Looking for Vantage references - negative or positi ve

Yahoo Archive
1
Yes........reconciliing WIP can be a real struggle. One reason is due to
timing differences as mentioned.

There is a report showing all transactions to the WIP account(s), but
finding the offending transaction(s) is laborious.
Ask to see an Inventory/WIP Reconciliation report and trace transactions.

My guess is that if programmers had to do much real reconciliation, they
would listen to Support and customers more about the need for changing their
programming.

Deb Wilmoth
Controller
Reeder & Kline Machine Company, Inc.
Vantage 5.0


-----Original Message-----
From: Michele Jurkaites [mailto:mjurkaites@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 4:00 PM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or
positi ve


I want to thank everyone that responded to my email regarding negative
and/or positive feedback. If anyone still has input, I would love to hear
it, either in the forum or directly to me via HYPERLINK
"mailto:mjurkaites@..."mjurkaites@.... I do
have one other follow-up question specifically to you accounting people out
there...do you have any problems reconciling your stock inventory cost
report to your general ledger balance at the end of the month? And on a
related note, what about reconciling your WIP account? This has been a
MAJOR problem for us with our current system due to not all transactions
processed in the manufacturing package interfacing with our financial
package. The customer we just visited mentioned having problems reconciling
the report to the general ledger, although also said it could be related to
a timing difference. If we end up selecting Vantage and I end up still
having to spend a considerable amount of time reconciling inventory like I
do now, I know our Chairman will not be happy we spent as much money as we
are contemplating. Has anyone out there had these problems?





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
2
Thank you for the reply. We heard very good things about Made2Manage, but
the fact that about 6 months or so after they were acquired by another
company, their top executives were all fired scared us off a little bit. We
heard good things about the Great Plains package and that would have been
great since we already have the accounting package, but there were some key
things that it didn't do for us. In fact, after the reseller visited us,
they were actually the ones that pulled out a little and were honest about
the fact that they didn't really fit, which I had enormous respect for them
doing that. Since you mentioned you were in IT, what is your opinion about
Progress vs SQL? I am NOT an IT person, but am interested in your thoughts
about how easy/difficult it is for you to support your users. I can pass
along any of your comments to our IT person.

-----Original Message-----
From: Leonard, Jeremy [mailto:jleonard@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:13 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive


I'm not a huge Vantage fan but I think it does all that you have mentioned
very well. I'm in IT so I am more interested in the "NERDY" aspects of it.
Database, front end, ect... As for Syteline, one of our sister companies
purchased it two years ago and their IT Manager told me that they think its
all but worthless. Have you Checked out Made2Manage? I hear lot of good
things about that product as well as Navision. Then again, I have also
heard that Great Plains eManufacturing package is supposed to rock.

Hope that helps.
Jeremy Leonard
IT Manager
K-T Corporation


-----Original Message-----
From: maronprod [mailto:mjurkaites@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:02 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive


I apologize in advance if the following question is out of the scope
of this group. I am the Controller at a company that is currently in
the middle of a software search to replace our current
manufacturing/accounting package. We are currently using MAX from
Exact software for ERP and Great Plains from Microsoft for
accounting. After doing some initial research, we elected to see
software demos for Vantage, Syteline from MAAPICS, and Lilly from
Visual. At this point, we have narrowed it down to Vantage or
Syteline, pending additional research and reference checks. The
problem of course with references is the vendor isn't going to give
me someone who isn't happy with their software. I participate in a
Yahoo group for my current software, and have found the group to be
an invaluable resource for me. So my question to this group: if you
were going to purchase software today, would you purchase Vantage?
This is a considerable investment for us, and I appreciate any
comments you would like to throw our way. I've seen the product and
we are visiting a current customer today, but I would love to hear
about the things Vantage doesn't handle well. In a sense, so no
software package will fit us perfectly, I almost feel like you
sometimes pick the lesser of the evils, and I would therefore love to
hear what the evils of Vantage are. I would especially be interested
in knowing how you feel the system tracks the inventory through WIP
(is it possible to know what stage the parts are in at the click of a
button), how well you think the base scheduler works and how easy is
it to use, and if the system has the capabilities to track for
changes in orders (regardless of whether it is a customer order, shop
order, or purchase order to a vendor). From an accounting
standpoint, I am also interested in your opinion regarding how easy
or difficult it is to do costing analysis and close out the month-
end. Please feel free to respond directly to me at the above email
address. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give. I know
everyone is busy, so I appreciate the help.

Michele L. Jurkaites
Controller
Maron Products, Inc.




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: HYPERLINK
"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/."http://groups.yahoo.com/group
/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: HYPERLINK
"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages"http://groups.yahoo.com/grou
p/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: HYPERLINK
"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v
antage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links







Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: HYPERLINK
"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/."http://groups.yahoo.com/group
/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: HYPERLINK
"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages"http://groups.yahoo.com/grou
p/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: HYPERLINK
"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v
antage/links



_____

Yahoo! Groups Links


* To visit your group on the web, go to:
HYPERLINK
"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantag
e/


* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
HYPERLINK
"mailto:vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe"vantage-unsu
bscribe@yahoogroups.com


* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the HYPERLINK
"http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/"Yahoo! Terms of Service.



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3
This may not be the same----but I have a HP Pavilion laptop that
has a wireless communications and I use it to train others on Vantage. I
can do any and
all of the transactions in Vantage without being connected. We
have a Wireless-G 24GHz Linksys by the Server.
Ron

-----Original Message-----
From: Jasper Recto [mailto:jrecto@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:28 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive


One thing about Vantage is that it does not support any sort of wireless
technology yet. I say yet because it's supposed to in version 7. We have a
large shop floor and we would like to have a wireless PDA that can do
inventory checks, material issues, and other functions without having to go
back to our desks. I've worked with other software where you can take a
symbol scanner/PDA and use its software to interface with our ERP. Vantage
does not interface with third party software. Our account rep even told me
that to this date, he know of no company that has been able to write code
that interfaces well with vantage. This is all supposed to change in
version 7.

As for Progress vs. SQL. I would take SQL any day but Vantage works best on
Progress. Not sure how many people us the SQL version but I hear more cons
about that then pros.

Jasper

-----Original Message-----
From: Michele Jurkaites [mailto:mjurkaites@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:18 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or
positive


Thank you for the reply. We heard very good things about Made2Manage, but
the fact that about 6 months or so after they were acquired by another
company, their top executives were all fired scared us off a little bit. We
heard good things about the Great Plains package and that would have been
great since we already have the accounting package, but there were some key
things that it didn't do for us. In fact, after the reseller visited us,
they were actually the ones that pulled out a little and were honest about
the fact that they didn't really fit, which I had enormous respect for them
doing that. Since you mentioned you were in IT, what is your opinion about
Progress vs SQL? I am NOT an IT person, but am interested in your thoughts
about how easy/difficult it is for you to support your users. I can pass
along any of your comments to our IT person.

-----Original Message-----
From: Leonard, Jeremy [mailto:jleonard@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:13 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive


I'm not a huge Vantage fan but I think it does all that you have mentioned
very well. I'm in IT so I am more interested in the "NERDY" aspects of it.
Database, front end, ect... As for Syteline, one of our sister companies
purchased it two years ago and their IT Manager told me that they think its
all but worthless. Have you Checked out Made2Manage? I hear lot of good
things about that product as well as Navision. Then again, I have also
heard that Great Plains eManufacturing package is supposed to rock.

Hope that helps.
Jeremy Leonard
IT Manager
K-T Corporation


-----Original Message-----
From: maronprod [mailto:mjurkaites@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:02 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive


I apologize in advance if the following question is out of the scope
of this group. I am the Controller at a company that is currently in
the middle of a software search to replace our current
manufacturing/accounting package. We are currently using MAX from
Exact software for ERP and Great Plains from Microsoft for
accounting. After doing some initial research, we elected to see
software demos for Vantage, Syteline from MAAPICS, and Lilly from
Visual. At this point, we have narrowed it down to Vantage or
Syteline, pending additional research and reference checks. The
problem of course with references is the vendor isn't going to give
me someone who isn't happy with their software. I participate in a
Yahoo group for my current software, and have found the group to be
an invaluable resource for me. So my question to this group: if you
were going to purchase software today, would you purchase Vantage?
This is a considerable investment for us, and I appreciate any
comments you would like to throw our way. I've seen the product and
we are visiting a current customer today, but I would love to hear
about the things Vantage doesn't handle well. In a sense, so no
software package will fit us perfectly, I almost feel like you
sometimes pick the lesser of the evils, and I would therefore love to
hear what the evils of Vantage are. I would especially be interested
in knowing how you feel the system tracks the inventory through WIP
(is it possible to know what stage the parts are in at the click of a
button), how well you think the base scheduler works and how easy is
it to use, and if the system has the capabilities to track for
changes in orders (regardless of whether it is a customer order, shop
order, or purchase order to a vendor). From an accounting
standpoint, I am also interested in your opinion regarding how easy
or difficult it is to do costing analysis and close out the month-
end. Please feel free to respond directly to me at the above email
address. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give. I know
everyone is busy, so I appreciate the help.

Michele L. Jurkaites
Controller
Maron Products, Inc.




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group>
/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/grou <http://groups.yahoo.com/grou>
p/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v>
antage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links







Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group>
/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/grou <http://groups.yahoo.com/grou>
p/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v>
antage/links



_____

Yahoo! Groups Links


* To visit your group on the web, go to:
HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantag <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantag>
e/


* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
HYPERLINK
"mailto:vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe"vantage-unsu
bscribe@yahoogroups.com


* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the HYPERLINK
" http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>
"Yahoo! Terms of Service.



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>
Yahoo! Groups Links







Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>



_____

Yahoo! Groups Links


* To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/>


* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>


* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
4
Jeremy:
I thought Vantage's next revision is going to use SQL? Am I
wrong?
Ron

-----Original Message-----
From: Leonard, Jeremy [mailto:jleonard@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:44 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive


DO NOT use SQL Server with Vantage. We went that route a few years ago and
it was a disaster. This has nothing to do with SQL Server. Its the way
Vantage was written. If you go with Vantage then use Progress. I prefer
SQL Server over Progress but there are others on this list that would
disagree. I would not care what database it used if the ODBC worked as it
should. There are a few issues, such as accessing a memo field with ODBC
that is a real pain. The Merant (Progress) ODBC driver can not access
anything over 3000 characters long. The query will bomb out. The ODBC
Driver is also very slow compaired to the ODBC Drivers I am used to working
with. On a positive note, Progress is cheep and reliable. It is also very
fast when used with 4GL.

Made2Manage is based here in Indianapolis and I have heard the new company
is dumping tons of cash into it. They also seem to be taking good care of
the employees.

Hope that helps,
Jeremy


-----Original Message-----
From: Michele Jurkaites [mailto:mjurkaites@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:18 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or
positive


Thank you for the reply. We heard very good things about Made2Manage, but
the fact that about 6 months or so after they were acquired by another
company, their top executives were all fired scared us off a little bit. We
heard good things about the Great Plains package and that would have been
great since we already have the accounting package, but there were some key
things that it didn't do for us. In fact, after the reseller visited us,
they were actually the ones that pulled out a little and were honest about
the fact that they didn't really fit, which I had enormous respect for them
doing that. Since you mentioned you were in IT, what is your opinion about
Progress vs SQL? I am NOT an IT person, but am interested in your thoughts
about how easy/difficult it is for you to support your users. I can pass
along any of your comments to our IT person.

-----Original Message-----
From: Leonard, Jeremy [mailto:jleonard@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:13 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive


I'm not a huge Vantage fan but I think it does all that you have mentioned
very well. I'm in IT so I am more interested in the "NERDY" aspects of it.
Database, front end, ect... As for Syteline, one of our sister companies
purchased it two years ago and their IT Manager told me that they think its
all but worthless. Have you Checked out Made2Manage? I hear lot of good
things about that product as well as Navision. Then again, I have also
heard that Great Plains eManufacturing package is supposed to rock.

Hope that helps.
Jeremy Leonard
IT Manager
K-T Corporation


-----Original Message-----
From: maronprod [mailto:mjurkaites@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:02 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive


I apologize in advance if the following question is out of the scope
of this group. I am the Controller at a company that is currently in
the middle of a software search to replace our current
manufacturing/accounting package. We are currently using MAX from
Exact software for ERP and Great Plains from Microsoft for
accounting. After doing some initial research, we elected to see
software demos for Vantage, Syteline from MAAPICS, and Lilly from
Visual. At this point, we have narrowed it down to Vantage or
Syteline, pending additional research and reference checks. The
problem of course with references is the vendor isn't going to give
me someone who isn't happy with their software. I participate in a
Yahoo group for my current software, and have found the group to be
an invaluable resource for me. So my question to this group: if you
were going to purchase software today, would you purchase Vantage?
This is a considerable investment for us, and I appreciate any
comments you would like to throw our way. I've seen the product and
we are visiting a current customer today, but I would love to hear
about the things Vantage doesn't handle well. In a sense, so no
software package will fit us perfectly, I almost feel like you
sometimes pick the lesser of the evils, and I would therefore love to
hear what the evils of Vantage are. I would especially be interested
in knowing how you feel the system tracks the inventory through WIP
(is it possible to know what stage the parts are in at the click of a
button), how well you think the base scheduler works and how easy is
it to use, and if the system has the capabilities to track for
changes in orders (regardless of whether it is a customer order, shop
order, or purchase order to a vendor). From an accounting
standpoint, I am also interested in your opinion regarding how easy
or difficult it is to do costing analysis and close out the month-
end. Please feel free to respond directly to me at the above email
address. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give. I know
everyone is busy, so I appreciate the help.

Michele L. Jurkaites
Controller
Maron Products, Inc.




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group>
/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/grou <http://groups.yahoo.com/grou>
p/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v>
antage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links







Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group>
/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/grou <http://groups.yahoo.com/grou>
p/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/v>
antage/links



_____

Yahoo! Groups Links


* To visit your group on the web, go to:
HYPERLINK
" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/> "
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantag <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantag>
e/


* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
HYPERLINK
"mailto:vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe"vantage-unsu
bscribe@yahoogroups.com


* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the HYPERLINK
" http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>
"Yahoo! Terms of Service.



---
Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
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<http://www.grisoft.com).>
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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system ( http://www.grisoft.com).
<http://www.grisoft.com).>
Version: 6.0.595 / Virus Database: 378 - Release Date: 2/25/2004



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>
Yahoo! Groups Links







Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>



_____

Yahoo! Groups Links


* To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/>


* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>


* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
5
Michele

In golf it's the golfers swing not the brand of clubs that matters, in ERP
it's the implementation not the ERP Vendor that matters. As you visit ERP
installations use the 20 second rule. Ask the demo site questions such has
show me how you look up this or that. Make the questions routine business
tasks you would perform. "Did we just send a check to this vendor?", etc...
They will think you are studying the mechanics of the software. If they can
display the answer on the screen in 20 seconds you have a good system, if
the say "well" or "but" a lot your in trouble. Vantage handles the 20 second
rule pretty good for made to order manufacturing companies otherwise their
would not be over 900 of us in this group.

Patrick

-----Original Message-----
From: maronprod [mailto:mjurkaites@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:02 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive

I apologize in advance if the following question is out of the scope of this
group. I am the Controller at a company that is currently in the middle of
a software search to replace our current manufacturing/accounting package.
We are currently using MAX from Exact software for ERP and Great Plains from
Microsoft for accounting. After doing some initial research, we elected to
see software demos for Vantage, Syteline from MAAPICS, and Lilly from
Visual. At this point, we have narrowed it down to Vantage or Syteline,
pending additional research and reference checks. The problem of course
with references is the vendor isn't going to give me someone who isn't happy
with their software. I participate in a Yahoo group for my current
software, and have found the group to be an invaluable resource for me. So
my question to this group: if you were going to purchase software today,
would you purchase Vantage?
This is a considerable investment for us, and I appreciate any comments you
would like to throw our way. I've seen the product and we are visiting a
current customer today, but I would love to hear about the things Vantage
doesn't handle well. In a sense, so no software package will fit us
perfectly, I almost feel like you sometimes pick the lesser of the evils,
and I would therefore love to hear what the evils of Vantage are. I would
especially be interested in knowing how you feel the system tracks the
inventory through WIP (is it possible to know what stage the parts are in at
the click of a button), how well you think the base scheduler works and how
easy is it to use, and if the system has the capabilities to track for
changes in orders (regardless of whether it is a customer order, shop order,
or purchase order to a vendor). From an accounting standpoint, I am also
interested in your opinion regarding how easy or difficult it is to do
costing analysis and close out the month- end. Please feel free to respond
directly to me at the above email address. Thank you in advance for any
advice you can give. I know everyone is busy, so I appreciate the help.

Michele L. Jurkaites
Controller
Maron Products, Inc.




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links
6
Here goes..........an accounting perspective.....I figured you would get
several responses when asking such an open ended, opinion oriented question
and we did not disappoint you. These, too, are my personal opinions......We
are a few versions behind, but I haven't heard that any of my issues have
changed.....

1)I agree with others about the great value of this user group.
2)Vantage support is wonderful and my favorite folks are still around.
3)Payroll module is good, except that I would prefer that it generate the
real checks first and then ask for regular white paper stock for the direct
deposit individuals who get voided checks. The A/P module does this and I
like that feature.
I would also like for Vantage to be able to generate a NACHA file.
But...we've got direct deposit set up and flowing nicely.

4)I would like to see improvements to the canned reports out of Vantage.
Some of them are date sensitive. That is a nuisance (at best). I would
also like to see dollar amounts on the Quality: "Receipt Inspection Pending"
report-that would make reconciliation so very much easier.

5) My biggest pet peeve is in the reconciliation of the A/P Clearing
account. We had a discussion about this one day on the list and there are
some who manage to reconcile it monthly. There are some folks, like me, who
believe that Epicor should get their act together and change the programming
code to alleviate some of the monthly hassle and program Vantage according
to GAAP. Again, Vantage is date sensitive in many respects and that causes
the problem. Purchasing receipts need to be received in Vantage on the last
day of the month not the first day of the next month, etc.

Procedures, procedures, procedures. IF you know how the program works and
choose to behave differently (like I do) it causes you problems that could
be solved by changing procedures or using workarounds of some sort. That
will be true of any software you implement. Management support is crucial.

6) Vantage is very stable. Shirley made reference to data being WRITTEN IN
STONE. There's an expression that floats around Vantage Land........."God
forgives, Vantage does not." Some things just cannot be deleted. That can
be a very good thing. We also like the traceability features, but did find
it necessary to enhance the serial number tracking through custom
programming.

7) Good things for tracking information include the memos and comments
areas.


Deb Wilmoth
Controller
Reeder & Kline Machine Company, Inc.
Vantage 5.0





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
7
As you may have guessed, Shirley is our breath of fresh air!

Deb Wilmoth
Controller
Reeder & Kline Machine Company, Inc.
Vantage 5.0


-----Original Message-----
From: Shirley Graver [mailto:shirleyg@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 1:54 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or
positive


Michele
If you do decide on Vantage and join this list be prepared for:

Rants: On every and any subject
Laughs: On anything, Everything, when you least expect it. (ever hear the
BEAR joke?)
Help: On everything
Opinions: On everything.
Respect: From everybody .... (or else)

Don't get me wrong Vantage is the topic here but some days we just get plain
silly.

Shirley

Tracking #: E8C6CC29E5F4B848949FA4E353348E498FE887BC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
8
From the purchasing point of view, I have enjoyed using the software. There
is a lot of flexibility. If one wants to get peevish, I would make the
following complaint...

There are several separate groups represented in the software: sales,
purchasing, production, accounting, etc. Not all of the the screens are
consistently written. Very good ideas used in some areas are not
implemented elsewhere (for all users). We are still on 5.0 and will soon be
moving to 6.1, but I have heard that some goodies that sales has, won't be
avail to purchasing until Sonoma is released.

Kinda makes me feel like a red headed step child.
You'll notice work arounds mentioned quite a bit. Don't waist a lot of
time trying make something work that you think should be logical. Call
support and see if Vantage is actually able to do it. A good example for us
was: Bill of Lading. It is available on 5.0, however it doesn't work very
well, and won't do what we need for it to do. We didn't find that out until
we tried awhile to make it work, then called support. Answer is: We have to
upgrade Vantage to get what we want.

That's all for now.
Rhonda

-----Original Message-----
From: maronprod [mailto:mjurkaites@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:02 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Looking for Vantage references - negative or positive



Michele L. Jurkaites
Controller
Maron Products, Inc.




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>



_____

Yahoo! Groups Links


* To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/>


* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>


* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
9
I want to thank everyone that responded to my email regarding negative
and/or positive feedback. If anyone still has input, I would love to hear
it, either in the forum or directly to me via HYPERLINK
"mailto:mjurkaites@..."mjurkaites@.... I do
have one other follow-up question specifically to you accounting people out
there...do you have any problems reconciling your stock inventory cost
report to your general ledger balance at the end of the month? And on a
related note, what about reconciling your WIP account? This has been a
MAJOR problem for us with our current system due to not all transactions
processed in the manufacturing package interfacing with our financial
package. The customer we just visited mentioned having problems reconciling
the report to the general ledger, although also said it could be related to
a timing difference. If we end up selecting Vantage and I end up still
having to spend a considerable amount of time reconciling inventory like I
do now, I know our Chairman will not be happy we spent as much money as we
are contemplating. Has anyone out there had these problems?





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]