Technical Overview

System Overview

  • Dynamic Budgets is a 30Mb .NET connected client application.
  • Typically, the application is installed directly on user workstations/laptops.
  • Alternatively many customers will use Citrix, Terminal Server, or TSPlus to run the application from a virtual desktop or as a remote published app.
  • The client communicates directly with SQL server (there is no middleware application server).
  • No data warehousing for on-premise installations – financials are kept in the ERP and queried as needed, in real-time.
  • For Microsoft Azure cloud based installations, we leverage Azure Data Factory gateways and sync to your team’s refresh preference (weekly, daily, more frequently) and offer on demand syncs via Power Automate.
  • For on-premise installations, the budgeting database is typically installed on the same server as the ERP database but also supports SQL linked server for installation on a secondary SQL server.

System Requirements

  • Client and installation utility require .Net 4.5.
  • Database size is expected to be about 150MB per budget round for an organization of less than 1,000 departments.
  • Application supports Active Directory for single sign-on like experience.
  • Unlimited application users / does not require ERP end-user licensing.
  • Dual authentication process – end user will login to the app, and the app will perform an authentication handshake with the SQL server. The application authentication with SQL server is typically set to a single service level account but can optionally be set to individual SQL logins (windows or SQL server authentication).

Installation & Setup

  1. Run server configuration utility from the SQL server to create the DynamicBudgets database.
  2. Create a service level account[dynbud] for the application authentication with SQL server.
  3. Grant [dynbud] access to the databases.
    • db_datareader  (ERP database(s)).
    • db_owner (Dynamic Budgets).
  4. Grant db_datareader to (DynamicBudgets, and ERP Company databases) for business owners
    (windows authentication SQL server logins) if they wish to work with refreshable excel reports.
  1. Store DynamicBudgets-App folder from the network share folder, Citrix server, or Terminal server.
  2. Grant Read/Execute access to [DynamicBudgets-App].
  3. Grant  Read/Write access to [DynamicBudgets-App/SearchProfiles].
  1. Launch and configure client application.
  2. Configure company(s) chart of accounts.
  3. Specify LDAP connection string.
  4. Create security access for trial users.
  5. Create test budget and/or forecasts.
  6. Link to ERP financials.
  7. Deploy sample custom report templates.
  8. Test financial reporting and drill down to ERP transaction details.
    (note that multiple companies can be configured simultaneously. We do not need to work in serial)
  9. Schedule walk-through with the business owner.
  1. Delete the DynamicBudgets-App folder from the network share folder, Citrix server or Terminal server.
  2. Delete the SQL database [DynamicBudgets].
  3. Delete the SQL user [dynbud].

Upgrades

Upgrades are included with annual maintenance. Users won’t notice much of a change.

Versions of Dynamic Budgets after May 2020 have an app launcher, which communicates with an internet licensing engine to check which date version of the software your Budget Administrator has chosen for you to run on. (Budget administrators typically do not want software auto-updating, because they do not want to risk an adverse event in the middle of a budget cycle).

If the client software version does not match the company profile, the app launcher will automatically download the appropriate version of the software for that workstation. This allows clients to auto-update, instead of requiring the IT team to do the software updates. You will need to check your firewall settings make sure zip files and dll downloads can pass through for a particular URL. Contact support for assistance.

If you are on a legacy version of the app, you will have a few extra steps. We will need to know the new SQL Server Name\Instance too issue you a new physical license.

You will copy the new license into the DynamicBudgets-App folder replacing the prior license file.

You will physically copy the new application files and paste/replace in the DynamicBudgets-App folder. If your staff run Dynamic Budgets from a shared folder, you will have to have all users logout, or you will have to kill any open processes if the user is not responding.

Working with your budget administrator, we will run the server config update utility and point to the new SQL server to rebuild the data adaptors to GP. Next, we will log into the app, goto Manage Servers, and update the SQL Server reference, test the connection, and save.

This is the biggest advantage of the new application, users do not need to log out of the app while we run and upgrade, even if on a centrally installed TS or Citrix server, the App Launcher will download a new datestamp folder for the new build. Active sessions can continue to work while we upgrade.Once the upgrade is complete the budget administrator will ask your staff to log out and log back in, and their clients will download and launch the latest build of the software.