Integration Mastery: How CGB Enterprises Empowers 13 Business Units with SmartConnect & Dynamics GP
CGB Enterprises, Inc.’s Background
100+
Separate integrations using SmartConnect
180+
Maps in Dynamics GP
CGB Enterprises, Inc. has been a leader in the grain and transportation industries since 1970. What began as a family business with three employees is now a global enterprise with more than 2,500 employees and a diverse family of business units including financial services, risk management, grain trading, terminal facility management and logistics.
Integration Manager to SmartConnect
CGB Enterprises has been using Dynamics GP since 2000 and it’s been deployed in all their business units since 2015. They began using SmartConnect in 2013 and today they have 13 different systems integrating with Dynamics GP via 180 maps and 100 separate integrations.
They’d previously used Integration Manager but limitations with the tool led them to look for a more robust solution. “We were looking for one system that could basically handle any data source and push data into GP, but we also needed to be able to push data into other sources as well,” says Kyle Malone, Dynamics GP Administrator at CGB Enterprises.
Managing a Large Transaction Volume
Today, each of their divisional systems is integrated to Dynamics GP using SmartConnect. This includes all General Ledger detail, as well as payables and billing details. Whether it be a batch system where they’re dropping a file into GP or a direct connection between the databases, SmartConnect allows CGB Enterprises to integrate all divisional system information into Dynamics GP for invoicing or retaining the GL detail.
“There are tens of thousands of transactions being imported monthly, and it’s all automated,” Malone says. “We have 15 different GP companies, and to be able to set up a single integration, and then be able to pick the company on demand or pass a parameter through that dictates which company it goes to is huge for us. Without having the ability to have single integrations, maintenance and administration would be an absolute nightmare.”
SmartConnect Flexibility
One of SmartConnect’s strongest selling points for CGB Enterprises was its flexibility. CGB Enterprises runs multiple real-time integrations as well as many scheduled and on-demand integrations. On-demand integrations enable their users to integrate data directly in SmartConnect
“Many of our users utilize the Excel add-in, which was a huge selling point for us. They just complete their Excel template and click integrate to push that data into GP or open up SmartConnect and run the map,” says Malone.
Enabling New Efficiencies
Malone and his team have trained their accounting staff on the capabilities of SmartConnect and other technology and challenge their team to find new ways to automate processes using SmartConnect. They hold an annual meeting for their accounting team where they review current processes and determine how those processes can be improved using technology.
“There hasn’t been a scenario where we haven’t been able to integrate data successfully, so that’s been huge for us. The capabilities and the time savings are endless. Without Smart Connect, I don’t know how we would function as a business, we would have to hire a lot more people just to maintain the data that’s being passed around,” Malone says.
Without Smart Connect, I don’t know how we would function as a business, we would have to hire a lot more people just to maintain the data that’s being passed around.
Kyle Malone, Dynamics GP Administrator at CGB Enterprises, Inc.