System Settings
System Settings form the foundation to the way Ostendo will run. The settings are normally set up as part of the initial installation process. They can be amended at any time as required.
Panel 1: Company Information
Entry and Display fields
Company Name: This is prefilled with the Company Name contained in your Licence Key. If you have a Multi-Company Licence then a drop-down list will show the companies covered by the Licence. Select the Company that applies to this current signon. This is used, by default, on all reports in Ostendo. It is also used in the opening display.
Postal Address: Three lines are available for you to enter your company’s address. This should include Number, Street and District. The Town/City should be entered into the next field. This address will be used, by default, on all documents that use your company information.
City: Enter the Town or City where your company is located. This will appear on all documents that use your company address.
State: Enter the State where your company is located. No validation checks are made on this entry. This will appear on all documents that use your company address.
Code: Enter the Company’s Postcode or Zone Improvement Program (Zip) Code. This code will be used on all documents that use your company address.
Country: Enter the Country in which your company is located. This will appear on all documents that use your company address.
Phone: Enter the Company’s Telephone Number. This will appear on all documents that use your company address.
Fax: Enter the Company’s Facsimile Number. This will appear on all documents that use your company address.
Email: Enter the Company’s Email Address. This will appear on all documents that use your company address.
Web: Enter the Company’s Web Address. This will appear on all documents that use your company address.
Invoice Remittance: If this is ‘checked’ then the Invoice print will include a Remittance slip.
Statement Remittance: If this is ‘checked’ then the Customer Statement will include a Remittance slip.
Default Company Site: From the drop-down list select the default Site address for this company. This site address will be used as the default receipt address for Purchase Orders. Company Sites are maintained via General>Company Sites
Tax Settings
Tax Name: Enter the name of the Tax that will appear on your documents. Example; Tax, GST, VAT, etc
Tax Number: Enter your Tax Number. If required this number can be printed on all your formal documents, etc
Official Company Number: If your company has an official registration number then enter it here. This will be available for printing on all forms where your company name is used.
Accounting Basis: From the drop-down select the basis by which your accounts are run. The options are:
- Invoice: Sales Revenue and Tax Amount are posted at time Invoice was raised
- Cash Deferred Sales: Sales Revenue and Tax Amount are posted at time of payment. Note: This method is not allowed in New Zealand
- Cash Immediate Sales: Sale Revenue is posted at time Invoice was raised. Tax Amount is posted at time of Payment
Company Settings
Invoice Name: This is the Legal name of the Invoice that will be displayed on the Invoice Print
Credit Name: This is the Legal name of the Credit Note that will be displayed on the Credit Note Print
Max Debtor Days Aging: Enter the default maximum number of days that are allowed against Debtors. When a Sales Order or Job Order is being created, or goods are being picked against existing orders and the Customer has an outstanding payment that is greater than this number of days then a message will be returned. This can be varied at Customer level and made specific to the Customer if required
Max Entry Days Forward: Entry of Invoices, Payments, etc can only be made up to this number of days forward from the system date.
Min Allowable Margin %: Whenever a Sell Price is amended against an Item or Descriptor (either individually or in batch) and Ostendo finds that the resultant Margin falls below this percentage then System Alert 'Std Sell Price Below Margin' will be triggered.
Activate Credit Warning: If this checkbox is ‘checked’ then a Warning Message will be given during Order Entry if the Customer is approaching the Credit Limit defined by the percentage entered in the next field.
Warning %: Enter the percentage of the Credit at which this warning message will be presented when creating Sales orders.
Financial Start Month: Enter the month that equates to you Financial Start Month. This can be referenced by the Reporting Periods screen to enable the Report an View Developer to generate reports relating to the Financial Year
Financial Costing Methods
Inventory Costing Method: From the drop-down list select the method by which Inventory will be costed. Options are Average or Standard.
Descriptor Costing Method: From the drop-down list select the method by which Descriptors will be costed. Options are Last, Buy Price, or Standard.
Editing Decimals: Select the number of decimal places that you will use against all Prices and Costs across Ostendo when editing the value. The minimum allowed is 2 decimal places and the maximum is 6
Display Decimals: Select the number of decimal places that you wish to see when displaying Prices and Costs across Ostendo. The minimum allowed is 2 decimal places and the maximum is 6
Dimensions, Weights & Volumes
Length and Width Unit: From the drop-down list select the basic unit of Length that will be used throughout Ostendo. Units are maintained viaGeneral> Settings> Standard Units.
Weight Unit: From the drop-down list select the basic unit of weight that will be used throughout Ostendo. Units are maintained viaGeneral> Settings> Standard Units.
Volume Unit: From the drop-down list select the basic unit of Volume that will be used throughout Ostendo. Units are maintained viaGeneral> Settings> Standard Units.
Area Unit: From the drop-down list select the basic unit of area that will be used throughout Ostendo. Units are maintained viaGeneral> Settings> Standard Units.
Logo
Company Logo: Click to open the box. Right-Click on the box to load the image file containing the company's logo. This should be a png or jpg file of no more than 100Kb. This logo can be used in html reports generated by the Freeway app. Any image greater than 100Kb will not be downloaded to Freeway.
Buttons
Close: This will close the System Configuration screen. If you have any unsaved data you will be asked if you wish to save it before the screen is closed.
Save: Click on this button to save the entry.
Cancel: Any changes made to the current screen or the last time the ‘Save’ Button was pressed will be lost.
Panel 2 - Environmental Settings
Entry and Display fields
Hide Related Toolbar: If this is ‘checked’ then the ‘Related Toolbar’ will not be displayed at the top of each main screen that has Related Screens. Note: The ‘Related’ button down the right hand side of the screen will still be available for accessing the Related screens.
Enable Auto Complete on Look: ups: If this is ‘checked’ then, where there is a drop-down list, you can begin typing characters and the display will commence at those sequence of characters. If the sequence of characters is unique to a specific record then the record's remaining characters will automatically populate the field.
Enable Spell Checking: If this is ‘checked’ then all Memo and Notes fields in Ostendo are validated against a dictionary using Ostendo's inbuilt Spell Checker.
De: activate Auto Correcting: If this is ‘checked’ then the automatic correcting of spelling errors will be deactivated. The error, however will still be highlighted by a red underline
Advanced Searching: If this is ‘checked’ then the search facility in the following screens will include facility to search the content of all Properties linked to the master record in addition to searching the fields currently displayed in the list.
- Assembly Order
- Customer Assets
- Customers
- Descriptors
- Items **
- Job Orders
- Labour Codes
- Purchase Orders
- Sales Orders
- Supplier Codes
- Warehouses
- Inventory Availability
Additionally the Advanced Search for Items will also address the linked Supplier records and search a Supplier’s Part Number
Auto Collapse on Advance Search: (Used in conjunction with Advance Search) The will control how the search results are displayed. If this option is selected, the advanced search results will be compacted into one record allowing you to manually drill down, whereas if this is not selected an expanded results view will be displayed.
For Multi: value Search use: 'Check' the radio button that suits the way in which you want to search in all List screens and Views. The options are:
- And- All the entries in the Search field must be present for the record to be displayed
- Or- Any of the entries in the Search field must be present for the record to be displayed
Licence Notification to Administration Users Only: If this is ‘checked’ then whenever the Ostendo Licence Key is due for renewal then only Users identified as ‘Administrators will be notified during sign on. If it is not ‘checked’ then all Users will be notified.
Location Map LinkEnter the Location Map Link to the http address of the mapping system being used. Currently this is set to Google Maps for which the Link ishttp://maps.google.com/?q=
When in a relevant screen (Customer, Supplier, Prospect, Order, etc) Ostendo will assemble the address and append this to the above. Before transmission via the Internet you will be asked if you wish to view the Location Map or the Directions to this address from your own address.
Embed Fonts when saving or emailing reports as PDF: If this is ‘checked’ then the Report Fonts will be embedded in the generated pdf documents when that document is saved or attached to an email
Activate Screen Logging: If this checkbox is selected then Ostendo will record - by User - every time a Screen, Report, View, etc has been activated along with the Date and Time when that activation took place. You can view these logs by going toGeneral ->Inquiries ->Inquiry - Screen Logging
Log Screen Load Time: This option enables administrators to monitor the time taken to load certain screens within Ostendo enabling you to compare screen load times where there maybe a latency issue for some users.
Enable Database Message Trace: If this is not 'checked' then a Firebird Database error is returned to the User with a message that states what has happened but not where it occurred within the program's process flow. If this checkbox is selected then the error message will also contain the database trigger path that the program has gone through. This would highlight where the error arose. If communicating this error message to Development-X then the message Trace details should also be supplied.
Wordwrap column headings for Inquiry and Analysis Views: If this is 'checked' then if the column width is less than the Heading Text then the Text will 'wordwrap' into a second row. If this is not 'checked' then the Heading Text will concatenate to the column width.
Dynamic Archive Days for Closed and Updated Orders, Invoices & Payments: Enter the number of Days prior to which Ostendo will automatically archive closed and updated transactions from opening screens (i.e. Sales Orders, Job Orders, Invoices, Customer Statistics etc...). You should note that this doesn’t actually remove the data but filters it out for everyday operations thus making screen loading faster. The data is still there for reporting and analysis purposes.
Currency Symbol Override: Enter the Currency symbol here if you wish to override the system's Regional Settings symbol.
Default Tile Collection: A Default Company Tile Collection name can be selected here as a default Tile Collection layout for all users.
Confirmation of Cancel: If this is specified, whenever a user clicks on the 'Cancel' button (on any screen), a confirmation warning message will appear asking if they wish to Cancel.
Network
Stand Alone: If this radio button is selected then Ostendo will only run on the current computer
Shared Access: If this radio button is selected then Ostendo will run Client/Server, Peer-to-Peer, and Terminal Server configurations
Buttons
Close: This will close the System Configuration screen. If you have any unsaved data then you will be asked if you wish to save it before the screen is closed.
Save: Click on this button to save the entry.
Cancel: Any changes made to the current screen or the last time the ‘Save’ Button was pressed will be lost.
Panel 3: System Numbering
Automatic numbering is used extensively throughout Ostendo. This screen enables you to define and maintain auto-numbering
Entry and Display fields
Module: Display only field showing under which Module this auto-generated number is used
Description: Display only field showing the specific area where this auto-generated number is used
Current Value: Display only field showing the current number that is being used by the program
New Value: If you wish to revise the numbering sequence you may enter any number greater than the current number . Upon entering the number you should click the ‘Set’ button to reset all numbers that have been changed.
Buttons
Close: This will close the System Configuration screen. If you have any unsaved data then you will be asked if you wish to save it before the screen is closed.
Set: This will update all records that have a value in their ‘New Value’ field.
Panel 4: Accounting Link
This screen allows you to define the way in which you want the Accounting Link to function. There are three main sections
- identify the Accounting package being linked to
- Define if you are using single or multi-currency in the linked Accounting Package
- Define if Daily Journals are to be created in selected areas
Entry and Display fields
Accounting Link Style: From the drop-down list select the Account Link method being used. The options are
- MYOB Link
- Quickbooks Link
- Sage Pastel Evolution
- Xero
- MoneyWorks
- AccountRight Live Desktop
- AccountRight Live Cloud
- Sage Evolution Live
- Reckon Accounts Desktop
- Reckon Accounts Hosted
- Quickbooks Online
- Other Accounting Solutions
There are two types of Accounting Links:
- the Batched Accounting Link ( MYOB, Quickbooks, and Sage Pastel Evolution ); and
- the Automated Accounting Link (AccountRight Live Desktop/Cloud, MoneyWorks, Xero, Sage Evolution Live)
The following applies to Batched Accounting links:
Process Batch Files Script: Only visible when the ‘Other Accounting Solution’ option is selected above. From the drop-down list select the Script that applies to generating and outputting the Batch files. The script itself is generated via screen File>Custom Scripts.
Re: Process Batch Files Script:Only visible when the ‘Other Accounting Solution’ option is selected above. From the drop-down list select the Script that applies to reprocessing a Batch File. The script itself is generated via screen File>Custom Scripts.
AR Style: This applies to AccountRight Live links only. Select either
or
Invoice Number Prefix: For AccountRight Live this is mandatory. The default is "S". But you can change it to some other preferred prefix.
Post all Foreign Currency transactions as Local currency Ledger transactions:If the linked accounting package only addresses local currency or you are only using local currency Journals then ‘check’ this checkbox. All generated Ostendo Journals will be exported in local currency although Foreign Currency amounts and Exchange Rates will still be retained in Ostendo.
Post Daily Summaries for Applying Deposits: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Applied Deposit’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Applying Payments: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Applied Payment’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Assembly Issues: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Assembly Order Issue’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Assembly Receipts: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Assembly Order Receipt’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Assembly WIP Variances:If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Assembly WIP Variance’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Customer Deposits: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Customer Deposit’ transactions made within the day (only when using Bank Deposits). This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Customer Payments: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Customer Payment’ transactions made within the day (only when using Bank Deposits). This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Inventory: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Inventory’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Job Order Issues: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Job Order Issue’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Job WIP Variances: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Job WIP Variance’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Purchase Receipts: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Purchase Receipt’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Purchase Price Variances:If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Purchase Price’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Sales Invoice Costs: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Sales Invoice Cost’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Sales Invoice Revenue:If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Sales Invoice Revenue’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
Post Daily Summaries for Sales Order Issues: If this is ‘checked’ Ostendo will create a single (summary) journal for each day covering all ‘Sales Order Issue’ transactions made within the day. This summary Journal is sent to the Ostendo-Accounting Link routine.
External Accounts Receivable: This is always ticked if Automated Accounting Links (see below) are selected.
No External Payments Returned: Ticking this will stop the posting of payments from external accounting system into Ostendo. This means payments only goes from Ostendo to the external accounting system, not the other way round.
Prevent Manual Payments: Ticking this will prevent payments from being manually entered in Ostendo (but POS payments will still be accepted). This is used to force the entry of payments only from the external Accounting System.
Post Daily Summaries the Following Day: Ticking this box will ensure the Daily Summaries will be posted on the next day. Only used for later accounting products that post in background eg: Xero, MYOB AR Live, QBO etc..
Any transactions that are backdated are posted to the accounting software immediately rather than being delayed for accumulation. Only those transactions dated 'today' are held back and accumulated.
The purpose of this option is to reduce the volume of data posted thru to the accounting software, along with reducing the number of connection attempts to that software.
Automated Accounting Links:
An Automated Accounting Link is where postings are automatically made at a predefined frequency and currently applies to the following Accounting Styles:
- Xero
- Moneyworks
- AccountRight Live Desktop
- AccountRight Live Cloud
- Sage Evolution Live
- Quickbooks Online (QBO)
Posting Frequency: This is how frequent the system will post "Ready to Send" transactions to the accounting package. Minimum recommended is around 15 minutes.
Cutover Date: Only transactions dated from this date onwards will be posted. When first implementing the accounting link consideration should be given to this date to ensure that all postings are covered
Timeout (min): Set the maximum time the process will wait for a batch to complete posting before another batch is started. Ostendo recommends around 120 minutes.
Retry Count: The number of times the system will attempt to post a transaction when encountering connection issues.
Invoice Number Prefix: Enter a preferred invoice number prefix for all invoices created in Ostendo. Having a default prefix will help identify that the invoice was created in Ostendo.
This is especially useful when integrating with other accounting systems.
Buttons
Close: This will close the ‘System Settings’ screen. If you have any unsaved data then you will be asked if you wish to save it before the screen is closed.
Save: This will save the current data without exiting the screen
Cancel: Any changes made since the screen was opened or the last time the ‘Save’ Button was pressed will be lost.