Not yet released. Monday

Tweaks and tidies

• Dispatching, selection of records for actions like printing labels etc was quite broken in its behaviour and difficult to reason about ; (or even document here). Fixed so selection is based on current highlighted record (unless toggle selection is used to select multiple records)
• Discounting of laybys broken; now fixed
• Remote access
  • c9 is supposed to memorise a mobile phone MFA login for remainder of the day. Was broken in last version and you needed to provide mobile every single instance; not just once. Now fixed.
  • Tweak MFA workflow so the send SMS button cannot be easily spammed
• Add AP txn, remove CapEx as a txn type. Redundant for some years with tax code and ability to select GL code and steady inclusion of multiple balance sheet Capital gl codes. Existing behaviour with how it co-existed with tax /code/gl code was not intuitive so best to remove it entirely.

A change has been made to c9 repo for Honda pricing to accommodate auspost repairers and how some parts attracted a higher stock discount.

A new entry is now in c9 repo : Honda X +AusPost Parts

IMPORTANT: this new entry in the repo is NOT A FULL PRICE FILE.  It is only parts in existing M/C price file which have a different discount structure

To also apply AusPost Parts price file you need to hold down control key on your keyboard and select it so that both Honda M/C and Honda X +AusPost Parts are selected

It should look like this on screen:

Includes DB changes, you need to log all terminals out during upgrade

More Remote access Changes

A new mechanism has been added to make it possible to flag a remote client as trusted, bypassing mobile check. This new option is accessed via setup -> other settings -> Remote Access Activity

Note that the toggle can only be performed by remote accessed locally. You cannot access toggle via a remote session.

Tweaks and fixes

• Part kits - have been heavily modified part of work on version 5.3. Functionally they generally should behave the same as before. The technical changes do modify some of the more obscure edge cases around part kits, e.g. what happens when parts in a kit supercede etc. Generally these updates should reduce edge cases around kit pricing etc
• Open Floorplan report - latest version contained a bug which broke floorplan filtering, such as show open floorplans on sold units. Now fixed
• Remote Access
  • In login user permissions is a new flag to allow / disallow remote access for the given login id. Enabled by default
  • Open webpage not working via remote access. Instead pop a window with web address in it
  • C9 internal remote support remote access required mobile verification when support username was used but otherwise would bypass. Now fixed.
• Bank Rec : make 3 day warning limit on save bank rec configurable, in main setup screen -> payments tab
• Browse Ldger : was incorrectly displaying 'Active' txns as 'Internal'. Now fixed

TODO : kit import. Use flat materialized view

Includes DB changes. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade

Security changes to c9 remote access

In last 12 months we have received a couple of reports of inappropriate remote access to c9 from ex staff at the impacted dealerships.  To minimize risks this presents we have added a number of controls to help identify and deter such activity.

Part of this change all remote access requires SMS based 2FA verification. Remote access requires providing a valid Australian mobile number and then inputting a resulting security code sent to that number.  Note this requirement only applies to accessing c9 remotely only and is only requested once a day per client:dealer system. Non remote, in store access does not change with this update.

Specifics:

• Every access attempt generates a access report in spares -> utilities -> system reports, containing identifying information such as IP address, mobile number etc
• Remote access triggers alerts warning of monitoring
• Post login remote access requires an additional daily provision of mobile # and resulting access code to be fed into c9
• Future : c9 will provide a daily report alerting dealers of recorded remote access activity
• New option in setup to disable remote access to c9.

Other Tweaks and fixes

• Units / Deals
  • Unit rego input : force to uppercase on key screens
  • Open Floorplan report
    • New option to organise report by  trust provider
    • New option to sort report by trust receipt
  • Subtle bug with create new deal. New deal would invisibly inherit the registered owner of the last deal user looked at. Now fixed.
  • Browse deals and sales reps
    • add column for sales rep
    • allow filtering of deals based on sales rep. Memorise the sales rep filter setting
    • when adding new deal where deal has a salerep filter, default sales rep to the applied filter
  • Subtle bug with unit sales. Some sales cannot be rolled back if original sale was performed with very specific conditions ( sale contains some spare parts and during processing of sale, sale originally failed / aborted such as no ORC supplier selected, the error repaired and sale retried without closing sale screen). Fixed now. Any historical txns affected by this bug are also repaired and can be rolled back once this version of c9 is running.
  • Subtle bug with select unit. If you modify unit within select screen and change its reference when you bounce back to prior screen it can appear that unit has been duplicated but if you close out and come back in you'll only see the one unit. Fixed now to remove the appearance of duplication.
  • WA bulk registration form : updated
• Workshop
  • Multi Purchase Order Record. Wouldn't allow you input P/O's whose total value >999.99.  Now fixed.
  • Select unit for a dealership unit (such as for internal workshop job),  the 'deal unit' button at the bottom previously did nothing : now it toggles filter to units on deal
  • Complete job : disable send $ amount in SMS/Email alert for jobs flagged as warranty/bill dealership.
  • Mechanic only login, on completion of clocking loop back to asking for a new clerk key. Do not log c9 out entirely.
• Spares
  • Spares Return. Disable access to import as import result is inverted to a return; it is possible to land on return screen and not immediately realise you are processing a return.
  • Import price file. disable all import methods for franchises where pricefile was imported from the c9 repo.  Too many issues caused by dealers sideloading price files and stuffing it up. This change is intended to force workflows we require: if a repo is out of date, let us know/ let supplier know to get it resolved correctly.
  • Honda API integration : is getting an update. No functional changes but this should lay down ground work for eventual restoration of Magician checks for another future update.
• Other
  • Internally taxed coded gl entries do not actually post onto the GL. Modify their status so it is obvious they are internal and not active.
  • Various deposit history screens like workshop : button to access underlying posted journal
  • Aged Payables : a new detailed variant which lists all individual txns that compose aged payables report

Low level changes

• Some internal reworking as part of v5.3 (around stock valuation changes mostly). Main functional gain here for 5.2 is pricefile importing / specifically supers updates should be a touch quicker.

Tweaks and fixes

• More fixes to troubled changes on deals screen. Add deal would trigger an annoying 'could not fetch' error but add would still work. Now tidied
• Add transaction / view transactions.  Add some colour to make it more obvious it working on ar / ap or deposits.

Includes DB changes you need to log all terminals out during upgrade

• Tweaks and fixes
  • Last version broke the finished tab in deals. Would not show sell unit particulars; would show double entries for tradein deals. Could potentially strobe / flash and refresh weirdly. Now fixed
  • View Job / Modify Job : memorize width of columns on the costs tab

Includes DB changes, you need to log all terminals out during upgrade

Tweaks and fixes

• Bugfix with print tradein deal with customer paid encumbrance when customer doesn't have any other units. The pro forma wouldn't correctly tally in the liability. IT worked fine once deal is converted into a sale. Now fixed in both cases.
• Today Clocked : color coding of effort warnings, 70%/ 90% can now be edited.
  
• Select transactions : add a Refresh button to easily pickup any concurrent tweaks happening on a separate terminal/copy of c9
• Clock on / Off : display effort on job being clocked onto/off
• Old email attachments, older than 6 months could not be viewed / saved. Changes made last year to archive old assets in cloud. This is supposed to work seamlessly / invisibly, but wasn't implemented correctly on the view attachment screen. now fixed.
•  Estimates
  • Setup option to organise estimates by reference by default
  • estimate reference, the database would allow references upto 20 characters but a typo in c9 limited it to 10 in many cases. Now fixed.
  • Clone estimate, would fail for estimates where reference string length is >=10 . Now fixed
• Warranty : button to access posted journal on finalized warranties to help with diagnosing stuffups like selecting wrong creditor.
• Purchase units, Add similar unit : make sure blank out engine number on the cloned unit
• Browse Notifications : for some systems screen could throw a record not found error. Root cause is missing customer records. Fixed. Fix should also make this screen a bit faster
• Deals : Receive unit on order : make sure get a clerk key. Previously would log receive without a clerk
• Tax Invoices : options to print additional Terms and Conditions, for either invoices or quotes / pro forma style invoices. Similar and in additon to recent privacy statement inclusions. To configure got setup -> other settings -> dealership details.
  
• Paperwork
  • Vic - Primary Producer Concession - updated to latest
  • WA - Bulk Registration.  Leave Permit # blank, this isn't necessarily the same thing as dealer licence #
• Unit deals: add button to access private notes. This change forced some complex changes to browse deals screen, this screen should now load/refresh slightly faster because of  those changes
• Magician : mcleods inventory check working with new portal
• Triumph EPC quote files : can now be imported into Point of Sale via F7 -> import from catalogue software
• View Contact : provide a tab that shows linked Loyalty Cards
• TillPay token based payments : would not pop an error message in event of an error, so operator would have no idea why a debit request failed. Now fixed to alert to reason for failure.
• Browse Dealer Units : show start date
• Pay Slips : print staff type next to classification. If not set then hide this entirely
• Workshop Browser : select by customer.  Rename elements on customer select screen to align with current conventions for cash/acc customer.

More technical changes

• Update to underlying txn store as part of 5.3.  Mostly for 5.3 but several wins from this for 5.2. Mostly around performance.

This version of c9 fixes serious issues with 5.2.136 which can make all terminals unable to start c9. Requiring reinstall of c9 on affected terminals

It also includes fixes to Honda API integration. C9 is working with Honda actively to migrate API to a different system they prefer. The work isn't complete yet but part of that work was incorrectly included in last weeks recent c9 updates; meaning Honda API was effectively broken.

Yesterdays version of c9 broke ability to generate unit sale contracts; and probably some other report and report save related issues. Now fixed.

Includes DB changes. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade

Tweaks and fixes

• Yamaha Magician : alternative source of data since Yamaha moved dealer portal to a multifactor based system.
• Print preview : save as PDF / save as CSV would say successful even if save failed because of for example permission error / invalid file name. Now fixed
• Print order : include dealer spare parts email addr on printout
• Spares invoice : suppress 'Fax' if no fax # configured
• Web content UX fixes
  • Image gallery selection broken for simple images
  • lots of little niggles with picking/managing images on spec sheets, assessing valid/invalid images and unnamed images. Also image gallery broken here. Now fixed

Web order processing:  include some quality of life tweaks to order screen to help deal with till/paypal orders

• Display funds clearing : funds collected but not yet allocated
• Display deposit captured : funds earmarked for spares deposits. Often, funds clearing just moves to deposit.
• Colour code lines in progress in green
• Colour code completed web orders in red where there is a non zero deposit or funds clearing figure
• Provide a button to quickly refund excesss funds clearing which can be quickly accessed if the overall weborder is finished

Other:

• fixed a very narrow performance issue which would kill c9 in very specific circumstances : new system where we migrated data from a competitor and in that data we migrated an invalid invoice:zero number spares invoice; the new system now has web order processing. This special combination of events can trigger database lockups at key points; such as receive spares.  Fixed but added a guardrail at a key point in c9 to contend with this very precise scenario. Non code repair involved just deleting the invalid migrated Spares:0 invoice number.

Some small bugs quickly fixed within an hour of release:

5.2.133 : performance issue with changes to web order browse screen

5.2.134 : view invoice button on web order screen was broken