MainBoss Newswire
April 2002
Topics:
******************************************
1. Creating
custom reports using an Excel macro
MainBoss
customers sometimes export MainBoss data in order to create their own
customized reports. If, for example, a company exports the same report every
week and performs the same customizations on the data, then the use of an Excel
macro can speed up the process of producing that report. Basically, a macro
quickly performs all the steps you would normally do by hand, in just a few seconds,
thus not only saving you time and energy, but also reducing the occurrence of
human error.
Here
is how you create an Excel macro using Excel 2000:
1. Open MainBoss and export the desired
report. For this example, we will export the History Report, saving it as
MBHistory.dbf on the local C: drive.
2. Close MainBoss and open Microsoft Excel.
3. Go to File->Open and open the exported
file (i.e. MBHistory.dbf).
4. Go to the Tools menu and click on
Macro->Record New Macro…
5. Give the Macro a name (no spaces). For
example, mbhistoryreport.
6. For the field “Store Macro in:” choose
“Personal Macro Workbook”. This will allow you to run the macro in any Excel
document.
7. Click OK. This starts the recording of
the macro.
8. Now start manipulating the exported data
as you normally would. For example, delete all the columns you don’t need, make
the titles bold, etc.
9. When finished with your customizations,
click on the little blue square in the pop-up window to stop the macro.
10. Save your report as an Excel type
document (i.e. MBHistory.xls) and print the report and/or exit Excel.
11. Your macro is now recorded and can be
applied whenever you export this MainBoss report. In order to run the macro,
simply open the exported file in Excel and then click on
Tools->Macro->Macros…
12. Highlight the desired macro (i.e.
PERSONAL.XLS!MBHISTORYREPORT) and choose run. Your report will be customized in
seconds!
******************************************
2.
Desktop Innovations Inc. becomes MainBoss Division of Thinkage Ltd.
KITCHENER, ON, March 27/2002
Thinkage Ltd. announced today the creation of a new division devoted to the development and support of MainBoss Maintenance Software.
The MainBoss Maintenance Software package is currently in use throughout North America and Europe, as well as in Latin America, Singapore, and the Caribbean. MainBoss allows organizations of all kinds to manage their maintenance operations, including efficient scheduling of preventive maintenance, the tracking of work orders, and complete purchasing/receiving facilities.
MainBoss was formerly managed and marketed by Desktop Innovations, Inc. (DTI). DTI was a wholly owned subsidiary of Thinkage Ltd., but its personnel and operations were completely integrated with the rest of Thinkage. Recently, for tax reasons, it made sense to dissolve DTI and simply declare MainBoss Maintenance Software a division of Thinkage. This is just a formal recognition of the arrangement that was already in place—although DTI was a separate entity on paper, MainBoss has effectively been integrated with Thinkage for several years.
Chris Whiteside, President of the MainBoss division, states, “MainBoss customers and business partners will notice no difference in their dealings with us. We have the same software, the same people, and the same way of doing business. MainBoss has been part of Thinkage for quite some time; now we’re just making it official.”
Thinkage Ltd. was founded in 1991 as a spin-off from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It quickly became a success, providing software tools to such major customers as General Electric and Bull HN. Its products included compilers and e-mail packages, used all around the world. These products will now be managed through a Software Tools division, operating in parallel with Thinkage’s MainBoss division.
******************************************
3. Do you know: Barcoding with MainBoss
The
March 2002 Newsletter described how MainBoss could be used with keyboard
shortcuts. Taking the use of shortcuts a step further, MainBoss can also be
used in conjunction with a barcode reader (if you haven’t read the March
Newsletter, please visit the MainBoss website to read the necessary background
information on using shortcuts).
The
first step in using barcodes is to create a set of barcodes that issue
instructions to MainBoss. For example, suppose you will be using barcodes to
take physical inventory. You might therefore create a barcode (just on a sheet
of paper) that corresponds to the following input:
Alt+I AP
From the
MainBoss main window, this key sequence opens the dialog for adjusting a
physical count. It also positions the cursor in the field where you’d specify
the code for the inventory item being counted. You could then scan the barcode
of one of the items being counted to specify the item code.
Another
barcode on the separate piece of paper could Tab forward to the field where you specify
the actual count for the specified item. You then type the physical count
found, plus any cost adjustments. Finally, you could scan a third barcode on
the separate piece of paper that would type in key sequences to save the record
(Alt+S), to close the window (Esc) and to keep closing windows until you
returned to the main MainBoss screen.
Therefore,
recording an inventory count would follow these steps:
1. Scan the barcode that says “Start a physical count record.”
2. Scan the barcode on the item to be counted.
3. Scan the barcode that says, “Enter count.”
4. Type in the count for the item.
5. Scan the barcode that says, “Finished this record. Save and go back to the start.”
Using
barcodes in this way saves the trouble of typing from a keyboard—it’s faster and
less error-prone. Basically, you just have a sheet of paper containing useful
barcodes and scan them in the proper order. You could have separate sheets for
each type of operation you wanted to do: for example, one sheet with shortcuts
useful in recording physical inventory, one with shortcuts useful in setting up
work orders, and so on.
The trick is
that the barcodes standing for shortcut sequences need to be set up by someone
with the technical knowledge to know which sequences are useful. Different customers
may have different needs.
******************************************
4. MainBoss welcomes new Dealers in the USA, Canada, and Mexico
MainBoss is pleased to announce that the following Representatives have joined the MainBoss dealer network:
******************************************
5. Upcoming Tradeshows: USA and Canada
·
Connecticut Industry & Facility Resource Show will be held
on May 2nd, 2002 at the New Haven Coliseum in New Haven,
Connecticut. MainBoss will be demonstrated in booth 212.
·
Kansas City Plant Engineering & Maintenance Show will be held
May 15th and 16th, 2002 at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas
City, Missouri. MainBoss will be demonstrated in booth 8. Visit www.ProShows.com/kcpo for more
information.
·
Southwestern Ontario Industrial Show will be held
June 5th to 6th at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in
Kitchener, Ontario. Mainboss will be demonstrated in booth 311. Visit www.reedexpo.ca/southwestern for
more information.
For a complete list of MainBoss
appearances at tradeshows, see http://www.mainboss.com/english/news/tradeshows.shtml.
____________________________________________
Daniela Schumann
Customer Service Manager
MainBoss CMMS, www.mainboss.com