ECi DDMS Latest Software Update

Announcing DDMS® Version 8.13

This message covers the following timely topics:

What’s New In This Release?
How do I get this version?

What’s New In This Release?

The DDMS® 8.13 software update is available on request as of Friday, Nov. 16, 2007. In this major release, you'll find useful new features in general ledger, SQL sales reports, customer price plans, purchase order entry, order entry, and accounts payable.

Accounting

New Payroll Report Formats for W-2 and W-3 IRS Tax Forms: If you print W-2s or W-3s, be advised that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service moved the position of the social security number. This requires new W-2 and W-3 formats, which are available in DDMS 8.13 or higher. For those who do not load 8.13, we will notify you via email titled "Year-End Hints for Vendor, Payroll, and Printing 1099 and W-2 Forms" when a patch is available for download from our Web site. (QC# 53253)
Closing G/L Periods: For many dealers, the G/L Posting window's new Close G/L Period menu option (and the logic behind it) represents a welcome change to the period-end flow for General Ledger. Previously, only periods 12 and 13 were open to posting after closing G/L for the year. With version 8.13, it's easier than ever to close general ledger on the final day of the fiscal year. Although you can't release a batch to a closed business period, you can reopen it, release postings to it as needed, even adding new G/L accounts as needed, and close it again. You can set passwords for this new function in the new graphical General Ledger Close Period Passwords Parameters.

Note: After installing version 8.13, all of your previous year’s business periods will be open to posting. If, however, you wish to resume the previous G/L flow, take these steps: First, set your passwords in the General Ledger Close Period Passwords Parameters boxes. Then, go to the new Close G/L Period dialog box and close the period. This will limit prior-year postings to periods 12 and 13, just as before.

For more details, see Closing G/L Periods (www.ddms.com/Resources/Support/faq/accounting/gl-ClosPer.pdf).

A/P History Check Number: After checks are printed, the vendor deposit check number is displayed in the Remarks box in the A/P Detail tab of the Accounts Payable History window.

Standard SQL Reports

In the DDMS Reports menu, the Preview Report application will now list our first set of standard reports for several databases and software modules.

You can set up groups of users and assign user rights to access certain reports.
You can use the new user-friendly wizard-like interface to set limits, sorts, and groupings on the standard reports.
You can save your custom limits with a new report name and description.
As with other SQL applications, you can use Print Preview and Save As File options.

More standard reports are being developed for upcoming major DDMS releases. For detailed instructions, see Setting Up & Using SQL Preview Reports for DDMS (www.ddms.com/Resources/Support/faq/utilities/SQLReports.pdf) and the Advanced SQL Reporting Guide (pdf).

Customer Price Plans

Several enhancements have been made to the Customer Price Plans application.

We've added additional columns of data for viewing and sorting your grid.
When editing price plans, you have new searching capabilities. Simply click on the Price Plan column, then type the first character of the price plan.
The new Set Figure Type option lets you select a new figure type for changing price plans. The figure type selected is saved to checked price plan detail lines. You can select gross profit percentage, discount percent, or price.
When refiguring price plans, you can now increase the price by a specific dollar amount.
Also, you can click the Save As button to save the current price plan to a new price plan.
You also have the option to view item usage by totals and limit further by company or price plan.

For detailed instructions, see Customer Price Plans (www.ddms.com/Resources/Support/faq/customer/CustPricePlan.pdf).

Purchase Order Entry

P/O Entry: You can set up the next P/O number to be a combination of the Vendor MAC Code and datestamp, for ease in finding particular purchase orders. You can calculate the due date based on the lead days. The new P/O Browse window has an enhanced grid with new filter options. You have a new 24-month Item History display in P/O History just like in O/E History. You can set up new default P/O formats for various vendors. P/O Entry will now save the user ID when receiving P/Os, so that you can print it on reports.
Improved P/O Searching Capabilities: The new Order Date, Due Date, Total, and Lines boxes in the Purchase Order Entry Purchase Order Browse dialog box provide new search options to locate purchase orders. You can search by creation date, due date, total amount, or number of lines.
P/O Receipts: In the Purchase Order Entry Item Detail tab, the new Receipts box counts how many of the selected items exist as received on purchase orders. This box also contains the count for any items returned through credit memos in order entry if you selected receipts in the Disposition box. This information comes from the Receipts
box in the Item History dialog box. It is also stored in the RECEIPTS file.
P/O Last Year Sold Quantity: The new LYSold box in the Purchase Order Entry Item Detail tab displays the quantity of the item that was sold year to date in the previous year. This allows you to track changes from year to year.
P/O Item Vendor Comparison Pricing Program: In the Purchase Order Entry Item Vendor Comparison box, a Program box displays the flyer or source of the pricing for this item from the vendor.
Short Buy P/O: You can select several items, and right-click to create a P/O on selected items, for example, for a specific vendor. We have new columns for extended cost, direct buy cost, alternate item number and alternate item type. We've sped up the system's processing while creating a purchase order. In the Purchase Order Entry Short- Buy Setup dialog box, a Check Uncatalog Mfg box now allows you to limit to uncataloged items. After creating a short-buy P/O, it will return to the remaining items grid, so you no longer have to re-specify the same limits.
Low-Stock P/O: New options have been added to the Purchase Order Entry Low-Stock Items dialog box. The Up Quantity option determines whether the quantity will be rounded up to the case quantity; the resulting grid shows the new Up Quantity column. You can display the the vendor's buying unit of measure in the new B.UOM column of the grid. The Carton box lets you view the number of selling units in one buying unit. You also have a new option to add receipts to on-hand prior to any low-stock calculations. In addition, the Last Year box has been renamed to LY Qty and Y-T-D to YTD Quantity. Furthermore, we've sped up the system's processing while retrieving items and while creating a low-stock purchase order.
Seasonal Low-Stock: You can more easily build low-stock orders for seasonal items like tax forms, calendars, and school supplies. Instead of going through the whole year of usage, you can limit it to, for example, September, October, and November of last year and the previous year, and specify a growth factor like 5%.

For detailed instructions on the Purchase Order Entry enhanecments, see your online help after installating your software update.

Order Entry

O/E Use Average Cost from Inventory Location: The Use Inv Loc Avg Cost If Pulled From On Hand box in the Order Entry General Configuration Parameters lets you use average cost from inventory location instead of G/L location when entering an order and shipping an item from stock. Note: This box only applies if you are authorized for Advanced Manifests (Ensite Xtensions). For more information, contact ECI² Sales (sales@eci2.com).
Improved O/E Line Item Sequencing in Order Entry: Previously, a maximum number of 999 line items could be added to a single order. Once the order reached 999 line items, any remaining items had to be placed on a separate ticket. A new enhancement lets you exceed this item limitation. If more than 999 line items are added, the system begins incrementing using alpha characters. Line item 1000 is added to the order as line item A00, for example.

For detailed instructions on the Order Entry enhanecments, see your online help after installating your software update.

The list of changes above is not exhaustive. To look up all released corrections and enhancements, see Program Updates (www.ddms.com/updates/searchresult2.asp?swversion=207&search=Search).

How do I get this version?

If your company has reported one or more software issues, you automatically receive the software update that provides a resolution. As we announce the release, we are in the process of shipping your software update to affected dealers via United Parcel Service (UPS).

If your company did not report any issue specifically resolved with this release, you will not automatically receive the software update. However, a software update is available to you upon request.

If you want to take advantage of the software changes in this maintenance release, we will be happy to ship it to you via United Parcel Service (UPS) Ground. Please send a software update request to support@eci2.com, and include your DDMS account number, contact name, company name, shipping address, and phone number.

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