Materials Management Matters Spring 2001

VERSYSS Commercial Systems Acquires Dawson Computer Services, Inc.

Hank Holbrook, VERSYSS Commercial Systems, and
Margie Sellers, Dawson Computer Services.

VERSYSS Commercial Systems has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Dawson Computer Services Inc., a leading provider of management software solutions. The acquisition brings together two successful organizations with complementary strengths and a shared vision for improving software products and services available to access valuable information needed for effective management.

"The merger of VERSYSS and Dawson represents a critical step in the realization of our collective vision to transform our industry by using technology to enable a more efficient and effective management system," said Hank Holbrook, president of VERSYSS Commercial Systems. "Each company brings unique strengths to this merger. We are extremely excited about the potential of these combined resources to accelerate the realization of our vision."

Announcing...
V-Web Internet Quoting Module for Materials Management

V-WEB delivers E-Commerce to your business by allowing your customers to process Request for Quotations (RFQ) and access information regarding their account via the Internet! The V-WEB Internet Quote Entry System can be added to an existing Website or the VERSYSS Web Development team can create a custom website for you and your customers.
Features Include: - Full Password Security allows only customers whom you identify to access the V-WEB system. - Quotation Templates allow your customers to create and store reusable quote masters. - On-Screen indication of newly arrived priced quotes. - Full Product Search capability by Part Number, UPC Code, Manufacturer, or Description.	- Quotations are separated by categories: Pending, Submitted for Pricing, and Accepted. - Accepted Quotes are updated to your VERSYSS VMMS Quote system so that your customers can begin ordering against the quote.	For more information about how your business can benefit from V-WEB contact your sales representative or email sales@versyss.com.

s p r i n g , 2 0 0 1 - q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r

What You Need to Know About Your System Software Licensing

The software on your system is composed of three elements - the SCO/Unix or AIX operating system, the Run Time System (X/RTS) and the Application Software. All software components are licensed for use for a specific number of seats or users. The term "seat" and/or "user" designates a CRT or workstation that is connected, either locally or remotely, to your system. For example, if a system had 10 CRT's and 2 workstations connected, it would be a 12-user system. Printers, UPS's or modems are not counted as users.

Included in the operating system is a License Manager that counts the number of users in use on a system. At the time the Application and Run Time System is loaded onto a system, your installer is required to obtain a license authorization in order to activate the number of users purchased. With the license authorization, your software is "branded" to show your banner (your company name), the software applications purchased, and the number of users. Your license information can be viewed on any terminal screen after log-in, as seen in figure 1.

The banner screen of a VERSYSS Commercial Systems development server licensed for in-house use to May 18, 2001 displays the banner name (VERSYSS Corporate License), application software, number of users, expiration date and the current license number.

Along with the Initial Right to Use License purchased by a customer, there is an Annual Right to Use License (ARUL) fee that entitles the purchaser to ongoing rights to use the software. The ARUL fee is included at no additional charge in a VERSYSS Software Maintenance Agreement. If your system is not protected with a VERSYSS Software Maintenance Agreement, this fee must be paid separately. Thirty days prior to the expiration of your system license, you will begin to see the expiration message on your banner screen. Thirty days after the expiration date, if your software maintenance agreement or your ARUL fee is not paid, you will not be able to access your application software.
Thirty days prior to the license expiration, the banner screen will begin to display the license expiration message, as seen in figure 2.

The License Manager provides a sixty (60) day window for you to remit payment of your software maintenance agreement and log a support call to have your system re-licensed. When your call is logged, the status of your current software maintenance or ARUL license will be verified. If your maintenance status is current, a license renewal is provided to the Support Technician who will contact you and dial into your system to provide your license renewal. In the event your maintenance or license fee status is not current, a Credit Representative will contact you in order to arrange payment. If you would like additional information about your ARUL or a VERSYSS Software or Hardware Maintenance Agreement, please call (800) 737-7977, ext. 4521.

What You'll See In The Future. . . Operator's Manuals at the Click of a Mouse

We at VERSYSS Commercial Systems are currently in the process of putting all of our documentation onto CD (compact disk). In fact, with all future releases of your VERSYSS software, your manuals will be delivered on CD. What does this mean for you? It means that instead of having shelves upon shelves of manuals sitting around your office collecting dust, all of your answers will now be accessible through the click of your mouse. Let's say you are working within an application and have a question on a specific field's use. Rather than trying to track down that lost manual and searching through pages upon pages of information to find one explanation, now you'll be able to retrieve that explanation from your PC simply by clicking on the specific subject you need and reading about it within seconds.

The documentation files will be accessed via Adobe Acrobat, which is included on the CD and can be installed with the click of a mouse. (Installation instructions are also included on the CD) If you prefer your manuals on paper, you have the option of printing the entire manual right from the CD or purchasing hard copies of the manuals from us. VERSYSS is excited about this new process and looks forward to sharing future technological advancements with you, our customer.

s p r i n g , 2 0 0 1 - q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r

VERSYSS Award of Excellence Recipients Announced

VERSYSS Commercial Systems would like to congratulate the winners of our Quarterly "VERSYSS Award of Excellence" for the year 2000.

The VAE award was established to reward those employees who continually exceed their job responsibilities as judged by their peers and our customers.

Each quarter employees are asked to nominate a fellow employee and include an essay as to why they feel this employee deserves to be recognized. They are asked to consider employees based on the following guidelines:

*VAE Award Winners:*
1st Quarter	Heidi Curtis Quality Assurance
2nd Quarter	Norman Hartigan Level II Support Technician
3rd Quarter	Donna Dalton Installation Technician
4th Quarter	Steve Waterhouse Project Manager

Employees whose performance exceeds all company expectations.

Employees who continually put the customer first - whether the customer is one of our clients or a fellow employee.
Employees that epitomize the "Team Spirit" that keeps our company going and growing.

The nominations are submitted to a committee made up of past VAE Award winners who then have the tough task of choosing just one winner.

Once again, congratulations to Heidi, Norman, Donna and Steve on a job well done.

Jack Blovits Receives Promotion

VERSYSS Commercial Systems would like to announce the promotion of Jack Blovits to Manager of Installations & Training. In his new role, Jack will oversee all aspects of customer installations and upgrades for each of our vertical markets.
	Jack is also responsible for all customer classes delivered by the Installations & Training Team at all our locations,
as well as phone and on-site training. As a prior Installation Specialist, Jack says that he will miss teaching classes and interacting closely with our customers, but welcomes the opportunity to enhance the abilities and offerings of the department as a whole. "It's an exciting time for training," says Jack. "Technology is bringing so many new tools to the table that can enhance the training experience, from Net Meeting to website downloads to CD-ROMs and web-based training. We're going to stay on the cutting edge and incorporate the tools that can improve the training experience for our customers."

Stuart Adams Receives Promotion

VERSYSS Commercial Systems would like to announce the promotion of

Stuart Adams to Customer Support Manager. In this role, Stuart will oversee all aspects of the customer support areas that include the Dispatch Center, the Distribution Department, and the Support Centers for each vertical market.

Stuart came to work for VERSYSS in 1992 after spending 6 years as an end user. He has worn many different hats as part of the Support Team throughout his career here,

most recently as the Update Coordinator in charge of the year 2000 updates. Known by all as the "go to" person whenever a complex situation arises, Stuart has provided the leadership necessary to help the Support Department provide quality customer service. "The world of computers is changing so rapidly," Stuart said. "As VERSYSS strives to keep pace with these changes and improve the product supplied to our customers, the challenge will be to keep the support staff trained on these changes as well as with the skills necessary to supply the customer with the customer service they deserve."

Pam Beaudry Wins Employee of the Year Honors

VERSYSS has the good fortune to have many individuals who bring to their work a level of

commitment and performance that we all can be proud of. It makes the choice for Employee of the Year a difficult but rewarding task. This year's award goes to Pam Beaudry, Installation Specialist. Pam never hesitates to take that extra step to see to it that the job is done completely and done well. If you are ever feeling down,

drop in on Pam while she is teaching a class, demonstrating to a prospect, participating in a customer seminar, or trying to convince us of her next great marketing idea, and you will feel her enthusiasm while she works. Pam is quick to state that a large part of her success is because she works with the best team in the company. Ask them or any customer what they think of Pam Beaudry and you will get a response that summarizes better than these words what she represents to our company. Thank you Pam!!!

s p r i n g , 2 0 0 1 - q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r

w w w . v e r s y s s . c o m

Have you visited our website lately? If you haven't, take some time and check us out. We can always be found at www.versyss.com. Here you can find a variety of information. From our Home Page, just click on one of the following:

Upcoming Events - Find what meetings and shows VERSYSS is either attending or planning. Our Regional User Group Meetings are listed right here and if you wish, you can even register on the website.

Special Promotions - Need a great deal on a new PC? Check out this area.

Website Development - If you're having trouble putting your website together, we can help. We can create your website, help you maintain your website, and even integrate your website with your VERSYSS software. Here you will find a brief questionnaire - complete it and we can get you started.

And don't forget the Customer Area of our website. This area has been especially developed for our VERSYSS Customers. If you have not already registered, simply complete the short registration form; obtain an instant verification; sign into the Customer Area, and then select your market. Here you will find the following.

Period End Instructions - If you need month-end or quarter-end instructions, you can find them here.

Year End Instructions - If you need year end instructions, you can find them here.

Class Schedules - If you're looking for training and want to attend some classes. Check here for the latest list of classes being offered. And if you wish, you can register for any class, right here on the web.

Newsletters - If you're missing a prior newsletter and looking for something you may have read. Look here, we have stored copies of our newsletters going back to 1999.

Enhancement Requests - If you're working in a particular application and thought of something you would like changed in the software. Let our Product Development know by completing this Enhancement Request form.

Order Manuals - Need extra manuals for new employees or a second office? You can order them right here.

Enhancement Lists - Here's the place to check out the latest enhancements to your software and find an explanation of how each enhancement works.

Don't forget that our website is continually under construction, so periodically, make it a point to see what's new at www.versyss.com.

Help Us to Help You: Procedures to Follow When You Call for Support

The goal of our VERSYSS Support Department is to assist you in achieving maximum productivity from our Commercial Systems. The following support procedures explain the best practices for resolving your issues. We appreciate your business and look forward to working with you.

When you encounter a problem, please follow these steps: 1. Write down any error messages that are being displayed or printed - a "fatal" error should be reported to the VERSYSS Dispatch Center Support immediately. 2. Write down exactly what you were doing when the problem occurred. 3. Follow the procedures already established by your company for resolving problems.

These procedures may include:

Refer the problem to your internal Help Desk or internal Computer System Specialist
Document the problem in your internal log book

Reference the problem in any documentation, reference guides or training notes that would help you resolve the issue

If the issue is still unresolved and it is necessary to log a call to the VERSYSS Dispatch Center, your call will be answered by one of our Dispatch Coordinators. They will ask for the following information:

Your Site ID #
Your name
Your return phone number
A description of the problem including what you were doing when the problem occurred.
Whether your entire system or an entire site is down
Any error message which were displayed or printed
Any recent changes with your computer system (i.e. power outages, new upgrade, new hardware, etc,)

This information will be entered into our online Support system.

Your call will be given a call number. Please record this number for future reference. You will need to provide this number when you place subsequent calls regarding this issue. The call number will allow us to quickly reference your case at any time and provide you with accurate and timely information.

Once in the queue, a Technical Support Specialist will answer your call from the appropriate department. The specialist will ask for additional information and will take the proper approach to resolve the problem. This may include dialing into your computer system, asking for a fax, duplicating the problem on our system, or escalating it to a Technical Programmer. In any case, you will be given the name of the employee responsible for your call.

s p r i n g , 2 0 0 1 - q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r

Working Out the Kinks in Just Ask After Upgrading to 6.3.0

If you have recently upgraded to the new and improved VMMS 6.3.0 release, there are some minor adjustments that need to be made to Just Ask.

The ship-to number built in the Customer Master changed from 2 to 3 digits. The JA program essentially needs to be "told" this new information. If you feel comfortable maneuvering through JA, you can follow these simple steps. At the JA Main Menu, select #8, Just Ask IV Utilities, then #12, Definition Editor.

In this screen, enter the filename that is contained in the sentence you are trying to run. For example, if the filename is BMARSHIP, enter that, then press the space bar twice to "Display Next Page." Keep doing this until you see the element called SHIPTONO. Press the space bar once to "Edit Element Definition." Enter the ID # of that element. Continue pressing enter until it prompts for "Column Width." If it says 2, backspace over it and type 3. Continue pressing enter until youre done editing the element. Press the space bar until "Save Element Definitions" displays, and then press Enter.

Another file whose elements may need editing is BMARMSTR. The element SHIPLINK in this file is a concatenation as follows: CUSTNO* + "00". The two zeros represent a ship-to number. Using the same procedure discussed above, change the column width from 8 to 9, and add a zero to the above concatenation. Finally, call up the elements ADDR1, ADDR2, ADD43, and ZIPCODE for editing, then simply enter through them. These elements use the SHIPLINK element, and entering through them basically "informs" them that changes were made to the SHIPLINK element.

See You At the Show! VERSYSS Commercial Systems Attends Trade Shows

Did you see us in February at the NRLA Show in Boston, MA and the MBMA Show in Grand Rapids, MI? Many of our customers stopped by our booth to talk to us and see the new products that VERSYSS is offering. Customers had an opportunity to see the new VERSYSS VISION Software, currently in development. VISION is our next generation software with the powerful "Point and Click" capabilities. Written in JAVA, VISION offers easier entry and edit capabilities due to the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and future capabilities to interface

to the rapidly changing world of Internet E-commerce. We also demonstrated the use of our Portable Data Terminals (PDTs) PDTs allow you to walk through your inventory area and enter inventory items for re-order, enter physical inventory counts, or accurately receive inventory on Purchase Orders. Finally, the biggest attraction was our demonstration of the VERSYSS V-Web Software. Available now, this software allows your customers the ability to submit, via the web, requests for material quotes and for you to respond with prices. Your customers can view all pending,

submitted and accepted quotes. . . they can even view their Accounts Receivable balance.

You can catch us in April at the LAT Show in San Antonio, TX. To see where we will be, checkout the VERSYSS website for all Upcoming Events, including shows and local User Group Meetings.

If there is an event we are missing and you think we should attend, whether it's a trade show or a trade association's meeting, please contact your sales representative, and let us know.

Portable Data Terminals Making An Impact
VERSYSS announced the availability of Portable Data Terminals for use in conjunction with release 6.3.0. Since the last newsletter, the PDT as they are known, have been implemented by our customers and the reviews have been great. The PDT units have an alpha-numeric keypad that allows the users to manually index the item number. Rich Ouellete of The Homer C. Godfrey Company advised "Being a large brick & block company, we don't have barcodes setup on all items. We used the PDT keypad easily, and saved a great deal of time and effort in the process.	Once the item number has been entered, the user enters a quantity and moves onto the next item. All of the information is digitally stored in the PDT unit. The PDT can also be used in conjunction with a bar code scanner for those items that have a standard UPC. The scanner eliminates the possibility of error and greatly speeds the process. Recently Norfolk Hardware & Home Center had their physical inventory. This process had normally taken the entire weekend. By using PDTs that they purchased from VERSYSS, and the additional rental units, they were able to drastically reduce the amount of time spent performing the process and correcting the errors.	Pam Fair, person extraordinaire from Norfolk says "I usually am in the office all day Sunday, checking errors, and studying handwritten count sheets. This year, with the PDTs, we uploaded all of the counts. I corrected any errors on the computer, and I was done by 10am." VERSYSS has seven PDT units equipped with scanners that are available for rent. This can be a valuable time saving tool during manually intensive tasks such as cycle counts or year-ending physical inventory.

s p r i n g , 2 0 0 1 - q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r

Class Schedule

Date	Time	Class#	Topic	Location
04/16/01	9:00 AM	1396	View - Basic System Administration	Needham
04/16/01	1:00 PM	1397	Introduction to Impromptu	Needham
04/17/01	9:00 AM	1398	Impromptu Reporting	Needham
04/18/01	9:00 AM	1399	Power Play Reporting	Needham
05/14/01	9:00 AM	1377	VMMS Accounts Receivable	Needham
05/15/01	9:00 AM	1378	VMMS Inventory	Needham
05/16/01	9:00 AM	1379	VMMS Sls Ord, Quotes, & Sales Anal.	Needham
05/17/01	9:00 AM	1380	VMMS Purchase Orders	Needham
05/17/01	1:00 PM	1381	VMMS Advanced Inventory	Needham
05/22/01	9:00 AM	1348	VERSYSS General Ledger	Flint
05/22/01	1:00 PM	1349	Management Report Formatting (GL)	Flint
05/23/01	9:00 AM	1350	VERSYSS Payroll	Flint
05/24/01	9:00 AM	1351	VERSYSS Accounts Payable	Flint
05/25/01	9:00 AM	1418	Just Ask Basic Sentence Writing	Flint
05/25/01	1:00 PM	1419	Just Ask Advanced Reporting	Flint
06/08/01	9:00 AM	1416	Just Ask Basic Sentence Writing	Needham
06/08/01	1:00 PM	1417	Just Ask Advanced Reporting	Needham
06/18/01	9:00 AM	1400	View - Basic System Administration	Needham
06/18/01	1:00 PM	1401	Introduction to Impromptu	Needham
06/19/01	9:00 AM	1402	Impromptu Reporting	Needham
06/19/01	9:00 AM	1477	VMMS Accounts Receivable	Flint
06/20/01	9:00 AM	1403	Power Play Reporting	Needham
06/20/01	9:00 AM	1478	VMMS Inventory	Flint
06/21/01	9:00 AM	1479	VMMS Sls Ord, Quotes, Sales Anal.	Flint
06/22/01	9:00 AM	1480	VMMS Purchase Orders	Flint
06/22/01	1:00 PM	1481	VMMS Bill Of Materials	Flint