Macola Support

[ThunderForest]

We're using version 7.5.103d, Pervasive/bTrieve on a Windows 98 platform. Since Macola no longer supports this version, what are the ramifications as a result of not paying the support/license fees? As far as support, I dropped all support except EDI because I've been told by our VAR I can' get the trading partner disks without the support. We also pay 12k/yr, which I believe is for the license. Any comments?

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[randva]

We use version 7.5.102e. We stopped paying support and maintainance fees several years ago. We found that we spent more time dealing with upgrade issues than with any of the benefits we recieved.

Note: We do not use EDI.

My understanding is your license is paid when you purchase the software. You can continue to use the software, but you will not recieve updates or fixes if you do not pay the maintainance fees. As you are not using these anyway, it should be no loss to you.

 

[crystalreporting]

There is a difference between support and maintenance. Maintenance provides you with free upgrades (software cost only). It is imprtant to understand that if you cancel maintenance on a module, then later decide to reinstate it, Exact will back-bill you for the unpaid maintenance i.e. from the date you cancelled it, through to the date you reinstate it.

Peter Shirley

http://www.linkcorp.com

 

[ThunderForest]

Thanks crystalreporting and randva for your comments. So, if I cancelled maintenance, and upgraded from pervasive to MS-SQL a year later, Macola would back-bill me? Ouch!

Getting answers before I'm asked
is why I go to Tek-Tips.

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[crystalreporting]

Double-check this with your reseller or Exact themselves, but that's certainly my understanding. Makes sense when you think about it - if it weren't for the backbilling, customers could cancel maintenance until they needed to upgrade, re-instate it briefly, then cancel it again after the upgrade...

Peter Shirley

http://www.linkcorp.com

 

[TardisInc]

This is what I tell my customers: the only reason you need Macola support is to get Infomine and downloads.

So, I tell them to buy support for the main program, but no additional modules.

Other than the web support, Macola support is great if you want to: wait forever and be charged an outrageous sum of money.

I support my clients' Macola, plus their networks. I also do their EDI, usually that means an Access interface between Macola and Gentran. In 4 years, I've never had an issue that required Macola support beyond the website, and my customers are large manufacturers (> 200 terminals each).

 

[dgillz]

Tardis,

So are mistaken. Macola support is not required to get infomine and downloads, the payment of annual maintenance fees is what givesyou this. Annual maintenance will also get you the bug fixes released as well as additional functionality as Macola puts it into the modules.

Unfortunately not all new functionality fits into this category and Exact will make you PAY for some of it, as we most recently saw with Credit Card Processing.

Macola Support is to get email/telephone help from Macola and is an annual fee as well, and if you have paid for support, there is no additional fee to actually call them and get help -- its unlimited support.

While I am on a roll, and hopefully I will not to get too far off topic, I have never seen an Access interface between Macola and Gentran. This is what the Macola EDI module is for. I can see how this might help you with an EDI document that Macola has never developed, but as a rule, there is no need for this type of interface and you should look closer at what Trading Partner Documents Macola has already developed (there are thousands).

Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Exact Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports
askdon@srhconsulting.com

http://www.srhconsulting.com

 

[MacolaHelp]

Your 10% maintenance is really an annual licensing fee. You are paying for access to software updates and tech docs via the web for this expense. Pretty common in the software world today. Macola has also had a policy that if you ever reinstated maintenance after a lapse that they will not only charge you back maintenance, but a 50% penalty as well. It sounds like you need an infrastructure boost anyway. As cheap as hardware is today, maybe it's time to think about a general upgrade of both computers and software. I will be glad to see the last of those win98 workstations at my client sites.