Features

Order Entry

Tailored to the specific needs of the office furniture dealership

Purchasing

Purchasing is fully integrated with the order entry process, enabling you to automate some or all purchasing functions.

Electronic Purchasing with Manufacturers

Internet-based purchasing with major furniture manufacturers as well as national and regional wholesalers and buying groups

Salesperson Commissions

Create and manage effective compensation programs for your sales force.

Accounts Receivable

Simplified customer account management and payment processing, including customer deposits

Reporting

Hundreds of standard sales and management reports, a powerful report-writing tool and the ability to export data into third-party reporting applications

Payroll

Integrated payroll application eliminates the need for outsourcing or additional software.

Point-of-Sale

Use DDMS for walk-in sales or to manage a complete retail operation.

Customers

Manage customer data, preferences, contracts, buying history and more.

Shipping

Optimize shipping processes and delivery routes for maximum efficiency.

Warehouse Management

Reduce costs by streamlining warehouse processes.

Proof-of-Delivery

Optional delivery management system with UPS-style electronic signature

Specification Software Integration

Import .SIF files from all popular specification programs.

Project Management

View and manage important information about a project in one convenient, easy-to-read screen.

Faxing/E-mailing

Fax or e-mail statements, invoices or purchase orders directly from your business system.

Accounts Payable

Automate payments to suppliers and vendors. Track and manage deposits to vendors.

Credit Card Processing

Automated Level I, II or III credit card processing available

Financial Management

Complete financial oversight of your company, including a “President’s Screen,” giving managers instant access to your current financial information

General Ledger

Complete G/L application supporting drill-down review of financial date and responsibility center accounting

Automated Tasks

Automate routine operational and maintenance procedures.

Vendors

Track supplier and vendor information, contracts, payment terms and more.

Inventory

Inventory control and complete supplier pricing records

Employees

Track and manage salespeople and employees.

Designed by Dealers

ECi business systems are software designed by dealers, for dealers.

Industry Relationships

ECi plays a major role in the OFDA Standards Committee, and maintains relationships with numerous manufacturers, wholesalers and buying groups.

Support

When you need help with your DDMS systems and storefronts, take advantage of our DDMS support system’s customer portal at support.ECiSolutions.com to request assistance from your friendly DDMS Technical Support Team.

The customer portal does not replace your DDMS support team, who still operate during normal business hours. The portal simply:

• Provides you with best-in-class, convenient access to support for your ECi software.
• Consolidates in one secure place all ticket-related attachments, conversations between techs and customers, and linked development issues.
• Streamlines the way you manage your support tickets, and make access to your issues transparent.

Business Hours

DDMS Technical Support is available during regular business hours in Fort Worth, Texas, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time.

24/7 Support Services are available on a billable basis outside of regular business hours, 7 days a week.

Holiday Closures

ECi facilities will close on the nearest weekday to observe the following U.S. national holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Memorial Day
• Fourth of July
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Days (Thursday and Friday)
• Christmas Eve
• Christmas Day

E-mail Addresses

• ECi Technical Support:
• O/PUS Technical Support:
• BPIR Download Support:
• KeyOps Newsletter Comments:
• Documentation Corrections:

To update your company’s address, phone, fax, keyop contact information, or company name in our records (Please include your correct e-mail address, company name, account number and phone number for validation purposes):

To unsubscribe from certain e-mails, change your e-mail address, or add additional recipients to an e-mail subscription (Please include your correct e-mail address, company name, account number and phone number for validation purposes):

Phone Numbers

• Toll-Free: 800-366-4778
• Phone: 682-831-0827
• Fax: 682- 831-9919

Shipping Address

To ship hardware or other items to ECi Technical Support, please use the following address:

ECi Technical Support
eCommerce Industries, Inc.
4400 Alliance Gateway Frwy, Suite 154
Fort Worth, TX 76177

Accounting

Accounting and Remittance are handled by ECi headquarters:

To contact ECi Accounting:

• E-mail:
• Phone: 800-959-3373

To Remit Payment to ECi, please use the following address:

eCommerce Industries, Inc.
PO Box 200164
Pittsburgh, PA 15251-0164

Training

DDMS Training Classes

ECi offers training classes for both new and existing DDMS users. Individual classes focus on specific topics and may include hands-on practice with the DDMS software. These classes are typically held at ECi’s Fort Worth, Texas facility.

These classes are the perfect training opportunity for:

• Dealers who are new to the DDMS system
• Dealers who are preparing to convert from text-based to graphical applications
• Dealers who want to use the graphical Order Entry, Purchasing, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable applications
• Dealers who want to learn Report Writer
• Dealers who want to learn period-end procedures, including Day End, Month End, Year End and O/PUS

The seminars supplement the ECi Virtual Classroom program with live instruction in a traditional classroom setting. Software training on ECi products is also available at our regional and national users meetings.

While no DDMS training classes are currently scheduled for the remainder of 2008, be sure be sure to check our site regularly to see if additional classes have been announced. We regularly add classes to the schedule in response to customer demand.

You can also e-mail and request Personalized Remote Training or On-site Training on a specific topic.

DDMS Virtual Classroom Training

Training is essential for a successful software implementation, but travel costs and time away from your business can be significant obstacles — especially when you want to provide training for a large number of employees.

ECi’s Internet-based Virtual Classrooms provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional classroom training. Class content is displayed via the Internet, while you interact with the instructor and the other students over the telephone.

Potential benefits include:

• No travel or lodging costs
• Minimal time investment – attend live classes without leaving your desk
• Watching software demonstrations while interacting with the trainer and other students
• Asking questions in real time
• Hearing other student’s questions and comments

Virtual Product Training

ECi offers general product orientation/overview classes designed for new and beginning DDMS customers, as well as more in-depth training on DDMS and related ECi software applications. Currently, Virtual Classroom training for DDMS customers is available for the following products:

• DDMS Business System
• Dealer Station Web Storefront
• ECinteractive™ Web Storefront

DDMS Onsite Training

For most people, face-to-face instruction is still the most effective training option. ECi can provide personalized DDMS training right at your site with a curriculum personalized to your specific objectives and business requirements.

This type of training can be especially effective for larger companies who need to train multiple employees. Conduct formal classes for your employees right at your site to minimize business disruptions, or have the consultant give individualized instruction to specific employees in key areas of your company.

Onsite training offers other advantages as well. In addition to conducting classes, trainers can:

• Assist with software implementation
• Configure software applications to meet your business needs
• Integrate new software applications with your existing business practices
• Demonstrate how to use specific software features

To get more information about onsite training, or to schedule training for your company, contact Sales at (866) 374-3221, or e-mail .

Custom Programming

ECi’s DDMS business system is not only robust enough to manage multiple lines of business, it’s flexible enough to support multiple operational flows. Extensive preference and option settings enable you to tailor the software’s operation to meet your needs.

While most companies implement DDMS without any custom programming, some may need specialized software designed to meet specific business requirements or optimized for a unique operational flow.

ECi can alter or enhance existing product functionality — or develop completely new applications — to match your company’s needs. Projects can be as simple as a unique report customized for your company, or as complex as a complete new business system application.

We follow the same rigorous implementation methodology for custom software that we use for other ECi products, with detailed specifications and project planning that integrates custom software development with your overall project implementation.

ECi offers custom programming to meet the needs of wholesalers, buying groups and manufacturers as well as individual dealers, distributors and resellers.

For more information on custom programming services for ECi’s DDMS business systems or related products, contact Sales at (866) 374-3221, or e-mail .

System Requirements

DDMS® is a very powerful and versatile business system. To get the most out of it, you need computer hardware that can handle the demands you’ll place on the system, and give you reliable, efficient performance.

Take advantage of having a current DDMS server that provides the latest in hardware technology for the DDMS system. Choose from the HP Proliant ML350 G5 or a Dell Power Edge 2900 Raid 5 server. To save money on your DDMS server, see our limited time offer.

To run DDMS®, the recommended configurations are below:

	Small Business	Larger Business
License Size	1-15 Concurrent Users	More than 15 users Multiple verticals (supplies and furniture and/or machines) > 4 GB SQL Database
Operating System	Windows 2008 Standard Server (either 32-bit or 64-bit), or Windows 2003 Standard Server SP2 (32-bit only) installed as a stand-alone, member server, not a domain controller	Windows 2008 Standard Server R2 (either 32-bit or 64-bit), or Windows 2003 Standard Server SP2 (32-bit only), installed as a stand-alone, member server, not a domain controller
CPU	Twin 2.0 GHz CPUs each Quad Core, 1333 system bus	Additional or faster Quad Core CPUs, each: 2.4+ GHz faster processing speed 400 MHz faster bus 512 MB more cache
RAM	4 GB RAM max in Windows 2003 Standard Server SP2	6-8 GB RAM max in Windows 2003 Enterprise Server 32 GB RAM max in Windows 2008 Standard Server 2 TB RAM in Windows 2008 Enterprise, Datacenter, and Itanium
Disk Space	Two 72 GB hard drives, mirrored, each 15000+ rpm Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) The D drive holding DDMS data and applications should be a physically separate disk from the C drive holding the operating system.	RAID hard drive configuration: Two 36+ GB operating system (C:\) drives (RAID 1), mirrored Four 72+ GB data (D:\) drives (RAID 5), two for data, one for parity, one for hot swap Each 15,000 RPM Each Hot-swappable Each Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)
SQL Server	SQL Server 2005 Express for reporting (included at no charge)	SQL Server 2005 Workgroup or Standard Edition (purchase separately)
Power	Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) Recommended	Two hot-swappable power supplies
Third Party Software	Network anti-virus strongly recommended Latest release of PcAnywhere–Host version Ataman™ TCP Remote Logon Services software	Network anti-virus strongly recommended Latest release of PcAnywhere–Host version 200+ users — Replace Ataman with Georgia Softworks Telnet Server software
Network	100 MHz or greater Network Interface Card (NIC) required (SNP Compatible) Category 5 cable TCP/IP network protocol Firewall open to one or more ports to be specified by our Support department Internet access via an always-on, dedicated broadband connection (DSL, cable modem, or other permanent connection, such as a T1 line or frame relay) for online software downloads, remote diagnostics, Web integration, and supplier communications.
Data Backup	Backup media: For Windows 2003 — 36/72 GB tape drive; For Windows 2008 (does not support tape drives) — RD-1000 Data Cartridge Backup or remote backup.
Printers	PostScript printer for PlanetPress forms One dot-matrix printer required for some system reports. Serial printers must be connected to a print server. (DDMS no longer supports "slave" printers connected directly to dumb terminals)
Modem	(Optional per your customer or supplier communications needs) One of these modems: MultiTech MT 1932ZDX 19.2 Kbps MultiTech MT 2834ZDX 28.8 Kbps MultiTech MT 2834ZDX 33.6 Kbps
Other	Comply with the Microsoft® hardware compatibility list for your operating system.
Vendor Communications	To transmit purchase orders to your vendors, receive vendor acknowledgements, perform stock and price checks, and receive some vendors’ invoices via the ECi Private Supply Network (PSN), Activate Your PSN Account. To update your item database and customer contracts with industry-standard office product SKUs, descriptions, and quarterly pricing changes, ECi Content Services has partnered with Trade Service Corporation to support O/PUS® multi-vendor database and toolbox for DDMS, S.I.M.P.L.E. update wizard, PSNControl file download software, and Chain Store Data. Contact Trade Service Corporation for more information. Activate Your PSN Account, selecting the O/PUS PSN.
Credit Card Processing	ECi DDMS ApprovalLink™ software connects your DDMS business system to authorization software for quick, easy processing of procurement and credit card transactions. For technical details and system requirements, see Credit Card Processing with Approval Link 4.0 (pdf).

Additional products and services have their own requirements.

Client Workstations

Client Workstations
Operating System	64-bit or 32-bit: Windows 7 Pro, Windows Vista™ Business Edition, or Windows® XP Professional or higher
CPU	Pentium IV 2.0 GHz or greater
RAM	1 GB RAM (More if the client also runs software other than DDMS)
Disk Space	1 GB available on the hard drive
Network Interface	100 MHz or greater network interface required
Data Backup	User preferred backup of DDMS client software recommended
Anti-Virus	Network anti-virus strongly recommended
Power	Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) Recommended
Printer	PostScript printer required for PlanetPress forms
Remote Support	Internet connection required

Multiple Branch/Locations Require Separate Terminal Services Server

DDMS supports multiple branch and remote site installations. The configuration for hardware, software and communication connections to facilitate remote sites can vary depending upon the operating system selected, the availability of local communication network support and the communication products from your local phone company. We recommend contacting your local providers to determine the most efficient and cost effective method of supporting remote sites.

Depending on how many remote users you have, a multiple-location configuration can makes serious demands on your server, and can involve the following upgrades:

	2 to 30 Users in Multiple Locations	More than 30 Users in Multiple Locations
Operating System	Windows® 2003 Server SP2 Standard Edition, 32- or 64-bit Windows® 2008 Server Standard Edition, 32- or 64-bit	Additional Windows 2003 Servers, 32- or 64-bit Additional Windows 2008 Servers R2, Enterprise or Data Center edition, 32- or 64-bit
Component	Terminal Services for Windows 2003 Server Remote Desktop Services for Windows 2008 Server	Terminal Services for Windows 2003 Server Remote Desktop Services for Windows 2008 Server
Processor	Dual Pentium IV Xeon 2.4 GHz or better
RAM	2 GB or more
Disk Space	Varies per number and size of locations.
Network	SNP-Compatible network interface card for Windows Server 2003 See Microsoft® hardware compatibility list

(Optional) AutoComm™ II E-mail and Fax Software Requirements

AutoComm II Server
Operating System	Windows 2008 Standard Server, 32-bit Windows 2003 Standard Server SP2, 32-bit
Other	See Microsoft® hardware compatibility list
Networking	Network connection to your DDMS server. Internet access via an always-on, dedicated broadband connection (DSL, cable modem, or other permanent connection, such as a T1 line or frame relay). Anti-Virus On-Access Scan disabled. Compatible analog fax modem & line. E-mail account that allows SMTP forwarding
Disk Space	80 MB free space available on the hard drive

Note on Separate AutoComm II server: We do not recommend running AutoComm II on DDMS servers or clients.

Note on Enabling Fax Component: Windows Fax is a component of Windows XP Pro or Server 2003 or Server 2008. It may need to be enabled or installed and configured to work with your modem. Please consult your network administrator. See also Microsoft Knowledge Base Article # 306550: How to enable and configure the Fax service in Windows XP.

Note on TIF file association: Avoid installing additional software (including some browsers, office suites, photo or graphics publishing suites) on the machine where AutoComm II is installed. Other software may overwrite the TIF file association with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer with other programs, preventing AutoComm II from processing faxes.

Note on Disabling Antivirus On Access Scan: If you have an Anti-Virus service running on the machine where AutoComm II is installed, you must disable “on-access scanning.” Rest assured, we are not asking you to disable your scheduled periodic virus scan, nor are we asking you to disable your e-mail virus scanning; keep those in place.

Note on Compatible Analog Fax Modem: If you’re unsure if your existing fax modem is compatible with your operating system, see the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/).

Note on E-mail Account with SMTP Forwarding: If you’re unsure if your existing e-mail account supports SMTP forwarding, please consult your e-mail provider, IT personnel, or Internet service provider. Free Webmail accounts such as AOL, Google Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo may not work as well with AutoComm II as internal or ISP-hosted e-mail servers.