Feature of the Week for Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011: User Interface - Switching Companies

User Interface - Swtiching Companies

Why this feature is cool!

In Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011, you can quickly switch between companies without closing the company you are currently working with.   Use the new Switch Company Icon located on the Microsoft Dynamics SL toolbar..  To log into another company, click on the company icon and select the company.  Each company is associated with its own color to make it easier to identify which company they are currently logged into. 

The feature is especially powerful when used in conjunction with Windows Authentication.  The benefit of using Windows Authentication is that you will not be prompted for your credentials each time you switch companies. .

Here is an example:  A request comes in to process an invoice for Contoso Distribution while you are working on payments for Contoso Engineering.  To switch to Contoso Distribution, click on the company icon on the toolbar, choose Contoso Distribution from the dropdown list.  You are now logged into the new company.

What does it look like?

The menu toolbar in Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 with the company icon

Clicking on the Switch Company Icon displays a list of companies you have recently accessed.

Clicking on the “More Companies…” button displays all companies defined in your system database.

The upper pane of the Select a Company screen provides a way to search for a specific company by typing values that exist in the name of the company, narrowing down the list of companies to select from.

The Company Maintenance screen is used to assign a color to a company and provides a way to preview what the company icon will look like.