July 2002 Issue

Tech Tip: Capture Reports to Excel

CAPTURE the output from a DataFlo Report Manager listing and convert it to an Excel Spreadsheet.

The PREVIEW Report Manager has an output CAPTURE function that enables the user to send the report to a Microsoft Text file.  With that Text file, we can use Microsoft Excel to open it and use the Excel Wizard to assist with formatting this new spreadsheet.

1. Run a DataFlo report that is in the Report Manager format and send the output to CAPTURE.

2. A ‘Send Report to Capture’ screen appears.  Enter the ‘Capture Filename’ which will be a location on your PC to send the report to.  Be sure to use the ‘txt’ extension.  For example: c:\temp\paul.txt

3. Startup Excel and open the Text item we just created.  Note: you will need to change the ‘Files of Type’ to All Files (*.*)

4. Excel will recognize that the file being opened is not of an Excel type and will offer to provide a wizard to help convert the file.  Answer <OK> and then execute the commands that will be displayed in subsequent screens to import and format your new spreadsheet.

5. Be sure to save it as an Excel file type.

Kore Adds More DataFlo Veterans

Kore Technologies has been beefing up the staff this year in order to expand the products and services we offer.  The ‘new hires’ so far this year add over 60 years of DataFlo experience to the team.  Joining Kore so far this year are:

Frank Busalacchi joined Kore Technologies as head of Customer Service.  Frank had the same role with DataWorks for 9 years before spending 9 years working on advanced technologies and supply-chain solutions for global corporations like Ford and Unilever.  Frank hopes to bring some of what he learned back to the DataFlo community as a member of the Kore team.

Clare Conroy joined Kore Technologies as a Foreign Legion officer, that is, she will be heading up our Service Operations in Europe (and beyond?).  Clare had many roles in over 12 years at Epicor, including Manager of Technical Support.  Clare sees clear advantages of combining Kore’s deep experience with products and services with her expertise in the European Epicor community.

Paul Trebbien joined Kore Technologies as Senior Support Technician.  He will be heading up support for all Kore products as well as helping customers achieve success with their DataFlo solution, as he did at DataWorks and Epicor for the last 16 years.  Paul's broader responsibilities at Kore mean he will be able to apply his expertise for the benefit of  DataFlo customers in a much wider variety of capacities.

Bob Bottomley joins Kore Technologies as a Systems Consultant. Bob has nearly 20 years experience worldwide in hardware, operating systems and databases, including upgrading and tuning and on-site installation and training,  Bob 'wrote the book' on upgrading HP systems at DataWorks/Epicor, as well as defining best approaches with IBM and SUN. Bob is part of Kore's plan to provide a one stop solution for hardware and software services.

Frank Kertai has joined Kore Technologies as a Managing Partner. Frank has been an independent consultant for the past twenty-five years. During the past 15 years he has focused on serving DataFlo customers. Frank sees the value of combining his deep consulting expertise with Kore's best-in-class products and services to help make DataFlo customers even more successful.

SICK, Inc.'s Success on the Web

Minneapolis , MN — May 22, 2002 — SICK, Inc. the North American subsidiary of SICK AG, a world-wide leader in factory automation technology, is now receiving 49% of all of their orders on the new version of their Web site, http://www.sickusa.com. By using the Kore Technologies portal capabilities, SICK Inc. was able to create a customized, user-friendly, informative environment that makes ordering SICK products easier and faster.

“We believe that eBusiness is all about enabling customers to receive more and better information anytime they need it.  Customer acceptance has been terrific, saving our sales people time, and allowing us to deliver products to our customers even faster.” commented Joe Griep, Director of eBusiness for SICK, Inc.

“By using the full capabilities of Kore Technologies' KommerceServer portal and integration capabilities, we were able to provide an easy-to-use ­ environment for our customers.”

- Eero Neuenschwander, Web Developer for SICK, Inc.

About SICK: SICK is a worldwide manufacturer of factory and process automation technology. With over 350 patents in photoelectric sensors, safety controls and bar code scanners, SICK continues to lead the industry in new product innovations. The diversity of its product line allows SICK to offer solutions at every phase of production in the automotive, packaging, electronics, food and beverage, and material handling industries.

Product and Service News

We are happy to announce a host of new products to augment our basic product line.  These new products are of two different types: (1) New solutions, i.e. solutions that have not been available before, and (2) "Express" solutions that package a set of capabilities and services as one bundled solution that offers everything you need to achieve a particular result at an attractive price.  Kore's new solutions are as follows:

Forms Manager . Kore's newest product provides the capability to print your forms on standard paper using your laser printer.  Unlike competitive solutions, Forms Manager takes advantage of the native capabilities of standard laser printers to print "overlays" and data.  This approach minimizes programming changes that need to be made to DataFlo both initially, and when upgrading, and provides the fastest possible throughput.

WebTeam. Although Kore has been actively selling WebTeam's predecessor, "eProject", the enhancements that have been made to the product are so substantial that we are treating it as a new product.  WebTeam is the ideal product for managing projects and communications across teams, companies, and supply-chain partners.

New Express Solutions. Kore has just announced its new Express solutions: webPortal (customer portal), webSalesForce (sales force support), webStoreFront (e-storefront), Messenger (bundled Kourier e-mail messaging), Publisher (bundled forms publishing plus Messenger), and Integrator (bundled Kourier integration). Check out the new Kore Web site, www.koretech.com, for more information

E-Commerce: Who Gets the Value?

It seems like every month there is another story about a company that made a significant investment in e-business technology that eventually didn't work out.  Although there are a number of different  reasons why these projects fail, ultimately companies didn't get the value they expected for their solutions. Yet, as one can see from the story above (SICK, Inc's Success on the Web), some companies are having great success. What seems to be missing is an approach to evaluating e-Commerce investments that ensures that the products and services acquired as part of an e-Commerce project will provide real value.

Kore Technologies outlined just such an approach at the Epicor Users Group Annual Conference held last month in Minneapolis.  The presentation, "The Pitfalls of e-Commerce: finding your way through a sea of hype, claims, and counterclaims" described a simple approach for analyzing your company that makes the principles behind building your own e-Commerce roadmap obvious.

People who receive this newsletter can request a personal, private walkthrough of this informative presentation simply by emailing a request to frankb@koretech.com.  It will take about an hour of your time.  We're here to help!