Brought To You By dwaynewright.com

InBizness Frequently Asked Questions...
Feel free to email me at info@dwaynewright.com about any questions you may have about InBizness SOHO. Here are a few questions I've fielded over the years about InBizness purchase inquiries. Beginning in January 2009, I'm just going to add links to the question responses from the InBizness blog.

QUESTION: If I have you customize the software how does that affect upgrades?

ANSWER: There is no effective way to automate significant FileMaker structure changes between file versions. We do the best we can to fully document what has changed between each version of InBizness and what customization we do for our customers. We focus on a modular design method in every thing we do and that is helped in a large part by the features available in FileMaker Pro Advanced.

So customers that have previous customized versions of InBizness can take a look at what has been offered in the latest update. If there is a number of “must have” features in that update, they can purchase that version and then integrate that code into their customized version. In some cases, those new features can be added into their version within minutes. In all cases, the integration time is a fraction of the effort of building those features from scratch.

If you navigate to the movies section of my web site (http://www.dwaynewright.com/movies.html), you can see a series of movies on the philosophy of the design that supports these integration goals.

QUESTION: What is your upgrade policy for future releases of InBizness?

ANSWER: Most upgrades need to be handled on a quote basis. A rule of thumb is that owners of previous versions of InBizness can purchase the latest version for the difference between the two versions. I do have three bundles that include free updates of InBizness for a period of time. Unlike most shrink wrapped products, we can negotiate customized upgrade policies to best support your business in its future growth.

-------
ANSWER: I have to admit that I have never done a FileMaker language translation project. I don’t think it would be hard to translate InBizness to another language but it may be time consuming. I don’t radically change the framework from version to version. So I don’t think that would present a big problem.

When I release a new version of InBizness, chances are you cannot directly upgrade to it. This is because you have done customizations to your copy of InBizness. If you purchase the update (or are on a maintenance agreement) you would pick and choose which of the new features in that version you want to implement into your customized copy. In most cases, you would copy and paste the code using FileMaker Advanced.

In your case, you would copy / paste the code, translate it and be done. I detail out the changes in each version via the version history tab in the Main window.

QUESTION: A popup keeps getting me saying it is not modifiable, even when I try to scroll through the tutorial. How do I fix that? Same thing if I go to clients and try to email you, I get a series of those pop ups.

-------
ANSWER: It sounds like your computer locked the file when it downloaded it. To unlock the file ...

ON A MACINTOSH: Quit FileMaker if is is running, navigate to the InBizness file and single click it. Then hit cmnd-I to launch the inspector and un-check the "locked" checkbox for the offending file. I know this is slow but that's the purpose of locking a file...to prevent it from being casually deleted.

ON A WINDOWS MACHINE: Quit FileMaker if is is running, navigate to the InBizness file and right click it. In the general area, you should be able to see if the attributes are selected as “Read Only”. If it is, uncheck that option.

QUESTION: How Do I Install InBizness?

-------
ANSWER: The database itself is a single FileMaker file. So it depends upon how you want to implement the sharing of it. It can be run in a peer to peer setting. That means that one user can open the database and share it with a limited number of users. Although this does work, it is not the recommended method. It is highly recommended that InBizness run on a well maintained FileMaker 9 Server. You can purchase a server and set it up for in house sharing. You can also have InBizness hosted with a hosting company. We provide hosting services for the database at $50 a month charge for agreements paid for in 6 month blocks. There are a number of other FileMaker hosting companies out there and each has its own unique advantages in what they offer.

Each user that wants to use InBizness, will need a copy of FileMaker Pro installed on their machine. If you need copies of FileMaker or FileMaker server, we do have a bundling agreement with FileMaker and can offer these applications at a competitive price.

-------
ANSWER: Yes, it is possible. What normally happens is we use a plug-in to bring the email directly into FileMaker or some way to directly get the email in. After that, we run a FileMaker script to parse the data in the field and create all the order information based upon the email. The email will need to be consistent in nature or its possible the parsing routine might hiccup.

QUESTION:
How do I go about getting an estimate for the customizations I will need for InBizness?

-------
ANSWER:
I tend to get as extensive as I can on my estimates. This is because I view them as the first pass on project management needs analysis and to setup project milestones. So I do charge a project management rate for doing this type of work. Another reason that I charge for estimates (project mgmt work) is that InBizness is sold as an open application. So you don't have to engage in my services for your customization needs.

In fact, you might find another developer that you feel is extremely well versed in a particular vertical need (like manufacturing or QuickBooks integration). You may choose to have them in charge of implementing that phase of the InBizness upgrade for you but want me to write the spec for the upgrade and be available as an information resource.

If you want to get started on that, I'd say purchase a hour (for getting started) of project management time from my online store at http://www.dwaynewright.com/store.html , in the Project Management and Custom Design Services area (towards the bottom of the page). Then send me as much detail as you can about what you would like to have done. I'll work up a first pass estimate for you from that. We can then go back and forth on the estimate until we think we have everything outlined just right. The project management rates are very competitive and can save on the time it takes to do the actual programming and reduce programming costs.

QUESTION:
Is your program something that could fit our needs or would it require hundreds of hours of customization???

We have looked at two other Filemaker integrated solutions and they both do everything we need (with customization) but they both have their disadvantages. i.e. Cost and user interface is confusing. Your program has the right cost and the user interface is very clean. All of which I like.

ANSWER:
The customization of InBizness is pretty straight forward. Tracking down the needs analysis and putting it into a hard plan can be tricky, time consuming and expensive. If you have a specific idea of what you need and can point me to it, then I can reduce the customization costs dramatically. InBizness can be integrated with Quickbooks and can be upgraded to have most of the accounting needs you mentioned.

As far as manufacturing goes, that is possible as well. It really depends on your particular needs. If we can get that firmed out, then we can work up an estimate on those needs.

QUESTION: Can I connect parts of my current FileMaker database and its data to InBizness SOHO? In other words, can I graft my Job Production database that is working for me now into InBizness SOHO? Then I could link my Jobs record to InBizness Projects, Clients and Staff modules.

ANSWER - Yes, using FileMaker 9 Advanced, I can link to different databases up and have them communicating with a week or so. In the beginning, you can do a basic graft and their would be some user interface differences. You can definitely be up and sharing data within a week with our help.

QUESTION: Does InBizness SOHO require a FileMaker Server? What if I just have 4 users but they do need remote access?

ANSWER - InBizness SOHO does not require FileMaker Server but it is recommended. If you don't want to purchase and maintain a FileMaker Server, consider hosting your database. InBizess SOHO is one FileMaker file. Many hosting companies have daily backup capability and very affordable rates. My good friends at thedroolingdog.com have a great deal on hosting a single FileMaker file.