Archive for Software Stuff
03.16.09
Posted in Software Stuff at 3:43 pm by
I had an application that I was working where the client insisted on using an Access database for the application. The application was running on a two node server farm so the Access database had to be located on a seperated machine and accessed over the network. When upgrading the server farm from 2000 to 2003 the client ran into an issue accessing the database.
After checking to make sure it wasn’t an error with the connection to the location where the database was held I attempted to put the database underneath the site and connect to it there. Well that connection worked fine and the data could be accessed.
Long story short after some research and some long hours on this I found that the issue was a combination of things. First under IIS 6 all applications are run under application pools. The application pools do not pass the identity along that they run under. This creates a problem when trying to access a remote drive. To solve this issue you can enable impersonation of the account that you had IIS to run as the anonymous user. To do this you need to open the web.config file of your application. Under the and then insert a line that is similar to this:
< IDENTITY impersonate=""true"/" >
This line should be used if you wish to impersonate the user as the account that the user is logged in as on their desktop.
or
< IDENTITY impersonate=""true"" userName=""< your" user name >” password=”< USER account password > “/>
This line should be used if you want to specify one specific account to impersonate.
After I turned on the impersonation in my project another issue appeared. I got the dreded /< YOUR name application > Application Error. This issue was addressed in Microsoft KB82719 Article.
When a .NET application executes it uses the TEMP folder of the ASPNET user, or whatever user you have specified to run your .NET applications, to run and store temporary files. When you run an Access database/application temporary files are opened but since you are impersonating a user that user does not have access to open these files under the ASPNET temp directory. The solution for this is simple, go into the file structure and grant the account access to the temp folder in C:Document settingsServerNameASPNETlocal settings folder. Only give the account access to the Temp folder so that a security risk is not created.
Jason Fortner is co-founder of Total Productivity Solutions, http://www.totalproductivitysolutions.com, a company that specilizes in SharePoint, Webpart and .NET development. More tips on web development visit Total Productivity Solutions.
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02.25.09
Posted in Software Stuff at 1:01 am by
Business software generally means software programs that can be used by business and companies to carry out business activities, or to increase or measure their business productivity. Business software solution is tailor made software for specific business purposes such as railway and airline ticketing system, billing and inventory control system for department stores etc. Business software can do away with any type of business activity such as cash transactions, receipts, issues, returns, rejections, interests, and depreciation, which entail final accounts, profit and loss accounts, balance-sheet etc.
A computer machine and business software are interdependent, with computer technology becoming more advanced with each new software addition. Nowadays even a tiny business entity tends to use small business software for its easy to handle and ready to use features. Many of the business software are plug and play type for which no special computer knowledge is essential. However, for complex calculations, tedious programming and special technical training, business software with learning tools is exceptionally helpful. IT companies on the other hand sometimes use business software for training purposes, enabling modern technologies like medical transcription.
The business software market is a billion dollar industry today and any one with a sound knowledge of the system can make his or her own earnings very easily. Business software has acquired an important position in the economy of developed and developing countries. Software developing countries like India are doing good business by exporting business software to developed countries. The sprawling BPO sector is providing business software solution to many MNCs and domestic companies.
Small business software markets throughout the globe and has captured a substantial part of the software market in recent times. Small business software may include toy and game software, audio-visual software, accounting software etc. Electronic spreadsheet software, a business software solution, has engaged itself successfully in the vast use of microcomputers.
There are standard softwares available for business such as Microsoft Excel, Word, Access, and Outlook etc., which cater to the everyday needs of most businesses. However custom business softwares have many advantages over standard business software. The custom business software can customize the functions and features in a manner required by the customer, be they automatic generation of letters, automatic sending of emails, deadline reminders, printing of receipts and bills, tracking of customers and orders. Many business softwares use operational research methods and algorithms for optimum utilization of resources, maximizing profits and minimizing costs. Business software has the potential to maximize the efficiency of businesses, systematize the way business is done and keep the business under control.
For more on Business Software visit elite-business-software.info. Susan also enjoys writing at business-and-finance-hub.info
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02.19.09
Posted in Software Stuff at 4:43 pm by
Dynamic is the most suitable word to describe the forex market. Software that deals with forex trading should also stand up to the level of quality it demands.
In the market there are two types of Forex trading software available: ‘Web-based software’ and ‘desktop software’. Choosing one of them depends primarily on security and also on your Internet connection speed.
Looking from the point of view of security concerns, web-based software is considered better than desktop software. This is because with desktop software, all of the data is stored on the hard disk making it very vulnerable in case the computer becomes infected with a virus or if there is a hard disk failure.
However, to overcome these shortcomings, there are computers specially made to carry out forex trading, keeping beginners in mind. This is a wise investment. Even if one cannot afford such a computer, a few upgrades can be added to one’s personal computer, like passport protection of your trading software, proper backup of trading and personal data, an anti-virus program and regular revisions of the trading software.
With Web-based software these problems can be averted, as these are hosted on protected services, thus providing protection in cases of security issues. Apart from security issues, the Web-based software is also more convenient, as one can have uninterrupted access to the latest features of software trading even while traveling, owing to the ability to log in through an Internet connection.
Variety is never a problem when it comes to choosing the right forex trading software. The final decision should be made depending on what you find most easy to use.
Trading Software provides detailed information on Trading Software, Forex Trading Software, Stock Trading Software, Option Trading Software and more. Trading Software is affiliated with Health Insurance Software.
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01.26.09
Posted in Software Stuff at 2:00 pm by
Internet explorer has been the dominate browser since as long as I can remember. Despite the warnings of its security flaws, it always seemed to work. However I believe its finally met its match.
Firefox has plenty of improvements and ease of use that make it a fast growing rival to the king. The feature that most stands out to this user is tabbed browsing. It is much more convenient to jump from tab to tab than to have lots of open windows. Especially if you like to have a lot of windows open at once. What I love is the security.
In IE, for me at least, certain web sites will not remove from history. I like my history to be clean at the start of each day. Right now my IE has web sites that are there even if I delete history, off-line files, and cookies. Firefox removes history and other data cleanly. I get a fresh start everyday. Firefox also has a feature to disable flash. Which can come in handy on highly “flashy” sites that distract you away from the content.
Firefox is proving to be a better browser. It will be interesting to see what IE conters with in IE 7.
Matt Christensen
Computer Programmer
http://www.mattchristensen.net
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01.04.09
Posted in Software Stuff at 11:07 pm by
In this short FAQ style article we would like to introduce you - software developer, programmer, database administrator into Microsoft Great Plains Integration tools and options
Microsoft Great Plains is main Microsoft Business Solutions product for US mid-market. Historically Great Plains Software designed Great Plains Dynamics and Dynamics C/S+ as multiplatform application and the integration was possible via Great Plains Dexterity or Dexterity-based end user tools, such as Import Utility and later on via Integration Manager. When Microsoft Windows platform won the OS market (the last battle was in 1997 with PowerMac) Great Plains recommended OLE Server approach: Continuum for VB and Delphi and new Microsoft light programming technology - VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), which was integrated into Dexterity application - Great Plains Modifier (requires customization site enabler license). Since then Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise integration techniques use Microsoft technologies.
1. Microsoft SQL Server approach. This integration technique uses SQL stored procedures and views to pull data from your legacy or third party application and push it into Great Plains. The nice thing about MS SQL Server - it has linked server technology - you can establish the link to virtually all ODBC ir OLEDB compliant databases: Oracle, DB2/Unidata, Sybase, Ingress, Lotus/Domino, Pervasive SQL/Btrieve, Ctree/Faircom, Microsoft Access, Foxpro to name a few. You can schedule your integration as maintenance job or DTS package. However keep in mind that Great Plains tables structure is rather complex (it has master records, summaries, historical, work, open tables) and you should probably verify your stored procedures business logic with Great Plains source code (DYNAMICS.DIC with Dexterity procedures and functions scripts - in regular DYNAMICS.DIC these are stripped out - not every MBS partner has source code subscription - so do your selection work)
2. Great Plains Dexterity integration with Great Plains process server. This is more advanced and recommended approach, however it requires advanced Dexterity programming skills and access to the source code. The idea behind is simple - you populate so-called triggering custom table and then check it from Dexterity custom application every 5 seconds or so. If the record is there - then you process it. Processing is usually Dexterity source code stored procedure call. Great Plains uses similar logic when you post the batch and see the status in Process Monitor window. If you don’t have source code - you can try to do the best guess with Microsoft Great Plains Software Development Kit (SDK)
3. Great Plains Integration Manager. This is end user tool and is easy to use. However - it uses Great Plains as OLE Server and calls Great Plains forms behind the scenes. As the result - it is very slow - we recommend using integration manager when you have up to one thousand transactions per day.
4. eConnect - it is type of Software Development Kit with samples in VB.Net. Obviously the development environment should be Visual Studio.Net. eConnect will allow you to integrate master records - such as new customers, vendors, employees, etc, plus you can bring transactions into so called Great Plains work tables (eConnect doesn’t allow you to bring open or historical records - you need to post work records in Great Plains, the same limitation applies to Integration Manager above) eConnect is rather for ongoing integration. It was initially created for eCommerce application integration to Great Plains.
Happy integrating! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
About The Author
Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, based in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Dallas, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer; akarasev@albaspectrum.com
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10.14.08
Posted in Software Stuff at 7:16 pm by
In today’s climate of business, CEOs and executives are cautiously optimistic about the economy and their company’s future growth. They realize that they still need to market to drive profitable growth and increase the company’s value, but the financial strings are being tightened. However, there is a clear growing trend for companies, regardless of size and industry, to outsource (or a term used not to long ago sub-contracting) an element of their business. Why does this trend continue to grow, and how do executives assess their needs? Outsourcing is not a passing fad, but clearly a paradigm shift that can change a business model for the better.
Outsourcing involves the use of resources outside of the organization to perform specific tasks required for the business. However, there are a variety of ways to use these resources, including business process outsourcing and co-sourcing. Business process outsourcing involves the selling off one part of the business to create positive cash flow and probable gains in productivity and quality. Co-sourcing involves retaining part of the service in-house, and off-loading or outsourcing a portion to a third party partner. This is the one we will discuss, and in our case the marketing function.
Companies often forget to ask the basic question: What business are we in? Too often the need to perform various functions and to keep a business running does not allow management to step back and ask this question. The answer should bring management to the fundamental product/service that generates revenue for this company.
In the book “Living on the Fault Line” (HarperCollins, 2000) by Geoffrey Moore, described an outsourcing concept. He says, all employees should be focused on core activities–that is, things that contribute to the company’s competitive advantage and increase shareholder value. The opposite of core is context–activities that do not contribute to competitive advantage. Context activities should be outsourced.
For example, your head of marketing was hired to develop and coordinate strategies, direct tactics and their implementation, to generate more sales leads by new customers, while maximizing the loyalty and profitability of current customers. That is their “Core” function. However, over time they have developed a talent for public relations and as a result have become the communication manager of the company. They edit the company website, makes changes, etc. These responsibilities (those of PR Manager) can be described as “Context.”
This is how most companies handle the “Context” with respect to positioning, messaging, and public relations, three tasks for marketing. A similar example could be used for any marketing tasks. It is not their core responsibility and yet, they take it on. The problem with “Context” is that it often takes on a life of its own and begins to obscure what the “Core” should be. The example above was selected because it represents what actually happens for most small to midsized companies. What management needs to consider is the effect that “Context” has on productivity, return-on-sales, ROI and the general operation of the business.
Outsourcing allows companies to focus their resources and control their head count. This form of operations allows the company to hand over full responsibility for the outsourcing function within clearly defined management guidelines and then monitor the performance. When you break down the costs of a full marketing department internally, versus the cost of outsourcing with an external partner, the business case begins to tip in favor of not allowing the “Context” to conceal the “Core.” The following elements would be common to build out a high-quality and stable relationship in a typical small organization with gross sales revenues of $20 million.
Description Annual Salaries Outsourced Cost
Marketing Director $120,000 NC
Marketing Manager $75,000 NC
Marketing Assistant $40,000 NC
PR Manager $80,000 NC
Program Budget $1,000,000 $900,000
Outsourcing Fees NA $150,000
Total Approximate Annual Cost: $1,350,000 $1,050,000
(The costs above are average for mid-sized companies.)
Consider the example of a high performance marketing partner that offers you results, flexibility, and reduction in staff and overhead. Companies can typically have equal if not better results, while maintaining product and service quality for a fraction of the cost by turning to an expert in sales and marketing. And what is the cost of a bad hire? The commonly referenced cost of a bad hire is 2.5 the times annual salary. In most small to mid-sized organizations, marketing can be outsourced while they focus on the core.
Cost is clearly the most popular reason for outsourcing. However, strategic reasons such as improving company focus on core business and improving quality are next.
Why companies decide to let “Context” take over and drive the business can usually be attributed to lack of information. Many businesses and marketing specialists believe that by keeping everything internal the sales growth is more efficient. It’s hard to find sales and marketing experts that have years of experience and are all aligned with the top line growth objectives. Companies who are not using marketing as part of their “Core” focus usually do not have the teams of marketing experts to handle the needs of their marketing. As a result, the “Context” begins to take over leaving less and less room for the “Core.” So, is it worth “controlling” all of your marketing functions? Is this an area of your business that is core to your success? Probably not.
It is important for a company to focus on the things that add value and make it competitive. If you build software, stick to doing those things that help you to build better software, and outsource all those things that can be outsourced. The more focus you place in “context” areas, the harder it becomes for you to do your “Core” well. When you take into account the cost of what it really takes to do it right, the business case cannot be ignored.
George Schildge is the president and CEO of Matrix Marketing Group Inc., a full-service marketing firm that specialize in helping small to mid-sized business-to-business firms grow profitably and build their business through effective growth planning and marketing. He can be reached at press@matrixmarketinggroup.com or www.matrixmarketinggroup.com or 86.456.9100.
George Schildge has over 20 years of marketing and operational experience in the high-tech, computer hardware and software, and medical fields. George’s experience includes working at Sun Microsystems, CoCreate Software, Baan Business Systems, IBM and several start-ups. During these affiliations he gained experience in developing, launching and managing a company’s business and marketing strategy and operational plans for products and services. Working on numerous high-tech firms, he has helped companies bridge the gap between technology and branding.
As a senior executive at these major high technology firms, George has gained expertise in the areas of marketing strategy, product development, organizational development, international marketing and distribution, interactive marketing, brand management and integrated marketing communications. He has a track record of ramping multiple products and firms to profitability and has extensive knowledge of computer and high-tech markets and trends.
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Posted in Software Stuff at 1:45 am by
Look at your shoes. Where do you think they were made? Probably not in Ohio.
Look at your TV. Look in… your mirror! Probably all of these items were made
overseas, but we don’t associate them with being “outsourced.” Why is it then, when
I was developing my website Adcandy.com, I had to constantly apologize for having
my development work done overseas?
Friends and acquaintances would all cringe when I told them I was having the site
developed in India. The conservatives ones felt I was being unpatriotic and hurting
the
economy. Liberals felt I was being exploitative and hurting the
economy. But the bottom line is, I’m not rich (yet) and I couldn’t have gotten my
company off the ground without outsourcing the work to an offshore company.
Now, I’m a patriotic and liberal person. (Yes, not only conservatives are patriotic….)
How did I rationalize my decision? Simple. I just thought about what would happen
when my company took off. I would have to hire local people for many of my tasks.
I would need an office. I would pay more taxes and so would my employees. Plus,
the ideas generated on my website would help U.S. companies with both product
development and marketing effectiveness.
How could that be bad for the economy?
Now, I don’t think the government should buy foreign-made cars or weapons, but
the difference between them and us is that they have A LOT more money than us,
and all of it came from you and me in the first place.
They say you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes. Take a look at your own.
If they say “Made in The USA” anywhere on them then I guess I’m wrong. Otherwise,
get over it, and try to get the best price and quality you can for web development… wherever that may be.
Per Hoffman is the founder of Adcandy, the world’s first “virtual” ad agency in which
everyone is a member. Any consumer can submit their advertising and product
improvement ideas or participate in ad challenges through its unique portal:
http://www.adcandy.com
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10.13.08
Posted in Software Stuff at 8:06 pm by
If you manage or coordinate people, scheduling software could very well prove to be a very useful tool. This type of software can automatically and efficiently coordinate and analyze your staff schedule. With this software, scheduling errors that result in lost time and money are prevented.
Scheduling your employees’ schedule entails considering a number of factors that do affect how you do your business. Schedule management requires that the chance to commit errors should be very slim. An error in business, no matter how small, can adversely affect your entire business operation. Since there should be no room for damaging mistakes, using software that aids in managing schedules is a smart option for business owners or managers.
The software can keep track of your employees’ activities. This is vital for effective management of the organization. Effective information management cannot be ignored nowadays, and the use of this software will facilitate the owner and manager’s work.
There are times that too much information can become detrimental to the management of your business. It could be the source of lack of understanding of what the information means. Scheduling software will take the information, sort it to prioritize the important from the unimportant, then store and summarize it for you. This function will allow you to access complete information for effective decision-making.
If you are running a business, management of schedules is an important part of maintaining a successful company. The way you manage your information systems will determine whether your company runs smoothly or chaotically.
Scheduling provides detailed information on Scheduling Software, Scheduling, Employee Scheduling, Day Care Scheduling Software and more. Scheduling is affiliated with Online Employee Time Clocks.
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10.12.08
Posted in Software Stuff at 11:58 pm by
You don’t need to spend a lot of money on building an attractive fully functioning website. In fact, you don’t need to spend any money at all. You can do it FREE if you know what type of programs to look for and where to find them. “How”, I here you ask?
I built my website - Saturday Racing Tips - with free software programs that came on the cover disc of an internet magazine. Even if you do not buy such magazines you can still freely download many good software programs from several sites, Tucows, for example.
You should look for software programs that are either FREEWARE or for programs that have recently been replaced a newer version. As the older version tends to be given away free. Avoid SHAREWARE programs and TRIAL VERSIONS as these usually have many important functions disabled not to mention the expiry date.
The single most important software program you need for creating a website is an HTML editor. There are several types of editor available, I recommend a WYSIWYG editor. If you are not sure which are the best, always read the reviews and ratings given on most download sites. Feel free to try several until you find one that you are comfortable with using.
If you have used Word or a similar word prcoessing software program to create a letter or memo then you can use an HTML editor, as it really is very similar to word processing in many ways.
With time, patience and a little determination you may be pleasantly surprised how relatively easy it is to create an attractive fully functioning website with free programs.
I designed and created The Saturday Racing Tips website - http://www.ramtips.me.uk - which provides free weekend tips for UK horse racing.
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10.11.08
Posted in Software Stuff at 12:33 pm by
If you take a lot of pictures, or are getting ready for an event where you’ll want to have lots of quality photos to include in your family album (i.e. weddings, holiday get-togethers), you’ll want to know more about photo editing software that is both affordable and easy to use. Here are some software programs for editing photographs and graphics that you may want to check out.
Virieu has a free photo editing program that is easy to use, and is compatible with most computers. With the program, you can add captions to your pictures, ‘frame’ your portraits digitally, and make your photos into backgrounds for your screen or to send out in your email by using the fade and shade features that come along with the program. The programs will also show you how to darken or lighten certain sections of the picture, so that you can remove certain items from your photograph. You can try the editing software out for free during a 21-day trail, and then the service is $29.00. www.reallusion.com also has a wide variety of editing equipment to try that will make any picture you take look professional and impressive. You can take advantage of the muscle-based facial enhancement feature, so that you can ‘fix’ the faces of the people you take pictures of to create a more flattering photograph.
Other products from the company include the Effect 3D Studio, a graphics editing and design program that allows you to make animated graphics no matter what your skill level is. You can also purchase CrazyTalk, a program that allows you to create animated talking characters for PowerPoint and DVD presentations. Most computers are equipped to download the programs (a Windows 98 or higher is usually acceptable), and you can try the products out before you purchase any of the programs.
In order for you to download, edit, and save your photos on your computer, you’ll need a digital camera to take your pictures with. Brands like Canon and Olympus have great digital cameras that are easy for you to use, and produce quality photos that you can save on your computer. You may also want to pick up a book or two with some more basic information on photo editing software, so that you’ll know which programs are easiest to use and most affordable. You can also find new and used photo editing programs, such as Instant Photo Editor on sites like www.amazon.com, with complete CD-ROM instructions on how to make sure you edit great photos every time you use the program.
Mansi aggarwal enjoys writing about photo editor.
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