CFS Version 9 Highlights
- Wood Fabricator Program
- Data Miner
- QwikDraw entry supports feet and inches.
- Draw line posts and calculate line post spacing.
- Automatic scheduled backup of CFS data.
- Sales Tax profiles tied to customer profiles.
- Improved cantilever gate entry in Chainlink Scratch Builder.
- Renew QwikDraw and tech-support.
- Updated Manufacturer product modules.
Data Miner
How many times have you wished that you could compile and analyze the information contained in your CFS Job and Invoice files? There is a wealth of extremely valuable data in those files, everything from inventory usage to mailing lists, if only it could be extracted. We wrote Data Miner to do just that.
Data Miner can scan your jobs and invoices to mine for information. You can select the range of estimate or invoice files to be accessed by date, by customer and, depending on your file naming conventions, even by salesperson.
It can calculate and display inventory totals, labor and taxes for all files searched. It can even list itemized totals of inventory for the entire range of files searched. Think of how useful the inventory usage repots from your invoices for a specified time period can be when planning inventory orders.
Data Miner can also calculate total sales, total bids and itemized material totals for a particular customer. It also produces contact lists with names, addresses and phone numbers and mailing labels for the selected groups of estimates or invoices. What an easy way to reach your customers with a Christmas card or other mailing.
It can also display each valid address on Google maps, marking each with a stick pin, for geographic analysis. Clicking on the stick pin will display the customer or prospect at that address.
In addition to the preprogrammed reports Data Miner can produce CSV (Excel compatible) files with all of the information saved for jobs and invoices produced in CFS. You can then open this data in a spreadsheet and extract any portion of this information in any form you would like.
New QwikDraw Features
It has been able estimate multiple heights, types and/or styles of fence from one sketch for quite awhile now. This year we've added a couple of frequently requested features.
Probably the most common request we've had for QwikDraw was to mark the lineposts on the layout sketch. Now, not only does QwikDraw mark the lineposts, it can also calculate the on center linepost spacing for each stretch of fence and display it on the drawing.
It can also handle different post spacings for different types of fence on multiple style jobs. Print this site plan on your CFS Job Worksheet or Packing List and your crew won't have to calculate (or miscalculate) post spacing ever again.
Because of the need for precision in some of our calculations, especially when it comes to custom routing vinyl, we have magnified the stretch entry of QwikDraw down to eighths of an inch. You don't have to use this feature often. You can still round to the nearest foot for most estimating. But the precision is there for when you need it as when you are called upon for custom fabrication.
There is also a corresponding alternate method of entering stretches in QwikDraw in feet and inches when using Tablet PC's, again with a precision down to one eighth of an inch.
As you'll remember, QwikDraw is a premium for customers on the current version of CFS. While CFS will continue to work on, the QwikDraw program you have now will expire early this coming year. You won't be surprised. It will begin to warn you ahead of time. But why wait until the last minute?
Scheduled Backup
We have added a new feature to CFS called Scheduled Backup. When used with Microsoft Windows “Scheduled Task’, it can automatically backup your CFS data files on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The backup can be directed to an offline location on your network or online to our web server.
A computer is a wonderful way to store large quantities of data but it is not without hazard. We all know of instances where valuable information has been lost due to a hard drive crash. That is just one reason why redundant backups are so important. Online backups offer a second layer of security by storing the backed up data at a secure, off-site server location. Whether you are using Scheduled Backup online or over your network, the program will store and manage up to three archival versions of your CFS data for you. We encourage all of you to use our online backup service. You can access your files on our website on any day of the year at any time of the day or night. You can configure Scheduled Backup in a couple of minutes and forget about losing your valuable CFS data forever. We can all use one less thing to worry about and CFS is all about making your life easier.
‘Scheduled Task’ is a component of your Windows XP or newer operating system and is accessed via the Control Panel on your computer. You will find training videos for configuring Scheduled Task and Scheduled Backup to secure your CFS data here.
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New Wood Fabricator
Our Wood Scratch Builder program has been producing exact breakdowns of wood fences very well for over two decades. The new Wood Fabricator will do all of the things that the traditional Wood Scratch Builder does and much more. The functionality of Wood Scratch is now on par with our Vinyl and Ornamental Fabricator estimating programs.
The new Fabricator mode of Wood Scratch Builder produces a detailed fabrication drawing, including dimensions, dimension lines, and specification details. It creates this fabrication drawing as the design is created. It will produce estimates and drawings for wood fences built with steel posts.
Wood Fabricator can calculate materials with proportional spacing, remainder spacing, feather spacing or round to a full section. It can break down wood fence as either all of the itemized component parts or as pre-assembled sections, posts and gates. It will figure cut picket lengths for arched or scalloped designs. We have added flex menus to give you a greater range of choices for hinges, latches, post accessories, gate accessories, trim boards, stringers and horizontal boards. Fasteners for pickets and rails can be chosen independently.
Your current Wood Scratch Builder setups will continue to work exactly the way they do now, until you decide to activate the new Wood Fabricator.
More V9 Enhancements
We have improved cantilever gate entry in Chainlink Scratch Builder. The toprail can now terminate on the second gate post and start again while the wire runs past. Fittings are calculated accordingly.
Cantilever gates in Ornamental Scratch Builder now automatically support double gate posts and multiple gate posts per gate according to the manufacturer's recommendation.
Multiple Sales Tax Profiles can now be saved and be attached to the CFS Customer File. In addition to the two local Sales Taxes it can now address excise taxes and tax based on the cost of materials.
Ranges can now be set for wire flex menus in Chainlink Scratch Builder. This allows the use of flex menus for just vinyl coated wires for example.
One line Invoices can now combine materials and labor; materials, labor and freight; or materials, labor, freight and tax.
You can now import a custom image for the Main CFS Menu. (Must be 800 X 600 pixels.)
Embedded Video Tutorials
We have produced over sixty video multimedia tutorials that go into great detail of different aspects of using and customizing CFS. While there are six and a half hours of total video, the tutorials average about five minutes each and clearly explain and demonstrate everything from using QwikDraw, to editing an estimate, to creating Standard Specifications, to customizing the Scratch Builder estimating programs.
We have embedded links throughout CFS to enable you to call up these tutorials at the appropriate time and place when using the program.
World Class Tech Support
We will continue to provide unlimited, live, toll free tech support for Version 8 customers until December 31, 2009. Technical support is always free for customers on the current version.
Renew QwikDraw
QwikDraw is a free premium for customers on the current version of CFS. While CFS will continue to work for you, QwikDraw will expire early in the coming year for version 8 customers.
Upgrade to Version 9 today to renew QwikDraw and your free tech support and get all of these great new features.
CFS Workshop at FenceTech
We will once again be conducting our annual CFS Workshop in conjunction with FenceTech'10, This workshop, free of charge, is scheduled for Saturday, February 20th, 2010 from 9 am until 3 pm in Room S310-E at the Orange County Convention Center.
We will be demonstrating new features, reviewing older ones, and answering your questions. Feel free to bring your laptop and your most current data.
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