Select Only

Select is the Remember Server setting that lets your Client instantly select your Server.

This skips the default Search & Select that searches your local network for 10 seconds. Instead, your Big Business Client immediately selects the Server that it used last time.


  Connect Options

Connect Options help you connect your computers quickly and easily, wherever used.

When you start Big Business Client on your local network where Big Business Server is running, it will automatically connect. For other connections, there are more options.

You might connect remotely, to a remote or cloud server, to a second server, and so on. For each, there are supported options to help make all your connections easy and fast.


  Add/Modify Groups

Groups are a popular customization option to help manage any lists that grow too big.

Sales Tax Groups were added for a Flag Works company that had nexus in NY and FL. Grouping by State separated Albany, NY and Albany, FL into submenus--super-easy.

Customer Type Groups can simplify reporting by sub-types. Customer Groups help combine chain stores with corporate credit limits. Adding a group for your list is easy.


  Excel Controls

Excel Controls lets you order custom reports which go automatically, straight to Excel.

Any report or export can be sent to Excel by saving and then opening the file in Excel. Excel Controls let you preset to automate this process for your set, Excel-only report.

Using this option requires an Open version and an exact specification for your report. Presets and coding combine to produce an Excel-ready file in .XLS or .XLSX format.


  Order Sorting

Order Sorting lets you put Line Items on Orders in sequence by Sorting or Inserting.

Order Sorting requires Line Prefs set to Numbered or PO Lines to show line numbers. Numbered uses automatic numbering. PO Lines keeps line numbers from original PO.

Line Prefs are set in Company card, Company Prefs, for the System Setting, and in My Prefs, User Settings, to use or override the System Setting with your own prefs.


  Business Intelligence

A 20-year-user of Big Business was acquired by a 500-year-old German conglomerate.

New requirements needed BigBusiness and Microsoft Power BI to report data to SAP. ETA's for PO's and Orders were needed for all deliveries to determine On Time results.

This prompted many changes in BigBusiness to track OC Dates for original ETA date. Line Numbers were customized to link rows shipped to rows ordered in exported data.


  Contacts Role Name

Role Name helps you track who to send Refunds or Email Statements, for automation.

Role is used in custom automations such as using the Refund tool for large check runs. With this set up and Refundee checked, the Contact address is used for refund checks.

This feature can be extended for new automations needing contact information, preset.


  Contacts Ship Address 3

Ship Address 3, also called Department in UPS or FedEx, is available on Contact cards.

Contacts Search lets you Add (+) it as a Column, and it is included Export, All Fields. Contact and Update Contact imports also include Ship Address 3/Department to help.

When you enable Load Addresses, Ship To, in the Customer Prefs in order to connect UPS Worldship or FedEx Ship Manager, Ship Address 3 helps deliver your shipment.


  CRM Controls

CRM Controls help you set automated actions in BigBusiness to help connect CRM.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is usually software as a service to enable always-on features for monitoring web site visits, receiving requests, or tracking email.

To coordinate with BigBusiness, you want Contacts from CRM available to help create a Quote or Order for a web visitor and have them identified in both systems.


  Auto-Invoice Controls

Auto-Invoice Controls let you set presets to automatically convert orders to invoices.


  Any API

Any API lets you connect to a service you use that has a public API, to share its data.

A public API, or Open API, means the service can be accessed by customers' systems. BigBusiness includes a raft of tools to authenticate, connect, read, and write your data.

This is a starting point for a simple lookup, getting new data, or posting coded results. BigBusiness also has process-oriented connections like credit card, ecommerce, or tax.


  Add Users

Add Users lets you add licenses to allow more people connect to Big Business Server.

Users are the number of Big Business Clients you can connect at one time. This can be as few as two or as many as 100, and is less than the number of people who might use.

It's like the number of seats at your conference table. Anyone can have Big Business Client on their computer, but only the number of Users can connect at the same time.



  Numbers for Mac

Numbers is Apple's spreadsheet application for macOS computers that is preinstalled.

Use Numbers to edit Export or Import files for Big Business to get more done, faster. Exports from Big Business are saved as Tab-text files that can be dragged to Numbers.

From Numbers' File menu, you can Export To, CSV or TSV to import to Big Business. You do not need table names or advanced options; just click Save and a choose a place.


  Postgres Settings

Postgres Settings let you enter credentials for your Postgres database for Live Archive.


  Postgres Connections

Postgres Settings are found in System toolbar, Company card, on Connect Settings tab.

Click the Postgres button to show Postgres Connections and choose one or click New.


  Chapter 143 Live Archive

Live Archive is in development to provide options for storing very large attached files and very large numbers of attachments or secondary records in a second, live database.

In practice, Big Business does not require closing of periods, cleanup of data, archiving, or other attempts at optimization, in part because new computers are so fast and easy.

Adding Live Archiving will add many options for saving original files and compressed, keeping histories of documents added as Docs like PDFs, Emails, JSON, and so forth.


  Postgres.app Install

Postgres.app, from postgresapp.com, is a free and open source Postgres for your Mac.

To install visit postgresapp.com and download a DMG which opens as shown. Drag the App to Applications as indicated. Go to Applications and double-click to launch.


  Postgres Registration

Postgres Connect is in development and requires Big Business Open or Built Editions.

To test or use Postgres Connect, you will receive an email with Registration you enter by going to Company card, Upgrade, Postgres, and entering the code in pictured dialog.

For the Demo File included with Big Business the Registration code is 289.


  Live Archive

Live Archive lets you store unlimited data such as pictures, emails, or large documents.

Big Business lets you attach unlimited documents in the Docs folder for every entry. This is handy for keeping a PDF of a PO but also pictures or other large documents.

Optimally, these can be automatically archived to a second database for unlimited data. This lets Big Business optimize data for accounting results and offload referential data.

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  Chapter 142 Postgres Connect

Postgres Connect enables massive growth in your Big Business data by warehousing.

Using the Docs tool in Big Business you can attach unlimited documents like PDFs, usually small, and Pictures, often larger, to document every transaction as you enter.

To keep hundreds of thousands of documents, like notes, emails, scans, and photos, simply attach. To optimize, offload past years to Postgres, still instantly accessible.


  Postgres Connect

Postgres Connect is an add-on to enable Big Business connect to a Postgres database.

Postgres, or PostgreSQL, is the The World's Most Advanced Open Source Relational Relational Database and perfect for archiving or warehousing your Big Business data.

Big Business easily manages hundreds of thousands of attached files in the Docs tool, but you may want to bulk warehouse at some point for performance or peace of mind.


  PostgreSQL for Windows

Installers for PostgreSQL for Windows can be found on postgresql.org for easy install.

Intall PostgreSQL for Windows on your Big Business Server computer, or preferrably, on a separate computer to free resources on your server computer by offloading data.


  Postgres.app for Mac

Postgres.app is the easiest way to get started with PostgreSQL on the Mac.


  Currency Customer Prefs

Customer Prefs lets you add Receivables Categories that you can select for Customers.

For Currencies, you add a new currency on Company card and to use with customers, create an A/R account for the currency and add the account to Receivables Categories.

Pictured, the new A/R CAD, receivables account in Canadian Dollars, has been added. When a new Customer is created using CAD, the matching A/R CAD can be selected.