It's that time of the year when I can take a look back at what took place during 2008.  It was, without doubt, a hectic years with so much activity, from the introduction of new features to our user conference.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you and your families a happy and safe holiday season, express our most sincere thanks for continuing to be our Strategic Partners and for, once again, making us:

The FIRST Choice of Record Centers WORLDWIDE.

As always, I hope you enjoy this edition.

Ian Thomas
Vice President - Business Development

Blog

We started the year with the introduction of RS-SQL 3.05

This month I was was delighted to announce that RS-SQL Version 3.05 was wrapped up in time for the start of the New Year.

This was a very large release with many new features that we have been working on over the previous months months.  RS-SQL, RSWeb.NET and RSMobile all got some new functionality, so every user has the opportunity to learn something new.  So what was included?  This release had the following enhancements, amongst many others:

• Windows Vista compatibility;

• AT&T Wireless now fully integrated into RSMobile;

• RS-SQL adds workorder closing enhancements;

• RSMobile gets new look menus, with greater information;

• and will also see more new "live & connected" features;

• Enhanced RSweb.NET user administration; and

• RSWeb.NET will now support individual documents.

Of course, there is way to much to mention in this small article but you can still download a copy of the RS-SQL Release Highlights, available from our Resource Center at http://www.oneilsoft.com/solutions/resourcecenter.shtml

Strategic Partner Conference Agenda Announced

The draft agenda was also in place.  The session timings have been decided and all speakers had now been selected.  Everything was falling in place... all we needed was to make it easy for you to join in.

Online Support Form Now Available

Over the previous 12 months we had seen a marked increase in the number of support questions received by email, up by 50% between 2006 and 2007.  We, therefore, decided to provide a simple on-line form to help you log a request.  By visiting http://www.oneilsoft.com/support/support_request.shtml (or from the website menu select Support > Support Request) you can now log your call and receive an email confirmation. 

Simply select your region and answer the questions to help us understand your problem, and a support representative will contact you as quickly as possible.

New eNewsletter Presentation and more News...

In this month's newsletter I introduced a slightly different approach, based on your feedback.  Many people want a quick read in today's busy work environment:  An easy way to browse through the newsletter without having to scroll through topics that are not of particular interest.  To accommodate this, I have moved to short bites of information with "Read More" options if the topic interests you.   This months news included:

• Our Customer Satisfaction Survey Results Released for Q1 2008  See Results...

• O'Neil Now Approved to Provide AT&T Services (US Only)  Read More...

• Strategic Partner Conference Registration & Award Nominations Now Open Read More...

• Website Updates  Read More....

MAY WAS THE MONTH WE REMINDED YOU TO GO "DONGLE-LESS"

This method of licensing has been around for years and so is very well established.  It simply removes the need for the physical, red software key (a.k.a The Dongle) to be attached to a computer.  The top reasons you should be using this new method  include:

1. No need to manage a login from a specific workstation each day.

2. Authorization codes for license renewals and system or user increases are contained in a file that is e-mailed directly to you. No need to be on the telephone with a technical support representative.

3. If licensing fails for any reason (i.e., mac address change, database name change, etc.), you have 7 days after the first problematic login to contact O’Neil to resolve the problem. Physical dongle licensing affords only a 4 day grace period after last successful login.

4. If workstations are moved, replaced or stolen, there is no impact on the database access and licensing. Over the years we have heard numerous stories of computers with dongles attached being moved to a different office, stolen or even sold to another record storage facility.

5. It is not necessary to remember to install the dongle drivers on a workstation on the LAN.

6. Beginning with RS-SQL ver. 3.06, specific new software features will only be available on dongle-less systems. The physical dongles are no longer manufactured and are not being expanded in functionality.

Contact your O’Neil Business Development Representative to get started with dongle-less licensing today.

TIME TO MOVE ON...

This month we re-iterated the "end of Life" for two products. 

First was the old datawand, which we first introduced the datawand with RSDos, in the early 1980's.  Since then we have continued to support the use of the Datawand, even though Symbol/Motorola stopped selling and supporting them many years ago.  Unfortunately, it is now coming close to the time to retire the datawand.  After 20 years of service, they deserve a good rest and the first version of RS-SQL released in 2009 will no longer support their use.  There is an extensive range of RSMobile devices to chose from to replace the Datawand. Contact your Business Development Representative for details.

Secondly was Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. We had previously announced that RS-SQL databases are no longer supported on SQL Server 7.0. RS-SQL officially requires SQL Server 2000 or greater, but as of now, and even with the new version 3.06, RS-SQL should function perfectly on a SQL Server 7.0 database, as we have not yet made use of any SQL Server feature that does not exist in SQL Server 7.0.

HOWEVER, as of RS-SQL 3.07, we will be utilizing a new feature that was first introduced in SQL Server 2000. So as of RS-SQL 3.07, SQL Server 7.0 will no longer function correctly and the database upgrade will fail to create the tables necessary for version 3.07 to function. 

Please plan your upgrade to SQL Server 2000 or above, before we release RS-SQL version 3.07 in early 2009.

Remember, you can keep yourself up-to-date with planned obsolescence or replacements from O'Neil Software and our partners, via our End of Sale/Service schedule.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION...

I sound like a real estate agent but locations are so important in RS-SQL and setting up a location scheme, especially for the first time, can be a confusing affair.  Should you use a numeric scheme?  Should you use an alpha-numeric scheme? 

To make things easier, this month we created a new datasheet, which attempts to shed some light on this subject.

Available for download at ds0032_Location_Scheme.pdf this datasheet gives a brief outline so you can discuss options with your Business Development or Support Representative.

VERSION 3.06 WAS RELEASED

RS-SQL Version 3.06 was released and was the biggest release of the year and you can read the Release Highlights or download the Full Release Notes from our website to gain all the information you need.

This release has some exciting new features available, including:

• Image on Demand functionality;

• extensive enhancements to Volume (cubic foot) Billing;

• Priority Services for Workorder Actions;

• Model Users, to simplify user management;

...amongst many others, so read those release notes carefully and contact your Technical Support Representative, if you have any questions.

THE BLOG WAS INTRODUCED...

The eNewsletter has been around for many years now, with the September issue being my 91st month of writing it, but many of you crave for snippets of information much faster.  As a result, I have commenced my first blog.  For those who are not familiar, a blog is a Web Log, or on-line journal, which I can update quickly and easily.  This means that as news, ideas, issues or anything else pops into my mind, I can share it with you straight away.   The advantage is the timeliness of the information.

If you want to receive regular updates or read about what I am thinking, simply visit http://oneilsoft.blogspot.com.  The most recent post discusses why I think the blog offers advantages over the newsletter.

Don't forget, you can also subscribe to the blog to get regular updates, right in your browser or email (with Outlook 2007) using the RSS Feed available.  You can read more about RSS feeds on our website at http://www.oneilsoft.com/news/rss.shtml

STRATEGIC PARTNER CONFERENCE A HUGE SUCCESS

WOW!! What can I say. You guys blew me away. This is the 5th Strategic Partner Conference and your enthusiasm made it the best. Not only did I see some of the funniest antics in the Record Center Challenge (I need to record those "cheers") but the networking interaction was simply awesome.

The biggest news relates to the final tally on the sponsorship and silent auction for the Share Our Strength Charity. Thanks to everyone involved, I was able to mail out a check for $23,006.81. This far exceeded our initial goal of raising $10,000 and the charity has asked me to thank each and every one of you. Just by participating in the Record Center Challenge, you contributed to this worthy cause. Your enthusiasm in the Cook-Off, the Tortilla Toss, the Relay Race (have Leo and Ian found the shore yet?) and the "Cheer" were fabulous.  I think the huge round of applause for Uncle Bill, when he stepped up and offered $4000 for the golf trip to Ireland, said it all. Worth over $8,000, and very generously donated by CUSP Point Software, he got a bargain but also contributed to a fabulous cause. I would like to extend a huge thanks to each and every one of our Silent Auction winners and, especially all our other Sponsors for their donations:

• The Hyatt Regency, Newport Beach
• The Newport Dunes
• Fileman
• REB Steel Products
• Access Information Management
• Color Me Now Graphics
• Gilbertson Advertising

USER FORUM INTRODUCED

I am delighted at the response we have received for the new, user forum, launched at the Strategic Partner Conference.  The goal was to give you an opportunity to comment on news, downloads, features, enhancements and anything else relating to O'Neil Software.  It was also a place where the sharing spirit of the Strategic Partner Conference could continue throughout the year.  By this month we already had some interesting, early statistics include:

• We had over 800 members

• There had been 250 posts (averaging 1.75 new posts per day)

• There were 140 topics, many with valuable downloads

• There were 227 average page views per day

• In November there was over 18,000 page views

THE ROAD AHEAD...

Many of you know that I love to start each year with a new release, and 2009 is looking like it will continue the trend.  I learned at the end of November that version 3.07 has had its first build, which will undertake testing before becoming a release candidate. 

Now many of you who attended the Strategic Partner Conference will have already got a sneak peak at some of the new features but for those of you who were not there, it's still not too late.  Take a look at the O'Neil Software support presentations that took place and you will see a couple of presentations that show some of the new features.  Over the next few newsletters I will let you know a little more about these features, which include:

• RSWeb Cart Administrator

• Email Event Notification Services

• Default Workorder Priorities

• Separating Storage & Service Invoices

• And more...

It's going to be a great start to next year...