MYOB just made a press release regarding integration and their latest generation product AccountRight 2011 & 2012.

Hundreds of software vendors just like c9 use an integration method called ODBC, which is provided by older MYOB products such as AccountRight v19.  But later generation product does not support this or any other alternative method; causing programmer community that MYOB have built up around it alot of frustration.

MYOB have just announced that they are giving up trying to get the existing method of integration to work and intend to develop a wholly new system of integration.   The impression I get is that this is still in ideation and design stage and they are soliciting input from people such as myself to help steer this technology direction.  So probably looking at least 6 months away before first beta version rolls and probably 12 months before having anything I would feel reasonably confident about using and integrating into c9.

In meantime, need to stick with v19 of AccountRight until MYOB fix their train wreck, which will probably not be fixed until AccountRight 2013 at the earliest.

Online backup process sends a nightly email telling you status of backup.

The email will sometimes misreport an error with backup synchronization, especially over the weekend.  I've made some changes to the system to reduce likelihood of these annoying 'false positives'.

• Email now reports when last data copy occurred and when last verification occurred.
• Data copy is actual copying of data and it normally happens within 5 seconds of a change in c9, i.e. creating a new invoice
• Verification is a periodic check to make sure copy in c9 is exactly the same as copy in backup.  It typically happens after c9 has been idle for 20 minutes.  For a typical shop which isn't too busy, verification can happen 3 or 4 times a day.  Usually it happens at least once a day, but c9 can go an entire day without a verification.  This typically happens on very busy days where computers are turned off at the end of the day (e.g. Saturday)
• Email now only reports an error under following conditions
• If a verification error occurs (almost never)
• If verification has not been performed for over 7 days
• If there has been neither data copy or verification in past 2 days

This version includes database changes and will force you to log all terminals out during upgrade

• Spares - includes ability to calculate discount to arrive at a desired total invoice goal. i.e. parts = $30.80, customer wants to pay $25, work out discount $ and % to get there
• Spares - key in discount $.  C9 will now 'goal seek' to discover % that arrives at requested $
• Workshop discount. You can now discount the entire job, not just spare parts. i.e. 10% workshop jobs for loyalty card holders.
• Suzuki Warehouse Qty Check : was not able to login for a specific Suzuki dealer because their username/passwords are a mess for Suzuki suite of websites.  Tweaked to allow them to use the service.
• Units print paperwork :  initial versions of a few VicRoads documents.

• Prior version broke some functionality.  Under certain conditions emailing a report or saving a report as a PDF would crash c9.  Trying to email an invoice where there is no dealer logo setup on invoice would trigger the problem.  Generally any pdf containing a 'missing' image would falter. Now fixed.
• Dead stock report : you can now 'blank' the not sold since date field and the report will work like it used to, i.e. list stocked spares where max and min qtys are zero.
• Historical Stock analysis : recommend qtys to stock rounded to nearest economical reorder qty
• Historical stock analysis : minor redesign of the visual screen to remove/hide a confusing option.
• Some tweaks to Victorian Contract of sale.  Added in VicRoads forms, but not filled them in yet.  Next week.

• Workshop add labour : if you don't set hours c9 will back calculate them for you
• Unit costs : do not include workshop jobs billed to someone other than they dealer. (i.e. back to the supplier for warranty)
• BMW Price file : price is ex GST, not inc GST. Now fixed
• Paperwork printing : major internal workings and tweakings.  Hopefully Vic Contract of Sale should now print on Windows computers.

Bug with new stock take feature added in last version 4.308.  Consider a price file import involving a part and a part that superceeds to that part.

What was happening is that the qty is first updated to 1 and then it is updated to 2.  But typically what this means is that stock take did a stock take on 3 parts and considered them to be two different part numbers.  On file these need to be added together.

Change in this version will treat stocked items that are duplicated such as supercessions as adjustments. So inventory is initially adjusted to 1 and then adjusted by an additional +2.  Making final inventory 3 in above example.

4.310 - another bug, this time with handling of 'full' stock take.  Under some well defined circumstances, full would zero out stock listed in the import file. Specifically : if the qty on the import file already matched what was on stock file, then full directive would zero this out. Now fixed.

Includes database changes. You will be forced to log all terminals out during upgrade

• Miner/Customer Query. You can now filter/selection first/middle/last name etc and filter on company vs individual entities
• Edit Customer : new ergonomic button to switch from individual to company would not work under certain button click sequence. Now fixed.
• Now support electronic stock taking. Merge in results of a stocktake tracked in a CSV/Excel file into c9.  More on how to use this feature in a separate post below.

C9 provides the ability to import inventory from a excel style spread sheet.  For example:

This can be useful for a number reasons, such as importing the results of a data dump from a cordless barcode scanner.

Read more...

Includes database changes. You will be forced to log all terminals out during upgrade

• Remove spare parts locking.  Two different terminals can view and sell the same part at the same time.  If 2nd terminal to sell part discovers it does not have sufficient stock, the sale will abort and parts will be automatically modified ready for ordering ready for a second attempt
• New Victorian Contract of sale documents.
• Multi payment method : remove no cash option (option is still there in single method mode. Under multi method mode user experience is confusing and error prone, so just removed it).
• Tweaks to Workshop invoice to print full VIN and rego as separate fields
• Select spares quote : display customer order number
• Phone book : tab to show suppliers only
• Keystroke ergonomics on modify customer, setting personal vs company customer
• BMW price file importing
• Access gift cards in spares
• Track whether or not spare parts were forced sold.  No functional behaviour yet, simply data gathering. Later versions of c9 intend to make use of  this information,  but precise usages are not yet defined.  One obvious one is to provide an additional metric on the 'quality' of inventory.  Other obvious usages exist, but they have non obvious negative consequences that need to be thought through properly before considering further.
• Bug fix : do not include predelivery workshop jobs in unit cost. Assume costs will be passed onto customer.
• Bug fix : convert unit quote into sale. Sale would not ask to use cash customer deposit on converted quote.  Now fixed.
• Bug fix: Fix displayed unit purchase confirm status when purchasing units not on system.
• Import KTM fiche. Remove confusing customize list option
• Overnight clockoff, do not allow user to modify date

For rapid onsite technical support.  Also to put a face to the voice.