Panopea Consulting - iMIS Blog

File Recovery Utilities Do Work!

Ok, I won't go into the ugly details but suffice it to say I recently lost a file I really, really wanted back. I realized it following the re-install of WinXP on the same drive. Um..big oops!

I tried two products unsuccessfully and felt increasingly ill that my missing file was not being found. On what I had already determined was going to be my third and final attempt, I used the product Active @ UNDELETE. It was great! It found far more files than its competitors and, most importantly, it found the file I really, really wanted back. And, thus, I highly recommend it. ;-)

The only thing I didn't like about it was that the demo version couldn't be converted to a full-working version with the purchase of the license key. I had to re-install the paid version. The reason that's a big deal is that it means you have to do the search of the hard drive all over again to allow the paid version to able to do the recovery process. The demo version is limited to files that are 64 KB or smaller. I was a bit worried that my essential file was going to be written over during the install of the paid version, but the computer gods were kind to me that day and gave me back my file. And re-doing the search process is slow.

May you never need this advice!

The GL_ACCOUNT lookup table

Common Problem: iMIS user selects the wrong GL Account from the lookup when setting up an event. Registrations are entered and so now they're going to the wrong GL Account.

Unfortunately, the way to fix them through the iMIS is to un-register all of the registrants, fix the GL ACCOUNT in the function set up and then register the people again.

To help prevent that from occurring, here's a great tip I learned from another consultant. The standard way to populate the GL_ACCOUNT table is to put the GL Account into the CODE field and a description into the DESCRIPTION field. An alternative method is to populate the CODE field with something more descriptive and put the actual GL Account into the EXPANSION field (and make DESCRIPTION be blank). So instead of my look up table looking like this:

4100-0001    (Dues Revenue)

4200-0100    (Conference Revenue)

4400-0240    (Workshop Revenue)

 

The table could look like this:

Annual Conf      4200-0100

Bob's Events     4400-0240

Dues Revenue   4100-0001

Sally's Events    4400-0240

And now it's a heckavu lot easier for Bob to know what account to pick for his events.

One last thing I'd recommend is that the GL Account look up does not have to include every GL Account you use in iMIS. Once you've got your basics set up, like your Cash Accounts, Dues products, Default accounts, etc., you're probably not going to use those GL accounts again or very infrequently. It's really only the Events people that have to use that lookup table on a regular basis. So just have the accounts you need to re-use over and over in the look up. The fewer accounts, the lower the likelihood you pick the wrong one.

Reversing a Refund or Write-off

From today's NiUG listserve, someone asked how to reverse something that's been written off.

Write-offs and refunds are a one-way process according to the documentation and the screen prompts you'll get from iMIS. No undo or CTRL+Z here. But, actually, you can reverse them.

Let's say the scenario is that you have a $1.25 balance due on a simple order entry and you don't want to bother trying to collect it. So you write it off and, as things tend to work, the very next day the member sends you the $1.25 and you want to apply it to the original transaction.

Here's what you do to reverse a write-off:

1. Create a sales product, I'd call it REV_WO or something like that, and make its GL Account be the same as your write-off account.
2. Apply a debit memo and use the REV_WO product code you just created in the amount of $1.25 to the original invoice, which now has a zero balance.

By doing this your invoice has its original balance back and you have reversed your write-off. Apply the money received from the member in the normal fashion.

You can do this same methodology to reverse a refund too. But in that case, my preference is to use a credit memo so that Invoice Credits are increased. Remember that debit memos affect the Invoice Charges column and credit memos affect the Invoice Credits column.

Subqueries in Ad Hoc Searches

This is from the March 2006 ASI TechLet:

Using SQL Subqueries in an Ad Hoc Search

It is possible to write SQL Statements that include subqueries using an ad hoc calculation. This will allow you to use tables that do not show up on the list of available tables. Additionally, if you are running an ad hoc to filter data on a report, you may need to use a sub query in the event your report does not include the table you are filtering on. To add a line that includes a subquery from the ?Search Instructions? window: The syntax for an ad hoc subquery is similar to a standard SQL subquery with the exception that you cannot include spaces before or after the subquery field and that field must be enclosed in parentheses or iMIS will not allow you to save the query. For example, if you wanted to print labels for a specific dues product code ?ABC,? you might enter the following in the Comparison Value field: Name.ID in (select(ID)from Subscriptions where PRODUCT_CODE='ABC') **Note: There are no spaces before or after (ID) in the above statement. Click the Insert button. Select ?Calculation? for the Mode. Enter the subquery in the Comparison Value field. Click Save.

I can never remember this syntax so I hope it helps you too.

Windows Shortcut to Task Mgr

Here's another Windows tip I hope I can remember:

Launch the Task Manager Quickly (Windows NT/2000/XP)
Launching the Task Manager can sometimes be difficult depending on the situation. Some people didn't know that the Task Manager can actually be launched in at least three different ways to make it easier to use when you need it the most.

First Method: Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE and click on the 'Task Manager...' button on the Windows NT Security dialog.

Second Method: Right click on the Windows NT taskbar and chose 'Task Manager...'

Third Method: Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC and the Task Manager will be launched instantly.

Found that tip here.

CTRL+ALT+DEL when using Remote Desktop

I have wondered how to send a CTRL+ALT+DEL to the remote machine when using Remote Desktop. Finally bothered to look for it and found this answer: ctrl+alt+end   here.

Alter vs. Drop & Create

Tip: Anytime I'm working with custom objects in an iMIS database, such as a view or stored proc, if I need to make changes, I alway drop and then create it new, rather than using ALTER. I do that because Enterprise Manager shows you the date that an object was created, not modified. If I modify an object with ALTER, it's not obvious to anyone, including me, that the object changed, but using a DROP and then a CREATE, my change is more obvious.

One more related tip: I always script the DROP and CREATE statements into my .sql file that I save. I also include the GRANT EXECUTE or GRANT SELECT permissions as needed into that same file so that I don't have to try to remember to go back into Ent Mgr and grant the permissions back. The DROP / CREATE method means your permissions to that object are dropped too.

How do you like FREE?

I don't think enough iMIS users take advantage of the free resources that are available to them. So, just to remind or for the first time user, here are some free iMIS support resources for iMIS users, some of them only available to iMIS users that are current* with ASI:

• The NiUG Listserv. The NiUG listserv is a very active listserv for the iMIS users community. If you are an iMIS customer, you can join the listserv for free. Joining NiUG is only $100 per year per organization so I urge you to join if not already a member. See the NiUG website for more information on how to join the listserv. I read the listserv day because the contributors have such great knowledge and it often alerts me to issues I haven't yet seen among my clients.
• The iMIS HelpNET Community. If your organization is current with ASI, you can post items on the HelpNET Community. It is an unmoderated community and there is a lot of cross-over with NiUG but not 100%, subscribe to both.
• Ask ASI Tech Support. If your organization is current with ASI, you can submit questions directly via the ASI website. Note: They will only respond via email and won't get into issues that are really a consulting question. Asking why a dues special pricing formula is not working is the kind of question they can help you with. Asking what's the best way to set up your dues given your member types is a consulting question.
• iMIS Documentation. Ever heard of the acronym RTFM? When all else fails, you might consider actually reading the manual. Over the 10 years I've been an iMIS consultant, the documentation for iMIS has gone from non-existent to fair to pretty damn good. It's still a challenge to know what to look for if you don't know what it's called -- I think the indexing on the manuals is weak. But they're available in .pdf format which lets you use Adobe Reader's search capability. Look on that Resource CD that came with your iMIS installation software. The latest version at the time of the release are on that CD. Look on ASI's website for the very latest versions.

If you do try one of these options, please keep in mind that people can help you best if you follow these guidelines:

• Be sure to include your iMIS version number and it can be helpful, depending on the issue or question, to know what database platform you are using (Omnis LAN, Sybase ASA, MSDE or MS SQL Server).
• Be specific. It's pretty hard to know what the problem is if all you say is "it doesn't work." How doesn't it work? Are you getting an error message? If so, what does it say exactly? Describe the specific steps you took to get to the problem.
• At the same time, try to be brief. On the listserv and the HelpNet, responders are giving you their best advice for free. So don't expect those responders to read a lengthy post about your issue.

* "Current" iMIS users are those that are up to date on their annual software update fees paid to ASI.

Logging in as MANAGER!SA

For those of you who have been in the iMIS world for a while, you may have been on an iMIS 4.x version. Back then, when logging in as MANAGER!SA, you had to then enter the password like this:

<password for the MANAGER login>!<password for sa>

Logging in that long way became obsolete starting with version 10.0. It still works, but all you need to do for the password is to simply enter the sa password.

(By the way, if you're still on Sybase ASA, you still need to do the long password.)