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    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      I'm going to look at this self-hosted Invoice Ninja. I've never dabbled with PHP >= 5.5.9 and MySQL or even have a box with PHP on it. I'm going to examine and review all of the documentation and forums on the self-hosted Invoice Ninja and go from there.

      PHP is surprisingly simple and reports are an excellent place to get started.

      I am going to assume it would be best to put this on Linux correct? And if so, desktop or server edition?

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @coliver said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @hillel369 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @scottalanmiller We have a REST API and a PHP SDK, more info here...

      https://www.invoiceninja.com/api-documentation/

      Awesome, even better. That would be the way to go! Stick with the hosted version, build a local reporting tool via the API.

      This, if it's an easy API, which most are, then developing your own reports against the it would be trivial. The missing fields may be a bit more difficult to overcome but that may be user training.

      All still way above my skill level and time needed. Trying to collate all of this info and inform management so we can "sidetrack" from the requested "legacy" developer they wanted to hire.

      But WAY below the skill level needed to make and maintain the alternatives that were being proposed.

      Agreed...just have to show management the time and resources needed for this project. But still going to enjoy my week off next week... πŸ™‚

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @coliver said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @hillel369 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @scottalanmiller We have a REST API and a PHP SDK, more info here...

      https://www.invoiceninja.com/api-documentation/

      Awesome, even better. That would be the way to go! Stick with the hosted version, build a local reporting tool via the API.

      This, if it's an easy API, which most are, then developing your own reports against the it would be trivial. The missing fields may be a bit more difficult to overcome but that may be user training.

      All still way above my skill level and time needed. Trying to collate all of this info and inform management so we can "sidetrack" from the requested "legacy" developer they wanted to hire.

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      I'm going to look at this self-hosted Invoice Ninja. I've never dabbled with PHP >= 5.5.9 and MySQL or even have a box with PHP on it. I'm going to examine and review all of the documentation and forums on the self-hosted Invoice Ninja and go from there.

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @hillel369 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 You may also want to look into using our Zapier integration.

      https://zapier.com/zapbook/invoice-ninja/microsoft-dynamics/

      Boom! There you go!

      Boom! Interesting...

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      We were THIS close to using ZoHo Invoice but they pulled the plug because of no reporting by Delivery Date. I worked like crazy with ZoHo to configure it like we want and this one thing stopped that project.

      Zoho is not open so may not have the extensibility options that you want. But Ninja is open, the sky is the limit.

      Before responding to the other replies, do you think the self-hosted Invoice Ninja would be a good choice as far as more customization and extensibility? I only looked that their hosted one.

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @coliver said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      All of that, except the Great Plains integration, is pretty standard. Great Plains, I think Microsoft has taken that over and now calls it Dynamics GP?, doesn't have any thing to do this? Again this is all pretty standard.

      Yeah...Dynamics GP 2015. It might have some abilities like this but we primarily use it for payroll and accounting. If it has POS abilities, we don't use it.

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      So what part of all of that is missing from the solutions that you have looked at?

      The reporting that they want.
      No integration with the GP customer database.
      Not enough customization to includes all fields from the current paper invoice.

      We were THIS close to using ZoHo Invoice but they pulled the plug because of no reporting by Delivery Date. I worked like crazy with ZoHo to configure it like we want and this one thing stopped that project.

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @coliver said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      Update...

      None of the solutions we tried (Invoice Ninja or Zoho) were good enough for the office manager. So they went ahead and looked at a developer. Couldn't do it fast enough and too expensive.

      So almost full circle, they've contacted the person (retired, 72 year old man) who had my job before me since his background was Microsoft Office Development (VBA) to see if he can develop this. He called me and he politely sounded disinterested and wants to call this a collaboration project. And he wants to try to do this with Microsoft Office. He is old school. So it looks like this may be in Access. 😞

      So it is more or less back in my lap. And finally, management is showing interest to send me to some classes. But not sure where to start on classes.

      Did you get any specifics on why they weren't good enough. I think that may be the first part of this before going any further. From the sounds of it this was a, "I don't want to change my processes so we need to make something to fit them." Kind of thing.

      Below is what our office manager has sent to potential developers:

      Process We Have Now

      Customer calls or comes in to order components.
      The salesmen at the Metal Store hand-writes a sales ticket/invoice on pre-printed, multi-copy forms.
      One copy goes to the shop to produce the material.
      One copy comes to me with deposit payment.
      Original copy goes to the customer when the material is picked up or delivered.

      What we want:

      What I need is an invoice/ticket system that can replace the handwritten, pre-printed forms.
      We need reports that are sorted by multiple fields and can be printed daily, monthly and yearly. The main report that we use now is sorted and selected by delivery date, but that report is manually input into a spreadsheet.
      Sales tax needs to be able to change β€œon the fly”.
      The actual invoice number needs to pre-populate in sequential order.
      Want to pull from the customer table in Great Plains to populate customer info in this application.
      Would like a databases of material pricing.
      Must be able to apply payments to the invoice/ticket (notes not actual transactions)

      There are 3 guys that will be using the program at the Metal Store and we would like to be able to pull reports from our office. I suppose in the future, we would love to be able to shoot the ticket over to the shop or to our office, but we are not ready to make that change right now. We are good to use hard copies.

      Would eventually want estimating abilities.

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      He is old school. So it looks like this may be in Access. 😞

      Don't use "old school" as a code name for incompetent. Using Access was just as bad twenty years ago as it is today. They wouldn't call him "old school" back then, he would have been dead weight long ago, too. Things haven't really changed. It's too common to conflate "the old way" with "being wrong", but that's not the case. It just seems old because people who try to do it today say "I used to do it that way, what's wrong with it", but that doesn't imply that it was good when they did it before, either.

      Agreed. I am about to go talk to my direct manager to get his thoughts. We need to move forward not backward. Might finally be my leverage to get some classes under my belt or to buckle down and hit my Lynda.com and Pluralsight memberships.

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      Update...

      None of the solutions we tried (Invoice Ninja or Zoho) were good enough for the office manager. So they went ahead and looked at a developer. Couldn't do it fast enough and too expensive.

      So almost full circle, they've contacted the person (retired, 72 year old man) who had my job before me since his background was Microsoft Office Development (VBA) to see if he can develop this. He called me and he politely sounded disinterested and wants to call this a collaboration project. And he wants to try to do this with Microsoft Office. He is old school. So it looks like this may be in Access. 😞

      So it is more or less back in my lap. And finally, management is showing interest to send me to some classes. But not sure where to start on classes.

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @StrongBad said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      You COULD make your own web reporting with it, as it is open. But that would be more of a pain. But certainly an option.

      @hillel369 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      We just released a PHP SDK which would enable you to easily load their data to generate custom reports.

      https://github.com/invoiceninja/sdk-php

      We're also working on a marketplace which would enable you to share/sell your report with other users.

      Thanks for these tips...will consider them for sure...

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @StrongBad said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @gjacobse said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @Reid-Cooper said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      What did you end up recommending?

      I'm still leaning Invoice Ninja...still configuring it to be as close to our paper tickets as we can get it... πŸ™‚

      Didn't you have to submit the proposal already?

      They have backed off a little especially since I've been needed every which way but loose on "Gremlin" issues yesterday and today...

      It's nice when they give you some extra time - Gremlins are pain,..but the best ones are the internet issues like Level3 and TWC... Pass the buck,.. take a break... (yea,.. that THAT happens)

      Invoice Ninja is off the radar...they wanted a little more robust reporting, or at least a neater "dump" that what it does...continuing my research.

      What about dumping into Excel and making your own reports?

      Always an option but they wanted the invoice users to be able to just run a report, print and go...I'd have to design an Excel Report to import the dump from Invoice Ninja...they wanted to clear my plate some... πŸ™‚ But yes, that IS an option if I don't find anything else... πŸ™‚

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @gjacobse said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @Reid-Cooper said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      What did you end up recommending?

      I'm still leaning Invoice Ninja...still configuring it to be as close to our paper tickets as we can get it... πŸ™‚

      Didn't you have to submit the proposal already?

      They have backed off a little especially since I've been needed every which way but loose on "Gremlin" issues yesterday and today...

      It's nice when they give you some extra time - Gremlins are pain,..but the best ones are the internet issues like Level3 and TWC... Pass the buck,.. take a break... (yea,.. that THAT happens)

      Invoice Ninja is off the radar...they wanted a little more robust reporting, or at least a neater "dump" that what it does...continuing my research.

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Cheap TV or A Pretty Good Price For $399???

      I'm thinking I may pick it up as an up-step to something better later...has to to be a little better than we have now and we just continue to use the XBOX One as our media center.

      posted in Water Closet
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • Cheap TV or A Pretty Good Price For $399???

      Any thoughts on this? Is it TOO Cheap or a pretty good buy for the price? I am by no means someone who needs the best at this point in our lives. This would be an upgrade from our 5+ year old Samsung 40" TV.

      http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-50-class-49-5-diag--led-2160p-smart-4k-ultra-hd-tv-black/5622527.p?skuId=5622527

      posted in Water Closet
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Smartphone doldrums

      @scottalanmiller said in Smartphone doldrums:

      @Kelly said in Smartphone doldrums:

      Maybe there needs to be a third party store...

      I like not having the third party store for my phone, actually. That's one of the things that I meant by "not intentionally left out", because I see the local down and vertical integrations as key features.

      I concur...on my Pixel Phone, I don't like the idea that I have to download the Amazon App store just to get Amazon Video. Amazon Video is in the iOS App Store.

      @MattSpeller said in Smartphone doldrums:

      They've very quickly become an appliance. Choose your ecosystem and away you go.

      And mine is heavy on Amazon, with Google and Microsoft in the mix on my Pixel Phone.

      @scottalanmiller said in Smartphone doldrums:

      @ChrisL said in Smartphone doldrums:

      I think we've hit the ceiling in terms of smartphone "innovation". Eventually all hardware catches up, and with software, it just comes down to UI at the end.

      I loved the freedom of Android, but there became a point where it was too free (if that makes sense?) and I was spending more time trying to get my phone to be set up exactly the way I wanted it rather than using it.

      As a current Apple user, my only gripe is setting default apps--but a long press usually brings up more options at this point so I can choose Google Maps rather than Apple.

      Yes, while I love that Android exists and love that it is wide open, I don't want that on my phone. I want less freedom, not more. BUT I want the freedom to chose to not have that freedom, hence why I like that Android is there for other people.

      There is a lot to be said about a locked down device like iOS. Much easier for me to maintain at work, which is why the majority of the staff is on iOS.

      posted in Water Closet
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @scottalanmiller said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @garak0410 said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      @Reid-Cooper said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      What did you end up recommending?

      I'm still leaning Invoice Ninja...still configuring it to be as close to our paper tickets as we can get it... πŸ™‚

      Didn't you have to submit the proposal already?

      They have backed off a little especially since I've been needed every which way but loose on "Gremlin" issues yesterday and today...

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Microsoft Admit Failure On Mobile Phones

      @Tim_G said in Microsoft Admit Failure On Mobile Phones:

      Personally, I don't see how Win10 Mobile doesn't take off.

      I was a crazy Android fanboy. And before that, iPhone.

      So last year I bought a Microsoft 950XL (lumia), which was my first experience with Win10 mobile... or any Win Mobile for that matter.

      And there is no possible way I could EVER go back to Android or iOS now... I'm spoiled. I love every single thing about this phone and Win10 Mobile. It just flows so well. And believe me, I was a total die-hard Google and Android everything for personal use just under a year ago. Now I'm completely changed around to all thanks to Win10 Mobile and the 950 XL.

      I feel like one of those fake success stories right now... but I'm serious.

      It makes me think that all the haters of Win10 Mobile have never given it a real shot, and just jump on the anti-Win10 Mobile band wagon right away to fit in and feel good with their iPhone and Android buddies.

      /endrant

      I did Windows Phone for 3 Years from the Lumia 920 to moving to my work account with the 928 and then Lumia ICON. I loved the experience and especially the cameras. When market share shrinkage and app gap started to occur, I was getting a little wary and aimed to return to Android. When it was finally confirmed that Verizon would not get the 950xl, I went back to Android with the Samsung Note 5 and then 7. I am currently on the PIXEL and in my opinion, this is the way to experience Android. Super fast, super stable. I think they kept hardware/software interaction in mind this time and this phone is so smooth.

      I have a review copy of a 950xl and I keep it updated on the Windows Insider Fast Ring. And as much as I'd give it a try as a daily driver if it worked on Verizon, I do need "the apps."

      posted in News
      garak0410G
      garak0410
    • RE: Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?

      @Reid-Cooper said in Invoice Software - Office 365 Or Purchase Software Suite?:

      What did you end up recommending?

      I'm still leaning Invoice Ninja...still configuring it to be as close to our paper tickets as we can get it... πŸ™‚

      posted in IT Discussion
      garak0410G
      garak0410
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