Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities and Data Correction Situations

With Microsoft Dynamics GP and the SQL database it resides on, data correction issues can be a snap!  Yes, we all know that accounting systems should never fail, but we still make backups in case they do.  On top of regular backups, Microsoft Dynamics GP provides two unique utilities that ease the process of data correction should problems arise.

The two utilities that are provided are Check Links and Reconcile.  Each of these utilities fill a different need and together they can help in many different types of data correction issues.

For example, suppose a power outage causes connection issues between your workstation and the server.  This can cause some issues depending on what you were processing at the time of the outage.  With the Microsoft Dynamics GP utilities Check Links and Reconcile, some of these issues can be quickly rectified without the need to restore a backup.  We have used these utilities extensively in data correction situations with our clients.

Check Links: The Check Links utilities are great at “filling in the missing pieces.”  When run, Check Links reviews the master tables in the accounting database and matches transactional data with master data.  Let’s assume that during the power outage one of our customers was inadvertently deleted from the tables.  Check Links can be run and it will review the transactional information (invoices, payments, etc.) and then  match them up with records in the Customer Master table.  If the Check Links utility cannot find the matching customer record, then it will create the customer.  This feature is not restricted to just the Sales side of things; there are Check Links processes that can be run in Purchasing, Inventory, and GL.  This is a very handy tool to have available should you ever need it.

Reconcile: Similarly, the Reconcile utility is also very handy in these bad situations.  The reconcile feature does not check Master records (as that is what Check Links is for), but instead checks balances and totals.  Again, going back to our power outage example above; instead of losing a Master Record, the power outage could have caused the calculations on a batch of invoices to be out of balance.  Or it could have caused a customer’s total outstanding balance to be inaccurate.  With the Reconcile utility you can instruct Microsoft Dynamics GP to go back through the detail transactions and verify that the totals match the details.  In the above example, we could run Reconcile against a customer to have the system recalculate the balances for a customer.  Again, this is extremely valuable in situations where there is partial data loss because of “acts of God.”  Reconcile, just like Check Links, is available in all modules, so summary GL balances can be recalculated based on the transactional details for each account and vendor outstanding balances can be recalculated as well.

As you can see both of these utilities are helpful in the worst case scenario.  As always you should be certain that your backup procedure is fool proof; but should you experience problems when using Microsoft Dynamics GP you will at least have some built in utilities that will assist in getting you back up and running.  If you have any questions about your current backup processes or would just like more information about the utilities that Microsoft Dynamics GP provides to assist in these situations, feel free to contact us at Intelligent Technologies, Inc.

-By Grady Burris – Sr. Consultant – Intelligent Technologies, Inc.