Raising Funds for Charity is Easy as Pie at CRGroup

This season, CRGroup staff raised $450 for the MS Society of Canada, a national voluntary organization that provides services to people with multiple sclerosis and their families and funds research to find the cause and cure for this disease. Throughout the month of December, employees placed bids in a silent auction in order to raise funds for the charity. Team members donated their time or services as items to be auctioned. Prizes included dog-sitting services, a holiday baking platter, Starbucks coffee runs and a CRG Mystery Bag.

The highlight for many, however, was the second annual pie slam, with several managers and employees volunteering to receive a cream pie in the face

Holiday Greetings from CRGroup President & CEO, Dr. Vijay Jog

A message from CRGroup President & CEO, Dr. Vijay Jog:
 
I cannot believe that CRGroup will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2014!  Yes, a lot of years have gone by – each year bringing new accomplishments and continuing excitement.

And what a terrific year 2013 has been; it ranks as a year of remarkable accomplishment for CRGroup. We forged strategic partnerships, released innovative software and upgraded our existing products, welcomed many great new clients, and participated in leading industry events. We revitalized our solutions platform to cater to our widely diversified client base and worked hard to get our team trained and certified in these new solutions. We now have even deeper capabilities and offer technology solutions that can be deployed both on premise and in the cloud.

In 2013, we entered into four significant strategic relationships:

• NetSuite – a fast growing company that provides a SaaS offering of cloud-based ERP and CRM
• Adaptive Planning – a SaaS offering of cloud-based planning and budgeting
• BOARD International – one of the most innovative companies that provides an on premise one-stop solution spanning strategy, metrics management, planning and budgeting and business intelligence
• KEMP Technologies – in order to provide much-needed load balancing solutions to our clients who are challenged with managing network traffic arising from an ever-growing use of bandwidth

4 Things Dynamics GP Users Might Want for Christmas

If Santa got out of the toy-making business for a few minutes and started paying some much needed attention to Dynamics GP users around the world – what requests might he get this festive season?

What would it be for you? If you could ask Santa for help with your Dynamics GP, what would you ask for? Based on our extensive experience implementing and maintaining GP, we have put together the ultimate wish list.

Four things Dynamics GP users might want this Christmas:

1.      Help restructuring their GP Chart of Accounts: Imagine sitting by a warm fire, sipping hot cocoa and enjoying the improved reporting, consistency, and simplicity that comes with 

Some Accountants are the Blind Leading the Blind

I recently met a managerial consultant whose intentions were sincere, however his advice was surprising, but not totally surprising, to me.

He mentioned to me that a company had inquired to him whether they should consider using activity-based costing (ABC). His next step was initially encouraging. He contacted the accounting departments of the inquiring company’s major competitors. He asked them if they are using ABC. The answer from them was that none of them are.

A missed opportunity for good advice

I was hoping the next thing he would tell me is this. I was hoping he would inform the inquiring company that they had an opportunity to gain a competitive edge.

I presumed he would say to them, “I have good news for you. Your instincts are correct. You have realized that the amount of your indirect and shared expenses have grown large relative to your direct expenses. You may understand that this expansion is a result that your products and services have expanded with much diversity and variations. And the result is that complexity has caused this increase to manage the complexity. By your using a highly aggregated indirect cost pool with a single allocation factor that has no cause-and-effect relationship with those indirect expenses, the consequence is that you are simultaneously over- and-under-costing your products. Their costs exactly reconcile in total but not in with parts. This is because cost allocations are a zero sum error condition. Your competitors do not realize this, but you do. Go for it. Implement ABC. Your company will much better understand their profit margin layers and where it makes and loses money – and why.”

Sadly, he advised the inquiring company that since its competitors do not use ABC then that is evidence that ABC is of little benefit.

How long can this ignorance continue?

Exceptional EPM / CPM Systems are an Exception

Many organizations over-rate the quality of their enterprise and corporate performance management (EPM / CPM) methods and supporting software systems as well as exaggerate how comprehensive and integrated they are. For example, when you ask executives how well they measure and report their costs and non-financial performance measures, most proudly boast that they are very good. However, this is inconsistent and conflicts with surveys where anonymous replies from mid-level managers candidly score their scaled answers as “needs much improvement.”

Every organization cannot be above average!

What makes exceptionally good EPM / CPM systems exceptional?

Rather than try to be a sociologist and psychiatrist to explain the contradictions of executives boasting superiority while anonymously answered surveys reveal inferiority, let’s simply describe the full vision of an effective EPM / CPM system that organizations should aspire to.

Corporate Renaissance Group to Present Trend Miner at eXtremeCRM 2013 Anaheim

OCTOBER 29th, 2013 – OTTAWA, ON: Microsoft Dynamics® CRM provider Corporate Renaissance Group (CRGroup) is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming 2013 eXtremeCRM Conference taking place November 3-6 in Anaheim, California. CRGroup will showcase its latest Dynamics CRM innovation for trend series analysis, Trend Miner™, through live demonstrations in the exposition hall and by hosting a dedicated learning session.

The session entitled ‘Historical Trend Analysis and B.I. Visualization for Microsoft Dynamics CRM’ will be held Tuesday, November 5th at 12:30PM Pacific Time. Presenters will demonstrate how organizations can leverage Trend Miner to perform powerful trend series analysis on historical CRM data and give their sales, marketing, and customer service managers the insight they need to make better, faster business decisions.

Vijay's Recap: Transformational CXO Breakfast Seminar Featuring Steve Waszak

Thank you to all who attended the inaugural Transformational CXO Breakfast Seminar last week. We were very fortunate to hear from Steve Waszak, the President and CEO of BTI Systems. We could not have had a better speaker than Steve to kick off this series, which is intended to give CEOs and CXOs in our community the opportunity to learn from those who have done it; to be inspired to make the right changes in their organisations in order to realize greater success.

In that context, Steve inspired us all. He was candid in sharing his experiences working and dealing with global companies, outlining what BTI had to do to compete in this fast-changing world where more is being demanded of you and there is no “waiting time”.

Trend Miner Gets eXtreme in Anaheim

Trend Miner is headed to Anaheim, CA Nov 3-6 for the 2013 eXtreme CRM Conference & Expo and we would like to see you there! 

Interested in growing your Microsoft Dynamics® CRM business?  Visit www.extremecrm.com to learn about the leading US Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner event, taking place November 3 - 6 2013.  Corporate Renaissance Group will be there as a speaker and exhibitor showcasing Trend Miner.

Extreme CRM is where Microsoft Dynamics CRM partners come together to forge business relationships, gain knowledge from real-world experience, and dive deep into current and future technologies. The Trend Miner team will be in Booth #28 for the duration of show to conduct live demos and give away some pretty nifty gifts.
Extreme CRM is the perfect place to see for yourself what Trend Miner has to deliver:

• Ground-breaking trend analysis for Dynamics CRM
• Unprecedented BI visualizations
• Out-of-the-box dashboards
• Trend Miner data warehouse for use with a customer’s own CRM fields and entities

Attend our Live Session at eXtreme CRM:

Historical Trend Analysis and B.I. Visualization for Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Join us for this 30 minute session where we will show you how you can use Trend Miner to give Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service managers the insight they need to make better, faster decisions and perform powerful trend series analysis on your historical CRM data.

Date: Nov 5, 2013 12:30PM-1:00PM
Room: Garden 1

Book your seat in advance and Coffee’s on us - you’ll receive a Starbucks Gift Card for a beverage of your choice. Email trendminer@crgroup.com to book your VIP seat and get your coffee gift card today.

Not Registered? Visit the conference site for more information.

Registered? Book your live demo of Trend Miner in our booth! Contact us to book your meeting in advance. trendminer@crgroup.com We’ll also be giving away a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 in our booth. Stop by to enter your name.

Not Attending? No problem. You can learn more about Trend Miner here or contact us directly to book a web demo.

See you in Anaheim!

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: How to WOW with Fiscal Period Tricks in Dynamics GP

Did you know that you can change the names of your Fiscal Periods in Dynamics GP?

HOW?

You can change the values under the Period Name column using the Fiscal Periods Setup window. It's easy!

1. Go to Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > Company > Fiscal Periods.

2. Click on Period 1 in Period Name column and change it to the proper period name, e.g., "Jan 2013".

3. Repeat for all remaining periods.

4. Click OK.
 

Tableau Customer Conference Wrap-Up

Greetings!

 

The 2013 Tableau Customer Conference just wrapped-up this week in Washington, DC. As usual, Christian Chabot (Tableau Co-Founder and CEO) and Chris Stolte (Tableau Co-Founder and CDO) delivered a fantastic keynote address.

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: Sub-ledger Details in Management Reporter

Did you know that you can print sub-ledger details such as Vendor ID, Vendor Name, Customer ID, Customer Name, and Batch Number in Management Reporter? Yes you can!

To print sub-ledger details in Management Reporter:

1.From Microsoft Dynamics GP, open Management Reporter.

2. Open Column Definition (i.e., the detail you wish to print).

3. From Column Type select ‘ATTR (Attribute)’.

Corporate Renaissance Group Releases New User Focused Website

CRGroup Launches Refreshed Website Built with SharePoint

 

Ottawa, ON – August 20th, 2013: Corporate Renaissance Group (CRGroup) is pleased to announce the launch of its new corporate website, www.crgroup.com. Amidst a year of significant strategic growth for CRGroup, the new website showcases the company’s brand, promise and dedication to its clients while offering more information about its specific products and services.

Built using industry best practices in Microsoft SharePoint, www.crgroup.com aims to become a more inviting space for current and prospective clients and partners. The redesign features easy navigation, video interactions, a secure access portal and a sleek interface, appealing to business clients seeking relevant information without clutter.

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: Smarter than SmartList – Excel Reporting for GP

Did you know that predefined Excel reports are available with Microsoft Dynamics GP2010 & 2013?

Excel reports allow users to get up-to-date data from Dynamics GP without ever having to log into Dynamics GP. The reports are free and very easy to deploy.

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: Human Resources Report Summary in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Did you know that there are 260+ out-of-the-box reports available in the Microsoft Dynamics GP – Human Resources module?

Some cool facts about these reports:

• The reports can be printed using the Reports option.
• Some reports can be printed during procedures. For example, the Employee Orientation Checklist - Detail report can be printed when entering employee orientation information by choosing Print in the Orientation Checklist window. 
• The Smart List option can be used to print or create new ad-hoc reports above and beyond the 260+ reports included with the module.
• The SmartList Builder, Excel Reports Builder and SSRS are also fantastic tools to create ad-hoc / new reports in the Human Resources module.

Here is the complete list of reports available in the Human Resources module of Dynamics GP.

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: Changing SmartList Default Settings in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Changing  the default settings for SmartLists using the SmartList Options window is simple!

To Change SmartList Default Settings:

1. Click the Administration series button.

2. On the Setup content pane, click SmartList Options.

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: Export Solutions in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Did you know that you can export search results to a template and run Microsoft Excel or Word macros before or after exporting? It's possible - and easy - using the Export Solutions SmartList!

To create an Export Solution:

1. On the SmartList window, click the SmartList menu and select Export Solutions.

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: "Why Dynamics GP 2013?"

After the launch of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 in December we have had some time to test and work with the product.

More and more often, I am being asked the same question:

"Why should my organization upgrade its system to Microsoft Dynamics® GP 2013?"

Unfortunately, I find I can't give just one reason, so I say:

"How about 52 reasons?" And here they are!

Corporate Renaissance Group Partners with KEMP Technologies to Bring Load Balancers to Market

CRGroup Becomes Official Supplier of KEMP Network Traffic Technology

 

Ottawa, ON – June 3rd, 2013: Corporate Renaissance Group (CRGroup), global provider of innovative solutions that improve business management and performance, has entered into a reseller agreement with network traffic load balancing specialist KEMP Technologies. CRGroup has been selected by KEMP Technologies to bring its award-winning load balancers to medium and large-sized enterprises across North America.

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: Account Level Security Setup in Microsoft Dynamics GP

What is Account Level Security?

 

Account Level Security helps you set up security on your Chart of Accounts. Once account security is activated, you can’t enter, view, edit, or post any transactions in General Ledger windows that include a secured account—that is, an account to which you don’t have access.

 

How does Account Level Security work?

• When you use the transaction entry windows in your sub modules, you can enter, view, and edit transactions that include default distributions to secured accounts. However, account security will apply to account distributions.
• You can open the distribution entry windows, but if any accounts are secured (i.e., not available to you) the account field will be blank and the message “Access denied/Account missing” will appear in the Description field.
• If you attempt to enter an account number that is secured, the message “You don’t have permission to create new accounts or view all accounts” will appear when you move from the field. The account and description fields will be cleared.

 

CRGroup Tips & Tricks: Copying Journal Entries in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Did you know that GP2010 & GP2013 allow you to copy a previous journal entry with a new journal entry number?

 

It's true! And after you copy the complete entry, you can then change the Dr. or Cr. Amounts and/or add or remove a new GL Code to your new entry.

 

So, if have any recurring entries and you enter them manually, save some time and start using the ‘Copy’ functionality instead!

Corporate Renaissance Group Attracts CFOs, Controllers, and Accountants with Business Productivity Seminar

Ottawa, ON – May 16th, 2013: Corporate Renaissance Group (CRGroup), a certified Microsoft Partner and global provider of products and solutions for improving business performance and management, has announced that it will hold an informational overview of Microsoft® Dynamics GP™ for executives interested in learning more about enterprise resource planning solutions.

As part of the ”Ottawa Productivity Seminar Series”, the event will be held on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Microsoft Canada Suite in the World Exchange Plaza, 100 Queen Street. The event is complimentary and open to the Ottawa business community.

Latest Version of CRG emPerform Offers Integrated 360° Review Functionality

OTTAWA, ON: April 15, 2013 – Corporate Renaissance Group (CRG), a global provider of innovative solutions that improve business performance and increase effectiveness, announced today the availability of version 4.4 of emPerform, CRG’s online talent management solution. Among the list of enhancements and added functionality, this latest release offers integrated 360° performance reviews.

Using multiple perspectives to complete employee reviews is quickly becoming the standard for an effective performance management strategy. Managers often have a limited perspective when it comes to assessing employees and 360° feedback offers the ability to gain insight from people who work closely with one another to generate fair and accurate reviews that have value and can be used for decision making.

Introducing PA Tools - Simplify the Maintenance of Dynamics GP Project Accounting.

Corporate Renaissance Group Launches PA Tools for Microsoft

Dynamics GP Project Accounting

Ottawa, ON – April 16, 2013: Corporate Renaissance Group (CRGroup), a certified Microsoft Partner and global provider of products and solutions for improving business performance and management, today announced the release of PA Tools for Microsoft® Dynamics GP™. PA Tools helps clients maximize their investment in Microsoft Dynamics GP by simplifying the maintenance of the Project Accounting Module.

Developed using CRGroup’s expertise in Dynamics GP and years of successful Project Accounting, consulting, and implementations, PA Tools offers easy-to-use functionality to simplify the management of Project Accounting tasks.

Corporate Renaissance Group Unveils Ground-Breaking B.I. Visualization for Dynamics CRM

Innovation in Dynamics technology has taken a step forward at the Dynamics Convergence Conference with the unveiling of Trend Miner, Corporate Renaissance Group’s newest product for B.I. visualization and trend analysis in Dynamics CRM. 

 

Ottawa, ON – March 18th, 2013: Innovation in Dynamics technology has taken a step forward today with the unveiling of Trend Miner, Corporate Renaissance Group’s (CRG) newest product for B.I. visualization in Dynamics® CRM™. Using a client’s own Dynamics CRM data fields and historical information, Trend Miner helps businesses extract and analyze information like never before.