PC-SIG: Essential Home & Business/PC-SIG - Essential Home and Business Collection.iso/08/2/5/HELPFILE.DBT

dBase/FoxBase/XBase/FoxPro Database File | 1990-04-08 | 26KB | 392 lines

Superior Micro-Techniques was formed as a dBASE consulting
services firm in 1985 by Steve Taylor. This continues to be a
major focus of the company, but software development is quickly
becoming as important. Software development for the shareware
market was encouraged by PC-SIG, Inc., a client of SMT. The first
product was released in the fall of 1987. That program, Time
Tracker, soon became the most popular program, within it's
category, in the PC-SIG library.
A basic premise of the SMT product line is simplicity. Each
product is designed to be useable with a minimum of time devoted
to learning. A combination of easy user interface, plenty of
on-line help windows and a simple underlying database design have
proven to render products accessible to the most basic user and
of interest to more advanced clients.
Keeping the programs easy to use and eliminating mainstream
marketing methods (by using the shareware concept) has made it
possible for SMT to provide programs of this caliber for a mere
fraction of the cost of competing commercial programs. No fancy
extra bells and whistles, just solidly performing, useful
applications.
Your interest in SMT is appreciated. Please write with your
suggestions, ideas or criticisms and you will receive a response.
of interest to more advanced clients.
Keeping the programs easy to use and eliminating mainstream
marketing methods (by using the shareware concept) has made it
possible for SMT to provide programs of this caTime Tracker was first developed in the fall of 1987. It is a
time billing and receivables tracking program specifically
designed for small service oriented business. It's main client
base consists of consultants, accountants and lawyers. Its main
purpose was to provide a way to easily record hours worked for a
client and then to create simple invoices on plain paper or
letter head.
The current version of the program surpasses anything we ever had
in mind. Recording hours is simple and yet extensive descriptive
area puts any client at ease. Printing bills is a snap and if you
don't like the way we have them formatted, just place them into
the optional ASCII text file and use your word-processor to
customize them. It handles expense billing as well. As payments
are received, apply the amounts directly against the bills to
maintain an accurate aging report. Extensive reports keep you
apprised of your cash receipts, outstanding work performed, and
more. A simple time management report lets you know how much you
are working and averages you hourly income. You can even print
labels for your client list.
This program has been upgraded several times since its
introduction with more changes pending all the time. This program
has been extensively shaped by the existing customer base with
plenty of interesting ideas.
A Time Tracker plus version, which includes multi-user and multi
time keeper capabilities, is planned and will be released in the
summer of 1990.
ment The Survey System software was initially developed for use by a
business consultant. Its prime purpose was to be able to create
attitude surveys which could be distributed to a target company
staff. Once completed and the results input, it would give a view
of the attitude of the staff which would result in suggestions
about company policy and staffing.
After development for the client, this soon became a candidate
for the shareware market. It quickly became a best selling
program through PC-SIG. It's application base is almost
limitless. It is being used by Washington State Forestry Service
and many marketing groups.
ing consultants.
ould be distributed to the target company
staff.  Once completed and the results input, it would give a
view of the attitude of the staff which would result in
suggestions about company policy and staffing.
After development for the client, this soon became a candidate
for the shareware market.  It quickly became a best selling
program throThe need for an electronic mail system which was full-featured
and available at shareware costs became evident as the number of
installed networks grew. EasyMail puts the potential of the
paperless office into the hands of every LAN user without the
high cost that commercial E-mail charge per node.
This program does just about everything that the commercial ones
do except it puts the power into every user's hands immediately,
without the need for long training periods or hand-holding by the
network administrator. One thing that SMT products do is make
life with computers easy. This program excels at user-friendly
by implementing to the fullest, one-touch menuing and complete
help windowing. At just about every point, simply press 'F1' to
find out how something works or what underlying effect it may have.
Complete security gives users a good feeling about the work that
they are performing. Creating mail documents, sending them to
target system users, reading mail, etc. is simple and intuitive.
Extra features include uploading mail from text files, printing
mail to printer or electronic file, user controlled passwords,
complete administrative functions menu and more.
u and
more.
 about every point, simply press 'F1' to
find out how somethin works or what long term effect it may have.
Complete security give the users a good feeling about what they
are putting into their documents.  Creating mail documents,
sending them to target system users, readingPersonal Secretary is the kind of software tool that anyone can
take advantage of. It combines an electronic address book
(limited in size only by your disk space) with simple document
processing to create the complete personalized memo/letter
writing system. Creating personalized letters using standard
processors is a hassle. Since both the database and the document
are a part of this system, combining them together is a simple
step, not hours of struggle.
This program does more than just make personalized letters a
reality, it allows you to keep track of the information you need.
You can define up to 5 fields which will automatically appear on
the data input screen. Do you want to keep track of your contacts
favorite drink? No problem. Simply define a new field and there
you have it. It allows for easy searching by letting you organize
the contacts by last name, zip code or company name. Even prints
labels.
Simple to use?  Well, over 500 people ordered the first edition
of this program which came with no documentation at all, other
than a one page 'quick tour' of the features, and there were no
complaints about being at a loss. In fact, those who did call or
write said that this was the easiest program they had ever used.
blem.  Simply define a
new field and there you have it.  It allows for easy searching by
letting you organize the contacts by last name, zip code or
company name.
Simple to use?  Well, over 500 people ordered the first edition
of thThis software is copyrighted by Superior Micro-Techniques.  You
should carefully read the following terms and conditions before
using the software.  Use of the software indicates your
acceptance of the software and all terms and conditions.
Under the copyright laws there are penalties for making
unauthorized copies.  You may make copies of this software under
the general rules governing shareware.  That is, any copy must be
unaltered and must be complete.  No distribution rights are
granted and you may not collect funds for the sale of this
program, except as to be reimbursed for any material and shipping
costs to you.
Superior Micro-Techniques makes no express or implied warranty
for the software which is provied solely on an "as is" basis.
Superior Micro-Techniques disclaims all conditions and
warranties, whether express or implied with regard to the
software, including all implied conditions or warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.  Superior
Micro-Techniques shall not have any liability special, indirect
or consequential damages, arising out of or resulting from such
software or the use or modification thereof.
This software and any documentation are the sole porperty of
Superior Micro-Techniques.  All rights reserved.
isclaims all conditions and
warranties, whether express or implied with regard to the
software, including all implied conditions or warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.  Superior You may order review copies of any of the SMT programs by sending
check, cash or money order in the amount of $2.00 (U.S.) per disk
and $3.00 for shipping and handling to:
     SUPERIOR MICRO-TECHNIQUES
     5510 Orchard Street West, Suite B1473
     Tacoma, WA  98467
To become a fully-supported, registered user of any of the
programs please send the amount as indicated below.  Registration
entitles you to complete support and any printed documentation
plus upgrades at minimal charges.
Program             Registration Amount (in U.S. $)
------------------  --------------------------------------
Time Traker          $45.00
Time Tracker         $69.00 (commercial version)
Time Tracker Plus    $99.00 (multi-user, multi-timekeeper)
Survey System        $35.00
Personal Secretary   $25.00
EasyMail             $65.00 (1-5 users)
EasyMail Plus        $95.00 (unlimited number of users)
s/In order to create invoices, you must first go through the
process of moving the work records onto a new invoice.
As you can see, you can bill either all clients (who have open
work activity) or an individual client. If you opt to bill only
one client, you will be prompted for the client's code. In either
case, you will be prompted for the latest work to be included on
the invoice. With this option you can keep some of the more
current work from going onto the invoice. A final prompt will
allow you to abort the billing action before changes occur.
You are then prompted to prepare the printer. A hard copy of the
billing process is to be kept for your records. In order to
actually print the invoices created during billing, you must go
to the reports menu and select option #1, Invoices.
ther
case, you will be prompted for the latest work to be included on
the invoice. With this option you can keep some of the more
current work from going onto the invoice. A final prompt will
aHere, you record the receipt of payments. To locate an invoice
for payment, select the 'SEEK INVOICE' option and press ENTER.
Only invoices with open balances will be displayed. Press 'A' to
apply payment to an invoice. Then enter a valid invoice number.
Relevant data will be displayed for your review. You can modify
the cash received date. Next, enter the amount received and any
applicable discount. A new balance will be displayed You may then
enter miscellaneous notes (like check number). A final prompt
lets you abort the payment entry.
 an invoice
for payment, select the 'SEEK INVOICE' option and press ENTER.
Only invoices with open balances will be displayed. Press 'A' to
apply payment to an invoice. Then enter a valid invoice number.
Relevant data will be displayed for your review. You can modify
the cash received date. Next, enter the amount received and any
applicable discount. A new balance will be displayed You may then
enter miscellaneous notes (like check number). A Maintain your client base on this screen. Notice the options
across the bottom of the screen. These options remain fairly
consistent throughout the system. After Entering A, E or D you
will be required to enter a valid client code. If you are unsure
of an existing code, you can view existing client codes by typing
Complete the fields. Most of this information is used on the
invoices created by the computer.
The terms field is simply for your client's information and is
printed at the top of the invoice. It is not used in any
calculations. The default hourly rate is automatically placed on
the work records, but can be changed at that time.
The category codes are simply a way to categorize your cleints
for your own purposes and for printing of labels. These are not
used in any other parts of the system.
ete the fields. Most of this information is used on the
invoices created by the computer.
The terms field is simply for your client's information and is
printed at the This is a demo version of the commercial Time Tracker program. It
simply shows you what the menu interface is like and what options
and features are available.
Press ENTER on the hilighted items to select.
Press ESC to move to the next higher menu or to abort.
Select 'Quit' to end the demo and return to the shareware version
of Time Traker.
Whenever you have expenses to be charged to the client, you will
use this screen to keep them separate from regular hourly
charges. This keeps them from appearing on the time analysis
report. (See report option #7.) This option also works well with
value added product sales (no tax calculations though).
Enter a valid client code and the date the expense was incurred.
Then the amount to be invoiced. Finally, a short description of
the expense item.
You can access the data entry and sub-menu screens by selecting
the options on this menu. If you press 'Q' you will be returned
to the operating system.
This option provides 3 possible ways of printing your invoices:
1 - This option lets you print all the invoices recently created
which have not been printed before.
2 - With this option you specify the invoice number to be
reprinted.
3 - This allows you to print all invoices with open balances.
After selecting an option you can add a one line note which will
be printed at the end of each invoice.
The A/R Aging Report lists all outstanding invoices for each
client in client code order. It ages the invoices into 0-30,
31-60 and over 60 days old columns. It totals each client's
invoices and gives a grand total of all receivables.
The Income Report lets you know what your receipts (if on a cash
basis) or billings were for any specified period. You are
prompted for the period begin and ending dates. The income will
be presented in order of cleint code, sub-totalling each. A grand
total of income is listed.
As you can see, labels can be obtained in several ways. Labels
consist of the cleint name and contact name (if any) and their
address. For each option you are prompted for the number of lines
per label. This allows flexibility in the labels you can use. You
are then prompted for label alignment tests. When you print a
test, your company data is used. This is handy for the return
address protion of the envelope.
If you select the option for one cleint, you will be prompted for
a valid cleint code. If you opt for all cleints of a category,
you will be prompted for the category code (see client
maintenance for more about these codes).
ion you are prompted for the number of lines
per label. This allows flexibility in the labels you can use. You
are then prompted for label alignment tests. When you print a
test, your company data is used. This is handy for the return
address protion of the envelope.
If you select the option for one cleint, you will be prompted for
a valid cleintThe Uninvoiced Activity Report lets you know about all the work
records in your system which haven't yet been invoiced. This
helps you determine when and who to bill.
The Cash Receipts Report lists all amounts received, any
discounts applied and the corresponding invoice number of applied
payments for any given date. This can be used to verify your cash
deposits, etc.
The Time Analysis Report was created to aid the professional in
determining the effectiveness of their hours on a day-to-day
basis. You can specify any past period to be analyzed. It uses
the work records to display the amount and type of activity
performed on each day of the period. It also analyses the overall
period in terms of average hourly rate, total hours for the
period broken down by type (regular, telephone and no charge),
The Client History Report will let you make a hardcopy of the
descriptive text for all work performed for the entire history of
a client. It places the records in chronological order and shows
the hours required to perform the described work.
When you request the statements of account, you are prompted as
to whether you want to include the paid invoices as well as the
unpaid ones on the statement. A statement will print for each
client with an outstanding invoice in the A/R file. It will
display, in columns, the invoice number, original invoice date,
original invoice amount and the current balance. These are
formatted in such a way as to be easily mailed in window
envelopes. Requesting paid invoices will result in statements for
the entire client base.
ments of account, you are prompted as
to whether you want to include the paid invoices as well as the
unpaid ones on the statement. A statement will print for each
client with an outstanding invoice in the A/R file. It will
display, in columns, the invoice number, original invoice date,
original invoice amount and the current balance. These are
formatted in such a way as to be easily mailed in window
envelopes. Requesting paid invoices will result in statements for
This reports menu gies you the full range of reports required of
any A/R system. Each is self-explanatory and a final prompt
allows you to abort execution of the report.
Help screens are available upon selection of each report to
further explain its output.
Here you can maintain information about your own company; name,
address, phone, etc. This information is used throughout the
system.
You also control the accounting basis of your business here. If
you count your income at the time you receive the money, you are
on the cash basis. If you count your income as the hours are
billed, you are considered to be on the accrual accounting basis.
This parameter can be changed from cash to accrual at any given
time, as often as you like. Try it and print the income report
for a period to see the difference.
You can add color to the software if you have a color monitor,
otherise it will be black & white.
You have the ability of reindexing the databases if necessary.
This should be needed only if you experience a power outtage or
if the information the system is giving you seens strangly
incorrect.
The final prompt lets you purge all dated information from the
files. After 6 months or a year, the program may start to slow
down due to large amounts of information. When this happens you
can eliminate old information by entering 'Y' in this prompt.
After doing so, you are prompted for the cutoff date. All old,
completed data prior to this date will be eliminated, reducing
the database sizes.
nce a power outtage or
if the information the system is giving you seens strangly
incorrect.
The final prompt lets you purge all dated information from the
files. After 6 months or a year, the program may start to slow
down due toHere you will record all of your telephone activity, if desired.
Keeping track of this time separately will show up on the time
analysis report.
Adding, editing or deleting these records is accomplished by
selecting the proper option from the menu bar and entering a
valid cllient code. Next, enter the work date and who you talked
to. Then the hours spent on the line. You can indicate billable
or not (both show on the invoice). Complete a detailed
description of the conversation to appear on the invoice.
cord all of your telephone activity, if desired.
Keeping track of this time separately will show up on the time
analysis report.
Adding, editing or deleting these records is accomplished by
selecting the proper option from the menu bar and entering a
valid cllient code. Next, enter the work date and who you talked
to. Then the hours spent on the line. You can indicate billable
or not (both show on the invoice). Complete a detailed
description of the conversation to appear onIf you need to void an invoice, this option exists. All work on
the invoice will become outstanding and editable again. Of
course, you will not be able to void an invoice once a payment
has been applied to it.
Once you have located the valid invoice, some of its identifying
data is displayed on screen and you will be asked to confirm that
you want to void it.
You will see a lot of this screen. Here you will record all of
your normal billable hours. You may also modify or delete
existing work records (before they are invoiced). To see records
which have been created, but not invoiced, use the 'S' option.
This will display all work records by client code, number of
hours and the date the work was performed.
When creating a new work record, you must first identify the
client code. Next the work date will appear with the current
date. Enter in the total time in hours and tenths of hours. The
client's default hourly rate is brought up as a valid code is
entered. This amount can be overridden.
Next you may indicate whether this work is actually billable. If
not, it will still appear on the invoice but as a N/C - no
charge. Finally, enter up to 5 lines of free-form notes
describing the services performed for the charge. Lastly, you are
prompted to confirm the new work record.
 work date will appear with the current
date. Enter in the
Please complete the following information and mail to: SMT, 5510
Orchard Street West, Suite B1473, Tacoma, WA 98467:
Your Complete Name, mailing address & phone:
        ___________________________________________________
        ___________________________________________________
Products you are ordering:
        ____________________________ price$:_________
        ____________________________ price$:_________
     Review copies (list below)($2.00 ea.)$:_________

  Shipping (needed for review copies only)$:_____3.00 (only if applicable)
                   WA residents add 7% Tax$:_________
                           (PC-SIG)  Total$:_________
Special instructions (3.5 / 5.25 diskettes, etc.):
(Press Shft-PrtScr keys to print this form.)           (TT 2.10b)