Reviewing Tips and Tricks

SalesLogix LAN Quick Lookups Tips

December 23rd, 2010 by Janetta

There are so many ways to lookup information in Sage SalesLogix and I just want to point out a few of my favorite quick ways to find things while I am working.

1. I use the % wildcard to look things up quite often. This is very helpful when you don’t remember the exact spelling or you don’t remember the complete name of the company but you know one word. For example, if I lookup under Account using %green, I am going to get:

2. Another lookup that I use frequently is looking some one (Contact) up by first name. I use the Lookup>Contacts>First.

3. On any of the main screens, if the field caption raises up when you put your cursor on it, it is a lookup. For example, the Main (phone) caption will allow you to look up someone by phone number.

These are examples of one value simple Lookups. SalesLogix also has advanced Lookups (multiple value lookups) and a full query builder for creating more complex queries. I hope you learned at least one new quick tip to find Accounts and Contacts in SalesLogix.

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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Tags: End Users, SalesLogix LAN Lookups, SalesLogix Tips and Tricks, SalesLogix Usage
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Tips on Managing users in SalesLogix

November 22nd, 2010 by Paul

“Truth is simple, life is complex” – Anonymous

In the real world, changes happen, and you need to be ready for the “normal” changes that can be ascribed to the life cycle of a system. I recently performed an upgrade that had a set of user management change requests that needed attention. The changes involved the usual requests of adding a new user or two, retiring a few users, and realigning some data. I wanted to review some typical tasks and provide some tactical advice to help others who might be needing answers in similar situations.

1. How to change a user type

Users never change roles, right? Not in the real world; people move to new departments and are promoted and/or transferred. Let’s assume a change in user’s role and walk through a couple of situations. The basics of the changes are the same for both [ remote user to network user] and [remote user to web user].

In Sage SalesLogix, it is an easy procedure to change user types. (Note: Let’s assume the remote user is all synchronized and doesn’t have any TEF files to send to the server.)

Click: Start | Programs | SalesLogix | Administrator
Log into application as the Admin user or a user with an Administrative role

Select the Users button in the Navigation icon.

Note: Now you have two choices in how to perform the user type change.

A. You can highlight the user that needs the change in the list, right-click the user and select Change Type.

B. You can double-click the user and on the first tab use the drop-drop on the Change Type field.

Your user has now been changed from one type to another. It only takes a few clicks, so be careful. The happy result, the change is made and away you go!

2. How to retire a user

Note: When a user leaves your company, the best option is to convert them to a retired user. Retired users do not use a license and cannot log on, but their name is preserved in the database. This prevents history records from displaying “Unknown User” because the user was deleted. Use the following checklist when a user needs retired. When a user is retired it frees up a SalesLogix license and their system history is preserved. We don’t recommend the delete feature except in rare circumstances.

Click: Start | Programs | SalesLogix | Administrator
Log into application as the Admin user or a user with an Administrative role

In the Users view, double-click the user to open the User Profile dialog box

- If the user is active deactivate the user (see below).

- If the user is a remote, then make sure the Sync settings are unchecked, site code is recorded and the synchronization files are cleaned up and managed properly. (If you are a customer, you can ask for the ‘SalesLogix Cleaning Up Remote User TEF files.doc’ document.

Note: It might be necessary to manually remove TEF files from the Outfiles and Archives folders under the Host logging path. This should only be done if a Remote user leaves the company or is out of the office for an extended period of time (after which a new database needs to be created). To delete the TEF files in the Outfiles and Archives folders, sort by File Type (the file extension is the site code) and remove any files that have types that match the current active user’s site code that will be retired.

- If the Manager box is selected, clear it. (You cannot retire a user if he or she is a manager.)

- If the user has other users reporting to them, the other users will need to report to another user (at minimum the Admin user).

- In the Name box, type _RET or something similar in front of the user’s name. This step is not essential; however, it makes it easier to identify the person as a retired user in other areas of SalesLogix.

In the User Type list, select Retired User to change the user’s settings.

Press the F5 (Refresh) icon to refresh SalesLogix Administrator to ensure all changes have been made.

3. How to reinstate a user

Note: Make sure a license is available for the reinstated user. You might need to set up the synchronization settings for the user as well.

Click: Start | Programs | SalesLogix | Administrator
Log into application as the Admin user or a user with an Administrative role

In the Users view, double-click the user to open the User Profile dialog box

Note: You might need to select the Retired Users tab.

Change the user type from retired to the appropriate user type

On the General Tab, clear the Login Active check box

Click OK

Note: It is not a bad idea to have the user’s password reset.

4. How to deactivate a user

Note: When a user is deactivated they can not log in to SalesLogix, but they are still taking up a license. Users can be deactivated for many reasons, such as maternity leave, military leave or extended sickness.

Click: Start | Programs | SalesLogix | Administrator
Log into application as the Admin user or a user with an Administrative role

In the Users view, double-click the user to open the User Profile dialog box

You can highlight the user that needs the change and right-click the user

On the General Tab, clear the Login Active check box

Click OK

-If the user is a remote, it’s a good idea to clear the ‘Synchronize Changes’ and ‘Sequence Files’ check boxes on the remote tabs. This ensures that files will not write out for synchronization and sit on the server without reason.

To keep the Sage SalesLogix system running smoothly, you should perform certain administrative tasks on a regular basis. This is especially true when it comes to managing users. There are other data and user management tasks that might need to be performed along with user management like realigning data and activities. This will be a future blog entry. I hope these tips have been helpful in some way to help perform some common tasks in SalesLogix.

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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Tags: Administrators, CRM, Ohio, Sage SalesLogix, Sage SalesLogix Deployment, Sage SalesLogix Implementation, Sage SalesLogix Usage Tips
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How to uninstall the SalesLogix client

November 10th, 2010 by Paul

On occasion, there might be a need for a System Administrator to uninstall SalesLogix due to an installation issue, migration to a new client type, or the discontinued need for the SalesLogix client on the computer. Regardless of the situation, here are a few pointers to assist in the tasks to remove the SalesLogix client in a manual and efficient manner.

How to uninstall the SalesLogix client:

1. Shut down running Windows services (SalesLogix related).
Note: In some clients, no SalesLogix services may be running. If any services are running locally (optionally) then they should be shut down. This will make the uninstall a little cleaner.

From the Start button, click Run
In the Open field, type: Services.msc
Note: This opens the Services Management console.
Select OK
Scroll down the list and review the services listed in the S’s for SalesLogix related services
Highlight and right click them to select stop for each service

2. Use Add/Remove Programs to uninstall SalesLogix related applications.

Start | Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs
Remove SalesLogix Client
Remove Intellisync Client (might not be there, but just in case)
Remove SalesLogix Mail Client (should not be there, but just in case)

Note: Remove the SalesLogix Administrator if installed.

3. Remove the SalesLogix application related folders.

Browse in Windows Explorer for the following folders for removal. These folders are slightly different in Windows 7.

<drive>:\Program Files\SalesLogix
<drive>:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SalesLogix\
<drive>:\Documents and Settings\<users>\Application Data\SalesLogix
<drive:>:\Program Files\Common Files\PUMATECH Shared\Connectors\SalesLogix

4. Remove “SalesLogix” and “SLX” entries from registry.

Note: Regedit is the way I edit the registry, but be very careful when making changes in the Windows registry: unless you back it up first there is not an easy way to recover after some actions.

From the Start button, click Run
In the Open field, Type: Regedit
Click OK
Expand to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE
Right-click on the SalesLogix folder and click Delete
Expand to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE
Right-click on the SalesLogix folder and click Delete

5. Reboot the computer. Now you are ready for your next actions.

The uninstall instructions may vary slightly from version to version of SalesLogix and operating system, but these are the basic tasks to perform the uninstall action. Let us know if and how these tasks differ in your environment and we can add to or adjust our list.

If you would like more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. at one of our three locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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SalesLogix Group Copy is your friend

September 22nd, 2010 by Jim

As a SalesLogix Administrator, have you ever had a user come up to you and say…. “I accidentally deleted one of my Accounts.”? I am sure this has happened to most of you at one point in your SalesLogix career. When this happens, you have a couple of options. You can go back and restore a copy of your database from the most recent backup, but how do you just get the deleted account and not have to restore the full database? SalesLogix offers you a little known, but very powerful tool to allow you to recover just the missing Account and any record related to the Account like Contacts, Opportunities, History items, Activities, etc…. It is called GroupCopy. As the name implies, it copies a group of records from one database to another. It is also Sync aware, which means that the record will get sent to all of your remote users without you having to do any additional work. So, if you have the deleted Account in another database, all is not lost.

There is a bit of work that needs to happen before you begin your restoration project. You will need to restore the backup of your database to a new/separate database than your PRODUCTION database, very similar to creating a TEST database environment, the only real difference is this copy is only temporary until you get the deleted record restored. Once the database is restored, you will need to create an entry in Connection Manager for the database and a DataLink connection for the database in SalesLogix Client application. You will also need to create a group in the SalesLogix Client that contains the record you want to restore. This group can be restricted to only include a single record or expanded to include a selection of records that you choose. For naming the group, make it something that you will easily remember like ‘Account Fix List’, ‘Fix Listing’, or something similar. That is all the prework that you need to do.

Located in the SalesLogix installation folder under Program Files is an executable called ‘GroupCopy.exe’. When you run this executable, you are initially prompted to enter connectivity information to the Target database.

This is the database where you want your restored record to end up. The next dialog box you are presented with allows you to select the Source database to connect to.

This is the database where the deleted record resides. The next dialog box that displays, on the first tab, allows you to select the User that you created the group under and the group name itself, along with how often to commit records to the database and whether or not to show the details as the process is running.

The second tab allows you to set any conflict resolution that may need to occur.

The default settings for the information contained on this tab are usually sufficient.

Once you have your settings on both tabs correct, you are ready to Test the copy. Clicking the ‘Test’ button runs the copy, running the necessary steps to copy the deleted record from the Source database to the Target database, and then rolling back the transactions. After you have tested the copy, click the ‘Go’ button to run the actual copy job. The end result will be your record that was deleted being restored to your PRODUCTION database.

As with everything, there are always a few caveats. The first is you will lose any changes/updates that were performed by anyone to this record you are restoring after the last database backup was taken. The next is that some of the record creation dates come over as the date the Group Copy was ran and not the actual creation date of the record (this is typically a minor issue and only happens in very isolated situations on stand-alone tables).

In conclusion, Group Copy is a very powerful tool that has a specific application in the SalesLogix world. It has proven to be a lifesaver at our clients when the words …. “I accidently deleted one of my Accounts.” is spoken by a user.

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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Tags: Administrators, Data Tips, Sage SalesLogix, SalesLogix Tips and Tricks
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Spell Check Notes in Sage SalesLogix Lan – Watch How!

September 7th, 2010 by Janetta

It is easy to spell check your notes in Sage SalesLogix Activities and Tickets by right clicking and choosing Spell Check. Watch the demonstration below by clicking into the screenshot.

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Retire or Delete SalesLogix Users?

August 20th, 2010 by Kyle

If an employee leaves your company, you should retire that user and not delete the user in SalesLogix. When you delete the user, it will associate the Notes/History records to an “Unknown” user. If you retire the user, the SalesLogix Notes/History records are permanently associated to that Retired User as well as freeing up a SalesLogix license.

Before you change a user to “retired”, be sure to do the following:

If the user owns any records, do a territory realignment.
If the user is an Account Manager for any Accounts, do a territory realignment to assign a new Account Manager.
If the user is a manager, reassign any users who report to him or her to their new manager or to the Administrator.

How to retire SalesLogix users:

Login into the SalesLogix Administrator.
Click the left navigation Users icon.
Highlight a user and right-click and select “Change User Type“.
Select “Retired User” from the DropDown on the popup dialog window.
Click “OK“.

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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Tags: Charlotte, Cincinnati, CRM, Customer Relationship Management, Sage SalesLogix training, SalesLogix End Users
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Editing Activity and Calendar User Options in SalesLogix Web

June 16th, 2010 by Kyle

Sage SalesLogix provides the tools to allow you to modify some parts of the interface so that you can work in the way that suits your needs. The User Options allow you to set specific preferences for certain features such as General/Search, Group, Activity/Alarm, Calendar, Change Password, and Opportunities that appear when you start the Sage SalesLogix Web Client application. The settings that you select are recorded as being for the user who is logged on and are not visible to other Sage SalesLogix users.

To edit user options:

Login as the proper user of the SalesLogix CRM system.
On the top right status bar, click Options.
Click the tab for the options you want to edit.
- Click the Activity/Alarm tab to set options for the Activity Main View, follow-up activities, or Activity alarms.
- Click the Calendar tab to set options for the Calendar view. You can determine the information that displays on your calendar, the default view, or the day start and end times.
Click the Save button icon.

Activity/Alarm Options
Activities, Alarms, and Reminders enable you to keep track of tasks in the Sage SalesLogix Web Client. The Activity/Alarms tab allows you to specify how and when Activities, Alarms, and Reminders will display.

To set Activity and alarm options:

On the top right status bar, click Options.
Click the Activity/Alarms tab.
In the Show Activities for box, select the user whose Activities you want to display in the Activity Main View.
From the Default View drop-down list, select the tab name for the type of Activities you want to display in the Activity Main View (for example, All Open).
In the Time Frame drop-down list, select the time range of Activities you want to display in the Activities Main View.
In the Default Follow-up Activity drop-down list, select the type of Activity to be scheduled as a follow up, after you complete an activity.
In the Carry Over Notes drop-down list, select Yes if you want to carry over any existing notes.
In the Carry Over Attachments drop-down list, select Yes if you want to carry over any existing attachments.
In the Alarm Default Lead boxes, enter a number in the box and select Minute(s), Hour(s), or Day(s) from the drop-down list to determine the length of time the reminder should occur before the Activity Start Time.
Click the Display Activity Reminders drop-down arrow and select Yes to display Activity Reminders or No to prevent Activity Reminders from displaying.
Click the Display Alarms drop-down arrow and select Yes to display Activities with alarms in the Activity Reminders view or No to prevent Activities with alarms from displaying.
Click the Display Confirmations drop-down arrow and select Yes to display Activity confirmations in the Activity Reminders view or No to prevent Activity confirmations from displaying.
Click the Display Past Due drop-down arrow and select Yes to display past due Activities in the Activity Reminders view or No to prevent past due Activities from displaying.
Click the Save button icon.

Calendar Options
The User Options view displays the settings for the logged on user. These options are only applicable for that specific user in the Web Client.

Calendar Options allow you to adjust the content and appearance of your calendar to accommodate the way you work. You can set the type of information that displays in Activities, the start and end of the work day, the default calendar view, default interval on the calendar, and whether or not completed Activities (history) items display. History items only display on the day and week calendars by default. You can also set the user whose calendar is displayed by default. The logged-on user is the default.

To set calendar options:

On the top right status bar, click Options.
Click the Calendar tab.
In the Default Calendar View box, click the drop-down arrow and select the default calendar view you want to display when you open the Calendar view.
In the Show History on Calendar box, click the drop-down arrow and select Yes to display history items or No to not display history items on the day view.
In the View Calendar For box, click the Find button, select a user from the list, and then click OK.
In the Show on Activities box, click the drop-down arrow and select the Activity information you want to display on the Calendar.
In the Day Start box, click the drop-down arrow and select the time you want the Calendar to display as your start time.
In the Day End box, click the drop-down arrow and select the time you want the Calendar to display as your end time.
In the Default Interval box, click the drop-down arrow and select whether the calendar displays information in 15, 30 or 60 minute intervals.
In the Default Activity Type box, click the drop-down arrow and select a default Activity type. This is the type of Activity that will be created when you double-click on any of the Calendar views.
Click Save.

The above two tabs have been covered but there are other User Options as well such as General/Search, Group, Change Password, and Opportunities tabs that appear when you start the Sage SalesLogix Web Client application. Below is a brief description of those categories:

General/Search Options
Use the General/Search tab to specify such settings as which view opens by default when you first log into Sage SalesLogix Web Client, and who to use as the default owner for any new records you create. You can also set options for using Mail Merge, although these will not be visible unless you selected the “Use ActiveMail” check box when you logged in.

Group Options
The Group Options view display your personal preference settings for Main Views, Default Groups, and Grid Options such as auto resizing columns to prevent horizontal scrolling. These options only apply when the user is logged on to the Web Client.

Changing a Password
You have the ability to change your password through the User Options in the Web Client. Once you have made the changes you want, you must log off and then log on again for the changes to take effect.

Opportunity Options
Use the Opportunities tab to specify default attributes for any new opportunities that you enter into the Sage SalesLogix Web Client. The Opportunity Options view displays the settings for the user who is logged on. These options are only applicable for that specific user in the Web Client.

Editing User Options in Sage SalesLogix Web allows you to modify personal preferences so you can work in an environment that better suits your needs and allow each user to work as effectively as possible in the Sage SalesLogix customer relationship management (CRM) environment.

If you would like to learn more about Editing Activity and Calendar User Options or have another CRM article that you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati, OH or Chicago, IL surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Chicago, Illinois Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
950 N. Rand Rd. #123
Wauconda, IL 60084

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Tags: Activity Management, Chicago, Cincinnati, CRM, Customer Relationship Management, End Users, Illinois, Ohio, Sage SalesLogix, Sage SalesLogix v7.5.2, Sage SalesLogix Web, Sage SalesLogix Web Client, SalesLogix End Users, SalesLogix Usage
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Easy as 1-2-3: E-mailing Notes and History from SalesLogix

June 2nd, 2010 by Arminta

On many occasions I have found the need to e-mail the details of a SalesLogix History item to a client, or other non-SalesLogix user. This is something that can be done quickly and easily, if you know how! Just follow the three easy yet simple steps below.