Includes database changes, you'll need to log all terminals out during upgrade

• New stuff
  • Preferred parts - for stocked parts. Requested often now finally here. Parts like spark plugs are littered through different price files. Tag a part as your preferred supplier so when you key in / scan that part c9 will not nag you about unstocked parts from other suppliers with same part no#. e.g.
    
  • supplier settlement report : a report which can be useful for finding errors with supplier settlement. It shows tally of bills + credit notes juxtaposed against payment in following calendar month highlighting any discrepancies which might indicate an error with statement reconciliation with a supplier
  • [x] regenerate AR/AP link tool : brute force kill off and re-add all links between txns for a supplier and relink in date order to redo aging in ona given debtor/creditor. Use this sledgehammer with caution
  • Secondary franchises - useful in some exotic scenarios. Unstocked S/F results are filtered from selbypart and from F2 find part when no franchise is selected. Utility / significance of this won't cover here as only relevant for a couple of dealers
  • Non-functional 5.3 backend work. Heavily revised internal code for modelling orders from original on paper v5 design and solves a significant issue with original design (originally c9 would auto allocate returned parts to fill orders, as "clever" as this is, it is generally a very bad idea as it contradicts design principal of least surprise, such functionality needs to be operator driven/overseen always : prompt the user but don't automate) / item markup & mark downs (such as dead stock write off) and removed some technical debt that was building up around qty track caching and some paper design features we actually don't need (e.g. wildcard matching). Nothing that affects 5.2 but need this to be embedded in this version to get access to AR/AP link tool
• Fixes and tweaks
  • Simultaneous rollback of a unit + modify same unit across multiple terminals could blow things up. Added some guards to detect and prevent this sort of thing
  • Small spelling typo on STP export authority screen
  • View finished deal, view contact on a finance provider would pop up contact, not finance. Now fixed
  • Spares point of sale : When clearing screen of parts or finalising a sale, the screen would retain previous 'Order' / 'Force Sell' selected setting instead of resetting it; meaning status of this field is subtly inconsistent depending on how you drive c9. Can be a problem for users who smash through the screens really fast relying on muscle memory for things like processing web orders. Now changed so that 'Order' / 'Force Sell' always resets back to order on completion of a sale or emptying screen of parts

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

• Tweaks and Fixes
  • Remote c9 fixes and improvements
    • Icons / images in lists now working
    • Dedicated printer label should be working too (remote printer media query was broken)
    • Note: this version requires new remote client (v2.5) to work.  Old v2.4 versions will crash on any screen with a list which can display images/icons
  • Browse dealer units. New icon to discriminate units on active deals vs merely on deal quotes
  • WA paperwork, on bulk registration form the rego prints in a extraneous / weird spot over form text/fineprint.
  • Orderbook send audit : show supplier next to order number to help disambiguate complex scenarios where a part has been bounced around different possible suppliers and printed/exported under many of them
  • AusPOST integration : disable auto generation of shipments @ point of sale for reserves / laybys and quotes.
  • Bugfix with unit line deletion (such as rebates / costs etc). If you click no on delete it would erroneously re-ask for confirmation. If on second time you clicked yes it would delete the line but leave the GL posting in play. Now fixed to only ask once and handle GL appropriately.
  • PPSR tweaks
    • on a deal unit : look for PPSR entries generated on the underlying customer/floor stock : not just unit in context of a deal so save doing multiple PPSR queries
    • Warn user if they are reprinting an old PPSR  report.
  • Receive Spares - import PDF. Cope with item appearing multiple times but with different prices. Ask user to merge and average out costs. Useful for suppliers who like to give free stuff on invoices with paid stuff : e.g. Monza.
  • BAS Cash basis reporting tweaks
    • Unit sales with ORC : ability to post these onto depositor liability instead of AP. A problem with AP posting is because ORCs are blended into the sale posting these will keep sale txns 'open' until ORCs are settled. Moving these to Deposits solves this issue
    • New activity lock which is a low level DB lock : constrain postings which toggle open/close status of a AR/AP entry before a specific date as these influence cash Basis BAS reporting.
  • Sales Registry tweaks.
    • More info displayed : type, modelyear, odo, stk ref, inv #, consignment #, how acquired summary.
    • Some visual tidies : make deleted records more obvious. Group delete sales together.
    • Filter options to filter active/deleted on deal units. Tweak date filter
    • Sort results by date then audit #id
  • WS Profit report : remove fineprint warning about returned part costs not reflected. This hasn't been the case since 2016

Note: version 5.2.63 skipped over as it contains a dependency versioning error

Cash Basis Reporting Notes

This version of c9 includes a couple of changes to help with cash reporting.

 

Cash locks: with cash reporting you report GST when invoices are paid not when they are raised.

So consider an example where Inv A $40 and Inv B $50. Both raised in January

Now in FEb you pay Inv A off for $40 : it is now claimable in Feb. You then pay Inv B in Mar, it is now claimable in Mar.

But....  you then modify allocation of transactions so the $40 in Feb actually partially pays inv B. Neither inv A or B are settled so neither are reported yet. Then in Mar you pay $50 , of which 10 goes to Inv A and 40 goes to Inv B.  By modifying where you attach payments to you modify your reporting!

Because c9's GL has a strong bias towards reporting on accruals basis and works on posting date, the existing GL locks only care about when txns are posted not when they are closed. So you can rearrange how txns link which doesn't modify the ledger, but it does actually modify reporting requirements.

A new type of lock has been added into c9 to contend with this. This lock will prevent altering open/close status on any AR or AP postings before the specified lock date : which in turn protects close date of all lines on connected postings and reportable GST those lines may have. The implementation is a little heavy handed in that it will lock postings which don't strictly have any reportable GST events linked to them (such as deposits and withdrawals) but design is to err on side of preventing reportable changes before a cutoff date at expense of preventing things which are not necessarily reportable.

Unit sales ORC: unit sales ORC will post as AP on on road cost supplier. But because the posting mixes both AR and AP, gst payable will not realise until both AR and AP connected to posting close. Strictly this will not be desirable. To work around this it is possible to configure c9 so ORC post as a deposit liability : deposit liability does not impact reportability of BAS events on cash basis so solves this issue.

 

C9 hosts a number of websites integrated into the c9 DMS

Correct functioning of the website involves website having the ability to send emails to your website customers as though they came from you.

Reliable / safe email sending involves configuring a number of things in your email setup to permit c9's webservers to send these emails.

In scenarios where this is not setup, c9 will instead send emails direct to your client as donotreply@c8software.com.au

Two things need to be setup

1. Sender protection framework (SPF)
2. (Optional)  Domain Keys Identified Email (DKIM)
3. (Optional)  DMARC

Setting up SPF to allow c9 to send email

Read more...

How to create a label design which suppresses pricing

On print label you'll see this.  Click the configure button and define a couple more

Read more...

• Tweaks and fixes
  • BSB lookup : refreshed database as missing new banks like YOU (BSB 670). Wasn't been updated since 2017 so badly overdue
  • ABA file export for bulk pay / payroll : strip out any spaces in account numbers
  • BAS posting tweaks
    • PAYG Installments and credits post to liability code 2-9050 : Provision of Income Tax
    • Add a slot to capture FBT installments : posts to same code above.
  • Some typo tidies
    • add/edit leave availability screen
    • add/edit clocking reason screen
  • Bugfix with print unit details : for non dutyable items would print previous lines description,not actual correct description for the non duty item being printed. Now fuxed

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

• Part image importing
  • Add support for Harley
  • Add hook for grabbing curated data for Rollies
• Single Touch Payroll
  • include a facility to allow isolation of payroll data in event of a ABN change such as new ownership to help with ownership changover and STP Reporting
  • Tidy up  : strip out old & defunct STP Phase 1 export code
• Miner - add ability to report and query NLA status on a part
• General Ledger : add a new code for commission based income (as separate from rebate income : model income which measures overall target performance that isn't include to a specific point of sale event)
• Integrate c9 terms and conditions into login. Will pop daily on login until accepted by dealer principal

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

Tweaks and Fixes

• View and modify workshop job. Do not show labour costs if logged in user does not have both profit & payroll permission
• Changes to new version alert, previously could incorrectly assume c9 was up2date in some circumstances; relevant for recent account bizrule changes around keeping c9 up2date
• Import part images
  • for WP Suspension,  allow xref with other KTM umbrella imported diagrams to permit cross brand fitment on websites
  • Ongoing silliness with KTM factory websites : this time with naming convention of files breaking long established conventions about image file name extensions
• Cash till  : option to pop a generic cash counter after saving off a cash till.
• Chat : new chat search screen didn't have scrollbars on list. Now fixed.
• Key job screens that show job lines :  e.g. view/modify/complete/pickup : visually show whether or not jobline is an other line or a sublet so you can quickly pickup any incorrectly tagged sublets.
• Motonational magician check : up and running
• Couple of typo fixes on a couple of screens (add purchase unit screen and creditor trial printout)
• Contacts: new switch in notifications tab allows you to fine tune notify parts off order: any parts or all parts, on a per contact basis (to provide finer grained control compared to global only setting for this behaviour)

C9 Chat

This version of c9 includes a powerful new module called chat. It allows you to send messages between different terminals in the shop and to other shops running c9. Chat to individuals or departments internally or from other dealerships.

In top menus of c9 is a new icon,

It will flash whenever there is a new message.

Click and open to manage your messages. User interface should be fairly easy to figure out. A couple of tips:

1.  Modify button to tweak your name, your groups you are in and level of visibility to other dealerships. C9 will preload groups for you based on your last 100 txns done
2.  New chat to start a chat with a different group, a specific person or a different dealership
   • a: groups you belong to
   • b: a group you belong to where someone outside group has messaged
   • c: example of an external dealership you are messaged, in this case #service department at Boltons
   • <not shown> : shop direct messages will show in another group here
3. current chat, shows firstly your connection to the chat then the other party. In this case it is Fishy at Boltons talking to spares group, being part of spares group you will see these conversations

Other notes:

• Some settings in main setup screen that influence chat (Networking #2 tab)
  • By default the feature is disabled for remote access but there is a setting you can flick to enable it via remote access. For casual remote access chat doesn't make alot of sense but if remote access is needed for typical day to day : e.g. a service department which is in a different building, there is a setting in setup to grant you ability to connect in
• Requires always on internet to work : even when viewing older messages
• Messages are persistently stored so if you are not online, messages sent while offline will be received once you are online.
• Requires online backup to be installed. So during install of c9 for first time, will not be available until about day 2 or 3 of an install (to be fixed at a later date)

Note this feature is fairly experimental and difficult to get right especially testing of pathological cases of network failures etc or anticipating all the possible ways it can and will be used, so might be a couple of rough edges with it which we will iron out with some feedback.

Other tweaks and fixes

• Magician and Part image importing for GasGas and WP Suspension
• Old school menu has finally being removed in this version of c9
• Workshop invoices : print notes after invoice total. Current design means some totals might be pushed onto page two etc, and customers may only part sub totals which generally always print on page one
• Rework account suspended : previously account suspend meant suspended from performing accounts receivable txns, but intuitively most people expect this to mean suspended from doing any sort of txns. So modified because to align with common expectation. To this:
  • When selecting a suspended contact, pop a warning screen similar to notes screen
  • New clerk key permission in place separate from override limits : can ignore account suspension. Applies / is tested for  most txn entry points.
  • remove prior suspended tests connected to ar balance test only

 

Bugfix with latest version: in browse workshop jobs, promise date would show random results for any job that didn't have a promise date. Now fixed

Will include databases changes. You'll need to log all terminals out during upgrade.

SMS Followups

This version of c9 includes some refinements to followup SMS messages including ability to send follows on unit sales.

Firstly while in middle of a sale or workshop job you can flag whether or not to send a followup message

Next there is now an option to drop in a link for reviews. e.g. for google reviews if you google your shop and click on reviews, there is a button : get more reviews.

Here you'll see a link you can copy into a new slot in c9.

Feed this link into c9, make sure you 'reset' the templates for workshop and sales sms.

Start collecting up those sweet sweet reviews. Sample SMS outputs:

Tweaks and fixes

• Automated SMS followups
  • Add a new option into workshop so on complete/invoice you can disable followups, for the more 'difficult' jobs
  • Add followups for unit sales, also with an option to disable followups
  • Include an option to drop in a link to google review as part of followup to encourage people to leave reviews.
• Suzuki EPC : previously importing EPC required verification of access to suzuki by successful magician login, because of how sketchy this now is with MFA login required for Suzuki DealerNET , instead validate access is permitted but checking c9 Repo
• Deleted bank accounts : deleted bank accounts can be accessed via a 'deleted' tab and from here can be restored
• Add unit. IF you key in a duplicate reference, e.g. 27 once it runs out of letters upto 'Z' strange things happen. Improve things here to expand out into double and triple digit letter allocation
• WPS integration: remove old SOAP based API's. Now using REST API's only.
• Subtle defect with create a BAS defaulted to cash basis. The generated BAS figures actually start on accruals basis. You need to toggle basis from cash to accruals back to cash to get correct figures. Now fixed
• Bulk Payment : Enter key switches focus to list of can quickly select a heap of txns to settle without having to touch the mouse
• End of Day auto adjust posting : make sure it's posting date is before midnight, not after
• AusPOST shipping integration: default shipments without labels to not export as part of a order confirmation / manifest generation
• Remove pay salary option in generic txn.  This function is often misused when should be posting a more complex payrun gl entry. If any dealers have a genuine need to for txn type (highly unlikely), will need to now post as a manual journal entry from now on.
• Switches to configure PureMoto integration (more details to come)
• Workshop Promise : also track a promise time
• WA paperwork : better Form 4,  added Form 6
• Sale On road costs preloaded on a purchase are not being saved. Caused by recent changes/bug fixes here. Now working again.
• [X] add unit : plate only pops existing units screen if plate matches and other key fields are not yet filled in (e.g. VIN and reference)