Upcoming Events

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM field team has nominated VAR2 to host a Live Meeting Thursday March 22nd from 9:00 - 10:00 AM Pacific time.

The event will touch on productivity gains realized by centralizing customer data, the elimination of redundant data entry and how CRM can help you make informed, confident decisions. We will also discuss the CRM Mobile workforce.

Click here to register for the event now!

JAAS and VAR2 are planning an event in mid April in the Portland area. Look for more details of this event as they become available. In the mean time learn more about JAAS advance manufacturing software on our web site.

VAR2: The New Face

Over the past 6 months there have been a lot of changes to the look and feel of VAR2. We have a new web site, our consultants are obtaining even more Microsoft certifications, we have a new newsletter, and our support tools have changed.

These changes are just the beginning of our plan to improve our service and support to better help our current and prospective clients. We are taking a proactive approach to delivering the best integrated solution for your organization, and providing the optimum support to go with that solution.

As the year continues we will be updating you on tools that we are creating for you. As an example; check out the new NTRsupport tool that we have integrated into our web site. We are all very excited about these new changes and hope that you will all take full advantage! Look out for additional offerings in future newsletters!

Focus On: Reporting Tools

Reporting ... isn’t it the reason that you purchased Microsoft Dynamics SL (formerly “Solomon”) in the first place?  What good is all the data if you can’t report on it and use the information to evaluate the financial health of your business in order to make informed, strategic decisions about the direction of the company?  As things get busy, companies often use their accounting system solely as a means of getting money in and out the door and lose sight of the importance of flexible reporting tools to help your business stay on track.  Below we discuss a couple of the reporting tools available in Dynamics SL.

Crystal Reports
This integrated report writer can be used to select, analyze, summarize, and present data in several ways. They are easy to generate and provide quick access to information that is critical to almost any organization such as Customer Aging, On-hand Inventory, and Trial Balances. The Reports Expert Wizard allows you to easily customize these reports with integrated graphing, customizable styles, a variety of fonts, and even embed objects from other applications.

FRx Financial Reporter
FRx Financial Reporter is an industry-standard reporting and analysis tool.  It is completely integrated with your Dynamics SL system and pulls information directly from the General Ledger to ensure accurate and up to date financial reports.  FRx provides an exceptional level of flexibility and detail through the use of its Row, Column, and Reporting Tree building blocks that facilities easy report design and maintenance.

Microsoft Forecaster is available as an “add-on” to the FRx Financial Reporting engine that enhances its ability to handle complex budgeting, forecasting, and planning activities.  It provides the ability to effortlessly distribute budgeting data and financial information throughout your organization, easily collaborate with other members of management, and plan more effectively.  FRx Forecaster is web-based which makes it readily available to everyone involved in the budget process ... in the office or on the road.  What’s more, the built-in workflow provides status updates on budget components ensuring that the entire process stays on schedule.

SQL Server Reporting
SQL Server Reporting Services is a comprehensive, server-based solution that enables the creation, management, and delivery of both traditional, paper-oriented reports and interactive, Web-based reports. An integrated part of the Microsoft business intelligence framework, Reporting Services combines the data management capabilities of SQL Server and Microsoft Windows Server with familiar and powerful Microsoft Office System applications to deliver real-time information to support daily operations and drive decisions.

Leveraging the appropriate reporting tools available with Dynamics SL will help you maximize the return on your investment in business software and make better informed and proactive decisions about the direction of your company. Contact Us for a discussion of the reporting tools and options that may best fit your needs.

Tips for Organizing Your Email Inbox:

No doubt you are like most ... hundreds or even thousands of email messages are sitting in your inbox that you fully intend to read.  Unfortunately each new day brings several new email messages that you simply don’t have time to address.  Will you ever catch up?  Here are some tips for better organizing and managing email.

Use the Mail Folders
Microsoft Outlook provides a system of folders that can be used to organize your messages.  Think of it as your Outlook file cabinet.  The folders are located in the Navigation Pane and can be accessed via the “View” menu and selecting “Navigation Pane.”  You can create folders for messages that are simply informational (newsletters) or that you would like to refer to later (invitation to an upcoming event).  As these non-critical messages arrive in your inbox, you can drag them to your newly created folders.

Schedule Some Intimate Time Alone with Your Inbox
You will never get to the bottom of your inbox unless you set aside uninterrupted time to process and organize your email.  Schedule time each day or once per week to meet exclusively with your inbox and tune out all other distractions.  This will require discipline and may possibly require you to get out of the office

Take Action
It’s likely that you have email messages that have lived in your inbox for weeks and have been opened and closed several times.  As you carve out time to organize your inbox, make a definitive decision about what you’ll do with each message.  Delete it, move it out of your inbox and to another folder for later reference, respond/take action, or forward (delegate) it.