Microsoft Great Plains fits to majority of horizontals and retail business is good fit as well.  We'll consider the system, consisting from Microsoft Great Plains as Accounting, Inventory Pricing and Microsoft Retail Management System (RMS) Headquarters and Store Operations Manager.  In this case you can base web commerce off Great Plains databases and POS automates walk-in retail store. 

Inventory count might be done from both sides: Great Plains or RMS, depending on the main line – if it is eCommerce – consider Great Plains inventory cycle counting, otherwise in the case of POS – it should be done in MS RMS 

• eCommerce.  If the business is small/mid-size, instead of using eConnect – consider working with direct sql custom stored procedures.  You will avoid license fee for eConnect and you could use rather simplified logic.  You need to know Great Plains Tables structure and data flow: Tools->Resource Description->Tables.  More likely you will need Sales Order Processing (SOP) and Inventory Control (IV) tables: SOP10100, SOP10200, IV00101, etc.  You should consider purchasing standard internet basket and integrate it with your e-commerce web application.  It should work with Great Plains Inventory catalogue
  
• Catalogue update.  If you resell computer parts – you should have utility, updating your inventory items and price list as you get new catalogue from the distributor.  This might be done as SQL routine or Great Plains Dexterity customization.  Dexterity will allow you to alter Item Maintenance screen – if you have additional description line for the item, or similar little things
  
• Microsoft RMS->GP transactions integration.  You can purchase integration directly from Alba Spectrum Technologies, and it works on Sales Order Processing or Accounts Receivables transactions integration level and has also Purchases integrated.  This integration could work as nightly SQL routine and bring all the daily sales transactions from RMS stores or Headquarters to mapped Great Plains companies.
  
• Promotional pricing.  These campaigns are automated in RMS and Great Plains, however promotion scenarios might be not the same.  One of the ways to synch both systems is to use RMS promotions and update Great Plains price list via custom stored procedures.
  
• Inventory Items Synchronization.  Again you can base your items in either one of the systems: Great Plains or RMS and then synchronize via stored procedures.
  
• Additional RMS custom issues.  Some customers mentioned the need in editing global customer data on the store level and the second interesting suggestion was immediate propagation across all the stores gift card balance – if customer walk in into several stores within the day – the chances are that balance is still not updated via Headquarters worksheets

Good luck with implementation and customization and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies – USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients  in Chicago, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia, Arizona, Minnesota, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is CMA, Great Plains Certified Master, Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. You can contact Andrew: andrewk@albaspectrum.com