BACK UP DATA - DON'T KNOW HOW?

Since the dawn-of-time, beginning in 1993, BHD tech staff has pleaded, begged and even barked at customers to backup their inventory data. Every customer has access to a backup device regardless of whether it’s an older port or a newer USB device. Still, to this day, customers call tech staff wondering what to do with a crashed computer and no backup information to restore onto a new pc.

Years ago, BHD instituted a policy that provided FREE training to any customer who did not know how to backup their data. A customer simply needed to contact BHD Service Group and arrange for a backup appointment with a trainer. In 2006, two customers received backup training. So, BHD staff tossed in the towel and waited for calamity. In 2006, it rained buckets. Hard drives crashed; data lost; angry customers. In a short few days it will be 2007. Again BHD will pay, train, hold-hands, baby-sit, follow-up and do whatever it takes to ensure a customer can backup their data. Have a Happy New Year.

BHD Tech Staff

A view from Jamia's house

Customers who use our integrated accounting solutions know Jamia. She lives in Colorado. She sent us a photo from her home. Miami looks real good right now.

RESET Button on Reports - DON'T USE IT!!!

For clients who have had trouble with reports suddenly "disappearing"...Good News. Make sure that the RESET button is not being used by yourself or any part of your staff. Using the RESET button on a custom made report will reset the LAYOUT, SORT, OPTIONS and TOTALS to include the default fields (nothing more than Item# or Receipt#). It also changes the name of the report to "NEW REPORT".

It has been logged with ISLAND PACIFIC, and request has been made to limit access to that button or prompt the user specifically for what they are about to do.

BW v7 compatible with the AcctLink

Our initial testing has not shown that BW v7 does not have any issues with the AcctLink. We do recommend that you complete Year End processing in BW v6 just to be sure.

BusinessWorks PR Year End

If you are using BWv6 PR you must be on Service Pack 12 to process Year End. Then, before you process the first PR for 2007, you must install Service Pack 13. This Service Pack contains the Early Tax Table Updates.

Do not install Service Pack 13 until you have run your final payroll and printed your Form W-2s for 2006.

Also, remember to check your SUI Rate in PR > Taxes > Maintain Tax Tables after installing any service pack as it may be altered by the service pack.

Please call 303-670-2073 if you want assistance with this process.

Backdating Transactions

A customer had a situation where they had to reverse some memos that were originally dated 11/26/06. When they reversed the memos were in the December datafile with 11/26/06 as the memo date. This doesn't work because the Acctlink cannot see the transactions since they are in the wrong datafile. Therefore, do not back date transactions outside of the active datafile.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appts strating 1/8/07
Onsites starting 1/15/07

TECH:

Phone appts starting 12/19/06
Onsites starting on 2/12/07

BusinessWorks v7 Release

Many of you have recently received your BW v7 upgrade.

If you are using the Accounting Link to Retail Pro please DO NOT UPGRADE to v7 until we complete testing the new version for compatibility.

We will post an update here as soon as our evaluation is complete on whether it is OK to update of not.

The Importance of Backups

Like a parent constantly reminding their child to avoid the stove, BHD techs find it helpful to remind individuals of the importance in routinely checking their Retail Pro backup. Posted below is a reminder for how to do just that, originally found in our March 2005 feature of the month.

http://www.bighairydog.com/feature0305.htm



NTI Backup Now! Version 3

(RPro Version 8)

At BHD we sell and promote the use of NTI Backup Now! software, which, as software programs go, is a dream to work with. It gets setup once, and will continue, like that little energizer bunny, to work and work, day in and day out



For setting up the BACKUP, in STEP 1: This is a standard explorer window, with folders on the left and files on the right – to select the entire drive or folder select the check box on the left; to select (or deselect) the check box in the right window. Note that if an entire folder is selected the checkmark will have a white background; if some files or sub-folders have been deselected, the background for the checkbox will be grey. Selecting the RETAIL8 folder (typically – the folder that contains the RPRO folder; yours may be different) will select all of the necessary files will be backed up.


In STEP 2, the things to check here are the Backup Destination – it should be showing the CD Writer – note the pull down arrow on the right, which would allow you to select other destinations, such as an alternate hard drive. The other settings for backup drive, speed, and write method are informational, and the defaults are (usually) fine.

STEP 3 (not shown) – there is no need to go here at all – it has options for incremental backups and changing from the default to Verify-Compress-Append – and these settings should not be changed.


No need to go to START – choose SCHEDULE to set the schedule so the program will run automatically; you will be prompted to save the file settings, so give it a name and keep it in the default folder; set it for daily, and the Which Days button will allow selection of days of the week – all are selected by default – then set the Start at time – at least a half hour before anyone will arrive.


There are other considerations for backups as well – once you have all those daily CDs made, where do you keep them? The latest CD should be immediately available to you in case of need, but we strongly recommend offsite storage of the backup CDs – in case of catastrophic loss or theft, you will at least have a fairly recent copy of the files.

And speaking of those daily CDs – when the backups were first started, getting by with one CD was not an issue – but now that two or more CDs are needed, suddenly the NTI backup is not so convenient –NTI Backup Now! 3 supports DVD writers as well as CD writers - check with BHD tech/training for exploring more options.

Last and not least in the back-up idea – check with BHD tech/training at 916-368-1070.

Retail Pro getting stuck in a loop when launching from 2003 Server

this happened on a new 2003server with R2. after installing rpro, tried to launch it,. as expected, it says that files need to be created. upon trying to create them it gets stuck in a loop of trying to create files, and saying that files need to be created.

to resolve right click on MY COMPUTER, go to PROPERTIES. once in SYSTEM PROPERTIES, go to ADVANCED tab, then under PERFORMANCE click on SETTINGS. Click on th DATA EXECUTION PREVENTION tab, and there are two settings. the correct setting is TURN ON DEP FOR ESSENTIAL WINDOWS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. this used to be the windows default, but now the deafault is TURN ON DEP FOR ALL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES EXCEPT THOSE I SELECT.

after changing this setting, all was well.

Mis-Matched Tender Labels

We have found an issue with Acctlink users who use the acctlink in conjunction with web sales. It is possible for the web tender to not be read by the Acctlink properly.

The issue is that there can be a labeling mis-match between the RPro tender names and the web sale tender names. They must be identical in Character and Case.

ie - if the tender label coming from the web sale is "web" and the tender listed in the RPro settings is "WEB", these are a mis-match, and the Acctlink cannot distinguish what the tender is.

The solution is to ensure that the tenders coming from web sales are identical in character and case to the RPro listed Tenders.

Quickbooks NOT Compatible with Internet Explorer 7

Microsoft has introduced Internet Explorer 7 through Automatic Updates. QuickBooks currently requires Internet Explorer 6 and is not compatible with Internet Explorer 7. Intuit is currently building a solution so that QuickBooks will work with Internet Explorer 7 and they hope to announce this solution soon.

To continue to use QuickBooks in the interim, do not upgrade to Internet Explorer 7. If you have already upgraded, Intuit recommends that you uninstall Internet Explorer 7.

Please check www.QuickBooks.com/support/IE7 periodically for updates on a solution and for more information on how to uninstall Internet Explorer 7.

polling security over night

Super Trainer Colt Riley answered the age old question on why polling security over night does not work. The commands we were entering were wrong.
We have been entering the /poll /proc in the RPROCIN.exe as parameters. These parameters were given to us by RTI (developers) and it is incorrect.
Colt remembered seeing a webinar also from the developer with the correct parameters. They are as follows
create a new task called RPRODB. choose run program and browse to your RPRODB.exe. under parameters entere /poll /proc and have it run after process in delay 1 minute

Seee picture for example. any questions please call BHD support.

ECI ERROR unable to find the required files

when opening ECI for the first time it wants to load files necessary to view the catalog. ususaally a file progress bar goes across installs the files and then you can view the catalog. On this client we got the error UNABLE TO FUND THE REQUIRED FILES. it was a windows rights issue the user needs to be a computer administrator. added to the administrator group worked fine.

Training and Tech Lead Times

Training:

Phone appts starting 12/12
Onsites starting 12/28



Tech:
Phone appts starting 12/4
Onsites starting 12/5

CREDIT CARDS RECEIPTS NOT SHOWING LAST 4 DIGITS

with the newest hotfix, security automatically blocks all but the last 4 digits on a credit card receipt. if they are using a design that has the XXXXXX's to block the number, then the receipt will not show the last for digits, will show XXXXXXXXXX****. this is because the alignment has changed. to resolve, just remove the X's from the design, and the receipt will show **********1234.

STORES FOR SALE - CHECK IT OUT

Hey, BHD Customer!

As previously stated, this blog is to be used by both BHD staff and BHD customers. The following information rolled in from one our Northwest customers.


I have 3 very profitable retail stores in the Pacific Northwest for sale. We specialize in handmade bath and body products, pajamas and loungewear. The business is 3 years old, growing quickly and ready to be acquired by a strategic buyer who has the vision to take it National. More information can be obtained at www.urbanezen.com. Specific inquiries should be directed to barb@urbanezen.com.

Barbara Brunner
Urbane Zen

Customer Loyalty Bug

be aware, the newest updates to customer loyalty (8/4/06) contain a BPL that causes a bug. whenever they run a cash transaction, they get an ABSTRACT ERROR. the transaction updates, but doesn't print or open the drawer. to fix, put them on an older BPL.

Tech and Training Lead Times

Training:

Phone appts starting on 12/4
Onsites starting 12/11

Tech:

Phone appts the week of 10/30
*then not again until 11/28
Onsites starting 11/30

DSL techs Break networking? cant browse by name or reconnect to server.

I was working with a client this morning and thier DSL went down yesterday. they DSL techs did some "things" and then finally fixed the DSL. after the DSL tech got off the phone the back machine would no longer connect to the front machine. I dailed in and found that they had disabled netbios over TCP/IP which is name lookup with TCP/IP. since we map by name ws-1 VS 192.168.1.100 it wouldnt work . Could ping could browse by number just not by name re-enabled the switch worked fine.

the switch is located under LOCAL AREA CONNECTION>TCP/IP>ADVANCED(under TCP/IP)>WINS> should be checked to enable LMHOSTS lookup and default.

They switched it to disable netbios over TCP/IP.

VNC version4.1.1 and below are HACKABLE. SECURITY FLAW ***SECOND NOTICE****

This is our second posting for the VNC security flaw, we originally logged this issue on our AUG blog. if you are on any version of VNC 4.1.1 or below it has a security flaw that makes your PC at risk of being hacked. Download and install the newest verison of VNC at www.realvnc.com the fixed version is 4.1.2. uninstall the old version of VNC, remove the REAL VNC folder from the program files folder. IE:(c:\program files\real VNC) Then reinstall the VNC software. I would recommend changing the port number and the password on your VNC.

If you need help with this please call BHD support

Training:

Phone appts starting 11/6
Onsites starting 11/21

Tech:

Appts avialable week of 10/31-11/3
*then booked until 11/22 for both phone and onsites

Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance

The accounting statutes instituted by the Sarbanes-Oxley of Act of 2002 were created to give SEC and IRS investigators the tools to scrutinize corporate misdeeds. Recently, accounting institutions associated with smaller private firms have used the same statutes to audit their smaller client’s books. As a result, business related software such as Retail Pro and others are being audited for accuracy and integrity. The following link will assist Retail Pro customers in knowing more about the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and retail executive officers requirements to certify the accuracy of their financial reports.

http://www.bighairydog.com/techdl/retail_pro_8_sox_compliance.pdf

Note: The file can be seen at www.bighairydog.com.

Gift Card limt of $1000 at paymentech

In retail pro, WS prefs there is a max gift card ammount. A client called in today with a down call today they could not sell a $3000 gift card. we called paymentech and aparently paymentch has a gift card auth ammount limit on thier side of $1000. So the RPRO setting is useless unless it is under $1000.

We were able to sell 3 gift cards for 1000 Each as a split tender on the same invoice.

Tech support at Paymentech said we would need to speak to your paymentech rep to increase your default gift card limit.

"I just have a quick question"

The road to hell is paved with failed policies and procedures. For years, BHD has had a policy that trainers train and techs fix. In support of the aforementioned policy, any "how to" question from a customer is kicked to Service Group who contacts the customer and schedule a training appointment. The problem: Training appointments are getting scheduled 3 to 4 weeks out. A customer would have to wait so long to get a relatively simple answer, that they would forget the original question.

Beginning October 23, a trainer will be available Mon-Fri. between the hours of 4:00pm-5:00pm to answer "how to" questions. Why not till Oct. 23rd? "Trainings are booked solid till the 23rd," says BHD Service Group representative Carrie.

Remember, quick questions can be posted on the BHD message board at www.bighairydog.com. Both techs and trainers have 24 hours to respond. Most questions are responded to same day.

Tech and Training Lead Times

Training:

Phone appts starting 10/16
Onsites starting 10/26
*openings from DNC cancel

Tech:

Phone appts starting 10/10
Onsites starting 10/10

BHD ROLLS INTO LA AND SF FOR AWESOME SERVICE

Big City Customers in LA and SF are anticipating the arrival of BHD Techs and Trainers. "Every so often, we contact a major hub of customers and ask them if they'd be interested in having a BHD service representative come to their store for FREE," says BHD VP Robert McGormley. Mcgormley says it's just the BHD way to continuously find simple, efficient and FREE perks for our customers. BHD covers the cost of support hours and travel expenses normally billed to the customer. "Our customers take care of us and this is our way of saying thanks," says McGormley. When asked how many customers will be visited, McGormley responded, "We're moving our annual Christmas party from a restaurant to the local pizza parlor this year," McGormley implying that the company's investment will be significant.

Sage Software Pricing

Beginning October 1, 2006, Sage will be requiring a minimum of the Silver Support plan with all new Sage BusinessWorks systems. Below are the new bundle offerings and price changes:

Module pricing is going from $595 per module to $625

Bundle(SM,GL,AP + AR or PR) will be $1694

Printing AR Customer Statements from Preview is NOT the same as printing directly to the printer

Sage BusinessWorks always prints transaction detail on statements at least once, whether you use balance forward statements or open invoice statements. Printing statements directly to the printer causes an internal flag to be set so that the detail no longer prints on subsequent statements. If the statements are previewed to the screen first and printed from the preview, the 'last statement date' is not be updated and the internal flag is not set. For this reason, the detail prints again on the next month's statement. After previewing statements, close the preview screen. Go back into A/R > Statements > Print Statements and select 'Print' to print directly to the printer.

To purge the history from the statement, print the statement directly to the printer. Print directly to the printer again to get a clean statement.

PCCILLIN now required on all PCs sent in by clients for setup

Effective June 2005 any PC not purchased from BHD and sent in for setup will be required to purchase PCCILLIN for Virus Protection. These are 1 user licenses and 1 license per machine will be required.

BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH FIXED

Thanks to Jamia, Nancy at Helm of sun valley and Wally at hill crest and Paul, we have figured out the blue screen of death problem. It was a PCCILLIN UPDATE. the FIX is to remove PCCILLIN and reinstall the software and reupdate and then it works fine.

if you need help with this please call us

Blue screen of death when closing the accounting link

We have found this issue occouring in the last week to multiple clients. when pressing yes to close the accounting link we get a blue screen of death. We worked extensively with a client Nancy at Helm of sun valley. We were able to solve the problem by ghosting the machine. we thought that the problem was a windows update since the problem happend across multiple machines and on different clients. we were unable to crash the machine after ghosting it. We are tesing here at BHD and have opened an issue with RTI (DEVELOPER of RETAIL PRO). Nacny has found a work around that after posting the data, if the press CTRL ALT DELETE and end task on the account link it closes and does not blue screen the PC. As soon as a fix is found we will post that as well.

RESTOCKING FEE RESHMUCKING FEE

Last week, I ordered an electronic component from a mail order company. After receiving it, I realized I had ordered the wrong component. I contact the "customer service" desk (yeah, right) and asked if i could send it back for another component which was the exact same price. No big deal, right? Basically, it's a simple exchange. I told them that I would pay for the shipping...At which point, I'm told there would be a restocking fee of 25%! My first thought was, "if I ever do that to one of my customers, they have every right to shoot me in the back." Consumerism = Returns. Consumers by their very nature by wrong stuff. It's the nature of retail. Cracking on a customer for buying the wrong size, color etc. is just plain stupid. NO RESTOCKING FEE AT BHD. ALSO, WE'LL PAY TO PICK IT UP. AGAIN, WE'RE BREAKING EVERY RULE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR CUSTOMER!"

Mick

Retail Pro Distributor Contacting BHD Customers

Notice to BHD Customers:

Recently, a few loyal BHD Customers contacted BHD Service Group asking why a company claiming to represent "Retail Pro" had contacted them regarding technical support. BHD customers reported the following:

"Shaun at ShoeFly (Zuza) was contacted by One Step Data (Arizona based Retail Pro distributor). They contacted his Bellevue store and left a message saying they were calling regarding 'his requesting assistance with his Retail Pro' and to contact them for assistence. Shaun never called for technical support and the phone number the caller left was not a BHD support number. He called back because they said "Retail Pro" and when he found out they were another support company he let them know that he is happy with BHD.

Patti at Pacific Bay Swim and Sport said that the guy said that they were representing "RPRO" and checking in on them and she thought that it was strange as we (BHD) know everything about her account." Felicia, BHD

Recently, BHD expanded its sales and marketing into the Los Angeles basin, a formerly protected area of One Step Data. "I can only presume that we must be making an impact in the LA area for OSD to be investing their time in attempting to contact our customers," states BHD President Mick Malaney. Malaney sees the irony in OSD's efforts, since BHD staff encourages its customers to investigate the Retail Pro distributor network and transfer to another Retail Pro distributor who it feels will provide superior customer service. "Our customers are our customers because they choose to be, not because they have to be."

Malaney asks BHD Customers to contact Felicia at BHD (800) 377-RPRO (7776) if they are contacted by One Step Data. "My only concern is that One Step Data representatives are being truthful and informing our customers who they are and what they want. I would find it to be highly unethical and potentially illegal, otherwise."

KPI Customization

We have had a lot of issues with the KPI.

There is a new version being tested and is showing promise!

Training:

Phone appts starting 9/28
Onsites starting 10/4

Tech:

Phone appts starting 9/13
Onsites starting 9/18

VNC EXPLOIT FIX ***IMPORTANT***

VNC Exploit Fix


Option #1

Upgrade your installation of VNC to version 4.1.2 or above.

1) Go to the RealVNC website, http://www.realvnc.com
2) Choose the link, “VNC software can be downloaded here.”
3) Choose the link, “Download & use” under the Free Edition heading.
4) Skip the personal details section and choose the button “Proceed to download”
5) Choose the top Download button, which is for the 721K Executable.
6) Read and accept the terms and conditions, choose the “Download” button.
7) When prompted, choose either Open or Run. This will start the installation wizard.
8) Follow the installation wizard steps to reinstall/upgrade your copy of RealVNC.


Option #2

Close VNC access to your network.

In order to allow incoming VNC connections, your router was configured to forward VNC ports to an internal machine. These ports are typically 5500, 5800 and/or 5900. By removing the forwarding for these ports on your router, you will disable any incoming VNC connection requests, thus closing your “door” for the VNC exploit. Because there are many different brands and models of routers, you may need to contact BHD or consult your IT department for assistance.
You may also want to consider changing the default port so VNC is not waiting on 5900. by choosing a random port Hackers will not know what port is opened for what program.

How bugs are managed between software developer (IP) and Software support (BHD)

BHD is often asked how bugs are managed between software developer (IP) and Software support (BHD). The following is a routine example.

The latest RetailPro 8.52 URC released on August 8th has been found to contain a problem in the XZout.exe file. The details of this problem are outlined in the CCU release notes below. A revised core containing the corrected XZout.exe has been distributed to the Partners Website. http://partners.retailpro.com/RP852.php . For those of you that have already downloaded the core released on August 8th, the latest version of XZout can be downloaded from the Tools and Utilities area of the website. Latest Update: 852XZ081106.zip . You only need this file in order to bring the August 8th your core up to date. If you have any questions related to this re-release please feel free to contact us here in support.





Client Controlled Update
08/11/2006

All Users


A Client Controlled Update is being provided to resolve the following issues:


Issue Description:

16056 - Tax Breakout in XZ Is Incorrect Does Not Match Reports



RTI Solution: An update to this issue is the fact that the discrepancy for the values was not based on the exe that was being used but is a rounding issue with a specific preference that is used. By default, retail pro sets tax decimal values to 5. If this is used, the numbers are correct and display as the user expects them to, however, if you set your tax decimals display to 2 or other then 5, your values within the x/z will be off as described by Jason H. in the original issue. A fix has been made such that X/Z will not follow the lead of reports.exe to recognize this preference setting during its calculation of the tax details.



Technical Support Note: While this will address the issue outlined in the bug, please be advised that there is still a discrepancy between Reports.exe and XZ.exe. The issue surrounds data used in investigation of the fix. It was found that users may have receipts that contain item and row # information = to 0. This could be the case if the items were deleted after the document had been posted, bridged in or edited with the repair tool.

SQA is asking for the assistance of the technical support staff in working with client to determine how invoices with 0 record row information got in the database or provide full data for review in house on this issue.

This is a separate bug



It is imperative that our support team be kept in the loop with respect to those issues that are still outstanding or have been uncovered during the testing and review of this fix.



Please review outstanding issue 16061 and 16062 within the BTF Devtrack database prior to release.



File Location(s):

T:\Products\8-Series\852\Updates\Client Controlled Update\OSD\852XZ081106.zip



A controlled update is one that is merely intended for a specific client for which this problem is severely affecting. The changes made within this release will be in effect within the General Update Release Cycle of issues.



Please contact SQA if there are any additional questions or concerns.


____________________________________________


2006 IslandPacific/RetailPro User Conference
September 11-12 2006
Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, NV
visit http://www.islandpacific.com/2006uc or call
(949) 476-2212 for more information

Sage BW Client Care Renewal Increase

Effective September 1, 2006, Sage Software is increasing the BusinessWorks ClientCare plan renewal prices from $575 to $599. The pricing will be reflected on the customer's renewal notice beginning September 1, 2006

Tech and Training Lead Times

Training:

Phone appointments starting on 9/19
Onsites starting on 10/2

Tech:

Phone appointments starting on 8/29
Onsites starting on 8/31
*Only a couple days open then we are booked for onsites again to late September.

The following article should be interesting to BHD clients who advertise on Google

We're posting the following article, due to the fact that we're aware of companies who are clicking on their competition's websites to jack up their competition's advertising rates. BHD is not one of those companies; however, it's a valid reason why BHD does not advertise for a higher position on Google.



Google Says Worries About Click Fraud Are Overblown

By Sara Kehaulani Goo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; D04



Google Inc. released a report yesterday criticizing independent consultants and researchers who have raised questions about click fraud, a growing concern of online advertisers worried that they are being overcharged for illegitimate clicks on their ads.

Google and other Web sites that host Google ads are paid when Internet users click on them. Automated "click robots" repeatedly click on Web ads to fraudulently inflate the amount of money an advertiser pays.

According to a report in June by Outsell Inc., 27 percent of advertisers surveyed said they had reduced online ad spending because they could not be sure that the clicks were from authentic users. The June report estimated that $1.3 billion in pay-per-click revenue from Google, Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. is related to click fraud and that 14.6 percent of all clicks are fraudulent.

Google disputed those figures but declined to provide its own estimates.

Google said reports about click fraud have exaggerated the problem and could scare away advertisers. In its report yesterday, the company attacked the methodology used and conclusions drawn by click-fraud consultants, arguing they either lacked the technology to differentiate between a fraudulent click and a Web page reloading or that their technology improperly counted a single click as multiple clicks. Google cited specific examples of such methodological problems.

The reports "have led to vastly inflated estimates" of the problem, said Shuman Ghosemajumder, Google's product manager of trust and safety. "We saw media reports and data from consultants submitted by advertisers and it didn't make any sense. This report details the flaws and explains the discrepancy. We want to help consulting firms."

Ghosemajumder said Google had taken steps to develop industry-wide standards to identify, quantify and define click fraud.

Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Ask.com said last week that they would work on such standards over the next year through the Interactive Advertising Board, an industry group. Google recently launched a feature for advertisers to see how many invalid clicks Google has detected, but Ghosemajumder said the company would not make that aggregate information public.

"We think the most important thing is how it affects advertisers," Ghosemajumder said. "We don't want to provide any information to help the bad guys."

Research and click-fraud consulting firms criticized in Google's report said they stood behind their results and were encouraged that the company was addressing the problem. They have called on the industry to abide by a third-party measurement system, similar to how traditional media use Nielsen or other sampling data to provide a measurement of audience size.

"It needs to be addressed in the same way TV, radio, newspapers and magazines deal with it for the privilege of reaching certain people who buy certain things," said Chuck Richard, vice president of Outsell. Internet companies "cannot escape a third-party audit bureau to provide an independent measure of who they are reaching . . . It's inevitable."

CATASROPHIC FAILURE ERROR FIXED IN CREDIT CARDS

If you are using PPM for credit card processing and receive this error, Please contact BHD customer service at 1-800-377-7776 and request the may hotfixes. This error is Fixed in this set of updates.

Tech and Training Lead Times...

TRAINING:

Phone appointments starting 9/12
Onsites starting 9/18

TECH:

Phone appointments starting 8/16
Onsites starting 8/22

Support on Version 6

After December 31st 2007 we will no longer be supporting version 6.

Please contact your sales rep for more information.

"credit cards freezing retail pro" FYI

we have seen a few of these calls lately. if you have the computer set to automatically log out after a certain amount of time (let's say 2 minutes) and the clerk hits the credit card button. if they get caught up talking and don't do anything and that time elapses, it will log them out. THE CREDIT CARD SCREEN IS ON TOP! they do not realize it and think that retail pro is frozen up. simply move the credit card screen and log back in.

(watch out for this also if they are not setup in workstation preferences to close the credit card window automatically after the card is authorized)

RPRO Licensing key

since they switched to the USB key format we can not have them on the back of the WS1 machine anymore, since it would break off durring packaging/shipping.

We are now placing the key back into the bag that RTI uses when they send it to us. We then put that in the software tray that is located in the WS1 machines box.

KPI LIMITATIONS

KPI does not analyze data based on item SID. therefore if they clean house on a row, it does not take that into calculation. It calculates based on item #. if you clean house on a row, it will continue to calculate totals from previous entries on that row, as well as the currect entry

KPI does not look at D C S (department class subclass). it only considers the department. therefore, KPI will group ALL womans together, and not break down to womans clothing accessories, womans clothing shirts, womans clothing pants. if you look at kpi on any of these dcs, you will get the exact same information, because it is only reading the department.

from the programmer of KPI: this is how the program is written, it is not a bug

UPDATE PCCILLIN TO FIX FALSE VNC VIRUS MESSAGE

You will have either a Pill or a earth with a lightning bolt in the corner byu the clock. right click on that and choose update components. continue to do that untill it tells you that you are on the current updates. that should fix the false report

William Glen store looking for a qualified individual

I have an opening for a position in my office. It is for AP clerk (voucher/invoice reconciliation and entry) and Purchase Order and inventory entry/maintenance. It will initially pay $10 to 11 an hour with room for overtime (40+ hours a week) and benefits after one year.
If you know of anyone interested, would you please forward this email to them. I will probably start them after I return from a vacation in mid August.

Mark
William Glen

Lcated in Sacramento, Ca. William Glenn is a high end gift store. The store sells beautiful one-of-kind items that accentuate their customer's homes. Take a look at their website located at http://www.williamglen.com/.

Consumer Reports: PC Cillin

BHD uses only the best! PC Cillin is rated number 1 by Consumer Reports!

"The Consumer Reports tests found that Tend Micro PC-cillin 2004 and Norton AntiVirus 2004 9.0 are good choices for consumers looking for full-featured, easy-to-use antivirus programs."

THE BHD NEWSLETTER RETURNS!!

Due to popular demand the BHD newsletter will be returning quarterly!

Sage BusinessWorks July Promotions

Network Extensions 50% Off
Purchase additional Network Extensions now and receive 50% off. Offer expires August 31, 2006.
Network Extensions Standard Price Special Price
Workgroup 1 User Extension 995.00 497.50
Workgroup 3 User Extension 1,995.00 997.50
Client/Server 1 User Extension 595.00 297.50
Client/Server 5 User Extension 1,495.00 747.50
Client/Server 10 User Extension 2,695.00 1,347.50

Sage BusinessWorks Upgrade Promotion
Customers who upgrade to Sage BusinessWorks v6.0 before September 29, 2006, will receive a discount off the price of the upgrade.
Discount does not apply to the Client Care portion of the order.
Customers who spend $1,200.00 will receive 10% off of the upgrade portion.
Customers who spend $1,500.00 will receive 15% off of the upgrade portion.
Customers who spend $2,000.00 will receive 20% off of the upgrade portion.

PLEASE NOTE: This discount does not apply to the license fee for Client Server editions
All customers upgrading to Sage BusinessWorks v6.0 are required to purchase a ClientCare plan with the upgrade.

How to do a Sales Return issuing a Check

If a customer come in and does a return and needs to get a check back you cannot tender the return as check. It messes up accounting since you cannot write checks out of RPro. So, here's the best method:

1) Tender the Return as Store Credit
2) Write check out of accounting allocated against Store Credit Adjustments
3) Edit the customer Record to reduce the available Store Credit by the amount of the check written.

This offers the best audit trail between RPro and Accounting to track the return and the check issued.

International tenders and the Acctlink

International Tenders are read through the Acctlink as Cash only. Therefore, if you are trying to setup additional tenders like PayPal, ShopTronic, Etc and the client wants specific mapping with the Acctlink, then you cannot use International Tenders. You must use the additional unused Credit Cards or the COD tender.

Tech and Training Lead Times

Training:
Phone appts starting 7/17
Onsites starting 8/3

Tech:
Phone appts available next week (then not again until 7/17)
Onsites starting 8/7 (there are a few days available in july but not in a row)

*Dates may change pending DNC cancellations

duplicate customer bug

bug details:Steps to reproduce: Turn on the prevent duplicate customers switch in system prefs, First enter customer Paula Jones and save Second create customer Paul Jones (paul gets flagged as the duplicate customer) this happend with the client with michaelanne Kane (1st cust entered) andmichael kane (2nd) Order matters in this bug in my testing if I entered Paul or Michael first andthen entered Paula or Michaelanne it accepts it. it is ignoring the characters of the name. I gave the work around of either turning off the system pref or making each cusomter name different with a space and the middle initialanswer book and blogged

ws100 run the master WS

Recently we have experienced ws100 process in and out giving RUN THE MASTER WS messages. If you run process in and out from a WS number other that 100 it works. I spoke to RTI and this is the solution.Delete the ws 100 folder. Then you need to run the KEY on WS1 (this part is important if not run from WS 1 this will not work) Jog the dates and apply the dates make sure you apply the date on today. then from the run command type in (your path to RPRO) IE R:retail8\rpro\rprodb.exe ws:100this will fix the issue. Just remaking the WS 100 folder will not fix it unless you do all of the above steps.

polling not working from scheduler

check the last run time. this is the second time I ahve seen this. if the last run is in the future. lets say today is 6/13/06 but the last run for the exchange process in and out tasks say last run 6/31/06 it will not trigger the tasks to run, even though the next run dates say 6/14/06 it willn not run. Manually run the tasks from the scheduler then the last run date will be set for today and then it works.
what casues this? usually people are messing arouund with the clock in windows and the jobs get triggered to run.
in answer book and blogged

force auth and charge backs on credit cards

just got off the phone with a client they force authorized a charge back in december and just put ** as the auth number. it went through. but last week amex charged her back the money on the card becasue it was not properly authorized. they should have called the processor and recieved a force auth code.
FYI

Employees getting deleted when going into system prefs (SECADMIN)

if you have people that keep getting delted after you enter them in secadmin when going into system prefs check the nickname. if there is a space after the last character it does not match the employee in system prefs with out a blank space at the end. A blank space is a valid character so they dont match. delete the blank space after the nickname and then reinitilize and that will fix it.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FREE WEBINAR

Last night's online training hosted by BHD Trainer Colt was another blazing success. Ten companies signed on for FREE online training. Log onto the BHD website and review upcoming trainings. The online trainings are great for staff who are in need of refresher training or managers who require further training on specific areas of the system. It's free and you can train in your underwear! What's not to love?

BHD Training Staff

Training:
Phone appts starting 6/19
Onsites starting 7/6

Tech:
Phone appts starting 6/12
Onsites starting 6/26

Training and Tech Lead Times

Training:
Phone appts starting 6/19
*colt has some 6/7-6/9 from dnc cancellation
Onsites starting 6/26

TECH:
Phone appts starting 6/7
Onsites starting 6/7

Tech and Training Lead Times

TRAINING:
Phone appts starting 6/16
ONSITES starting 6/21
**Tanya has some cancelations 6/1-6/2

TECH:
Phone appts starting 6/9
ONSITES starting 6/12

Batch credit cards with in 48 hrs or PAY FEES!

Credit card processing problems. 2 of the stores were not batching out correctly they were just running the reports. then they would batch large amounts once and a while.
If you dont batch with in 48 hours of the charge you will incour "timeliness" charges
So not only should we make sure that people know If they dont batch they wont get the money but batch late and get charged!!!

Tech and Training Lead Times

Training:
Phone appts starting 6/8
Onsites starting 6/20

Tech:
Phone appts starting 6/1
Onsites starting 6/5

Reminder to BHD customers

RMA (Return to Manufacture)

BHD is the only company that provides a 24 hour replacement warranty on all of its hardware meaning you buy a component from BHD and it breaks, you get a replacement within 24 hours.

The 24 hour replacement warranty can extend up to two years, depending upon the component.

LOANER PROGRAM

After the warranty period, BHD will loan its customers a replacement component for 30 days, at which point, the customer can purchase the replacement or send it back. The loaner program is at no charge to the customer - with the exception of shipping cost.

3RD PARTY LOANER PROGRAM

Furthermore, BHD is the only company that will loan a customer a replacement component for a broken item which was purchased by a competitor.

As far as BHD staff knows, no other competitor matches these policies.

shift 4 timing out

a couple months ago shift4 upgraded all of their clients to UTGv2. i ran into a problem today where the netapi was still set to run in services. if they are both running then retail pro returns a timeout error. this is because it is confused on which one to run. disable netapi in services and it resolves the problem.

Freeing up hard drive space

If you need to free up c drive space on computers, besides the page file, check if hibernation is turned on.

The setting for hibernation is in control panel under power options. There is a tab at the top that says Hibernate. To turn it off, just uncheck the checkbox.

If it is, turn it off; you will free up space equal to their memory size, ie. if it is a 1 Gb memory pc, you will free 1 Gb space on the c drive

Tech and Training Lead Times

Training:
Phone appts starting 5/22
Onsites starting 6/8


Tech:
Phone appts starting 5/8
Onsites starting 5/17

Don't hesitate to contact me

For the first time, since the birth of their twins (6 years ago), BHD bosses Mick and Sandy Malaney are heading for Hawaii, or WiWi, as coined by the Malaney's youngest. Customers can contact them anytime via Mick's private cell number: 916-803-3939. Mick looks forward to strapping his 5-month-old son onto his back while sitting by a kiddie pool for the next 8 days. In fact, Mick would look forward to hearing from customers while sittting by the kiddie pool for the next 8 days. Mahalo

Don't hesitate to contact me

For the first time, since the birth of their twins (6 years ago), BHD bosses Mick and Sandy Malaney are heading for Hawaii, or WiWi, as coined by the Malaney's youngest. Customers can contact them anytime via Mick's private cell number: 916-803-3939. Mick looks forward to strapping his 5-month-old son onto his back while sitting by a kiddie pool for the next 8 days. In fact, Mick would look forward to hearing from customers while sittting by the kiddie pool for the next 8 days. Mahalo

Tech and Training Lead Times...

Training:
Phone appts starting 5/8
Onsites starting 6/6

Tech:
Phone appts starting 5/8
Onsites starting 5/12

Version 8.x Tags Print Squiggly for a Description Field

We've seen this a few times now, so it's worth posting.

Typically...if just one description field on a tag prints diagonally (left to right, top to bottom) the field is too long. Go into docdesigner, and adjust the field to be just a bit shorter. This seems to happen most commonly with split tags.

getting error 0x8009200D when running windows update

Give this a try and see if it solves the problem.........

Go to Start>Run and key in each of these commands, one at a time, clickingon OK or hitting ENTER after each command and then clicking on OK in theRegSvr32 dialogue box:
regsvr32 softpub.dll
regsvr32 mssip32.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll

Restart and see if you can now successfully use Windows Update site.

WINDOWS UPDATE BLUE SCREEN OR BAD RESOLUTION ON SCREEN

I just got off the 4th call today with either a blue screen of death or a screwy video settings. Solution:1) roll back the driver. (Device manager>display adaptors>right click on the display adaptor. choose properties on the driver tab choose roll back driver. reboot.
2) go to dells website under support solutions then put the PC serial number in the service tag field. go to downloads. download the driver install reboot should be OK

Tech and Training Lead Times....

Training:
Phone appts starting 5/10
Onsites starting 5/25

Tech:
Phone appts starting 5/9
Onsites starting 5/17

Windows XP - Blank Password

Allowing Network Access with Blank Passwords.

Although you can log in locally without a password, by default, WindowsXP Pro does not allow network users to access the computer without a password. Typically you will receive an Unknown error 31 if this is the case. To change this setting:

1. Run gpedit.msc
2. Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Options
3. Double click on Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console login only
4. Disable this option

Who is Jeff?

Jeff has been training customers on the use of Retail Pro for years. Here's a high school photo of Jeff.

On the road with BHD Trainer Jeff

BHD Trainer Jeff travels extensively for BHD. One of his customers is Yosemite National Park. Jeff took this picture in February while visiting the staff at Yosemite.

Go Blue!

The photo is not a post card. The pic was shot by BHD Trainer Jeff who with a number of BHD technical support staff are assisting Dodger personnel in upgrading the retail system at Dodger Stadium. BHD assists in the technical support of quite a few stadiums and arenas.

Who is she?

Customers want to see who they're talking too. Her name is Sarah and she answers your call when you are calling into BHD Tech Support.

REMINDER TO ALL CUSTOMERS

As frustrating as it is, California employment law requires that BHD full-time staff take their one hour lunch. That means, that the tech staff walk out the door together for one hour a day. The tech staff apologizes for the law. Frankly, they're happy working straight though which means somebody is always kicking them out the door. The lunch hour begins at noon till 1:00pm PST. We will have a technician posted during the lunch hour (he'll lunch from 1:00-2:00pm). But, tech response will slow down considerably during the noon-1:00pm PST time. Again, our apologies.

BHD Tech Staff

Technical Alert

Important Technical AdvisoryThe latest RetailPro 8.52 URC released on Friday, March 24th has been found to contain an out of date batch.exe executable. This file has since been updated and the updated URC has been re-released to the BP Website. It is highly recommended that if you have already downloaded the core released on Friday that you download the newly updated core posted today. Sorry for any inconveniences this may have caused. If you have any questions related to this re release please feel free to contact us here in support.

Thank you,
IP/RTI Support

Sage BusinessWorks Promotions

Customers who upgrade to Sage BusinessWorks v6.0 before June 30, 2006, will receive a $100.00 discount off the module price of the upgrade.
Discount does not apply to the Client Care portion of the order.
PLEASE NOTE: This discount does not apply to the license fee for Client Server editions
All customers upgrading to Sage BusinessWorks v6.0 are required to purchase a ClientCare plan with the upgrade.

Tech/Training Appointment Lead Times

Lead times for tech and training appointments as of March 29, 2006:

Training Appointments:
Phone appts starting 4/25
Onsites starting 4/25

Tech Appointments:
Phone appts starting 4/11
Onsites starting 4/14

Please call Carrie or Christina in the service department to schedule tech and training appointmetns.

Mick, writes...

It's Sunday night, I'm in the tub with my baby boy, Joe. I'm giving him a bath and we're playing with the bubbles when my cell phone rings. It's one of my customers. They had experienced a power outage and could not reconnect to their server. As, I'm explaining to her that I'll hunt down one of my techs, she interrupts me to ask if I was in a bathtub. Apparently, she heard my son splashing. I looked around for the hidden camera. I confirmed her suspicion. I explained to her that I was giving my newborn a bath. She apologized for calling but thought that BHD tech was available 24/7. I told her it was but that it didn't mean we were sitting at desks at 9:00pm on a Sunday night. BHD Tech Art called her ten minutes later and all was good. Prospective customers think it's hype when we make the claim that BHD "Breaks every rule to take care of its' customers." I thought this story, would illuminate prospective customers as to what the aforementioned credo means. BHD is a special company.

KPI troubleshooting

Apparently KPI since it is in inventory and is accessed by all PC's on the network needs to have the Borland database installed as well on every machine on the network. SO KPI requires start in and Borland on every machine.

Default designs get overwritten when installing program

please remind the client that any default reports and designs get overwritten. Trainers, Please remind them of this as well and tell them to make sure that they always copy the reports then make any tweaks they make to new reports or the changes will be lost.

Hotsync Program for Palm scanners cause cash drawer to not open

the palm software that allows you to hotsync with Retail pro "Caputres" the serial port. if you install this software on a POS it will cause any other device on that port not to work. exit out of the hotsync software and remove it from the startup under START>PROGRAMS>STARTUP

place a shortcut on the desktop and that will do it.

ISBN vs UPC barcodes on books

Clients selling books need to be aware that many books have multiple barcodes printed on them. Some publishers will include ISBN, UPC and EAN barcodes on the book cover. ONLY the UPC barcode should be scanned or meticulously entered by hand into the UPC field of Retail Pro. The UPC field is a special field which includes an algorithmic check digit.

Typically, if a book does include more than one barcode, they will be listed side-by-side. It is important in those cases for retailers to COVER the barcodes other than UPC when scanning items into inventory, or onto a document.

New Advanced Reporting Module Available - KPI

KPI (Key Performance Indicators)- priced at $400 PER Inventory. This is a new customization that was developed by M & M Enterprises. This module is for Retail Pro 8.40 and Above. M&M's KPI modification calculates the Key Performance Indicators for Items, Departments, Vendors and Styles.

KPI data is instantly available at the Retail Pro Main using buttons on the Inventory, Department and Vendor screens.

The M&M KPI modification will also generate KPI reports by month for all Items, Departments, Vendors or Styles. The modification displays and reports Average Daily Inventory, Quantity Sold, Sold P$, Sold Margin, Turn, GMROI, Stock/Sales Ratio and Sell Thru % on a monthly basis.

KPI data is calculated on a daily basis using the KPI Maintenance Utility.

BusinessWorks Licensing

there is a "workgroup" (WG) version which handles 1-4 licenses
there is a "Client/Server" (CS) version which handles 5-40 licenses.

Any user who says they want 4 licnese or more needs the C/S version in the interest of faster processing speed and it is designed for more processes running at the same time.

New Email Spam filter installed

We recently installed a new hardware firewall called a "Barracuda" to stop the vast majority of spam that's comming into this office. This will stop the malicious and vulger emails.

Like all spam filters, it is constantly learing what is spam and what isn't. The Barracuda is in the middle of this learning process right now, so some good emails will be blocked by it at first.

Please inform Christina in the SG with any email addresses that are being blocked by the new filter. She will start a simple spreadsheet of these email addresses so that they can be given to Rob to add to the "safe sender" list.

PRICE/COST Relationship Fields in PO Form Views Aren't Properly Reflected

It was discovered today and logged with RTI that in Retail Pro v8, when looking at a Purchase Order in FORM view, the price/cost relationship fields (Margin %, Markup %, or Coefficient) might not be properly reflected. If the PO P$ or PO C$ values are changed (as does happen when a vendor tells a retailer that their costs are going up) the price/cost relationship fields still reflect the INVENTORY price/cost relationship. A better picture of what is wrong is shown below.





Thankfully, the FORM view of vouchers does properly reflect the price/cost relationship of that specfic document. So, as long as retailers continue using the VOUCHER form view to gauge their price/cost relationship fields there won't be a system impact.

Meanwhile, RTI is testing this new discovery.

PINPADS AND SIGNATURE CAPTURE WITH NCR ALL-IN-ONE UNITS

you cannot use a pinpad and the NCR MCR reader simultaneously. they both run on OPOS drivers, and in retail pro there is only configuration for 1 OPOS MSR reader.

BOTTOM LINE: choose one or the other, you cannot have both.

PINPADS AND SIGNATURE CAPTURE UNITS WITH SHIFT 4

We have heard this question a few times recently..."can you use a keyboard or monitor mounted MSR and a pinpad with shift4 simultaneously on the same machine?" the answer is NO!

the pinpad is setup in the shift4 utg configuration. once you choose credit cards in retail pro it will give you the same window as you get in ppm or credit pro asking to swipe a card. the difference is that you have to click AUTHORIZE first, and that will send the signal to the pinpad to prompt for a card swipe, then the pin#. so even if you swipe the card before you click authorize (as we do with ppm and credit pro) this number is not recognized and gets overwritten when you click authorize and it sends a signal to the pinpad or signature capture unit.

BOTTOM LINE: choose one or the other, you cannot have both.

" is not a valid field entry

you get this error sometimes in presets. it has been logged as a bug with rti.

TO DUPLICATE. use presets to add an item to the receipt, then close presets, and on the receipt make the quantity for that item 0. then try to go back into presets and you get this error.
WORK AROUND: delete the items from the receipt, do not make the quantity 0. if the employee does not have rights to do this, the manager will have to over-ride.

OFFLINE MODE:

It is designed to be able to have the server be offline and have the WS continue running up sales.
I will synchronize 2 things back into the server once it is back on line: Sales Receipts and credit Card Approvals. NOTHING ELSE will synchronize into the real data (not customers, vouchers, etc...).
It is meant for short term use - an offline mode will expire at the main once the licensing window expires (remotes run indefinitely).
It does this by making 2 complete copies of RPRO. First and ALTERNATE DATA RESOURCE and then a LOCAL DATA RESOURCE on each machine that will run offline mode. This requires that each machine have enough hard drive space to save a complete copy of the whole Retail8 folder. For some large clients that will not be possible.
The data is updated each night using the scheduler. If the update does not happen, there is a built in reminder that will ware the end user that the update has not happened and the update can be done manually.

New Release for IPMS

IRVINE, CA, February 9, 2006: Island Pacific, Inc. (IPIN.PK) a global leader in retail industry Point of Sale/Store Operations, Planning, Merchandising and Multi-channel software solutions is proud to announce the release and general availability of IPMS Version 3.1. This highly anticipated version of Island Pacific's Merchandising System (IPMS) software has been successfully implemented with launch customer Bentley Leathers of Canada.

unable to over tender credit cards

spoke with Al at fiddlers green again about the store credit issue. we tried it multiple times, you can not overtender credit cards in 8.52 because credit card companys charge a different rate (21% per day) for cash advances rather that regular purchaces (6% APR). this is why over tendering credit cards is not allowed. so what all used to do in old versions is ring the 3 items and then overtender the credit card and then give back store credit. Since Overtendering the credit card is no longer allowed this does not work. if you ring the items and then try to ring -100 for the SC the SC is not available if you have the check SC option in system prefs beacsue the balance on the invoice total is positive and it will not allow a 0 balance SC customer to use SC on this invoice. If you turn off the switch to check SC availabity then it works but now you have the issue of people using SC who do not have one. the answer to Als issue was to with no items on the invoice put the -100 and choose SC. since the balance of the invoice is 0 it will work and allow you to choose change SC 100 then choose the back button and list the items and then go back to tender and now the items are listed with the prepayment of SC.

error 429 in plugins

I came across this error with the UPS link at norcal in XP
429 error with other plugin and usually re-registering the RDA2.dll fix the problem registered worked fine
here was the detail of the issue
they are unable to import information back into RPRO they are getting an activeX control error. I have made screen shots and have attached the screen shots to the issue. they recieved a new UPS comptuer which is XP. world ship is now on that machine. the export from worldship to retail pro still works. but the import does not on the XP machine. the import does work on the 2000 machine it was originally setup on. I think it is a service pack issue on XP which is blocking the active X conrtolls just like what happend with ECI short and long description.

BHD Techs to appear at MAGIC

As the trade show season winds down, BHD techs have been busy helping Retail Pro users from around the country and abroad who have dropped in the BHD booth. This week, BHD Techs will be performing their free tech support at the Magic Show in Las Vegas. Stop by the BHD booth with your questions and expect to receive the #1 Retail Pro support available. The booth number can be found at http://www.bighairydog.com/tradeshows.htm.

BHD endorses Trophy Queen

Normally, you won't read about a hot young designer on the BHD blog. But, in an attempt to get her name and products out to interested merchants, BHD President Mick Malaney has allowed a posting for the Trophy Queen. Check her out at www.trophyqueen.com. Yes, that's Jenny Parker (the Trophy Queen) on her Indian! "I found Jenny after reading about her in a publication," says BHD President Mick Malaney. "I was looking for something unique for the Mrs. and after perusing her website, I called her." Today, Sandy Malaney proudly displays her original Trophy Queen "bowling" diaper bag. "Jenny's designs are as original and durable as anything I've seen," says Sandy Malaney. "We love her style too." Jenny's designs are available to interested merchants. If, you are seeking one-of-a-kind designer items for your clients, do not hesitate to give Jenny a call today. Her contact information is posted on her website.

report training on webinar a success

Last night, customers logged onto the new webinar training and learned about Retail Pro's reports section. Customers were shown how to create custom reports as well as intereprit the comprehensive list of standard reports. Senior Trainer Jeff Kenshol spent two hours manuvering customers through the reports training. Future webinars are listed at www.bighairydog.com.

New Customers Want To Use Webinar

Due, to the recent success of the BHD Webinars, new customers (those who are not trained on the use of Retail Pro, yet) want to take advantage of the webinar training. "The problem arises when new customers ask questions, that, well, new customers ask," states Senior Trainer Jeff Kenshol. "For that reason, we encourage veteran customers to utilize the webinar's "refresher-training-approach and steer our new customers to the individualized one-on-one training with their trainer. The webinar is designed for those who have used Retail Pro and are familiar with the screen shots. "Otherwise, a new customer will become startled and even confused to the extensive or advanced nature of the webinar," states Kenshol. "Once a customer is trained by a BHD trainer, the webinars will enhance their new found knowledge of Retail Pro."

Spyware Doctor

"Spyware Doctor" anti-spyware software will cause errors in Retail Pro. logging into rpro you get a message that the system date has changed, when they choose yes to apply the date to rpro, the message does not go away. if you click no and get an access violation.

turn off the spyware doctor and it works fine.

The following information was forwarded to BHD by Island Pacific. The information is intended for Retail Pro resellers use only. However, BHD desires to inform its customers, whenever possible, of the ongoing development of Retail Pro. It's important that BHD customers have confidence in knowing that Retail Pro is in continous development. Therefore, please read the following for informational use only.

9.1 Pre-Beta Evaluation Release Now AvailableThe long awaited release of 9 series point of sale is nearly here!
The upcoming beta release of Retail Pror 9.1, which will include full point-of-sale functionality, is eagerly anticipated by the Island Pacific/Retail Pror Business Partner network. To give the network an early look at the product, we are pleased to be making a pre-beta evaluation version of Retail Pror 9.1 available.
This pre-beta evaluation version will help the Island Pacific/Retail Pror Business Partner network become familiar with all the features that are available in Retail Pror 9.1. We welcome you to try the software in your testing labs and give us your feedback and insights.
Limitations
Please keep in mind that this is a pre-beta release. This pre-beta release contains all of the basic functionality that will be included in the final beta release; however, it does have the following limitations:
· Performance optimization has not been done, so some actions may take longer than they will in the final beta version.
· Hardware support is not available for all hardware devices
· Electronic funds transfer (EFT) is not available.
Restrictions
This pre-beta release is for INTERNAL EVALUATION BY BUSINESS PARTNERS ONLY! This release is NOT intended for end users. DO NOT under any circumstances install this product or any part of it at an end user's business or job site.
Please note that we will not require an un-install and reinstall of the product for any of the beta sites that are currently on version 9. These sites can be upgraded under the direction of the beta management team.
As with previous versions of Retail Pror 9 Series, you must update your Enterprise Communication Manager (ECM) installations at each BTF or Oracle station that will be communicating data with this 9 Series installation. (There is no 9.0 to 9.1 inter-version communication supported.)

IN NEED OF PT UNITS

No matter how many portable data collectors BHD purchases it's never enough. During January and Feburary the units are rented out. During the first quater of each year BHD puts the word out to customers who have completed their physicals and want to make some money renting out their units. The policy is simple: the customers contact each other and work out the rental fees. If the customer using the units breaks one, they pay to have it fix. Customers who are interested can contact BHD Service Group: 800-377-7776. The ladies will give you the BHD rental rates, contact info. and answer any questions.

BHD Upgrades T-1

On Tuesday January 31, BHD staff is updating the company's T-1 line. Customers and everyone else should be aware that disaster looms. "Murphy's law is in full combat mode whenever we do internal work on the office," jokes BHD VP Rob McGormley. The upgrade will provide faster routing for data and voice lines.

SHIFT4 USING PINPADS OR SIGNATURE CAPTURE DEVICES

Shift4 has informed BHD that they do not support using USB to Serial adapters to plug in pinpads or signature capture devices. According to Jarrod, a senior technician for Shift4, they have had problems in the past with the UTG not recognizing the device properly, and sometimes dropping the connection. We have had possitive experiences with this setup in the past, but due to the concerns expressed by Shift4, we are no longer going to setup these devices on a USB adapter. INSTEAD, if there are no available com port on the machine, we will move a device that is using one of those com ports, and set it up on the adapter. This will allow us to plug in the pinpad or signature capture device directly to the com port.

AntiSpyware and RealVNC

If you have RealVNC installed (most BHD customers do) and you elect to run an AntiSpyware program, be aware that RealVNC may be detected as Spyware. When the AntiSpyware finds the program, the user will typically have the following options:

Ignore

Quarantine

Remove

Always Ignore

Obviously, since RealVNC is one of the primary troubleshooting tools used by BHD, choose "Always Ignore"

Samsung/Bixolon SRP-350 Printers

Big Hairy Dog has been selling Samsung SRP-350 receipt printers for quite some time. Our latest shipment of SRP-350's are now labeled as Bixolon brand printers. These are, in fact, the same printers, previously labeled as Samsung. From Bixolon.com, "Bixolon is a reletively new EPOS printer division of Samsung created in January 2003 as an independent company to accomplish faster and more focused business evolution."

There is no difference between these new printers and the ones we have been using for the past few years. Bixolon has been working with Samsung the entire time, but now they are putting the name on the product.

NCR Units and the External CD

it takes about 10 minutes, but if the NCR is not recognizing the external CD-RW, I was able to convince it to do so by the following:

Updated all four of the USB controllers with the USB2 (zip) file (ftp://username:password@216.20.227.101)
Then I "rolled back" all of the updates to the previous version.

Paymentech gets an upgrade

Beginning next week, Paymentech processing will get a much-needed upgrade from its current dial up to broadband. Customers using Paymentech will be able to upgrade to the broadband solution. Assuming a customer has DSL, or other broadband solutions in the store, they will be able to upgrade their credit card processing to the faster broadband. Retail Technologies International, Retail Dimensions and Big Hairy Dog are working to upgrade the processing to broadband, as well as, make corrections to the gift card features associated with Paymentech. "We want to offer our customers the latest technology in processing," states BHD President Mick Malaney. "Working together with RTI and Paymentech, we can move our customers from dial-up to a much faster solution." Malaney would not confirm a release date, but anticipates a general release to customers within the next month, or so. "BHD is participating in the financing of the programming with an expectation to bring the broadband and gift card features to our customers very soon. It is the first time RTI has worked with a reseller in financing improvements for Retail Pro and its subsidieary products.

ITEM #0 Printing on Tags

As of the current Hotfix for Retail Pro version 8, you can go into Style View and enter a new item, then select PRINT TAGS before selecting SAVE at the top of the screen. Hitting Print Tags before Save doesn't seem like too big of a deal.

The result, though, is that tags print (appearing to be just fine) with the barcode of Item# 000000. That's bad. So, make sure that when you're entering items in Style View you select SAVE at the top before PRINT TAGS.

This issue has been logged with RTI.

online training

Last night, Jeff (BHD Trainer) led eight companies through a review of uploading physical data collectors. General questions were asked as Jeff demonstrated the steps to successfully uploading both PT and Pam units into Retail Pro including saving data and reporting.

Credit card encryption in 8.52

Due to new CISP credit card compliance in the 11/05 8.52 HF CC numbers are encrypted. even if you have the see card number rights in secadmin, it will still show XXXXXXX for the numbers. you need to add a button in menu designer called show card. when you click that if you have rights to see card it will decrypt the card number so you can see it.

NTI BACKUP NOW AND DRIVE DATABASE UPDATES

I worked with 3 clients this week that got new CD burners and thier old version of NTI didnt see the drive. if they are on verison 2 we also need to send them the update of the software to version 2.541. if you are on a verion before 2.541 it does not support the BDB file (drive data base update) so we need to send both files the software update and the BDB file.

Registering Older Versions of Retail Pro

Recently reported and confirmed by BHD. If you, for any reason, need to register Retail Pro version 8.4 or earlier, you must first install Acrobat Reader 4. Because these older versions of Retail Pro were released prior to the current version of Acrobat Reader (7.0.5), the registration form does not recognize these installs and cannot display the registration form. This issue does not affect more current versions of Retail Pro, such as 8.52.

PHYSICAL INVENTORY

Any questions regarding PI's Please download the PI instructions for your verison.
version 8 PI Download here: http://www.bighairydog.com/TECHDL/V8PI.doc
version 7 PI Download here:http://www.bighairydog.com/TECHDL/V7%20PI.doc

This is a internal conversation regarding 7 series PI:
Please be very clear when doing a 7 series PI press START> then IMMEDIATLY press SAVE. press Save after every download or every 10-15 minutes if entering manually.
Had a client not press save on thier start, since they didnt enter any manual counts they didnt save so thier start wasnt saved.
SO START>SAVE> SAVE EVERY 10 to 15 minutes

Reply:
I tell them to save after every download.
The big word I have them write on their notes is SAVE, SAVE, SAVE. I make sure they know they cant save ENOUGH

REPLY
that is great, but in this case they were told to save after every download or ever 15 minutes between manual entries. they were not using PT's so they were not doing downloads. they were told to save every 10 to 15 after manual entries, but they didnt do any manual entries into the PC they did it on count sheets to be entered at a later date, THUS THE POINT, START> THEN IMMEDIATLY SAVE. then it has nothing to do with when counts get entered. Start takes the picture and you save it, then if all the inventory gets counted when the store is closed they can enter the counts when ever since the begining quantites are saved correctly. this would also appy to RGIS. PRESS START AND SAVE when RGIS starts counting, when you get the disk doesnt matter the Begining Quantities are OK.
I am going to post this to the blog for clients as well.START>SAVE, save save save...