Announcing DDMS Version 8.19.0 Major Release
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?
June 25, 2009 — The ECi DDMS Version 8.19.0 major release is available now for software download via the ECi Customer Support Portal (https://support.ECiSolutions.com). This release includes enhancements designed to make it easier for you to take full advantage of new technology, work more efficiently, and grow your business:
All Dealers | Supplies | Furniture | Other Changes in This Release
For all dealers:
Executive Dashboard Monitors Your Cash Flow in Real Time
ECi DDMS now extends modern SQL and spreadsheet-like graphing capabilities to a high-level overview of your business — the new Executive Dashboard. You can easily monitor your company’s cash flow, and manage the display of (and access to) the data.
The Executive Dashboard allows you to view and monitor the totals for your business. These totals are based on fiscal year totals, previously presented in the text-based (PD) President's Screens. However, the Dashboard includes a complete visual breakdown of all accounts receivable, accounts payable, bank totals, and sales totals.
- Fresh. When working in the dashboard, data is refreshed on-the-fly. While the Sales tab pulls from the previous Day-End's closed business, all other tabs (Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Bank) pull data in real time. Every time you open Executive Dashboard, your data refreshes ‑ ensuring that you are always viewing the most current data available.
- Versatile. For a different way of looking at your business, you can add new panels and screens, adjust screen layout, customize the graph type (for example, view line graphs instead of area graphs, where applicable) and adjust the columnar display of various grids.
- Classified. With user groups and user security, you can grant each Executive in your company access to read-only views of data essential to their aspect of your business. For another group such as your sales department, you can present read-only totals from a previous year allowing comparisons from year-to-year or even month-to-month.
For detailed instructions on this feature, see your online help in DDMS 8.19 and higher or the handout, Executive Dashboard
(www.DDMS.com/Resources/Support/faq/utilities/execdash.pdf).
New SQL Reports for Accounts Receivable (A/R) Require EBS Import
Import Your A/R Data into SQL: You can now import accounts receivable files and journals into your SQL database, allowing you more reporting capabilities.
For more information, see:
New A/R SQL Reports: Now that your accounts receivable data is converted to SQL, SQL Report Preview has four new A/R reports:
- Statement by Department
- Statement with Deposit
- Trial Balance by Department
- Trial Balance with Deposit
Have you ever wanted to re-create an A/R trial balance from a prior year? Previously this was not possible due to the logic of the text-based (OR-B) report after closing general ledger. However, the new SQL Trial Balance reports allow you to limit to all invoices that have a balance at the end of a particular period.
Using the limits available in these reports, you can customize the scope of the data displayed. You must enter an aging date and select past due limits of 30, 45, 60, or 90 days.
For detailed instructions on these reports, see:
For supplies dealers:
Promotions Window Sets Up Coupon Codes for ECinteractive® Orders
The Promotion window in DDMS 8.19 and higher lets you combine three different types of Order Requirements with six different kinds of Benefits for 18 different coupon or promotion combinations, along with a number of other thoughtful options that give you tremendous flexibility in designing coupons. You can launch the Promotions window from the Databases menu of the DDMS Master Menu. Promotion and Coupon codes are currently integrated for use with your ECinteractive and is.D-Force2® Web storefront.
Examples. Based on different qualifying order amounts or items purchased, you can offer discounts, free goods, samples, and gifts added to a customer’s order. You can also set up one-time or reusable coupons, as well as discounts to apply to the shopper's first Web order, current order, or next order, or the highest priced item in the current order. Here are just a few promotion combinations you could offer:
- $10 Off First Web Order Total, with minimum $75 order (Use promo code 10off1st75), or $20 Off First Web Order Total with minimum $150 order (Use promo code 20off1w150). Newly registered accounts only. Not valid with any other offer.
- Buy three boxes of these whiteboard markers, get one box free (Shoppers may reuse this promotion code as often as they like across their entire account).
- Buy this printer, get this ink 25% off (any quantity, one use per department).
- Buy this combination of back-to-school-spirit items portfolio A, backpack B, and pencils C, and get 10% off the highest unit-priced item in the cart (any quantity, one use per shopper).
- Order $250 now (pre-tax, pre-volume discounts, but after your account's standard discounts), get $25 off your current order total.
- Order three reams of this paper now, get 15% off your next order.
- For every order over $150, pick from three free gifts (and reuse as often as you like before expiration date).
DDMS Promotion Setup. You'll find many thoughtful options for setting up your own coupon promotions in DDMS:
- Specify any 10-character promo code (alphanumeric), and any 50-character Description.
- Set up a series of promos in advance using different start and expiration dates.
- Web Orders Only (default at this time; Order Entry coupons will be available in a future release.
- Limit to use a certain number of times per account, department, or user.
- Toggle to allow use with other promotions.
- Require up to 50 specific item(s), spend over specific order total (compared to the order total minus any standard discounts, prior to taxing, and prior to any volume discount), or no minimum.
- Apply one of four Discount Types: Discount Current Order Total, Discount First Web Order Total, Discount Next Order Total, or Discount Highest Unit Priced Item on Order.
- Alternatively, you may apply one of two Item Bonus Types: Choice of Additional Item(s) or Discount Matching required Buy Item(s).
- Track Promotion and Promotion Item usage in new SQL Preview Reports, as well as current text-based usage reports.
- Customize messages displayed at Web Checkout to explain why a code is invalid.
You can also use Promotion Error Message parameters to customize the error messages that appear to customers at Checkout.
Note: For Current Order, First Web Order, or Next Order discounts, you must specify a unique existing DISCOUNT Item record. You may already have an appropriate Discount Item Record set up in your system, but you may wish to set up additional item records for more granular reporting.
Enable Promo Code Entry in ECinteractive or is.D-Force 2. After setting up promotions on your backend system, you'll need to:
- Enable Promotions and Coupons in your customers' Marketing Settings.
- Communicate your promos to your customers. You might use Site Text, Custom HTML confirmation messages, and/or other marketing tools and campaigns.
For detailed instructions, see Using Promotions and Coupon Codes in DDMS (pdf).
http://www.DDMS.com/Resources/Support/faq/orderentry/ddPromotions.pdf
Release Note: Our developers are preparing a maintenance release, the upcoming DDMS Version 8.19.20, to include Promotions data in selected SQL Preview Reports (QC #55669). Rest assured, Promotions line items will display as expected in most standard text-based reports currently in the 8.19.0 major release. In addition, Promotion and PromotionItem data is available for text-based and custom SQL reporting through Report Writer and C1 Report Designer. We will notify all DDMS customers when we have released DDMS Version 8.19.20 with the updated SQL Preview Reports for Promotions.
Note: DDMS Commercial Order Entry does not currently accept Promo codes set up in the Promotions Window. Enhancements to Order Entry are required to allow coupons, and are in queue for a future release of DDMS. We will notify DDMS customers via email when it is available.
For furniture dealers:
Seven New Furniture Reports Converted to SQL
We’ve added seven new furniture reports to SQL Reporting:
- Customer Sales by Manufacturer
- Customer Sales by Manufacturer Detail
- Furniture Quote Detail
- Manufacturer Sales by Customer
- Manufacturer Sales by Customer Detail
- Project Status Report by Salesperson
- Quote Gross Profit Report by Salesperson.
For detailed instructions on these reports, see:
Other Changes in This Release:
The list of changes above is not exhaustive. All recently released corrections and enhancements are published online:
Program Updates for Version 8.19.0
(www.DDMS.com/updates/searchresult2.asp?swversion=270&search=Search).
For more information about new features in DDMS software, see:
How do I get this version?
Hundreds of ECi customers go to https://support.ECiSolutions.com to log tickets, add attachments, add notes to Web Conversations with their support techs, look up their development status, and more!
Now you can securely download your DDMS software at your convenience!
IMPORTANT: The ECI Customer Support Portal's page of Software Downloads is the primary method of delivery for all DDMS software. This has become effective June 24 with the release of both DDMS 8.19 and the O/PUS 3rd Quarter Multi-Vendor Catalog Update.
 It's easy to register if you haven't already. To log in, download and run the latest DDMS software update:
- Go to https://support.ECiSolutions.com.
- Just enter your unique email address. If you already have a password, enter it and click Submit. If you don't have your password or have forgotten it, check the box for a temporary password, and click Submit.
On the login page, you can view a 10-minute video guided tour to introduce you to using the ECi Customer Support Portal. There's also a new 2-minute video on using Software Downloads.
- If your email address is associated with a customer account in our system, you'll receive a temporary password. If not, we may contact you to verify your account.
- Once you receive your temporary password, you can log in.
- Change your password as prompted.
- Click Software Downloads, click DDMS and follow the on-screen steps.
If you would like a copy of this software update on CD-ROM, we will be happy to ship it to you via United Parcel Service (UPS) Ground. You can request a software update CD by email ddmssupport@ecisolutions.com, including your DDMS account number, contact name, company name, shipping address, and phone number. |
