Regression bugfix with just dropped version 4.832 : search tools on some list screens were not working : orderbook, F12 pickup order and AusPOST dispatch screens mostly. Now working again.

This version includes database changes. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade.

Notes:

• Update can take upto 15 minutes to apply, if your database is massive and/or your server computer is slow/old.

• This update generates alot of new data that needs to be backed up. Online backups may take a couple of hours to catchup after update is applied. You will see 'Backup: copying' display in top of c9 for a few hours after upgrading.

• This version can only work on version 10 postgres. If you are running version 8.4 postgres you will not be given the option to upgrade to this version. V 4.831 c9 is the last version of c9 for which postgres 8.4 can work with.
  

Reworking of Spare parts and spare parts searching

This version includes significant changes to how spare parts searching works, especially the F2 find part screen. Specifics:

• Part searching is now only sensitive to alphabet and numbers.  So things like slash (/) full stop etc (.) no longer affect part searching.  If you happen to have a part in system with is the same except for these special characters, c9 will pop an screen to clarify which one you want.
  • For Beta dealers, system is smart enough to cope with non dot parts superceding to dotted parts so it will not constantly nag you to select one of the other. If c9 detects similar parts supercede to same item it will just present the one option
  • For Toro dealers, standard toro part number brain damage where 90-123 and 901-23 describe completely different parts still applies / is retained.
• Part search screen now resolves supers in realtime so when looking at a supers part you'll see the final price, qty and description that applies.
• Color coding of part find screen has changed to reflect the point of sale color coding scheme. The screen no longer color codes based on whether or not a part supercedes. Instead it color codes according to:
  • blue: Not carried
  • in stock and qty>0 : black
  • in stock but no qty. Red
• The screen should generally feel alot faster than previously. Scrolling, searching filtering etc should feel snappier
• These changes are made in part to support dealers who maintain their own part numbering systems to allow them to 'organise' parts into an internal system that they like : who wish to migrate to supplier parts (c9 recommended setup) but wish to retain their old numbering system and its process advantages by making them superceed to supplier parts instead. This way when you eyeball these superceded internal parts, you'll see supplier partnumber, supercessions, and supplier description etc organised according to your internal part number scheme but where everything is tracked by supplier part numbers : with all the advantages that provides, e.g. importing PDF invoices, getting price files, magician checking etc. e.g.:
  

Other changes

• Import price file. Generally should work alot faster.
• Supercessions
  • Now resolve faster but since we are taking 10ms vs 20ms generally should not notice. Reverse SS resolution when doing view part buy/sell screen though should be alot faster.
  • Supercessions will no longer 'repair' in event of a bad supers on import price file. Instead they will retain and display error prominently in view screen. There are some edge cases where rewriting supercessions is bad as it 'destroys' potentially important information.  C9 will still rewrite supercessions it the bad supercession is a stocked item, because otherwise you will no longer be able to access the stock record if it now sits within a bad supers chain, and this is easily a far more serious consequence than rewriting bad supers.
  • Supercessions can now be infinitely long. 'Long supercession chain' is no longer a thing. Only dead and looping supers chains are reported.
• Link Int magician check : working again
• Payroll ABA Export. Do not export records for staff with a $0 payrun.
• Modify purchase unit on deal. If unit was not on system already (e.g. as a unit that has been serviced), then modify would damage record on the deal and make it impossible to fixup the deal without c9 tech support help. Now fixed.
• Low level changes
  • improve memory usage of orderbook and list screens in general. Now 90%/95% more efficient. Large orderbooks + very inefficient memory storage of screen lists are potentially a common cause of out of memory errors in c9.
  • added network idle timeout for db connections. If unused for over an hour recycle the connection. Mainly affects fiche browsing as this uses its own DB connection that isn't kept active. For networks that tear down network links after 2 hours but don't respond with network RSTs when connections wake up again.

Fixes and tweaks

• KTM Factory EPC / Part Image importer : broken again.... Working again.
• Memory monitor.
  • This version adds an active memory monitor into c9.  Once memory consistently exceeds 80% and system is idle for a few minutes c9 will pop an alert warning of this encouraging shutdown. Part of this is it does a memory dump to disk, which we can then analyse to figure out root cause of low memory scenario (typically because of bad behaviour between java and video card drivers, but many many things can cause this so worth diving in to try and figure it out whenever it happens).
  • New setup option that will trigger a memory dump in event of out of memory error so we can do a detailed followup to figure out why memory ran out.

Fixes and tweaks

• Bugfix with browsing notifications  could display record fetch error. Root cause is sending invoices for internal jobs: would work seem to work fine but setup a subtle problem that triggers browse notification screen to fail.  Possible other pathways exist in c9 that could trigger same/similar issues. Bug potential has been there for a long time (since 2016 at least), but only just received a report of bad behaviour this week. Underlying issue now fixed.
• Edit estimate : allow window to be resized / maximised
• Point of sale, once # of parts on list fills the screen make sure scroll window to bottom whenever a new part is added
• AusPOST integration
  • confirm despatch screen : added search and toggle all feature to help out dealers who are doing large volumes of online order fulfillment and need tools to help to finetune their daily freight manifest.
  • Open label screen. Now has an advanced tab where you can manually configure pdf viewer open config. This can be used to force PDF viewer to print to a specific printer. e.g. something like this (the {f} is replaced with actual PDF received from AusPOST)
    

    AcroRd32.exe /N /T {f} "auspostlabelprinter"
    

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

• Profit summary report changes
  • Provide a count column. Meaning varies per section. For spares, it corresponds to each invoice line, for units each unit, for workshop, each service job.
  • Split unit reporting into new/used
  • Provide a simplified 'overview' report. Showing a handful of key metrics:
    • Accessories gross + profit
    • OEM gross + profit
    • Workshop labour gross
    • Units sales gross + profit
• Unit deals : provide two tabs, to separate out active deals and quotes
• Other fixes and tweaks
  • Low level NullPointer fix I thought I fixed 4 years ago still broken. Would cause screens with expandable trees in them like orderbook to render strangely which 'tears' the display. Should now work more reliably
  • Workshop scheduler. If you access clocking from here it would change the displayed job in modify task to job last touched in clocking screen. Now fixed.
  • Point of Sale supply early / already handled orderbook interaction : do not do this for UOM stuff as it is unable to apply UOM adjusted qtys to already handled in orderbook
  • Unit contract particulars, allow definition of standard / global notes printed on all particulars. (accessed via setup screen ,units tab)

Fix regression introduced in last version. In modify labour could not click on recalculate button.  Now fixed (you could Alt+r to trigger recalc or tab to it but couldn't mouse to it).

Other : import E-Ref into point of sale.  Import would try and merge in dealer info into your c9 and part of this it would rewrite selected contact as being both supplier/customer and on account. Makes sense to do this in context of sending an order to another c9 dealer, but not in the context or importing an order another c9 dealer has sent you. Tweaked so it doesn't do this anymore.

Suzuki EPC. This release includes ability to import A subset of Suzuki EPC diagrams. The diagram information is provided by Suz Aus and is curated by c9. The curation process is very complex and error prone, so likely there are errors in the resulting dataset. Also it is incomplete. Provided on basis that something that potentially contains inaccuracies is better than nothing.

You can view the curated results here first: https://c8software.com.au/bikeshop/dev/partFinder/fiche/curated-suzuki-epc#next

Other tweaks

• Print labels on receive. Make print order part number order
• Payroll : added 2020/2021 tax brackets.
• Modify spare part on workshop job. Show location incase operator wants to restock the part
• VicRoads : updated authority to transfer form to latest ver

V5 c9 is coming in 2021. Details, motivations, goals and progress

Read more...

• Tweaks and Fixes
  • Workshop labour : you can now key in labour as a fraction into hours.  i.e. key in 1.5 will convert to 1 hour 30 minutes. Useful for managing warranty work
  • View web order from spares point of sale complete. Would not show web order for F12 pickup part of weborder. i.e. if order is originally parked onto a reserve/pickup.
  • Deal substitute. Substitute with blank unit now blanks out engine number and long form VIN.

Tweaks and fixes

• Harley Davidson Magician check: now working again
• View webs order from point of sale complete. Have a report from dealer it was blank. Not entirely sure how this happened, but made some code changes here that hopefully will improve things.
• Increase screen size of date/time fields in post new journal. Previously was not fully visible on screen