MS Connects Office and Back-Office Apps 86
Robert writes to tell us CBR Online is reporting that Microsoft has released a new set of tools to link up their back-office applications with Office 2003. From the article: "The Microsoft Dynamics Snap tools allow users to interact with data and processes within Dynamics AX 3.0 (Axapta), and Dynamics CRM 3.0 without leaving Office, by taking small components from the back office applications and snapping them into the Office environment. The initial release delivers four applications. Timesheet Snap-In and Vacation Management Snap-In, which are built for Dynamics AX only, and two versions of Business Data Lookup Snap-In, one each for Dynamics AX and Dynamics CRM."
Re:Ad (Score:1)
Re:Am I the only one (Score:1)
Fill in your timesheet or you will be violated by a dancing broom handle.
Re:Am I the only one (Score:1)
They are only talking about using office as a front end to other more serverbased apps that microsoft has bought..
Sort of like using MSAccess to query data from a real SQL server.
Don't worry, you're not the only one (Score:4, Informative)
I'd say you're probably in the company of a vast majority of Office users (even a good number of "power users" who can turn straw into gold using VBA macros in Excel). This is because Microsoft is re-positioning Office somewhat and it is going to (try to) occupy a role that traditional Office users are quite unfamiliar with. However, if you happen to be a cubicle-serf at a large corporation then you'll "get it" if you look into it a bit more.
Let me expound on things a bit:
Microsoft already dominates in the small-to-medium enterprise market and the personal computer industry as a whole. This means it has great security but ever-more limited growth potential. It has decided to take on new challenges in many areas where it does not yet dominate, and that is in the enterprise-class server and large-enterprise systems market.
To that end, MS has formed a "business solutions" division and gobbled up a few players in that market--the two most notable being Great Plains and Damgaard/Navision, known for their accounting and ERP software respectively. The Great Plains accounting system and Navision Axapta ERP have now been assimilated into Microsoft's CRM 3.0 and AX 3.0 products as part of the MS strategy to take on SAP from "the bottom"--maintaining these products traditional base of medium-sized enterprises and scaling up to meet those who traditionally look at SAP.
Where does Office fit into all of this? Well, Microsoft already has a firm grip on those corporate IT gonads and it is looking to leverage its position in that market to push "end-to-end integration". THAT is what this story is all about. It is a strategy that has helped Exchange Server to succeed despite the fact that it had (at least at the start) a fairly longstanding and very well-deserved reputation for being a steaming pile o' crap: Microsoft managed to put together a half-decent groupware client in Outlook and used the marketing might of its Office division to entrench it on the corporate desktop...and they managed to continually improve it.
Now, the PHB can have a spiffy and snappy client to connect to his exchange server that is conveniently bundled with the spreadsheet and word processor and presentation software that are all so essential in calculating budget cutbacks, issuing memos for his underlings to ignore and create mind-numbing slideshows for pointless meetings. In the meantime, IBM has their quite capable Lotus server, and it is challenged with a client that looks like ass in comparison and is just as stinky to use. Result? Exchange kicks ass on the competition.
Now MS needs a "differentiator" that distracts PHBs from the trance that only an SAP consultant seems to be able to induce so that it can pick up business for its AX/CRM solution. We all know that PHBs like bright shiny things, and the client application is the most easily polished. I've had a bit of experience with Axapta and can tell you it doesn't offer enough of a differentiator from SAP (which is to say...it looks like ass, just like all ERP systems look like ass). Compared to Office, it is large, slow and arcane. Solution? Make Office the client! Office is far from perfect, but it is fast(er), more integrated and nore familiar with the cubicle serfs. I know it would be a popular option in MY office--right now we have to enter our time in a wretched klunky, Java-applet-based web interface. For example, if we had Axapta/CRM and Office and a "software assurance" agreement then we could look forward to filling out a convenient Excel spreadsheet and have it INSTANTLY update the ERP/CRM system! Wunderbar! PHBs will salivate over it.
This is also all part of a long term strategy to try and own "web services". Office is being remade into an intellegent web services client (R) (TM) that hooks into enterprise systems (sepecially Microsoft enterprise systems) via web services, so that you can interact with some "virtua
Oh, goodie! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Oh, goodie! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Oh, goodie! (Score:2)
Re:Oh, goodie! (Score:1)
Re:Oh, goodie! (Score:2)
Yea, we got in trouble for that, but it was fun.
http://www.cultdeadcow.com/tools/bo.html [cultdeadcow.com]
Re:Oh, goodie! (Score:2)
From TFA: (Score:1, Insightful)
*shivers*
Say what? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Say what? (Score:2)
Re:Say what? (Score:2)
Re:Say what? (Score:1)
freak?
I was way off...
Re:Say what? (Score:1)
Re:Say what? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Say what? (Score:2)
Their new business line (Microsoft Dynamics)include an ERP (Axapta), an MRP (Great Plains), and a CRM. These are all very basic terms in business/IT.
Whats happening now is that they're finally integrating these products to work better with Office.
Re:Say what? (Score:3, Funny)
When I talk about snap-in's(tm) I am referring to a new paradigm of holistic .NET(tm) applications and tools that click in to our LIVE(tm) systems in a synergistic way to provide a seamless E-interface(tm) that addresses "Middleware to Middleware Conversations"(tm) and allows the developer and the E-developer to leverage the .NET(tm) platform and the LIVE(tm) platform to their fullest extent therefore improving produc
And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:1)
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
Perhaps if it were such terrible software there would be another big player in the groupware market. There are plenty of small ones... but none that can replace Exchange. Believe me... when one exists I'll be migrating.
-sid
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:1)
As a Notes user at work, it's interesting to see how they're trying to tie all the business processes to their systems.
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
Sure it does. But typical of MS instead of "creating unique products with features no one else has" they are "creating obscure products that nobody needs" opening the works up to more script kiddie nonsense.
B.
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
That's a ridiculous statement. In case you haven't noticed, Microsoft is a monopoly with their fingers in so many pies it makes your head spin. It is highly unlikely this will break them. See below for more...
"As it stands, YOU probably don't have a personal need for this new product, just like me, but some large corporations want it."
Prove it. It is Office automation that got MS into the mess with
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
B.
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:1)
Re:And for those who don't use Outlook (Score:2)
Unless it is foisted off on them in a monopolistic way say integrated into their Office product
B.
I know I'm Excited.... (Score:1)
To the millions of Linux only users who live and breathe here ?
Did Taco lapse into a "Querty On The Forehead" comma again....
and some passing winhose juggernaut tapped this onto his keyboard..
We used to do that when someone would leave their terminal without
logging off...we'd spam the intranet from their terminal...LOL
Re:I know I'm Excited.... (Score:1, Funny)
"Querty On The Forehead"
I'm really impressed by anyone who can mispell Qwerty. ;-)
Re:I know I'm Excited.... (Score:2)
Re:I know I'm Excited.... (Score:2)
Re:hello (Score:2, Funny)
Blocking SOA (Score:1)
Who wants that? (Score:2)
So, you are scheduled to attend a meeting and that meeting will be billed to Project A.
Bill and Dave are also scheduled for the meeting, but something else comes up and they can't make it.
Because they are important people on the project, the meeting wraps up in 15 minutes instead of the scheduled 1 hour.
So now you have to go
Re:Who wants that? (Score:2)
Yep so far...
Client will be billed for them anyway. They were "dedicated to in office only tasks relevant to the project."
We don't bill partial hours. Y
Protocols vs. code (Score:2)
Re:Protocols vs. code (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Protocols vs. code (Score:2)
It's time for the governments of the world to give Gates and Ballmer a vacation.
A mouthful (Score:2)
It is unavoidable... (Score:2)
It's not
Kudos (Score:2)
Normally not a Microsoft critic....but (Score:1)
It installed "Cassini" which was a sample project when
Bring on the jokes (Score:1)
Microsoft implementing new remote control program? (Score:1)
I think they may have some difficulty complying with the GPL.
Hooray for bloatware! (Score:1)
What is Back Office (Score:2)
Re:What is Back Office (Score:2)
A company I worked for used Back Office (5, I think) for Windows NT 4.0. It came with NT Server 4, SQL Server 7, Exchange 5 and of course the stuff that comes with NT 4 anyway, IIS and it's accompanying FTP and SMTP services.
I haven't used it but I've heard and read
Re:What is Back Office (Score:2)
So it is basically servers like you get with every distro of Linux with the added webmin clone eh?
So exactly what is it that makes this solution so grand again?
B.
Re:What is Back Office (Score:2)
Not much really. Typical case of MS "innovation"...
I think I understand what they're talking about (Score:2)
Basically: Now you can integrate Axapta (or whatever they're calling it now) with Outlook. Considering the amount of setup, care and feeding of Axapta and its ilk, integration with Outlook was pro
Re:I think I understand what they're talking about (Score:2)
I can see the typical CIO now. "well I use outlook so I better get the MS CRM!". LOL.
The Microsoft Dynamics Snap tools (Score:2)
I hope... (Score:1)
Lotus Anyone? (Score:1)
There is extensive linking between the email system, calendars, databases, Smart Suite, etc.
Maybe this is Microsoft innovating again....
What about OSS? (Score:1)
Oh, and Lotus' userbase is a small fraction of that for Office or BackOffice, so who cares about whether Lotus did something first or not? What difference does that make to an Office user?
Licencing... (Score:2)
Great. (Score:2)
This type of thing ultimately just leads to chaos and inefficiency. Thanks, Microsoft.
Re:As an Axapta Developer... (Score:2)
I'd heard that Axapta filled a niche in their product line not served by Great Plains, but I have no idea what it is. It seems like Microsoft bought a number of second and third tier companies in hopes of competing against SAP, Peoplesoft, Oracle and Siebel. Even during Oracle's gra
Axapta debugger and Navision admin here (Score:2)
LMS integration (Score:2)
At least it will end the phone calls from those business course students who can't seem to manage "save as..." and choosing web page.
Am I the only one who parsed (Score:1)
?
Back orifice? (Score:1)
Am I the only one who parsed the title as:
MS Connects Office and Back-Orifice Apps