I had a couple of requests regarding this from the Intuitive ERP user group so I figured I would throw it in to a blog and make it easier for people to reference.

The Situation:

Our accounting friends want to be able to control the general ledger very closely in an attempt to keep from having to deal with lots of clean-up and problems down the road.  One of the ways they do this is by restricting the dates in which transactions can be entered into Intuitive.  Essentially if the date is not within the allowable range the transaction cannot be entered.

The Problem:

Normally the date restriction is set to restrict to the current month or quarter depending on the organization, regardless at times someone in the finance department may forget to update the end date to push it out to the next month or quarter and that’s when major problems come up.  If the date is not updated on the next business day the system pretty much grinds to a halt as no transactions such as work order release, purchase order release, work order clock on and off, etc. all stop.

The Solution:

Pretty simple fix here, we simply created a SQL Server Agent Job in the IT world that executes monthly to go out and push that end date out to the end of the next month.  Essentially automating the task for the finance group so no one has to remember to do it.  In addition we added strict error logic to the job so if anything fails it will notify a set group of users automatically via e-mail.  This is all configured via SQL Server Mail.

The Code:

You can download the SQL Agent Job script here: http://brntpb.st/A2hlld.  One note: we utilize multiple Intuitive databases so we create multiple steps in the job to update each individual database.  This is perfect for a multiple company or multi-site model.

Enjoy!

-Brent

So I recently read a headline and article (http://brntpb.st/zVainJ) that made me laugh.  On the one hand I applaud any worker, in this case government researchers and scientists, who file complaints on organizations, both public and private, for doing things they shouldn’t be.  However there is a simple rule in any business:

Do Not Use Your Work Computer For Personal Activities!

All large organizations either monitor activity because they can or because they are required to by law for legal reasons.  If you want to use your personal e-mail at work just be aware that they most likely can read everything you send let alone take screenshots of your computer periodically as well.  There is no assumption of privacy on the computers or networks of your workplace… ever!

Use your smartphone on the PUBLIC 3G or 4G signal if you really want privacy as even company provided Wi-Fi access can be monitored as if it were your own computer.  I’m not saying the FDA was in the right here, but regardless as sensible professionals please remember your work computer is for work, and not personal activity.  You never know who is watching.

-Brent

Well the official notice came in yesterday from the Secretary of State’s office.  Pabst Productions, Inc. has officially been dissolved as a North Carolina Corporation.

Thanks to everyone who participated, helped with, worked for and overall knew about the company.  Don’t worry there are other ideas and plans on the horizon.

Thanks,

Brent

One thing that is often a bit scary is traveling for business for the first time.  I don’t mean driving to a customer in town but rather flying to someplace outside of your comfort zone with people you don’t know and meeting people who you surely don’t know.  Hopefully this post will provide some help and advice on how to keep it all together and what to expect on your journey the first time around.

1.  Planning for your trip is very important.  Spending the time ensuring your reservations are all ready or working with your office designated travel person to work it all out is the first important thing you should do at least two weeks out.  If something goes wrong or comes up it could take two weeks to straighten it all out.  Of course there will always be last minute travels but getting into a routine when traveling can help you when time is not on your side.

2.  Packing, if you leave in the morning make sure everything is packed the night before, nothing hurts more than trying to get stuff ready in the morning when you are still waking up.  Just stay up an hour later and you will be ready to roll out of bed and into the airport.  Make sure you bring a copy of every reservation and confirmation printed out with you.  If something goes wrong anywhere along the line you have the documentation you might need to prove your point.

3.  Be a Frequent Flyer, this doesn’t mean you need to fly all of the time but make sure you get enrolled in the most used airline at your company or the one you fly with most, then make sure you enroll with the rental car company and the hotel.  Most hotels and rental car companies can transfer points/nights to your airline to help you build up miles faster.  From my experience getting elite or whatever status with an airline has far more benefits than status with hotels or rental car companies.  It helps you earn free trips later, free upgrades, etc.

4.  Be Comfortable.  If you are lucky enough to fly out the night before you start working wear comfortable clothes.  This is great for longer flights and when going through airport security and you have to practically undress.

5.  Know the Rules.  Be a good citizen, when you get to the airport know the rules of the road.  If you are doing an overnight make sure your overnight bag has everything packed according to TSA specs, if staying longer, why not check? (More on that later)  Remember a few simple rules:

• Jackets, Coats, etc. all go through the scanner, put them in a bucket on their own.
• Take your shoes off, put them in a bucket or send them through on their own, its ok!
• Your big bags and backpacks don’t need a bucket it takes way too long!
• Your laptop has to go through on its own take it out and put it in its own bucket.
• I usually put my wallet, cell phone, watch, coins, etc. in my backpack before I send it through the scanner.  That way its secure in my bag and its easy to deal with later.

6.  Be Polite.  Delays happen all the time in air travel, many because of weather but regardless you are most likely to sit in the airport on the way out or back home.  Being angry and upset does not help the situation.  The gate agents are already frustrated because of the overload and having another angry passenger doesn’t help.  In fact if you are in need of help its easier to get that help if you are polite and understanding.  Tell the agent to take their time even if you don’t have time they will end up working faster if they feel relaxed.  Your politeness should extend until you return home, be nice to the flight attendants and always thank the cabin crew when you disembark, its just the right thing to do.  After all they did get you home safely.

7.  Get Sleep!  When you travel, especially when meeting with customers being fresh and ready to go is important.  Even though anyone under 25 may still remember the days of partying all night long you simply won’t last doing it here.  Make sure you get enough sleep, get up early enough for at least a light breakfast and then head off to work.

8.  Rental Cars.  This is usually a big problem for anyone under 25.  Every car company will charge you a fee for driving under that age.  It has to do with the fact that most people in that age group are much more prone to having an accident.  When you get to the car counter act professional and the staff will think you are.  It all goes back to number six above.  Make sure you have a credit card to use for the car, make sure you keep your proof of insurance for your regular car with you as most extend to rental cars for a few days.  If you are in a big city like New York or Los Angeles always ask for the GPS option, it will save you in certain situations.  Also ask for EZPass or the electronic toll plate system in the area if they have them, it saves a lot of time and traffic in some situations.  Find a gas place close to the return location or within a certain distance because you will be expected to return a full tank.  Overall treat the car just like your own, that would be a heck of a bill to walk away with if you damaged the car.

9.  Phone Home.  Make sure you call home when you get back to the hotel at night.  By doing so you tell your girlfriend/wife/parents that you are still alive and safe at the hotel.  Plus since you may be all by yourself in the room some human interaction is always a good thing.

10.  After your home.  When you get home the first thing you should do is handle the paperwork your little excursion has generated.  File your expenses as soon as all of the bills are available.  Some companies will not reimburse after a certain time period.  Also make sure if the company paid for the car, hotel or airfare you get them the receipts.  You don’t want to be on the bad side of the people who helped setup and plan your trip as they may not be so willing to help next time.

Note on checked bags:

Historically checking your bag has not been a good thing as bags are lost, damaged, etc.  However as some may know checked bags are now charged an additional fee which has some inclined to take giant bags through security.  The lines to check bags are relatively short and since there are less bags being checked theoretically your odds of loosing your bag are actually higher.  However, from my experience two things happen.  First checking your bag is not a big deal unless you are connecting somewhere for another flight, especially if that connection is missed or delayed, so plan for that.  However if you are flying directly or have a connection with a big layover checking a bag seems to work pretty well and gives you one less thing to have to worry about.  Plus with the airline status you will be earning some bag fees are waived at certain levels.  In addition the line has become huge in the jet way where everyone who decided to bring their bag in the cabin is waiting because there is physically not enough room in the overhead bins for all of the giant roller bags, so instead they are gate checked where there is absolutely no identification placed on the bag other than what you put on it.  At least with a checked bag the durable airline tags are applied with lots of identifiable information.

So there it is my top ten things to keep in mind while traveling.  Please send in any comments or disagreements.  Just remember this post is focused for those new to the work force who will be lucky enough to travel at an early age.

See you at Terminal 1 in RDU!

-Brent