Auto Merge Option for Contacts

When we install a customer's ZonePro SQL data we separate out all the owner names from the property data and then run a routine to automatically seek out duplicate names and consolidate those Contact File records. Because this process happens without any user intervention we use a very conservative matching method, only merging Contact records that have the same First Name, Last Name, Street Number, and Street Name fields. Now this same function is available within ZonePro itself. From the Contact File Upkeep section in Maintenance you can click on an "Auto Merge" button to get to a new screen that shows you how many records match the strict duplication standard and allows you to merge all of those records with a single click. This is not an option you will run very often but it makes very short work of the process. It is useful to check it anytime you have added a lot of new names to the Contact database, such as after using the Compare Module.

Better Contact Merging

In the Contact File Upkeep option in Maintenance, ZonePro now does a smarter job of merging duplicate Contact names. It now checks all of the fields to see if the record-to-be-deleted has any information that is missing from the record-to-keep and copies those fields over as part of the merge process. It also appends any Notes information from the record-to-be-deleted to the record-to-keep. A new "Browse" button makes it easier to see all of the information available in the duplicate records so that you can make better decisions about which record should be the record-to-keep. The old, simpler, method of merging duplicate records that does not retain any extra information from the records-to-be-deleted is still available by right-clicking on the "Merge Names" button.

Photo Scrpt Training Video

Yesterday I posted a new Training Video to our web site that shows how you can easily create a directory of folders for storing photos and documents by street address. Then you can use a script to automatically open the correct folder from any Property Screen record to look through the contents for that address. This technique does not require the use of the Photo Module; it uses ZonePro's scripting feature instead. It is the fastest way to organize and store large amounts of files by address, while still providing a way to access those files from within ZonePro.

Staff Web Site Time Out Issues

For some time I have been trying to resolve an issue on the Staff web site where the site sends users to the Error page if they sit idle for too long. This usually happens with customers using the site in the field for inspections. I have just published updated versions of the Staff site for all customers that hopefully will resolve this issue. It is difficult to test, however, since you must sit idle on a page for a long time to duplicate the problem. If anyone is still experiencing this problem, please let me know what page you were on during the idle time so I can track it down.

On-line Permit Applications

I just posted a new demo version of ZP SQL on our web site. This demo has a beta version of the new Online Options Module installed that has the "Permit Applications" button enabled. This button works in conjunction with the "Application Request" web site we posted recently on our ZP SQL Web Options Demo Site. Together these two items allow to accept and process permit requests that are generated on the web. The public would use the "Application Request" web site to locate their property address and request a new zoning or building permit. After which the "Permit Applications" section in ZP SQL allows you to review the application and have it automatically inserted into your ZonePro databases. Both sides of the process are just a rough draft but it does show how the process could work from start to finish.

Photo Upload Progress

I just published an update to the Photo Module that has a new method of uploading JPG and PDF files to your internet account. Now when you save an item to the web you'll see a progress report showing the number of bytes sent out of the total in a small message box in the upper right of the screen. If the upload stalls or takes too long, you can type in to abort the upload. This new method should handle larger files better but I still don't recommend uploading anything over 2 MB.