Friday, May 14, 2010

Advanced Filter Issues

Just made a minor change to the Advanced Filter screen which is accessed from the report screens. It no longer adds periods to the AND and OR statements when it adds them into a filter expression. That syntax works in ZP 32 but not ZP SQL. We're finding that you also have to be more careful with OR statements in ZP SQL Advanced Filter expressions. If you create a filter expression that includes an OR statement it is usually best to enclose your entire filter expression in parenthesis. One last note, if you are converting Advanced Filters from ZP 32 to ZP SQL keep in mind that the same field name changes that apply to documents also apply to filters.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Changing Owner Names Video

As I expected, some former ZP 32 users are having trouble adjusting to the Contact File database in ZP SQL. In ZP SQL names are no longer stored in the property database. Rather, all names are stored in the Contact File database. This means the process of changing the owner name for an existing property is different in ZP SQL. I just posted a new Training Video on our web site to walk through how it is done. We've had a couple of cases where customer errantly tried to edit the existing Contact File name rather than add a new one. To help curb this  I also added an alert message to the Contact File screen if you attempt to edit the Last Name of a contact record there. In general you would never change that field unless the person (or company) legally changes their name. That doesn't happen too often.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Checking For Blank Dates

In report expressions, advanced filters, etc. customers often want to check for blank dates an take an action. Only do this if the date is filled, for example. In ZP 32 part of the expression to check dates might look like this:
NOT EMPTY(insp_date)
That expression does not have the same results in ZP SQL because the databases handle dates differently. In SQL there never is a "blank" or empty date field. Rather it is set to "null" to show that it does not have a specific value yet. You can still get the same results in your expressions by  adding an extra function to convert nulls to blanks. The new expression would look like this:
NOT EMPTY(NVL(insp_date,""))
There are several other ways to do this as well but this approach works well when converting from ZP 32.

Universal Numbering Bug Found (and fixed)

Just like in ZP 32, ZP SQL offers the option of having all five building databases share a universal numbering scheme. There was a bug in the code though that prevented new permits from adding correctly when you chose this option in ZP SQL. The code has been fixed and the download is now available from the web.

Monday, May 10, 2010

See More Notes in Building Insepction Details

Not long ago I added a new button to the Inspection Details Screen to show all the inspection notes in one screen. I just added a right-click option to that button that also includes the two notes fields from the permit screen. This will be of interest to former ZonePro 32 users who converted over because there older inspection notes were stored with the permit.

Permit Search Bug Found & Fixed

A new convert to ZP SQL found a bug in the Permit Search option of the Property Locate screen today. After a successful search the property info was not refreshing properly such that documents in the application screens were pulling errant location and owner info. The fix can be downloaded at any time using the Installed Modules screen in Maintenance.

ZP SQL Backup Tutorial

I've had several customers ask about getting a backup copy of their ZP SQL data. Although the hosting company makes daily backups and takes every precaution to secure the data they host, there is no substitute for having a copy in your own hands. Fortunately there is a web-based tool that makes this goal easy and quick to obtain. I have posted a new document in the ZP SQL section of the Tutorials page that shows how to use the myLittleBackup tool to get a copy of your ZP SQL data whenever you want it.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Update to Tutorial on Special Pick Box Option

I added a section to the Special Pick Box tutorial on our web site to discuss how this option would work for the Building databases. The original tutorial covers a Zoning database example but with a few minor changes you can use the same Pick Box tool in the Building Fee Detail screen too.