Computer Accounting Essentials with Microsoft® Business Solutions Great Plains® 8.0 Information Center: Troubleshooting Tips


		Text Introduction Conference Schedule Table of Contents About the Authors Book Preface Product Details Troubleshooting Tips Advice from Students Web Links PageOut



	Student Edition
	Instructor Edition

Computer Accounting Essentials with Microsoft® Business Solutions Great Plains® 8.0

Carol Yacht, Software Consultant
Susan V. Crosson, Santa Fe Community College

ISBN: 0073129666
Copyright year: 2006

Troubleshooting Tips

What are the system requirements for Great Plains 8.0? How do I install Great Plains 8.0-Education?
How do I install the sample data?
How does installation work with "ghosting" software?
How do I unload (detach) data? How do I attach (load) data?
How do I zip a file?
How do I extract a file?
Error Message: All call stacks are in use. Cannot start script.
I'm trying to print a report and receive this message: "The user date falls within a fiscal year that hasn't been set up."
Great Plains is installed, but I can’t login in or start the program.

What are the system requirements for Great Plains 8.0? How do I install Great Plains 8.0-Education?
These steps are on pages iv through vii of the textbook, Computer Accounting with Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains 8.0 (ISBN 007 312 9690).

System Requirements

Databases:
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine – The Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) is included on the Great Plains Standard 8.0 English Education CD included with the textbook.
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 64-bit.
Standalone computers (or client computers):
Operating System: Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional.
Processor: Pentium III 350 Mhz.
Hard disk space: 210 MB.
RAM: 128 MB.
Video: SVGA (800 x 600) with 16-bit video driver.
Network card: 100 Base T or 1000 Base T Ethernet.
CD or DVD drive.
External media for attaching data: CD-R, DVD-R (for R-W drives); USB drive (512MB minimum; 1GB recommended)
Disk Space requirements for computers or networks running SQL server:
Operating System: 53 MB + the virtual memory swap file.
Database server: 200 MB.
Installed scripts: 15 MB.
Databases: 150 MB total.
Additional companies (optional): 70 MB for each company.
Server Operating Systems:
Windows 2000 Server.
Windows Small Business Server 2000.
Windows Server 2003.
Windows Small Business Server.
Minimum server hardware requirements:
Processor: Dual Pentium III 800 MHz or equivalent.
Disk configuration: RAID 5 for operating system, applications, and SQL data files.
RAM: 512 MB.
Network Card: 32-bit, 10/100 MB Ethernet full duplex.

INSTALLATION OF GREAT PLAINS STANDARD 8.0 ENGLISH EDUCATION: CD1

Read Me BEFORE you install GP 8.0-Education

<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=gif::::/sites/dl/free/0073129666/326670/image002.gif','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (0.0K)</a>Before you begin, you must check the following:

The installation requires that the following folder does not exist on your computer: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Business Solutions\Great Plains-Education. If this folder resides on the hard drive, delete it.
The student must provide a password for the SQL administrator account. The installation cannot continue without a password. The steps that follow include password information.
In order to install the software, the student must be logged on as a user with administrative rights to the computer.

There are two CDs included with the textbook: CD1, Great Plains Standard 8.0 English Education; CD2, Great Plains Standard 8.0 Sample Data. You need both CDs to complete installation.

The steps that follow explain how to install the software and the sample data. (If you have not already done so, review the information in the Read Me box above.) These steps assume you are installing Great Plains and the Sample Data for the first time.

Insert the Great Plains Standard 8.0 English Education CD that is included with the textbook in the CD drive. The Welcome window appears. (Hint: If the Welcome window does not appear, on the toolbar click Start; Run, browse to Open X:\SETUP.exe. Substitute the X for your CD drive letter. Click )

Read Me
	If a window appears that says a previous version of Great Plains is detected, you need to delete the C:\Program Files\Great Plains Business Solutions\Great Plains-Education folder.

Click .
The Software License Agreement appears. Select the I accept radio button; then click .
The SQL Password window appears. In the Password field, type a 6-12 character password. The password is case sensitive.
Do not use a space between characters. You may want to use lowercase letters only and a word that is easy to remember; for example access. This is important. You will need this password when using Great Plains. Type the same password in the Confirm Password field. Compare your SQL Password window to the one shown.
Click .
The Verify Settings window appears. Read the information on this window. Observe that the directory is shown where Great Plains is installed on your hard drive.
Click . The program starts to install. This will take a few minutes.
The Setup Complete window appears.
Click .
Remove the Great Plains Standard 8.0 English Education CD.

How do I install the sample data?

These steps are on textbook pages viii through xi.

SAMPLE DATA: CD2

Sample Data CD2 contains the company data that is used with the textbook. This is the starting data for the companies used in Chapters 1-14. Follow these steps to copy the data files on CD2.

Insert the CD labeled Sample Data CD2 into the CD drive. The License Agreement for McGraw-Hill Software appears. Observe that I Agree is selected. Click . If a window appears asking if you want to install Active Content, click . (Or, click Start; Run. Browse to the location of the CD; select Setup_Here.exe.)
Wait a few moments. The Computer Accounting with Great Plains – Microsoft Internet Explorer window appears.
Link to Data Files. The Installation Instructions appear. Read the Installation Instructions. Then, link to Please click here.
The Data Files – Microsoft Internet Explorer window appears showing a Word file called Install.doc; My Companies.zip folder and Projects.zip folder. Click on My Companies.zip. Notice in the File and Folder Tasks list, there is a link to Copy this file.
Make sure My Companies.zip is selected. Click Copy this file. The Copy Items window appears. Browse to the hard drive location where you want to copy the My Companies.zip folder; for example, C:\Program Files\Microsoft Business Solutions. Compare the Copy Items window to the one shown.
Click . The Copying window appears showing that My Companies.zip is being copied from 'Data Files' to 'Microsoft Business Sol…'. Wait for the files to copy. This takes a few minutes. Steps 4-6 are important. You must copy the zip folders from CD2 to a hard drive location. Do not extract the files from the CD; link to the file and folder task Copy this file.
Copy the Projects.zip folder to the same location; for example, C:\Program Files\Microsoft Business Solutions. (Warning: If an Overwrite window appears, you are extracting files from the CD. This is incorrect. Delete the files; empty the recycle bin. Redo steps 3-6. Remember you must copy the zip folders to a hard drive location and then extract the files.)
Close the Data Files – Microsoft Internet Explorer window.
Minimize the Computer Accounting with Great Plains – Microsoft Internet Explorer window.
Follow these steps to unzip (extract) the My Companies.zip folder. Follow the same steps to unzip (extract) the Projects.zip folder.
1. Browse to the location of the zipped folders; for example, C:\Program Files\Microsoft Business Solutions.
2. Double-click on the My Companies.zip folder.
3. In the Folder Tasks list, click Extract All.
4. The Extraction Wizard window appears. Click .
5. When the Select a Destination window appears, click . The Extracting process begins.
6. The Extraction Complete window appears. Click .
7. Close the My Companies window and the My Companies.zip window.
8. Double-click Projects.zip. Repeat steps c. through g. to extract the files.
When you are through, the My Companies and Projects folders appear on the hard drive. Great Plains data must reside on the hard drive. To see the illustration below, from the desktop click My Computer; browse to the hard drive location of the My Companies and Projects folders; select View, Details.
Before starting GP, make sure the My Companies File Folder and Projects File Folder are on the hard drive. The My Companies File Folder and Projects File Folder should look similar to the illustration above. If you see individual files, instead of the two File Folders and two Compressed (zipped) Folders, you did not extract the files correctly. Delete the individual files, empty the recycle bin, and redo steps 3-11.
Click <a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg::::/sites/dl/free/0073129666/326670/image040.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (1.0K)</a>on the taskbar to maximize the Computer Accounting with Great Plains window. Observe that there are links to:
1. Data Files – Select this link, then Please click here to copy the Install.doc folder to a hard drive location, open the file, and then print it. Read the document to review the installation steps.
2. Online Learning Center – Select this link to access the Computer Accounting with Great Plains website (www.mhhe.com/yachtgreatplains).
3. MHHE.com – Select this link to go online to the McGraw-Hill Higher Education website.
4. Explore the CD – Select this link to go to the Data Files folder where the Install.doc file; My Companies.zip and Projects.zip folders reside.
5. Home – Select this link to go to the Home page.
6. Help – Select this link to go to Student Resource CD-ROM Help.
Close all windows. You are ready to start Great Plains.

How does installation work with "ghosting" software?

If you are Ghosting your machines with SQL already loaded you will need to take a few additional steps after the imaging process is complete. First it is necessary for you to rename the computers you have ghosted. It is recommended to use an application called Sysprep to change the computer name especially if using Windows 2000. After you have changed the name of the computers, run the script listed below using Query Analyzer.

use Master
sp_dropserver XX -- XX is the original name of the computer
go
sp_addserver XX, local -- XX is the new name of your server
go

Once this is complete, you must stop and restart SQL Server for the changes to take affect. Running this script is necessary to ensure proper operation of Microsoft Business Solutions products on Microsoft SQL Server. You will run into problems if you don’t run this script.

How do I unload (detach) data? How do I attach (load) data?

The steps that follow appear in Chapter 7 on textbook pages 352 – 354/

Unload (Detach) Data: Chapter 7 Begin

If you are working at school in the computer lab, you will probably have to unload data and save to a hard drive location or external media.

In Windows Explorer, create a hard drive folder called Chapter 7 Begin.
Click File, Exit.
The Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains window appears asking if you want to unload your data.
Click .
Browse to the location of your data files. Use the same hard drive location to attach and detach data. In this textbook, the Student Data folder is used to attach and detach data. (Hint: Your instructor may prefer that you use your name for the Student Data folder.)
Copy the files shown below from the Student Data folder to the newly created Chapter 7 Begin folder. In Windows Explorer click View, Details to see the Name, Size, Type, and Date Modified columns. Observe that the files are dated today and show the current time.
AC.mdf
ACLog.ldf
CSS.mdf
CSSLog.ldf
DYNAMICS.mdf
DYNAMICSLog.ldf
MS.mdf
MSLog.ldf
TWO.mdf
TWOLog.ldf
VMC.mdf
VMCLog.ldf
Since this folder is so large, you may want to zip it. Once the files are zipped, you can extract the files to their original size. (For detailed steps for how to unload and load data, see Chapter 1, pages 24-30.)

Load (Attach) Data

If you unloaded data when you exited GP, you must attach the DYNAMICS.mdf file to a hard drive location. In GP, data must be loaded from a hard drive location.

Follow these steps to restart GP and load (attach) data.

If necessary, copy the zipped folder to a hard drive location and extract it.
Start Great Plains. Type your password.
When the Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains screen appears saying There isn’t any data loaded. Do you want to load your data?, click .
Browse to the hard drive location of the DYNAMICS.mdf file; for example, X:\Student Data\DYNAMICS.mdf. Select the DYNAMICS.mdf file. (Hint: Double-clicking on the file will open it.)
When the Company Login window appears, select the appropriate company. Then, click two times.

How do I zip a file?

Exit Great Plains. Unload data. (Click “Yes” to the question, Do you want to unload data.)

When copying GP data, you must exit GP and unload data. In the steps that follow you are going to zip a file, then copy the smaller file to external media.
Go to Windows Explorer. Browse to the location of the Student Data folder.
Right-click on the Student Data folder. To see how large the file is left-click, Properties. Observe that the folder is 909 MB. Close the Student Data Properties window.
Right-click on the Student Data; left-click Send To.
Left-click on Compressed (zipped) Folder. When the files are zipped, you have a folder with a zipper on it.
Observe that the Student Data.zip folder is 137,062 KB (or 137 MB).
Copy the zipped folder to external media.

How do I extract a file?

To extract the zipped files, browse to the location of the Student Data.zip folder. Double click on it. The Student Data.zip window appears.
Select Extract all files. The Extraction Wizard appears. Click .
Browse to a hard drive location where you want to place the extracted files. If you do that, the files will be on the hard drive when you load Great Plains data.
Select and the files begin to extract.
When the Extraction Complete window appears, click . Observe that the file size is the same as that shown on page 27. For example, DYNAMICS.mdf is 61,440 KB.
Close all windows to return to the desktop.

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Error Message: All call stacks are in use. Cannot start script.

SYMPTOMS
When you try to open the Transaction Entry window in Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains General Ledger, you may receive the following error message: "All call stacks are in use. Cannot start script." Note -- You may also receive this error message when you try to open other windows in Great Plains.

CAUSE
This problem occurs if a language setting other than English (United States) is configured in the Regional and Language Settings dialog box. In this situation, the ODBC configuration programmatically enables the Perform translation for character data option.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, change the computer's language setting to English (United States) so that you can disable the Perform translation for character data option in the ODBC configuration. To do this, follow these steps:

Click Start, click Run, type intl.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
In the Regional and Language Options dialog box, click the Regional Options tab, and then click English (United States) in the list under Standards and formats.
Click the Advanced tab, and then click English (United States) in the list under Language for non-Unicode programs.
Click Apply, and then click OK.
Click Start, click Run, type odbccp32.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
In the ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog box, click the System DSN tab, select your data source name, and then click Configure.
In the Microsoft SQL Server DSN Configuration window, click Next. Then, select one of the options under "How should SQL Server verify the authenticity of the login ID?".
In the Logon ID box, type sa, type the system administrator's password in the Password box, and then click Next.
Verify that the Use ANSI quoted identifiers and Use ANSI nulls, paddings and warnings check boxes are cleared, and then click Next.
Clear the Perform translation for character data option, and then click Finish.
Click Test Data Source, and then verify that the tests run successfully.
Click OK to close the ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog box.

You no longer receive the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section when you open the Transaction Entry window.

MORE INFORMATION
Steps to reproduce the problem

Change the computer's regional and language setting to any language other than English (United States).
Enable the Perform translation for character data option in your ODBC configuration.
Start Microsoft Great Plains. On the Transactions menu, point to Financial, and then click General.

You receive the "All call stacks are in use. Cannot start script" error message.

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I'm trying to print a report and receive this message: "The user date falls within a fiscal year that hasn't been set up."

Each time you start Great Plains’ and login to a company, the user date defaults to the current date. To change the User Date, click on the date on the toolbar. The User Date window appears. Type the appropriate date in the date field. For example, if you want to print a balance sheet for the period ending 12/31/2005, change the User Date to 12312005. Then, print the balance sheet. Remember, when you start Great Plains again, the user date will be the current date. When appropriate, change the user date.

Great Plains is installed, but I can’t login in or start the program.
Here are two suggestions:

Go to Control Panel; Regional and Language Options. Make sure the Standards and formats field shows English (United States). The software included with the textbook is called “Great Plains Standard 8.0 English Education.” The language setting must be English.
If your language settings are set correctly to English, follow these steps to uninstall Great Plains and the company data files. In order for Great Plains to be deleted you must uninstall the program and the subdirectories. If necessary, make backups of company data before uninstalling.

Go to Control Panel; Add or Remove Programs.
Remove Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains 8.0 Education.
Remove Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains Watson.
Go to Windows Explorer (right-click Start button; left click Explore). Delete the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Business Solutions folder.
Drag the Your Name Data folder, the GP.mdf, and the GPLog.ldf files into the Recycle bin.
Empty the Recycle bin.
Before you reinstall Great Plains, you may want to delete .tmp files from your computer. Also, if you have not done a Defrag in a long time, you should do that.
Completely turn off your computer.
You are now ready to reinstall Great Plains 8.0 English Education from the CD.

To obtain an instructor login for this Online Learning Center, ask your local sales representative. If you're an instructor thinking about adopting this textbook, request a free copy for review.

Troubleshooting Tips

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