On the morning of my first day
at the conference, I paid a visit to the lab to see the software for
myself. I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Lininger, Nathan Vonada,
and Enrique Aguirre who skillfully (and enthusiastically) guided me
through the latest features of Macola ES and e-Synergy.
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They have created one database,
shared by the Macola ES back-office application and e-Synergy, the
browser based front-office solution.
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Former
Macola functionality still exists in the Distribution and Mfg areas of
the software. This means that the customization functionality
still works in these areas. The other areas are the old
“Globe” product (Globe is the Exact accounting solution
used in other areas of the world.) The rest of the
product screens are not modifiable.
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G/L account number now has three segments
that are stored separately.
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Attachments and notes can be added
throughout Macola ES - in numerous file formats.
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The Macola ES program should be
installed locally at each workstation for most efficient operation.
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Both Macola ES and e-Synergy can
be sold by themselves.
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Everyone at Exact Software North
America uses e-Synergy to manage their workflow and contacts.
This replaces SalesLogix that was being used previously in the US.
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There is a live link from
e-Synergy to the Macola ES database but inventory has a replication step.
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Embedded shipment
tracking is now available via I-Ship.com
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I asked about keyboard shortcuts
– I was told they are still working on them.
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Production Order Processing (POP)
and Shop Floor have stayed the same.
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When I asked how many sites were
on SQL, I was told they have thousands of SQL sites. (According
to Jim Kent, VP of Sales and Marketing, 21% of their user base is on
SQL, 57% on Pervasive, and 22% still on DOS)
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I asked what language the product
is written in. The answer: Cobol, C++, Dot Net, Active Server
Page, Visual Basic. They have componentized the system so they can
use the best technology for the job at hand.
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SQL was the biggest change in the
product – the move from a non-relational to a relational database was a big
change – and they maintained backwards compatibility.
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Flexibility Tool– a user form
can be attached to any field. You have to know Visual Basic code to create
one. 7.6 functionality has been enhanced – Flexibility
had a performance impact.
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I asked about benchmarking – “screens load twice as
fast as before”.
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SalesLogix integration will be
written for ES, at the request of existing customers.
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Application is modular – you can
flip between applications.
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If a customer overpays, you can
cut a refund check directly from AR or can write of the balance.
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Multi-currency functionality is
available only in the G/L.
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Macola ES is multi-lingual - it detects the language settings from Windows. Currently only have
Spanish/English versions.
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Impact of the Exact acquisition
-"It's been positive. We gained new technology and a clearer vision
of where we want to go."
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Workflow gain – added
authorization step for payments, credits, etc.
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They now have an add-in to Excel
which loads when Macola ES is installed.
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Other Changes
resulting from the new database design:
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Sub- ledgers and accumulators
are no longer stored in separate tables – its all one table
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Transaction history is
built online
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Getting rid of
“Buckets”
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You can now setup
all modules from one screen
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30 character inventory item
number
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Limit on user defined
fields is now 250
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Table limit-user defined
fields there are 15. The types are pre-set – text, decimal, etc.
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Form limit – none
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Red highlights on input fields indicate
an error or omission of a required field.
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Drill
down capabilities have been enhanced.
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Grid
control has been added since version 7.6 - this helped to provide
more "real estate" on many forms in Macola ES.
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F7
search has been enhanced throughout the application. Search
parameters can be stored by user.
