Don't install 7.6.200

[MacolaHelp]

Status update: 3 large resellers I know of say wait until 7.6.200a. Their clients had problems when they installed themselves without checking first. Although macola's website says "click here to order" 7.6.200, it doesn't work. I requested the cd today from sales as I have a client who has to go there due to crystal 8.5 enterprise. I can let you know my results, but I hear printing is a HUGE problem in 7.6.200. PrintCafe (maker of Programmed Solutions printing industry front end) has been telling their users they can install 7.6.200. Since they just integrate with accounting, maybe it is okay there. I'm not ready to beta test at a live site, that's for sure.

 

[vbajock]

Thanks for the status update. I'm going to stay on the sidelines. As far as the questions on Great Plains, Microsoft will probably do what they did when they acquired Foxpro and a few other products when they cornered the desktop DB market - they will strip those apps of code that matters, give those app lukewarm support just short of abandonment, and integrate what they strip into with the one app they feel can dominate the market (Access) to the point of running the competition out of business (bought any Paradox lately? How about Dbase, thats a biggie.). It is obvious by some of the sales materials and promotions I have been receiving that Great Plains is where MS is going to put their money and marketing muscle. It is also a major threat to Exact because GP is now going to include a number of features for manufacturers that Macola just doesn't have or has to be custom coded, most notably integrated forecasting, and they will keep piling on these features and take advantage of the competitions' inability to catch up, something which Macola has been cursed with for years.

 

[tpllc]

The 7.6.200 was supposed to be in "general release" by the 15th of April. I still haven't seen that yet and have not updated any of my clients yet, even though some of their issues are fixed in 7.6.200.
In response to the comment that you have a client that wants to use Crystal 8.5 so they need to update. That is not a true statement. You can purchase from Exact/Macola Crystal 8.5 and get Exact to give you a new registration file that will enable you to use Crystal 8.5 with Macola 7.6.100a. This is only necessary if you want to modify the ICR'S (Integrated Crystal Reports)in Progression. You can use any version of Crystal to query the database in all versions of Progression. I have several clients doing this now. But you must be aware that Exact only sells the standard edition which will not allow you to create executables of the reports that you create. You can download from Seagate a utility that will allow you to create executables but only with the professional version. So you must buy the standard from Exact then buy the professional from somewhere else and also get a special registration file. You cannot use Crystal Reports version 9.0 to update the ICR's

Steve Henley
trianglepartners.com
Exact Software consulting, sales and implementations.