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Microsoft Corp. took another step down the path of service-enabling its enterprise applications with the release of Dynamics SL 6.5 Thursday. The upgraded suite brings more personalization features, bank account management capabilities and tighter integration with Office—particularly Outlook, according to Mary Jo Foleys Microsoft Watch newsletter.
SL 6.5, formerly known as MBS Solomon—one of four ERP (enterprise resource planning) suites under the Microsoft Business Solutions umbrella—is the first release from this particular suite to take on Dynamics attributes: service enablement, roles-based user interfaces and an integration with Microsofts “classic” technologies.
Dynamics, formerly known as Project Green, is Microsofts effort to bring together its four ERP suites into a single, service-enabled code base. Dynamics is being developed in two waves, the second of which will unify the code bases of the suites, sometime around 2008.
Part of the first wave of upgrades, SL 6.5 includes new modules as well enhancements to the existing suite. A new purchase requisition module helps users automate procurement processes. Similarly, a new bank reconciliation module does pretty much what it says: enables users to reconcile bank statements electronically.
Upgrades to SLs application server have been added so that run-time reports can be scheduled for when an employee needs them. An upgraded Business Portal—to Version 3.0, based on Windows SharePoint Server—enables users to access the suite over the Internet.
The SL suite has been in beta since August and will be generally available in Canada and the United States Dec. 19. The suite will be available in other countries by the end of January.