$0.00 Transactions Don't Close
Big Business provides extensive Rounding customization with the Format Numbers tool found on the Company Card.
If you (ever, accidentally) set the Rounding for Extended Price to more than two decimal places, you may encounter the following problems:
• Invoices with a Balance or Open Amount of $0.00 appear on a Receive Money to be paid.
• Invoices with a Balance or Open Amount of $0.00 appear on Reports such as the Customer Open Invoices Report.
• Beginning Balances with an Open Amount of $0.00 behave as if they are not closed
The problem here is that with the Rounding set to more than two decimal places, it is possible to end up with an Open Balance between 0.00 and 0.01 (e.g. $0.001). (3202)
If you have ever set the Rounding for Extended Price to more than two (2) decimal places, or you have $0.00 transactions which behave as if not closed:
1. Open the Company Card from the Maintenance toolbar.
2. Click the Format Numbers tool.
3. Set the third line, "Ext. Price", to Display (change "###.00" to "###.00000") and Round to five (5) decimal places.
4. Use a transaction QuickSearch (e.g. Invoice QuickSearch):
Balance is greater than $0.00000 (More Choices)
Balance is less than $0.01000
5. Enter the appropriate transactions to close the open items. For example, you may need to enter a $0.001 Receive Money to pay an Invoice with a $0.001 Balance, then a $0.001 Deposit.
6. Reset the Display and Rounding to two decimal places.
If the open transactions being corrected are in a prior period, you may want to backdate the correcting entries to ensure proper reporting. Doing so may require unlocking prior periods and careful consideration of the changes being made. Keep in mind that these changes will probably be insignificant (i.e. less than a penny).
Hierarchical Listing for Customers
Big Business 9 tests the option to use a Hierarchical Listing for Customers.
This Solution provides details for use. (6358)
This setting is per user, enabled in your Note Prefs:
1. Go to Notes toolbar, to Notes Prefs
2. For Listing Style select Hierarchical
3. Click OK to save Notes Prefs
On a Customer Card, to the right of the Listing choose an entry for Group, or Show List to add a new Group.
Niceties, such a type-ahead, automatic updating (without restart), sorting groups, etc. are not available. Please send any suggestions to support@bigbusiness.com for inclusion.
Listing Scrolling
Big Business 9 updates Listing Scrolling to aim for the middle. Before, when a Listing like Customers or Items appeared the selected entry might be at the very top or bottom so you couldn't see other choices immediately. Now it should put the selected entry in the middle so you can see entries above and below without scrolling.
Big Business 9.9 fixes Listings which could scroll unpredictably with changes to User Font.
This Solution provides details for Listing Scrolling for speedy data entry and ease of use. (6557)
Listings provide fast and easy selection of Customers or Items when filling in entries like Quotes or Orders. Here are some key features:
• open when type a partial entry and Tab
• do not open when when you type an entry that finds only one match
• open to the column you entered
• scroll to display the selected item in the middle
• select the nearest match to what you typed
• select a new entry when you type, using Type Ahead
• select a new entry when you type Up Arrow Key or Down Arrow Key
• use the selected entry when you type Return or Enter
• cancel when you type Esc or Command-Period
In the pictured example, "g" was typed in Description and then Tab. The Listing appears sorted by Description (the column header is underlined), the first "G" is highlighted and appear in the middle, and without using the mouse the user can type:
• "grape" to select Grape
• Down Arrow to select Grape
• Return to use the selected Item
• Tab to Sort by the next column and use it for Type Ahead
• Shift-Tab to Sort by the previous column and use it for Type Ahead
Search Fixes
Big Business 10 adds new Searches. This a big feature change, which you can turn On or Off in Search Prefs or toggle by holding Option/Alt while opening the Search. Fixed issues include:
• Sorting by Status, Date, or Number using multiple Sort Columns
• Removing Phone # 1
• Sorting by text numbers
• Category Code blank
• Search Refresh
This Solution details Search fixes. (6598)
Big Business 10.8 fixes Sort Column issues. Multiple sorts could stop sorting. Sorting by Status then Date could fail if the window had been closed and reopened.
Big Business 10.8 fixes Phone # 1, which could be re-added instead of removed when chose from Column list.
Big Business 10.7 fixes Searches Sorting by text numbers. Entries like Sales Order Number could be sorted as text (10, 100, 11) instead of numbers (10,11,100).
Big Business 10.7 fixes Category Code on Postings Search.
Big Business 10.5 fixes Searches to refresh. If you double-click to edit an entry, it will be updated when you return to the Search List window. Prior to this fix the Search List would show old values for the modified record until refreshed.
Refund Fixes
Big Business 10.6 fixes a regression bug that changes for Refunds can cause blank columns for Date and Invoice # on a Payment.
Big Business 10.22 fixes the pulldown to show Refund where Payment or Prepayment are shown.
The problem can also be fixed by turning On the Refund tool. This Solution explains how. (6607, 30123)
Big Business 10 has a regression bug that changes for Refunds can cause blank columns for Date and Invoice # on a Payment. Big Business 10.6 fixes this problem.
The problem can also be fixed by turning On the Refund tool.
To turn On the Refund tool:
1. Go to Customer Prefs
2. Go to Customer Card Prefs
3. Click the checkbox for Refunds
4. Click OK to save Customer Card Prefs
5. Click OK to save Customer Prefs
Search Startup
Big Business 11.4 fixes a problem with Search Startup for Customer Search on Refunds and Customer Reports.
This Solution provides details. (6758)
Big Business 11.4 fixes startup of Customer Search on Refund tool and Customer Reports.
Not Optimized
Not Optimized is a new warning in macOS High Sierra. Apple is telling us that in the macOS after macOS, this app may not run because only 64-bit apps may be allowed.
Optimized, 64-bit versions of Big Business are being tested. This Solution provides details. (6775)
Big Business Server for macOS is 64-bit and Optimized.
Big Business Client for macOS is available in 64-bit, for testing.
At this time, the recommended Big Business Client for macOS is 32-bit, so is Not Optimized, but is optimal for now.
If you are able to run 64-bit Client and give us feedback, that is terrific. The consensus is that its graphics are not fluid but abrupt. And there are some issues with Resources that affect Currencies and display settings.
Hidden Features
Big Business includes numerous features that are hidden until you turn them on. Past examples include:
- Discounts
- Docs tool for attachments
- Email
Going forward, we trying to make these hidden features. (6781)
Any API is our initiative to offer free connectivity to any system you use that supports a REST API. This might be CRM that you use for leads for you business and need to pull in as Customers when ready. Or it might be an online store that you need to get Customers and Orders from.
Our "REST for the rest" approach makes this simple. REST is a industry standard of sending formatted files as secure documents. This usually requires some coding to "format". Usually, this turns out to be a lot of coding.
Instead we use our familiar Import mapping, where you match what you want (web_store/qty_ordered) with where you want it (Big Business Order Qty). Easy-peasy.
Then, choose whether you want to click a button each time you want to run a batch, or click a checkbox to set to run automatically. That's it. Your Orders, or whatever you want to send or receive is automatically sent or received, perfectly each time.
Using Account Groups for Fund Accounting
If you are a tax exempt organization per Section 501 of the IRS Code, you are a nonprofit fund accounting operation. Federal, state, and local government organizations are also fund accounting operations.
If you are operating on a fund accounting basis, you must set up separate funds based on regulations, restrictions, and limitations as they apply to your organization. They must be treated as separate entities. Each fund must have its own general ledger and must provide individual revenue, expense, income, and balance sheet reports. They must also be reported in-total for the entire organization.
Some Resources for Information on Fund Accounting:
Leon Hay; Accounting for Government and Non Profit Entities; Homewood, NJ; Irwin, 1989.
Joseph R. Razek, Gordon A. Hosch; Introduction to Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting; Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Prentice Hall, 1990. (3199)
Big Business can address many of the needs of fund accounting organizations but may require some manual manipulation of reports. To satisfy the requirement that each fund have its own general ledger report, you can run a Trial Balance Detail report for each fund's group of accounts. These trial balance reports can be exported and converted for use as each fund's Balance Sheet. The in-total Balance Sheet can be run as the standard Balance Sheet within Big Business.
Setting up your accounts for various funds involves assigning "Account Groups" to each account. For example, if you had an Education Fund that consisted of Tuition, Donations, and Supply Expenses, you would want to assign each of these accounts to the same Account Group, perhaps entitled "Education Fund." When running a Trial Balance Detail, you can then specify an Account Group, "Education Fund," and report only the accounts within that fund.
Consult your tax advisor or accountant regarding specific details of fund accounting bookkeeping. There are accounting systems specifically designed for fund accounting. However, these systems may lack many of the advanced features found in Big Business. We feel that most smaller fund accounting based users will find Big Business to be a powerful tool in managing their organization.
Big Business checks your data, using checksums and other indicators, when launching to determine if your data file is in satisfactory condition. At a certain threshold, Big Business will inform you that your data file needs to be repaired.
The following message appears: "An error occurred while data was being flushed to disk. Run 4d tools."
Follow the instructions provided in Chapter 12 Maintenance to run a Recover By Tags.
Relocating Modal Dialogues
For various reasons including timing problems, display settings, your desktop layout, relocation windows to the edge of the screen, and so on, you may find it necessary to relocate a modal dialog in Big Business to:
• Refresh a blank window
• Access OK of Cancel buttons that are off-screen
• Relocate a dialog to see information on a background window (3263)
Big Business 2.5 reduces the number of "modal dialogs," dialogs which require a response and prevent you for accessing other tools or applications until you respond. Many remain and may be problematic in the following cases:
• Display settings or timing problems which prevent the dialog from displaying correctly
• Repositioning of windows that results in a dialog appearing partially off screen
• Minimized (Windows) or Collapsed (WindowShade) windows
To relocate a modal dialogue:
• On the Mac, hold down the Control-Command while dragging the window to a new location.
• On a PC, hold down the Control key, and drag using BOTH mouse buttons.
To redraw a modal dialogue:
• On the Mac, go to the Apple menu, open About Big Business, then close it.
• On the PC, go to the Help menu, open About Big Business, then close it.
If the modal dialog is in the footprint of the About Box, it will be redrawn. Reposition the modal dialog to place it in the footprint of the About Box.
On Screen Previewing from Print Dialogue
To save you time, Big Business suppresses the Page Setup and Print dialogs you normally encounter in other applications. This allows for automatic printing of transactions and batch printing of numerous transactions. For example, you can specify in the Customer Prefs tool that you always want Invoices to Print automatically (Don’t Ask option). You can select an Invoice and Packing Slip to print (2 print jobs) without having to reply to two print dialogs. Or, in a QuickSearch you can find a group of records to print individual copies of and, for example, print fa batch of 20 Invoices and Packing Lists without seeing the corresponding Print dialogs.
Using the Print Preview option in Big Business allows you to:
-view output on your screen without printing it
-preview before printing
Previewing can save you time and paper, allowing you to get quick answers without waiting for printouts. You can verify that the content and layout of your print job is correct, or that you have specified the correct criteria for the desired output.
Keep in mind that the Print Preview option, previews ALL print jobs specified. So, the example above (Invoices and Packing Lists) would generate two previews. (3268)
For print jobs that do not use the Print Options menu, such as Reports, the Page Setup and Print dialogue will appear automatically:
Click OK on the Page Setup dialogue to proceed to the Print dialogue.
The option to preview your print job on screen is contained in the Print Dialog and varies from print driver to print driver. Some possibilities:
• Select the Preview on Screen option in the lower left corner of the the Print Dialog.
• Select Big Business from a Pull-Down menu and select Preview on that screen.
• Select Properties or Options to open another dialog where you can select Preview.
Refer to documentation for your computer and/or printer for information on previewing with your particular printer configuration and driver.
Once you have selected Preview in the Print Dialogue, click Print.
On screen controls will allow you to Zoom, go to the Next Page, Print or Cancel.
Data Flow
Data Flow can be a tough concept in business software. You want to put in an Address, once, and use it on multiple transactions. Then, when it changes, you want to replace it once, without affecting past transactions. The software does this for you. It helps you be efficient, while it preserves history.
This Solution gives you a quick overview of how data flow makes your work easier. (6833)
Support for Standardized Labels
Big Business 2.0 designates several Deluxe labels for use with Big Business. Deluxe is no longer offering these labels.
The labels in question are:
#92127 or #91863, 3-up labels used for Addresses and Price Labels
#82050 or #82121, 2-up labels used for Addresses and Price Labels
#82116, 6/sheet labels used for Shipping Labels and Allocation Tags
This Solution provides detailed information for selecting compatible labels from the many standardized label sizes available. There are a few other important issues to keep in mind when printing labels from Big Business:
-Label alignment can be affected by Page Setup Settings. Test print on plain paper to assure exact alignment. If there are alignment problems, check the Paper Size specified in the Page Setup and/or that you are using the correct printer driver (PostScript preferably).
-Labels designed for LASER printers (and photocopiers) use special adhesive to withstand high temperature, and the printable surface always covers the entire page (labels are die-cut in a full page). Using labels that are not designed for laser printers, are not a solid sheet, have missing labels or exposed edges, or are otherwise questionable, increases the risk of a label detaching inside your laser printer, which may seriously damage your printer.
(3209)
Big Business designates labels in physical dimensions and references Avery(R) label numbers to help you easily select compatible labels from the many standardized sizes available.
Big Business includes the ability to print on a previously used sheet of labels to assure that no labels go to waste. When printing labels, specify the Row and Column of the next available label on the sheet, and Big Business will start with that label. Label usage is from right to left and then top to bottom. For example, the second label used is on Row one, Column two.
Always check that the labels you are using are compatible with your printer. Check your printer documentation for any warnings about printing labels or printing on partially used sheet of labels. Missing labels, high temperatures and a convoluted paper path increase the risk of a label detaching from its sheet while printing, which may cause serious damage to your printer.
Batch Duplicate
Batch Duplicate was being tested to automate recurring sales. This was an idea to handle club sales and is great with the same items but lacks flexibility for varying items.
Big Business 11.30 and 12.10 remove the Batch Duplicate button from the Invoices Search. (6755)