Release Notes

Always check here for important information you may need to know prior to loading a software update.

We constantly strive to improve the software; input from you and dealers like you help us make our products better for you and for all the other dealers who use them. What to Expect When You Report a Software Issue describes how to report a software issue, and what happens afterward.

Release Notes highlight important information; they do not list every change. For a complete list of every software change in recent releases, see the DDMS Version 8 page under What's New.

Preparing to use DDMS® EBS Applications

O/PUS Update Notes
Windows Platform Notes
Third-Party Software

ECinteractive® and is.D-Force® 2

DDMS 10.0 General Release

DDMS 8 Archives

ECinteractive and is.D-Force 2 Release Notes

Features That Require Business System Software Updates

Wholesaler Quantity on Hand

With DDMS 10.2.20 and ECinteractive 10 and higher, you can add wholesaler facilities' on-hand stock quantities to your dealership's stock for display using an icon in search results and product detail.

Previously, this information was transferred via eGate packets. Now, we've implemented a new SQL pipeline, with additional enhancements released in DDMS 10.2.20.

Behind the scenes on DDMS, the SQL data pipeline must calculate the Quanity on Hand for each item in the search results and product detail. First, your system will look up dealership's inventory records for on-hand quantities. Then, your system will launch a stock check via the Private Supply Network (PSN) to each facility for whom you have set up the Vendor Supply Options to display online. In DDMS 10.2.20, S.P. Richards and United Stationers support this feature. The system instantly incorporates the results into the sum total for display via pipeline on your shopping site's search results and product detail. You can then display an icon that indicates the item is in stock or out of stock/available for next-day delivery, or set up variable text to display the actual quantity in the icon's tooltip.

To take advantage of Wholesaler Quantity On Hand on your site, you must have DDMS 10.2.20 or higher:

Log in to https://support.ecisolutions.com,
Log in to Update Your Software
click Software Downloads, and follow the on-screen steps to download and install DDMS 10.2.20 or higher.

Ideally, you should have a current inventory count. See Inventory - Count Less, Sell More (pdf).

Fully synchronize your SQL EBS data. For details, see Using the EBS SQL Import Panel (pdf).

UPDATED! On your DDMS server, have your network administrator open firewall ports 9966 and 9965 for the ECi SQL Pipeline.

Set up your DDMS Graphical Parameters, Vendor Supply Options, and ECinteractive or is.D-Force 2 Site Preferences to activate Wholesaler Quantity On Hand. For details, see Quantity on Hand (pdf).

Sort By Price

With DDMS 10.2.20 and ECinteractive 11.1, your shoppers will be able to sort and limit ECinteractive search results by price. Now you can allow a shopper to select not only sort by relevance, but also price low to high or price high to low.

To allow your ECinteractive® or is.D-Force® 2 Web storefront Search Results page to sort by price, it required significant enhancements to the way your back-end DDMS server communicates with various Web services.

Previously, this information was transferred via eGate packets. Now, we've implemented a new SQL pipeline, with additional enhancements released in DDMS 10.2.20.

Behind the scenes on DDMS, the SQL data pipeline must cross-reference item pricing for the shopper's Customer account with other details including alternates, substitutes, aliases, and various parameters. It's especially important to resolve item results when your DDMS Item database incorporates item alternate codes you've set up in the (LE) Inventory Parameters screen, such as Normal Alternates, Discontinued Item, Reference item, Preferred Alternate, Like Item Alternate, Out of Stock Item, Generic Alternate, and Customer Specific Substitute. (Note: the fewer alternates and substitutes used in your database, the faster your site will be able to display search results.)

To take advantage of Sort by Price on your site, you must have DDMS 10.2.20 or higher:

Log in to https://support.ecisolutions.com,
Log in to Update Your Software
click Software Downloads, and follow the on-screen steps to download and install DDMS 10.2.20 or higher.

Fully synchronize your SQL EBS data.

UPDATED! On your DDMS server, have your network administrator open firewall ports 9966 and 9965 for the ECi SQL Pipeline.

Then, log in to your ECinteractive or is.D-Force 2 Admin Control Panel, and activate Sort by Price site-wide in Site Preferences (or control release using Feature Settings for Price group settings).For details, see ECinteractive & is.D-Force 2 Administrative Site: Software Version 11.1.0 (pdf)

More Features that require business system software updates

Upcoming Changes in ECinteractive and is.D-Force 2

In the next few months, the ECinteractive team has an aggressive schedule to release more hot priority features to make your Web presence more competitive and efficient. We have made significant strides in implementing advancements vendors make in content. We continue working with our trading partners, our mutual goal being a better experience in searching and shopping for your customers. Log into your Admin Control Panel for more details on the Home page.

For a list of recent changes, see the FAQ, What are the latest enhancements in ECinteractive?

DDMS

DDMS 10.2

1

Version 10.2.1 corrects an issue error in the license for XNET/Telnet software that prevents full access to text-based parameters, reports, and related applications. Dealers have reported a 30-day trial popup window when launching DDMS text-based software from graphical windows on both network client workstations and remote telnet clients. As a temporary measure, your users may click OK to proceed to DDMS text-based applications. ACTION RECOMMENDED: Before the 30 days expire, download and install version DDMS 10.2.1, which includes the correct license information for XNET/Telnet.
2

Version 10.2 introduced new fields (columns) to the sales database. To ensure your ability to pull up Order Entry history, you must compress your data into the new data definitions (columns).

ACTION REQUIRED: After installing DDMS 10.2.0 or higher, you must run the special program ;SPCCMPJR on all Sales Journals before you resume business.

  1. Shut down and backup your data just as you do for any dedicated procedure that affects files.
  2. Stop TBL Server by clicking TBL Server on the toolbar. In the TBL Server window, click Utilities on the menu bar, and then click Stop.
  3. Go to the (ZB4) text screen:
    1. On the TBL window, click Tools, and then click TBL.
    2. Make sure CAPS LOCK is on.
    3. To access the (ZB4) screen, type ZB4
  4. In the ZB4 screen type the filename ;SPCCMPJR and press Enter. The Compress Journal Files screen appears.
  5. In the prompt for Journal Type, type S
  6. When prompted to Place an "X" to Mark Journals to Compress, mark them all:
    1. To mark a file for compression, type X
    2. Repeat as the cursor drops to the next row.
    3. When you are finished marking journals to compress, press Enter.

    Use the ;SPCCMPJR special program to mark all Sales Journals with an X to compress your order entry history into new data definition columns..

  7. When prompted, Are You Sure?, type Y.
  8. When the program is finished, Continue by typing C.
  9. Press the Escape key to exit.
  10. Return to TBL Server, click on the menu bar for Utilities, and then click Start.You may then resume business.
3

DDMS does not support the 64-bit version of Windows 2003 Standard Server SP2.

However, DDMS supports both 32- and 64-bit editions of Windows 2008 Standard Server. For more information, see our updated System Requirements.
4

As we reported in the 10.0.2 release: If you use a Terminal Server that is running Windows 2000, it will limit client workstations connecting to your DDMS server to older, non-EBS functions.

Please note that the older operating system does not meet the minimum requirements to support the .NET Framework 4.0 required to utilize EBS applications such as Customer Price Plans, Preview Reports, Furniture Project Management, and Graphical Machine Billing. In DDMS 10.0, we made changes so your client workstations can still run DDMS 10.0 or higher and connect. This project was developed and tested to provide smaller dealers — who do not yet take advantage of our more advanced feature set — with more time to plan to upgrade their terminal servers. (57571)

Users may continue to connect to a server running DDMS Version 10 via terminal servers running Windows 2000, but such terminal servers will only support the use of older, non-EBS graphical and text-based applications that DDMS has not yet upgraded to the SQL/.NET Framework Version 4.0. These include the standard DDMS order flow and purchasing flow applications, accounts receivable and payable applications, general ledger, Notes Everywhere, Campaign Manager, and all text-based applications, utilities and reporting. (However, once a DDMS application is converted to the SQL/.NET Framework 4.0 or higher, they will no longer support a Windows 2000 terminal server.)

During the installation process, the system displays a message, notifying you of this issue.

ACTION REQUIRED: If you are using a Microsoft Window 2000 terminal server for client connections, before installing version 10.0 or higher, contact ECi DDMS Support for assistance.  

Third-Party Software

2/1/2010 — TSYS Terminates POS-Partner Credit Card Processing, Migration Advised.

POS-Partner offered automated authorization and capture software, for which ECi DDMS wrote the Approval Link 2.0 interface.

However, after being acquired first by Vital® and then by TSYS®, POS-Partner began announcing the termination of its support in July 2009.

Effective Feb. 1, 2010, TSYS will no longer support transactions generated from POS-partner applications on TSYS boarding or processing platforms. On that date, TSYS will close any records that indicate POS-partner is still the application of record used by any merchant, which will result in the merchant's transactions being rejected by the TSYS processing platform.

By Feb. 1, 2010, it is imperative that every DDMS dealer who has been using POS-Partner migrate to a different solution. Failure to do so will result in failure to process credit card transactions. Please choose from one of the newer versions of Approval Link.

Resolving Timeouts After Loading POS-Partner 6.1 Approval Link™ dealers who use TSYS® (formerly Vital) POS-Partner 6.1 software for credit card authorization have reported issues with timeouts. There is a consistent pattern of errors such as “timeout on response” and “no reply from merchant” after dealers load POS-Partner’s recently released version 6.1 software update. ECi Technical Support has determined that these timeouts occur after DDMS and Approval Link software has passed the data to POS-Partner 6.1. If you experience timeouts after loading POS-Partner 6.1, please contact the POS-Partner Technical Support Line (1-800-847-2772). Ask for an API technician to run the SQL utility that has been found to resolve timeouts between POS-Partner and the API.

Third-Party Software Parameters Conflicts with EBS Architecture (PDF) . If you have used third party software programs with DDMS®, please note that they may have written records to the PARAMETERS file at some point. This may create invalid records that are incompatible with the new DDMS® enterprise-class business system (EBS) architecture. As a result, it may prevent EBS applications such as Campaign Manager, Notes Everywhere, or Customer Price Plans, and so on, from working properly, and an invalid data error message may display. To see if this issue applies to you, see Identifying Invalid Records in Your Parameters File (PDF).

POS-Partner Security Update May Cause Credit Card Process Failure Vital® POS-Partner® (www.pos-partner.com) has confirmed that they have resolved a known issue with their recent security update CD. This issue affects all dealers currently using POS-Partner to process credit cards. To resolve the issue, you must speak with Vital/POS-Partner Technical Support for assistance in uninstalling certain files from their update.

Third-Party PowerChute Software Issue Interferes with DDMS Operations If you are using an APC UPS unit with your DDMS server, you need to upgrade to APC’s PowerChute 7 software. 7/29/05.

POS-partner Credit Service Requires Browser Upgrade If you use this credit card authorization service, you must upgrade the machine where you installed POS-partner to the latest version of Microsoft(R) Internet Explorer by Monday, November 1, 2004.