MainBoss Newswire
October 2007
Topics:
1. MainBoss Database Back-Up Service
2. Dealing
With Specialized Equipment in MainBoss
3.
Upcoming
Tradeshows
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Next On-Line Training: Purchasing
& Receiving: October 24, 2007
Reporting: October
31, 2007
MainBoss On-line help
- http://mainboss.com/english/manual/mainboss/Index.htm
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As part of the MainBoss License Renewal Software Support Program, Thinkage Ltd. offers registered MainBoss users the opportunity of backing up MainBoss database files to Thinkage computers. This is intended to provide our customers with a degree of protection against risks such as hardware failure, virus infection, and physical disasters (fire, flood, etc.).
The plan is simple: if you register to use this facility, then upon signing the MainBoss Database Backup Agreement, you will be provided with a procedure by which you can use the Internet to transmit your data to Thinkage. Thinkage will protect your data as described below, for as long as you remain a paid member of the MainBoss License Renewal Software Support Program. You can retrieve the data at any time.
By storing a copy of your data with Thinkage, you’ll have the security of an off-site backup in case your own computers have hardware problems or get infected by viruses.
Thinkage will keep your data confidential with the same privacy measures that we use for our own data. However, as part of the arrangement, you will let Thinkage copy and use your data for testing MainBoss software. This won’t endanger your back-ups in any way, but will be invaluable to us for making sure that future releases of MainBoss handle your data correctly. In this way, MainBoss becomes a better product for everyone.
We will keep your 10 most recent backups up to a total maximum of 1 GB in size. Older backups will be deleted. Please contact our office for further details
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Many companies have tools and other equipment that require special arrangements in order to be used on jobs. For example, suppose a particular job needs a backhoe. Your department may have a backhoe, but you need to reserve it in advance; you might also need to make other arrangements to ensure that the backhoe is available when you get to the job site. The same sort of consideration may apply to special testing equipment (e.g. portable chart recorders), scissor jacks, tow motors, forklifts and so on—anything that must be at the work site in order to do a job.
Obviously, it’s useful for your work orders to include references to this kind of equipment. This ensures that workers know they need the equipment to do the job. It also makes it possible to track your use of the equipment (“How much do we really use the backhoe?”). Finally, it lets you add the expense of using the equipment (e.g. gasoline for a backhoe) to the cost of the work order.
One simple way to track such equipment is to treat it as if it’s a person in your Personnel table. For example, here’s how you could deal with a backhoe:
1. Go to your Personnel table (Work Orders -> Tables -> Personnel).
2. Click New to create a new record.
3. For “Code” and “Name”, enter Backhoe.
4. For “Curr. Rate”, enter the hourly cost of using the backhoe.
5. Save the record.
When a job needs the backhoe, you can use “add estimate” to tell workers in advance that the backhoe is required (and that they have to make any special arrangements to get the backhoe to the job site). After the job, you can use “add actual” to record the length of time the backhoe was used (and therefore the cost of use).
In order to distinguish such specialized equipment “personnel” from real personnel, you might create an entry for Specialized Equipment in your Trades table (Work Orders -> Tables -> Trades). Every Personnel record for specialized equipment can have the “Trade” field set to Specialized Equipment. This makes it simple to separate specialized equipment from people in work order reports.
You can use the same approach to add specialized equipment requirements to preventive maintenance tasks as well as normal work orders. For example, if a particular PM inspection requires specialized testing equipment, you could assign the equipment as “personnel” to the PM task.
To view the history of specialized equipment usage, you use Work Orders -> Reports -> Labour History, and specify either the Specialized Equipment for “Trade” or the name of a specific piece of equipment in “Personnel”. Similarly, Work Orders -> Reports -> Manpower Schedule will tell you upcoming times when the specialized equipment will be needed.
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2007 World
Workplace NA Expo: Ernest Morial Convention Center, New
Orleans LA, October 24-26, 2007
We will be in Booth 1045
Buildex Calgary 2007: Calgary Roundup Center, Calgary AB, November 6-7, 2007
We will
be in Booth 906
PM Expo: Metro Toronto Convention Center, Toronto ON, November 28-30, 2007
We will
be in Booth 1643
National Facilities Management & Technology: Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore MD, March 4-6, 2008
We will
be in Booth 1078
The TFM Show: Navy Pier, Chicago IL, April 22-24, 2008
Booth to
be announced
ICSC Spring Convention Trade Exposition: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas NV, May 18-21, 2008
Booth to
be announced
The 2008 Office Building Show: Colorado Convention Center, Denver CO, June 22-24, 2008
We will
be in Booth 844
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