NPD
Update 3.53 (
New Release Adds Features To Make You More
Productive
New
Key Features:
·
Quicker, easier online access to your
files at The Washington Post.
·
Instant reporting on accounts with
differences that impact service.
·
Direct link to Washington Post Distributor
Service web page.
·
Address Update (CASS) now easier to use.
The CASS form is now part of your hard drive (so you no longer have to hunt for
you paper copies).
What’s
on this NPD CD?
·
New NPD Installation—to
install NPD on a new computer.
·
NPD Update—to
update NPD with the latest features on your current computer.
·
AcornFTP—to
update earlier version of AcornFTP.
·
Adobe© Acrobat Reader
5.0—the latest upgrade for reading PDF files.
You may install any of the four applications
on this CD that you need. It is redundant to run both the NPD Update and the New NPD Installation. The New NPD Installation and the AcornFTP may restart your
computer.
Save
This CD
In the event that you buy a new computer
in the future, you can use this CD to install the most recent NPD version. If you have an Internet
connection and want to take full advantage of it to manage your business, we
encourage you to install AcornFTP
if you have not already done so. The best way to download a new version of NPD online is to use the Download NPD Update button in NPD Tools. (The password is update, all in lower case.)
Modifications
and Buttons to Look for on NPD 3.53:
1.
AcornFTP
has been revised. The new version is 1.5 build
2.
The Daily
Transaction Processing in Washington
Post Online now has an option to omit transactions that are
only Office Pay payments or debits/credits.
3.
A new Key
Differences report that only displays accounts with
differences that impact service has been added to the Washington Post Online feature.
4.
The Address
Update (CASS) function on your Address
Switchboard has been upgraded. The FTP method of sending the
Address Export to Acorn and for receiving it from Acorn is easier to use. When
you import the updated addresses, the CASS form is automatically saved on your
hard drive for easy printing. No more looking for that form for your next
billing.
You can now use the Print Address Update Documents button on the Address Switchboard
to view or print the following documents: CASS
form, Error Report, Acorn Invoice and the Read Me file. You will need the Adobe Acrobat
Reader (included in this CD) to view and print these documents.
5.
We have added two new buttons to the Washington Post Online switchboard:
·
One button opens the Washington Post Distributor Services
web page. The Washington Post
Distributor Services web page requires a User Name and a Password.
Both are supplied by the Washington Post once you are on Central Records.
·
The other button takes you to the Acorn Data web site and opens our NPD Technical Note for the Washington Post Online feature, which has
detailed information to help you use Washington Post Online.
6.
The Subscriber
List (Subscriber Switchboard)
now includes the PAN.
7.
You can now easily code and identify
customers not covered by Central Records with the new option button, Not Home Delivery, on the Edit Subscriber screen found though
the Subscriber Switchboard.
·
These customers are excluded from the
reconciliation and from the Agent to Post file. You can locate these customers
in your database by developing a filter that will search your database for you.
Go to the Select Codes area under Develop Filter to create your filter.
8.
The Good
Start Status Report now includes the PAN, and
indicates when there is nothing to print.
9.
The Good
Start help now works with Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
10.
You can now reach the Acorn Data web page through a button on the Main Switchboard.
11.
The EMAIL option for the Export for Address
Update has been removed because the FTP option works much better. So if you haven’t
installed AcornFTP, you should.
12.
During startup, NPD automatically checks to ensure that you
are not running an older version of NPD than your database.
Downgrading to an older version of NPD
can damage your database. This upgrade avoids that problem.
13.
In NPD
Tools, an attempt to restore from a backup more that 5
days old will generate a warning. You can still restore from the old backup.
Backup Reminder: You should be backing
up your work to alternate floppies, ZIP disks or CDs every day. Do not reuse
the same floppy, ZIP or CD each day because, if there is an error, it could
override all your data and you may end up with nothing to fall back on!
·
Effective
14.
NPD Tools
now has a Download File from Dropbox
button to download special files from the Acorn Data web site. For expediency
reasons, you occasionally may be asked to use this feature.
15.
Substitute Carriers
now override Permanent Substitute
Carriers.
16.
The Cash
Receipts Detail report now displays all six digits of the
account number. (Until now, it only reported the first five digits, but no one
reported it to me! Please report any glitches you may discover by contacting me
by phone or email.)
Earl O. Merrill
Acorn Data Systems, Inc.
emerrill@acorndata.com 410-997-0187 www.acorndata.com
Acorn Data Systems, Inc.
1.
Passwords: The password to
download a NPD
update from NPD Tools
is update. The password to FTP an
Export for Address Check is
earl.
2.
Central
Records: The
Washington Post is moving forward with its Central Records project and
providing more customer service online. We suggest that you become proficient in basic email and web browser
functions, if you are not already.
3.
When
to Call Acorn Data: The
best time to call with problems or questions is Monday through Friday between
4.
Higher
Screen Resolution: In
the near future, NPD will be supporting 800x600, or higher, resolution so your
screens are easier to read. At that time, NPD will no longer be supporting the
older 640x480 resolution. If you still use the 640x480 resolution, call
5.
Be
Safe, Back Up Your Work: Use
the Backup on Normal Exit
option on the Main Switchboard to automatically back up your work on NPD. This feature is not a replacement for
external backups (you should continue to do that), but it is a convenient way
to restore your database.
6.
Keep
Up to Date, Get on My Email List: Stay informed of updates, tips and other
valuable information. If you are not already on my email list, send an email to
emerrill@acorndata.com.
Include your name and area number. Also, remember to notify me of any changes
to your address, phone or email.
7.
Payments
via PayPal: You
can make quick, secure Visa/Master Charge payments to Acorn with PayPal. PayPal
is reputable and a free service. It provides the credit card service for eBay
and several other web sites. To join PayPal, visit NPD
at www.acorndata.com
and go to the NPD eStore
page which has a link to PayPal. After you have joined, you must return to NPD eStore to enter your payment.
8.
Make
your own Acrobat Reader PDF files for only $35.00: Dane Prairie Systems (www.daneprairie.com)
offers an inexpensive alternative for creating easy-to-compose (and great for
emailing) PDF files for Windows 2000 and XP. Create PDF files of drop lists or
serve reports and then email them to your drivers, carriers, etc. They are easy
to create, as easy as printing a document. The software costs only a fraction
of what the Adobe product at $249 sells for. The reader part is free and
included on this NPD CD. Sorry, the Dane Prairie solution does not work under
Windows 95/98/ME.
9.
Keep
Track of Your Updates: You
may want to consider keeping this and previous NPD updates
in a three ring binder for easy reference.
Earl O. Merrill
Acorn Data Systems, Inc.
emerrill@acorndata.com 410-997-0187 www.acorndata.com