Friday 27 July 2012

Outlook Calendar Sync in Dolphin4 CRM

The Dolphin4 CRM module can sync your calendar information from Outlook.

The Calendar Sync was released in our October 2010 release , and enhanced in Feb 2011, in version 4.448.34.67

The Outlook Sync will ignore anything from your Outlook calendar that does not fall within 180 days of the current date. It will also only sync Outlook Appointments with a category of 'Dolphin' attached to them.



Microsoft have a very nice help page which explains how to create a new category in Outlook:  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/create-a-new-color-category-HA010014149.aspx

The reason for the sync limit of 180 days is 2 fold:

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Crystal Runtime SP 4 available (10-Jul-2012 21:36)

Dolphin4 uses Crystal Reports to produce all the documents that you view and print in the program.

It's important for clients to keep up to date with new releases of Crystal Runtime whenever they are available, as new and updated versions of Crystal contain bug fixes which impact the way that Dolphin4 is experienced by our clients.

There has recently been a new release of Service Pack 4 of Crystal Reports with various bug fixes. 


All clients running any version of Dolphin4 from version 4.455.34.82 and upwards should contact their distributor to arrange for the updated Crystal runtime to be installed for them.

To check which version you are on , you can read our previous post :Where do I find the dolphin version number?

If you are a bit more technically minded and would like to read more on the support pack release from Crystal Reports, the details can be found on the Crystal Reports Wiki , at the link below : 

Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2010 - Service Pack 4 - Fixed Issues;

We also keep a link on this blog to the relevant updates that are available from SAP - under the Useful Links section on the right hand side of the screen - below is a screenshot of where to find the link , directly underneath our twitter feed ;




Saturday 21 July 2012

Why does my BETA version have a countdown message - and what does it mean ?

In a previous post titled What do the Alpha and Beta Messages mean when I login to Dolphin 4? posted in May 2012 , we covered the two release messages that you could see if you were logging into a test release , instead of an offical release of Dolphin4.

We have recently made updates to this process, specifically to our BETA release which counts down for a maximum of 120 days on a BETA version from the date it is released.

The BETA message used to look like this :



The new message will now include a count of the number of days left before the BETA version will not allow you to login any more:


The purpose of this countdown is to ensure that once an official, signed off and tested release is available (which it will be in far less time than the 120 day time limit on the BETA) that clients running the BETA versions are moved as quickly as possible to the official release versions.

We are aware that the 120 day countdown might end before the actual expiry date of the licensing already paid for some clients, what this means in practise is that you should ask your Distributor to let you know as soon as there is an official release available so you can be upgraded before the 120 countdown ends .

You can check up yourself if we have new BETA versions, or official releases available at this web page. You can also navigate on that site to details of what changes and bug fixes have been made in each version.

Thursday 19 July 2012

Dolphin Floating Licenses : how do they work , and how can I get them ?

Dolphin sells individual licenses, per module per user, the licenses are attached to the specific user login , and even when that person is not currently logged in, their license cannot be used by another user.

If you are in Australia, or New Zealand however , we also sell a floating license option in these regions, which allows you to buy a lower number of licenses for our 'user' modules , and 'float' them across multiple users. 


This is how it works .... 

Thursday 12 July 2012

ESET NOD32 Antivirus interference with PostgreSQL

We have recently been made aware of the fact that clients who are running  ESET NOD32 Antivirus Software experience a problem in which they cannot login to Dolphin4.

The reason this happens is because ESET NOD32 appears to slow down PostgreSQL to the point where the login to Dolphin4 times out. 

The way to  resolve this issue is to add PostgreSQL as an exclusion to the antivirus.

If you are unsure how to do this, you can contact your Distributor for assistance in setting up the exclusion in ESET NOD32 for PostgreSQL.

This is an identified issue with PostgreSQL and ESET NOD32 - if you would like a more detailed explanation , further information is available at this PostgreSQL forum :

http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-general/2012-01/msg00555.php


If you have ESET NOD32 version 4 - the two videos below will show you how to add a file exception (please make sure you have the correct files / folders before doing this, and if you are unsure about anything, rather contact your Distributor for assistance) . Note that both videos do not have audio.






NOTE: The videos are from a completely different person and company , we do not endorse them , or their products in any way shape or form. 



Wednesday 11 July 2012

Crystal Reports Errors : intermittent errors that can be resolved by upgrading your Crystal Runtime version

Dolphin4 uses Crystal Reports to generate, preview and print your documents, such as Quote Letters , Invoices or Work Tickets / Job Bags.

We rely somewhat on new releases of Crystal Runtime ,which may included fixes for known bugs in Crystal Reports software.

It is important to keep updated with the latest release of Crystal Reports, because this affects how Dolphin Interfaces with Crystal, and potentially will affect your experience with Dolphin4.

We have listed below one error messages that may come up in Dolphin4 when trying to preview or print a document. This error will go away if your Distributor replaces your Crystal Runtime with the latest version release from Crystal Reports.

Saturday 7 July 2012

I get an error when I login to Dolphin4 that says "Postgresql server configuration warning"

Dolphin4 runs on a PostgreSQL database, and like most databases , the performance from the application and the database relies somewhat on how the database is configured. We also rely on PostgreSQL to release newer versions of their software through their own development and release cycle.

This is so that all the bug fixes , and enhancements that have been made by PostgreSQL to the database are carried over into the Dolphin4 application for our clients.

When this happens, we increase a setting we call "Recomended Postgre Version" . If you have been upgraded on Dolphin4, and the postgreSQL version has not also been upgraded to the relevant version , then you will see a warning message regarding the version of PostgreSQL when you login. 

Monday 2 July 2012

Adding and Removing Icons from the Quote Bar in Estimating


Dolphin4 has many options that allow you to personalise and streamline your Dolphin4 experience. 

Previous posts have covered how you can change the skin / theme of Dolphin4, and also how to highlight the overridden fields in your quotes. 

Today's post covers how to remove icons from the Quote Bar, or if they have been accidentally removed, how to put them back .