Key Ops Dispatch

March 2004

Vol. 4, No. 1

In this issue:

1 2nd Quarter O/PUS Update Requires Version 6.1.102 or Higher
2 (+I-U) Update Pages from I-CAT to I-WHL Added to O/PUS ToolBox
3 Ten Tips for Painless Setup With Third-Party Software
4 What’s the Difference Between Pre-Receive and Auto-Receive?
5 Reminder: Social Security Limit Changes Payroll Parameters
6 is.D-Force, Dealer Station® DDMS Edition 4.02 Released
7 ECi PSN Services Adds Trading Partner: ActionEmco
8 DDMS Introduces New Furniture FAQs
9 ASP Quarter-End Guides Moved Under Support FAQs
10 Tell Us What You Think: We Welcome Your Feedback

1 2nd Quarter O/PUS® Update Requires Version 6.1.102 or Higher

The O/PUS OPdb® catalog is now standard with most of the new product packages (A, B, and C). The O/PUS loading software will verify your package's authorization for the OPdb catalog prior to installation.

Regardless of whether you use SIMPLE, the text-based O/PUS Load, PSN Control, and/or the +IFD BBS download software, to load item updates, the software is programmed to verify that your DDMS system has been updated to version 6.1.102 or higher.

If you have not loaded DDMS software version 6.1.102 or higher prior to loading your 2nd quarter O/PUS update, the software will display the following error: "DDMS software version 6.1.102 or higher must be installed prior to loading the 2004 2nd quarter O/PUS Update. If you are receiving this message in error, please send an e-mail to ddmssupport@ecisolutions.com."

You will not be able to continue the O/PUS quarterly update until after you load version 6.1.102 or higher.

2 (+I-U) Update Pages from I-CAT to I-WHL Added to O/PUS ToolBox

Several vendors print special consumer-priced catalogs. (For example, United and S.P. Richards publish "matrix" catalogs). In most cases, these printed publications have page numbers that differ from the vendor's general line catalog. You may want to be able to view these special catalogs' page numbers when you are working in the Order Entry screen.

The Commercial Order Entry screen displays an item's catalog page number from the Primary Wholesaler record (the I-WHL file), but the special catalogs for consumer pricing plans are not loaded into I-WHL during the O/PUS load.

As of first quarter 2004, O/PUS added the (+I-U) tool to its toolbox. The (+I-U) tool will copy a vendor page number from the MultiVendor (I-CAT) screen to the Primary Wholesaler record. This feature is designed to allow a vendor’s supplemental catalog page number to be displayed instead of the general line catalog page number.

Note: The (+I-U) tool WILL REMOVE the General Line page number. If you wish to view page numbers for both the General Line catalog and the special consumer-price catalogs, do not use (+I-U). Instead, use the Multiple Vendor Screen.

For detailed instructions, see File # 251: Viewing Page Numbers From Special Catalogs.

3 Ten Tips for Painless Setup With Third-Party Software

Rather than reinvent the wheel, four DDMS software products rely on third-party software. For example, Symantec™ WinFax PRO™ is required when using DDMS’ AutoComm(tm) software to fax quotes, invoices, purchase orders, and statements. Vital® POS-partner credit card authorization software is required when using DDMS’ Approval Link™ 2.0 or Approval Link™ + to process credit transactions. And DDMS’ 3PC(tm) software acts as an interface between your DDMS system and third-party software from your shipping carrier (such as UPS, FedEx, and the U.S. Postal Service).

To make it as easy as possible to set up third-party software to work with your DDMS business system, we’ve compiled ten tips:

• Do not install third-party software on your DDMS server.

• For your DDMS system to communicate with third-party software, the PC where you install that software must be connected to the same network as the DDMS server. It can be one of your DDMS client workstations, or it can be a completely separate workstation, as long as it’s on the same network.

• Make sure that the PC where you intend to install the third-party software meets the minimum requirements of both the third-party software and the DDMS application you will use it with (AutoComm, 3PC, etc.). Contact your vendor for the minimum requirements of the third-party software. For information on DDMS software requirements and detailed setup instructions, see the documentation links on the Documentation To Help You Get Started page.

• Install the third-party software and test it successfully first as a standalone, manual process. If you run into problems during this standalone operation, you can iron them out with the third-party software's manufacturer. Then you can set up the DDMS application that connects it to your DDMS business system. This makes it easier to determine whether any problems are related to DDMS software or the third-party software.

• DDMS’ AutoComm software must be installed on the same PC where you are installing Symantec's WinFax PRO. AutoComm acts as an interface between your DDMS business system and WinFax Pro when faxing quotes, invoices, purchase orders, and statements.

• If you are only updating AutoComm software, you must back up any settings and fax forms you have customized, or the software update will overwrite them with default settings and images. Before installing the AutoComm software update, make a backup copy of the Data and Images folders, which reside in the \DDMS\AutoComm directory of the PC where you have installed AutoComm. After updating the software, restore the Data and Images folders with your backup copy. Then you can continue using your customized settings and fax forms without having to re-create them.

• DDMS’ 3PC, Approval Link 2.0, and Approval Link + are all features of your DDMS business system software, NOT software that you must install separately.

• Setup for Approval Link 2.0 and Approval Link + requires that you configure UtilExt. Also known as Utility Extensions, UtilExt.ini is a configuration file that tells your DDMS server software how to connect to the PC where POS-partner resides. For detailed instructions, see Setting Up and Using Credit Cards and Approval Link 2.0 and Setting Up and Using Credit Card Processing in Canada

• Setup for AutoComm requires that you configure TBLNetCom. TBLNetCom is a configuration utility that tells your DDMS server software how to connect to the PC where WinFax Pro resides. For detailed instructions, see Installing AutoComm.

• If you are an ASP Customer implementing third-party software, note that ECi does not host servers for third party software. You must obtain the third-party software and install it on a PC at your site. In addition, special setup is required on the ASP servers to communicate with the PC that hosts the third-party software. If you want to implement DDMS’ AutoComm, Approval Link 2.0, Approval Link +, or 3PC software with your ASP service, email a request to ddmssupport@ecisolutions.com.

4 What’s the Difference Between Pre-Receive and Auto-Receive?

The new Auto-Receive feature is not to be confused with Pre-Receive.

Pre-Receive is an existing feature in your DDMS software. In your (L6) Communication Parameters for various vendors, the Pre-Receive option must be set to Y. With Pre-Receive, the system automatically updates your purchase order master file (PO-MASTER) with received quantities from your wholesaler’s electronic acknowledgment. When you inquire on a P/O, an asterisk (*) appears by the received quantity. To continue the Purchasing process, you must manually final-receive each item where this asterisk appears.

In response to dealer requests to further automate the receiving process and minimize flushing errors, we released Auto-Receive as a new feature in Version 6.1.102 for Packages B, C, and D.

With Auto-Receive, the system automatically final-receives P/Os when electronic acknowledgments from major wholesalers (S.P. Richards and United Stationers) confirm a shipped quantity. Rather than manually final-receiving each item, you can go straight to the (TR-G) screen to flush backorders. This allows you to transfer any outstanding items either manually or using Automated Short-Buy so that another wholesaler can fill them.

At the time of this writing, the new Auto-Receive feature is designed to accept acknowledgments from S.P. Richards and United Stationers. In your (L6) Communication Parameters for these wholesalers, the Pre-Receive option must be set to F. For detailed instructions, see Using Auto Receive.

Rest assured that the Version 6.1.102 issue with using Auto-Receive on United Stationers P/Os transmitted via PSN did not affect your existing Pre-Receive process. DDMS has released Version 6.1.107A to correct this and other issues. If you are using or plan to use Auto-Receive, please send a request for Version 6.1.107A to ddmssupport@ecisolutions.com, and include your DDMS account number, contact name, company name, shipping address, and phone number. We will be happy to ship Version 6.1.107A to you via United Parcel Service (UPS) Ground. For more information, see Release Notes.

5 Reminder: Social Security Limit Changes Payroll Parameters

The federal government has changed the wage base limit for Social Security, according to the recently revised edition of Circular E (www.irs.gov/publications/p15). We sent a mass email on this topic titled “Payroll Parameter Change for Social Security” on January 29, 2004.

To help you update your payroll parameters, we updated File #2: Setting Federal Tax Tables for 2004 on the Period End FAQs page.

You are responsible for determining exactly how the new tax laws will affect your payroll. Please consult your accountant and the IRS Web site (www.irs.gov).

6 is.D-Force, Dealer Station® DDMS Edition 4.02 Released

ECi released version 4.02 of Dealer Station DDMS Edition and is.D-Force Saturday, Feb 14, 2004. Version 4.02 offers a number of enhancements designed to help you compete in the e-commerce marketplace, including the following:

• SuperUser Favorites Management
• PSN Monitor
• RouteTrak Pro™ Signature Display
• More Icons to Denote Catalog Items’ Special Features
• Restricted Items Alert Message
• Phone Numbers on Order ZZZZ Record

For more information on these features, see “What’s New in Dealer Station 4.02”, the updated "Setting Up Dealer Station DDMS Edition Admin Pages" and "Using Dealer Station DDMS Edition" documentation on our Dealer Station Documentation page.

To view the documentation, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or above. You can download it free from www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

7 ECi PSN Services Adds Trading Partner: ActionEmco

Now, you can transmit purchase orders and request acknowledgements via the PSN with ActionEmco.

To learn how to add ActionEmco as one of your PSN vendors, see Signing Up for the ActionEmco PSN Service.

To learn how to set up appropriate parameters for your ActionEmco PSN account, see Setting Up and Using the ActionEmco PSN.

8 DDMS Introduces New Furniture FAQs

A new Furniture FAQs page has been added to the DDMS Web site to support users of DDMS O/F(tm) and eNsite X O/F(tm). You can get there using the DDMS.com navigation bar by selecting Support, then FAQs, then Furniture.

Many furniture dealers use specification programs (such as GIZA®, CAP, or Design Express) for project designs. Most specification files can be exported to a Standard Interchange Format (SIF). By importing the SIF files into DDMS, there is no need to re-enter the item numbers, item options, cost, price, and tag information. For detailed instructions, see File #247: Importing a SIF File Into DDMS O/F(tm).

A furniture item’s Department ID represents the general ledger code for the item in Order Entry History and Purchase Order Entry History. This Department ID may be determined by a number of different factors. To learn how these factors work together, and how to adjust the way your system determines an furniture item’s department, see File #250: Setting Item Department on Furniture Orders.

Updated! See new examples of furniture operational reports such as a proposal/quote, order acknowledgement, pick ticket, install ticket, delivery ticket, invoice, proforma invoice, deposit report and deposit receipt. See new examples of furniture project management reports such as open P/Os, quotes outstanding, daily furniture invoices, order status, salesperson outstanding projects, project status, completed project analysis, P/O receiving order, and various purchase order formats. To view these sample reports, see Sample Reports: DDMS O/F and eNsite X O/F.

For online help and other documentation related to these topics, see the Furniture Documentation page. You can get there using the DDMS.com navigation bar by selecting Support and then Doc. On the Documentation page, click the link for Furniture.

9 ASP Quarter-End Guides Moved Under Support FAQs

Web pages for ASP Customers have been moved into the Support section of our Web site. This includes IRPrint Client downloads, the times when ASP servers are available (and when they are scheduled for server maintenance), and how to load the quarterly item files.

You can find these resources under ASP FAQS.

10 Tell Us What You Think: We Welcome Your Feedback

We are always open to your ideas for continual improvement, and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to communicate those ideas.

Can you think of anything we can do to make Customer Service even better? Please send any comments or suggestions to keyops@eci2.com

If you have feedback or corrections to report for documentation, please use our online documentation feedback form. Of course, you can also send a simple email to docfeedback@eci2.com, but using the online form will help us find exactly what needs to be fixed.

To submit Support requests, please enter detailed information about your problem at www.DDMS.com/support/supportcall.htm. The online form provides your Support tech with information regarding your issue, which is helpful before returning your call. You can also call us at 800-366-4778 or email us at ddmssupport@ecisolutions.com.

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