The RazorKnow Organisation

How to delete the user? This is the first problem you encounter - when user shuts down the computer - Great Plains doesn’t have the command to log off the user and when user tries to login the next day - she gets error message that user is already logged on. The fix:

• Microsoft SQL Server - open SQL Query Analyzer, switch to DYNAMICS database and run the following script: DELETE ACTIVITY WHERE USERID=’KATHY’.
• Pervasive SQL/Ctree - if you have more than one user registered you can delete the user from GP: System->User Activity->Delete User. If you like to work on the file level - ask all the users to log off. On the server, where you have your Great Plains files structure - DYNAMICS is the root, in SYSTEM folder delete ACTIVITY.* files

How to unlock the batch? This happens when user posts the batch and has her computer crashed (via surfing the internet - smile - or things like this)

• General tip - Great Plains recommends to logoff and then login back with the same user id. Then Great Plains will prompt the user to recover posting batch. Unfortunately it doesn’t work in 70% of the cases
• MS SQL Server - the batch record is stored in Batch Header table: SY00500 in the company database. The fields to clear are: BCHSTTUS and MKDTOPST. In some cases you have to delete the record from SY00800 from DYNAMICS db.
• Pervasive/ctree - you have to install ODBC driver for Pervasive or Ctree and hook the tables: SY00500, SY00800 with Microsoft Access - use linked tables technique

Now we would like to stress you the need to move away from Pervasive SQL 2000/Ctree platforms - you are in trouble - Microsoft Business Solutions cuts technical support for Microsoft Great Plains 7.5 and prior on these platforms. This means not only the support, but also tax updates (especially Payroll and Federal Magnetic Media).

What is migration from Ctree/Pervasive.SQL 2000 to MS SQL/MSDE? MBS has migration tool. You need first to install Great Plains on SQL Server with exactly the same account/segments structure and then install migration tool (it is Dexterity chunk) on your ctree/Pervasive workstation - then, when you integrate the chunk - you will map it to target SQL-based Great Plains Company, select all system and company tables, click the button and it will move all your tables one-by-one. In the case when your Great Plains ctree/Pervasive has third parties - you need to check if the vendor has migration tool - otherwise you have to do manual move, use SQL Linked server to your legacy data

Do I need consultant? It is probably good idea to have consultant to do the upgrade. We strongly recommend you to use consultant in the following cases

• You have Dexterity customization
• You are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools
• You have a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports
• You have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnteroprise 6.0 or prior - in this case you can not appeal to Microsoft Technical Support - it is discontinued
• Your Great Plains has more than 20 users and you have to have upgrade done over the weekend - if it fails - you have business problems
• You don’t have support - in this case you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for the annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for the upgrade

Good luck in fixing 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

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (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

Bob Smith, a small landscape contractor, takes a good deal of care with his job estimates and quotations. This particular estimate, for a residential landscaping job, wasn’t too complicated, was competitively priced, and was accepted by the client. Work began on schedule, the weather held, and the project was completed on time. The only glitch was the need for a couple of extra skids of pavers from the supplier. Bob discussed it with the client, received the authorization and one of the trucks was sent to pick them up late in the day.

Bob’s daughter-in-law spent one day a week doing the company’s bookkeeping and processed the invoice to the client. Unfortunately for Bob’s company, the authorized change order for the pavers was still sitting on the dashboard of his truck, lost amongst other paperwork, and was never charged out to the project. Bob’s reasonable margin on the job was considerably decreased, if not eroded completely.

If this fictional scenario sounds familiar, you certainly wouldn’t be alone in recognizing Bob’s dilemma. This particular problem, or something similar, happens throughout the industry every day, much too often for comfort. If it has happened to your company, or if it has potential to happen, you’ll be interested to know that there are solutions available. There are many simple-to-use computer based estimating programs. Some of these programs include project management and job costing. Most are inexpensive, and don’t require additional staff or a change in business operations.

Some of the more advanced programs will track every scrap of information as the project progresses through to final completion. From the initial estimate proposal form, to letters to the client, to purchase order forms, to daily reports for field crews, and more, every critical information and communication step is covered. Actual job costs can be tracked at any point, in several categories, helping to keep costs at hand. Contractors of any size can enhance and lend credibility to their logo and business information.

Few contractors fail because they lack technical or trade knowledge. They fail, all too often, simply because they lack the business knowledge and tools to be successful. Keeping control of information, employees, supplies and other costs is a critical step toward growth in the business. Using an effective computer based estimating program will help the contractor achieve that control.

Successful contractors keep their costs in line and their margins healthy. They keep their business information under control and readily at hand for review. For our friend Bob, the odd delivery slip or invoice may still occasionally disappear behind the truck seat, despite every precaution. Now, however, the savvy contractor can have a powerful tool that helps eliminate a lot of potential problems and disappearing margins.

Dermot Fitzpatrick is the owner of Fitz Solutions Inc. a software development company that creates powerful, affordable easy to use software tools for the construction industry. These include estimating, project management and job costing. Custom software design services are also offered.

http://www.quickestimator.com

Enterprise Resource Management attempts to assimilate and automate all functional departments within a company into a single computer system that can provide all the particular needs of each department. ERP software constitutes various modules for each business activity like product planning, parts purchasing, manufacturing, inventory control, product distribution, generating reports, accounting and human resources management.

ERP software solutions vary and are designed for specific kinds of companies from small to mid-sized industries that need a closed loop enterprise solution to help plan and manage their resources and operations.

Some ERP software solutions are in a web-based, single-source platform that provides real-time web accessibility. They integrate chain applications in a Microsoft SQL or Access environment. Some are ideal for discrete, repetitive contract, made-to-order manufacturers and job shops that require a balanced shop workflow to improve material management, job costing and tracking, worker’s productivity and customer satisfaction. The solutions offer advanced lot and serial control and engineering documents that include capacity requirements planning, shop floor control and graphical billing of materials.

They provide ready access to information locked away within the systems that afford the basis for decision-making, which directly affect corporate or personal performance. They offer the ability to generate, combine and compare data from multiple business functions immediately and accurately, and grant the power to quickly and easily build and create personalized query, and analytical information views, graphs and reports. These consolidated views and reports with business metrics can be automatically distributed to users or be accessed via the web.

ERP software solutions are suited for the distribution and service industries that support the front-office system. They unify the workplace, and create an accurate, instantaneous portal, 360-degree view across your organization’s personnel, workflow, finance, documents, ongoing events and scenarios for your customer and product related activities, enabling one-to-one marketing. They centralize every aspect of your business around your customers, suppliers and prospects. This will enable you to make better decisions, analysis, plans and management across your entire organization. They also reveal the costs, inefficiencies and redundancies concealed by the complexities of your business.

ERP software solutions are easy to implement and use. They have the ability to adapt to rapid change requirements. Generally, these solutions enable you to effectively manage your organization and provide room for growth and improvement. They replace manual, unsecured processes, eliminate manual tasks and human errors, generate early awareness and detection of potential problems, align individual moves to priorities, increase on-time fulfillment rates and operational efficiency and reduce costs.

While I was in college, if you would have asked me what I would do if I had an extra 20 hours to spend in a week, the first thing I would have told you is that I would definitely NOT spend it studying. I actually would have gone down a long list of hobbies and activities I would like to do if I had the time. So when my co-workers asked me to find out what owners/managers of sign companies would do if they had an extra 20 hours per week, I was very interested in hearing the responses. What types of activities are sign shop owners doing with their spare time? Was there a common activity or hobby in the sign & graphics industry? Or would I hear several different responses?

The Results

The results were unexpected to say the least. By my fourth call I started to hear a common trend forming among sign shop owners. None were used to having leisure time, or so it seemed. In fact Marion Ward, the owner of AWC Signs, told me he hasn’t had 20 extra hours in twenty years. “I wouldn’t know what to do” he said about having time off from the shop. Marion explained that he has been in this industry for quite a long time, and was soon going to retire. Just the thought of having extra time on his hands was completely foreign to him. Does Marion represent sign shop owners as a whole? Is the sign & graphics industry really so busy that owners/managers don’t even have time to think about leisure activities? Or, are shop owners unaware of how easy it is in this day and age to save time?

The next person I talked with was also surprised by the question. Randy from Bama Signs told me he “never thought about it”. Never thought about saving time I asked “Can you think about it now and tell me what you would do?” After a little probing and a little time to think about the question, Randy said he would most likely “spend the time fixing up houses” which he liked to do on the side to make a little extra money. This was getting interesting. Already two people who never thought about having a couple extra hours or even the ability to save time for that matter. Two people who were surprised simply by the question itself.

Increasing Productivity

Being the Gen-Xer and fresh out of college guy that I am, I have always looked for ways to make things easier. Isn’t that what we do in college, look for ways to spend less time but get the same or even better results? At one time, my goal was to figure out how to work less but get paid more (I hope my boss isn’t reading this) without cheating of course. This is what most owners or business graduates call “Increasing Productivity”. Well, in this day and age with so many advances in technology, there is always a way to work less and get paid more, therefore increasing your productivity. In fact I now work for a company that helps shops do just that.

Software - It’s amazing!

SOFTWARE! The amazing world of mouse clicks, GUI interfaces, pricing screens and automation. A brain, or what techies call a processor, that thinks even when the power is turned off, or so some of us think. A world where you don’t have to be the only one estimating jobs, because your pricing is built into the software. Where you can fill out customer information one time and never have to re-enter it again. Where you have the ability to duplicate information and go from estimates to orders, easily and effectively by simply converting and cloning. A world where you can set automatic reminders that tell you who needs to be called, what needs to be done, and when to do it. Where it’s possible to truly, never again be in “management overload”, so you can actually relax and enjoy your cup of coffee in the morning. A world where you can search through hundreds, thousands, even millions of customer records/information in a matter of seconds, rather then hours or days. Imagine the power and control given to you in this world. This is the world I have come to know and this is the world I have come to love. The world where we all can work less, take advantage of technology, and still increase revenue and productivity.

The Scared Stigma

So why aren’t more business owners jumping onto the “software train”. Could it be that computer software and new technology scares them? It seemed to scare Marion Ward when I spoke with him. Is there some stigma behind software that leaves the non-Gen Xer’s afraid? If so, to those people I say “Do not be afraid”. These advancements in technology will make it easier for people such as Karen Bouknight of A Plus Signs & Graphix to “Relax and just chill” as she easily put it when I spoke with her. It will give Mike Bayliss of Bayliss Signs Plus more time to “Play Golf” as he stated he would like to do more. It will give us all a chance to “Take a vacation and take off” along side of Bill from Grafx Sign & Design.

Whether it be estimating and business management software like Cyrious Software, or some other software package that helps you save time, my only question is what would you do if you had an extra 20 hours per week?

About The Author

Daniel Tangredi

For more infomation on Cyrious Software go to http://www.cyrious.net or call 1-800-552-1418