-project but essential employees.
- Recommended: Check Vendors to bring over Vendor company data into sfPMS. To limit by Vendor Class, contact Support.
- Rare: Check Spitfire Compliance Tracking to have sfPMS compliance update AP Hold in DSL. Compliance in sfPMS works independently of DSL (and typically pre-AP). This option enables legacy, DSL-style, late AP holds on Vendors that fall out of Compliance.
Publish Your Changes
See KBA-01680. When you publish the site, ICTool will
- verify/create/update the SF folder in the DSL\SL\Applications path
- verify/create/update the handful of SQL triggers that push information from the DSL Application database into sfPMS
- verify/create/update the SQL Synonyms used by sfPMS to read and post data into the DSL Application database.
Each and every time your site is published, ICTool verifies all of the above.
Upgrading Dynamics
We always recommend refreshing a set of test databases and testing your upgrade!
Since DSL 2011, we also recommend that you remove all sfPMS related screen customization from Dynamics SL. In your DSL System Database, run the command:
DELETE FROM dbo.CustomVBA WHERE (EntityId = 'Spitfire' or Description like '%sfpms%')
If your site actually uses any of these DSL screen customization, contact us. This is actually quite rare.
Upgrade Steps
These steps are recommended when upgrading a Dynamics SL database. A fully functional and prepared run-time installation is assumed. Before beginning, make sure you are already on a version of sfPMS that supports the new version of Dynamics SL.
- Lock users out of Dynamics SL
- Shut down the sfPMS Web Application and NET STOP sfATC
- Backup your databases!
- Follow the Dynamics SL Upgrade instructions (Run the DSL Database Maintenance Tool, see KBA-01203)
- On the IIS Server, run ICTool
- See KBA-01680 and begin with step 6 in the ICTool section: the Finish tab
- Important: be sure the “Apply Microsoft Dynamics SL Package” option is checked. If not, go to the SQL tab and type a space at the end of the Integration DBN. Return to the Finish tab, the option should now be checked.
- Publish the site
- If you see a message that “Integration version has changed”, good.
- Publish the site again!
- This time there should be no message about the integration version
- Close ICTool
- Since you manually stopped the service: NET START sfATC
Legacy Dynamics Screen Customizations
Most Commonly Used
- 03.010 – AP Voucher and Adjustment Entry can be used with our Batch Image tool or on its own to push AP documents into sfPMS as they are created. Since 4.5, sfPMS also discovers relevant AP documents each night using a SQL Agent job.
Sometimes Used
- 03.250 – AP Document Maintenance – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS tracking
- 03.270 – Vendor Maintenance – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS Vendor
- 08.260 – Customer Maintenance – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS Customer
Extremely Rare (last updated 2009 or earlier)
01.010 – Journal Transactions – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS tracking
02.250 – Employee Maintenance – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS employee
04.010 – Receipt/Invoice Entry – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS tracking
04.200 – Receipt/PO Entry – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS tracking
04.2500 – PO Maintenance – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS tracking
08.010 – AR Invoice and Memo – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS tracking
08.030 – Flexible Invoice Pay Application (no longer supported – replaced by sf SOV Billing)
08.200 – Customer Inquiry – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS Customer
08.240 – Pay Application Reversal
08.250 – AR Document Maintenance – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS tracking
20.010 – Cash Account Transaction – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS tracking
BI.BAM – Invoice and Adjustment Maintenance
BI.CNB – Construction Billing Entry (no longer supported – replaced by sf SOV Billing)
BI.INQ – Invoice Inquiry
BU.BRM – Budget Revision Maintenance (not supported since 2005)
CN.PRA – Subcontract Review and Approval – changes labels to indicate the documents may have come from approvals in sfPMS. No functional changes.
CN.SPR – Subcontract Payment Entry – (no longer supported: replaced by sf Pay Requests)
CN.SUV – Subcontractor Vendor Maintenance – a “Doc Control” button to open the related sfPMS Vendor
No Longer Supported
Ask about or replacements for these legacy screens if you require
PA.EQU – Equipment Maintenance
RQ.100 – Requisition
SD.200 – Service Dispatch
TM.PTA – Project Timesheet (Advanced)
TM.PTE – Project Timesheet Entry
TM.TCE – Timecard Entry
TM.TEA – Timecard (Advanced)
KBA-01316; Last updated: March 14, 2022 at 10:44 am;