C9 Price File Repo: This version of c9 'fences' the price file. If you are running older versions of c9 you will not see any price file updates until you install this version of c9.

Tweaks and fixes

• C9 repo price files. There might be a possible bug with c9 repo where a network glitch can stop price file download halfway but c9 thinks it grabbed all the price file changes. Result can be a pricefile only partially updated but c9 things is fully up-to-date. Fix is to force a c9 repo download using download all option. This version of c9 includes a change where c9 checks that all changes were successfully downloaded first, if not the price file update will not go ahead and will need to be retried.
• Setup - allow individual beneficiaries to be setup under distribution to beneficiaries GL code
• View web order
  • A slot to display geoip info so you can cross check the geoip match location against the supplied address.
  • A slot to display weborder security alerts. Currently alerts if the operator who submitted the order might possibly be behind an anonymizing traffic relay like TOR.

Tweaks and fixes

• Recent Unit stock take report changes : got new/used unit sections labelled incorrectly. Now fixed
• A4 Deposit Receipts : would not print deposit amounts of 100k or over. Now fixed
• Modify txn date, would not let you modify txns connected to issued giftcards. Now fixed
• Couple more expense GL codes:  water and utilities

OEM Image encoding

This version of c9 replaces an internal library used to saving OEM fiche diagrams. Previous library in c9 is ancient, pre-2000 and it contains some code that is suddenly problematic for most recent versions of java in that it calls a function deep in java that is nowdays consider unsafe (in terms of reliable operation of java) and latest java version now refuse to allow that function to run.  Looked at patching the library to minimise change risks but too hard to source and recompile the original library. So instead have replaced it with something newer.

One upside is that OEM images encoded from now will be even more space efficient.

Sample image, 1045x1600 resolution

New library: 38k
Prior library: 43k
Std built in java img encode: 54k
Naive grayscale encoding: 53k
Naive RGB: 75k
Naive jpeg encoding (80%): 146k

Alot of work goes into processing images for c9 OEM to balance how images look and how much storage they require. C9 automatically clips, resizes, and auto contrast balances images to try and achieve a maximal result.  Side by side image comparison of an EPC image from and older version of c9 compared to recent version to illustrate:

QL700 / C9 configuration cheat sheet

Read more...

Includes Database Changes you need to log terminals out during upgrade

Tweaks and fixes

• Quick Supper file export. Make reference field more compact to meet QS 20 char limit
• Print Statement, on email from print will default to account email not main email
• Fixed a small annoyance with general ledger chart screen, when you change date range the collapsed GL lines are forgotton and everything resets to open. Memorize what has been collapsed when refreshing the chart.
• Tweak f12 magician to allow longer qty descriptions, to better fit revised output from gas imports which it itemizes the different warehouses.
• Suzuki Magician - MFA
  • Magician check working again (some changes to MFA webpages broke c9. Now fixed)
  • Disabled Suzuki Magician integration into c9 dealer websites for the time being. Current magician MFA integration is currently not stable enough for this.

GL Chart Locking / Cash Rec and Bank Rec

This version of c9 includes the ability to lock activity on specific general ledger codes. In Business -> general ledger you'll see a new column and a new button to manipulate this column.

The new column lock indicates a date where any thing that happens that modifies the effective opening balance on this lock date will not be allowed. So any txns backdated, or modified or deleted before this date will trigger an error.

On same screen is a new button modify lock which allows you to manipulate this

On cash till screen are now lock check-boxes which automatically set this upon saving a cash till count.

The lock flag which you can toggle will add (or remove) lock  upon performing cash till save.

A similar mechanism is in place for bank reconciliation screen near the save button:

This version includes changes to Suzuki Magician to cope with multi factor authentication.

On login you need to provide two sets of logins, the multi factor auth login (email+password) and ordinary suzuki login.

On login c9 will, as needed, prompt to you key in the MFA code that is SMS'd to you.  Doing this once will set things up for all terminals.

At this time unsure how long MFA authentication lasts before it required feeding in a new SMS code. Expect you'll need to relogin every now and then, hopefully not often. That is at Suzuki's discretion.

Tweaks and fixes

• Stock list / Stock summary option to enable / disable last buy/stock buy variance. Disabled by default. Lots of queries on this one and 99% of the time it isn't useful/ interesting information so hide it by default
• Tweaks to mojo EPC importer makes it significantly faster (originally the API had traffic throttle limits in it, these have been removed so I have removed rate limits on c9 side of things)
• Business -> reprint deposits not migrated to 5.2 correctly. Fixed up here.
• Ficeda Integration
  • Part image importer for ficeda added
  • Ficeda magician check reimplemented. (No login required. )
  • Note ficeda repo price file now embeds variant and meta data for sizing and colours.
• New GL expense code for Labour Hire /  Subcontracting
• Dealer unit screen : show unit # and $ cost tally on key tabs (on floor, open floorplans)
• New login setting to restrict access to freeform spares sales.  Enabled by default on all accounts on upgrading to this ver of c9
• Some tweaks to how recently added discount login setting works. On upgrade to this version, the flag will be set for all login users if not set on any user yet : in order to align this settings behaviour with how all other login settings work, including newly added freeform setting.
• Review charts in c9 (Business -> charts). Alot of these were never upgraded to work with v5.1. Now substantially fixed (17 different charts updated)

Includes Database changes you need to log c9 out during upgrade

Refinements & bug fixes for cross dealership giftcards

• v4/v5 patch for discount voucher behaviour  was not applying for external vouchers. making external discount vouchers unusable. Now fixed
• Bugfix with external voucher use sync back to issuer. Was generating an unbalanced GL posting making sync impossible. Now fixed.
• Tweak GL codes used to sync vouchers back to issuer for discount vouchers (sync to contra code)
• External Voucher rollback on txn error was broken. Writing wrong state forcing voucher to be consumed.
• Payment methods, never grey out giftcards for dealers that can use ext vouchers. Although they may not have any local vouchers, they might be able to access external vouchers

Other fixes:

• Recent changes to Unit Stock take report broke grouping of units in the report. The report correctly prints all units and info, but it messes up the now they are grouped (new, used, floorplan, etc). Now fixed.
• Bulk floorplan payout was not migrated to v5.1 : now done
• quicksuper export, date encoding was incorrect (quicksuper documentation is likely wrong). Now fixed, switched to DD/MM/YYYY format
• free nsw rego check disabled, appears NSW state gov made changes to their website which broke the scraper. Since we now have a professionally supported service, support for free scrapers will be gradually removed as each one fails due to website modifications.
• print deals, have option to apply filter inputted into screen to the report as well
• found another example of circular network graphs of spares invoices where it was not possible to print an invoice. Now fixed.
• a previous version of c9 (5.1.43) disabled ability to merge invoices into a new reserve invoice.  Some refinements here to enforce this behaviour. Some workarounds were possible to get around this constrain.
• Link Int magician check : working again.
• Mojo EPC importer : a couple of breaking API changes made/advised by Mojo's vendor. Implemented here.
• Cancel part on order book for workshop job. Under some circumstances (e.g. ordering the part a couple of different times on different spares invoices) would result in ord qty on workshop job being incorrectly updated. Now fixed

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

Whites Power Sports part renumbering.

Recently WPS renumbered their parts but their price file solution does not include a mechanism to supercede the old numbers to new.  Working with WPS we asked them to make changes to their their Price file API so that we can source old partnumber and link it to the new. WPS made those changes last week. This version of c9 includes further modifications to make use of those changes.

Spares -> utilities -> import price file. Pick whites and pick Whites Power Sports (New) import method. Push through and result should be old numbers  superceding to new numbers, like screengrab below

Bug fixes  and important tweaks

• Whites Power Sports price files, as described above
• PDF import for Toro.  Cope with fact that in toro parts the dashes as important and parts where only difference is dashes can describe completely different parts. e.g. : 3219-6 is a Hex Nut but 3-2196 supercedes to a Sheave. Made tweaks to PDF importer so it is a bit more Toro aware.
• Bugfix with unit sale, if sale fails to write, e.g. because you select No on reconcile alert, and then retry c9 will double up all GL postings. Now fixed.
• Stock take report tweaks and fixes
  • Retain capitalisation on floorplan make sections
  • Was incorrectly listing goods in with receipt units as not owned. Now fixed
• View spares invoice : would fail to show results if somehow operator created a circular graph of invoices now fixed

5Yamaha have published a new price file which includes very dramatic changes in pricing.

C9 cautions care with installing this price file with respect to existing stocking to minimise risk of losses.

For example, part 90176-10078 (NUT, CROWN) which fits a large number of bikes.

Prior to today, the part's RRP was 16.27+GST.  To buy it on stock it cost 9.52

Today, that same part's RRP is now 10.84+GST.

So to sell this part at todays prices for a part you brought a week ago, your margin has shrunk from 70% to 14%. Factoring in typical fixed costs, it is now a loss.

To help mitigate this, c9 contains some tooling which you can use to set pricing at prior RRP. Suggest you set pricing at prior RRP, and then over a few months revise pricing as you cycle stock through and purchase stock at newer, cheaper price.

Downside of this tooling is that you can only do this one part at a time. But you can click the button quickly to move through all your stocked items

• Spares -> Reports -> items repriced.

C9 will look to rush modifications to be ready later today so that you can reprice anything whose price has lowered as a simple bulk operation.  More details to come. [ Update: 5.2.41 version introduces a bulk price change option in items repriced report. Does exactly what it says on the packaging. ]

Giftcard refinements and cross dealership giftcards

This version of c9 does alot of ground work in order to accommodate ability to use giftcards between different instances of c9 for dealers who run multiple copies of c9 and want their different stores to share giftcards. In theory there is enough added into this version of c9 implement this but the feature is likely to be officially made available in mid November as further refinement and testing is likely needed. I need to press this version of c9 as part of progressing that work.

Functionally this version mostly fine tunes concurrent voucher locking & consumption between c9 store and website with more rigorous automated testing to verify all the various edge cases such as using a giftcard online exactly same time a giftcard is cancelled or modified in the shop for example, to make sure all the various timing issues are dealt with. This groundwork is essential for cross shop giftcard usage (for online sales it is less of a concern because actual transaction work happens back in the c9 system in store so remains centralised, but with cross shop giftcards, the txns happen in different shops so authoritative manipulation of giftcard balance is more diffuse and the shops need to coordinate precise status of a giftcard through all the things that can happen, such as cancelling a sale involving a giftcard, then undeleting that sale etc).

Work remaining on cross shop giftcards

• Configure giftcard prefixes to avoid giftcard # collisions
• make it impossible to disable online checks for c9 shops where cross shop giftcard sharing is enabled
• Define new Asset and liability codes for cross shop giftcard settlement, make sure these are baked into balance sheet and reconciliation tests.
• add new bank rec functions to settle cross shop giftcard settlement
• Verify issuer sync polling.
  • bake polling into scan giftcard and view giftcard to make it sync more instantaneously
  • Add server side sync poll so giftcard sync is faster.

Other tweaks and fixes

• Fiche diagrams. N/C Retail price displayed on this screen can be wrong in some circumstances. now fixed. PRoblem is screen doesn't pull back enough info in some circumstances. Specifics: packqty (likely a problem for BRP franchises because they code the price file to be packqtys), also daily/stock buy, for franchies where the dealer has configured a minimum margin in price breaks (rarely used but will be problematic for dealers who use this)
• add a setup switch in system/database to disable 4 hour auto logout feature recently added
• Add ppsr check button to add purchase unit screen
• Repriced parts : button to bulk reprice everything to older price, only for parts where older price is higher
• Tweaks and fixes with discount vouchers
  • Update Balance sheet so voucher liability excludes discount vouchers
  • Fix auto reconcile/reconciliation so it does not bark on discount vouchers
  • Long standing issue with contra GL code for discounts. Mixed 9-2600 and 5-5800.  Rationalised onto 9-2600. Deleted the code 5-5800
• Bulk bill pay / direct debit.
  • Customer BSB on screen was incorrect now fixed. (note exported ABA file is fine, just what was on screen was wrong).
  • Color code deleted lines so it is obvious when a highlighted line is also deleted (grey background, italic font). Previously couldn't tell if a highlighted line was deleted or not