Many software programs offer their integration tools for free. Typically, you get what you pay for and Integration Manager, part of Integration Suite, shows you that free is not always your best choice-especially if you’ve struggled with integration tools that make you experiment a lot in order to nail an integration. While Integration Manager is not free-the value it provides is high.
The software has a user interface that shows you how your data will integrate. It validates the data coming in, and it provides useful information about rejected data.
Below is an overview of Integration Manager with excerpts from the manual. This should show you that the documentation to the Dynamics GP Integration Manager is also easy to read and understand.
Integration Manager provides you with a safe and easy way of integrating data between business applications. Integrating data involves extracting data from source applications or databases and bringing the data into a destination. You can integrate data from external business databases, e-commerce solutions, or other
data file types into the Microsoft Dynamics GP application.
When you create an integration, you’ll specify sources, destinations, and destination mappings. Sources include the data to integrate into a destination, such as text files or ODBC databases.
A destination indicates where to integrate your source data within Microsoft Dynamics GP, such as General Journal or Payables Transaction. The destination mapping indicates where each item from your source data goes in the destination, such as which fields the source values will be integrated into.
A source indicates where the information to be integrated comes from. In Integration Manager, a source can be anything from a comma- or tab-delimited file, or a database such as an Open Database Connectivity source (ODBC). Sources exist independently of the source adapters. Refer to Chapter 5, “Adding sources,” for more information.
Source adapters connect to sources, and filter and extract data. The data is passed on to the Integration Manager engine for processing.
Working with the source adapter and destination adapter, the Integration Manager engine helps you map and integrate the source data into the destination.
A destination indicates where to integrate the processed information. A destination can be an application or database. Destinations exist independently of the destination adapters. Microsoft Dynamics GP is an example of a destination.
Destination adapters validate data before integrating it to the destination application, database, or file. If you do not have a destination adapter installed, you won’t be able to select a destination.
Destination mappings define how source data is mapped to the destination.
Typically, the information comes from the source you specified, but it also can come from a constant value or default value in the destination. The integration mapping includes several rules you can use when creating a destination mapping.
A query is a request for information. In Integration Manager, queries are used to refer specifically to requests for information from a text file or ODBC source. You can create several queries when using ODBC/text as your source.
When you specify more than one ODBC/text source, you create several queries, as well. You need to create a query relationship between these queries. This relationship tells Integration Manager how the queries work together during the integration.
If you are struggling getting Integration Manager to work as a consultant, we are are happy to help you or …
For a nice, simple, demonstration of Integration Manager, please watch this YouTube Video of Integration Manager for Dynamics GP.
To download any of the Microsoft Dynamics GP datasheets, including Integration Manager, use this link: http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/brl/licensing/dynamics-gp.aspx.
The items are alphabetized and the link to Integration Manager-Conversions currently will download the front and back datasheet for all of the Integration Tools.
