UDS Green Industry Software, Inc. Newsletter
February 26, 2003
Topics in this newsletter:
Future Considerations in Hardware and Software
The Main Control File
NEW! Tablet PC
How can you use it in your business
More Tablet PC’s
More Portable Applications
Tablet PC
Recently Microsoft and hardware vendors released a version of the XP operating system for Tablet PC's. As part of our continuing support UDS purchased one to evaluate and write and assess for possible use in the green industry. I had it with me at the winter trade shows. Pictures of it can be found on our www.udsgis.com web site. It is a cross between a laptop and a Pocket PC.
Click http://www.udsgis.com/tablet_pc_applications.htm to learn how the applications may be able to assist your company.
It has all the function of a regular computer reduced to a tablet size three pound device. It has no keyboard or mouse built in but it does have a pen type device that is used as the mouse. Both a keyboard and mouse can be attached externally through USB ports. In addition to the standard connection ports of a laptop it has WiFi networking built in. The brand we have is a Viewsonic. www.viewsonic.com. Perhaps a better one it the HP/Compaq version www.HP.com. There are several other manufacturers of the device.
Unlike the Pocket PC it has a full sized screen and it can run any standard program. At the shows I demonstrated the ActiveApplications Point of Sale application running on the tablet. It printed a retail receipt to a printer that was connected to the network on my laptop that acted as a server. I was also able to show AA on the Tablet PC connected to the server or running stand alone. All of these applications ran without keyboard using the pen as the mouse. A pop up on screen keyboard was used to input information.
This is approaching the portable tablets you see on the SciFi channel or in Star Trek movies. I tested the hand writing recognition program with good success. Although a little clunky as an application with proper integration into AA I can see where it might be useful.
As an example of the potential uses of this type of device we wrote an inventory inquiry and count program. The program displays the valid locations in a list. Clicking on a location to display all of the item names, quantity on hand and other information on the items in that location. Click an item to display a window similar to a quantity entry window that allows you to enter a count number and a reserve number. This count is then saved into an inventory transaction file that is later transferred to the main system for posting to the main database.
You can run this application from www.udsgis.com Log in with your support user name and password.
As applications become more portable and Tablet PC's more powerful, we will write more programs to take advantage of this function. This will provide even more ways to control your business in the field.
At UDS we change our software to be prepared for future changes in operating systems and databases. We are rewriting programs to take advantage of the new features found in these more sophisticated technologies. One of these more sophisticated technologies is Microsoft SQL server. SQL server is equivalent to the Access database that most of you currently store your AA data in. It is a database that is designed to be more reliable than Access. In order to be ready for this migration, there are two major areas you need to be thinking about.
First, we at UDS already have versions of ActiveApplications written to use on the newer platform. We have rewriting all of ActiveApplications to conform to the new standards required by the new database system. The other thing we need to do is get a process ready for upgrading your data to the new database system. The data formats between the Access version of AA and the SQL version are not exactly the same. Because they are different, a conversion program is necessary.
Second, you as customers must be prepared to upgrade equipment as necessary. SQL Server requires a Windows 2000 server or higher. If you do not have a Windows 2000 server in your corporate structure, you will need to have one installed before you can convert to the new AA. The capacity and speed of this server, unlike the current Access system, will make a huge difference in the performance of AA. This is because all the data processing is done on the server.
Although we know this change will be required we do not know when it will be required. It will be mandated by Microsoft within the next few years. When they decide that Access is no longer supported they will discontinue it. You need to be prepared for this certainty. You should continue budgeting for additional computer equipment and services that are consistent with the required level of hardware. If you must replace your server make sure it either has SQL on it or it can be added. This will keep you from having to replace it at the last minute.
UDS Active Accounting
Running the Main Control File Program
Today UDS Support would like to share some important information with you concerning an Active Accounting program function that receives at least its’ fair share of questions. We will cover what running the Main Control file program means and also a few of the feature settings recently added. This article will purposely take no more than 10 minutes of your valuable time, and we believe it will be time well spent.
To run the Main Control File program select from the Active Accounting main menu: Reports/Control Files/Main Control File. The Main Control File program opens a window titled System Control Settings. As most of you know this should be one of the first menu options to be selected after applying a new release of Active Accounting, such as, the release of Version 6.1. Additionally, we recommend reading any notes that accompany periodic Updates for any mention of Main Control File changes so that you will be aware of them and be able to take advantage of new program features. Many of these settings you will find in the System Control Information window are referred to as Default Settings. Active Accounting uses a default setting when there is no other higher priority setting assigned elsewhere within the Active Accounting applications. For your convenience, the default settings in the System Control Information window are grouped by application, with each application having one or more labeled "tabs". Just left click once on the desired tab to ‘open’ it for viewing or making changes.
When you change a setting in the MCF program it starts looking through the tabs to see if there are any other remaining fields that require a user entry. This is the reason you may not be allowed to select the OK button to save your changes and leave this program any time you feel like it. The program may instead open another tab in order to display another required entry setting. If your MS Agent helper is ‘active’ the help Agent will appear to explain the required entry. There will often be a message displayed along the bottom edge of the System Control Information window saying much the same thing as the help Agent. As you have no doubt noticed, the program can be aborted by hitting the 'Cancel' button to leave the Main Control File program without saving changes.
Any time you see a "?" mark in a field box in any of the tabs in the main control file, it represents an invitation to replace that question mark with your entry. All that may be required may be a check mark, a (Y)es or (N)o, or perhaps a value selected from a drop down list available on that field. Other fields may be asking for something like a valid G/L account number. By pressing the “F1” function key on your keyboard help will appear that relates to the settings in the tab you have opened. Within the help topic you will find definitions for the fields within that tab. If you require more of an explanation than provided therein, do not hesitate to contact UDS Support. We will be happy to clarify the use of that particular setting for you. Be assured it is not expected that all fields will be put to use by every Active Accounting user even if it happens that an entry is required in that field.
XML Options Tab:
One particular field setting you are required to fill in is the XML location box under the XML defaults tab. A Run-Time-Error 76 may occur when the XML Location field box is empty in the XML defaults tab of the Main Control File. Simply enter a folder name of your choice within the box provided. For example “XML-Folder” would be sufficient. If this folder name doesn’t already exist under your Active Accounting folder, then the Main Control File program will create one for you. This is an example of a setting that requires a value to be entered even if the Active Accounting user never exports an XML file to this folder. This setting is required “just in case” you do. Then in the event you do begin exporting XML files Active Accounting will know into which folder to save them without having to ask you every single time.
Accounts Payable Tab:
Accounts Payable users will be happy to know that they can create up to 10 AP terms codes in the Accounts Payable Tab. Later with a Vendor record ‘opened’ they will be able to select from this list for the appropriate terms code to ‘save’ to this Vendor. This allows Active Accounting to calculate and fill in some of the date fields on the AP Invoice Create window for you. This information is then carried forward by the system and is useful in the AP Check Print function to make payment and the taking of discounts easier.
The “Post Checks to Current Period” setting allows transactions created by “Voiding” of n AP Check to assume the current date or the original transaction date of the check.
Accounts Receivable Tab:
General Ledger users may take notice that this tab now offers a “Deposit Cash Account” and “Deposit Accounts Receivable Account”. If the recently added “Deposit” check box in the AR Payment Entry window is checked, Active Accounting will create GL transactions using the GL Account numbers entered in these fields rather than the GL Account numbers loaded into the Cash Account and Accounts Receivable settings boxes, when an advanced deposit is made. This enables your deposits balance to be tracked in separate accounts. These deposit account balances will be reduced accordingly when the deposit is applied to an outstanding Invoice. This feature is optional and the Active Accounting user need only enter a valid GL Account number in each of these two new fields and never place a check mark in the “Deposit” check box in order to ignore this new feature.
This same tab also offers a “Cost Variance Account” field setting into which you will enter a valid GL Account number. The GL Account number entered into this settings box will be used by Active Accounting if a quantity of an Item is moved from one inventory location to another inventory location having a different cost.
General Ledger Tab:
Users of the General Ledger application will now find four rather than just one “Last Period Closed” setting. The purpose is however the same. These settings allow the user to control the periods closed to GL postings that may come from each application. Just after running the GL Year End procedure, the General Ledger user will want to set all four of these settings to zero. Period "zero" means all periods are open to transactions and the period actually posted to will be determined by the transaction date on the application’s transaction. Entering a period number into any one of these four field settings "Closes" that period and all previous periods to postings from the corresponding application regardless of whether the transaction date would, on its’ own, cause that transaction to post to that period.
This tab also offers new field settings that provide the General Ledger user with the opportunity to setup a fully departmentalized General Ledger and with the additional option of subclasses. These new capabilities reach out to a more limited range of current customers so we will no more that mention this capability here. However, if you should develop an interest in restructuring your General Ledger, this would be the place to start reading and exploring. This thought blends well into our “wrap-up” below.
In Summary:
It is important to read and explore so that you can get the most out of Active Accounting. An understanding of what the Main Control File is and the role its’ ‘field settings’ play in the various applications can really contribute to a feeling of well being and a sense of control over how your system will perform for you. We know finding time for this will be difficult. You also have to contend with things going on around you, and the urgency is always there to just start using the individual applications. We know some of you have found the time and hope those of you that have not, will be able to soon.