March 2006 Edition
Feature Spotlight: Virtual Ticket Printing Enhancements
Q&A with Technical Support: Locate and Reuse Estimate Templates
Smart Tip of the Month: Create Your Own SQL View
Additional Resources: Integrate Your Shipping
Knowledge Builder: New Articles
Feature Spotlight
Virtual Ticket Printing Enhancements
The most recent release of Virtual Ticket 6.5 (package 145) includes printing enhancements for grids from find and custom query results windows. These enhancements allow for the inclusion of column header information and grid lines to the printed reports. The new features appear as checkboxes in the print dialog and include: adding the grid header information to every page, printing grid lines, and printing custom query report parameters to the first printed page or to every printed page.
Q&A with Technical Support
How can I easily locate and reuse Job Manager Estimate Templates?
When you have an estimate that you would like to use as a template, simply place the words "Template Estimate" into the notes field at the bottom of the Estimate-Quote Entry and Edit window. Then, use the Estimate Templates custom query from the sample database to locate all of the templates. The Jump Link button in the upper right corner of the query results window provides an option to duplicate the estimate. Knowledge Base Article 16227 provides a copy of the custom query for importing into your own system.
For more information visit:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16227
Smart Tip of the Month
Create Your Own SQL View
Previously, we've mentioned using SQL Views instead of database tables for viewing information from the Virtual Ticket/Job Manager database. These pre-defined views contain the fields currently in use by the system instead of all fields in a particular table. However, SQL Views are also easily created to combine database information that you might otherwise need to write a lengthy query to produce. Suppose you would like to produce a list to be used by a third party product which contains the most current jobs combined with an alternate shipping address (from a separate database table). Using a SQL query may produce the results you want, but using a SQL View will provide a consistent set of results and columns for your third party product. The example in Knowledge Base article 17226 contains information on how to build your own SQL View.
For more information visit:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16226
Additional Resources
Integrate Your Shipping
A Virtual Ticket user recently informed me of a piece of software he is using to integrate his shipping labels in Virtual Ticket with his UPS and FedEx systems. ShipRush by Z-Firm is a product that will retrieve shipping information from a CRM system, print a shipping label and send the tracking information to the recipient and the CRM system. Levels of automation can be added depending on the version of ShipRush used.
For more information visit:
http://www.zfirm.com/products/shiprush.shtml
Knowledge Builder
New articles this month
16021 - Execute T-SQL Commands via OSQL
This article describes how OSQL can be used to execute T-SQL scripts in Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) environments where no management tools are available.
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16021
16065 - Moving folders monitored by InterSync to a different server
This article describes the process for properly moving folders monitored by InterSync to a new server and minimizing the effect on the database after the move.
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16065
16226 - Creating SQL Views (Featured this month!)
This article describes how to use the different SQL functions for creating your own SQL Views.
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16226
16227 - Custom Query Example - Estimate Templates (Featured this month!)
This article provides users with an example Job Manager custom query which can be used to locate estimates which have been labeled as templates.
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16227
Miss an issue of the MetaCommunications Support News? All back issues are available at:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/support_news.htm.
Have an idea or topic you would like covered in the MetaCommunications Support News? Send your ideas, topics and comments to:
support@meta-comm.com
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE METACOMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT NEWS IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. METACOMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL METACOMMUNICATIONS OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF METACOMMUNICATIONS OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.