04/12/2017 is just around the corner…

As I am writing this, I know that it is a little silly to make such a big deal about a date that someone in Fargo picked so many years ago. You see, back in the day, someone must have sat at a meeting and gathered a team and planned out the default test company that would come with Microsoft Dynamics GP. They created Vendors, Customers, Items, GL Accounts, Employees and more. At some point, the team picked an arbitrary date to be the default date on that test company.

I have used Fabrikam (and its predecessor company: The World Online) since I started working with Microsoft Dynamics GP. I feel like Aaron Fitz (the first customer) is an old friend! I think all phones should be Green (100XLG is my favorite Fabrikam inventory item)!

I have learned so much by having a company with years of data that was already setup. I know the value in giving users “a copy of their own data” for testing and training. But, I think Microsoft Dynamics GP users should also have access to Fabrikam!

When users only have access to a testing environment that only has their old system’s Master Records, it is really hard to train on Voids, Month-End Processing, Year-End Closing, processing large batches of AP Checks, AR Collections, and more!

When I was first learning about GP, I would pull up the test company to see how they had something setup. I would check and uncheck setup boxes. One of my favorite exercises was to open a Vendor, Customer or Item and change the distribution account to something new and really easy to track. I would create a new GL account with a number like: 444-4444-44 and enter a transaction and post it, apply it, void it, etc. I watched the activity in that new wacky account and learned how GP handled exceptions and corrections. When GP changed the way that Purchase Price Variances affected the GL, I went through every scenario I could think of and created a color coded “Cheat Sheet” based on what I did in Fabrikam.

To this day, if I receive a support call or read an issue on the GPUG Open Forum, I will try to replicate the error in Fabrikam. I know that stopping and doing these transactions over and over and over and over have formed the foundation of my skills with GP. I know that without Fabrikam, I would not have become a Dynamics Credentialed Professional.

I think people do not give the team that created Fabrikam enough credit!

I really want to thank the people at Microsoft (and the veterans from the old Great Plains days)  that created and maintain Fabrikam. I recently had to learn another accounting software program that did not come with a Test company. Without that safety net, it was scary. Every transaction “counted” and I had no template to compare my setup against!

In honor of Fabrikam Day, I am working with some really amazing people to have a celebration as part of the GPUG New York City Chapter meeting! If you are in the area, be sure to register and join in the fun. It will be on April 12, 2017.

If you need a reminder of the date, log into GP and select Fabrikam from the company drop-down box!