OS/400 Release Level Survey
As part of our ongoing development strategy and planning efforts, ExcelSystems and BCD are scheduling future iSeries system upgrades and OS/400 release level support. Our product line currently requires a minimum OS/400 release level of V5R1. IBM discontinued support for V5R1 as of September 30, 2005. We are now considering making V5R3 the minimum OS/400 release level supported by most of our software.
As our products continue to evolve and new products are introduced it is generally our intention to keep in step with IBM OS/400 release levels. This allows us to develop using current technology and to make this technology available to you in our product family. As part of our decision making process, we would greatly appreciate it if you could take a minute of your time to let us know what your current OS/400 release level is. To do so, visit the Client OS/400 Release Level Survey page.
Catapult 7 Feature Profile: Extracted Data Values
It is the experience of many of our clients that Catapult tends to grow on them. While you may have initially bought the software to distribute some specific report or perform a particular task, once word gets around that spool files can instantly and automatically be picked up, transformed and emailed, people tend to find all sorts of reasons to create more grab rules. And within Catapult, the use of extracted data values in grab rules tends to follow the same growth pattern.
In previous releases of Catapult we used to talk about 'parsing' data. In Catapult 7 this feature has been hugely improved, and renamed 'Extracted Data Values'. What are extracted data values? It's simple: fields and/or text that you pull out of your reports (or report sections) and subsequently use in your grab rule distribution or transformation options.
You may initially wonder why you would need to do that, but once you get the hang of them, the uses multiply. For instance, if you are distributing invoices to 200 customers, why attempt to create a distribution list that includes the recipient for each section, when you can pull a target email address right out of the report? Or you can build your email subjects from a combination of data elements in your report as well. You can also use extracted data values to generate unique file names or automatically build unique PDF file passwords for all your customers. You can even use them to pick out target fax numbers or printers, and they are great for building unique folder names when you are archiving copies of reports on a server.
How to Create and Work with Extracted Data Values
The Catapult 7 grab rule editor is more logically organized than in previous releases, with grab rule elements ordered by the sequence in which they are used in the distribution process. Here is an illustration of the area for working with your extracted data values:
 Three extracted data values in a Catapult grab rule.
In this illustration you can see first of all that the step for defining extracted values is immediately after setting up your (optional) split criteria. In other words, it's one of the first things that happens after your iSeries report has been selected and downloaded. In this rule we have identified three pieces of information on our report that we anticipate using in our distribution rule: the account number, the customer name and the account contact email. Let's look at how the third of these is defined.
Creating Extracted Data Values
Because extracted data values usually vary from report to report, or even from section to section, the first thing you need to do is identify a portion of report that does NOT change, and which occupies a consistent position in relation to the information you want to pull out. This text constant is what Catapult will use to locate and identify the unique data values.
 Three extracted data values in a Catapult grab rule.
In the report shown above we simply highlighted the text 'Email:' and clicked the first of the two toolbar buttons shown as selected. Then we highlighted the email address and clicked the second button. Our last step is to specify the replacement token value, then click OK to save the value.
Using the Replacement Tokens
As you go through building the rest of your grab rule, you can use the replacement token, on its own or combined with text or other values, in all the relevant locations of your distribution and transformation options.
The new and easy ways to work with extracted data values improved Preview window is just one of the many, many features that has been greatly improved in Catapult 7. If you currently own Catapult 6 and would like to participate in the Catapult 7 beta, please get in touch with us. Also, if you are currently evaluating Catapult 6 and haven't yet created dozens of critical distribution rules, you are ideally suited to participate in the beta - you can enjoy all the benefits of the new release without any of the risks! If you have any questions, please drop a note to Technical Support.
New Snapshot in Productivity: Training Masters
BCD's Snapshots in Productivity provide some candid responses from our WebSmart clients on using our software. We recently cornered Bob Amell, the IT Director at Training Masters, to ask him about WebSmart. Training Masters, headquartered in Enola, Pennsylvania, is a training and consulting company that offers products and services designed for career schools, colleges, and other educational institutions and organizations.
Training Masters produces STARS (Student Tracking, Accounting, and Records System), a comprehensive, integrated administrative software solution that is proven and affordable. STARS runs on IBM System i servers.
 STARS Student Master record and Dashboard.
Visit our website to read what Bob had to say about using WebSmart in their development environment.
Next Tech Update Coming in July
Kevin Hunter, BCD's Technical Writer has been living in Quito, Ecuador for the last 6 years, where he's been working remotely on the Technical Updates and software user guides. In June he will be beginning a move back to Victoria with his wife and 4 children.
All being well, he should be back at work in early July, at the ExcelSystems Software offices in Sidney, where he will again be involved in QA, documentation and managing the Technical Support group. Look forward to the next Tech Update some time in July!
Upcoming BCD Events
BCD will have groups attending these upcoming conferences. Let us know if you plan to be at either of these and would like to discuss any of your software needs.
OCEAN Technical Conference (Irvine, CA)
The OCEAN User Group in Southern California will be holding their annual Technical Conference on June 30th at the Irvine Hyatt Regency. This is the biggest one-day i5 education day in the US, and BCD will have a booth at the Vendor Solutions Expo along with many others.
BCD at the IT Leaders Forum (Denver, CO)
BCD will have a booth at the upcoming IT Leaders Forum at the Inverness Hotel & Conference Center in Denver, July 20-23. Visit the website for further information on the agenda and speakers, as well as hotel and registration details. Sign up before April 18 to get a $300 discount!
If you have any questions about these events, please drop us a note.
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Duncan Kenzie Speaking at System iExpo (Netherlands)
In conjunction with Deltacare Software, Duncan Kenzie will be leading three sessions at the System iExpo June 24 and 25 at the Center Parcs Meeting and Event Center in the Netherlands.
The 1-hour sessions will address the question 'What does modernization mean to you?', and are scheduled for 12:00 and 14:30 on June 24, and 12:00 on June 25. In his presentation Duncan will address some of the challenges facing today's developers when it comes to modernizing legacy applications, and the options that WebSmart ILE/PHP and Presto give you.
If at any time you wish to discuss your particular challenges, please drop by booth 19 at the expo for a chat with Deltacare. Duncan will also be delivering an in-depth seminar on June 26, so if you are interested in attending, please make contact with Deltacare at the expo or write Frits van Muijlwijk a note.
If you have any questions about the sessions email BCD.
About Deltacare
Deltacare is BCD's new international dealer in the Netherlands. Deltacare is member of the Pantheon group, founded in the 1980's and operating in the Dutch marketplace. With over 100 employees, the Pantheon group is one of the oldest and largest IBM Business Partners in the Netherlands for the system i platform. In it's 20 years in the industry, Pantheon has established a solid position in the Dutch marketplace, and built a great reputation with more then 200 satisfied customers!
Deltacare itself is located in Den Bosch, in the southern part of the Netherlands. Deltacare develops procurement and project management applications.
Frits van Muijlwijk, Deltacare manager of Business Development states that "Deltacare is very pleased to be a Business Partner of BCD Software. The BCD products are an enrichment of Deltacare's product portfolio and are very important to help companies in the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) create modern and web-enabled applications on IBM's system i, or help modernize existing legacy applications. In the Netherlands there are many companies looking for sophisticated tools to help them with these projects. We are sure that with the complete range of BCD products there is an answer to this need, and we are excited that we can help these companies be successful."
Kris Wilson grew up in Calgary, home of the world-famous Stampede, where he earned a Computer Science degree from the University of Calgary. He moved down to Victoria in 2003, and joined us here at BCD a year later. Kris initially started working with us in the Technical Support team, and after a brief stint with the Professional Services group moved into Catapult and Spool-Explorer development. Now he heads up the Catapult development team, where over the course of the last year he's been the primary agent of the software's radical transformation!
Shunning traditional Calgary activities (pick-up truck driving and bull riding), Kris has been a martial arts enthusiast, earning a black belt in Shotokan karate as well as a green belt in Kung Fu.
Kris plays the sax, and one of his reasons to move to Victoria was to join his now-wife Lindsay, whom he met when they were in a marching band together in Calgary. One of the highlights of that experience was touring England and Scotland for several weeks, and playing in several memorable locations such as Mother Shipton's Cave, Stirling Castle and Melrose Abbey.
Here in Victoria Kris has settled down with his family, which includes his new daughter Meredith, a 5-year old Alaskan Klee Kai and a black cat. He now enjoys more leisurely pass-times, including reading (he recommends Canadian Sci Fi/Fantasy author Tanya Huff), watching movies and playing games (board, card, video, etc.). More recently he's also been working on getting into archery, sailing (sometimes with Kim, a boat owner and co-worker here at BCD) and sketching/painting.
The BCD Technical Support team is excited to welcome another member to the group. Greg Patterson started on June 9. Greg will start training on all our products immediately, and you should start hearing him on the phone in a couple of months.
Previous to coming down to the balmy southern island, Greg was a denizen of the North, where he graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, and then moving to Peace River to work as a programmer/analyst at the Daishowa-Marubeni Pulp Mill but is getting out while the going is good.
It also appears that unlike the rest of our staff, Greg golfs not just with enthusiasm, but actual skill (shocking!) so we're hoping that Thomas can be trusted to make an unbiased team selection for our upcoming company tournament. We'll keep you posted on that.
Current
BCD Software Release Levels
These are the current release levels for all our products:
If you have any questions about how to get to the latest versions, please contact
Technical Support.
Organizations
that Recently Purchased BCD Software
ABC Fine Wine & Spirits • Alfa Acciai • Allied Mineral Products • Army Recreation Machine • Arvest Bank Operations • Clay County Schools • Columbia Machine • Compass Technologies, Inc. • Daniel Four Software • Food Services of America • G. Modiano • Glaxo SmithKline Export • Golden Touch Imports • Interface, Inc. • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers • J & J Industries • J & R Schugel Trucking Inc. • J2C Informatica • Macsteel • Nalco de Mexico • NSCSA • Oklahoma Board of Nurses • Ouachita Baptist University • Poudre Valley Rural Electric • Prime Inc. • Schiff Food Products • Scovill Fasteners Inc. • Simonds International • Sinv_ Spa • Smalley Steel Ring Company • The Taylor Group • Tietex Corporation • Westinghouse Electric Co. • Yusa Corp
Organizations
That Have Recently Contracted BCD Professional Services
Alfa Aesar • City of Kearney • Demco • Swift Transport • Hans Johnsen Bikes • Heyco Products • Midwest Fuel Injection • Midwest of Cannon Falls
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Getting Started with Nexus Portal
