Vacation…

I am away from Thursday 7^th May until Monday 25^th May (12 business days).

During this time I should be able to respond to emails and occasionally hold a conversation using Skype, as I am taking a laptop with me.  It may also be possible for me to connect to your pc’s / server’s in the event of an emergency (only).

As most of you know, it is my policy to not issue program updates for a couple of weeks before going away, so updates are going to cease in the next few days.

Therefore, if you have any issues that cannot wait, please phone or email me soon.

New minimum supported SQL database engine version…

At the end of this year (2015), Hatchgate Software will discontinue support for SQL databases that are still using the old Microsoft SQL 2005 database engine (SQL Server version 9.x).  From 2016, the minimum supported SQL engine will be SQL 2008 (SQL Server version 10.x) and above.

Only a few customers are affected – most customers are already using SQL 2008 and higher.  This notice will only affect you if you are using very old server hardware that is likely to be running Windows Server 2003 (inc. SBS version), or if you have a pc (acting as a server) and it is running Windows XP or Windows Vista.  Any servers running Windows Server 2008 or higher, and pc’s (acting as servers) running Windows 7, Windows 8 will already be using Microsoft SQL 2008 or higher.

The reason for the change is that as Microsoft release newer database engines (e.g. SQL 2012 is now available), it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue support for old versions.  You can check what version of SQL you are using by opening the SQL Server Management Studio icon (usually within the ‘Hatchgate’ folder on the desktop) on your server machine (or pc acting as a server).  On the splash screen and on the login screen, it will say ‘SQL 2005’ or ‘SQL 2008’ etc.

Please contact me if you are still unsure what version of SQL you are using, or if you want to discuss the implications of this change.

Vacation…

I am away from Wednesday 18^th February until Monday 2^nd March (7 business days).

During this time I should be able to respond to emails and occasionally hold a conversation using Skype, as I am taking a laptop with me.  It may also be possible for me to connect to your pc’s / server’s in the event of an emergency (only).

As most of you know, it is my policy to not issue program updates for a couple of weeks before going away, so updates are going to cease in the next few days.

Therefore, if you have any issues that cannot wait, please phone or email me now.

Mercury Systems, Windows 8 and Adobe PDF Files

If some of your workstations are running Windows 8, you may have noticed that Mercury Systems cannot automatically open Adobe PDF files. I have been searching for answers but the reason for this still isn’t clear, and the only option so far has been to switch the output to ‘Crystal Reports’. This is okay but not ideal.

I have found that you can use a free alternative to Adobe Reader called Foxit Reader, which does open correctly via Mercury Systems. You can download Foxit Reader from Foxit Software using this URL: http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/.

Foxit is also much more preferable than the generic ‘Reader’ app that comes with Windows 8. Foxit Reader works well and does everything that Adobe Reader does, so if you are using Windows 8, give it a try…

Phone numbers within Client Details screen

With the decline of landline phone numbers in general within the UK, a customer has suggested that the “Mobile No.” field should be the 1^st phone number collected, followed by “Home Phone Number” (currently set to “Main Phone Number”).

Would any of you have a problem if the sequence of these 3 fields on the Client Details screen was changed?

If you do not reply, I will assume you are not concerned if the change takes place.

Multiple Stock Categories and Stock Groups...

From version 219 onwards, you can now select (and search upon) multiple stock categories and stock groups for each stock record.

Within a stock record, click on the “…” (three dots) icon just to the right of either Stock Category, Stock Group #1, or Stock Group #2 fields. A new panel will open which will allow you to select any combination of stock categories and groups. You can then search for any of the multiple categories selected within ‘List Stock Items’ screen.

If you want to make use of this new feature, please update your software, or contact me to schedule an update for you.

Client Notes tab within Client Details screen

If you currently use the ‘Client Notes’ editor (tab) within the Client Details record for either Mercury Service Manager or Mercury Stock Manager, please let me know by replying to this email.

Currently, this field uses an HTML editor to record and display information.  I am planning to cease using the HTML editor in favour of using a ‘rich-text’ editor.  If I go ahead with this change, it may mean the contents of this field will no longer be displayed.

If you do not reply, I will assume you are not using this field.