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IRP News 10/97
Once again it is time for an update to the IMS/ACTR/ACTP system as well as
another newsletter. Also included with this newsletter is a new Tech Tips
bulletin. We started using this format for our Shop Trac system, and have also
decided to use it for IMS/ACTR/ACTP. We will use these bulletins for specific
information, and reserve the newsletters for more general information.
Our Internet web site is located at http://www.jra.on.ca/jra.
This site now also contains most of the support information that we have ever released for
the IMS/ACTR/ACTP system including the latest update. Have a look, and send us your
comments. We also have plans for a user link page. If your company has an Internet site,
please email us the address and we will add a link from our site to yours! You can also
use the 'Submit a Link' form from our
site to suggest other links that would be of interest to other IMS/ACTR/ACTP
users.
The enclosed update diskette again uses the new installation procedure, and we are
repeating the instructions as they were introduced in our last newsletter.
To install the update diskette(s), place "Diskette Number 1" it in a floppy
drive and input the following command at a DOS prompt:
d:\INSTALL <ENTER>
replacing the d with the drive letter of the floppy drive that
contains the update diskette. If your update diskette is in your A: drive the command
would be
A:\INSTALL <ENTER>
The installation procedure will prompt you for the destination drive (default of C:),
the IMS/ACTR/ACTP program directory (default of \IMSACTR), and the data directory
(default of DATA1). It will also require you to select any custom modules from a list of
available files. The label on the update diskette will list the modules that you are
currently using. Do NOT select any modules, except those as
indicated by the diskette label. Additional modules may have unpredictable
results. We have changed this procedure to allow us to send the same diskette to everyone,
even though many of our users have modules that are specific only to them. This new
procedure will also allow us to place a standard update file applicable to all users on
our Internet site.
This update will also install some new files that are required to process any Internet
downloaded updates. Our Internet site is available to anyone, but only registered IMS/ACTR/ACTP
users will have access to update files.
The procedure for installing an update downloaded from our Internet site is slightly
different, in that the files downloaded from the Internet need to be converted to standard
update installation diskette(s). The following instructions assume that you can navigate
the World Wide Web, and download the required update file. In brief, type our address (http://www.jra.on.ca/jra)
into the address line of your Internet browser to access our site. Click on the IMS/ACTR/ACTP
link on our home page, and then follow the links to the download section. This section
will require that you complete a password request form (this will tell us who will be
downloading an update). This password changes each calendar year. This means that any
password issued to you in 1997 will be valid for the entire year. You can still go ahead
and download the files, but you will not be able to create update diskette(s) from these
files without the password. We will send the password via email, usually within 24 hours
of your request. If you need the password sooner, we can also supply it via telephone.
Remember the location where you save the downloaded files on your hard drive, so that you
can access them when needed.
Once you have these file(s) on your hard drive (one for "Disk 1", and another
for "Disk 2" if this update is on more than 1 diskette), insert a formatted 1.4M
floppy diskette into a floppy drive, and execute the downloaded file with the parameter of
the floppy drive letter, as well as the required password parameter. For example; if the
downloaded file was called IRP1097_1.EXE, and this file was downloaded
into the C:\TEMP directory and the password was PASSWORD then the
following command from a DOS prompt would create an update diskette on the A: drive:
C:\TEMP\IRP1097_1 -sPASSWORD A:
The procedure would also have to be repeated for "Disk 2" if the update
consists of more that 1 diskette.
The diskette(s) created this way can be installed using the procedure outlined earlier
in this newsletter. These "Internet Update
Installation Instructions" are also available from our web site.
The following are some reported problems and/or minor changes that have been fixed
and/or improved and are not detailed via a Tech Tips bulletin:
 | Since laser printed cheques are not normally printed in duplicate, the Account Number
and Cheque Date will now print on the stub(s). |
| The Print Cheques option in the ACTP module will not allow you to
select more documents than will fit on a single cheque stub. In these cases you may have
to print 2 cheques for a single vendor account. |
| The "Vdisk Drive ID" as defined by the setup was causing some problems with
Windows 95 installations. Changes have been made to the system to eliminate temporary
files appearing as icons on the Windows 95 desktop. This new feature requires an
environment variable called TEMP. This variable should already have been defined by the
original Windows 95 installation. |
| Running a single user version of IMS/ACTR/ACTP on a multi-user system can have
disastrous results, so for this reason changes have been made to make this impossible. If
you wish to run the IMS/ACTR/ACTP system in a multi-user environment, please ask
about the available 'Multi-user Upgrade'.
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Earlier this year the Canadian government decided to further complicate an already
complicated tax collection system, when they introduced the Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.)
in the maritime provinces. The H.S.T. combines the G.S.T. and the P.S.T. into a single
tax.
If your business is located where the H.S.T. is in effect, it is a simple matter to
change the G.S.T. to H.S.T. in the setup. The rate for the P.S.T. would be set to zero,
while the rate for the H.S.T. would be set to 15%. You will also need to change the names
of the GL accounts that reference the G.S.T. The H.S.T. will then be processed just as the
G.S.T. has always been.
If your business is located outside the H.S.T. area, but you are selling goods to
someone where the H.S.T. is in effect, you need to charge them the 15% H.S.T. We recommend
the following procedure:
| Change the names of the GL accounts that reference the G.S.T. to include H.S.T. i.e.)
"G.S.T. Collected" becomes "G.S.T./H.S.T. Collected". |
| When invoicing to customers where H.S.T. needs to be applied, set the "Apply
PST" and the "Apply GST" fields on page 1 of the invoice to 'N'. |
| Include a manual calculation for the H.S.T. on the last page of the invoice. Make sure
it is posted to the "G.S.T./H.S.T. Collected" GL account. We realize that this
is not an ideal method of doing this, and if demand warrants we will make changes to the
system to make this procedure automatic for H.S.T. customers. |
| H.S.T. is remitted in the same way as G.S.T., and there is no requirement that expects
you to keep these amounts separate. |
We still receive many phone calls when someone cannot access certain features within
either the ACTR or the ACTP module. This is NOT a bug, but a safeguard
added to prevent problems associated with adding documents to a period that has been
closed. An ACTR or ACTP is considered closed after a 'Final Update
Aging' operation has been completed. The 'Update Aging' routine includes the question
"Is this the final update? (Y/N)", and when answered with a 'Yes' makes this a
'Final Update Aging'. Once this is complete it is NO longer possible to add new documents
to this period. The only way to get around this restriction is to delete the file RINFO.DAT
for the ACTR module, or PINFO.DAT for the ACTP module.
These files are located in the data directory.
We have issued a Tech Tips bulletin that deals with "Warranty
Accounting" since it appears there have been a number of situations where taxes,
especially the Canadian G.S.T. has not been collected and remitted properly.
There has be considerable media attention to the year 2000 and computers. We have also
have received many questions about the IMS/ACTR/ACTP system, and the implications
of the year 2000.
As of now, the IMS/ACTR/ACTP is NOT "Year 2000" ready, although an
update will be issued before then to take care of the problem. This will require a
conversion of almost all of the data files, to allow for the expansion of any date fields.
In addition to this, all date input fields will be changed to accommodate a 4 character
year value. As could be expected, this will require some major code changes, and we are
looking for a few users who would be willing to test this code before we send it out to
everyone. If you are interested, please give us a call.
Once again, our newsletter would not be complete without some reference to manufacture
supplied price lists on diskette.
Our experience shows that very few of these diskettes retain the same format from one
price list to the next. For this reason we have stopped attempting to standardize the
procedure, although we have made some changes to the "Import Price Data" routine
to eliminate some of the problems.
When you receive a price diskette, and are unsure about which parameters to use, give
us a call. Chances are that we may have already had a similar call from another user, and
can probably provide the required parameters. If not, then we will need additional
information about the price list file so we can calculate the parameters for you. As of
this writing, we are aware of the following current price lists.
| Stanadyne Canada 1997 |
| Lucas Canada 2000 |
| Nippondenso Canada 1997 |
| Dipaco US & Canada 1997
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| Bosch Canada 1997 |
| Stanadyne USA 1997 |
If you know of other price lists that are available on diskette, please let us know and
we will add then to our list. Some of these price lists are available from our Internet
web site, while others are only available to authorized dealers through your distributor.
We have created some of these price lists from manufacture supplied data, and if your
distributor cannot supply it, have them contact us.
We will NOT ship out any price diskettes, unless we have permission from the supplier
of the price list. This is for obvious reasons, so please don't ask.
Yes we realize it is a bit early, but since we will NOT have another newsletter until
next year we would like to take this opportunity to wish you the best, in the upcoming
holiday season as well as in the new year.
We appreciate your support of our product's), and will continue to provide you with
what we feel is still the best software for a business like yours. Thanks again!
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