A little tender loving care, better known as TLC, goes a long way. Whether it’s rubbing cream onto our chapped hands or carefully pruning our favorite bonsai so it can keep its exotic shape. Another good example is your car which benefits from regularly scheduled maintenance that includes an oil change. So if people, plants, and vehicles benefit from regularly applied TLC, does that extend to our computer software, too?
The answer is a resounding yes! You don’t install a software application and just expect it to run forever. Applications often require patches and updates. At some point, sometimes sooner than later, they also need to be upgraded. And they all require support, be it proactive, reactive, or both.
Like all software solutions, Microsoft Dynamics GP works best with regularly scheduled TLC to keep it running at peak performance. And as stated above, a little TLC goes a long way. Keeping up with your daily and weekly processes contributes a smooth month-end close. And then those monthly processes, correctly executed, contribute to a smooth year-end close.
Proactive Maintenance
You should always have a plan in place for proactive maintenance of your Dynamics GP system in order to minimize issues, downtime, or data loss. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Monitor the Disk Space on the SQL Server – Make sure you have appropriate disk space for SQL data, SQL logs, and SQL backups. The amount of space required depends upon how much data is being processed through Dynamics GP and whether the server supports other databases and functions as well.
- Back Up SQL Databases – Have a maintenance plan to back up the DYNAMICS and all company databases in the desired interval. This should be performed on a regular basis to ensure the Dynamics GP information may be restored for a disaster recovery type situation. The backup should be verified and tested periodically to make sure the backups are working properly providing you insurance against data loss.
- Monitor the Event Viewer on the SQL Server to see if there are any errors.
- Monitor Memory Utilization – Make sure you have enough RAM on the SQL server based on your usage level. Review the current server requirements based on the version of GP that you’re running.
- Close Any Inactive Dynamics GP Sessions – On a periodic basis, close any inactive users still held by Dynamics GP for whatever reason.
- Keep Dynamics GP Version Up-To-Date – Know which version and service pack of Dynamics GP you are running and what the latest version and service packs are. Confirm that the version you’re using is still supported by Microsoft. If not, consider an upgrade and plan a move to the most current version.
Bond Consulting Services (BCS) Support Plans
Even with the best intentions, the closest adherence to best practices, and plenty of TLC, problems can occur, often due to events or situations that are beyond your control. For this reason, we suggest that you have a service plan in place with Bond Consulting Services (BCS). The best plan of all is our Microsoft Dynamics GP Unlimited Support Package.
Bond Consulting Services is a national consulting firm that empowers organizations across the United States to thrive in a digitally transformed world. We operate out of Long Beach, California, where our expert team assists clients with their ERP and CRM needs. Visit us at www.BondConsultingServices.com or just pick up the phone and call 562.988.3451.
