1. Microsoft Dexterity or former Great Plains
Dexterity was designed in earlier 1990th
with assumption that C programming
language will provide computer platform
independence: Microsoft Windows vs. Mac
or Solaris/Unix, plus database
independence or at least easy switch:
Ctree, Pervasive SQL/Btrieve, MS SQL
Server, Oracle, DBII, etc
hybrid cloud

2. Dexterity architecture was transferred to MS Visual C++
somewhere around 1999 with some additional bug fixing work,
however pretty flawless   When Microsoft purchased Great
Plains Software on the edge of XXI Century, the basis of Dexterity
lost its actuality – in fact Microsoft Business Solutions actively
moved toward phasing out all the other platforms, but MS SQL
Server by introducing MSDE platform – free version of SQL Server,
without some tools, however   LetÂ’s look at MS Dexterity from
this angle: Database Access

3.   Microsoft Dexterity, comparing to old Dexterity had to
emphasize MS SQL Server stored procedures calls and scripts
  This meant that former Dex cursors (as being db platform
independent) lost their actuality   Now it is probably good
programming tone to use SQL Stored Procedures to speed up dex
scripting from the side of database manipulations Dex Screens

4.   Still good idea to keep dex screen developing, following by
eConnect object oriented logic behind   As Microsoft is
emphasizing MS Visual Studio Net development options, here we
would recommend Dex screens to be filled with eConnect logic via
DLLs where you call either eConnect DLL procedures or XML web
services eConnect interface SQL Stored Procedures

6.   This approach still requires some experience with Dexterity
programming: DEX_ROW_ID, DYNAMICS DIC dex source code
programming, dexterity atomic SQL stored procedures – you
should be familiar with these legacy dexterity features Dexterity
International Aspect

7.   Unicode – this is real problem   We often hear
customer questions about dex supporting Unicode: Chinese,
Japanese, Korean characters

8.   However some tools can help, Crystal reports for example –
we have hybrid cloud to express pessimistic view here Extender
optimism   eOne Extender is very promising tools, if you are
end customer – it allows you to forget about dex proprietary
features and concentrate on GP prototyping: tables, forms, reports,
plus even dex sanscript logic – if you have this under your belt
Article Tags:

9. hybrid cloud