New solution has Microsoft Office look, promises to streamline business processes
Redmond, WA June 22, 2004 Microsoft Business Solutions today announced the availability of Microsoft Business SolutionsGreat Plains 8.0, a cross-industry financial management solution for mid-market segment businesses.
Microsoft said Great Plains 8.0 is designed to deliver improved usability; better functionality for distribution, manufacturing and project accounting; greater capabilities through integrations with Microsoft Business Solutions Business Portal 2.5 and Microsoft Office 2003; and improved analytics.
Karen Engel, group product manager with Microsoft Business Solutions, said the new solution includes over 120 enhancements to the software. These include a new look and feel that provide customers with a familiar environment similar to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.
Microsoft said a more comprehensive view of inventory will help give customers tighter control over distribution and manufacturing processes. Time and effort spent on key accounting tasks will be reduced with the ability to use existing transactions as the basis for new ones, as well as to quickly void, delete, correct or change journal entries while maintaining full audit control.
Enhanced integration with other Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Business Solutions Business Portal and Microsoft Office is an additional feature of Great Plains 8.0. Microsoft Great Plains 8.0 also builds on the Microsoft Office productivity foundation, enabling users to build template-based communications in Microsoft Word or attach maps and directions for sales, delivery and service call routes with Microsoft MapPoint.
The solution has new reporting options, and improved analytics functionality gives customers a new FRx Report Manager module, improvements to the FRx Currency Translation module, tighter integration with Microsoft Office Excel 2003, and upgraded support for the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) 2.0 taxonomy.
Juli Richardson, director of business operations for Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, said, "The new solution is more intuitive and puts information immediately at your fingertips. Microsoft Great Plains 8.0 will have an impact on our organization in terms of business-wide visibility, and the changes in manufacturing functionality have made employees more enthusiastic than ever about the system."
