software suggestions

[Dale Probst]

Hi Tom,
We started off with Piano Technicians Helper by Steve McClintock which
we really liked. Unfortunately, as far as I know, it is not supported
anymore. From there we went to Piano Service Manager by Dean Reyburn a
few years later. Our understanding was that eventually that program
would be upgraded to Windows but it hasn't happened yet. 
So we went to PianoDB by Ken & Coda Hale which is based on Access. It is
the best thing we have found so far. Very stable and easy to customize
to our own use with a lot less work than creating a database from
scratch. You might want to look at the website for other information 
http://www.dcalcoda.com/pianodb/pianodbhome.html

Hope this helps,
Dale
Dale Probst, RPT
Ward & Probst, Inc.
email: wardprobst@cst.net
(940)691-3682 voice
(940) 691-6843 fax



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Tom Servinsky
Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2001 7:44 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: software suggestions


List,
I have been using PTBiz, and honestly after have using it for 2 yrs.,
don't like the way the program's usefulness. It is too limiting and
cumbersome, especially in the accounting mode. To boot, my program
either has a flaw in it or some other phenomenon, but it constantly
changes the city listing on various customers...very frustrating
correcting that window over and over again. Some of the limiting factors
I don't like: Reports. Get a month end report of net sales for the month
of July...can't do it unless you get it for the entire year. It will
only give you the year to date figure. Should be able to ask for any
month or amount of months in any report. But not this one! Backup should
require a single keystroke and the program should be doing all the
digging and placement of data. Not on this one, you have to save it,
then go into Explorer, then copy it, then send it to a floppy.  Not that
this is hard or confusing, just a case where the programmer could have
set up all those keystrokes in the course of planning this out better.
You should here the slack you'll get when you call the author about
things like that! In the accounting mode:  You have to enter the date 3x
in a row for a single invoice.Isn't the job of the program/er to limit
the repetitiveness? For a given invoice you: 1.enter the date of the
service you would enter 2001727 ( 7/27/01)  then the invoice number, 2.
the date of the service 3  the date of the service.  Makes perfect
sense to me ...hmmmmmm The troubling part is that when the report is
listed, the invoice number is not listed. Then why did it ask for it?
The rest of the program is fine as it is a straight forward database
program. It's just those little time-consuming things that drive me up
the wall. I used to use Dean Reyburn's program, and honestly, I'm sorry
I ditched it. It was nice and neat, and extremely efficient. Dummy me
figured  the DOS program wouldn't do well with the new advanced machines
and apparently I was wrong. I might go back to the DOS program of Dean's
or I would love to hear about some other favorites out there. I have
been trying to get enough energy up to design an MS Access program
myself but I'm aware of the time obligation I'm committing to. Extra
amounts of slack time is something I don't have enough of. Please tell
me more about PianoDB or other favorites out there. Tom Servinsky, RPT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Bondi" <tito@PhilBondi.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2001 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: software


> Mike, I use PianoDB. It is pretty friendly and easy to get up and
running..I
> would suggest, however, that you sharpen your MS Access skills if you 
> want to do any modifying. Piano DB is based in Access.
>
> I'm no Access wiz by anyone's stretch, but I can fumble around as well

> as anyone else if I want to change something.
>
> There's really not that much to do but start imputing your database to

> a database that's well thought out, regardless of your Access skills.
>
> roo(k)
>