Here are the top three questions submitted last month, with answers from Plumbline’s Technical staff:

Q:  I heard there was a booklet available with 60 sample BIO® reports. Where can I find this?

A:  You can order a hardcopy on PartnerSource for $15.00, or download it here for free.

Q:  What is the best way to change an Inventory item from Stock to Non-Stock? I know how to change the item in the inventory table to not be a stock item but I am concerned about consequences of doing that. If I just change the item to not be a stock item will it break anything? Do I need to change any other tables besides Inventory?

A:  We would recommend that you bring the quantity and cost to zero and then “retire (INTran.S4future05 = 1)” or “retire & archive (INTran.S4future05 = 1 and then move to INArchTran)” the existing INTran records. The problem with doing otherwise is that the INTran records that already exist are written as stock-affecting transactions (s4future09 = 0) but the transactions going forward would not affect stock (s4future09 = 1). This can and often will cause problems with availability calculations and/or quantity on hand/history rebuilds down the road. An alternate option would be to set up a new inventory ID and set the old one to a status where it cannot be used. Also see KB issue # 849077.

Q:  Why do some clients have only one file export format option in Crystal, while other clients have many?

A:  The export file format options displayed are a function of various dll files being present (or not) anywhere in the Windows path (such as C:\windows\crystal or C:\Program Files\Common Files\Crystal Decisions\2.5\bin). They don't need to be registered. Those files present will be recognized and display as format options when you export a previewed report. You can find the u2d files on Dynamics SL disk 2 in the Crystal cab files. In Crystal 8.5, there is a series of files that start with u2f. The "F" files are the formats and the "D" files are the destinations such as disk and email (mapi).

In one version of Solomon there was an error that had a correction file for it. The issue was that it didn't put the files in during an install. The work around was to copy them manually or use this hot fix file.  In Crystal 10, the files took on different names and locations. The files are stored in the C:\Program Files\Common
Files\Crystal Decisions\2.5\bin directory. The destination files are still named with the U2D at the beginning. The format files now start with CRXF. You can tell what they are for by the next segment after the underscore. You will see formats such as HTML, PDF, XLS and RTF.