xTupler #19 | June 2011
Dear Community —
Here in the U.S., it's summertime. The kids are out of school, and lots of people are already thinking about that vacation coming up. (Don't have one planned yet? How about a visit to Washington DC in August - see the second story down in this newsletter!)
But if your business, like most companies, is doing more and more with less and less these days, you might be looking at a short-staff situation this summer with some alarm. Particularly if you'll be doing without I.T. help for some period of time.
Well, your friends at xTuple have the answer. During the month of June, we're offering a one-time special 20% discount on any of our popular XTN (xTuple Network) services. Whether you're just looking for nightly offsite backups of your xTuple database, or version upgrades managed remotely by xTuple, or even a full offsite hosted solution, there's likely an XTN service to fit your needs and budget.
But hurry! This offer expires June 30. Just email sales@xtuple.com to take advantage of this "summer break"!
And read on below, for news on the latest xTuple releases, great training opportunities coming up online and in the classroom, and to read about other great things happening in our growing global community.
Thank you, as always, for your support of our software.
Warm regards,
Ned Lilly
President and CEO
Online Class - Using xTuple's XML import/export to work with Web Stores
As many of our users well know, xTuple ERP is a solid back end system for your online store. Join us for an online class on web store ecommerce integration to see how the XML exchange capabilities of xTuple let you import orders, export shipping status, and unite your online store with your business data to streamline the order management process.
xTuple's Director of Internet Strategy, BC Wilson begins this unique remote training class with an overview of xTuple's XML capabilities and concludes with setting up a sample application and exchanging data with a webstore via XML.
There will be plenty of time for Q&A on e-commerce and other integration best practices, so bring your questions!
Training Date: Thursday June 16th
Session Time: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm/est
Registration Information: Cost $125
Register and pay for the Web store integration training class
xTuple Training in Washington, DC
Don't miss our two most popular training classes, back to back! Sign up NOW and save 10%!
Two great classes, meeting back-to-back weeks, for the first time in Washington, DC. Come see the nation's capital, bring the family, and make a vacation out of it!
Implementing and Managing xTuple
August 8-12
Normally $2500 - sign up now and save $250!
Early Bird Specials end July 15
Learn more and reserve your seat today!
Power User Training
August 15-18
Normally $2000 - sign up now and save $200!
Learn more and reserve your seat today!
Join us for both classes and receive an additional $600 off! Early Bird Specials end July 15!
xTuple 3.7.1 released!
People tell us again and again that they can't believe the features that come for free in xTuple ERP. Just read the recent review of xTuple in GetApp to get an idea of the breadth of the software. 3.7.1 continues to build on the power of xTuple, and continues our trend of introducing usability improvements throughout the software. We've put a lot of effort recently into making changes that you may not even notice--it's just making stuff work better and more intuitively making it easier for new users to become power users in less time.
xTuple 3.7.1 (download updates for the client and database) contains some minor fixes to issues found in version 3.7.0. As always we recommend that you keep your software updated to the latest version, to make sure you are taking advantage of important improvements and bug fixes.
As a reminder the key features introduced in 3.7.0 are:
- Contact Merge Utility
- Pricing discounts by item
- Consolidation of Sales Analysis
- Multi-currency financial consolidation
- MRP Exceptions
... and of course, hundreds of minor fixes and enhancements! Please see the release notes for more detail.
Community Corner
With thousands of developers and end users of xTuple, new solutions to everyday issues appear regularly in our forums. Recently, user Joe Hogan found he needed to mark an order as shipped before he had a tracking number. (The software did not allow him to enter it later.) He wanted to know:
How can I go back in and add this tracking number after the shipment has been made?
Other community members echoed that request.
Just a few days later, Martin Aherron, another active community member and longtime xTuple customer, arrived with a solution, in the form of a complete updater package that allows users to enter or change tracking numbers after orders have been shipped.
User Russ Otto was impressed:
So, there you have a snapshot of the community effect. Thank you guys for keeping the improvements coming and for helping each other (and us!).
Partner Profile
Jim McCluskey
For years, we were fortunate enough to be able to call on Jim McCluskey as a customer reference. Jim worked as the Chief Financial Officer for one of our earliest and most active customers, a garment manufacturer located outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
Jim was integral in the decision to replace Visual Manufacturing at his former employer. They were looking for a system that was more flexible, affordable and could grow with their business. Jim implemented and supported xTuple from his role as CFO.
Over time, Jim came to know and love the xTuple system so well that he decided to become a full time xTuple partner. To date, Jim has worked on several xTuple projects, assisting users and customers with their installation and production of the xTuple software all over the country.
He specializes in the nitty-gritty of accounting and financial reporting, and is also accomplished with xTuple's scripting extension tools.
When Jim is not working on xTuple projects you will find him on the golf course, trying to master that very frustrating game.
xTuple partners with leading global accounting group BDO
As an independent member of the BDO Seidman Alliance, xTuple draws on the resources of BDO USA, LLP, one of the nation's leading professional services firms, and other Alliance members. BDO USA serves clients through 40 offices and more than 400 independent Alliance firm locations nationwide. As an independent Member Firm of BDO International Limited, BDO serves multi-national clients through a global network of 1,082 offices in 119 countries.
What does this mean for the xTuple community? Two things, primarily. First, it shows how serious we are about partnering with leading CPA firms around the world. We view the role of the CPA as absolutely critical for businesses of all sizes, but particularly smaller companies - and if you're a CPA and/or affiliated with a firm, we want to talk to you.
Secondly, this partnership gives us - and our larger community of users - access to an incredible bank of knowledge and talent on just about any matter related to the financial health of a company, including not just traditional CPA functions like tax and audit, but strategic and succession planning; mergers, acquisitions and investment banking; and international rules and regulations. Questions? Drop us a line at partners@xtuple.com today!