#GPPT GP Power Tools build 30.1 released

Winthrop Development Consultants is pleased to announce Build 30 of GP Power Tools (GPPT) for Microsoft Dynamics GP was released on 21-Aug-2023.

This build includes two new features as well as support for Visual Studio Integration Toolkit’s new Custom Forms module along with a number of enhancements as well as improvements to the registration and installer systems.

This article lists some of the major new features and enhancements. It won’t list everything but to give you an idea of how much has been added, the user guide manual has grown from 592 pages in build 28 to 713 pages in build 29 and now to 744 pages in build 30.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: With the release of build 30 and with the aim of removing all builds with the security vulnerability, support for build 28 will be discontinued at the end of 2023. Support for build 27 and earlier has already been discontinued. The final released build for each version of Microsoft Dynamics GP will not be discontinued. Sites running discontinued builds need to update before their subscriptions can be renewed. It is recommended that ALL sites update to the latest build to take advantage of the new features, enhancements and fixes.

Build 30 of GP Power Tools is available for the following Microsoft Dynamics GP versions:

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 and GP 2018 R2 (v18.0)
Microsoft Dynamics GP Modern Lifecycle (v18.2)
Microsoft Dynamics GP Modern Lifecycle (v18.3)
Microsoft Dynamics GP Modern Lifecycle (v18.4)
Microsoft Dynamics GP Modern Lifecycle (v18.5)

Installer Critical Update

Critical Update: The InstallAware software used to create the installers for our products has been updated to resolve a recently identified critical DLL preloading vulnerability. As a copy of the installer remains on the machine for maintenance, update, removal, and repair tasks, the risk is ongoing until the system is updated with the fixed installer (build 29 or later).

The Installer has been updated to allow Microsoft Dynamics GP to be launched upon completion, if desired.

The installer will automatically apply the Bitmap Fonts and Bitmap Scaling fixes as well as the Legacy Print Dialog fix during installation. These fixes are now applied by the installer itself which should allow it to roll out to individual users on a Terminal Server. This should fix display issues on workstations with a DPI setting greater than 100%.

System Enhancements

The Registration system now includes an Email Distribution List which can be used to include additional email addresses to be cc’d on communications.

The Registration System has also been updated to ensure that old keys remain in the system if no new keys are available. This will keep the 30 day grace period running until it expires, at which time the software will cease to function.

When installing, the system will perform an update check to make sure that you are installing the latest code available for your version of Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Administrator Tools Module Enhancements

Changes to the Administrator Tools Module of GP Power Tools include the following:

Added a check for the company’s Next Note Index having a lower value than the maximum used Note Index to Administrator Settings. It displays a warning to run the Note Fix Utility if the issue is found.

Better support for Service Based Architecture, with Dictionary Control, Product Version Validation, User Activity Tracking and Security Activity Tracking now active when in Service Mode.

Better support for Dynamics Process Server, with Product Version Validation and Dictionary Control now active when running on a DPS.

Developer Tools Module Enhancements

Changes to the Developer Tools Module of GP Power Tools include the following:

Added Snippets Setup window for creating and storing code snippets for re-use in other scripts. Supports Dexterity sanScript, SQL, C# and VB.Net code and is available from the Insert button on the script editors.

Added Find in Scripts window to Project Setup for searching all scripts within a project or the entire system.

Support for the new Visual Studio Integration Toolkit Custom Forms module. This feature will allow GP Power Tools to be able to create new custom forms as needed. This makes GP Power Tools the perfect tool to replace unsupported Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code in Microsoft Dynamics GP systems.

Support for Custom Forms is provided by the EventRegisterForm and EventHandlerForm Custom Script Purposes on the Runtime Execute window and integration between Visual Studio Integration Toolkit and the Helper Functions window.

Better support for Service Based Architecture, with Triggers marked as Enabled in Service Mode now active when in Service Mode.

Better support for Dynamics Process Server, with Triggers marked as Enabled in Service Mode now active when running on a DPS.

Improved Error Handling for Triggers registered using .Net methods for Field Value Changed or Modified windows or for Functions and Procedures with arguments.

Database Tools Module Enhancements

Changes to the Database Tools Module of GP Power Tools include the following:

Addition of a Note Fix Utility window to identify and fix issues with Record Note and the Note Index values used to link setup, cards and transaction records to the Record Note Master (SY03900) table. Issues can include:

The Company’s Next Note Index stored in the Company Master (SY01500) table in the system database is lower than the maximum used Note Index in the company. Often caused by restoring Databases separately.
Zero Value Note Indexes where records have no Note Index value assigned to them. Often caused by importing data and not assigning the Next Note Index.
Duplicate Note Indexes where the same Note Index has been given to more than one record in the system. Often caused by the Company’s Next Note Index being incorrect due to restoring Databases separately.
Used Duplicate Note Indexes where the same Note Index has been given to more than one record in the system AND that note has been used by one (or more) of those records. The result is cross linked notes where the note shows up for multiple records in the system.
Note with no Note Index when there is a record in the Record Note Master (SY03900) table with a zero value for the Note Index column.
Orphaned Notes where records in the Record Note Master (SY03900) table cannot be matched with any other records in the system. This could happen if an ISV product is using a different field to store the Note Index or if data has been removed or archives without removing the used Notes.

Other Enhancements

For a detailed change log, look at the GPPTools.txt file which is also installed with GP Power Tools in the Microsoft Dynamics GP application folder.

More Information

For more information refer to the following pages and articles:

The following articles and links have been updated to include the changes for Build 30:

Thanks to all the customer sites who were willing to install build 30 beta code into their live environments and to my amazing team of beta testers especially Arthur Achilleos, Beat Bucher, and Geoff Harding for their input in making another fantastic build. Thank you.

Also, need a shout out to Rob Farley MVP from LobsterPot Solutions, whose extensive SQL Server knowledge helped with significant performance improvements to the Note Fix Utility. If you have performance or other issues with SQL Server, I can highly recommend contacting Rob.

Please update all workstations and servers where GP is installed to this latest build as soon as possible.

Please post comments and feedback. Thank you for your support.

Enjoy

David

25-Aug-2023: Updated with link to article about Discontinued Builds.
22-Dec-2023: Added link to Note Fix article.

This article was originally posted on http://www.winthropdc.com/blog.

Winthrop Development Consultants Blog

Winthrop Development Consultants Blog

This blog will keep you up to date with Winthrop Development Consultants and David’s experiences, tips and tricks as a developer and consultant in the Microsoft Dynamics GP community.