| System
requirements:
Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/ Vista/ Windows 7
These questions
and answers are provided for finding quick solutions to topics that
might take some time to locate in the help file. See Features
for a more detailed description of what's available in Job Designer.
Please contact
us at support@acvatec.com
if your question is not listed here.
General
What
do I need to run Job Designer scheduling software?
Job Designer can be used on the following operating systems: Windows
95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/ Vista/ Windows 7.
Technical
Issues
Dbisam engine error# 11294 not on server 127.0.0.1 OR
The
database 'JDesignData' does not exist on the database server at
'<IP Address>'
Please take the following steps to correct the problem.
1.Close Job
Designer as well as the Job Designer application server and the
Job Designer database server. The application server and database
server can be found in the Windows Icon Tray and the bottom right-hand
side of your desktop.
2. Delete the
following files from C:\Program Files\Acvatec Software\Job Designer
a) dbsrvr
b) dbsrvr.scb
c) v3dbsrvr.lgb
3. Delete the
jd.ini file from C:\Job Designer Documents
4. Restart Job
Designer.
Database
Corruption
Although this does not happen frequently, due to the nature of computers,
it is entirely possible for data files to become corrupt from time
to time. Data corruption can happen for a number of reasons, including
software crashes, power failures etc. When this happens, there are
either one of two procedures to follow. One is to try and rebuild
the database using the Data
Repair Utility, and failing that, to restore a recent backup.
Corruption error codes can include 8705, 8706, 8711, 8961, 8962,
8963, 8965, 9217, 9218, 9998, 10023, 10029, 10030, 10038.
Using
the Data Repair Utility
The repair utility has to be used on the computer where
the database server is installed. It can be run from any location
on the same computer.
Please note that when using the Data Repair Utility, that
Job Designer, the Job Designer application server and the Job Designer
Database server has to be closed first before running the utility.
Network
issues
If for some reason Job Designer cannot find or communicate with
the database server, please check the following:
1. The correct IP address has been entered in File | Preferences
| Network and the Connection Type is set to Remote Database.
2. Please make
sure that ports 12005,12006,12007 and 12008 are open on your Firewall
in order for Job Designer to communicate with the Database Server
and Application Server.
Error
messages when trying to create new bookings or other data items
Please check that the data folder and files within the data folder
(normally located in C:\Job Designer Documents\V3Data) is not set
to Read Only. Job Designer needs full read/write access to data
files. Folder permissions should be set to full read/write as well.
If you are unable to manually set the files to 'not read only',
try the following:
1. Make a backup
of your data
2. Close Job Designer as well as the JD application server which
can be found in the Windows Icon tray.
3. Delete the Data folder (normally located in C:\Job Designer Documents\V3Data)
4. Delete the jd.ini file (located in c:\Job Designer Documents)
5. Start Job Designer. This will recreate the data folder, but with
the original factory data.
6. Restore your data backup.
Operational
Importing
Clients and Contacts
Job Designer will import Clients and Contacts from Comma Separated
Text (csv) files. The limitation of this procedure is that the data
fields have to be in the correct order. To obtain the correct field
order, please use the "Create empty import file" feature
available when clicking on "Import Clients" on the Clients
Data page. The same feature is available on the Contacts Data page.
This procedure will create a blank csv file with the correct field
order. Your existing data can the be copied and pasted to this blank
file. Please note that adding extra fields will result in import
errors or even prevent the entire process from succeeding.
Exporting
Clients to Outlook Express
To export clients, go to the Clients Data Page, and click on Import/Export
Clients. Click on Export Clients and choose a file to save to.
In Outlook Express, go to File | Import Other Address Book, and
choose Text File. Select the file saved from Job Designer, and click
next.
Choose the items to import and click finish.
Can
I create jobs that are not based on time quantity, but is charged
for at a fixed rate?
Create a task in the rooms data page. Click on the financial tab
and click on 'Use fixed rates'. This will force Job Designer to
charge the hourly rate specified for the task, ignoring the actual
amount of hours actually worked. In other words, if the hourly rate
is $20.00 and use fixed rates is checked, then the invoice entry
will be $20.00 regardless of hours worked.
Can
I link other items (for instance equipment and contacts) to jobs?
Open the job detail page by double-clicking on the job. Click on
the 'Add' button for the desired item. A window will appear listing
all available items. Double-click on an item in the list on the
left hand side of the window to add it to the job. Keep in mind
that if it is stock that you're adding, you will be prompted for
a quantity as well.
Can
I make the items linked to a job not based on time quantity, but
on a fixed cost?
Open the required item's data page. Select the financial tab of
the item and check the 'Use fixed rates' checkbox. The item will
be charged for at a fixed cost regardless of the amount of hours
used. The amount charged will be the hourly rate specified for the
item.
Can
I exclude items linked to jobs from being invoiced? I only want
to link contacts(employees) for reporting purposes.
Open the financial tab for the item. Deselect the 'Include on invoice'
for hour rate as well as for after hour rate check boxes. If you
only want this item to appear on invoices if it was used during
after hours, then check the 'Include on invoice' checkbox for after
hours.
Can
I link non database items to jobs?
Open the Job detail page and select the various items tab.
Click on 'Add'. You will be prompted for quantity, cost and description.
Once completed, the item will be included in the finance listing
and will be visible when selecting the finance tab of the job detail
page.
Can
I override item quantities and cost on invoices?
On the finance tab of the job detail page, first select the line
item by clicking on it, then select the appropriate override function.
Costs, quantities, discounts as well as totals can be overridden.
Click on the 'Reset' button to revert to the original value.
Can
I generate monthly statements?
Go to Finance | Invoices/Statements. Select the client for
whom the statement is required and select the period. Click on 'Print
Statement'. A statement will be generated and saved automatically
in the statements folder located in the Job Designer program folder.
Can
I make payments and credit notes against invoices?
Go to Finance | Invoices/Statements. Double-click on the required
invoice. The invoice will be displayed. To make a payment, click
on the 'Payments' button. The payments window will be displayed.
Click on 'Make payment' and enter the paid amount. Fill in the 'Received
by' field. The 'Received by' drop-down list will only contain employee
names. Employees can be set in the 'Contacts' data page. Next, select
the payment method. Create a payment method if necessary by click
on the 'Payment methods' button. Finally, enter a reference number
if needed.
To create a
credit note, select the required invoice and click on the 'Credits'
button. Click on 'New Credit note'. The credit note properties window
will be displayed. Here the desired quantity or desired cost can
be entered. Note that these are not 'credit by:' values but desired
values. Once the desired values have been entered, click on 'Accept'.
Finally, fill in the issued by field from the list of employees.
Employees can be set in the 'Contacts' data page.
Can
I assign different or discount pricing structures for different
clients?
There are four cost entry fields labeled A,B,C and D available when
opening the financial tabs on items' data pages. Fill in a different
cost for each of these fields. On the clients financial tab, select
which one of these cost codes (A,B,C,D) should be used for the selected
client.
Can
I create different costs for after hour and weekend time worked?
Select the required items financial tab and enter a normal hours
rate as well as an after hours rate. Make sure that the 'Include
on invoice' box is checked for both rates. Also make sure that the
'Charge after hour rate for weekends' and 'Charge after hour rate
for special days' options are checked on the settings page. .
Can
I generate quotes with Job Designer?
See Project Quotes and Job Costing.
Can
override discounts?
Yes. This can be done per line item.
Can
I exclude discounting for certain items?
Open the items' data page and select the financial tab. Deselect
the 'Allow Discount' check box for the selected item. Discount will
not be calculated for this item when included on invoices
Can
I link fixed rate tasks to jobs?
The stock data page can be used to define stock or fixed rate tasks,
as these items would not be charged for by time used, but by quantity
used. Create a new stock item and give it a task name, for instance:
CD Authoring. Check the 'Ignore' checkbox next to the On Hand field.
This will force Job Designer to not count this item like it would
a normal stock item. To add this item to a job, open the job detail
page and select the 'Stock/Items and Equipment tab'. Click on 'Add'
beneath the Stock/Items window and select the newly created CD Authoring
item. You will still be prompted for a quantity as you might be
required to author 2 or 3 cd's.
Can
I use Job Designer to handle multiple companies?
To accomplish this, please take the following steps:
Step1. Create
your company and all resources belonging to the company.
Step2. Click on File | Backup all records. You will be prompted
for a filename. Enter the company name as a file name. Your company
records will now be backed up to disk.
Step 3. Now you have two options. 1)To start with a fresh database,
click on File | Restore all Records and load the file labeled 'New
Data' located in the demo data folder. This will give you the opportunity
to create a new company and new resources from scratch. 2)The alternative
is to merely edit the existing company name from the settings page,
and to edit the resources to suit the new company.
Step 4. Backup the new data and save it with the new company name
as a filename.
To load a company, simply use the restore all records function and
select the required company.
Can
I group jobs?
Open the job detail page by double clicking on a job in the scheduler
window. Select the Project/Contact tab. Click on the 'Add to Project'
button. Click on the 'Add to new project' button. When prompted,
enter a name for the project and click on OK. This job will now
be linked to the newly created project. To add another job to the
same project, follow the same steps as above, but this time select
the 'Add to existing project' option. To view all jobs linked to
a project, go to Windows | Projects. Select the project from the
drop down list. The linked jobs will be listed in the job box located
on the bottom left hand side of the window. Double click on any
of these job numbers to view the job detail.
Can
I hide resources?
The list box located at the bottom left hand corner of the scheduler
displays the list of room categories. Click on any of these categories
to display or hide them in the scheduler. Rooms are linked to categories
in the rooms data page.
Can
I password protect my data?
You can create different users with different access privileges.
Go to Security | Privileges. The security tree view will now be
displayed. Click on 'New User' and enter a name for the user. Click
on the + sign next to the newly created user to open the properties
for this user. Now open the 'Rights' node and then the 'Windows'
node. Enable or disable windows by double clicking on them. The
same applies to the 'File' and 'General' nodes. If this username
is entered when logging on in future, only the windows enabled here
will be available to this user. It is up to the user to create his/her
own password. This can be achieved by double clicking on the 'Password'
node.
Can
I assign different access privileges for different users?
Yes, this is easily done from the security menu.
Can
Job Designer be networked?
Yes. Network operation is very straightforward to set up. Please
see the section on 'Configuring the network' in the Job Designer
help file.
Can
I book recurring jobs with Job Designer?
Create a new job by dragging from the start to end times in the
scheduler and then right-clicking the mouse button. The new job
window will be displayed. Complete the task, client and booked by
fields. Click on 'Block Book'. Select the from and to dates for
this booking. Select whether to include weekends and special days.
Click on create. When adding resources to this booking, 2 options
are available. 1) To add the resource to the currently selected
job, or 2) the entire block booking. The same applies to all editing
operations.
Can
I backup my data?
Use the 'Backup data' function to do this. Make sure that the 'Archive
functions' feature is enabled in the settings page.
Can
I generate reports on time/quantities used on jobs or items to predict
future durations?
Job Designer is capable of printing a variety of detailed reports.
Please see the reports section in the job Designer help file.
Can
I design my own document layouts?
The documents printed by Job Designer are template based. This means
that you edit the provided templates to suit your requirements,
and Job Designer will simply "fill in" the details. Please
see the 'Printing Documents' section in the Job Designer help files.
Can
I invoice jobs that have been grouped together?
Jobs can be invoiced per client or per project. Please see the invoicing
section on the Job Designer help files.
Can
I create more than one task per resource?
Tasks are created in the rooms' data page. Multiple tasks can be
created per room. Every task created can also have a unique pricing
structure assigned to it. When creating jobs, only tasks created
for the specific resource will be available to that resource. Please
see the rooms section in the Job Designer help file to find out
more about tasks.
Can
I see all my jobs in list form?
Go to Windows | List view to see a list of jobs sorted by date and
client.
Can
I see all my jobs in a monthly calendar form?
Go to Windows | Month View to see your jobs in a month calendar
form. Entries can also be filtered by room.
Can
I work with more than one tax type?
Job Designer can handle up to three tax types per client/resource.
Go to Windows | Settings and select the taxes tab to create more
tax types. Select the taxes to be used in the clients data page
as well as the items data pages.
Can
I add notes to documents once they have been generated?
Since Job Designer generates standard RTF type documents, they are
fully editable once generated.
Can
I keep track of stock used?
Job Designer automatically keeps track of stock items used. The
'On Hand' field will be updated every time stock is added to a job.
Can
I generate invoices for ANY period?
Invoices can be generated for any period depending on the start
and end dates selected. The default however, is from the first to
the end of a given month.
I
cannot move or edit some of the jobs visible on the time line. What
am I doing wrong?
Jobs that have been completed can not be moved. To move a completed
job, first reset the job by clicking on the reset button in the
job details page. The same applies to invoiced jobs.
Find
out more about Job Designer Billing and Scheduling Software |
