Features

Accounting

• Accounts payable
• Accounts receivable
• General ledger (supports multiple locations)

Order Entry

• Commercial order entry module
• Retail POS module
• Quotes
• Consolidated billing
• Corporate accounts
• Credit card processing

Inventory

• Real-time, multi-location inventory control
• Real-time wholesaler stock checks
• Inventory reports
• Supports the O/PUS item database from Trade Service

Management

• 360° view of company operations
• Real-time business metrics
• Track profitability of customers, products, contracts, groups and employees
• Contract management and analysis
• Pricing analysis for customer, vendor and employee records
• Monitor financial performance against budget
• Flexible security settings
  

Payroll

Purchasing

• Internet purchasing with wholesalers, manufacturers and buying groups

Reporting

• Comprehensive management and financial reporting
• SQL databases for easy data export and analysis

Sales & Marketing

• Salesperson commissions and incentives
• Customer purchase tracking
• Customer quality metrics
• Identify and segment customer groups
• Targeted sales campaigns

Warehouse Management

• Picking, shipping and delivery manifests
• Unlimited item bins
• Route management
• Interface for third party shipping software (Clipper, FedEx, UPS, etc.)
  

Optional Features

Web Storefront Options for Internet Sales

ECinteractive is a Web storefront designed to give dealers a competitive advantage in online sales. The solution uses next-generation technology like AJAX and SQL to create a sleek, intuitive user-experience. Features include a comprehensive catalog search, purchasing controls and tight integration with the DDMS business system.

Office Equipment Module

• Machine Order Entry Module
• Service Work Orders
• Service Call Monitor
• Dispatching
• Machine Detail
• Accessory Management
• Rental, Lease, and Demo Units
• Technician Car Stock
• Warranty Tracking
• Equipment Depreciation
• Workforce Tracking and Analysis
• Remote Dispatching Option for Field Service

Office Furniture Module

• Commercial Furniture Order Entry Module
• .sif File Import
• Project Management
• Customer Deposits
• Vendor Deposits
• GSA Order Tracking and Invoicing
• Delivery and Installation Tickets

Credit Card Processing

Approval Link 4.0 is a credit card processing solution that is fully integrated with the DDMS system. This solution from NET1 Payment Solutions provides fast, efficient credit card processing over the Web — usually at a significantly lower cost.

And to enhance benefits from Approval Link 4.0, ECi and NET1 recently joined forces to create the Partner Program: a free credit processing consultation service for office products dealers. With a complimentary audit of your service plan and processing rates as low as .95%, the Partner Program offers dealers a chance to improve margins business-wide. For more information on the Partner Plan and its benefits, contact Brian Morabito of NET1 at .

Business Intelligence

Acsellerate® is an Internet-based sales intelligence solution that offers owners, managers and sales/marketing professionals new insight into their business activities. Acsellerate mines the data in the DDMS system, linking customer activities to transactions for a clearer understanding of business activity and profit margins. In effect, Acsellerate pinpoints low-margin items and at-risk accounts to help you sell more — and make higher margins on every sale.

Custom Programming

DDMS' extensive preference and option settings enable most companies to use the system without custom programming. However, some businesses 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. 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 .

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

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.

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 .

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 Server	Larger Business Server
License Size	1-15 Concurrent Users	More than 15 concurrent users Multiple verticals (supplies and furniture and/or machines) > 4 GB SQL Database
Operating System	Windows 2008 Standard Server Windows 2003 Standard Server SP2 32-bit, installed as a stand-alone, member server, not a domain controller	Windows 2008 Standard Server Windows 2003 Standard Server SP2 (For more than 50 users on IAS access connections, Windows 2008 Enterprise or Data Center Server) 32-bit, installed as a stand-alone, member server, not a domain controller
Processor	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 (max in Windows 2003 Standard Server SP2)	6-8 GB max in Windows 2003 Enterprise Server 32 GB max in Windows 2008 Standard Server 2 TB in Windows 2008 Enterprise, Datacenter, and Itanium
Disk Space	Two 72 GB hard drives, mirrored, 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
Removable Media	32x DVD-ROM drive (reads CDs as well)
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, item and pricing updates, Web storefront integration, and supplier communications.
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. 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.
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. Your business must arrange for one of the following services for which we have developed an interface: NET1 Payment Solutions credit card authorization, payment processing, and merchant account services. For more information, see Credit Card Processing with Approval Link 4.0 (pdf) and the NET1 ECi Preferred Vendor $500 Guarantee. or VeriSign™/PayPal® PayFlo Pro® credit card authorization services. For more information, see see Credit Card Processing with Approval Link 3.0 (pdf).

Client Workstations

Client Workstations
Operating System	Windows 7 Pro Windows Vista™ Business Edition, or Windows® XP Professional or higher 32-bit
CPU	Pentium IV 2.0 GHz
RAM	1 GB RAM (More if the client also runs software other than DDMS)
Disk Space	60 MB free space available on the hard drive

Note: Windows Home Editions are NOT considered a business-calibre operating system, and will not run the DDMS Business System Software.

DDMS software will not install on Vista Home editions (neither Basic nor Premium). As a result, DDMS will not be supported on Vista Home.

Note: We recommend installing the latest critical updates and security patches from Microsoft. However, because some Service Packs have introduced conflicts, please check our Windows Platform Notes.

Contact ECi DDMS Sales to discuss your hardware needs.

Multiple 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 costeffective 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-bit Windows® 2008 Server Standard Edition, 32-bit	Additional Windows 2003 Servers Additional Windows 2008 Servers or Enterprise or Data Center edition
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

ECi DDMS Technical Support is available to assist with specification review, installation, and setup of general ledger and inventory locations.

(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. However, you can install AutoComm II on the same machine where you previously installed AutoComm I or Approval Link credit card processing software, as long as it meets the requirements.

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.