Small bug fixes caused by changes in recent versions

• View spares invoice from view transactions broken. Now working again
• Units QBE : Enter key shortcut would not apply input. Removed the shortcut.

• Tweaks and fixes
  • New workshop config option to disable default customer discounts being applied to workshop jobs.
  • Where is messenger? Slight tweak where it might misreport a terminal as running messenger, more likely to be an issue with Postgres 10.
  • Profit summary report on single customer : would incorrectly show results for warranty spares unrelated to specific contact
  • Unit browser. Retain old behaviour with enter key automatically accepting the screen
  • Clock off : ability for techs to tweak the time recorded as billable on the job. (Actual time worked is still forcefully recorded as is and remains unmodifiable)
  • Sell parts to a deal via point of sale : make sure deal is locked and open first
  • Order book search : when matching an item in orderbook, try to make entire order the search matches in visible on screen when scrolling to the found result. Previously would usually just show you the row at the very bottom but good to have complete visual context of entire order the search term belongs to.
  • Stock take via sheets
    • Make location filter case insensitive
    • Add a button to flag all parts on stock take as successfully stock taken. This writes todays date into all parts as last date parts were stock taken
  • Contact duplicate check improvements to nags. Previously c9 would constantly nag to check duplicates every time you keyed in a tweak that triggered a dup check. It now tracks which duplicate possibilities you rejected and won't present them again. It might present same customer for a different reason. e.g. You key in Bob Smith and it shows Bob Smith (same name), which you reject. You then key in Bobs phone number, it will then show 'Bob Smith (same phone)'. From here it should be substantially quiet.  Previously c9 had a mechanism in place to try and dampen nags like this, but it didn't work very well. New version should be a decent improvement.
  • Tweak OPEA import to cope with Triumphs crappy non compliant OPEA price file
  • Modify On Road Costs. Assume GST exempt if cost is $0 for ORC line items.
  • View Contact Transactions: access view spares receive screen from here
  • New Configurable monitor type : alert when floorplan units are about to come off interest free
  • Vic Paperwork Form 5 : now print check boxes to clarify if price is inclusive of on road costs. e.g. below:
    
  • Print Spares invoice with parts on order. Make the 'parts on order' text printed here configuration. Modified in Setup, main setup screen ordering tab.
  • Email invoice / email report : option to grab a email template for body email being sent out
  • Add/Modify unit : dynamically show how # chars are in the VIN to help get VIN right.

Ordering tweaks

Some subtle issues with order audit of what c9 reports as been sent / exported. Say you have this:

• Part on active order for a customer
• Same Part on exported order for stock

Now stock order arrives in, c9 will fulfill the customer order first since it is higher priority. The result is it swaps parts around between stock order and customer order, all good. The stock order is now tracked on daily order.

The problem though is part is flipped onto daily, but the part carries information that it was previously exported so when you goto export the order c9 whinges it might of been sent already. Two fixes here:

• On part flip as described above, not only flip order numbers but also flip internal tracking that records if part has been already sent/received
• In order book, display state tracking on individual parts if it differs from the order state. Making out of place parts visually stand out. (e.g. parts that were printed but then moved back onto an active order after printing)

• Tweaks and bug fixes
  • Subtle payrun bug fix.  Specific sequence of events:
    • Manually modify a annual leave line item (note: you should never do this anyway. Always modify via leave screen, this bug only triggers with this specific process which is faulty anyway)
    • This recomputes leave loading still on computed, not adjusted figures, not strictly desirable, but not strictly a bug, so far so good
    • but bug in c9 is it writes leave loading into the DB as though it is adjusted, breaking a number of low level rules and assumptions that break the computation of later things like tax. Compute tax from this figure is okay tho.
    • Then print summary or generate ABA it emits file with correct price with okay figures.
    • If you then re-edit a line of the payrun (or finalize) it computes a different figure because of damaged leave loading record, computing a tax figure that is too high (effectively doubling effect of leave loading on withholding)
  • Payroll fixes
    • Fix above bug with altered flag cascading to leave loading
    • disallow editing of computed leave lines (see above issue, correct way to manage leave is via leave screen, not in a payrun)
    • Add Button to access leave from payrun
    • Recompute payrun just prior to export ABA file/print summary
  • Point of sale, F6 edit a part on order, would not memorize previously applied order settings (stock/daily, no backorder, alt supplier selection etc) on return to point of sale. Now fixed

Old Javas - you need to upgrade now

This version is where I made good on a warning from over a year ago that java 6 is no longer supported. Many features in this version of c9 will no longer work on old java6. e.g. importing PDF invoices, magician check, remote EPC diagrams etc.

User Interface Changes

This version includes a significant UI change and redefines how enter key works, realigning it closer with how most GUIs work. The original was design inherited from c8 days and was defined by tech c8 was based on back then. C9, in trying to keep things as unchanged as possible replicated original c8 behaviour. This version now does the following.

1. When you key in content into a new field , the field turns red to show you field is being modified.
   
2. Now, while the field is red, if you press enter key it will accept the input, instead of triggering the 'OK' button. So instead of clicking out of a field/tabbing you can now check effect of a change by pressing enter on it
   
3. Now, pressing Enter one more time, will trigger OK button, since now there is no 'modified' data to process

Security Changes

This version of c9 modifies how the c9 product communicates with c9s servers to deliver key services to use encrypted channels. Previously only some network traffic was encrypted. The decision whether or not to encrypt was balanced between sensitivity of data transmitted vs accepting increased failure modes with encrypted traffic. The primary crypto required does not work in java 6.  The biggest issue with non encrypted data that now forces c9 to switch to all encrypted traffic is not the broader internet, but things that exist in dealer networks. Two issues:

• Antivirus software becoming increasingly promiscuous / invasive about what programs stored on a computer are doing and messing with network traffic.
• Routers/modems doing things like trying to cache responses.

The changes affect many different areas of c9. Broadly:

• Importing PDF invoices
• Magician related stuff
• Remote Fiche diagram stuff
• C9 repo access, other dealer price file access etc
• Miner : standard queries
• Other various bits and pieces

 

Other changes

• EPC
  • Got Triumph EPC import working again
  • Import SYM xls EPC files
• Tweaks and fixes
  • View invoiced units. Show invoice date + unit rego.
  • On upgrading c9 past this version, messenger will detect if it needs to upgrade because of DB change. If messenger JVM is unattended it will automatically upgrade itself
  • Point of sale : under some circumstances c9 would erroneously report that a cash invoice is linked to a workshop job. If you pick a job for part sale then switch back to cash it would then write invoice such that if would misreport as being linked to a job. Purely a visual issue, doesn't trigger any unwanted functional behaviours other than look confusing in some screens, e.g. orderbook
  • Mojo magician : some optimizations to try and wind back heavy memory usage
• Unit sale tweaks
  • On road costs : write onto suppliers as bill money collections, not bills
  • Supplier postings : write description + unit reference where there is no reference
  • ORC Adjust tool tweaks
    • Post overpays as rebates insteads of convoluted seq of txns previously
    • Post underpays as $0 gst bills
    • Track what was previously posted to allow for easy review & fine tune adjustments
  • View a supplier txn list for suppliers connected to a unit sale. Option to access view unit from highlighted txn

Requires Database changes, you'll need to log all terminals out during upgrade. Make sure you also update computer running messenger to keep backup/SMS working.

• Tweaks and fixes
  • Receive Spares from C9 E-Ref, was not importing tax invoice date. Now working
  • Unit sale. Renamed sell/discounted columns to more intuitive names
  • Messenger : would log messages saying 'optout sync failed' : the reported message is incorrect. Now only reports on real sync errors
  • Creditor trial balance : was not coping with recently added txn types and would show wrong balances for suppliers using this. Now fixed.
  • Process unit deal : under some circumstances could rewrite unit buy/sell info in destructive ways. Obvious when you do a unit on order then receive it then finish the deal. The units purchase date is zeroed out. Fixed
  • Subtle business rule change for writing lastincost on received stock : avoid rewrite lastincost when receiving stuff for workshop or customer only, i.e. not for inventory. Idea here is if you buy things for stock on special buy, don't let a warranty/workshop/customer order blat over this price. Circumstances where receive for customer will still write lastincost
    • if qtyonhand is zero
    • if there is no lastincost yet
  • Point of sale, key in an incomplete/incorrect part number and hit enter. Should jump to F2 screen and show nearest match but was sensitive to dashes and spaces originally typed in positioning you in an unexpected part of the F2 list. Now repaired.
  • Miner report on customers : customer distance to shop (based on postcode) limited to 99.9km,  allow user to key in numbers upto 9999.9km
• Bank Rec Changes
  • Disallow changing day for banked operations. Doing so can break previous cash till counts.
  • bank rec screen. Display main counter GL code name, not the GL code we are reconciling. This information is (usually) far more useful.

 

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

• Tweaks and fixes
  • Monza Magician check : working again. Some sort of changes on their systems to cope with changes to warehouses broke our check
  • Add payment. Select invoices is a bit smarter about pre-selected txn so you can for example add a bill money and check it off against credit notes that might be already assigned (e.g. settling rebates)
  • Some advanced payroll feature adds to capture some non-standard entitlements . specifically
    • super paid on overtime and/or allowances
    • leave days work like normal work days and accrue same regular + overtime hours (except Leave without pay) + additional leave loading for annual leave. As opposed to default which is normal work hours + leave loading (for annual leave only).
  • New workshop job : if select unit with no prior history then default job odo/hour reading to what is stored on units
  • Spare parts : new option to flag a part as not being discountable via group/customer discount setting. This setting overrides group discounts or trade discounts but itself can be manually overridden by tweaking line discount on item in point of sale
  • Sell units : display/edit unit cost inc GST
  • Order for stock via POS where ordering from a supplier, not default OEM: would switch to default OEM order. Keep it with supplier.
  • Spares receive + Import c9 e-reference from parts order. Also grab and map the dealers details in as a supplier automatically adjusting who the receive is from.
  • Workshop Progress & completion report : sort results by job# or type/job# and allow filtering of results based on type of job (retail, warranty,internal)
• Workshop jobs
  • significantly relax restrictions in workshop relating to completed jobs.
    • You can now add additional labour etc to completed jobs from modify job screen.
    • You can start a job in 'completed' state. To save a heap of clicks for simple jobs already done. Creating a new job in 'completed' state automatically pops open modify job screen
    • Other screens and processes generally will have existing restrictions still in play. e.g. you cannot sell parts from spares screen to completed jobs. If job was completed while you were simultaneously selling parts to it, it will fail. Motivation here is you may not have total insight into job to understand whether or not selling is permissible.
  • Main workshop screen. Display cost so far for jobs in progress.

Requires database upgrade. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade

• Tweaks and  fixes
  • Print supplier txn. Would show option to email+a4 for supplier credit / supplier bill when it should show nothing at all.
  • Cash till count. Under some circumstances involving doing cash till across multiple terminals, on saving cash till the screen may reload older/incorrect previous saves generated for same day but on different terminal. Now fixed.
  • Added new function ORC adjustment to bounce +ve difference between ORC costs and what ORC authorities actually issue as a separate taxable invoice.
  • Payroll : voluntary super contributions would bounce incorrectly onto bank statement as increasing payroll payout, not decreasing.  Now fixed.
  • Miner : ability to query on customer disc type
  • Cash till count : a field to just key in the amount of cash counted. Useful for dealers that have counting machines or similar and don't want to bother with separating out notes/coins manually
• Cash Basis GST reporting changes + Floorplan.  Prior version of c9 was mishandling these if you selected supplier to record curtail against and would misreport GST (older way we trained creditor integration, a process we no longer recommend).  This version fixes the issue when combined with Cash basis reporting + tracking curtailed to supplier for txns added after this upgrade.

When Honda switched their IT systems last year they implemented some business rule changes that are impactful on how dealers need to manage ordering particularly around managing back orders and making sure back ordered items are freighted appropriately, sea vs air freight.

C9 now contains changes that potentially streamline some pain points around this. It has taken a few iterations but following process might be useful.

Breaking down the process:

• Put everything on stock order by default
• Before sending an order to honda identify items likely to go onto backorder, and relocate those items onto a daily order.
• Send your stock order.
• Send your daily order.

Step 1 - putting everything on stock order by default

• spares -> utilities - > add/edit franchise
• Select Honda franchise
• Goto pack/ordering tab
• Select option 'Both stock and daily orders' (Default stock), so that ordinarily when you order stuff it goes onto Stock

Step 2 - Identify items likely to go onto backorder

This step is where most of work in c9 recently has gone to streamline things. Latest version of c9 contains a streamlined magician check with ability to move bits around before sending. To do this:

In order book, highlight the order. Press Send action and pick magician check

Now this pops up a screen where c9 will check each part against SAP. Generally should only take a few second to scan all items. Normally c9s magician check for Honda SAP is slow taking 10+ seconds per part, but managed to make it quicker by only grabbing availability figures on this screen. So it returns as '?' for price data.

In the above example, the piston kit cannot be fully supplied. You need 7, Honda have 5.  So highlight the item, click on 'Move Part' button and then move it onto a daily order instead.

What you can also do is click option 'Check other c9 dealers' and the screen will tell you other dealers that have it as an alternative to backordering from Honda.

Step 3 / 4 - Send orders.

As per normal.

Caveats / warnings

Magician checking in c9 is not something that is formally supported by the distributor, it isn't part of their published API, so the data c9 grabs here is not assured by the distributor (unlike the ordering API).

There is possibility that you might be trying to order parts other Honda dealers might be simultaneously considering getting, so what magician says is available may not actually be there when you hit the submit button and you might miss out.

End result is it is possible for stuff to still go on backorder for stock orders. It should be rare but it may still in theory happen. Longer term, the distributor needs to provide a robust process to provide assurances backorders end up on planes, not boats for stuff you need in a hurry. New features in c9 so mostly provide this but possible gaps still exist.

 

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

This release includes a potentially valuable change with how txns between debtors and creditors interlink that should dramatically simplify individual txn reconciliation for complex suppliers.

Firstly, describing the problem we are trying to solve:  c9 provides a mechanism which allows payments to track against invoices they are paying and the process is largely automatic with controls for users to override and manipulate, via selecting invoices to pay and being able to unlink/modify txns after the fact. Things get complex although when things like supplier credits get thrown into the mix. Issues being:

• Credits will automatically track against oldest open bill, which can be undesirable behavior, and can be turned off in reasonably recent versions of c9
• When it comes to to record a payment, you can only select invoices to pay: you cannot indicate that individual credits are factored into the decision on what to pay. This limitation is what this version fixes.

 

Illustrating the issue. Consider two statement periods with following txns.

Now a statement from supplier will come and it may show that for period #1,$250 is owing, but in c9, the first txn is considered partially paid, so adding $250 will partially spill into allocating transactions for period #2.   The payment of $250 will be composed of transactions across multiple periods

Now the above problem can be mitigated in c9 already via an option to not automatically assign txns.  But when we get to period #2 a new problem surfaces. Period two owing is $65, but when you goto select txns there is no way in c9 select txns screen to select both the invoice and the credit note. You can only select the invoice ,for $100. In payment screen the credit note remains unallocated.  This version of c9 provides tools to deal with specific case.

The above describes a very simple scenario, as simple as it gets before you run into trouble. Reality is that you have payments and credits and invoices flowing through a supplier statement in complex ways, sometimes with incorrect dates etc, and the result is a complex ball of mud.  New changes in c9 allow you to more effectively untangle this.

Specific details:

How to disable automatic allocation on a supplier

In modify contact, at bottom of 'discounting sand billing' tab is the following option. Select second option to disable automatic allocation of txns.

With above option enabled, txns remain unallocated if you don't select txns to pay

New options for selecting  transactions for reconcile/payment/settlement.

Now when you pay a txn, it now gives you the option to select the unallocated supplier credit by default if we want to flag the credit as dealt with and flag corresponding txns too

If you ran the supplier with automatic assignment and the supplier credit is already assigned, the select transactions screen allows you to override this. You goto the tab 'All transactions- force reassignment if necessary' and it will allow you to select the allocated supplier credit. On completion, the credit is deallocated and forcefully relinked to the payment you are now adding.

Other

This change also applies to modify connected txns in view transactions screen. As such it makes the unlink option largely redundant.

A new option is  added too : reconcile txns which allows you to reconcile a bunch of txns together without modifying a specific txn or adding a txn. Mostly useful if you are clearing a statement period with bills + credits cancel out to $0 exactly or at a net credit for the period. A rare occurance, but still possible.

Finally this version provides visual indication whether or not txns where involved in a explicit selection of txns to settle/reconcile with a leading + sign infront of the txn type.