Hilltops IT Blog

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

2009-06-25T16:56:00.001+01:00

The Hilltops IT blog has moved here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/blog/

Please see the new site to receive up-to-date postings.

ACT: improved your calendar load speed

2009-06-19T15:00:00.002+01:00

Microsoft have a hotfix for Windows systems that will improve nearly any application that uses dates. Tests by Sage have found loading 16,000 Activities in ACT! by Sage contact manager reduced from 4 minutes to 9 seconds!!!

You can download and read more about the update here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/960417/en-us

Please post here to share experiences and verify improvements to your ACT! by Sage system (or other applications) speed.

Thanks.

CONNECTIT: Windows 7 compatibility

2009-06-18T21:17:00.003+01:00

Please find below some feedback we received regarding ConnectIT running on Windows 7 from one of our valued partner resellers - Matthew Rose from Quintadena

We’ve got two customers running Windows 7, company wide.

One of them are [ABC Widgets ltd], they’re also running ConnectIT.

Just for your awareness, we/Aspire can’t find a resolution for a PDF generator issue with Win7 builds before the Release Candidate.

Anything greater than build 7100 can use QW as normal - with a minor configuration setting change.

[ABC Widgets ltd] have never experienced any issues with running C-IT before/after Release Candidate.

If you have experience (positive or otherwise) of running ConnectIT on the Windows 7 operating system, then please post and/or email support@connectit-online.co.uk - your input will be truly valued.

QUOTEWERKS: Windows 7 compatibility

2009-06-18T21:11:00.005+01:00

Please find below some feedback we received regarding QuoteWerks & ConnectIT on Windows 7 from one of our valued partner resellers - Matthew Rose from Quintadena:

We’ve got two customers running Windows 7, company wide.

One of them are [ABC Widgets ltd], they’re also running ConnectIT.

Just for your awareness, we/Aspire can’t find a resolution for a PDF generator issue with Win7 builds before the Release Candidate.

Anything greater than build 7100 can use QW as normal - with a minor configuration setting change.

[ABC Widgets ltd] have never experienced any issues with running C-IT before/after Release Candidate.

If you have experience (positive or otherwise) of running QuoteWerks or ConnectIT on the Windows 7 operating system, then please post and/or email support@quotewerks.com or support@connectit-online.co.uk - your input will be truly valued.

MSCRM: upgrade 32-bit MSCRM 3.0 to 64-bit MSCRM 4.0

2009-06-15T13:56:00.005+01:00

Below are our notes from recently upgrading a clients 32-bit Small Business Server 2003 (SBS2003) with SQL Server 2000 to 64-bit Windows Server 2008 with SQL Server 2008. We hope that you find them useful.

As you may probably be aware - in the above situation, it is not possible to upgrade directly. MSCRM 3.0 is not supported on 64-bit Windows Server 2008 and MSCRM 4.0 is not supported on SQL Server 2000. So a transitional interim server is required. We set up a Virtual Machine with Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005 to act as the transitional server. Both MSCRM 3.0 and 4.0 are supported in a Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005 environment.

Before starting, you'll need to make sure that all prerequisites have been installed on the interim Windows Server 2003 and the new Windows Server 2008 machines. For details of the prerequisites, refer to the Microsoft CRM 3.0 Implementation Guide and Microsoft CRM 4.0 IG Planning document.

Also, please note that if the interim server has had MSCRM 4.0 installed on it previously (perhaps it was used for testing purposes?) then we recommend that you manually remove the Microsoft Dynamic CRM 4.0 server before starting. Just using Add/Remove programs does not remove all files and/or registry entries which can cause anomalous errors when upgrading.

In summary, these are the steps which we went through:

* Install the Microsoft CRM 3.0 Redeployment Wizard on the transitional server

* Redeploy the Microsoft CRM 3.0 installation from the SBSSVR 2003 box to the Windows Server 2003 - see Microsoft CRM 3.0 Redeployment guide

>> See this article if get the error "you cannot mix small business edition and professional edition license keys"

>> See this article if you get a warning "the specified database has a later version"

* Thoroughly test the new MSCRM 3.0 installation!

* Install MSCRM 4.0 as according to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM IG Installing document section 2-16

>> For more details on warnings and errors that you might get during the installation wizards final checks, then review the installation log here: C:\Documents and Settings\(user)\Application Data\Microsoft\Mscrm\Logs\Crm40svrsetup.log

>> See the article here is you get warning messages about "word breaker for language 9999 is not installed"

>> See the article here if you get an error that "The full-text indexes on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database are not consistent with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 full-text indexes"

>> See the here article if you have been using the unsupported currentUserHasRole to control field access.

* Thoroughly test the interim MSCRM 4.0 installation!

>> See the article here if "custom ISV Config menu options do not show".

* Redeploy MSCRM 4.0 to the 64-bit Windows Server 2008 / SQL Server 2008 environment as according to the Microsoft "How to move the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 deployment" Knowledgebase article.

>> See the article here if, when installing MSCRM 4.0, you get the error "the instance name must be the same as the computer name" from the Microsoft SQL Server System Requirements check.
>> Note that the final step to change the Organization in the Deployment Manager does take a while to execute at the stage where you can "Auto-map users" (or at least it did for us!). To speed up the process, then assuming that the old and new servers are on the same domain, then you can just "Keep existing" which is significantly quicker.

* Thoroughly test the final MSCRM 4.0 installation!

>> See the article here if "custom ISV Config menu options do not show".

We hope that this article has helped! Please comment to add any further tips and links that might be useful to people upgrading to MSCRM 4.0.

For more Microsoft Dynamics CRM resources and more including applications such as QuoteWerks, ACT! by Sage, plus software and website development tips, then please see the Hilltops IT website.

MSCRM: CRM 4.0 install starts then crashes, Managed Setup exited with code -532459699

2009-06-13T18:27:00.007+01:00

When running the ServerSetup.exe a screen appears initially, but then the installation crashes fata error.

In the C:\Documents and Settings\(user)\Application Data\Microsoft\Mscrm\Logs\Crm40svrsetup.log installation log file is the message:
"Managed Setup exited with code -532459699"

In the C:\Documents and Settings\(user)\Application Data\Microsoft\Mscrm\Logs\crm40setup.log installation log file is the message:
"Microsoft Dynamics CRM is already installed."

Complete log file entries look like this:

crm40svrsetup.log

18:02:39 Info === Setup bootstrap logging started 13/06/2009 18:02:39 ===
18:02:39 Info Bootstrap version: 4.0.7333.3.
18:02:39 Info User: administrator.
18:02:39 Info === Setup bootstrap logging ended 13/06/2009 18:02:39 ===
18:02:40 Info === Setup bootstrap logging started 13/06/2009 18:02:40 ===
18:02:40 Info Bootstrap version: 4.0.7333.3.
18:02:40 Info User: administrator.
18:02:41 Info .NET version found is 3.0.30618.0
18:02:41 Info IsDotNetInstalled=1
18:02:41 Info IsDrWatsonInstalled=1
18:02:41 Info MSXML found is 6.20.1099
18:02:41 Info IsMsXmlInstalled=1
18:02:41 Info Installer path for Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime set to D:\Redist\amd64\VcRedist\vcredist_x64.exe
18:02:41 Info IsReportViewerControlInstalled=1
18:02:41 Info Sql Native Client version found is 9.0.3042
18:02:41 Info IsSqlNativeClientInstalled=1
18:02:41 Info Installing Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime
18:02:43 Info Installation of Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime has completed. Exit code: 0. Result: Version installed: 8.0
18:02:43 Info === Setup bootstrap logging ended 13/06/2009 18:02:43 ===
18:02:46 Info === Setup bootstrap logging started 13/06/2009 18:02:46 ===
18:02:46 Info Bootstrap version: 4.0.7333.3.
18:02:46 Info User: administrator.
18:02:46 Info Managed Setup exited with code -532459699.
18:02:46 Info === Setup bootstrap logging ended 13/06/2009 18:02:46 ===

crm40setup.log

18:02:38 Info === Setup bootstrap logging started 13/06/2009 18:02:38 ===
18:02:38 Info Bootstrap version: 4.0.7333.3.
18:02:38 Info User: administrator.
18:02:38 Info Invoked with command line: setupserver /InstallAlways
18:02:39 Info Running D:\Server\amd64\SetupServer.exe
18:02:39 Info Loading bootstrap library D:\Server\amd64\ServerSetup.dll
18:02:39 Info Microsoft Dynamics CRM is already installed.
18:02:39 Info Closing bootstrap library D:\Server\amd64\ServerSetup.dll
18:02:39 Info Copying installer files to local directory:
18:02:39 Info Package: D:\Server\amd64\Server.msi, Options: REINSTALL="Installer" REINSTALLMODE=vo INSTALLDIR="C:\Users\ADMINI~1.DYN\AppData\Local\Temp\2\MSCRM_{03A7A017-659A-4914-8400-3EC097D33A22}" TARGETDIR="C:\Users\ADMINI~1.DYN\AppData\Local\Temp\2\MSCRM_{03A7A017-659A-4914-8400-3EC097D33A22}" ALLOWRUN=1
18:02:40 Info Loading bootstrap library C:\Users\ADMINI~1.DYN\AppData\Local\Temp\2\MSCRM_{03A7A017-659A-4914-8400-3EC097D33A22}\ServerSetup.dll
18:02:46 Info Closing bootstrap library C:\Users\ADMINI~1.DYN\AppData\Local\Temp\2\MSCRM_{03A7A017-659A-4914-8400-3EC097D33A22}\ServerSetup.dll
18:02:46 Info === Setup bootstrap logging ended 13/06/2009 18:02:46 ===

Even though Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 may not appear on the Add/Remove Programs list, some files or registry entries may have been completely removed. We recommend that you go the setps in the How to anually remove the Microsoft Dynamic CRM 4.0 Microsoft Knowledgebase article to ensure that a previous installation has been completely removed.

MSCRM: Installing - the instance name must be the same as the computer name

2009-06-13T14:48:00.002+01:00

When installing Microsoft Dynamics CRM MSCRM 4.0 you get the error "the instance name must be the same as the computer name" from the installation wizard Microsoft SQL Server System Requirements check.

This may be because 1) the server name has been changed since SQL Server was installed, or 2) you are running a 64-bit or Windows Server 2008 environment.

Note that in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 "Help", it may state that only SQL Server 2005 is supported. This is not the case; for more information please see the Microsoft Knowledgebase article "Support for running Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 together with Microsoft SQL Server 2008".

To check if the server name has been changed since SQL Server was installed, open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and run the following query:
SELECT * FROM sys.servers

If the current server name is not listed, then use the following procedures to correct the issue:
Execute sp_dropserver <OldServerName>
Execute sp_addserver <NewServerName>, local

If you are running a 64-bit or Windows Server 2008 environment, then check that Named Pipes have been enabled in the SQL Server Network Configuration (Start menu All Programs Microsoft SQL Server Configuration Tools SQL Server Configuration Manager expand SQL Server Network Configuration highlight Protocols for <SQLInstanceName> Enable Named Pipes.

MSCRM: the specified database has a later version

2009-06-13T13:50:00.002+01:00

Upgrading or redeploying your Microsoft Dynamics CRM (MSCRM) 3.0 installation, you get the error: "the specified database has a later version" in the final checks of the installation wizard.

This is a warning only, so the wizard will allow you to continue. To remove the error though, you can update the Build Number field in the MSCRM Build Version table:

UPDATE BuildVersion SET Revision = 0 WHERE BuildNumber = 5300

MSCRM: you cannot mix small business edition and professional edition license keys

2009-06-13T13:46:00.003+01:00

Upgrading or redeploying your Microsoft Dynamics CRM (MSCRM) 3.0 installation, you get the error: "you cannot mix small business edition and professional edition license keys" in the final checks of the installation wizard.

Try deleting all the rows from the MSCRM License table:

DELETE FROM MY_Organisation_MSCRM.dbo.License

GOGLOBAL: update that adds support for Windows Update KB968537

2009-06-12T08:39:00.003+01:00

Hilltops IT is pleased to announce the availability of the Compatibility Update that adds support to GO-Global for:

Windows 3.1.1 for Windows Update KB968537 on Windows Server 2003 (SP1 and SP2),
Windows XP (SP2 and SP3), and
Windows 2000-SP4.

The update can be downloaded from GraphOn at the following location:

ftp://ftp.graphon.com
username: ggw-updates
password: 1Kc3waJtw

or alternately,

ftp://ggw-updates:1Kc3waJtw@ftp.graphon.com

File name is: CompatibilityUpdate3.1.1_Jun11_2009.exe

GO-Global for Windows 3.1.1.3544 is a prerequisite for the 3.1.1 Compatibility Update.

Please go to this link to get the list of supported Windows updates:

http://www.graphon.com/support/Windows_Updates_Summary.htm

MSCRM: testing a User's Role (CRM 4.0 only)

2009-06-11T15:19:00.004+01:00

Code required to test whether the logged in user to Microsoft CRM has a particular role:

function currentUserHasRole(roleName)
{
//get Current User Roles
var oXml = GetCurrentUserRoles();

if(oXml != null)
{
//get list of role names
var roles = oXml.selectNodes("//BusinessEntity/q1:name");

if(roles != null)
{
for( i = 0; i < roles.length; i++)
{
if(roles[i].text == roleName)
{
//return true if user has this role
return true;
}
}
}

}
//not found, return false
return false;

}

function GetCurrentUserRoles()
{
var xml = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>" +
"<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap=\"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/\" xmlns:xsi=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance\" xmlns:xsd=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\">" +
GenerateAuthenticationHeader() +
" <soap:Body>" +
" <RetrieveMultiple xmlns=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/crm/2007/WebServices\">" +
" <query xmlns:q1=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/crm/2006/Query\" xsi:type=\"q1:QueryExpression\">" +
" <q1:EntityName>role</q1:EntityName>" +
" <q1:ColumnSet xsi:type=\"q1:ColumnSet\">" +
" <q1:Attributes>" +
" <q1:Attribute>name</q1:Attribute>" +
" </q1:Attributes>" +
" </q1:ColumnSet>" +
" <q1:Distinct>false</q1:Distinct>" +
" <q1:LinkEntities>" +
" <q1:LinkEntity>" +
" <q1:LinkFromAttributeName>roleid</q1:LinkFromAttributeName>" +
" <q1:LinkFromEntityName>role</q1:LinkFromEntityName>" +
" <q1:LinkToEntityName>systemuserroles</q1:LinkToEntityName>" +
" <q1:LinkToAttributeName>roleid</q1:LinkToAttributeName>" +
" <q1:JoinOperator>Inner</q1:JoinOperator>" +
" <q1:LinkEntities>" +
" <q1:LinkEntity>" +
" <q1:LinkFromAttributeName>systemuserid</q1:LinkFromAttributeName>" +
" <q1:LinkFromEntityName>systemuserroles</q1:LinkFromEntityName>" +
" <q1:LinkToEntityName>systemuser</q1:LinkToEntityName>" +
" <q1:LinkToAttributeName>systemuserid</q1:LinkToAttributeName>" +
" <q1:JoinOperator>Inner</q1:JoinOperator>" +
" <q1:LinkCriteria>" +
" <q1:FilterOperator>And</q1:FilterOperator>" +
" <q1:Conditions>" +
" <q1:Condition>" +
" <q1:AttributeName>systemuserid</q1:AttributeName>" +
" <q1:Operator>EqualUserId</q1:Operator>" +
" </q1:Condition>" +
" </q1:Conditions>" +
" </q1:LinkCriteria>" +
" </q1:LinkEntity>" +
" </q1:LinkEntities>" +
" </q1:LinkEntity>" +
" </q1:LinkEntities>" +
" </query>" +
" </RetrieveMultiple>" +
" </soap:Body>" +
"</soap:Envelope>";

var xmlHttpRequest = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
xmlHttpRequest.Open("POST", "/mscrmservices/2007/CrmService.asmx", false);
xmlHttpRequest.setRequestHeader("SOAPAction"," http://schemas.microsoft.com/crm/2007/WebServices/RetrieveMultiple");
xmlHttpRequest.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "text/xml; charset=utf-8");
xmlHttpRequest.setRequestHeader("Content-Length", xml.length);
xmlHttpRequest.send(xml);

var resultXml = xmlHttpRequest.responseXML;
return(resultXml);

}

The code need to be placed at the top of any Form Event where you want to use the function. the function can then simply be called as follows:

if(currentUserHasRole(‘Salesperson')){
//do this stuff
}else{
//do other stuff
}

We hope this helps anyone getting to grips with java script coding in MSCRM 4.0!

Please post any thoughts or improvements that you have to this.

Thanks, Hilltops IT

MSCRM: testing a User's Role (CRM 3.0 only)

2009-06-11T15:03:00.004+01:00

This is quite an old tip now, on several blogs and forums, but we'd thought we'd repeat it here to keep it with the updated code for MSCRM 4.0 (see next post). The code below needs to be put in either the global.js file (by default located here C:\Program Files\Microsoft CRM\CRMWeb\_common\scripts\) of in the top of each Form event where you need to call the function. It's then just a case of calling the following in the Form Event:

if(currentUserHasRole(‘System Administrator’)){
//do this stuff
}else{
//do other stuff
}

Note that putting the code in the global.js is a risky strategy as if a patch or update is installed, then the changes may be lost. It does save copy/pasting into each and every Event; the choice is yours!

Java script code to test whether a User has a particular Role:

function getUserId()
{
try
{
var command = new RemoteCommand("SystemUser", "WhoAmI", "/MSCRMServices/");
var oResult = command.Execute();

if (oResult.Success)
{
return oResult.ReturnValue.UserId;
}
}
catch(e)
{
alert("Error while retrieving userid.");
}
return null;
}

function getUserRoles(userId)
{
try
{
var command = new RemoteCommand("UserManager", "GetUserRoles");
command.SetParameter("userIds", "<guid>" + userId + "</guid>");

var oResult = command.Execute();

if (oResult.Success)
{
return oResult.ReturnValue;
}
}
catch(e)
{
alert("Error while retrieving roles.");
}
return null;
}

function userHasRole(userId, roleName)
{
result = getUserRoles(userId);
if (result != null)
{
var oXml = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM");
oXml.resolveExternals = false;
oXml.async = false;
oXml.loadXML(result);

roleNode = oXml.selectSingleNode("/roles/role[name='" + roleName + "']");
if (roleNode != null)
{
if (roleNode.selectSingleNode("roleid[@checked='true']") != null)
return true;
}
}
return false;
}

function currentUserHasRole(roleName)
{
userId = getUserId();
return userHasRole(userId, roleName);
}

QUOTEWERKS: QuoteWerks v4.0 build 47 released

2009-06-10T18:07:00.000+01:00

QuoteWerks v4.0 build 47 released; details of new features and fixes below.

Free evaluation available for download here.

New Features

1. Added support for SugarCRM (versions 5.1 and 5.2) open source web based contact management software ( www.sugarcrm.com ). The integration includes: a) SugarCRM can be searched to find Contacts or Accounts to pull into the quote. b) QuoteWerks will create/update a linked document (as a SugarCRM note attachment). c) QuoteWerks will create/update a follow up call (as a SugarCRM Call). d) QuoteWerks will create/update a Sales Opportunity (as a SugarCRM Opportunity). e) The QuoteWerks DataLink feature can be used with SugarCRM enabling you to retrieve information like Terms and shipping method from the SugarCRM Contact or Account into the quote. f) When printing, QuoteWerks can retrieve Contact or Account data from SugarCRM and include it in the printed output. g) SugarCRM Contact and Account data can be retrieved using the F2 Lookup macro of ~SugarCRM_Macro().

2. Online Ordering module can place online orders with D & H (USA and Canada) from within QuoteWerks (requires Real-time and Online Ordering modules). Order items from a single order, or combine items from multiple QuoteWerks orders into a single D & H order. This will save you the time and hassle of calling your D & H sales rep and reading each part number, quantity, and price to him/her. Another benefit is that the order date and D & H sales order number will automatically be stored with your QuoteWerks order for reference. When placing D & H online orders electronically through QuoteWerks, there is an option that will let you place the order on hold. This will afford you an opportunity to review the order with your distributor rep and negotiate pricing without the time consuming process of reading to your sales rep all the part numbers, quantities, ship to location, etc. No more calling your distributor sales rep only to reach voice mail (understandable - sales reps can't be on the phone with more than one customer at a time) and then have to remember try again later in the day to place the order - or wait for a call back! This is truly the best of both worlds - automation with sales rep service!

3. Added Real-time Pricing & Availability support for D&H Canada.

4. Real-time Pricing and Availability is now available for IT distributor BlueStar ( www.bluestarinc.com ).

5. GoldMine 8.5 (Premium Edition) is now supported!

6. Peachtree 2010 is now supported!

7. Added support for linking to Microsoft Access 2007 databases as a Product Data Source.

8. Added Misc Access right CannotModifyLiterature, this is useful in preventing users from modifying these files from the Literature tab on the Print window.

9. Added Misc Access right CannotModifySpecSheets, this is useful in preventing users from modifying these files from the Spec Sheets tab on the Print window, and also on the Advanced tab of the Edit Product window.

10. Added Misc Access right CannotModifyFieldValue:DH_DocStatus.

11. Formula based line items can now references prices in group header line items.

12. Added Edit Append Paste menu.

13. Added support for setting the Document default values for CustomText13 - 20 through the SITE.INI file. Under the [Defaults] section of the SITE.INI file, you can set ini keys (for example) of CustomText13=my default.

14. On the Lookup Contact window the [Select for Sold To], [Select for Ship To], and [Select for Bill To] buttons now display their customized labels instead of their hard coded names (if they have been customized).

15. On the Defaults tab of the QuickBooks Setup window, increased the size of the account dropdowns enabling you to fully see larger account names, and also added tooltip support for extremely long account names.

16. For QuickBooks users, on the Create QuickBooks Item the size of the account dropdowns has been increased, enabling you to fully see larger account names, and also added tooltip support for extremely long account names.

17. Updated the View Log file window to add support for shortcut keys CTRL-F for find and F3 for find next. Also the text to find will default to the text that is currently selected.

18. If an error occurs while submitting an online order a .log file containing the error details will be created with the same base file name as the online order xml response file.

19. With the improved implementation of the &SYS_InstallPath macro you do not have to setup Path Translations between the Master and Remote installations as long as the external files being synchronized are located under the \QuoteWerks installation folder of both the Master installation and the Remote Installation and both have the same relative path under the \QuoteWerks folder.

20. In SITE.INI file under the [Contact Managers] section added support for the following INI keys (With their default values specified) "SalesLogixOppStatusOpenValue=Open", "SalesLogixOppStatusClosedLostValue=Closed - Lost", "SalesLogixOppStatusClosedWonValue=Closed - Won". This is particularly useful for German or Non-English versions of SalesLogix.

21. For API users, added new DocFunctions.DocumentSaveAsNextRevision(byval bDeletePreviousRevision As Boolean) method.

22. For API users, when an unknown field is requested through the the DocFunctions.GetDocumentHeaderValue method, a message box will no longer be displayed (which would stop the API application). Instead an error code "$$$Error:002" will be returned.

23. On the File Insert Document window, the last selected operator is now memorized (per user), so the next time you open this window, it will be remembered.

24. On the QuoteWerks Contact Lookup window, the last selected operator is now memorized (per user), so the next time you open this window, it will be remembered.

25. For API users, added support for the macros "&ReadOnlyMode", "&ViewOnlyMode", "&NeverBeenSaved" available through the DocFunctions.GetDocumentHeaderValue method.

26. On the System tab of the HelpAbout menu, there is a new value of "Terminal Services Detected".

27. On the System tab of the HelpAbout menu, there is a new value of "UAC Enabled".

Misc Features

1. When the logged in user opens a document that the user has "View" rights to, but not "Modify" rights, "(View only)" will appear in the title bar, and all the fields on the tabs will be locked from manual input. Like before, any changes made to this open quote cannot be saved.

2. In preparation for Windows 7 support, Windows 7 is now detected. Windows 7 UTC (versus GMT) terminology is now supported.

3. Updated the Version Checker with the updated Codejock.ReportControl.v13.0.0.ocx file.

4. The D&H Real-time URL was updated.

Fixes

1. When synchronizing external data sources, the path macro &SYS_InstallPath was not being resolved.

2. The AfterContactSelection API event was firing if the user clicked on the [Select] button even if no contact was actually selected.

3. On the Tech Data and Ingram Micro subtab of the Real-time tab under the ToolsOptions menu, the Online Ordering [Setup] button would be enabled even if the Online Ordering Module was not present.

4. For Outlook BCM users, the last character of the OS logged in user name (used in the Outlook BCM opportunity) would sometimes be truncated.

5. For Outlook BCM users, when creating Outlook BCM opportunity, the Expiration date and Delivery date would sometimes default to "01/01/4501".

6. For Outlook BCM users, Follow up calls (Appointment entries) and Linked documents (Journal entries) would not display under the Communication History for the Business Contact or Account they were associated with.

7. If an external file was selected for synchronization, if no path translation was setup for between the master install and the remote install, an attempt would be made to copy the file on top of itself which would fail and also result in renaming the original file to a .bxx extension.

8. On the Product Lookup window when searching a native product database, and selecting the {NONE} item in the Folder drop down no results would be returned. Now, if you select the option, all products that have not been associated with a folder will be displayed in the results. Additionally, the blank entry has been replaced with the entry which is used to search for a product no matter which folder it is associated with.

9. For Corporate Edition installations rehosted to SQL, When importing a an xml file (formatted to QuoteWerks specifications) from the FileImport Document menu and the data for a field was longer than the length supported by QuoteWerks, an error would be displayed, and that record (the DocumentHeader record, or a DocumentItems record) would not be imported.

10. For API users, in the QuoteWerksBackend object, the Database.Recordset.GetValue method was returning empty values for date fields.

11. When trying to select/add an item using the Configurator by double-clicking the item and a picture was linked to that item and the picture was not found, the item would not be selected. The message box that displayed the file not found error would interfere with the double-click, so now this message can be viewed by hovering over the "Image not Found" image.

12. For Peachtree users using the Peachtree Customer list as the contact manager, after searching for a contact using the ContactsLookup menu, double-clicking on a contact would not select it.

13. Created a workaround for a bug in Peachtree. When updating the price of an existing Peachtree item in the Peachtree Items list, all 3 GL Accounts are reset to the Peachtree default GL Account values. The QuoteWerks workaround fix is to retrieve the existing GL Account values for the Peachtree item and then update these same GL Accounts in the Peachtree item whenever updating the Price of the Peachtree item.

14. For Outlook users, the introduction of the "Advanced Outlook Integration" feature set was accompanied by a requirement that the current contact being pulled into the quote must be located inside the same folder (or subfolder) as defined on the General Tab of the Outlook Integration Setup window. Users would receive an error message even though the "Advanced Integration" was not enabled.

15. If a document (for example AAAQ1001) was saved as a next revision (AAAQ1001-01), then the revision AAAQ1001-01 was deleted, and then the document AAAQ1001 was opened, and a save as next revision was performed on it, the document number for the new revision would be "AAAQ1001-" instead of "AAAQ1001-01".

16. When the API method FindAndCopyProductIntoSLIBuffer was called for an external product data source like QuickBooks or Peachtree, and they were not running, a message box would be displayed to that effect. This would interrupt the program execution of the external API application. Now, no message boxes are displayed if there is a problem with QuickBooks or Peachtree not running; essentially normal usage. However, if there is a configuration or setup issue, message boxes may still be displayed.

17. For ACT! 4.0, 2000/5.0, 6.0 users, when exporting to QuickBooks or Peachtree, the DocStatus field was being updated to reflect that the document was exported, but the DTF file associated with the document was not getting updated.

18. In the Paste Special Wizard, when selecting the "Start session using the settings of a template" option, and changing a column mapping, the data would be pasted into both the originally mapped field AND the currently mapped field. If this change was saved to the Paste Special Template, you will need to open the template and re-save it to fix this issue.

19. When selecting a Paste Special Template file in the Paste Special Wizard and the file was corrupt, the error would close QuoteWerks.

DEVELOPMENT: good software development practices

2009-06-08T17:47:00.002+01:00

Here's a list of 5 Good Programming Habits we picked up from Amy Bennett in her article at IT World:

The best trick I have is to type the sequences/use cases like a story before I write any code. The outline I create is read over and over, tweaking as I go." (Dan Douglas)
Solve small, individual problems (The rule of 'encapsulation'). If I try to make one part of my code do too much, then I've invited trouble. (Sean Devlin)
I like to write a routine first as pseudocode in comments, then translate the comments into source code. I find that this is a much faster method for me than writing the source code first. Any mistakes I make in the pseudocode are more easily fixed there than if I wrote the code first. As a bonus, I have accurate and useful comments when the routine is completed. (Jeffrey Henning)
Make improvements often -- even if they are small -- so you are always making some progress. (James Stauffer)
I make sure that I get a reasonable amount of sleep and that I come back to each piece of code/design/etc. after 'sleeping on it' so that I see/think about it from different angles and states of mind. This helps with everything. (John Mitchell)

Our "top tip" is to code defensively - always be thinking "what if?". We find this particularly useful and helpful because the code module or class we're writing for application "A" may well be used in application "B" at some point in the future. If the module or class hasn't been coded defensively to produce solid bug-free code, then this could mean a lot of re-writes for the developer on application "B".

Please share your thoughts and tips on how to produce great software development products.

CONNECTIT: now available for purchase through BT TradeSpace

2009-06-08T17:11:00.000+01:00

The ConnectIT range of products are now available for purchase through BT TradeSpace.

For more information on the ConnectIT suite and how they can help your business save hours of repetitive manual work, please see the ConnectIT websites here:

ConnectIT-Sage - QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Accounts and Sage Instant Accounts link
ConnectIT-MAS90 - QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 link
ConnectIT-MSCRM - QuoteWerks to Microsoft Dynamics CRM link
ConnectIT-Workflow - business process manager for QuoteWerks
ConnectIT-WebCart - website coming soon

Or contact your ConnectIT / QuoteWerks reseller.

MSCRM: custom ISV Config menu options do not show

2009-06-07T15:30:00.002+01:00

Custom ISV Config menu options do not appear in Microsoft Dynamics CRM MSCRM 4.0.

This may be following a new installation or following an upgrade from Microsoft Dynamics CRM MSCRM 3.0.

First check that the ISVIntegration key has been added to the <appsettings> group in the web.config file. the web.config file can be found in the Microsoft CRM www root folder. The details should read as follows:



<add value="Web" key="ISVIntegration">

Next make sure that the ISV Extensions option is selected for the appropriate User roles: see MSCRM 4.0 Settings Administration Security Roles open the appropriate Role Customization tab Miscellaneous Privileges group ISV Extensions option should be coloured green.

Finally make sure that the appropriate Clients have been selected in the System Settings Custom menus and toolbars option: see MSCRM 4.0 Settings Administration System Settings Customization tab Custom menus and toolbars option.

For more information on our Microsoft Dynamics CRM and software development services, please contact us on +44(0) 1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

MSCRM: full-text indexes on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database are not consistent

2009-06-06T14:30:00.004+01:00

Problem upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 to 4.0: when Microsoft Dynamics the setup wizard System Requirements runs the checks, the error "The full-text indexes on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database are not consistent with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 full-text indexes" appears. This is a fatal error which does not allow you to continue with the installation.

Checking in the setup log file here provided the following additional information.

C:\Documents and Settings\(user)\Application Data\Microsoft\Mscrm\Logs\Crm40svrsetup.log

06:12:42 Info The following full-text indexes are not consistent with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 full-text indexes:
06:12:42 Info tableowner: dbo
06:12:42 Info tablename: productbase
06:12:42 Info fulltextkeyindexname: cndx_primarykey_product
06:12:42 Error remark: modified full-text index
06:12:42 Error
06:12:42 Error The full-text indexes on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database are not consistent with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 full-text indexes.
06:12:42 Error Check SqlFullTextIndexValidator : Failure: The full-text indexes on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database are not consistent with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 full-text indexes.

WARNING
Several blog and forum postings will take you to this article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927226

Do not be tempted to remove the index!!! The error is stating that the full-text index has been modified, not added. Removing the index would not only remove the index and relationships from the Product table, but also makes changes to several other tables. Trying to run the installation check generates even more errors!!!

The cause of the error was found to be because a full-text catalog had been added to the ProductBase table. Removing the full-text catalog resolved the problem and re-running the setup wizard System Requirements checks run ok allowing you to continue with the upgrade.

For more information on our Microsoft Dynamics CRM and software development services, please contact us on +44(0) 1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

QUOTEWERKS: Security Settings on Product Databases

2009-06-05T13:15:00.001+01:00

From Aspire's QuoteWerks Tip of The Day series on the QuoteWerks 411 blog: Security Settings on Product Databases

How to place user restrictions on product databases. Many companies have a variety of products from a wide selection of vendors and would like to limit which sales reps have access to each vendor or product database. Read more.

For more information on QuoteWerks and our QuoteWerks consultancy, training and support services, please contact us on +44(0)1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

BLOG: Bing - a new search engine from Microsoft

2009-06-04T16:52:00.002+01:00

Microsoft launched a new search engine yesterday.

According to Microsoft: Bing offers richer, more organised results and an improved search experience, creating more satisfied users who use it more often. The benefit to you? Even more qualified leads to further grow your business online with the market’s highest-converting search engine.

We'll see how Bing fairs against Google's dominance of the search engine market.

For more information on our website design and development and search engine optimisation services, please give us a ring on +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

BLOG: Hilltops IT now on Twitter

2009-05-30T13:00:00.002+01:00

We've all seen the growth of interest in social networking websites such as Twitter for individuals and increasingly business' too. If you believe the hype, then Twitter is (or will be?) the next "killer app" to revolutionise our use of the internet and communication methods...

So, as a technology company that puts itself to the forefront of software and website development practices. we thought it about time we jumped on the bus!

You can view our tweets and follow the company twitterings here: http://twitter.com/HilltopsIT

The plan is to post strictly business updates on new products, services and development projects which Hilltops IT are involved in. We hope that existing and prospective customers alike will find it a useful way to keep up to date on how Hilltops IT can help their business.

Steve (Mr. Hilltops IT!) has also added his own personal Twitter account to share his thoughts and provide an insight into Hilltops IT's day-to-day activities. You can view the tweets and follow his twitterings here: http://twitter.com/StephenSiggs

Both accounts are something of an experient at this stage to see how we can apply Twitter for business purposes. We'll no doubt be blogging (and tweeting!) on the trial in due course!

QUOTEWERKS: Synnex Online Ordering Module setup

2009-05-29T08:00:00.000+01:00

Aspire Technologies (authors of QuoteWerks sales quotation software) have released complete instructions for setting up the Synnex Online Ordering Module integration.

http://quotewerks411.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/quotewerksonlineorderingmodulesetupsynnex/

QUOTEWERKS: beta testers for SugarCRM integration required

2009-05-26T20:45:00.000+01:00

Aspire Technologies are currently looking for beta testers for the new QuoteWerks integration with SugarCRM: http://quotewerks411.wordpress.com/2009/05/26/quotewerksacceptingbetatestersforsugarcrmintegration/

QuoteWerks has just released an interim build and is accpeting beta testers for the new SugarCRM integration. This new integration will function similar to the other contact manager integrations. Users will be able to test out the following features:

Search SugarCRM for contacts or accounts contact information and pull into quote
Create/Update linked document
Create/Update follow up call
Create/Update sales opportunity

Users can also utilize the QuoteWerks DataLink feature to pull additional information into the quote.

Those interested in beta testing this new integration should contact tech support at support@quotewerks.com or call +1 (407) 248-1481 ext. 3.

QUOTEWERKS: Aspire re-issue info on free QuoteWerks add-on utilities

2009-05-23T08:30:00.000+01:00

Aspire Technologies (authors of QuoteWerks sales quotation software) have released a summary of information on the free QuoteWerks add-on utilities which are available from the QuoteWerks.com website.

Details can be found at the following URLs:
http://quotewerks411.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/quotewerks-dell-import-utility/
http://quotewerks411.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/quotewerks-rounding-utility/
http://quotewerks411.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/quotewerksexcelutility/
http://quotewerks411.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/grouppartnumberbuilderquotewerks/

Each of these utilities is available completely free of charge from the QuoteWerks.com website along with installation instructions.

If these utilities perhaps aren't quite your looking for in terms of enhancing QuoteWerks functionality, then please get in touch with us regarding our QuoteWerks development services. We have a large number of internally developed QuoteWerks add-on utilities, so we can cost-effectively provide solutions which fit your business' requirements. Email us - development@hilltopsit.co.uk - or give us a call on +44(0) 1782 465252. We look forward to hearing from you!

DEVELOPMENT: Microsoft Visual Studio Team Studio 2010 beta released

2009-05-20T13:13:00.001+01:00

Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2010 Team Suite is the next generation of Microsoft development tools. It provides the ideal set of tools for every team disciple who is working on your project: architects, designers, developers, database experts, and testers. When a team is building skills and getting guidance at every step of the project life cycle, they will collaborate better than ever.

Overview
Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET Framework 4 mark the next generation of developer tools from Microsoft. Designed to satisfy the latest requirements of developers, Visual Studio delivers key innovations in the following areas:

Democratizing Application Lifecycle Management
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) crosses many roles in a development organization. Traditionally, not every role has had an equal part in the process. Visual Studio Team System 2010 continues to empower an organization to build a platform for functional equality and shared commitment across its ALM process.

Enabling emerging trends
Every year the industry develops new technologies and new trends. With Visual Studio 2010, Microsoft delivers tooling and framework support for the latest innovations in application architecture, development, and deployment.

Inspiring developer delight
Ever since the first release of Visual Studio, Microsoft has set the bar for developer productivity and flexibility. Visual Studio 2010 continues the tradition by significantly improving the experience for all software development roles.

Riding the next generation platform wave
Microsoft continues to invest in the market-leading operating system, productivity applications, and server platforms to deliver increasing customer value. With Visual Studio 2010, customers will have the tooling support that is required to create amazing solutions around these technologies.

For more information about Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET Framework 4, visit the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Web site.

Web installer download available here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=85520793-68fc-4361-a8b6-dc2cff49c8d2&displaylang=en

ISO download available here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=255fc5f1-15af-4fe7-be4d-263a2621144b&displaylang=en

.net framework 4.0 training kit download available here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=752cb725-969b-4732-a383-ed5740f02e93&displayLang=en

ReadMe here: http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/A/0/7A023209-096F-4F7D-B2BC-831ECC68FF5B/VS2010Beta1Readme.htm

Support and feedback forum here: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/VSPreRelease,netdevelopmentprerelease,visualstudioprerelease,vstsprerelease

Is there anything that we have missed!? Please let us know if there are any other useful downloads or information that you've found. Please also share your thoughts and experiences in Visual Studio 2010 - the latest software development environment from Microsoft.

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-WebCart beta released

2009-05-18T09:45:00.004+01:00

We are very please to announce the release of the ConnectIT-WebCart beta. This utility links an online web shop to QuoteWerks, Sage 50, Sage MAS and Microsoft Dynamics RMS (retail management solution).

Over the years, we have created several bespoke software development utilities which link a businesses web shop to their back office system. Utilities for QuoteWerks, Sage and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. When we were approached to create a link for Microsoft Dynamics RMS as well it was a natural extension of these utilities. Plus, in a market place where high street shops are increasingly moving their business' online for the cost-saving and globalisation opportunities, strategically it was a good project to take on.

With our culture of constantly innovating and looking forward for new opportunities, rather than tackle the project as just another bespoke utility, we took the decision to wrap up all the previous work into one ConnectIT product. Followers of the blog will remember that we had a prototype version of ConnectIT-WebCart back in the early part of the year. With focus drifting onto other projects, this got put to one side, but we felt that with this project it was time to pick it back up again.

This first beta release focuses on the Microsoft Dynamics RMS link in order to satisfy the requirements of this particular project. However, given that this is built on the same data structures and code base as the other bespoke projects, then links for QuoteWerks, Sage 50, Sage Instant and Sage MAS won't be too far behind!

For more information on the ConnectIT-WebCart product, please direct your query through your QuoteWerks or ConnectIT partner. If they are unable to help, then please don't hesitate to contact the ConnectIT development team direct: development@connectit-online.co.uk

SAGE50: Sage 50 Accounts 2009 Update 1

2009-05-14T13:00:00.001+01:00

Sage 50 Accounts 2009 Update 1 service release was pushed out today. This wraps up several minor enhancements and issue resolutions.

For further details, please contact your Sage reseller or Sage Customer Services directly on 0845 111 5555.

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Sage v1.10.1 released

2009-05-14T11:30:00.003+01:00

This new release of ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Accounts link includes the following updates and bug fixes:

UPDATE: replaced the files for the SDO (Sage Data Objects) which allow ConnectIT to integrate with Sage 50 Accounts 2009 for the revised ones released by Sage 12/5/2009. This revision allows up to 6 simultaneous SDO connections without the need to purchase additional Sage licenses.

FIXED: discrepencies seen in the Tax on Sage Purchase Order line items - ConnectIT was using the selling price tax value, not the cost price tax value when writing Purchase Order information to Sage.
FIXED: a tax amount for Carriage may show on a Purchase Order even though the ConnectIT Configuration had the Purchase Document Carriage Tax Code set as "T0" - ConnectIT was ignoring this setting when creating Purchase Order documents, the QuoteWerks document tax rate was always applied to Purchase Order carriage.
FIXED: Conversion from string "" to type 'Boolean' is not valid error when running ConnectIT - this could occur if the user had not opened ConnectIT Configuration to check the new settings added in version 1.10.0 and pressed "Save".

After more than 2 years of having no bugs in a production release, the ConnectIT development team were mortified to find out that a bug had been found in the software. As is stereotypically the case, the ConnectIT software development team have a love for fast food (second only to their love for programming!). By way of self-inflicted punishment for the bug (which was ultimately a school boy error in the code) they are banning themselves from fast food for 1 month!!! (I just hope they survive! - Ed.)

For more information on ConnectIT-Sage and the other products in the ConnectIT suite of time and labour saving products, please see the ConnectIT website here, contact your QuoteWerks / ConnectIT reseller or email info@connectit-online.co.uk

DEVELOPMENT: meeting users expectations and easing frustration

2009-05-14T11:00:00.001+01:00

A few tips from Justin James at TechRepublic on ways that developers can meet users expectations and ease frustration.

Introduction
It’s no surprise that users have expectations that, if not met, make those users angry and frustrated. User-friendly applications are much more likely to generate revenue, from sales of the software, sales enabled by the software, or some other revenue model. Yet for whatever reason, a significant portion of applications don't meet user expectations in a number of areas. Here are 10 common user expectations and what you can do to meet them so that you'll have a happy group of users.

See the full article here: http://i.techrepublic.com.com/downloads/dl_10_user_expectations.pdf

BLOG: Vistage Regional Group meeting

2009-05-13T20:30:00.003+01:00

Today (13th May 2009), I (Steve Siggs) had the privilege of attending the Vistage Regional Group meeting at the Forest of Arden Country Club along with approximately 140 other Vistage group members. It was a very well organised and thoroughly enjoyable event. The focus for the day was "Outside In - New Thinking for Extraordinary Times". Primarily ways and benefits of taking a look at your company from your customers' point of view, plus looking at yourself from both your customers' and your employees' point of view.

With keynote presentations from some of the countries leading business experts - Peter Fisk, Dale Williams, Roger Martin-Fagg, Jeff Grout and Marcus Child - plus group discussion and networking opportunities. As is always the case with Vistage: it was an exhausting, but thoroughly invigorating day. And again - as always - I left with another list of things to think about and implement to help build Hilltops IT's success!

Onwards and upwards! :-)

If you'd like any more information on Vistage, how it works and the benefits I feel that I have attained from membership, please don't hesitate to get in touch: steve@hilltopsit.co.uk

CONNECTIT: now offering increased user support

2009-05-12T16:00:00.001+01:00

We've just been notified by Developer Services that now more ConnectIT-Sage users can link to Sage accounts without having to upgrade or purchase additional Sage licenses.

From Sage Developer Services:

With exception to Sage 50 Accounts Professional, all connections to the Sage 50 Accounts database via the software development kit (Sage Data Objects (SDO)), are currently limited to the number of licensed Sage 50 Accounts users.

Given that Sage 50 Accounts and Sage 50 Accounts Plus are only available with single user or 2 user licences, the opportunity to accommodate multiple third-party add-ons and integrated multi-user applications, can prove restrictive. For example - with a 2 user licence, only 1 x Sage 50 Accounts user login and 1 x SDO connection may be established. With a single user licence, an SDO connection will not be permitted if a Sage 50 Accounts user is already logged in, and vice versa.

Now you can manage up to 6 simultaneous SDO connections

In response to feedback from our customers, Business Partners and of course our Developer community, SDO has been enhanced to manage up to 6 simultaneous connections to the Sage 50 Accounts 2009 database. For example - if 1 x Sage 50 Accounts user is logged on, a maximum of 5 x SDO user connections will be permitted.

So what does this mean for ConnectIT users?

Once this SDO update has been installed, Sage will allow you to have more users accessing the accounts files through ConnectIT. So there's no need to buy additional licenses for Sage and no need to log out of Sage in order to transfer documents.

For existing users: contact Sage support, they will be able to supply you with the updated SDO installation files with instruction on how to install them.

For new users: we will be releasing a new version of the ConnectIT software later this week which will have the updated SDO files included as part of the installation.

And what about partners?

This means new opportunities for ConnectIT-Sage sales! For any companies that you may have spoken to in the past that rejected ConnectIT due to the expense of an upgrade to Sage, now here's the answer!

More information

For more information on the updates, please contact your ConnectIT or Sage reseller or email us: support@connectit-online.co.uk

For more information on the increasing range of ConnectIT products and how they can help deliver efficiencies to your business, please see the ConnectIT website here.

QUOTEWERKS: free example report

2009-05-10T09:30:00.000+01:00

A recent post on the QuoteWerks Support Forum reminded me of an example report we have which illustrates the difference between counting line items and documents. If anyone would like a free copy, then please email support@hilltopsit.co.uk

We use the report as part of our QuoteWerks Reporting training course which we have successfully delivered to QuoteWerks users both in person and worldwide over the internet using gotomeeting screen sharing software. If you are a new user to QuoteWerks or would like some advanced training to unleash the power of QuoteWerks business intelligence reporting, then please get in touch now on +44(0) 1782 564252, +44(0) 844 357 7360 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

BLOG: New vacancies live of Graduate Advantage

2009-05-08T16:15:00.001+01:00

Marketing Assistant (part time summer placement): http://www.graduateadvantage.co.uk/placement/396

Software Developer (part time summer placement): http://www.graduateadvantage.co.uk/placement/397

Business Development Manager (full time 12 month placement): http://www.graduateadvantage.co.uk/placement/398

Graduate Advantage (funded by Advantage West Midlands) help students and graduates find and apply for paid full-time and part-time work placements, summer internships, graduate placements, and free employability training. They offer placements in all sectors of industry and business across the West Midlands.

Hilltops IT is working with Graduate Advantage in order to find suitable candidates to fill the above positions. "The Graduate Advantage scheme works for us on so many levels." says Hilltops IT CEO, Stephen Siggs "Not only is it an opportunity to work with local colleges to give the students there the chance to work with a commercial enterprise, but also from a business perspective we can get temporary contract staff to work on a couple of projects we simply haven't had time to complete ourselves. What Graduate Advantage in terms of their screening and grant funding also make this a very cost-effective solution which will contribute to the local community."

Our existing graduate employees say that they would have loved to work for a commercial business during their summer breaks. Unfortunately (according to Graduate Advantage) it is not uncommon for students educated in the West Midland to move outside the area in order to get work. There is a focused effort from government and local projects to retain these skilled individuals in the West Midlands. You never know - maybe Hilltops IT will be giving the next Bill Gates, Sir Alan Sugar or Max Clifford their first opportunity in business!

BLOG: Trainer Certification from Glasgow CC

2009-05-08T09:15:00.000+01:00

For our Business Computing and Website / E-Commerce training services provided to businesses throughout the UK and to recognise the work which we have done with business in Glasgow specifically through their Business Training Grants Programme, Glasgow City Council has awarded Hilltops IT a Trainer Certificate. Well done to Vivienne Watts, Stephen Siggs and Steven Porter for their work in delivering exemplary training courses for our clients.

For more information on our ACT! and QuoteWerks training, plus website services please phone now on +44(0) 1782 564252 or +44(0)844 357 7360 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

For businesses in Glasgow and any other region, we can also help with practical advice on getting training grants for your business, plus we have all the paperwork to hand in order to move smoothly through the grant application procedures.

We look forward to hearing from you!

DEVELOPMENT: Cannot obtain the schema rowset "DBSCHEMA_TABLES_INFO" for OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI" for linked server

2009-05-08T08:33:00.003+01:00

Running a query from SQL Server 2008 over a linked server connection to a SQL Server 2000 server causes the following error:

OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI10" for linked server "mylinkedserver" returned message "Unspecified error".
OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI10" for linked server "mylinkedserver" returned message "The stored procedure required to complete this operation could notbe found on the server. Please contact your system administrator.".
Msg 7311, Level 16, State 2, Line 1
Cannot obtain the schema rowset "DBSCHEMA_TABLES_INFO" for OLE DB provider interface, but returns a failure code when it is used.

Or

The stored procedure required to complete this operation could not be found on the server. Please contact your system administrator.
Msg 7311, Level 16, State 2, Line 1
Cannot obtain the schema rowset "DBSCHEMA_TABLES_INFO" for OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI" for linked server "". The provider supports the interface, but returns a failure code when it is used.

Firstly, SQL Server 2000 SP4 (service pack 4) must be installed.

Then the system stored procedures must be manually upgraded.

Note that when manually upgrading the system stored procedures, we used SQL Server Authentication mode which requires the syntax:
osql -U [adminlogin]-P [adminpassword]-S [linkedservername]-i [location]\instcat.sql

We first entered the line as:
osql -U sa -P myPassword -S myServer -i C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\Install\instcat.sql

But this just bought up the osql help /? list of parameters. To avoid this, make sure that the -i path is in speech marks!
osql -U sa -P myPassword -S myServer -i "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\Install\instcat.sql"

Note that the manual upgrade takes a couple of minutes to run and there are a whole bunch of message and numbers displayed in the command window as it executes. If the process is successful, then the last but one line will read "instcat.sql completed successfully".

In our experience, the SQL Service did not need to be restarted, the fix worked immediately and we were able to query the SQL Server 2000 server from SQL Server 2008 over the link immediately:
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM myLinkedServer.myDatabase.dbo.myTable

We hope that this tip helps others new to SQL Server 2008 development!

Please see our website for more information on our software development services and software development resources.

DEVELOPMENT: rsReportServerDatabaseUnavailable on Reporting Services 2008

2009-05-07T13:30:00.001+01:00

Trying to connect to the SQL Server Reporting Services reports server for the first time using http://MyServerName/Reportserver, we got the following error:

The report server cannot open a connection to the report server database. A connection to the database is required for all requests and processing. (rsReportServerDatabaseUnavailable) Get Online Help. SQL Server does not exist or access denied.

Using http://localhost/Reportserver opened a login dialog, but the administrator username and password didn't work.

Discussing this with the company who supplied the server, it came to light that the server name had been changed after SQL Server Reporting Services had been installed.

We resolved this by using the rsconfig utility:

Opening a Command Prompt and executing a line like this:
rsconfig -c -sMyServerName -dReportServer -aWindows -uDomain\Account -pMyPassword

Followed by resetting IIS (Internet Information Services)
iisreset

We hope this helps!

DEVELOPMENT: SQL Server 2008 - saving changes is not permitted

2009-05-06T17:00:00.004+01:00

After installing SQL Server 2008 we were unable to save updates to any of the existing database tables. Every time we tried to save a change to the table, we got the following error:

Saving changes is not permitted. The changes you have made require the following tables to be dropped and re-created. You have either made changes to a table that can’t be re-created or enabled the option Prevent saving changes that require the table to be re-created.

To resolve this, click the SQL Server Management Studio Tools Options Designers option and untick the "Prevent saving changes that require table re-creation" checkbox.

We hope this helps anyone else that's new to SQL Server 2008 development!

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Sage v1.10.0 released

2009-05-05T09:00:00.004+01:00

The new release of ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage link adds support for Sage Instant 2009 Accounts and Accounts Plus.

Sage Instant Accounts is easy-to-use accounting software designed to make managing your money, including VAT, end of year accounts and invoicing, as quick and easy as possible. You’ll have all the information you need to manage your business at your fingertips.
Sage Instant Accounts is a simple bookkeeping package that gives you all the tools you need to successfully manage your finances, accounts, customers and suppliers.

Now Sage Instant Accounts users can take advantage of ConnectIT's time saving capabilities, allowing users to create Product Sales Order, Product Invoice, Product Credit, Service Invoice and Service Credit document types in Sage from the information in their QuoteWerks document.

For more information, please your QuoteWerks reseller or contact us on +44(0) 1782 564 252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

Business Development Manager wanted (Stoke-on-Trent)

2009-05-01T13:40:00.001+01:00

A new full time position is available for a sales person selling computer software products and services. This is an excellent opportunity to join a small, ambitious, highly motivated and positive team of individuals in a growing business and offers excellent career prospects for the successful candidate.

The role will be predominantly working from the office managing and developing a portfolio of prospective and existing customers locally, nationally and internationally. The successful candidate must be well organised, an excellent communicator over the phone, motivated, confident, highly professional, excellent at building lasting relationships, be able to demonstrate excellent computer skills and have an understanding of the software industry. You will report to the Managing Director and be expected to deliver the agreed levels of revenue and profit, whilst adopting a solution lead, consultative sales approach to ensure that customer requirements are met.

Ideally, you will have experience of dealing with small and medium sized businesses. Experience of contact management, quoting and accounts packages, website and software development processes will also be an advantage.

To start as soon as possible. Candidate must have their own car. Package negotiable, commission based (uncapped).

Please apply in writing to Hilltops IT, Lymedale Business Centre, Lymedale Business Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 9QF or by email enquiries@hilltopsit.co.uk. Please include your up-to-date CV and covering letter.

Strictly no agencies.

CONNECTIT: Sage MAS 90/200 v4.4

2009-04-29T15:00:00.000+01:00

As far as we know, there's (as yet) no firm release date for the next release to Sage MAS90/200. We're really excited about the prospect of the new release as we are expecting it to include API support for creating purchase order documents, products and suppliers. Having this functionality in the MAS API means that we can complete the ConnectIT-MAS QuoteWerks to Sage MAS90/200 link to cover the same footprint as the UK ConnectIT for Sage 50 Accounts.

However, it was encouraging today that we got an email from Sage asking us to complete a survey which was asking how long from release we anticipated it would be before we integrated our solution with the new version and how Sage could help. Naturally our answers were "as soon as possible" and "get us a copy of the beta"!!!

Unfortunately it's still a case of "watch this space" before we can commit to a version of ConnectIT-MAS which will be able to create purchase orders, products and suppliers, but it is encouraging to see things moving along!

SUPPORT: Windows 7 to get XP Mode for compatibility

2009-04-27T15:40:00.001+01:00

Microsoft is planning a new virtualisation tool to provide better application compatibility for businesses migrating from Windows XP to the forthcoming Windows 7 operating system.
The feature will be called Windows XP Mode and will allow users to install and run applications in a Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC.

It is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7, according to information recently posted to Microsoft's Windows blog.

In the blog entry, Microsoft said a beta of Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC is coming in the near future, but will run only on Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate editions.
Microsoft had not responded to requests for further information at the time of writing, so it is not clear whether customers would require an additional licence to cover the XP environment or whether this would be included.

The company already offers a similar tool for larger companies with enterprise licence agreements. Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation, part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, enables customers to run legacy applications under Windows Vista.

Although running inside a virtual machine, this is hidden from the user who just launches and uses such applications as normal.

DEVELOPMENT: Google launches API for Google Analytics

2009-04-22T16:00:00.002+01:00

Google has announced the release of an API for Google Analytics. This means developers will be more tightly integrate information into users back office, web and mobile applications.

Announcement Headline: A Google Analytics API has long been one of our most widely anticipated features. Today we're pleased to announce that the Google Analytics Data Export API beta is now publicly available to all Analytics users!

What's so exciting about an API? The API will allow developers to extend Google Analytics in new and creative ways that benefit developers, organizations and end users. Large organizations and agencies now have a standardized platform for integrating Analytics data with their own business data. Developers can integrate Google Analytics into their existing products and create standalone applications that they sell. Users could see snapshots of their Analytics data in developer created dashboards and gadgets. Individuals and business owners will have opportunities to access their Google Analytics information in a variety of new ways.

For the full announcement, please see the Google Analytics Blog post.

For more information on Hilltops IT's software development services and to speak with one of our development team about the possibilities for integrating Google Analytics information into your business support systems, please contact us by phone on +44(0) 1782 564252 or by email: development@hilltopsit.co.uk

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Sage confirmed to work for Sage Instant Accounts 2009

2009-04-20T16:15:00.002+01:00

We are able to confirm today that the next release of ConnectIT-Sage will work with Sage Instant Accounts 2009.

"I am really pleased that with the new version of Sage Instant, we can now offer users the ability to transfer documents from QuoteWerks to Sage using ConnectIT" says Hilltops IT CEO Steve Siggs. "I'm even more please than we are now able to achieve this with just a few minor adjustments to the existing code base. Now QuoteWerks and Sage Instant users can get the benefits of the ConnectIT software very cost-effectively, without needing to upgrade their Sage software."

The ConnectIT-Sage software has been developed over the last 3 years, gradually adding more and more features that users and resellers have been requesting in the software. Hilltops IT have produced this product to meet end users' requirements which drive more and more efficiencies into their business. With zero defects reported from production environments in more than 18 months, the need for "just a few minor adjustments", users and resellers can expect the same quality deliverable which "does exactly what it says on the tin".

The revised version is expected to be released within the next couple of weeks.

For more information on ConnectIT-Sage, please contact your QuoteWerks reseller or see the ConnectIT website.

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Workflow v1.0.1 released

2009-04-13T08:00:00.003+01:00

Following feedback from users, this minor release of ConnectIT-Workflow expands the default example rules which are set up when a user initially installs the software. We have also provided fuller instructions on how to set up and manage your business rules.

ConnectIT-Workflow business process manager for QuoteWerks manages entries on a QuoteWerks document to ensure that the QuoteWerks user has entered all the required information at each step of document creation (Quote, Order and Invoice).

ConnectIT-Workflow validates that the QuoteWerks user has entered required values into particular fields before the user is allowed to print, save, convert or email a document.

When an error is detected, then depending on the level of that error, the user is either prompted and asked to correct the problem before they are allowed to continue, or they are just warned about the problem(s).

ConnectIT-Workflow pricing is very cost-effective and is currently being sold with free installation and configuration - get your copy and start taking advantage of ConnectIT-Workflow's cost and time saving benefits now.

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Workflow new resources available

2009-04-13T07:45:00.000+01:00

New resources are now available on the ConnectIT-Workflow business process manager for QuoteWerks website in the form of screenshots and extended support documentation.

PLUS: take advantage of free ConnectIT-Workflow installation assistance while the offer lasts.

CONNECTIT: new reseller group on LinkedIn

2009-04-09T21:30:00.000+01:00

The purpose of the ConnectIT Resellers Group is to provide an additional support forum for ConnectIT application links, to keep members up to date with the latest news in the ConnectIT range of products and for members to share thoughts and experiences of implementing ConnectIT in various vertical industry sectors.

The group will never replace us preferring you to pick up the phone and speak to us, but we're aiming to make this a useful additional way to keep in touch with each other.

The URL to join the group is: http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1416457

Please pass this on to your colleagues who you feel may also benefit from membership.

QUOTEWERKS: new reseller group on LinkedIn

2009-04-09T21:00:00.001+01:00

The purpose of this group is for members to keep each other up-to-date on QuoteWerks-related product news, provide an additional support / discussion forum for resellers only, and to share tips, tricks and experiences in implementing QuoteWerks-based solutions in different vertical industry sectors.

Group members are actively encourage to contribute news on QuoteWerks, tips and tricks they have learnt when implementing QuoteWerks-based solutions, "how do I..." and "has anyone ever tried..." questions to challenge the group and help resellers find solutions, plus provide information on their own products which enhance QuoteWerks.

The URL to join is here: http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1416347

Please pass this on to your colleagues who you feel may also benefit from membership. After all - the more members, the more sources for contributions, the more informed we'll be on QuoteWerks-related issues and innovations.

In other similar groups (specifically ACT! Fanatics recently) some concern was raised when the Group Manager proposed members provide information on their own products. We think that as long as members keep the information relevant and new, then we can provide each other with a useful source of information. As long as products are QuoteWerks related, then we should be able to make this a success. For example: we will be adding posts when we release significant new builds and products in the ConnectIT range, but we will not be advertising our website development services. While our website development services might be of interest to members, the QuoteWerks Resellers Group is not the right forum to be advertising. Any questions or if anyone has issues with things other members might be posting, then please just contact Steve through the LinkedIn messaging or contact Hilltops IT direct here.

DEVELOPMENT: skills developers will need in the next five years

2009-04-08T09:30:00.001+01:00

Tech Republic software development commentator Justin James released a paper today with his thoughts on skills developers will need in the next five years: http://i.techrepublic.com.com/downloads/dl_10_skills_dev.pdf

Clearly we can always improve, but we were really pleased to read that we already "tick the boxes" in all but one category!

The technical aspects aside - we have always considered it imperative to work with the business to understand their pain points, to be flexible in delivering the requirements which will evolve with the business and communicate effectively in a way that everyone understands.

The one box we can't tick right now if the mobile development, which to date hasn't been necessary for the type of applications and solutions we deliver. Clearly as the power of mobile technology improves and workers increasingly do business on the move, then we will need to address this. But it's encouraging to know that (at least within Justin James criteria) hilltops IT's development team are already off to a very good start!

For more information on our software development and website design and development services, please see our website or contact us direct on +44(0)1782 564252.

DEVELOPMENT: SQL Server 2008 SP1 released

2009-04-08T09:00:00.002+01:00

SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is now available. You can use these packages to upgrade any SQL Server 2008 edition.

Note: [Microsoft] remain committed to our plans to keep service packs contained, focusing on essential updates only, primarily a Roll-up of Cumulative Update 1 to 3, Quick Fix Engineering (QFE) updates, as well as fixes to issues reported through the SQL Server community. While keeping product changes contained, [Microsoft] have made significant investments to ease deployment and management of Service Packs:

Slipstream – You are now able to integrate the base installation with service packs (or Hotfixes) and install in a single step.
Service Pack Uninstall – You are now able to uninstall only the Service Pack (without removing the whole instance)
Report Builder 2.0 Click Once capability

For more information about SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1, please review the Release Notes.

For more information about Hilltops IT's software development services, please see our website or contact us direct on +44(0) 1782 564252.

BLOG: Hilltops IT gets a mention in Focus Magazine

2009-04-07T15:00:00.001+01:00

Focussing on Vistage chief executives organisation and how membership has helped Hilltops IT (and other businesses in the Staffordshire) move their business' forward, Stephen Siggs is quoted: "Vistage has helped me to power my company to new heights. I joined in 2008 after hearing about the powerful results that members derive from Vistage groups. In less than a year I am already seeing key developments such as better projection and positioning of Hilltops IT in the marketplace, a better focus upon strategic growth and improved management of staff, customers and suppliers."

We also managed to get in a cheeky box shot of QuoteWerks sales quotation tool!

View the full article by clicking the link here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/resources/business/200904%20-%20Focus%20Magazine,%20Vistage.pdf

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Workflow v1.0.0 released

2009-04-03T08:30:00.001+01:00

Product Overview
ConnectIT-Workflow manages entries on a QuoteWerks document to ensure that the QuoteWerks user has entered all the required information at each step of document creation (Quote, Order and Invoice).

ConnectIT-Workflow validates that the QuoteWerks user has entered required values into particular fields before the user is allowed to print, save, convert or email a document.

When an error is detected, then depending on the level of that error, the user is either prompted and asked to correct the problem before they are allowed to continue, or they are just warned about the problem(s).

Key Benefits

Quick to install and easy to configure to the fields you use which means your company’s quoting and sales order processing functions become instantly more accurate and more productive.
Ensures that your customers and suppliers get complete and consistent information on the documents you send them thus improving your business relationships with them by avoiding time wasted checking, correcting and resending documents.
Maintains integrity of input to maximise the power and accuracy of QuoteWerks reporting which means more informed business decision making.

Key Features

When an error is detected, then depending on the level of that error, the user is either prompted and asked to correct the problem before they are allowed to continue, or they are just warned about the problem(s).
Validates fields based on the particular document type and document status.
Contains many different rule expressions – that a field is not blank, that a fields value is in a particular range, that a fields value is one of a particular list of options, etc.
Contains many different rule targets – Document Header fields, Document Item fields, first Document Item row, all Optional Document Item rows, etc.

ConnectIT-Workflow pricing is very cost-effective and is currently being sold with free installation and configuration - get your copy and start taking advantage of ConnectIT-Workflow's cost and time saving benefits now!

MSCRM: Microsoft CRM Authentication Error 0x80040204

2009-04-02T18:30:00.001+01:00

It's been a challenging afternoon today, following one of our clients introducing a new server to their network domain. Users trying to log into the Microsoft CRM system (hosted on another server) got the error: "Authentication Failed" with code 0x80040204.

The introduction of the new Microsoft Windows Server 2008 machine somehow affected the existing Microsoft Windows SBS 2003 domain controller, and changed (or recreated) the Active Directory groups which Microsoft CRM relies on: PrivUserGroup, ReportingGroup, SQLAccessGroup and UserGroup.

In the Application Event Log, errors were reported from the SCRMDeploymentManagerSnapin: "IsCRMSysAdmin : WhoAmI failed".

Checking the Microsoft CRM database, we could see that all System Users and Roles were still there, so the problem seemed to point towards Windows security and / or Active Directory.

We've found in the past that the best way to tackle these types of issue is to roll your sleeves up and get straight into the Microsoft CRM error tracing feature. Details of how to set this up are here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907490

Setting TraceCategories to "*:Verbose" will give you absolutely everything that's going on to understand the problem, but we strongly recommend only enabling this temporarily.

The Trace output file showed the SQL statements for the login; copy/pasting these into a query editor showed record being returned, so no problem there. the problem was found about 20 lines down in the Trace: "Invalid code for CRM error", "ADsGetObject() failed". Looking more and more like Active Directory.

Microsoft CRM relies on the PrivUserGroup, ReportingGroup, SQLAccessGroup and UserGroup Security Groups, so we checked the details of the GUIDs in Active Directory against those registered in the Microsoft CRM database.

Viewing the Microsoft CRM values can be done by running the following in a query editor:
SELECT UserGroupID , PrivilegeUserGroupID, ReportingGroupID, SQLAccessGroupID
FROM OrganisationBase

To view those in Active Directory, you'll need to use adsiedit.msc (part of the Windows Support Tools on the Windows Server installation CD-ROM or download it from http://download.microsoft.com, search for "adsiedit.msc") and view the objectGUID value for each of these groups in hex.

The values from Active Directory need to be manipulated slightly, but they should match those in the Microsoft CRM database: first reverse the first four groups of characters, reverse the next two groups of characters, reverse the third group of two and copy and paste the fourth group of two and the final group of six (the last two groups are not reversed). Note that you do not reverse each pair of characters individually, but treat each pair as a group and reverse the groups as shown below.

So, for example:
objectGUID=0x 1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x Ax Bx Cx Dx Ex Fx

Becomes:
GUID in database={3x2x1x0x-5x4x-7x6x-8x9x-AxBxCxDxExFx}

The values we found didn't match, so it was just a simple SQL UPDATE statement to set them right:
UPDATE OrganizationBase
SET UserGroupID='GUID', PrivilegeUserGroupID='GUID', ReportingGroupID='GUID', SQLAccessGroupID='GUID'

Where 'GUID' is the appropriate manipulated Active Directory objectGUID.

As an example, the specific values we had in Active Directory for the four groups were:
A7 7D FB B8 8B 85 8C 47 81 F0 36 D6 F0 89 8A F7
CB F5 E6 71 58 B6 19 4A BA 56 CC 49 67 0C 58 FF
C5 CC DE B9 8A 72 DD 48 A6 4E 5E 4D D4 64 DD 0E
18 F7 97 EF 41 B9 C8 4E AA F8 3B 2D CE 02 EC A2

So manipulated as above they became:
B8FB7DA7-858B-478C-81F0-36D6F0898AF7
71E6F5CB-B658-4A19-BA56-CC49670C58FF
B9DECCC5-728A-48DD-A64E-5E4DD464DD0E
EF97F718-B941-4EC8-AAF8-3B2DCE02ECA2

Our SQL statement looked like this:
UPDATE OrganizationBase
SET UserGroupID = 'B8FB7DA7-858B-478C-81F0-36D6F0898AF7'
, PrivilegeUserGroupID = '71E6F5CB-B658-4A19-BA56-CC49670C58FF'
, ReportingGroupID = 'B9DECCC5-728A-48DD-A64E-5E4DD464DD0E'
, SQLAccessGroupID = 'EF97F718-B941-4EC8-AAF8-3B2DCE02ECA2'

Many thanks to Brian Reid for his blog post here - http://www.c7solutions.com/blog/2008/04/crm-30-disaster-recovery.aspx which was really helpful in getting us through this issue.

CONNECTIT: details of ConnectIT-Workflow - workflow manager for QuoteWerks now on QuoteWerks.com

2009-03-31T09:00:00.000+01:00

Details of ConnectIT-Workflow - business workflow manager for QuoteWerks are now available on QuoteWerks.com: http://www.quotewerks.com/addons/alertsworkflow.asp

ConnectIT-Workflow is the latest addtion to the ConnectIT suite of products from Hilltops IT; another QuoteWerks development add-on product to enhance the user's experience of using QuoteWerks.

ConnectIT-Workflow manages entries on a QuoteWerks document to ensure that the QuoteWerks user has entered all the required information at each step of document creation (Quote, Order and Invoice).

ConnectIT-Workflow validates that the QuoteWerks user has entered required values into particular fields before the user is allowed to print, save, convert or email a document.

When an error is detected, then depending on the level of that error, the user is either prompted and asked to correct the problem before they are allowed to continue, or they are just warned about the problem(s).

For full details of ConnectIT-Workflow, please see the website here: http://www.connectit-online.com/default_workflow.aspx

For pricing click here: http://www.connectit-online.com/Calculator.aspx?p=CITWF&curr=GBP

QUOTEWERKS: Version 4.0 Build 46 released

2009-03-30T09:00:00.003+01:00

Aspire Technologies Inc. QuoteWerks development team have released a new version of QuoteWerks. If you have any questions on the new features and fixes, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Version 4.0 Build 46 Summary: 6 New and 1 Fixes features.

New Features

1. Real-time Pricing and Availability is now available for IT distributor Accutech (www.accutechdata.com).

2. Real-time Pricing and Availability is now available for IT distributor Arbitech (www.arbitech.com).

3. Real-time Pricing and Availability is now available for IT distributor Bell Micro (www.bellmicro.com).

4. Real-time Pricing and Availability is now available for IT distributor Digitek (www.digitek.com).

5. The Price Comparison window is now resizable, and also remembers the last location and size (per user).

6. Added Misc Access right "CannotModifyDocStatusWhenConvertingDocument".Useful for preventing a user from changing the DocStatus to a value other than the default value specified in the setup.

Fixes

1. For GoldMine users, on the send email window, when selecting an email address from the list of all addresses associated with the GoldMine contact being used in the quote, any email addresses in Goldmine longer than 35 chars would be truncated.

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Workflow - QuoteWerks workflow manager

2009-03-24T18:00:00.001Z

Pricing for the new product to the ConnectIT range has been released today. Plus for a limited time only we are offering free installation and training.

Product Overview
ConnectIT-Workflow manages entries on a QuoteWerks document to ensure that the QuoteWerks user has entered all the required information at each step of document creation (Quote, Order and Invoice).

ConnectIT-Workflow validates that the QuoteWerks user has entered required values into particular fields before the user is allowed to print, save, convert or email a document.

When an error is detected, then depending on the level of that error, the user is either prompted and asked to correct the problem before they are allowed to continue, or they are just warned about the problem(s).

Key Benefits

Quick to install and easy to configure to the fields you use which means your company’s quoting and sales order processing functions become instantly more accurate and more productive.
Ensures that your customers and suppliers get complete and consistent information on the documents you send them thus improving your business relationships with them by avoiding time wasted checking, correcting and resending documents.
Maintains integrity of input to maximise the power and accuracy of QuoteWerks reporting which means more informed business decision making.

Key Features

When an error is detected, then depending on the level of that error, the user is either prompted and asked to correct the problem before they are allowed to continue, or they are just warned about the problem(s).
Validates fields based on the particular document type and document status.
Contains many different rule expressions – that a field is not blank, that a fields value is in a particular range, that a fields value is one of a particular list of options, etc.
Contains many different rule targets – Document Header fields, Document Item fields, first Document Item row, all Optional Document Item rows, etc.

QUOTEWERKS: Sugar CRM integration add-on released

2009-03-20T13:00:00.000Z

Another QuoteWerks development partner has just released an integration between QuoteWerks and SugarCRM.

The QuoteWerks development partner, Wildcat Development, has developed the new integration link between Sugar CRM and QuoteWerks called WildSugar.

WildSugar increases the functionality of QuoteWerks by integrating directly with SugarCRM, a leading contact management software. By utilizing WildSugar, users can access their SugarCRM contacts from within QuoteWerks, effectively creating a more efficient quoting process.

WildSugar saves users considerable time by eliminating the replication of data entry for contacts.

Features and benefits of WildSugar include:

Seamless integration between SugarCRM and QuoteWerks
Easy installation
Immediate access to all SugarCRM contacts
Ability to auto populate SugarCRM contact information in quotes generated by QuoteWerks
Custom searches that allow users to quickly and easily locate a particular SugarCRM contact

The WildSugar link is a third party add on to the QuoteWerks program. It was developed for QuoteWerks users on version 4.0 and using Sugar version 5.0 and higher.

Visit the official WildSugar website for more information on the link.

Contact Hilltops IT for more information on our QuoteWerks services plus other add-on and integration solutions.

QUOTEWERKS: v4.0 build 45 released

2009-03-18T18:00:00.000Z

The new release of QuoteWerks v4.0 contains the following:

New Features

1. When creating Sales Opportunities in MS CRM, QuoteWerks now supports custom CRM Opportunity Rating Codes in addition to the standard codes of "Hot", "Warm", and "Cold". [Service Release: 45.01]

2. Added support for Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager (BCM). The integration includes:
a) The currently open Outlook BCM Contact or Account can be pulled into the quote.
b) The Business Contacts and Accounts can be searched to find Contacts or Accounts to pull into the quote.
c) When searching for contacts, subfolders within the specified Outlook BCM Accounts or Contacts folder are included in the search.
d) QuoteWerks will create/update linked documents (as Outlook journal entries) in Outlook BCM.
e) QuoteWerks will create/update a follow up call (as an Outlook appointment) in Outlook BCM.
f) QuoteWerks will create/update Sales Opportunities (as an Outlook BCM opportunity) in Outlook BCM.
g) The QuoteWerks DataLink feature can be used with Outlook BCM enabling you to retrieve information like Terms and shipping method from the Outlook BCM contact into the quote.
h) When printing, QuoteWerks can retrieve data from Outlook BCM and include it in the printed output.

3. Online Ordering module can place online orders with Ingram Micro (USA and Canada) from within QuoteWerks (requires Real-time and Online Ordering modules). Order items from a single order, or combine items from multiple QuoteWerks orders into a single Ingram Micro order. This will save you the time and hassle of calling your Ingram Micro sales rep and reading each part number, quantity, and price to him/her. Another benefit is that the order date and Ingram Micro sales order number will automatically be stored with your QuoteWerks order for reference. When placing Ingram Micro online orders electronically through QuoteWerks, there is an option that will let you place the order on hold. This will afford you an opportunity to review the order with your distributor rep and negotiate pricing without the time consuming process of reading to your sales rep all the part numbers, quantities, ship to location, etc. No more calling your distributor sales rep only to reach voice mail (understandable - sales reps can't be on the phone with more than one customer at a time) and then have to remember try again later in the day to place the order - or wait for a call back! This is truly the best of both worlds - automation with sales rep service! Supports government and educational pricing.

4. Online Ordering module can place online orders with SYNNEX (USA and Canada) from within QuoteWerks (requires Real-time and Online Ordering modules). Order items from a single order, or combine items from multiple QuoteWerks orders into a single SYNNEX order. This will save you the time and hassle of calling your SYNNEX sales rep and reading each part number, quantity, and price to him/her. Another benefit is that the order date and SYNNEX sales order number will automatically be stored with your QuoteWerks order for reference. When placing SYNNEX online orders electronically through QuoteWerks, there is an option that will let you place the order on hold. This will afford you an opportunity to review the order with your distributor rep and negotiate pricing without the time consuming process of reading to your sales rep all the part numbers, quantities, ship to location, etc. No more calling your distributor sales rep only to reach voice mail (understandable - sales reps can't be on the phone with more than one customer at a time) and then have to remember try again later in the day to place the order - or wait for a call back! This is truly the best of both worlds - automation with sales rep service! Supports vendor promotion, government, and educational pricing.

5. When no documents are open, the FileNew and FileOpen menus now have shortcut keys CTRL-N and CTRL-O respectively.

6. The Bundles window (ProductsBundles menu), Configurations window (ProductsConfigurator menu), Required Items window (ProductsRequired Items menu), Optional Items window (ProductsOptional Items menu), and Substitute Items window (ProductsSubstitute Items menu) are now all resizable.

7. Added macro fields &DH_&SoldToFirstName, &DH_&SoldToLastName, &DH_&ShipToFirstName, &DH_&ShipToLastName, &DH_&BillToFirstName, and &DH_&BillToLastName.

Misc Features

1. The fields on the SoldTo/ShipTo tab, SaleInfo, Notes, and Custom tabs now limit the number of characters that can be entered based on the size of the field in the database. [Service Release: 45.01]

2. The Required Items window (ProductsRequired Items menu), Optional Items window (ProductsOptional Items menu), and Substitute Items window (ProductsSubstitute Items menu) have been re-designed.

3. When creating a Bundle, the maximum length of the Bundle name was increased from 40 to 255 characters.

4. Added new Technical support Debug Command for changing seed numbers.

Fixes

1. For MSCRM 1.2 users, when closing an opportunity, the Actual Close Date was not being populated. [Service Release: 45.01]

2. If the FileConvert to Lost Sale menu was selected for a document that did not have a contact linked to it, an error would be displayed. [Service Release: 45.01]

3. When doing a FileSave As and choosing "Assign new Project #", a new project number was not being generated. [Service Release: 45.01]

4. In the Layout Designer when inserting fields, if the CustomNumber03, CustomNumber04, or CustomNumber05 labels (In the DocumentItems or Products tables) were renamed, the label name did not display next to the field like "CustomNumber03 (Size)". [Service Release: 45.01]

5. When editing a Management Report on the Filter tab, DocumentItems macros like &LineAttributesOption were being listed as available fields. [Service Release: 45.01]

6. For SalesLogix users, issue with German / European decimal and date formatting when creating SalesLogix Opportunities.

7. On some machines, Would receive "Run-time error '339': Component 'comctl32.ocx' or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid" when downloading the price file from SYNNEX FTP site.

8. In the Open Export Module wizard, the title bar would repeat the step like "- Step 1: Step1".

Users with valid UMP subscriptions can download and install this latest QuoteWerks build from by clicking the link.

For new users and for users looking for additional help with their QuoteWerks setup or require training, consultancy or development services, then please don't hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 1782 564252.

CONNECIT: new product beta released - ConnectIT-Workflow

2009-03-16T15:45:00.001Z

Another new product and QuoteWerks add-on utility from Hilltops IT software development team was released in beta today.

ConnectIT-Workflow: linking your business process to quotewerks document creation

ConnectIT-Workflow manages entries on a QuoteWerks document to ensure that the QuoteWerks user has entered all the required information at each step of document creation (Quote, Order and Invoice).

ConnectIT-Workflow validates that the QuoteWerks user has entered required values into particular fields before the user is allowed to print, save, convert or email a document.

When an error is detected, then depending on the level of that error, the user is either prompted and asked to correct the problem before they are allowed to continue, or they are just warned about the problem(s).

Key benefits:

Quick to install and easy to configure to the fields you use which means your company’s quoting and sales order processing functions become instantly more accurate and more productive.
Ensures that your customers and suppliers get complete and consistent information on the documents you send them thus improving your business relationships with them by avoiding time wasted checking, correcting and resending documents.
Maintains integrity of input to maximise the power and accuracy of QuoteWerks reporting which means more informed business decision making.

Key features:

Functions triggered by events in QuoteWerks – before print, before save, before convert, before email, etc.
Validates fields based on the particular document type and document status.
Contains many different rule expressions – that a field is not blank, that a fields value is in a particular range, that a fields value is one of a particular list of options, etc.
Contains many different rule targets – Document Header fields, Document Item fields, first Document Item row, all Optional Document Item rows, etc.

Pricing will be available soon here; if you would like any further information, then please email us at sales@connectit-online.co.uk

Early bird special offer: we are now taking advance orders for the ConnectIT-Workflow product which includes free installation and training. To take advantage of this offer, please contact sales@connectit-online.co.uk now!

QUOTEWERKS: new Microsoft CRM integration demo available

2009-03-14T12:45:00.001Z

QuoteWerks has released a new demo video demonstrating the integration between QuoteWerks and MS CRM. The new video highlights all the major functions including:

Pulling in customer information into the quote
Adding additional customer information into the quote and layout
Scheduling follow up calls
Creating/Updating MS CRM Opportunities
Closing MS CRM Opportunities as Won

The new video can be viewed by clicking here.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about QuoteWerks contact manager integration, then please give us a call on +44(0)1782 564252 or see our website here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/quotewerks/index.aspx

For even tighter integration, then there is also the ConnectIT-MSCRM product which allows the QuoteWerks user to link their document to an existing Microsoft CRM Opportunity.

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-MAS90 QuoteWerks to Sage MAS90 and MAS200 v1.1.1 released

2009-03-13T16:00:00.000Z

ConnectIT-MAS90 QuoteWerks to Sage MAS90 and MAS200 v1.1.1 has been released today - Friday 13th March 2009.

This new release wraps up several enhancements which ConnectIT users and partner resellers have requested as follows:

UPDATE: transfer the Contact name selected for the Address fields from QuoteWerks to the Confirm To field in the Sage MAS document
UPDATE: support for names and descriptions, etc in QuoteWerks that are longer than those in Sage MAS. ConnectIT will now trim the QuoteWerks field to match on just the left 'x' characters, allowing a match to be found.
UPDATE: new ConnectIT icons

Existing users with current UMP: download your copy from here - http://www.connectit-online.co.uk/download.aspx?p=CITMAS90

New customers or users without UMP: please contact your ConnectIT / QuoteWerks reseller or email sales@connectit-online.co.uk for further information.

To request new features that would help your business process run more effectively, please email development@connectit-online.co.uk

For more and up-to-date information on the ConnectIT suite of products, please see the website here: http://www.connectit-online.co.uk/

The ConnectIT Development Team has a proven track record in producing quality products and utilities for QuoteWerks, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS and Microsoft CRM. They will be happy to help you with any enquiries you have relating to developments on these products or stand-alone solutions and websites.

DEVELOPMENT: tips for developing applications for "the cloud"

2009-03-11T08:00:00.000Z

Cloud computing, which involves accessing applications and services on hosted servers over the Internet, certainly has become the hot tech trend for 2009. The volume of cloud applications can only be expected to grow, and this fact brings both new benefits and responsibilities for developers.

While cloud deployments can save developers from having to deal with infrastructure issues, there are some new nuances they must deal with as well. These include changes in how developers work with databases, an emphasis on stateless applications, and dealing with different frameworks.

for more information, see the article from here: http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/09/03/11/10NF-cloud-app-dev_1.html

DEVELOPMENT: software craftsmenship manifesto

2009-03-02T16:00:00.000Z

A software craftsmenship manifesto from Dieter Schneider which all software developers should aspire to deliver to businesses in the applications they build.

As aspiring Software Craftsmen we are raising the bar of professional software development by practicing it and helping others learn the craft. Through this work we have come to value:

Not only working software, but also well-crafted software
Not only responding to change, but also steadily adding value
Not only individuals and interactions, but also a community of professionals
Not only customer collaboration, but also productive partnerships

That is, in pursuit of the items on the left we have found the items on the right to be indispensable.

See the original and sign the manifesto here: http://manifesto.softwarecraftsmanship.org/

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Accounts v1.9.0 released

2009-03-02T13:30:00.002Z

ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Accounts v1.9.0 has been released today - Monday 2nd March 2009.

This new release wraps up several enhancements which ConnectIT users and partner resellers have requested as follows:

ADDED: the ability to select which Suppliers Purchase Orders are created for.
ADDED: the ability to transfer Comment lines into Sage as Message lines.
ADDED: the ability to transfer Group (Bundle) Header lines as Comments into Sage as Message lines.
ADDED: a check on whether a customer or suppliers credit limit has been exceeded. The prompt can be suppressed by ticking the Configuration Advanced "Suppress prompts that Customers or Suppliers Balance exceeds their Credit Limit" tick box.
ADDED: the ability to transfer a value into the Sage document line item Comment 1 and 2 fields

UPDATE: if the "Override Product Tax" field is ticked in the Sage Supplier record, then use the Default Tax Code and corresponding Tax Rate from Sage on all lines when creating Purchase Order documents (works for all supported versions of Sage 50 Accounts). Note that the user must be using the "Supplier Address information is maintained in Sage not QuoteWerks" Configuration option.
UPDATE: if the "Override Product Nominal" field is ticked in the Sage Supplier record, then use the Default Nominal Code and Department number from Sage on all lines when creating Purchase Order documents (works for version 14 - 2009 - of Sage 50 Accounts only, this option is not available in earlier versions). Note that the user must be using the "Supplier Address information is maintained in Sage not QuoteWerks" Configuration option.
UPDATE: include all Document Header fields in the Configuration Customer Account Reference, Documents Sales Doc Number, Purchase Doc Number and Creation Date field drop down selectors
UPDATE: new ConnectIT icons

Existing users with current UMP: download your copy from here - http://www.connectit-online.co.uk/download.aspx?p=CITSAGE50

New customers or users without UMP: please contact your ConnectIT / QuoteWerks reseller or email sales@connectit-online.co.uk for further information.

To request new features that would help your business process run more effectively, please email development@connectit-online.co.uk

For more and up-to-date information on the ConnectIT suite of products, please see the website here: http://www.connectit-online.co.uk/

The ConnectIT Development Team has a proven track record in producing quality products and utilities for QuoteWerks, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS and Microsoft CRM. They will be happy to help you with any enquiries you have relating to developments on these products or stand-alone solutions and websites.

DEVELOPMENT: Visual Studio 2010's New Look Unveiled at VSLive!

2009-02-25T14:00:00.003Z

Microsoft kicked off VSLive! San Francisco 2009 this week with more news about what's planned for Visual Studio 2010.

In the keynote on Tuesday, Microsoft General Manager for Visual Studio Jason Zander showcased advances in the new VS 2010 user interface (UI) for the first time to VSLive! attendees.

"We've announced so far that we are using WPF for the new editor that we've put in place and made a lot of progress on that," he said in a pre-show interview. "With this release of the product, we will be showing our overall new UI for the product."

According to Zander, Microsoft has "modernized the look and feel for VS 2010" with a new UI built on WPF that rearranges file menus and commands at the top of the IDE. "We are making extensive use of the .NET Framework 4.0...as well as the WPF technology within the framework," he said. "We've improved the way you can examine your source code, your project system, the hierarchies that you have and all the data stored in TFS, as well." Screenshots of the new UI can be viewed at Zander's blog.

Complete story here: http://reddevnews.com/news/print.aspx?editorialsid=10632

For more information on Hilltops IT's software development services, including integration with QuoteWerks, ACT! by Sage, Microsoft CRM, Sage 50 Accounts and Sage MAS, then please contact us on +44(0) 1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

CONNECTIT: content for ConnectIT-MAS90 v1.1.1 confirmed

2009-02-23T12:00:00.002Z

The ConnectIT development team have confirmed just a couple of minor updates to the ConnectIT-MAS90 QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90 and Mas 200 link to provide a couple of new users with features that they would find useful:

Transfer the Contact name selected for the Address fields from QuoteWerks to the Confirm To field in the Sage MAS document.
Support for names and descriptions, etc in QuoteWerks that are longer than those in Sage MAS. ConnectIT will now trim the QuoteWerks field to match on just the left 'x' characters, allowing a match to be found.

Expected release to customers is expected week commencing 9th March 2009.

For more information or to get an advanced beta copy, please email development@connectit-online.co.uk

To request new features that would help your business process run more effectively, please email development@connectit-online.co.uk

For more information on the ConnectIT suite of products, please see the website here: http://www.connectit-online.co.uk

DEVELOPMENT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and the world of software development

2009-02-20T14:00:00.002Z

Development Team Diary

Most of the effort this last couple of weeks has been on some of our own software products in the ConnectIT suite. With last weeks ConnectIT-WebCart prototype release and a new beta release of ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Account link out today.

Other smaller projects include a bespoke software development utility for a client which validates QuoteWerks fields for values entered in particular fields. Commercially available utilities to do this were unfortunately cost-prohibitive because they contain far more features that the client actually requires. Fortunately we have been able to develop the solution for less than half the price, which the client is over the moon with!!!

For further information on our software development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Accounts v1.9 beta released

2009-02-20T12:45:00.002Z

ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Accounts v1.9 beta was released internally today.

This new release wraps up several enhancements which ConnectIT users and partner resellers have requested as follows:

ADDED: the ability to select which Suppliers Purchase Orders are created for
ADDED: the ability to transfer Comment lines into Sage as Message lines
ADDED: the ability to transfer Group (Bundle) Header lines as Comments into Sage as Message lines
ADDED: a check on whether a customer or suppliers credit limit has been exceeded. The prompt can be suppressed by ticking the Configuration Advanced "Suppress prompts that Customers or Suppliers Balance exceeds their Credit Limit" tick box
ADDED: the ability to transfer a value into the Sage document line item Comment 1 and 2 fields

UPDATE: if the "Override Product Tax" field is ticked in the Sage Supplier record, then use the Default Tax Code and corresponding Tax Rate from Sage on all lines when creating Purchase Order documents (works for all supported versions of Sage 50 Accounts). Note that the user must be using the "Supplier Address information is maintained in Sage not QuoteWerks" Configuration option.
UPDATE: if the "Override Product Nominal" field is ticked in the Sage Supplier record, then use the Default Nominal Code and Department number from Sage on all lines when creating Purchase Order documents (works for version 14 - 2009 - of Sage 50 Accounts only, this option is not available in earlier versions). Note that the user must be using the "Supplier Address information is maintained in Sage not QuoteWerks" Configuration option.
UPDATE: include all Document Header fields in the Configuration Customer Account Reference, Documents Sales Doc Number, Purchase Doc Number and Creation Date field drop down selectors
UPDATE: new ConnectIT icons

Expected release to customers is expected week commencing 2nd March 2009.

For more information or to get an advanced beta copy, please email development@connectit-online.co.uk

To request new features that would help your business process run more effectively, please email development@connectit-online.co.uk

For more information on the ConnectIT suite of products, please see the website here: http://www.connectit-online.co.uk

BLOG: Hilltops IT attend Promota Promotional Merchandise Trade Association show

2009-02-17T19:30:00.001Z

The Promota Promotional Merchandise Trade Association show is the annual show for promotional gifts industry supplier and distributor members to meet, network and do business.

Exhibitors commented on the quality of the contacts made over the two day show. The eye-catching Promota show bus in the centre of the hall gave members the opportunity to meet the service providers and find out what the association is doing to support your business in difficult trading times. Both new and long-standing members found ways to protect their company and reduce overheads.

Today representatives from Hilltops IT attended alongside Sourcing City to present and talk about the new and existing products and website services which we have been heavily involved in developing. Plus it was a good opportunity to meet and greet many of our own clients from within the promotional gifts industry.

The solution offerings which had the most interest from attendees include the imminent Sourcing City website development (the current version of which was awarded BPMA Website of the Year 2008), Dynamic Office - a QuoteWerks based software solution tailored for use in the promotional gifts industry, Sourcing Planet - a website optimised promotional gift sourcing tool for end users, plus miscellaneous queries on bespoke back office system customisations and website developments.

Note to non-promotional gifts industry readers: please don't think that our solutions are exclusive to the promotional gifts industry! Our solutions are fit for "any" business that manages customer or supplier relationships, sells products or services or requires a website.

For further information on our website and software development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

SUPPORT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and in the world of computer software

2009-02-13T08:30:00.002Z

Microsoft release guidance on Windows Deployments for Business Customers

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/business/archive/2009/02/11/guidance-on-windows-deployments-for-business-customers.aspx

Microsoft has issued detailed guidance for enterprises considering migration to Windows Vista and Windows 7. Essentially, the company is seeking to dispel confusion customers might have about when to migrate to Windows 7. Should users stick with Windows XP, move to Vista or go directly to Windows 7? Gavriella Schuster, Microsoft's senior director of product management for Windows Client, provides guidance.

Microsoft has issued detailed guidance for enterprises considering migration to Windows Vista and Windows 7.

In a new blog post on the company's "Windows for Your Business" blog, Gavriella Schuster, Microsoft's senior director of product management for Windows Client, issued guidance stating Microsoft’s views on what enterprises should do in terms of moving to Vista and Windows 7 depending on what platform they currently run and their overall migration goals. Essentially, the company is seeking to dispel confusion customers might have about when to migrate to Windows 7.

Microsoft release "Live" package to help small startup businesses

http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/

Microsoft's package includes a free website, hosting, email, plus the ability to manage sales opportunities, projects, documents, and more with free online business applications.

The Terms and Conditions do limit the amount of time and the number of users the features are available for, plus functionality of the website and application is not as complete as a full package, HOWEVER for a start-up business, it's a great way to get up and running!

If your'e looking for a more sustainable software package or website service, then for further information on our off the self software product solutions, plus website development, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email support@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

CONNECTIT: new product added to suite

2009-02-10T12:30:00.003Z

Internally, we released a new prototype product to fit into the ConnectIT suite today.

This new product transfers information from an online ordering database into QuoteWerks, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS 90 or Sage MAS 200. So, rather than manually re-entering your website orders into your back office system, ConnectIT now takes the hard work out of it for you!

As with the other products in the ConnectIT suite, this new application will save significant time and effort with the manual re-entry. Plus save the cost of mistakes that are inevitably made.

The product is built on the same .net development technology used for other ConnectIT products and leverages some of the techniques utilised in other bespoke software development and website development projects which we have been involved in. The prototype links to a .net web service using XML to transfer the information.

For more information on the features, integration options and release schedules, please contact development@connectit-online.co.uk. On release, full details will be made available on the ConnectIT website.

Finally: we haven't decided on the name yet - possibly ConnectIT-WebTransfer, ConnectIT-WebCart or ConnectIT-Trolley - if you've got a snappy idea for a name, then please email sales@connectit-online.co.uk. If your suggestion gets taken up, then you'll win a free copy of the final released software!

DEVELOPMENT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and the world of software development

2009-02-06T16:30:00.010Z

We've been writing on the blog now for several weeks about the SQL Server Reporting Services bespoke Business Intelligence reporting bespoke development project which we have been developing. This also involved some SQL Server Integration Services work - the two go hand-in-hand in many ways for larger reporting database projects.

For anyone interested in SSIS, there is a useful introductory article here which explains many of the concepts: http://www.sql-server-performance.com/articles/biz/SSIS_An_Inside_View_Part_1_p1.aspx

For further information on our website and software development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

BUSINESS TIPS: Roger Martin-Fagg Economic Update February 2009

2009-02-05T14:00:00.001Z

Roger Martin-Faggs: Economic Update February 2009

Summary
This is the big one, the perfect storm is morphing into a Global Recession. The mountain of debt which had sustained asset prices throughout the last decade is deflating as the banking system shrinks to greatness. The reduction in M4 lending from 14% to 4% growth is reducing nominal GDP growth from the normal 5%-6% to the shocking 1.6% in the last quarter of 2008. As companies large and small revise their sales budgets downwards unemployment has begun an inexorable rise, which will gather momentum throughout 2009 and 2010.

All western economies will be in recession in 2009 and the emerging one’s will barely grow, including China. It will be the worst contraction since 1932. We will avoid a prolonged global if countries keep their free trade agreements alive, if just one turns protectionist we are in serious trouble, please note President Obama.

Full article available here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/resources/business/20090204 - Roger Martin-Fagg Economic Update.pdf

Graphs here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/resources/business/20090204 - Roger Maritn-Fagg Graphs.pdf

CONNECTIT: ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Accounts link v1.9.0 content confirmed

2009-02-02T11:15:00.001Z

ConnectIT-Sage QuoteWerks to Sage 50 Accounts link v1.9.0 content has been confirmed.

The major developments to be included are as follows:

The ability to select which Suppliers Purchase Orders are created for.
The ability to transfer QuoteWerks Comment and Group (Bundle) Header lines as Comments into Sage as Message lines.
A check on whether a customer or suppliers credit limit has been exceeded.
The ability to transfer a value into the Sage document line item Comment 1 and 2 fields.

ConnectIT-Sage v1.9.0 is due for beta release end-February with the full production release week commencing 2nd March 2009. If you or your end user have a requirement which is not listed here then please do not hesitate to email us at development@connectit-online.co.uk.

BLOG: Hilltops IT launch revised ConnectIT website

2009-01-30T18:00:00.001Z

It's not just the Hilltops IT website that has had a revamp! The ConnectIT website has had a couple of minor modifications too!

We're inviting QuoteWerks, ACT!, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Goldmine, Maximizer... in fact "any" software consultancy or reseller company which supplies relevant products or services to place adverts on the ConnectIT website.

ConnectIT: not only linking software applications to other software applications, but also prospects to resellers!!!

If you'd like more information on advertising your company's products and services, then please email info@connectit-online.co.uk

BLOG: Hilltops IT launch new website

2009-01-30T17:30:00.007Z

For anyone that knows us or reads the blog regularly, you'll know this has been a while coming and now it's here! The "new and improved" Hilltops IT website. It has taken a little longer than expected, but that's only due to our commitment to putting our customers first and satisfying their requirements and timescales before our own internal projects.

Now that it is here, the new website represents our company much better. The old one was "ok", but having simply "evolved" over three years, we have to admit that it was getting a bit confusing.

Reflecting, taking a step back, and looking at our company in relation to how we present ourselves on the web and redesigning the logo has been a refreshing experience. The new website focuses much better on the products and services we focus on to give it a cleaner presentation. Having brought more experienced website design and development skills into the business and working alongside them, sharing ideas, we have produced a website which is much more visual and easier to navigate than the previous one.

See the new website for yourself here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/

If you'd like more information on our experiences of re-branding our company or for further information on our website design and development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

SUPPORT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and in the world of computer software

2009-01-30T11:00:00.010Z

Hilltops IT Support Team's diary

Everything outside of the standard Support Desk activity this last couple of weeks has been website, website, website. Working with the website designer to find suitable images, the development team to get the website user-friendly, the consultancy team to get suitable copy which communicates all the services we can provide as effectively as possible and taking SEO (search engine optimisation) into account.

The new Hilltops IT website is here now - the development team are just uploading it now! :-) Clearly we're very happy with the results and (from a support point of view) we think it comprehensively communicates the types and ways we can assist clients - support contracts, online support, online training, etc.

Now for some tips from what we've learnt in the last couple of weeks...

Tips for developing a website

For any budding website developers out there or for anyone considering revisiting their website, the following links might be useful. They are two articles which have recently been posted on the Smashing Magazine website:

Web Application Interface Techniques - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/12/10-useful-web-application-interface-techniques/
Techniques for Good Interface Design in Web Applications - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/19/12-useful-techniques-for-good-user-interface-design-in-web-applications/

They are a good summary of what needs to be considered and also ways of achieving the successful development of a good modern website

Tip for avoiding unsolicited (spam) email and viruses

We also had this tip come through on email. Unfortunately we can't credit the originator as his email address had been stripped from the original message. Read on and you'll find out why!

This excellent message ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Read the text below...then print it out for future use.

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% do NOT. Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail?Do you hate it?

Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five pence for each hit.

That's right, all of that inconvenience over a couple of pence!How do you stop it? Well, there are two easy steps:

1) When you forward e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message. That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first, and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message.If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.

2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: columns for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy) column for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way that people you send to only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it.

So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses! Finally, here's an idea! Let's send this to everyone we know. (But strip my address off first). This is something that SHOULD be forwarded.

Tip on protecting your email address book

This tip came from the same person, so again unfortunately we can't credit the originator. But if you happen to be reading this - THANKS!

I learned a computer trick today that's really ingenious in its simplicity. As you may know, when or if a worm virus gets into your computer it heads straight for your email address book, and sends itself to everyone in there, thus infecting all your friends and associates.This trick won't keep the virus from getting into your computer, but it will stop it from using your address book to spread further, and it will alert you to the fact that the worm has gotten into your system.

Here's what you do:

First, open your address book and click on 'new contact,' just as you would do if you were adding a new friend to your list of email addresses In the window where you would type your friend's first name, type in ' A'.

For the screen name or email address, type 'AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA'

Now, here's what you've done and why it works: The 'name 'A' will be placed at the top of your address book as entry #1.

This will be where the worm will start in an effort to send itself to all your friends. When it tries to send itself to AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA, it will be undeliverable because of the fake email address you entered. If the first attempt fails (which it will because of the fake address), the worm goes no further and your friends will not be infected.

Here's the second great advantage of this method: If an email cannot be delivered, you will be notified of this in your In Box almost immediately. Hence, if you ever get an email telling you that an email addressed to AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA could not be delivered, you know right away that you have the worm virus in your system. You can then take steps to get rid of it!

Pretty good? If everybody you know does this then you need not ever worry about opening mail from friends.

Tip for installing Microsoft Updates

The updates have been around for a little while now, but this week Microsoft pushed out the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Service Pack 3 releases out through Microsoft Windows Automatic Updates. Particularly the .net update is quite large, so if you are managing a large network of users, why not download the updates manually to a server and then run the executable from there. This will save all users having to download the update, saving them time and avoid creating unnecessary network traffic.

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

Brief Description: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 is a full cumulative update that contains many new features building incrementally upon .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and includes cumulative servicing updates to the .NET Framework 2.0 and .NET Framework 3.0 subcomponents.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AB99342F-5D1A-413D-8319-81DA479AB0D7&displaylang=en

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Service Pack 3

Brief Description: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a free, easy-to-use, lightweight version of SQL Server 2005. It is fast and easy to learn, allowing you to quickly develop and deploy dynamic data-driven applications.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3181842A-4090-4431-ACDD-9A1C832E65A6&displaylang=en

For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email support@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

BLOG: Hilltops IT customer wins award for their website

2009-01-29T15:00:00.003Z

Sourcing City has won BPMA Website of the Year 2008. Hilltops IT worked alongside Akiko Design to develop the site – each company focussing on their strengths in a project which involved automatic database and FTP synchronisation between remote data sources, complex search functionality, user tracking through the site, plus (of course!) a slick user interface.

Says David Long (Chairman, Sourcing City): “Thanks and congratulations to all of the team that have contributed to our Award; I really appreciate what you do to get us to the top. Many people put a lot of effort into making sure we are the best at what we do and now it has been officially recognised by our National Trade Association. I think we all have every reason to feel really proud of what we have achieved together. To put thing into perspective, we are now officially the Best Website in the £1 Billion Promotional Merchandise Industry.”

Says Stephen Siggs (CEO, Hilltops IT): “It’s fantastic to have been associated with this project and the award. It is particularly exciting in light of the imminent release of a new site, which has improvements in every area plus lots of new features. Wait until your customer-base and BPMA get a load of that!!!”

About the Site
The current site allows users to search (and find!) promotional merchandise products and suppliers thereof from a database of over 80,000 products. Over the five years since its original launched, Sourcing City has become an increasingly utilised tool for Distributors in the Promotional Merchandise industry to find products and for Suppliers to advertise their products.

The site has several product categorisations to help users find products and suppliers. It also has features which allow the user to email information on the product direct to their client.

As well as having a significant design facelift, the new site has hugely improved search functions to help users search and find different and innovative products for their clients’ promotional activities. With this alongside the reporting, ‘page turning’, ‘real-time branding’ and ‘lite’ quotation tool features, users can look forward to a significantly enhanced experience.

Technical Specifications
The current website was originally developed using SQL Server 2000 for data storage (subsequently upgraded to SQL Server 2005) with a Visual Studio 2005 .net 2.0 with AJAX developed front end and content management system (CMS).

The new website (due to be launch imminently) uses the same SQL Server 2005 database for data storage, SQL Server Reporting Services for reporting with a Visual Studio 2008 .net 3.5 with AJAX developed front end and content management system (CMS).

The data which ‘drives’ the site is automatically synchronised from Sourcing City’s [in-house system] plus statistics on “who’s clicking on what and when” are captured as part of the site for market analysis purposes.

Further Information
If you'd like more information on our experience with website design, website development or business intelligence reporting services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

BLOG: Hilltops IT / Vistage / QuoteWerks press release

2009-01-29T11:00:00.001Z

Top performance award for technology specialist

Newcastle-Under-Lyme software solution specialist Hilltops IT has been ranked the fourth best partner in the world for its exceptional performance in satisfying and growing its customer base through its overall dedication to delivering quality software solutions.

Hilltops IT is a long-standing sales and development partner for US software author Aspire Technologies, whose products include the QuoteWerks package for sales quotations which is used by over 50,000 users worldwide.

Aspire has acknowledged Hilltops IT, which delivers solutions for customers in many diverse verticals (from IT and scientific to industrial catering and promotional gifts) as a top ten international partner for its outstanding delivery of the QuoteWerks software for the third consecutive year.

Hilltops IT’s (Owner Director) Stephen Siggs attributes the success to hard work, a talented team, and membership of Vistage International, the world’s leading chief executives’ organisation whose members are committed to outperforming.

Steve, who joined Vistage in March 2008 to help him to further develop the business, pays tribute to how Vistage has enabled him to power Hilltops IT to new heights.

He said: “I had heard about the powerful results which members derive from being involved in Vistage groups and wanted to also reap the benefits for my company. In less than a year I am already seeing key developments such as better projection and positioning of Hilltops IT in the marketplace, improved management of staff, customers and suppliers, plus a better focus on the strategic areas within my business which will achieve overall growth.

Vistage International, which has eight groups in the West Midlands, brings together business leaders for robustly challenging monthly development sessions, at which they act like each other’s non-executive directors. With more than 15,000 members globally, it develops MDs, CEOs and key reports who value having their answers and thinking questioned through confidential peer group sessions and one-to-one interaction.

Said Vistage Chair Richard Ward who facilitates the monthly group meetings and 1-2-1 development sessions: “In today’s tough climate, delighting and retaining existing customers while growing your customer base is more challenging than ever. Vistage attracts members who are seeking to outperform their personal and business expectations and who display strong leadership skills to motivate their teams through turbulent times. This award is a great testimony to Hilltops IT’s powerful success.”

For more information about Vistage International, contact David Alexander on 01962 841188 or visit www.vistage.co.uk.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Vistage by Quest Public Relations Ltd. Media contact is Nick Pickles or Sharon Cain on 01423 564192 or nick@quest-pr.com

Notes to editor

Interview and Case Study Opportunities

Vistage spokespeople and Vistage Chairs are available for interview. With more than 650 members in the business sector a wide selection of case studies are available. For further information please contact: Sharon Cain or David Child on 01423 564192.

Interviews/case studies can cover amongst other things:

General SME issues
Benefits of executive development for business leaders
Setting up businesses/exit strategies/MBOs
Staff retention and motivation
Financing and financial performance
Family businesses

Above is a very small selection of the resource available for interview.

About Vistage

Global leader in development of Chief Executives since 1957 with more than 15,000 members worldwide and a combined turnover of £200bn
The organisation is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of chief executives.
On average members who stay for three years double their growth and treble their profitability
Operates a local, confidential peer group system of non-competing business leaders to develop business and personal skills on an ongoing monthly basis
Vistage is committed to helping its members secure a better work-life balance

DEVELOPMENT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and the world of software development

2009-01-23T13:00:00.009Z

Hilltops IT Developer's diary

Since last fortnight's post, most development activity has been on the following projects:

Website development - development work on our Hilltops IT website for re-branding. this has been the main focus for us - bringing together the design work with the "nuts and bolts" of the mechanics of the site. there are still a couple of tweaks to make, but the site is looking really good. Everyone internally is really excited about being able to announce the launch.

Business Intelligence reporting - continued work on a bespoke project reporting on 3,000,000+ rows of data from disparate data sources using SQL Server Reporting Services.

Industry News

Development tools component makers see 2009 as a big year for MS platforms

Introduction: The gears are turning for implementations of Microsoft's next generation of platform technologies, and as a matter of course, component makers are the leading-edge innovators. In 2009, some of the latest Microsoft technologies will be gaining the most traction as Silverlight's star rises and developers rethink how they structure Web applications. Silverlight is rapidly becoming a popular platform for component developers to target. ComponentArt, ComponentOne, Developer Express and Infragistics are all making controls for creating business applications and filling in functionality that Microsoft has omitted.

See the full article here: www.sdtimes.com/link/33194

So as Microsoft Partners, leading edge software and website developers and providers of Microsoft platform-based business solutions, Hilltops IT are perfectly placed to take advantage of these new innovations.

Free e-book Introducing SQL Server 2008

Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 by Peter DeBetta, Greg Low, and Mark Whitehorn

ISBN: 9780735625587

Learn about major new features in SQL Server 2008 including security, administration, and performance.

Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008:

Chapter 1: Security and Administration
Chapter 2: Performance
Chapter 3: Type System
Chapter 4: Programmability
Chapter 5: Storage
Chapter 6: Enhancements for High Availability
Chapter 7: Business Intelligence Enhancements

Download it here: http://csna01.libredigital.com/?urss1q2we6

For further information on our website and software development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

BLOG: QuoteWerks award press release - Steve's photo shoot!

2009-01-22T13:00:00.002Z

Steve (Siggs) poses with the award and certificate presented to Hilltops IT from Aspire Technologies Inc as 2008 QuoteWerks Top 10 International Sales Partner winner.

Says Steve: "This is the third consecutive year that Hilltops IT has been given the QuoteWerks Top 10 International Sales Partner award. With an increasingly large team and an increasing portfolio of QuoteWerks training courses, products which work alongside QuoteWerks, QuoteWerks report layouts, QuoteWerks development utility add-ons and the Hilltops IT team's individual QuoteWerks consultancy skills, etc, we're certainly aiming to make it for a fourth consecutive year in 2009!"

Hilltops IT has been approached by Vistage - chief executives organisation to do some joint marketing of the achievement. You can see the pictures below; the press release is expected to be issued towards the end of the month and sent to various local and national magazines and newspapers.

BLOG: Hilltops IT sponsor Sourcing City 2008 Awards Presentation night

2009-01-22T10:00:00.011Z

Further to the previous post about Hilltops IT sponsoring the Sourcing City 2008 Awards Presentation Night: the event took place last night at the Dolce Vita, a glamorous Italian restaurant in Guildford. The turnout was excellent and from the feedback a great night was had by all.

The major award winners were Brand Addition for Distributor of the Year and Listawood for Supplier of the Year. Awards were also made for Small Distributor of the Year, which went to Face 2 Face and the Specialist supplier of the Year was presented to Bizz Badge. (Who also finished 3rd in the main supplier category.)

A £1000 special presentation was also made on behalf of Sourcing City's Distributor customers (please read story in the image below).

You can view the full results, presentation photos and photos of the event issued by Sourcing City below. (Click the image to open a larger version.)

QUOTEWERKS: Version 4.0 Build 44 released

2009-01-21T16:30:00.003Z

Aspire Technologies Inc. QuoteWerks development team have released a new version of QuoteWerks. If you have any questions on the new features and fixes, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Version 4.0 Build 44 Summary: 13 New, 11 Fixes, and 5 Miscellaneous features

New Features

1. Advanced Outlook integration! The new advanced integration includes: a) When searching for contacts, subfolders within the specified Outlook contact folder will now be included in the searching. b) QuoteWerks will create/update linked documents (as Outlook journal entries) in Outlook. c) QuoteWerks will create/update a follow up call (as an Outlook appointment) in Outlook. d) The QuoteWerks DataLink feature can be used with Outlook enabling you to retrieve information like Terms and shipping method from the Outlook contact into the quote. e) When printing, QuoteWerks can retrieve data from Outlook and include it in the printed output.See a screenshot of this feature

2. Product pictures are now displayed in the Configurator.See a screenshot of this feature

3. On the Add Item Assistant, if a picture is available for the product, it will be displayed. You can also double-click on it to open the picture using the default application associated with the picture file type.See a screenshot of this feature

4. On the Picture tab of the Edit Product window, there are now buttons to view the picture as [Auto Size] or [Original Size]. The Auto Size option resizes the image while respecting the aspect ratio.See a screenshot of this feature

5. On the Real-time Product Content window, the pictures are now resized to the size of the display area while maintaining the aspect ratio.

6. On Real-time Product Content window, if available, a "View product on Manufacturer Website" hyperlink is now displayed.

7. On the Add Item Assistant, for products with a pricing method of Volume Pricing or Customer Based Price Levels, you can now view the complete list of all the pricing levels.

8. On the Add Item Assistant, for products with a pricing method of Customer Based Price Levels, the pricing is now displayed instead of "TBD".

9. If Product Data Sources are located under the QuoteWerks installation folder, the QuoteWerks installation path will be replaced with a macro instead of the hard coded path when this path is saved in the database. This will make it easier to move the QuoteWerks installation folder without the links breaking due to invalid paths.

10. When inserting a file path and name into a custom Menu Item command, and the QuoteWerks installation path is contained within the file path, you will be asked if you want to use the &SYS_InstallPath macro. This will make it easier to move the QuoteWerks installation folder without the links breaking due to invalid paths.

11. Added new FileSave & Close menu and toolbar button to report designer.

12. Added shortcut keys of CTRL-S (to select FileSave) and CTRL-W (to select FileClose) on Report Designer window.

13. Added shortcut keys CTRL-W (to select FileClose) on Quote Workbook.

Misc Features

1. To accommodate the addition of more fields to the DocumentHeaders table, the method of saving records to this table was modified to split the update into multiple queries.

2. When using the Add Item Assistant to add a zero quantity of an item that has required items, the quantities of the required items would be their original quantities instead of 0.

3. Added HelpContents and Index and HelpAbout menus to the MDI window that is displayed when all documents are closed.

4. The tab order on the Product Content subtab of the Real-time tab under the ToolsOptions menu was corrected.

5. For CRM users, when attempting to save a quote, that is not linked to a CRM contact, and the Look for synchronized data option is set, the user can now save without having to exit their CRM software.

Fixes

1. ICEcat changed the specifications for their real-time product content which broke the integration.

2. For API Users, the method AddLineItemToDocument() was ignoring the lItemType parameter used to set the type of line item type like a comment, subtotal, etc.

3. For API Users, the methods AddLineItemToDocument() and AddLineItemToDocumentEx() were ignoring the lItemAttributes parameter used to set Line Attributes like Don't Print, Hide Price, etc.

4. On Product Lookup window, the Manufacturer and Vendor Part # field background color appeared black on Windows Vista machines.

5. For MS CRM users, if you preview or print a quote layout that contains an MS CRM field before you have retrieved a contact from MS CRM, would receive "Runtime Error 91" error.

6. When copying selected data from an Excel spreadsheet and using the Paste Special feature, extra leading spaces would appear in the data.

7. When using the Paste Special feature to paste from the clipboard, if the clipboard data was formatted as HTML and the data contained reserved HTML formatting tags, the reserved formatting tags were not replaced with their original counterparts. For example, if the HTML data that was copied into the clipboard contained a reserved character like the ">" symbol, when it was pasted in QuoteWerks it would be represented as "& g t ;" without the spaces.

8. The title of Some error message dialogs would incorrectly say "{Edition not detected yet}"

9. When converting a quote to an order or invoice and choosing to reduce inventory, if any line items had a blank manufacturer part number would receive "error 9 subscript out of range".

10. When clicking in the Purchasing Notes, or Internal Notes fields on the Notes tab of the Quote Workbook, the message "You do not have rights to modify this field. This field is read-only." would incorrectly be displayed in the status bar. In this situation, if the user did have rights to modify these fields, they could still modify the fields even though the message was displayed.

11. Pressing the F1 key (for help) while in QuoteWerks would display the error "Cannot find the qw4.hlp file. Do you want to try find this file yourself?"

SUPPORT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and in the world of computer software

2009-01-16T17:15:00.005Z

Hilltops IT Support Team's diary

It's been an exciting but busy couple of weeks on the support desk as clients come back after Christmas with new ideas on what they'd like to do with their software systems. In particular we have had several enquiries about QuoteWerks reporting and ACT! customisation. Most companies seem to have taken a good two weeks off over Christmas and seemingly this has given users a chance to reflect on their systems, how they use them and what more they'd like to get out of them. The great thing and the products and solutions we offer for contact managment, sales quoting and sales order processing - QuoteWerks, ACT! by Sage and Microsoft Dynamics CRM in particular - is that there's plenty of depth to them for clients to be able to move the software along with their business and not be constrained.

There's also still been plenty of interest in the business perfomance report for QuoteWerks we have been sending out. This free report summarises sales by Sales Rep by Month and details the invoiced amount, profit, number of invoices and average sales value for the year January to December.

Compare how month-on-month sales fluctuate through the year.
Compare your individual performance to colleagues.
Compare your individual performance to the company as a whole.
You can also use this report to compare year-on-year performance!

To get your copy, please email support@hilltopsit.co.uk with the code "HITBLOGREP" in the title. We will get a copy straight out to you.

For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email support@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

QUOTEWERKS: Aspire are looking for beta testers for an enhanced Outlook integration

2009-01-13T09:00:00.004Z

Aspire's QuoteWerks Development team have released an interim build for beta testing containing advanced integration features between QuoteWerks and Microsoft Outlook. Current QuoteWerks users are invited to trial the advanced integration for free. This new integration allows users to do the following:

Search for contacts in subfolders within the specified Outlook contact folder
Create/Update linked documents (as Outlook Journal entries) in Outlook
Create/Update follow up calls (as an Outlook Appointment) in Outlook
Use QuoteWerks’ DataLink feature with Outlook which enables users to retrieve information like Terms and shipping method from the Outlook contact in the quote
Retrieve data from Outlook and include it in the printed output

Additionally, they are researching whether to add support for Outlook Business Contact Manager (BCM). If you are using BCM, and specifically if you are using the Opportunities features, let them know so they may gain an understanding of how it is being utilized by QuoteWerks users and how it may be advantageous to you.

This advanced preview has a couple of benefits for QuoteWerks users. First, users can try the new features and see if it works in their environment before the production version is released. Also, if one of the features needs improvement there is a greater chance those changes will be made during this phase of design.

A list of revisions in the most recent interim can be found here:
http://www.quotewerks.com/download/interim/interim.txt.

All current QuoteWerks users who are using Outlook are invited to test out the new integration.

To try this integration, either contact us at Hilltops IT or send an email direct to sales@quotewerks.com

DEVELOPMENT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and the world of software development

2009-01-09T17:00:00.004Z

Hilltops IT Developer's diary

Since last fortnight's post, most development activity has been on the following projects:

Website development - development work on our Hilltops IT website for re-branding. This has been the main focus for us - bringing together the design work with the "nuts and bolts" of the mechanics of the site. there are still a couple of tweaks to make, but the site is looking really good. Everyone internally is really excited about being able to announce the launch.
Business Intelligence reporting - continued work on a bespoke project reporting on 3,000,000+ rows of data from disparate data sources using SQL Server Reporting Services.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM - minor tweaks to an existing customer's MSCRM system for additional summary information in their Accounts screen.

Plus! We've been looking at the feasibility of a new product in the ConnectIT range. More on that soon.

Industry News

Microsoft Releases Windows 7 Beta

Microsoft have released Windows 7 Beta as a free download

For more details on what to expect from Windows 7, see the home page here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx

To download the free beta, see here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

For further information on our website and software development services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

CONNECTIT: CRM, QuoteWerks and Sage resellers and consultants

2009-01-08T13:30:00.001Z

10 Good Reasons to Start Reselling ConnectIT

Generous commission structure on all licenses, support & services sold.
Free support to ConnectIT resellers.
Free marketing resources to ConnectIT resellers.
Comprehensive online knowledgebase & suite of video tutorials.
Online demo environment provided free for your use.
Online demos conducted by ConnectIT Support on your behalf.
Lead follow up on your behalf.
The ConnectIT Development team has a proven track record of delivering quality products.
The ConnectIT Development team has a proven track record of listening to what the market wants and developing sought-after new enhancements and additional features.
You can have absolute confidence in our professionalism and integrity in dealing with your clients.

Selling ConnectIT, helping your clients and getting the rewards couldn't be easier!

Please call us on +44 (0)1782 564252 or +44 (0)844 357 7360, or email sales@connectit-online.co.uk for more information and start selling now!

We look forward to hearing from you.

QUOTEWERKS: great training offers tailor-made to your requirements

2009-01-07T13:45:00.001Z

Want a quick return on investment for your new software?

Or need to get more out of your existing software?

Then pick and mix from the following training options:

Onsite – in your offices or in ours (full or half days)
Online – at your own PC (by the minute)
One–to-one or group training sessions
Own data – or generic training data
Own Agenda – you specify what you want to cover and when!

Call us on +44 (0)1782 564252 or +44 (0)844 357 7360, or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk to book your training session(s) now!

ACT: great training offers tailor-made to your requirements

2009-01-07T13:30:00.001Z

Want a quick return on investment for your new software?

Or need to get more out of your existing software?

Then pick and mix from the following training options:

Onsite – in your offices or in ours (full or half days)
Online – at your own PC (by the minute)
One–to-one or group training sessions
Own data – or generic training data
Own Agenda – you specify what you want to cover and when!

Call us on +44 (0)1782 564252 or +44 (0)844 357 7360, or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk to book your training session(s) now!

QUOTEWERKS:tip on using layout formulae to trim strings (a real world example)

2009-01-06T14:40:00.005Z

The below formula uses a function to get a set of numbers from an 18 digit field.

So in this case documentheaders->soldtoponumber the format of the field is 0000.0000.00.00.00

What one of our clients wanted was that to filter out and generate the report based on the middle 4 digits highlight above.

What we did was to use a dialog prompt at the start of the report so that the report would generate based on the 4 digit numbers. So how to get around this was to include a filter within the report that related to the dialog prompt. Below is the formula used within the report.

Dlg->siteref=last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,10),4)

So to break the formula down, the Dlg relates to the dialog prompt at the start of the report, the siteref is the name of the dialog prompt and the rest is the formula.

To break the rest of the formula down, you always start within the brackets first –

Last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,9),4)

First 9
0000.0000.00.00.00

Last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,9),4)

Last 4
0000.0000.00.00.00

So now you can see how the formula is working to generate the report based on the 4 digit number entered in the dialog prompt.

For further assistance with QuoteWerks document and report layout authoring, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 564252 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk as well as having a host of report layout examples that we have developed over the years, we offer very competitive hourly rates for building layouts and reports specific to your business's requirements.
We look forward to hearing from you!

DEVELOPMENT: How are we so good!?

2009-01-06T13:00:00.004Z

We had a bit of fun / team morale boosting in between Christmas and New Year. In amongst the increasingly negative reports on "depression", "the state of the world economy" and "global economic downturn", we wanted to feel good about ourselves! (Why not!)

Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" with our Software Development and Website Development services. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!

We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for yourself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)

How Are We So Good!? Development at Hilltops IT

We understand the need for a solution from a business perspective!
We understand requirements from the user’s perspective!
We understand that clients need flexibility for systems to grow with business!
We fully understand what it takes to develop a solution! (Development Lifecycle)
We have implemented many different systems across many different verticals!
We have a proven track record in developing bespoke solutions!
We have a proven track record in taking software products to market! (ConnectIT)
We have a proven track record developing and deploying solutions worldwide!
We have a wide range of development skills and use the latest technologies!
We deliver professional services within affordable budgets!
We keep to timescales and always deliver to schedule!

For more information on Hilltops IT's QuoteWerks, ACT! by Sage, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS90, Sage MAS 200, Microsoft CRM, software development and website development services, please do not hesitate to contact us! you can reach us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

SUPPORT: How are we so good!?

2009-01-06T11:30:00.003Z

We had a bit of fun / team morale boosting in between Christmas and New Year. In amongst the increasingly negative reports on "depression", "the state of the world economy" and "global economic downturn", we wanted to feel good about ourselves! (Why not!)

Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" with our Software Support. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!

We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for youself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)

How Are We So Good!? Software Support at Hilltops IT

We understand the need for fast solutions to issues with a business’ systems!
We will understand the problem from the user’s point of view!
We have well trained staff who understand software systems in detail!
We understand the end-to-end of CRM, SOP, POP and accounting!
We have tools to help us better diagnose and solve the issue!
If we don’t know the answer straight away we have the resources to find out!
We will take ownership of the issue and manage it through to resolution!
We will not rest until an answer has been found to the issue a client has!
We have a proven track record supporting reseller partners and end-users alike!
We have a proven track record supporting reseller partners and clients worldwide!
We deliver a warm, friendly and professional service within affordable budgets!

For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

QUOTEWERKS: How are we so good!?

2009-01-06T11:00:00.005Z

We had a bit of fun / team morale boosting in between Christmas and New Year. In amongst the increasingly negative reports on "depression", "the state of the world economy" and "global economic downturn", we wanted to feel good about ourselves! (Why not!)

Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" at QuoteWerks. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!

We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for youself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)

How Are We So Good!? QuoteWerks at Hilltops IT

We have been in the Top 10 International Sales Partner rankings for the last 3 years!
We are one of the very few QuoteWerks authorised trainers in the world!
We offer a more comprehensive list of services than any other single QuoteWerks partner! (And the portfolio is growing!)
We truly understand the complete end-to-end business process of CRM, SOP, POP and accounting!
We have a proven track record in developing QuoteWerks add-on products and utilities!
We have a proven track record deploying QuoteWerks in many different and diverse verticals!
We have deployed and helped deploy QuoteWerks systems worldwide!
We have regular direct dialog with the key personnel at Aspire! (QuoteWerks authors.)
We contribute to QuoteWerks support forums helping users and partners alike!
We have been engaged to help end user and fellow partners alike when they need assistance!

For more information on Hilltops IT's QuoteWerks services - including training, consultancy, support, development and license sales - please do not hesitate to contact us! you can reach us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

SUPPORT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and in the world of computer software

2009-01-02T17:30:00.008Z

Hilltops IT Support Team's diary

It has been a quiet couple of weeks over the Christmas period, so not much to report. The main focus has been on reviewing our internal processes and use of our software systems - it makes a change from looking at how our clients can best use the software!!! :-) We are also working on publishing some additional articles for the ConnectIT Knowledgebase which have only previously been available internally. This will help end users and partner resellers alike.

We have released an interim version of ConnectIT-Sage to work for a particular client's requirements. The feature - the ability to select which Suppliers (Vendors) a document is created for - will be rolled into a future build release for all users later in the year.

Finally, we have been involved in reviewing the final drafts of the new Hilltops IT website branding. We're really excited about this - in the coming weeks and months there are going to be some additional tools introduced so that we can help support our clients even better than we do already!

Industry News

Sage CRM Solutions 2010 Strategy
A very interesting insight into Sage CRM Solutions' thoughts on CRM and CRM solutions generally, plus future development roadmap plans.

INTRODUCTION
Since the inception of CRM, the balance of power has shifted dramatically between buyers and sellers, with the rate of change accelerating in the past five years. Today, companies must offer extremely cost-efficient, differentiable customer experiences to acquire and retain profitable customer relationships. In our highly globalized economy, CRM is critical to enable businesses of every shape and size to fulfill the needs and expectations of their customers.

See the full article here.

For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email support@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

BLOG: Happy New Year from Everyone at Hilltops IT!

2009-01-01T13:00:00.002Z

A very Happy New Year to all our blog readers and welcome to 2009!!!

We're all very excited here for the new year - we have got several projects going on which will help serve our clients and software partner resellers even better!

Starting with the imminent update of our website which will offer a much more visual and more easily navigable menu for visitors to find what it is they are looking for. Let's be honest - the old site was looking pretty tired! We thought it was about time our site reflected the standard of site we have been producing for our clients!!! Written using the latest technologies and development techniques, the rewrite offers up some interesting opportunities for future expansion, but more on that when the time comes...

We're also significantly expanding the ConnectIT website Knowledgebase to publish a number of useful articles which have only previously been available internally or by contacting the support desk. Putting this information into the public domain should help end users and partner resellers alike in better understanding what the software can do to help their productivity and their businesses efficiency.

Also there's a whole bunch of innovations we have got in mind to expand the ConnectIT product range over and above the QuoteWerks, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM links - look out for more on these later on in the year.

With the global recession, like most businesses we're expecting 2009 to be "interesting". What we're really looking forward to is turning businesses around with better use of their software systems. Introducing software solutions that not only organise people and improve the way the business works, but saves the users so much more time. Valuable time that they can spend looking to close more deals adding value to the business' bottom line.

We have seen it over and over again with clients how better contact management, quoting, ordering and invoicing systems which truly "talk" to one another properly can save sales people loads of time. Time they can then use to make another cold call, send another quote or follow-up another order.

The business intelligence reporting solutions which really help managers analyse where the business is performing well (and not so well), creating unique insights that can help in forward planning.

Website development (which we are increasingly getting involved in following the recruitment of a designer). Your "shop window" - which is becoming an increasingly important sales tool.

What to know more about how Hilltops IT can help you and your business? Then contact us now on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

DEVELOPMENT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and the world of software development

2008-12-19T17:30:00.014Z

Hilltops IT Developer's diary

Business Intelligence reporting - continued work on a bespoke project reporting on 3,000,000+ rows of data from disparate data sources using SQL Server Reporting Services.

ConnectIT-Sage - work on an interim release for a particular client's requirements. this feature will be rolled into a future build release for all users.

Website development - design work on our Hilltops IT website for rebranding.

Website development - prototyping work on our ConnectIT website for advertising using image banner ads.

Industry News

SQL Server 2005 SP3 released
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 (SP3) contains all the cumulative updates for SQL Server 2005, and fixes to issues that have been reported through our customer feedback platforms. These include supportability enhancements and issues that have been reported through Windows Error Reporting.

Download the service pack here.

The read about what's new, click here.

Sage CRM Solutions 2010 Strategy
A very interesting insight into Sage CRM Solutions's thoughts on CRM and CRM solutions generally, plus future development roadmap plans.

INTRODUCTION
Since the inception of CRM, the balance of power has shifted dramatically between buyers and sellers, with the rate of change accelerating in the past five years. Today, companies must
offer extremely cost-efficient, differentiable customer experiences to acquire and retain profitable customer relationships. In our highly globalized economy, CRM is critical to enable businesses of every shape and size to fulfill the needs and expectations of their customers.

See the full article here.

For further information on our software development services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 721301 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

BLOG: Hilltops IT to sponsor Sourcing City awards night

2008-12-18T20:00:00.000Z

Hilltops IT is happy to announce that we will be sponsoring the Sourcing City Awards Night Party in the evening of 22nd January 2009.

So what does that mean...? We are getting the bar tab!!! :-) So enjoy!!!

The awards evening is for suppliers and distributors within the promotional gifts industry (those involved should already have received their invites from the Sourcing City team). The evening is to celebrate those suppliers and distributors which have been voted as the best in the industry by those in the industry. It is a great opportunity for business leaders to meet face-to-face, network and build relationships.

Last year we had a great turn-out, and the party resembled an entire "who’s who" of the industry. The night provided a great networking opportunity for the industry’s main players in a relaxed & informal atmosphere. We hope you will join us to meet with old friend’s & new faces alike.

We look forward to seeing you there!

ACT: Vote for ACT! by Sage in Small Business Computing's 2009 Excellence in Technology Awards

2008-12-18T19:42:00.007Z

ACT! by Sage is certainly our favourite of the contenders listed. And since we both use it internally and are out implementing, setting up and training our clients on it day-in, day-out we know the solution pretty well!!!

If you agree that ACT! by Sage is the best contact management solution around for small and medium-sized business, then why not vote?!

Follow the link here, then click on "Software/Services", and select ACT! under "Sales/Customer Management", then scroll to the bottom of the page and hit "Submit".

Voting is accepted until Midnight (EST) on 9th January 2009.

For more information on our ACT! by Sage related services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 721301 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk. We offer a complete range of services - from licensing to implementation to setup and training and have worked in many different industry verticals. for you, that means a very experienced team that can get your contact management solution up and running fast so that you get the benefit straight to your bottom line sooner.