Chapter 11 System
System tools include all systemwide settings and options starting with Company card.
Company card has your company address, logo for printing, and your company prefs. Company Prefs are for everyone using System Settings, or they may select their own.
Connect Settings include credentials for connections to ecommerce and online services. Advanced Options cover a range of options, enabling or disabling systemwide settings.
System Notifications
System Notifications let you choose someone to receive any Notes with system alerts.
On Client, system alerts appear on-screen. For Server, system alerts are sent in Notes.
Services have a Send-Notifications-To. System Notifications is a catch-all for the rest.
System Services
System Services automate tasks, minimize mistakes, and send notes if things run amok.
API Keys
API Keys allow one program to use another. They are Passwords, but not for people.
Sometimes called Tokens, Secrets, or App Passwords, your API Keys are kept safely, then used safely to perform lookups or access the services your company needs daily.
For example, BigBusiness can look up sales tax, send an email, or get new orders using its plugins along with API Keys that you have saved in company settings for this use.
Year End
Some business applications have a mandatory end of year procedure for archiving data, shifting balances among accounts, and so on. Big Business's reporting handles this for you, so there is no required procedure. You can demonstrate this facility to yourself by running a Report for a future date (e.g. a Profit and Loss Statement or Balance Sheet dated in the next fiscal year).
Big Business maintains all of your records intact so that you have access to historical information and the ability to post to the previous period. Big Business does include features for Protecting, Locking, Sealing, and Consolidating historical records. Please read the recommendations below carefully before using any of these features. (3065)
Some business applications have a mandatory end of year procedure for archiving data, shifting balances among accounts, and so on. Big Business's reporting handles this for you, so there is no required procedure. You can demonstrate this facility to yourself by running a Report for a future date (e.g. a Profit and Loss Statement or Balance Sheet dated in the next fiscal year).
Big Business maintains all of your records intact so that you have access to historical information and the ability to post to the previous period. Big Business does include features for Protecting, Locking, Sealing, and Consolidating historical records. Please read the recommendations below carefully before using any of these features.
Locking Periods will help prevent date errors and prevent modification of past data. Locking is is reversible if you ever need to make a correction. Restricting Access to the Maintenance Prefs will prevent unauthorized unlocking of locked periods.
Sealing is the same a Locking but is PERMANENT. We recommend that you not use Seal (for the same reasons that your parents wouldn't let you get a tattoo) unless you are quite sure this is what you want.
To display different Fiscal Years, go to the Display Fiscal Year field and enter the year you want displayed. The year entered will appear on the right and the prior year on the left.
Company Address
This solution describes how to edit your contact information. The company card in Big Business includes spaces for your Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, URL (web address), and E-Mail information. (3288)
Big Business automatically adds your company contact information to Plain Paper forms, Shipping Labels, and other printouts, where appropriate. Big Business uses your Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, E-Mail, and URL (Uniform Resource Locator, your web address) information, as they appear on the Company Card.
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If you paste your Company Logo into Printed Forms Artwork, the logo will replace contact information on Plain Paper forms.
If printing on letterhead, paste one white pixel into Printed Forms Artwork to prevent your Company information from printing.
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To edit your company contact information:
1. From the Maintenance toolbar, select the Company Card
2. Edit Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, URL or E-Mail information.
3. Click the OK button to Save.
Experiment with different entries to achieve desired results and be creative! For example, Country is an excellent place to insert a Tax ID or License information you want to print on every transaction.
Company Logo
Big Business allows you to paste in your own company's artwork or logo so that it will print on the built in forms. This solution outlines the process of entering your own graphic so that it will appear on the built in forms. (3289)
If you paste your Company Logo into Printed Forms Artwork, Big Business will add your logo, instead of your contact information, to Plain Paper Quotes, Sales Orders, Invoices, Purchase Orders, and Bills.
To add your logo to Built-In Forms:
1. From a graphics-capable application, select your logo and Copy (Edit>Copy)it.
2. From Big Business's Maintenance toolbar, select the Company Card.
3. Click in the Printed Forms Artwork field.
4. Paste your new artwork by using the Paste command in the Edit menu.
To remove Artwork, select it, then use the Cut command in the Edit menu.
Printed Forms Artwork prints out 4.75 inches wide by 1.5 inches high. Big Business automatically scales your logo if it exceeds this size. Consequently, you can create a higher resolution image, using a screen resolution (72dpi) paint application, by increasing the initial size of your canvas:
• 342 by 108 pixels is the 72dpi "size" of Printed Forms Artwork.
• 1368 by 432 pixels, or 19" x 6" at 72 dpi, will yield 288 dpi when scaled.
• 734 by 216, or 9.5" x 3" at 72 dpi, will yield 144 dpi when scaled.
Experiment with different logos to find the optimal settings. Larger images, higher resolution, color, and complexity will increase print times. Only images which can be copied and pasted (bitmaps) can be added. EPS will need to be converted.
NOTE: Be sure to include your contact information in your logo.
Number Formats
You can customize the way Big Business displays and rounds numbers in order to match your needs. This is important if you need to maintain detail on amounts greater than the standard 2 decimal places. (5164)
Big Business allows you to change number formats and currency symbols to match your business needs. You use the Number Formats dialog box to set several options. In the Maintenance tool bar, select the Company Card. Click on the Format Numbers button located in the center of the Company Card.
After choosing the appropriate country from the selection of English-speaking countries, the typical set of currency symbols, number formats, and currency text will appear. In this window, it is possible to change the text printed on the checks, the display of numbers, currency symbols, and the rounding of decimal places. For example, you can define the currency to be printed on checks as “Dollars”, unit prices to display up to two decimals, while being rounded at four decimal places. The Example column shows examples of how numbers appear with the settings you have chosen.
When changing the display format, entering a 0 signifies that a number should always be printed in that space (even if the number is 0). If you insert a # instead of a 0, then a number will only appear if the number is not zero. You can always round to more decimal places than is actually displayed.
Number Formats
Changing Number Formats
Big Business allows you to change number formats and currency symbols
to match your business needs. You use the Number Formats dialog box to set these options.
Big Business 6 increases the size of the number format settings to support currencies where totals might run into hundreds of millions or higher. (6089)
To change number formats:
1. In a Company Card, click the Format Numbers button.
2. In the Number Formats dialog box, choose the country whose currency symbol and number formats you want to use.
3. If necessary, manually change number formats and decimal place information for the different field types.
• The Country field lets you choose from among a selection of English-speaking countries. Choosing a country sets the currency symbol and sets the number formats to typical arrangements for the country. If you change any of the number formats, the country setting changes to “Custom,” but the previous currency symbol remains.
• The Display Format column in the dialog box determines how numbers will be displayed, including the number of decimal places that will be displayed. To
change the number of decimal places, enter the correct number of zeros after the decimal point in a field. For example, if your pricing structure uses very small increments like tenths or hundredths of cents, enter three or four zeros after the decimal point.
• The Rounding column determines the number of decimals places used in rounding. For example, if you set a price to round to two decimal places, any calculations or totals will be rounded to the nearest cent.
• The Examples column shows examples of how numbers appear with the settings you have chosen.
Print Styles
Big Business includes Print Styles with options for:
• graphics
• fonts
for better looking output.
Big Business 10.10 expands this feature to apply to Reports. Big Business 10.15 fixes some Customer reports.
This Solution describes the feature. (6296)
To Use Print Styles:
1. Go to the System toolbar
2. Open the Company Card
3. Go to the Settings tab
3. For Printing choose a Font and Style
4. Click OK to Save the Company
For a Font it is best to choose one available on all systems and printers.
Company Prefs
Company Prefs are on the second tab of the Company card on the System toolbar. These settings affect all Users (unless they override with their own User Prefs). All Connect settings for APIs are found here except Web-Server and Web-API settings that are per-user and found on Employee card.
This Solution decribes this feature. (6493)
Prefs like Auto Zoom affect all Users that are set to "System Setting" so you can change all at once (to use larger Zoomed windows). In their User Prefs they can change from System Setting to control their own settings (unless User Settings Prefs is set to Hide). Also, you can view and change User Settings in the Employees Search.
Server Administration
Big Business lets you access the Server Administration window from Big Business Client.
This Solution provides details. (6518)
To open the Server Administration window from Big Business Client:
1. Sign In as an All-Access User
2. Go to System toolbar, to the Company Card
3. Go to the Preferences tab
4. Click the Server Admin button
Update Maps
Big Business may offer to Update Maps when you change settings that affect your saved Maps.
Choose Yes to automatically update your saved mappings for Auto-Import, BigCommerce, Import, Shopify, Square, TaxJar, Web API, Woo.
This Solution provides details. (6848)
Big Business may offer to Update Maps when you change settings that affect your saved Maps.
Choose Yes to automatically update your saved mappings for Auto-Import, BigCommerce, Import, Shopify, Square, TaxJar, Web API, Woo.
Logo Export
Logo Export has been added to make it easier to change your address or other contact information. Click Export on the Company card to save your old company artwork as an image file, then email to your artist. When you get the new art back, click Import. (6984)
Logo Export is a better option than copy and paste, which sometimes changes the image quality.
To Export your logo:
1. Go to System toolbar, to Company card
2. Click Export
3. Choose a Format (PNG, Adobe Photoshop, etc)
4. Save