The Pros and Cons of Using DBA

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1 Info Pack: Consultants Contents: Consultant Opportunities with DBA 2 What to Expect with DBA 3 Support Ticketing Procedures 4 Database Rules & Restrictions 5 Web Linking Guidelines 7 Info Pack: Third Party Service Providers 1

2 Consultant Opportunities with DBA Because DBA is low-cost and designed for self-implementation, it presents a great opportunity for third party service providers and we welcome your participation. Does your client fit this profile? DBA is designed for smaller companies (5-50 users) that need integrated manufacturing and accounting, but without the cost and complexity of a full-blown ERP system. Most companies searching for their first manufacturing system fit this category. Our price leaves more room for you in the budget It is a fact of life that companies in our target market have tight budgets. At only $300- $665 per user, our lower software price leaves more room for you, the consultant, in the overall budget. You don t need to be a DBA expert You don t need to be a DBA expert to manage the implementation process on behalf of your client. If you follow the steps in our Implementation Planner to the letter, you can get the system up and running without prior DBA experience. We sell direct to the end user without resellers All our sales are made directly to the end user without resellers or finder fees. So if you are presenting a DBA solution to your client, the software and support cost must be separately itemized and cannot be bundled with hardware and consulting costs. Discount Incentive If your client has never registered with us, instruct them to register for our free evaluation system and we will send them our Starter Package special offer where the software and 9-months support are bundled into a single package at a substantial savings over regular price. Accounting Options Some companies are reluctant to change their accounting system, which does not mean that they cannot use DBA for manufacturing. DBA handles all manufacturing accounting with its own general ledger and standard chart of accounts. Your client can use our financial modules (AR, AP, Banking) or has the option of using our Financial Transfer utility to perform these functions in an outside accounting system, along with overall general ledger and payroll. 180-Day Return Policy An integral component of our direct sales model is our unique 180-day return policy. If for any reason your client does not want to continue with the DBA system, it can be returned within 180-days for a full refund of all monies paid to us, including support. 2 Info Pack: Third Party Service Providers

3 What to Expect with DBA You must follow the Implementation Planner It is important that you follow the procedures outlined in our Implementation Planner exactly as recommended. This includes using our standard chart of accounts and preparing for a system startup day when your client starts operating exclusively in DBA. You must learn the product on your own Anyone with accounting software experience can learn DBA by studying the Implementation Planner and reviewing our training videos and product documentation. The majority of our customers implement the software on their own with these very same tools, so if anything, the learning process should be even easier for someone with consulting experience. Do not tamper with the database Our license does not permit you to tamper with our database with any direct editing of any kind. DBA is designed to be an off-the-shelf product used as is. You are welcome to extract data into other applications, but writing back to the database or altering it in any way is strictly forbidden. Data import can only be performed with the utilities that are bundled with the product. Expect your client to have a support relationship with us For new DBA customers, a support subscription is mandatory for the first 6- months and we offer discounted renewal pricing to encourage ongoing support over the life of the product. Your client is entitled to create a user account for you so that you can submit support tickets on behalf of the client. Even when you perform a support role with your client, do not expect it to be a substitute for our support because users need access to our training videos and other online support center resources. Submit support tickets under your Client s account Support subscriptions are only sold to end users and are not available to third party service providers. You should expect and encourage each of your clients to maintain an ongoing support subscription. Any ticketing you do on a client company s behalf must be submitted through an account tied to its subscription. If you have a personal question not related to a client, you can submit an Ask DBA ticket on our website. Info Pack: Third Party Service Providers 3

4 Support Ticketing Procedures Always ticket under your Client s account You are welcome to submit support tickets on behalf of your clients, but only if you create an online support center account under the client company s support subscription. Any tickets submitted for a client must be done so using the support center account created for use with that client. NOTE: You cannot purchase support for yourself Support subscriptions are only sold to end users and are not available to consultants. You should expect and encourage each of your clients to maintain an ongoing support subscription. Any ticketing you do on a client company s behalf must be submitted through an account tied to its subscription. Consultant Ticketing Procedures Our support ticketing system is designed to provide support directly to end users. An important benefit to each company is that it has access to a complete history of all its support tickets. To maintain the integrity of each company s support ticket history, we require consultants to always submit support tickets using each client s support account. Under no circumstances should you submit a support ticket using your personal address. Support Ticketing Options 1. Use your consultant company s domain to create an account for each of your DBA client (e.g. clientname@yourconsultingdomain.com). For each such address, go to the support center sign-in page and create a support account, specifying your client s information in the Phone Number and Company Name fields. 2. Create an account using your client s domain name (e.g. yourname@clientdomain.com). Go to the support center sign-in page and create a support account for that address, specifying your client s information in the Phone Number and Company Name fields. 3. Sign into the support center using your client s address. When you submit a ticket, request to be CC d to your personal address. 4 Info Pack: Third Party Service Providers

5 Database Rules & Restrictions Do not tamper with the database Our license does not permit you to tamper with our database with any direct editing of any kind. DBA is designed to be an off-the-shelf product used as is. You are welcome to extract data into other applications, but writing back to the database or altering it in any way is strictly forbidden. Data import can only be performed with the utilities that are bundled with the product. If you are a former DBA Classic user: Be aware that the Firebird SQL database is completely different than the Pervasive.SQL database used in the DBA Classic product. If you were accustomed to editing database records in DBA Classic, you must cease doing so in the Next-Gen product. Firebird is a single table, relational database that uses automatic triggers and numerous and complicated linkages among fields and tables. If you delete linked records or edit the wrong fields, you can destroy critical data relationships that can't be recovered. Forbidden Practices The practices listed below are prohibited by our license agreement. We reserve the right to deny product support to any company that engages in any of the following: Editing or deleting database records through IB Console or any other utility. Importing data by any means other than our standard data import utility (File Data Import). Adding or modifying fields, triggers, or stored procedures. Writing directly to our database tables. Custom Programming/Reporting Custom programming/reporting should be the last resort and not the first solution to a problem. Our goal as we continue to evolve the product is to eliminate the need for custom programming. If a custom application is truly needed, design it to be a stand-alone solution outside of the system. Make sure that data flow in only one direction from DBA into the custom application and never the other way around. NOTE: Source code is not available under any circumstances. Consider exporting information to an outside database application (such as Access). There are several third party ODBC drivers available that can be used to extract data from DBA. For more information, do a search on ODBC in the online support center. Info Pack: Third Party Service Providers 5

6 Use the System Tools Form layouts (quotes, acknowledgements, packing lists, invoices, purchase orders) can be edited and saved against sales order types, job types, customers, and suppliers. Our Data Views can be used to extract data into spreadsheets for reporting or for export into outside programs and reporting tools. Many of our opening list screens can be filtered and exported to spreadsheets (using the Output button) for reporting or for export into outside programs and reporting tools. You can extract data using SQL statements with our Utilities Database Queries utility. Our set of File - Data Import utilities can be used to import most major master tables. Always use standard screens to change values or delete data rather than editing the database, which is a forbidden practice. Such screens include Item Price & Cost Update, Change Inventory Costs, Stock Counts, Base Prices, and COA Conversion. 6 Info Pack: Third Party Service Providers

7 Web Linking Guidelines You are welcome to link to our website from your website, provided that you get our permission and follow these guidelines: Do not link to our website until you receive advance approval. Please submit your request to Do not use our trademarks, logos or any website content unless you receive prior permission. Because we constantly change our website content, do not copy, paraphrase, or use our website text on your website. Do not write detailed product descriptions, promotional material, or provide pricing information regarding our products or services on your website. Do not represent yourself as an employee, agent, or preferred service provider. Do not imply that you have been certified by DBA. Do not co-opt the look and feel of our website or misrepresent your site as a DBA affiliated website. Do not market products or services that are in conflict with our database rules and restrictions. Info Pack: Third Party Service Providers 7