Price list in GP vs Trade Agreements in AX

Today, we are going to analyse the difference between Functionality offered by AX and GP for Trade Agreements and Price list respectively. To be very clear in MS Dynamics GP we don't have Vendor Price List, as compared to AX which provides Trade Agreements for both Vendors and Customers.

Price List in MS Dynamics GP,

In inventory module, users can set the price lists. These prices lists are only eligible for Customers, that means users can not manage price list offered by vendors. Users are required to create Price Levels and need to map these prices levels to customers. During creation of Transaction these price levels can be changed. 

Price levels in MS Dynamics GP 2010, allows users to select Quantity from/to, UOM and price amount. Price levels can be setup in Customer Classes to reduce data entry or bulk map of new price lists to customers belonging to that class. There is no option for Activate or Deactivate, users would be required to delete the price list in case of closed offers.

It seems logical, that different company may offer different prices for different warehouse/sites. We miss such functionality in MS Dynamics GP.

Users cannot perform SOP Transaction without setting up price list for the item.

Trade Agreements in MS Dynamics AX 2012

On Product Information Management we can see the trade agreements button on both Purchase Tabs and Sales Tabs. Purchase Trade Agreements works with Item vs Vendors, whereas Sales Trade Agreements works with Item vs Customers. In both the cases uses can select Group of Customers/Vendors, All Customers/Vendors, or Specific Customer/Vendors against Group of Items, All Items or Specific Items.

User can set the prices for Quantities from/to, UOM, Amount, Dates from/to, fixed price charge. Users can bring in Site/Warehouse combination for setting up prices.

In Dynamics AX 2012, users are required to create trade agreements journals, and need to post them in order to make them activate. 

Trade agreements setup, is not necessary. User may enter prices in Item Master, or during transaction. Prices mentioned Trade Agreements are superseded by the prices mentioned in Item Master.

By specifying the To Date we can expire the trade agreement, and start new one.

The main plus point for AX 2012, it that it provides separate pricing functionality for Vendors. Something which is very much required by MS Dynamics GP 2010.

Inventory Master in AX vs GP

Hi guys, 

Today I am going to share how inventory master in MS Dynamics GP 2010 differs from one that has been introduced in MS Dynamics AX 2012. Clearly MS Dynamics AX 2012 provides more functionality as compared to GP 2010. Since we are only focusing the inventory master, some functionalities may be kept un-discussed. Also we are just discussing the TOP Differences, as I wont be able to write down all in singe post :)

Top 6 Differences (which I believe) 

1. MS Dynamics AX 2012 provides the concept of Shared Products, which means I just need to create a Product one time and that information will be shared across the group (Multiple entities)
1. Certain information will be shared, and certain information is company-wide.
2. Administrators are required to Release the products to entities in order to be used by the users of the entity.
2. Not new in AX2012, but still one of the most important feature of DAX 2012 that it provide dimensions for the inventory, i.e. Size, Colour & Configuration. We can rename the Size & Colour, but not the configuration dimension.
1. These dimensions enable, organisation to reduce load on Item Master
2. For example, a company deals in Coloured Cups, each colour has its own value. i.e in case black cup is not available customer would not accept the white one. In this scenario 
1. GP Says, it need to create each CUP as a separate item
1. CUP-WHITE, CUP-BLACK and So on
2. AX Says, just create the item CUP and define multiple Colour Dimensions.
1. Colours would be treated as Values of Dimension Color, and be made required for the item. AX shall manage the inventory quanities based on these colors
3. I believe Categories in MS Dynamics GP (Limited to 6 Only) are Product attributes in MS Dynamics AX 2012. Again in DAX 2012, it is not limited to 6 and users could add unlimited number of attributes to the product.
4. Tracking Dimension Groups in AX provides more options as compared to GP which is just a selection for tracking as Serialized, Lot or None. See the AX Screen shot below
   
5. Similarly Storage Dimensions enables Users to manage, how they wish to manage storage for the item. GP Lacks such functionality, as we only have Site/Bin.
6. Item Model Group in DAX2012, provides detailed configuration on how Items would be valued/ handled. We miss such options in MS Dynamics GP2010

Controlling Items to be Purchased from Specific Vendors

After a long time, this is my first post in regards to my study towards Comparison between MS Dynamics AX 2012 and MS Dynamics GP 2010. One of the functionality I found interesting in both ERP is in regards to Vendor Assignment. This comparison is not about which ERP is better it is more about which ERP fulfils your requirements.

1. MS Dynamics GP 2010 provides users capability to relate Site to Vendors

2. I cannot see so far, specific vendors for specific sites in MS Dynamics AX 2012, for example  for site NORTH I got Vendor MR Khan, as contrast to site SOUTH I got Vendor MR Zain. Primary Vendor per Site reduce the data entry on most of the forms of MS Dynamics GP 2010.

3. In MS Dynamics GP 2010, we cannot purchase an item from a Vendor that is not assigned to Items (Even in case to Temporary Vendor)

4. In MS Dynamics AX 2012, we can purchase the item from any vendor until Item is not Vendor Controlled (See below). We still have two option in case Item is Vendor Controlled, System Warning or Process Stop.

5. In MS Dynamics AX2012, we have expiry dates for Vendors, one of the feature that is not available in MS Dynamics GP2010. Also the Vendor Agreements provide more advantage to AX2012 as compared to GP2010. Agreements shall be covered in Futures posts.

Vendor Assignment Process in AX2012

1. User will be required to control the item by Approved Vendor
2. Navigate to Product Information Management > Common > Released Products
3. Select the Product, click Maintain> Edit
4. On the Purchase Fast Tab Select any of the two option for Approved Vendor

5. Add Approved Vendors to the item 
6. Navigate to Product Information Management > Common > Released Products>Purchase Tab > Approved Vendors Setup
7. Add Vendors Effective and Expiry Date or Expiration as Never (EXPIRY DATE FEATURE IN NOT AVAILABLE IN MS DYNAMICS GP 2010)

8. After doing this setup Users would not be able to create POs for vendors that are not in approved list.
9. Users will have info logs like

Vendor Assignment Process in GP2010

1. Navigate to Cards > Inventory > Vendors
2. Select the item number
3. Make sure Vendor Lookup is selected to ALL
4. Select the Vendor, Click save
5. Repeat the steps for Each Vendor

6. We can clearly see that MS Dynamics GP provide more options for planning in case for Assigned Vendors.

7. Also in case when users are creating POs, and in case vendors are not assigned we get an option, that Vendor is not assigned and do we need to assign (WE CANNOT PURCHASE INVENTORY WITH UNASSIGNED VENDOR)

On clicking YES, users are taken to Same window (5) to assign the vendor.

8. Default Vendor for each site,