I encountered the above error when installing Ubuntu 8.04.1 Desktop version on a Windows Vista Ultimate host PC using Microsoft Virtual PC 2007. To complete the install, I had to do the following…

• From the main CD menu, press F4-Modes
• Select Safe Graphics Mode
• Press F6-Other Options
• The boot options line will read ‘Boot Options eed boot=casper only-ubiquity initrd=/casper/initrd.gz quiet splash –‘. Change this to be ‘Boot Options eed boot=casper only-ubiquity initrd=/casper/initrd.gz vga=791 noreplace-paravirt -‘.

Note – the only change that is required is the nonreplace-paravirt option, but the vga=791 entry will allow faster loading due to not having to scan graphic modes.

Another option is to use the Open Source VirtualBox which can be downloaded at VirtualBox.org. When using this virutalization program, which runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh and OpenSolaris, I did not have to use any parameters or optional settings.

ProphetLine POS Software Added an Import/Export Inventory, Customer and Vendor Wizard to simplify importing and exporting files for data movement.

ProphetLine POS Software now has a wizard for importing and exporting that simplifies the process of importing and exporting data. This process can be used to import data as a one-time process, when setting up your POS Software, and can also be used to export data to Excel, make changes in a familiar spreadsheet environment, and then import the changes back into ProphetLine.

This involves choosing a file format, the Type of Inventory you are wishing to Import or Export and choosing whether to import the data into Active Inventory or Offline Inventory. The system will remember your selections and default to them until they are manually change. You can then edit the fields you’ve selected, a group, to add/remove individual fields, or all fields using the custom option or browse to a location to save or read in a file, along with setting the file name. When exporting there is also a checkbox option to save these settings for the next Inventory Import. This option will remember where you saved the file, what you called it, and what fields you exported, so that no settings will need to be changed when you go to import the file, after editing.

You can then go to a Data Preview screen that allows you to verify values are in the correct fields before doing Data Validation or importing. On this screen you can browse all fields of a particular record, defaulting to the first record. There are buttons that will allow you to go to the Top of File, Previous Record, Next Record and Bottom of File. On the Data Validation screen we display total number of corresponding items in the import file that meet the criteria: New – The value is New and does not currently exist in the system, Updated – The value exists in the system and is being imported. Note that items will show updated even if there are no changes to the field or record. This criterion only determines that the value already exists. Total – Total number of each set of data in the import file, new and updated. Data Errors: Warnings – Data warnings are values that you may want to check, but that are allowed in the system. For example, if you include Short name in the import file, but one record is blank. This would display as a data warning. Just trying to make your POS Software easier to use.

Excel can be a bit too ‘helpful’ at times and once such case is with long numbers. If you have a number in Excel longer than 14 digits, Excel will display the number in Scientific Notation. To ‘fix’ this, you can format the cells as Numeric with 0 decimal places, but, what if you need the cells to be formated as Text? Again Excel tries to be helpful and puts the Scientific Notation back in the cells. Not what is desired.

If you only have a few row of values, you can press F2 to enter edit mode and then press ENTER to exit edit mode and the text is formated correct. This, however, is not a desirable way when you have many rows of text which needs to be ‘fixed’.

To ‘fix’ many rows, use the Macro feature of Excel to convert the values to uppercase. Yes, I know it sounds strange to convert numbers to uppercase, but this works. To create the macro do the following (based on Excel 2003)…

On the Menu go to Tools -> Macro -> Visual Basic Editor

This will open a new application.

Right Click on the VBAProject(Book1) entry in the Left Pane. Where Book1 is the name of you Excel file, so the entry may be worded slightly different.

Select Insert -> Module

In the right side, you will notice two drop down lists at the top with the labels ‘(General)’ and ‘(Declarations)’. Copy the text below into the right side pane…

— Copy Text below this line —

Sub ConvertToUpperCase()

‘ Macro to convert text in cell to uppercase
‘ change the value in the ‘Range’ entry to the desired range of cells

    Range(“A1:A2200”).Select

    For Each cellObject In Selection
        With cellObject
            .Formula = StrConv(cellObject, vbUpperCase)
        End With
    Next

End Sub

— Do not copy This line —

Once the above is copied into the editor and the ‘range’ value (you can change this later if needed) is correct, close the editor. If prompted to save the changes select Yes.

To run the Macro, go to Tools -> Macro -> Macros on the menu. Select the ‘ConverToUpperCase’ macro and select Run

Morton Golf, the leader in golf merchandising at public golf facilities in the United States, has implemented ProphetLine’s Point of Sale(POS) Retail Management Software in all of its Sacramento facilities. ProphetLine, a national retail technology solution provider and four-time Microsoft Developer of the Year award winner, was selected to bring standardization and control to Morton Golf’s retail operations.

ProphetLine for Windows POS Software, replaced existing retail systems at Haggin Oaks, Bing Maloney and Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Complexes. The implementation was started in 2006. Since then an advanced retail stock ledger, open to buy planning system and many other features to streamline the purchasing and receiving process have been added. ProphetLine will continue to work with Morton Golf to provide enhancements designed to save time and increase productivity as developments occur.

"ProphetLine’s continued customer support and updates keep our ever-changing software requirements in line," says Terry Daubert, President Morton Golf.  "We have found ProphetLine to be very good at ‘personalizing’ each application with each location. Each facility usually has a different twist, and that’s where ProphetLine shines.

Read More…

ProphetLine’s Corporate Level Purchasing gives retailers more order processing flexibility. Multiple store replenishment requests transmitted to corporate may be pooled into one purchase order, allowing retailers to take advantage of larger order quantity discounts, or transmitted to vendors as an individual purchase orders. Vendors then fulfill the order as floor-ready merchandise by drop shipping to remote locations or sending to the corporate location for automatic transfer allocation. Inventory is received by accepting the direct vendor shipment or the corporate transfer and both the corporate and store inventory databases are updated with the actual quantity shipped.

Corporate Level Purchasing enables the retailer to cut costs by reducing excess inventory stock and increase competitiveness by preventing stock outs. ProphetLine’s Corporate Level Purchasing and Reporting, built into their POS Software, can minimize inventory stock to sales ratios by allowing the retailer to truly manage Just-In-Time inventory replenishment for multiple profit centers; thus lowering total inventory costs and increase your margins!

Finding good advice when purchasing Retail POS Software can be often be like talking to a used car salesman. It can sound almost too good to be true. Retail Software Advice aims to assist in answering questions from a neutral view point and give the consumer the information needed to make a more informed decision.

Here is a summarized list of their ’10 Best Practices for Selecting Retail POS Software’ article. For more detail and/or to read the entire article, click here.

1. Get management involved.
2. Determine your needs.
3. Get the Right Package for your industry.
4. Buy for your size and growth plans.
5. Focus on ease-of-use.
6. Assess support and upgrades.
7. Demand accountability.
8. Consider vendor viability.
9. Be smart about your budget.
10. Plan your hardware needs.

Being green seems to be the buzzword these days, even for POS Software companies. For us, Green means being able to do most of your business transactions without wasting time and paper. If someone needs a copy of any report in ProphetLine POS Software, simply bring that report or receipt to the screen and email it straight out. A signature electronically captured on a receipt or document saves on paper filing also. You can’t be a 100% paperless business, but most of the paper can be eliminated if all data, transactions and reporting can be accessed from easy to reach and understandable file storage. Another way we help the cause is by building into our POS Software, comprehensive on-line help files and a full PDF manual on your disc or in your account manager. You can pick and choose any page you want to have on hand for a reference without having a thousand pages that you will never use. All of our product and upgrades can be downloaded from your account manager without the waste of shipping envelopes, labels and CD’s.

Support can also help the Green factor. Instead of wasting your time with a complex technical issue, we use an online web collaboration product that puts control of your PC in our hands and a call that would have taken 2 hours, can now be taken care of in short order. We do sales demonstrations and training with our web demo product which gives you the flexibility to pick and choose the hours that best suit your lifestyle. All in all, we are an Eco Friendly POS Software company and we strive to always give you a better software option for your retail business.

ProphetLine POS Software collects all the data at the inception of the transaction and runs everything seamlessly throughout the product. Though years of working with retailers and developing POS Software, ProphetLine has developed easy to follow and simple to obtain reporting. These necessary reports are a concise summary of easy to understand data to make positive decisions from, not just a list with hard to understand information. All of the POS Software information is aggregated into the comprehensive Retail Stock Ledger. ProphetLine POS Software then takes this information and builds quick view reports that allow you to identify problems in your inventory and the necessary actions needed to correct the problem. Click the Retail Stock Ledger link to get a better understanding of what goes on and why. You can drill as deep as you want into the Retail Stock Ledger or build Open To Buy Plans with confidence your numbers are correct.

POS software has features meant to streamline your retail business. Increased speed, fewer data entry errors, and the ability to easily track trends are some of the greatest benefits it offers. POS Software simplifies data entry, data display, and data retrieval to allow you to make quality business decisions. POS software takes information entered in the normal course of a transaction and moves it seamlessly throughout the database. Good POS Software can then retrieve and format this information in a user friendly way that can give you analysis views at your finger tip. These POS Software reports will clearly and quickly show you the weaknesses and strengths of your retail operation.

That is why it is so important to put in POS Software and start generating data conceived at the transaction level to make these relevant business decisions. You can then compare department against department, vendor against vendor and make a fact based decision for future purchasing decisions. When you invest in a good POS Software system, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose. Improved efficiency, accurate and timely reporting, knowing your customer’s buying habits, department and vendor comparisons and good financials. If that POS Software decision is on your mind, don’t delay, it could cost you money.

Added a Blind Reconciliation option. This option allows Managers and Owners to enforce no-count drawer reconciliations for specific terminals. The drawer can be locked up for counting by a manager/auditor the next day.

Added 4 QuickTender buttons to the Touchscreen Numeric Keypad

Added an Inventory Touchscreen option. This option allows businesses with small or limited inventory, or in service specific fields, to quickly and easily access inventory for sales orders, or sales, using a touchscreen only environment in the POS Software.

Added the ability to link any file to an inventory itemThis feature can be used to attach any external file to a specific inventory item.

• Add button, text field and button to Special Settings screen so that a file can be attached to an inventory item in your POS Software.

Updated the Open To Buy Analysis report calculation for Current Month Over/Under, when including Month-to-Date totals. For the current month only, for Over/Under (and Cumulative Over/Under) our calculation was:

• Next Month Planned BOMI – Current Inventory Value – On Order Changed to add the Sales Variance / Actual Planned to the end of this calculation:
• Next Month Planned BOMI – Current Inventory Value – On Order – Sales Variance

This change basically takes into account what customers are planning on selling for the rest of the month, to more accurately reflect over/under.

Enhanced Trade-In Condition Groups to allow preset values to be entered for cost and retail prices in ProphetLine POS Software. Added in the following 2 options to Condition Groups so that preset values can be set for trade-in items, based on the condition group, as a percentage of the original cost and retail values:

• Trade-In Cash Offer is xxx% of the last vendor cost of the retail item
• Trade-In Resell Price is xxx% of the regular retail selling price
• When values are entered the values cannot be changed by the clerk in MAS
• If either value is left blank, or 0, the value is editable in MAS