February 2004 Edition
Feature Spotlight: Partial Billing Summary or Itemized?
Q&A with Technical Support: Creating Multiple Database Environments
Smart Tip of the Month: Use Different Price Structures
Third Party Software: Transact SQL Debugger
Support Bookshelf: Windows Event Repository
Feature Spotlight
Partial Billing Summary or Itemized?
With the partial billing features recently introduced into Job Manager 3.5, users have many different options for invoicing one or multiple customers. These options include deposit, correction, complete, plus provide progress invoices that are summarized or itemized.
As the names suggest, summary and itemized invoices provide the ability to be as detailed as required with an invoice. You can include some or all of the production charges which have been recorded with an itemized invoice, or fill out a summary invoice where you can provide a simple description of what the customer is being billed for.
For more information on Partial Billing, visit:
http://www.meta-comm.com/customers/docs
Q&A with Technical Support
What options are available for generating multiple copies of my database for testing purposes?
Suppose you need to create several databases to setup and test upgrades and customizations. A separate test environment using a backup and restore of the production database is usually the best practice. It provides a separate environment to build customizations and experiment with Job Manager and Virtual Ticket without the potential of disturbing the production database.
To create multiple databases in a test environment, there are two options:
- Create the databases with the MetaCommunications Install Expert. This option will create the database and generate a database link in the MetaCommunications Application Server Shell. Once you have created all of the test databases, make a backup of the source database and restore it over the top of the test databases you wish to use.
- Create the databases in the Microsoft SQL Enterprise Manager. Restore a backup of the source database over all of your test databases and create a database link in the MetaCommunications Application Server Shell.
For more information on creating database links in the MetaCommunications Application Server Shell, visit:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16152
Smart Tip of the Month
Use Different Price Structures on the Same Job
A job that progresses over an extended period of time may need to have different price structures applied to it when it is billed. Using the new Job Manager 3.5 partial billing features, different parts of the job can be billed using different price structures.
Suppose a stage of your job has been completed and billed. The customer returns a list of tasks that need to be done immediately but these charges are normally billed on a rush price structure. Simply complete the additional tasks as you normally would in Job Manager and bill these items using the Progress Itemized invoicing policy we discussed earlier in this months edition. When you create your itemized invoice, simply change the price structure to accommodate the different rush price you want to apply for these items.
For more information visit:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16154
Third Party Software
Transact SQL Debugger
Advanced users may wish to build SQL customizations in their Virtual Ticket/Job Manager system. The Microsoft SQL Query Analyzer provides a workspace for building this customization. The Microsoft Query Analyzer also has the ability to debug the procedures a user may create in it.
To enable the debugging features included with the Query Analyzer:
- Open the Object Browser (Tools>Object Browser>Show/Hide).
- Expand the desired database and find the procedure to be debugged.
- Right-click the procedure name and choose debug from the menu.
- Choose for the debugging options.
Support Bookshelf
Windows Event Repository
The web site www.eventid.net provides a great repository of explanations to the many Windows operating events that appear in the Event Viewer. By entering an event id and the source of the event from the Event Viewer into the eventid.net search, a list of explanations of the error and possible solutions will be returned from the eventid.net database. These explanations can be very helpful when troubleshooting problems in your Windows 2000/2003 server environment.
Form More Information visit: http://www.eventid.net
New MetaCommunications Knowledge Base Articles this month:
16135 Generating Email using T-SQL Scripts
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16135
16152 Creating Database Links in the MetaCommunications Application Server Shell.
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16152
16153 Safari 1.1 does not display Virtual Ticket WebServer Popup Information.
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16153
16154 Creating invoices for multiple Price Structures on the same job.
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16154
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