SUMMARY: Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, Version 2.0

Information Packet Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System Upgrade to Version 2.0 January 30, 2007 SUMMARY: Microsoft Dynamics Retail Manageme...
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Information Packet

Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System Upgrade to Version 2.0

January 30, 2007

SUMMARY: Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, Version 2.0

What's New with 2.0? Release 2.0 offers new capabilities that enable retailers to adapt quickly to complex retail requirements and drive a lower cost of ownership. Enhanced inventory management • Work with an easy-to-use form to create and modify multi-dimensional matrix items, as well as add or remove dimensions from existing items. • Locate items quickly by searching on the supplier reorder number. • Upload item costs to headquarters when cost information changes at the store level, helping ensure accurate, chain-wide item cost reports based on weighted average. Improved purchasing control • Add items to purchase orders (POs) on-the-fly using a new dialogue window. • Manage specialized purchasing requirements by easily exporting POs to Microsoft® Office Word and Microsoft Office Excel® for easy customization. • Help ensure accurate ordering that keeps popular items in stock with the ability to view purchase orders in matrix format. New pricing capabilities • Use quantity-on-hand filters to change prices only for items in stock within a given department. • Set percentage or pricing discounts for “Buy X get Y” and Mix/Match quantity discount scenarios. • Set up and select “by price” or “by percentage” options. Address Verification Support (AVS) • Help ensure optimal credit card discount rates when cards need to be entered by hand—for example, when a card reader is not working or a cardholder’s magnetic stripe cannot be read. Simplified Product Activation • Streamline distribution and deployment with Microsoft product activation using product keys, including activation through both the Internet and call centers. Enhanced support and maintenance offerings • With Release 2.0, the Annual Maintenance Program is a bundled purchase for customers licensing Microsoft Dynamics RMS. The program includes major feature releases, enhancements to training offerings, and new online resources. • The Annual Maintenance Program will now include two technical support calls with Microsoft free of charge. • In addition to the maintenance program purchased with each license sale, there are two additional levels of support available: Free business-critical support to help meet emergency system needs, and pay-as-you go Flex Support offerings.

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Executive Summary Microsoft has recently announced the official release of Dynamics Retail Management System, Version 2.0. This document is meant to provide you with information and some recommended guidelines to follow in upgrading previous versions of Retail Management System to the new Version 2.0. It is very important to note that upgrading to Version 2.0 requires planning and careful consideration of setup, configuration, connections, integrations, add-on software, and procedures before proceeding. Since Version 2.0 requires changes to the SQL database (new tables and fields), and has a completely different licensing component (no more dongle), the upgrade can affect other modules and procedures within your system. Please read this information document carefully, and then consult with our technical staff prior to attempting an upgrade on your own.

Module Options The following is a listing of the available modules for Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, Version 2.0. This is not a list of possible add-on modules or back office software which may be required to properly run your system. As part of the upgrade process, each of your auxiliary software packages will be considered for compatibility prior to completion of the upgrade. •

Store Operations Administrator



Store Operations Manager



Store Operations Point of Sale



Headquarters Manager



Headquarters Server



Headquarters Client



Headquarters Administrator

Minimum Requirements, Version 2.0 Hardware Requirements • Personal Computer: 1.2 GHz processor (2 GHz or higher recommended) • Memory: 512 MB of RAM (1GB or higher recommended) • Hard Disk Space: 500 MB of available hard disk space for each computer where Store Operations is loaded. 4 GB of available hard disk space on the server for Store Operations database and future growth (10 GB for Headquarters). • Monitor: VGA (800x600) or higher-resolution monitor with 256 colors for Point of Sale application.

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VGA (1024x768) or higher-resolution for Manager application. • Pointing Device: Microsoft Mouse or Compatible • Network Card: 32-bit if networking other Store Operations computers or if you use Headquarters Note The hardware recommendations listed above are MINIMUM guidelines. POSitive Technology strongly recommends considering current hardware for optimal performance and reliability. Software Requirements The following operating systems are supported: • Microsoft Windows Vista Business or above • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 or later • Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later • Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or later • Microsoft Windows Embedded for Point of Service (Store Operations only) The following versions of SQL Server are supported: • Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard and Enterprise Editions with Service Pack 1 • Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Service Pack 1 • Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard and Enterprise Editions with Service Pack 4 • Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine with Service Pack 4

Contract Requirements In order to be eligible to receive Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, Version 2.0, you must meet the below criteria. Annual Maintenance (Standard A Plan) • You must have a currently active Annual Maintenance Plan with Microsoft. Our Customer Experience Department can help you in getting information on your current plan with Microsoft, and if necessary, provide you with a quote on getting your plan brought up to date. POSitive Technology Account • Your POSitive Technology Account must be in good standing (current within 30 days). Our Accounting Department can help you verify your account standing and assist you in bringing your account up to date, if necessary.

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Recommended Version Upgrade Process

The process of going through major version upgrade can be difficult if not handled properly. POSitive Technology recognizes that the entire process can be complicated and since it involves a mission critical system, it must be done correctly the first time. In response to our customers’ needs and in order to properly address these issues, we have put together a team of highly skilled and specialized professionals that will take charge of your project from the beginning and guide you and the project to a successful end. This team is dedicated to your project from beginning to end and it is our commitment to the importance of a project of this type. The version upgrade process is broken down in five steps as follows:

During the evaluation process, one of our technical team members will contact you to prepare the Technical Assessment (TA). The TA consists of both an audit of your current Retail Management System infrastructure and a preliminary overview with both your technical and administrative staff that interact with Retail Management System on a regular basis. The evaluation may be conducted on site or via a combination of telephone conversations and/or remote sessions that enable us to review your infrastructure at a distance. In order to save costs, the latter is the most common method used. The evaluation process then culminates in a written proposal which is an estimate of the amount of work involved to bring your Retail Management System to the latest version available.

Once you have agreed to the estimated costs for the work proposed, the next step in our five-step process is the Planning stage, where the team will set in motion the different phases that need to be executed in order to properly prepare for the version upgrade work. From an administrative perspective this means that a formal Statement of Work (SOW) is prepared for your review and signature. From a deployment perspective, our team has opened the project internally, assigned a start date and reserved the necessary resources.

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Once the signed agreement along with the required deposits have been received by our team, the project is then given a confirmed start and completion date. This is also communicated to you via a Project plan which clearly identifies the various steps to be undertaken in your project along with estimated completion dates. It is in this phase that the version upgrade team arranges for data pickup and actually runs the data through a “pre-production” conversion. This enables the version upgrade team to evaluate the results and establish any issues that occurred during the process that need to be addressed prior to the actual final conversion… it is important that we identify any add-on or integrated software packages that may be affected by the upgrade, and run them through the same tests. Custom Reports (if required) are also converted during this phase and evaluated for potential issues. At the completion of the conversion process, you are given remote access to the converted data in order to validate and confirm the integrity of the conversion. The result of the work done in this phase establishes the actual hours required to complete the conversion process. The version upgrade team member responsible for your project reviews with you the current work and will seek approval for the next step of the process. No work will be continued or completed until you sign and agree to the next phase.

In the deployment phase, the version upgrade team will proceed to re-convert the data using the experience gained from the pre-production and deliver the new data set to your location. It is at this stage that the server is installed (if required) and configured for the latest release of Retail Management System.

The Operation phase is the final step in the version upgrade process. Once the Deploy stage has been completed and the converted data set successfully restored to your environment, a senior consultant will then facilitate the process of learning the new functions of the application with the “What’s New” training. This last step is done both prior to and following the final conversion so that your staff are properly prepared.

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POSitive Technology Professional Services POSitive Technology provides an end-to-end turnkey approach whereby POSitive Technology assumes all steps and phases from data pick up and preparation to reinstall and go-live support and training. Our services for training, implementation, conversion and support are proposed on a time and materials basis. The fees quoted are estimates based on client input and our current understanding of the requirements. These estimates are subject to adjustments as the facts and circumstances of the project requirements develop. The following are some of the unknown factors that may impact the number of hours to complete the project: 1. Modified or Customized Reports 2. Customizations of any kind. 3. Data Corruption and / or file maintenance. 4. Third Party Products / Add-On module / Back Office Integrations (accounting, manufacturing, etc.). These potential issues will be dealt with on an ad-hoc basis and change orders will be presented for any additions to our project estimate. Please bear in mind, we only bill for the actual work provided. In some cases this may take less time than initially anticipated.

Schedule of Delivery Projects typically start in two (2) to four (4) weeks from the date a contract is signed. This is largely dependent upon the project demands at time of signature and our respective organization’s mutually agreeable schedule .

Next Steps So, what’s next? Contact a POSitive Technology representative at 1.888.706.9989 or [email protected] for more information about availability, scheduling options, and a specific estimate for your business. You can also find information on our web site at www.ptpos.com.

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Frequently Asked Questions Do I need to have an current Microsoft maintenance plan in order to upgrade to 2.0 and will I be required to pay lapsed fees for maintenance plan enrollment if my plan is not current? Yes, you must have an active Annual Maintenance Plan with Microsoft on all accounts. If your plan has lapsed, additional fees will be applied to reinstate the plan(s). Please contact our Customer Experience Department at 888.706.9989 x703 for information regarding these fees. Is Microsoft planning any promotions around enrolling in the maintenance plan? There are no special promotions planned. Has the price changed for RMS with this upgrade? No, but many features have been added. Standard A License Maintenance (previously called Annual Maintenance Plan) is now required as part of the purchase of RMS 2.0. Two new benefits of Standard A are two telephone or electronic support incidents from Microsoft, as well as unlimited access to Microsoft's online training at CustomerSource. How has the removal of the dongle changed the POS system? Previously you were registered by number of concurrent users on RMS and were able to switch POS stations at will. Now, each POS station running RMS will have to be licensed individually. The stations may be swapped between locations without requiring a new Product License Key. In addition, one or more stations can be split off from an existing store and used as a new store (provided you have enough HQ stores licensed). What if I have 3rd party enhancements running with my RMS? We are busy making sure all supported enhancements upgrade with 2.0. Because of the changes within the database are fairly significant it may make some add-ons or enhancements obsolete. We work directly with each client to make sure each piece is properly tested prior to updating.

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How long do I have to add a lane in my current RMS version? For single stores, you have until March 1, 2007, after that all lanes shipped will be 2.0. If you are a multi-store HQ user, you may still add lanes/stores using RMS 1.3 until January 2008, allowing ample time to successfully upgrade all of your locations to RMS 2.0. Can I run lanes with different versions of RMS? No. Once you upgrade to 2.0 all lanes must be running the same version, both Store Operations and HQ. How long will Microsoft support my current version of RMS? As of January 9, 2007, Microsoft has ceased support for RMS 1.2. Support for version 1.3 will continue until 2011. POSitive Technology will continue to support all versions installed on our clients' systems. However, future hot fixes and enhancements will only be available on version 2.0. How will I receive the upgrade? To ensure a successful upgrade, POSitive Technology will be shipping 2.0 to our customers upon request / available schedule. If you happen to receive a copy directly from Microsoft, please give us a call to schedule the installation. We do not recommend upgrading your system without first consulting with POSitive Technology.

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