The hard drive platters are where all the data from our computer system is stored. The data is saved in sectors on the platter. As known to one and all, the components of a hard drive are extremely sensitive. The slightest damage to them has serious and irreversible consequences. Most of the times the outcome of the problem is data loss. This data can however be recovered by data recovery services. Naturally since the platter is where all the information is stored, it is the most vital part of the drive. A slight scratch on it could lead to a hard drive failure. The ‘head’ reads and writes data from and to the platter. It is separated from the latter by a very thin air cushion. This gap keeps decreasing with the advent of newer technologies. Media Surface Contamination is the contamination of the platter for any reason whatsoever. Minute particles settling on the surface of the platter, lead to this problem. The damage is caused because when dust or any other particles settle on the platter, the distance between it and the head reduces. This causes the head to ‘crash’ into the platter and scratch the surface. Media Surface Contamination mostly happens in chemical factories and offices which are exposed to dust and pollution. Chemical factories manufacture a lot of volatile compounds, these easily enter the hard drive (even if it is covered). To add to the already unpleasant situation, is the fact that these particles are chemicals and an overdose of it could lead to problems other than just a head crash. Some chemicals corrode the surface of the platter, which is after all another metal (when 2 metals come in contact with each other, they have some kind of a chemical reaction). This results in small, minute particles settling on the drive, and ‘contaminating’ it. Thus causing further damage. The system is then unable to write or read data properly from the system and this results in the computer completely stalling. After a Media surface contamination, salvaging data becomes a problem. The data on damaged parts of the media can seldom be saved. But that does not mean none of the data on the drive can be saved. This data can still be salvaged with the help of a data recovery service. They have experts who perform data recovery from damaged media by simply removing the damaged parts and replacing them with functional parts. Stellar Data Recovery Service, NJ, is a well reputed company which ensures not only data safety but also confidentiality. They perform data recovery from drive damaged due to any reason what so ever?physical damage like a head crash, natural disasters like fire, or logical problems like virus attacks. They follow a ‘No Recovery, No Charge’ policy.

Did you vote in the 2008 election? If so, how safe do you think your vote was? That was the question posed of a recent ABC news segment titled “How Safe Is Your Vote?” While Barack Obama beat out John McCain in the presidential race by a pretty resounding margin, other contests across the nation proved a lot closer, where every vote counted. As a result, voter fraud was on the minds of many as they entered and exited the polling booths. A team of Princeton computer scientists recntly examined voting procedures in New Jersey and came to the conclusion that in this day and age of electronic voting machines, votes are “not that safe” and are far too susceptible to fraud. “All you need is 10 minutes of unsupervised access to a voting machine to open it up and stick in a vote stealing program,” pointed out one of the computer scientists involved in the investigation. “In 5 seconds he was able to pick the lock on a machine. In less than 10 minutes, the professor demonstrated how he was able to unscrew the back panel and replace the computer chip with one he programmed to steal votes. “ So what did the state of New Jersey do about its voter fraud susceptibility? New Jersey’s Director of Elections, Robert Giles, said, “Every one of the ten thousand voting machines used on election night will have layers of tamper-proof security. We have metal cable seals. We have security screw caps, tamper evident tape. “ The computer scientist who was able to hack in, however, questioned the state’s security measures. “Those tamper-proof seals can be faked; it’s not that difficult. ” What’s more, New Jersey was “just one of a handful of states . . . [that used] . . . the paperless, electronic voting machines on Tuesday. “ When it comes to matters like eating, drinking and even voting, where one can never be too safe, reputable tamper evident protection can go a long way toward eliciting peace of mind. A leading manufacturer, converter and printer of heat shrink PVC, PET-G, OPS & EarthFirst PLA films provides that peace of mind not just on Election Day, but every day of the year. Specializing in vibrantly printed shrink labels, heat shrink bands used for tamper-evidence and shrink sleeves for promotional multipacks and other shrink products, such a company adds to consumer – and voter – confidence. Tamper-evident shrink bands can be cut to the customer’s exact specifications. Other tamper-evident options include tubing in clear and white, which is printed with “Sealed For Your Protection. ” Such tubing is offered in rolls for use on automatic equipment like electronic voting machines. Tubing can also be cut to order, and single vertical perforations can be added. Whether the New Jersey Board of Elections had such protective measures in place prior to residents casting their 2008 ballots remains up in the air. However, such tamper-evident security initiatives are definitely something the state – and all states – should look into to assure the validity of every single vote that is cast.

In this modern era, high tech devices that are very expensive like the computers can be replaced with cheaper ones. Such cheap computers mostly come in the form of used computers. Used computers can be found in abundance in the used computer warehouses in various places, even in the local area of the prospective buyer?s residence. However there is no guarantee of quality when buying a used computer. The buyer has to take his own personal risk in doing so. But, if the buyer is ready to spend some money in upgrading the level of the used computer and also some time checking the quality of the used computer before purchase, it will save him from loss. Used computers can save a lot of money for the buyer when compared to buying a new computer. There are many who cannot afford to buy a new computer like the students who do not have any source of income but definitely require computers. For such people, used computers come as a boon.

Also, used computers need not always be second hand computers. They can also be recertified or refurbished computers. Refurbished or recertified computers are those, which are checked for any faults, if any corrected and sold with a warranty ensuring the working condition of the computer to be perfect. Hence, such computers are considered to be the safest form of buying a used computer. Refurbished computers can be bought from many of the online stores at very less prices. Quality computer manufacturers also sell such kind of recertified or refurbished computers. However, certain measures need to be taken while buying such kind of computers.

The prime aspect to be considered while purchasing a used or refurbished computer is to look for a good branded one. There are various companies who sell used computers or refurbished computers. The main reasons for opting for a branded one is that it comes with a warranty and also the buyer can be sure that the parts used are of good quality.

While buying used or refurbished computers related software documents, licenses and paperwork have to be got from the seller as this will avoid stolen computers being passed off as used computers to the buyer. If possible working for some time on the used computer will determine its efficiency. Most of the reputed dealers would allow the purchaser to use the computer for a shorter period to check the quality before purchase.

While checking for the efficiency of the used computer, it is good to check if the booting process is smooth, as most of the problems occur during booting and also to check all the sound drivers, video, graphics, monitor, mouse, keyboard etc. CD drives and hard disks also need to be checked. Another aspect is the support system offered for the used computer whether technical or non-technical, support staff capabilities and the number of support staff which determine the quality of service offered. If the purchaser is not satisfied, he can very well think of another choice.

Many people sell their used computers for a variety of reasons. Some sell their used computer instead of throwing them as a trash get some money from them, while others sell their used computers to buy new computers with the latest features and technology. Not only individuals sell their used computers, but also large numbers of organizations or firms sell their used computers. They do so because the computer systems may require maintenance and repairs, after some time due to the decrease in performance seen in the computers after some years. Instead of spending more money on the maintenance and repairs they sell and gain money, as there is a great demand for used computers. Such companies easily sell their used computers online through auctions or exchange for new computers with less effort in no time.

Used computers are bought by either students who do not have good savings or earnings or they are bought by educational institutions like the schools and universities. Some parents buy used computers for their children just for browsing the Internet and to play games. For this purpose, a used computer is more than sufficient than spending huge amounts on a new computer. These target segments however require used computers in a good working condition as well as for a lesser price. Most of the used computers are sold in the online market, as it attracts all sorts of buyers. There are many numbers of online classifieds or auctions or online dealers who sell used computers. Selling used computers are a better option than throwing them as trash or keeping them in a corner occupying space and collecting dust.

The first and important step is to improve the appearance of the used computer by wiping it clean free of dust and dirt. Any buyer would get impressed by the way the computer looks, looks make the first impression. The selling price of a clean used computer is always better than the one, which is full of dirt and dust.

All the software manual, operating system and other supporting discs that came with the computer should be in tact. This will add more value, when selling the used computer and also will make the buyer consider the person who is selling the used computer as a trusted seller.

The most important thing to do before selling a used computer is to erase all the personal details or information from the hard disk or drive. Instead of just putting them in the trash folder it is very important to purge all the personal data from the computer?s memory, even invisible backup files can cause danger. A tech savvy person?s help can be got if the seller does not know how to do it. If not done it may lead to accessing the bank accounts, or emails by any unknown person leading to identity theft. For that when there is a remedy. Unused scanners, printers can also be bundled with the sale of the used computer. A buyer may sometime value it. The benefits or features of the computer can be highlighted for better sales.

A decade ago most of us sat in awe when viewing a huge full color full motion video screen at a professional sports stadium, or at a concert by one of many famous international musical groups. That cutting edge technology is available today at a fraction of the cost of products manufactured ten years ago, and the visual experience is far superior! If your company has an annual advertising budget of $50,000 or more, the question is no longer “can we afford an electronic message center”, it has become “can we afford NOT to invest in an EMC?”. Consider the following facts from the Small Business Administration: 1) According to the Small Business Administration, sales increase between 15 and 150% when and electronic message center is installed. 2) Electronic message centers allow an unlimited number of message changes and variable controls, all easily completed with a computer. The result is lower labor cost and elimination of the physical liabilities often associated with copy changes on traditional reader boards. 3) Electronic Message centers communicate variable messages as people pass by, allowing greater flexibility in communicating to the public. 4) With their automated dimming and focusing systems, electronic message centers can respond to the visibility needs of the public, increasing safety and conspicuity day and night. 5) The flexibility offered by electronic message centers means your business can advertise specials while also displaying public service information or other items of public interest. 6) Electronic message centers can quickly “brand” your business site in the local community. 7) Electronic message centers are an investment in your business and provide the best and most cost-effective forms of paid advertising. The only form of advertising that may be more powerful is word of mouth (although it can be neither purchased nor controlled). The effectiveness of an electronic message center is not limited by space or surface area constraints as with a reader-board. 9) Electronic message centers act as your “salesman on the street,” attracting new customers to your business location. 10) Electronic message centers allow you to market your products and services to your immediate trade area and prevent wasteful advertising expenses. 11) The business owner can change the message as needed to provide information to specific retail customers, and can be used for political, social or community events. 12) Software is available that enables a business owner to display sophisticated logos or images on the EMC precisely as planned. An Answer to the Challenge of Changing Demographics The public – your existing and potential customers – is on the move, both literally and figuratively, and sometimes catching their attention is like hitting a moving target. Consider that approximately 18. 6% of Americans move every year. Whether they move a short or long distance, they usually change their basic trade area. Add to that the fact that 15-35% of the traffic on a given street is “just passing through” (vacation travelers and such), and you can see the great potential for single stops by those unfamiliar with the area. An electronic or variable message center offers a unique way to capture the attention of these passers-by. An EMC allows you to communicate more effectively with the typical person passing by at a particular time day by changing the message and graphic of your sign to match the profile on the street. The local airport in Monmouth, NJ offers a clever example of this flexibility. The airport used its display to advertise price specials at peak hours to those traveling by on the freeway on the way to and from work. During shopping hours or after-school traffic, the airport changed its display to offer community service messages. This kind of flexibility increases the readership of a message unit, as it can correspond to the traffic profile by the day of the week, the time of day, or the season. With the right software, virtually any message can be created and displayed. The demand by businesses for these electronic or variable message centers is increasing because these signs improve the economic viability of difficult commercial sites with limited space. Municipalities that wish to prevent urban sprawl or deterioration of urban land are passing enabling acts that require optimization of urban space, and thus are more willing to look at EMCs as a signage option for businesses. Frequently Asked Questions about EMCs We have a sign; why does my business need a message center? Consider for a moment the speed at which traffic passes by the average business. A motorist has only a few seconds to see and comprehend any given sign. For example, on a street with traffic passing at 45 miles per hour, a car that is 500 feet in front of a given sign will have only 7. 6 seconds to read the sign before it passes, under normal driving conditions. A business’ sign must be conspicuous if it is to catch the attention of passing motorists within the limited amount of time available. Motorists often spot electronic message centers quickly because the copy changes, the letters are illuminated, and the signs have traditionally been used as public service devices. Additionally, electronic message centers may have greater visibility from further distances, especially in poor lighting conditions , giving the motorist additional time to read the message displayed while safely maneuvering his or her vehicle. Message Centers act as a consolidating type of advertising. In other words, they offer businesses a way of posting a variety of information in one place rather than relying on numerous signs and banners displayed in windows, for example. This can be a real advantage for a business located in a district with strict rules about temporary signs. Most importantly, the electronic message center almost always increases a business’ share of revenue . This is a result of the “branding” of the site through the use of specific logos, reinforcement of other advertising messages, allowing for public service notices, generating exact impulse stops, and helping to change customers’ buying habits once they have stopped. Is an electronic message center a cost-effective advertising medium? Yes. Businesses often select their advertising medium, and messages, based upon the cost per thousand exposures of their message to the public. ON this basis, no other form of advertising comes close to matching the efficiency and cost-effectiveness, dollar for dollar, of an electronic message display. Compare the figures below: · Newspaper advertising – the cost on average is about $7. 39 for 1000 exposures within a 10- mile radius of the business location. · Television advertising – The cost on average is approximately $6. 26 per 1000 exposures. · Radio advertising – The cost is about $5. 47 per 1000 exposures. · New LED electronic message center display – The cost is less than $0. 15 per 1000 exposures. How? Assume, for example, that you spend $30,000. 00 on this type of system, and that its useful life is about ten years. The amortized daily cost of the message center would equal about $2. 74. Add to this the daily cost of electricity for this new LED unit (approximately $0. 20), thus giving your business a daily message center expense total of $8. 82. With a daily traffic count of 20,000 vehicles passing your business, you would have a cost of less than $0. 45 per thousand exposures (counting drivers only)! Best of all, with an electronic message center, a business does not have to worry about missing its target audience, becoming “yesterday’s news,” or facing expensive production costs for changing its message , as happens frequently with the other forms of advertising mentioned. With an electronic variable message display: · The business owns the form of advertising · The advertising works for the business 24 hours a day, 365 days a year · The sign acts as the “salesman on the street” attracting customers into the business · The advertising speaks directly to the potential customers as they drive past the business location, and the EMC makes the business a landmark in its community. Finally, many message center manufacturers provide leasing programs, which include service and maintenance, thereby providing another option for covering the cost of usage. Please contact the Small Business Administration for more information. Before you decide that these incredible devices are beyond your scope of understanding or ability to operate, consider the fact that, with a rudimentary understanding of personal computers, within a couple of hours of “hands on” experience you will have a firm grasp of what it takes to run your new electronic message center. If you have the ability to use Microsoft software, electronic message centers will provide little challenge. A common misunderstanding is that there must be constant communication between your computer and the electronic message center. In reality, this communication is only necessary when the user changes the message schedule, and it takes about 5 seconds for the transmission. Electronic message centers range from small simple “time and temperature” displays to full color boards with the ability to show movie clips. You may choose between Mono(single color/text only), Gray Scale(single color with varying number of shades that allows basic graphic display), and Full Color, which offers beautiful realistic renderings of just about anything you can visualize! One of the most exciting parts of owning an electronic message center is the ability to target your advertisements specifically to the potential customer passing in front of your location, by time, date, Holiday, or any other variable you choose. . . and if you use your imagination, and devise very tempting ads, that customer will come in your door immediately while your ad is still on his mind. Instant gratification! One of the most frustrating advertising issues is coordinating ad dates with delivery of product. As a business owner, how many times have you spent thousands of dollars to run advertising on a new and exciting product, only to have the supplier “drop the ball”, and not deliver the goods on time? It’s happened to all of us. . . With your new electronic message center, until you push the “send” button your message doesn’t change. How about the other side of the coin. . . A vendor calls and has acquired one of your best selling items at a tremendous savings and wants to get them out of his inventory very quickly. It’s a cash deal, so you want to turn your investment within a short period of time. Your ability to rapidly set up and get ads running on “standard” media is very limited, and could add weeks to the amount of time needed to sell the product. With your new electronic message center, you can target tens of thousands of passersby per day immediately! This provides a real advantage for you, when your competitors don’t own an electronic message center. Time and temperature and public service messages will draw viewers to your electronic message center. Adding “non-sales” oriented public service messages to your schedule will cause those who use your street as a regular route to become accustomed to turning to look at your sign to get the latest updates, which is exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Bottom line? You can own an electronic message center for less than the yearly cost of a full page Yellow Pages ad. The cost of a yearlong full coverage television or radio advertising campaign could dwarf the investment made in an electronic message center that will last for years, requires very little maintenance, and runs on standard 110 volt AC current. The question is no longer “can we afford an electronic message center”. . . It’s “can we afford NOT to invest in an EMC!” http://www. advantagewebsitedesigns. com

There is also almost zero risk in stealing credit cards from online merchants and using them. While much of this type of theft goes unreported, even the cases that are reported to the police end up going nowhere. A consumer in Ohio may purchase something from a website in California that is hacked by an individual in Tennessee who uses a credit card to initiate a fraudulent charge in New Jersey. Where do local authorities even begin to address this?Federal and state regulatory agencies are also ill-equipped to deal with such instances of credit card fraud. For $30 in disputed charges per account, the federal government can not spend hundreds of dollars per case. While there may be a good chance of catching the thieves, much of the money may be gone, making tracking down small-time identity thieves a losing financial proposition for the government. As well, disputing a whole list of charges to get them removed from a bank or credit card account is positively a waste of time for consumers. The companies that took the fraudulent charges will not answer phones, not return voice mails, or refuse to refund the charge without a police report or other evidence of fraud. This is a lot of work to get back $4. 95, and many consumers will just not bother to pursue it. Identity theft is everywhere these days. No company or individual who has ever used a credit card online is safe from criminal hackers and social engineering thieves. And although large corporations may have the most information that identity thieves can target, smaller companies can still yield hundreds or thousands of credit card numbers. One of the tactics these criminals use is to steal a huge list of credit card numbers and then begin making numerous small charges on each of them. Many consumers may not even recognize a series of charges for between $2 and $6 on their bank statement. But $30 worth of charges over a thousand credit cards is highly lucrative for thieves. Unfortunately, it seems that it is easier to make money through the drug trade, identity theft, and other black market endeavors. It is also just as risky as holding a normal job in these tough economic times. Being caught and facing monetary judgments or community service is not really all that worse than being laid off, foreclosed, and homeless. And while the costs of identity theft are passed along to consumers, the costs of foreclosure and job loss usually affect only local families and communities. While banks may accept disputes and refund money to consumers who are targets of these criminals, the banks most often recover nothing from the thieves. Instead, money is set aside in a reserve account to cover these losses. But the funds for the reserve show up in higher interest rates and fees for all banking customers, as the costs of identity theft are passed along to the consumers anyway.

You need to type down an article or want to grab the newest software for your study. The key to all these questions is a computer. But every time, every one does not have enough money to finance a computer of his own. Especially, for a student, arranging this kind of money is almost impossible. So, to aid you, there are lenders with their hand upheld for your computer buy. There is computer finance available today. Computer Finance is a viable option for all. And, you can go for buying any brand or make of the computer, there will computer finance for you. You can opt for buying a brand new computer from computer finance. But, finding finance to update your computer is also available form computer finance. There is an affordable repayment term also attached to computer finance. You have to pay back the money of computer finance by 2 full years.

Well, computer finance is a finance scheme and therefore, is available for all. If you can pledge your computer to have the computer finance, that would be secured computer finance and it lets you to grab the finance at much cheap rate of interest. This is possible your computer acts as the security of the lender?s money. So, when the lender has a got a security, he becomes ready to serve you at cheap rates. Again, unsecured computer finance is also available in the market where you are not to pledge any collateral. For this, you are to pay a slightly surged rate of interest.

Also , there is computer finance for bad credit holders too. Your credit rating does not put any bar in your computer buying. And, to find an affordable rate of interest, you have to do a lot of research for computer finance online. There are multiple lenders online and that makes your go ease. You can easily compare and find out which computer finance is the best for you.

So, to pace up with the growth pace around, you need to have computer and computer finance is just, one of the most viable medium for it.

Many computer users live in fear of computer viruses. It is true that computer viruses can do a lot of damage that most likely could have been easily prevented – that is if they had a working up to date virus program. First of all be reassured. Even if your computer is “wiped clean” or “wiped out” you may not be in the doghouse so to speak. If you use the computer mainly for browsing on the internet, then it is only a matter of a reinstall of windows to get you on the web again. Your computer is only a device to access the internet. It is as if you get a new phone to plug into the wall or a new TV to watch the channels that were there that were and are still there. Your email most likely is safe as well. If you use a web based mail program like hotmail or yahoo to access your email – then your email is most likely still sitting on that company’s server in California, Bombay India or somewhere else in the world. If Microsoft goes bust, your lost email will be the least of your problems in today’s world. If you use a mail reader client like Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, then at the worst your new email is sitting safely at that computer mail server computer. Next it can be can be said that we have gotten off easy with computer viruses. Well at least up the present. Computer viruses can be written by its developer to do anything the developer wishes. For the most part computer viruses have been relatively innocuous. The majority of the computer viruses that you will encounter, at present, in your career as computer user, are of the “Trojan” variety and are not that mean or destructive to your computer. . Trojan antivirus are computer viruses that patiently sit in wait for a signal from a control computer, somewhere in the world, to be part of a large scale computer attack on some remote computer to overwhelm that service and disrupt its function on the internet. . You may have heard such tales in regards to C. N. N. or Amazon having their internet service being knocked out of service maliciously. Believe it or not it is estimated that up to 50 – 60 % of most computers have these Trojan viruses sitting quietly and patiently in their computers and do not know and most likely will never know that they are infected. The first rules of computer security is that if the computer is used at for storing delicate, sensitive or important data – then that computer should not be attached to the internet or have an internet connection. It’s as simple as that. If you don’t talk then you can never be accused of blabbing. As an example there was a firm that was allowed access to very confidential government data as part of its business plan. . It was made very clear, by the government agency involved as a sponsor, that this data was most confidential. I f this information was somehow leaked or placed on the internet then dire consequences would occur. What could be a simpler message? And yet in this case, all for the convenience of the owner of the firm, the computer was directly attached to a fax computer. Even of that computer was only connected to the fax max machine computer for a split second that is all it would take for the wrong information to “get out”. Politicians follow the rule of deniability. Why shouldn’t you. ? Make your life trouble free. If the computer is nowhere near the internet in any way shape or form you can never be blamed. Simple as that. The most important factor in computer antivirus protection is not so much the product used or installed – and there is no shortage of very reasonable computer antivirus products. The most important factor for computer antivirus security protection is that updates for the antivirus be done on a regular basis. When you purchase a new antivirus product or complete a renewal product that is in essence what you are doing. It as if you are buoying a magazine subscription for the year. By purchasing the subscription you are now entitled to antivirus updates for the coming year. New computer viruses are coming out “all the time”. It does you little good to be protected from last years plague. You need to be protected from the current viruses that are causing the havoc now. Make sure that you either have a copy of an antivirus installed that has current virus definitions or if you purchased a commercial product that you have a valid subscription that allows you access to the current up to date virus lists. Next be sure that you run regular full comprehensive antivirus scans to detect and quarantine new and perhaps dangerous computer viruses. More featured commercial antivirus programs may do this automatically. In the end most of life comes down to preparation and attention to detail. A major role of fire departments is not only to fight fires but fire prevention. Your computer antivirus protections scheme and program should be likewise

Programming for Microsoft Dynamics GP, formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics, eEnteprise (please note that its predecessor Great Plains Accounting for DOS and Windows is different application and its modification options are different and in fact very limited) – if this is you research subject, we offer you this small publication, based on our Great Plains Customization experience, including large projects in eCommerce, Warehouse Management and Barcoding, EDI, Random Weight or Catch Weight, Barcode Labels algorithms, based on Item Number and Serial/Lot number extension, Consignment, Healthcare, Placement, Picking and Packing, Shipping and Receiving, Beverage mixing mills, Freight Forwarding industries.  Great Plains Dynamics GP is good fit for mid-size businesses in USA and English speaking countries, plus it is reasonably localized in Mexico, Caribbean and Spanish Speaking Latin America, it is popular in South East Asia and Oceania (and French speaking Quebec in Canada).  If you are trying to implement (and partially localize Great Plains) for such countries and regions as Brazil, China, Russia, East Europe, Japan, Korea, we feel that we sort of have to discourage you, as Dynamics GP Dexterity doesn’t support UNICODE (Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other hieroglyph based languages), plus in Russia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia Microsoft Business Solutions has Dynamics AX Axapta (and Navision Dynamics NAV) assuming that your overseas subsidiary is mid-size business, and AX and NAV are too large in their implementation scope and budget wise, we recommend SAP Business One, which is localize and certified in most countries with local Government Audit and Tax Authorities.  But let’s come back to the topic: Great Plains Customization tools: 1. Great Plains Dexterity.  Even if you feel that you do not want to review this initial tool and in essence original architecture of Great Plains Software Dynamics, we feel that it is so important, as it is still a core of the Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP, MRP and Accounting applications.  If you have little knowledge about ERP shells, that were popular in 1990th, we would like you to remind SAP ABAP story.  ABAP was and still is the shell and its mission is to abstract SAP system from Operating System and Database Platform.  This abstraction was considered as crucial in the time of Mainframe computers and Mini (Sun) and Micro (IBM PC) computers competition.  Windows, Macintosh, Unix, Solaris, plus database platform parade: Ctree, Btrieve, IBM DBII, Oracle, DBASE, Ingress, Progress, plus consider computer Graphical Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows, MAC and Solaris battle.  GP Dexterity was the way to go those days and it was coded in C programming language (unfortunately Unicode was not known those days, otherwise Great Plains internationalization might be different today).  Dex allowed Great Plains Dynamics to coexist on chosen (but technically it could be transferrable to other C programming language compliant computer platforms without problem) platforms: Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, plus on DB platforms: Ctree/Faircom, Btrieve and Microsoft SQL Server.  Dexterity is limitless in Great Plains modification ability.  If you are experienced Dexterity programmer, you can modify any selected GP form, Report, add new Forms and Reports, Tables, Scrolling Windows, String Resources.  Great Plains was written in Dexterity and you theoretically can rewrite it at your discretion.  However, being reasonable, Dex requires dedication, and if you need to implement Great Plains Modification project with limited budget, then likely you cannot afford your IT department programmer learning curve (it has semi proprietary scripting language Sanscript to give you good starting point for additional research).  Dexterity is the tool, that we recommend to outsource to your chosen Microsoft Dynamics GP Technology Partner.  For those of you who would like to do additional research on Great Plains compatibility with UNUCODE, please review NJ Star products and add-ons.  They should allow you to enter Chinese characters into GP user interface 2. eConnect.  If you are geared toward Dynamics GP ecommerce application custom programming and you already have ecommerce website developed in C#, VB. Net or another programming languages (including Linux, PHP, MySQL), which is ODBC compliant and has the options to call . Net DLL libraries (eConnect SDK could be exposed through these technologies), please review this SDK, which was originally in 2003 dedicated to Great Plains eCommerce programming and real time integration.  eConnect is in essence replication of Great Plains Dexterity DYNAMICS. DIC dictionary master records, and work transaction creation, modification and deletion business logic.  If you research eConnect deeper, you will find that it is based on Microsoft SQL Server Encrypted Stored Procedures, replicating Dexterity logic in more Object Oriented Manner, comparing to mother Dexterity.  With eConnect we often hear GP Batch Posting limitations questions.  Please, note that Batch approval and posting in Great Plains architecture is the function of Great Plains user.  If you need to post GP batches directly from your ecommerce website, please consider Alba Spectrum Posting Server.  Please note that eConnect is strictly integration tool and SDK, you cannot alter Great Plains interfaces or add new interfaces with eConnect, instead you should rescue to Dexterity, or consider web based screens, which could be programmed with Microsoft Dynamics GP SDK (this tool is in its turn call Dex methods to communicate with Dynamics GP interface and DB) 3. SQL Scripting.  Dynamics GP SQL Stored Procedures and views are very popular in Great Plains customization environments.  However, before you go there, we would like to cool down your optimism.  First of all, if you are trying to insert new master records, such as Customers, Vendors, Employees, Addresses, GL accounts – be aware that eConnect methods are coded by original Dynamics GP programmers, who are familiar with GP Source code and the question is  - why you would need to replicate the same methods in custom GP programming.  If you plan to log records into Historical or Open transaction tables: SOP30200, SOP30300, etc, Great Plains batches and transaction posting is very complex and there is the chance that you may violate GP posting logic in your data feeding directly to Great Plains History tables.  It is much safer to bring transaction into Dynamics GP Integration Manager integration and then post them from there or program real time transaction integration in eConnect.  If you think that above remarks are OK to continues, please install Dynamics GP SDK from CD #2, where you can find complete tables structure and fields description 4. Custom Dynamics GP Reporting.  We recommend you to consider GP ReportWriter (SOP Invoice Blank for is the most typical candidate), SSRS, and of course Crystal Reports.  CR reports as good practice should be based on SQL View or Stored Procedure, as Reports design tool is good in report presentation, and Data Set is up to you – Great Plains Programmer 5. Great Plains EDI.  There are several Dynamics GP ISV add-ons available on Electronic Document Delivery.  If your EDI requirement s are really basic, and you do not have or do not want to spend money to purchase EDI mapping Dynamics GP Add-on, you should talk to your IT department is they could produce formatted EDI compliant select statement or Stored Procedure to do the job.  If they are not aware, feel free to call our office 6. Additional Dynamics GP customization and programming topics.  We would like to hear from you, Great Plains users and IT programmers what else you would like to know about Great Plains Modifications, Reporting, EDI, Barcode Scanning, Customization, Integration. Dynamics GP is Corporate ERP platform and we would like to help you to enable it.  Back in 2004 Microsoft introduced so-called Project Green, intended to merge Great Plains, Solomon, Navision, Axapta into compatible building blocks to be ready to choose for future businesses.  The intension was really innovative, but in our opinion the mission should take more time to be realized.  We are participant in Microsoft Dynamics international implementation project and this is why your comments are especially welcomed 7. eCommerce Dedication.  Please, read our articles published on Dynamics GP ecommerce topics.  You should consider ecommerce B2B and B2C Shopping Cart requirements.  eCommerce is very advanced topic, we would like to announce that it is outside of the scope for this small article, but feel free to give us as a call or email us 8. How to get help?  Please call us: 1-866-528-0577, if you are outside of USA: 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum. com.  We speak English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian.  This article is intended to USA, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Ethiopia Dynamics GP prospects and existing customers.  If you are located in different zone (including India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and other Arabic speaking countries), please check with us

The following book recommendations cover what I have found to be the essentials of any good programmer: * Creativity* Good methodology* Plenty of experience Creativity is an essential ingredient in all IT endeavours, from designing systems of hardware to programming applications. We all use it but sometimes under extreme stress (the ubiquitious limited budget and time constraints), burn out or reaching the preriphery of our creative output we need a new source of inspiration. One book I highly recommend is Cracking Creativity by Michael Michalko. This is a very straight forward and easy read with some surprising techniques in opening new avenues of creativity for solving IT problems. Object Oriented design. How often have you heard people pay lip-service to the method only to find their work contains the hydra of code duplication, workarounds and coding soliloquies that put Shakespeare to shame? I found a book in the year 2000 that offers a full object-oriented method explanation with exercises and examples that is a must for any serious programmer. Designing Object-Oriented Software by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock et al, takes you from the description of objects to providing diagrammatical tools, methods of induction and investigation and examples, giving you the groundwork to design robust responsiblity-driven systems and say yes to the projects that others have to turn down. Your knowledge and experience are your most important professional assets (Hunt & Thomas 2000:12). The following book I cannot recommend highly enough. The Pragmatic Programmer, from Journeyman to Master by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas is packed full of great ideas and concepts annexed to a vigorous IT philosophy. This book encapsulates years of experience and knowledge with the latest IT concepts (Agile Programming) to make you a better programmer. All of these books put me at the top of the pile of programmers in my field of programming and from others to whom I have recommended these books I have received very encouraging feedback. If you wish to benefit from these book recommendations the details for each are as follows: * Wirfs-Brock, Rebecca. , Wilkerson, Brian. , Wiener, Lauren. , (1990)”Designing Object-Oriented Software”, P T R Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. * Hunt, Andrew. , Thomas, David. , (2000) “The Pragmatic Programmer”, Addison-Wesley, New York. * Michalko, Michael. , (2001) “Cracking Creativity, The Secrets of Creative Genius”, Ten Speed Press, California