Please find enclosed the April (Congress) release CD - this has updates to Premvet and to the OS utilities that are used. This CD supplements the January release. When you are ready to install it just pop it in the drive and give support a call - we will do the rest.

Please look at the release notes, when installed, (read220e) for full details - bullet points below.

The release notes can be found:

Main Menu -> Help -> Release Notes

Once the release notes are displayed press the '/' key for the menu - from here you can print or search them.

Software Changes

Not much has changed since the January release - this CD includes that and the following has been added:

Ø DataMajor - The Ad-Hoc reports have had additional help added in the way of pop-up boxes listing all your analysis codes and users. Additional grouping have been added to allow work to be broken down by Year, Month, Quarter, Week, Day, Day of Week and Time; sub-totals can be added. The text searches can include 'Query Expansion' - a posh phrase to enable multiple passes of the data to be made pulling up similar phrases.

Ø Drug Update Disks - These can be downloaded directly from the suppliers web site (Dunlops and Genusxpress) so no need to copy floppies around machines. The floppy has been taken out of the equation.

Ø Documentation Search - This has been changed to allow a faster and better search engine to be used - you will see more of the context you are looking for. If you have the old NOAH or BSAVA formulary installed these can also be included in the search.

Ø Faxing - Design you own cover sheets - complete with Logo's and clip art. Additional options to pass more information over to the cover sheet have been added.

Ø Out Of Hours - Additional options to handle weekends and different end times have been added.

OS Updates

We have updated a lot of the utilities used with Premvet - these will work with OSR 5.0.5, 5.0.6 and 5.0.7.

Ø MySQL 4.1 - This update gives about a 20-30% increase in performance, it also has the long awaited 'Sub Select' option - this allows the system to fly - over the coming months all the current queries that will benefit from this will be refreshed. Additional options to the text search and how work can be grouped with sub-totals as been included.

Ø DICOM Viewer - Display and analysis Digital X-Rays - attach them to cards.

Ø SSH - Secure shell - if you are accessing the practice system from a remote location, without using a VPN, SSH will enable all the traffic to be encrypted so there is no chance of anyone 'snooping' on your business.

Ø Web Mailer - For EnServe sites there is an update to Web Mail - this allows you to use your Browser on any PC in the building (if you have the EnServe module installed - any PC in the world) to handle your E-Mail. It is a little friendlier then the character based offerings.

Ø DataMajor `In a Browser' - Run all your own queries, you can even create your own datasets - and access them from within Premvet - all point and click using any Browser.

Ø MySQL and Hylafax - In addition to the actual utilities being updated there is a new graphical front end's for both these packages - they run on Windows PC's allowing you to use the PC as a client.

Ø Word readers - you may be mailed Word (or Excel) documents - tried reading those on a Wyse!! Bundled two utilities that extract the text and display them correctly. There is also a Word Viewer for PC's so if you do not have a copy of Microsoft Word or OpenOffiice you can still display the documents.

Ø Exim-4 - Most of you are using a rather dated MTU (the piece of software behind the scenes that handles the mail deliver) - this is not state of the art - lots of really neat features, lot more robust and a lot faster. For EnServe sites it has a plethora of new anti-forgery, anti-relay options added to cope with the current Internet.

Ø Intranet Home page - New sample intranet home page (if you have a customised page already it will NOT be affected) will be added.

Web Site

As always the Web Site is up and running - being updated frequently - check it out.

http://www.vetsolutions.co.uk/

Mailing List

We do run a mailing list for general comments, help and feedback on using Premvet (and any other topic people want to discuss). It is open to ALL users of Premvet and all of you have E-Mail.

To subscribe, just send a mail message to support@vetsolutions.co.uk from the account you want to receive the mail and you will be added.

The mailing list address is Genlist@vetsolutions.co.uk we would ask as many of the existing subscribers cannot read html/word documents that you set your mailer to 'Send as Plain Text' it makes it easier all round.

System Monitoring

This was mentioned in the last newsletter - a reminder - you can get a 'health Check' on how your system is performing, what software you have installed, is it current etc. by sending a mail message to info@bdsedin FROM ONE OF THE PRACTICE MAIL ACCOUNTS - you cannot use this feature from your home PC. Just send a blank mail message with the subject of 'SysMon' you do not need to enter anything in the body of the message - it will be ignored. The robot in Edinburgh looks at the Subject and From lines only and acts accordingly.

Comments?

Please let us know how you find these guides - we can tailor the content based on your feedback.

Common Support Questions.

Search on an Invoice Number

Someone has sent in a cheque with the invoice number on the back but I can't find the client using the name on the cheque - can I look for Invoice number? - Yes

Accounts - Billing Utilities - List Invoices

Select Invoices and you have the option to enter a specific Number.

I can't type anything on the keyboard?

Check you have not accidentally pressed 'Scroll Lock'; this is located on the top right of the keyboard.

The other key that can 'pause' the keyboard only really applies if you are in a mixed environment with Dumb terminals is Control S (^S) - try pressing Control Q (^Q).

Scanning <Ctrl><A> to abort.

You may see the message

Scanning … <Ctrl><A> to abort

On the bottom of the screen - (The ^A may be ^V on some systems) - this just means you have hit that key by mistake and the system has switched over to look for input from a Barcode scanner - just press the indicated key and the system will continue as before.

I have come in and see a strange message on the main screen about Edge Recovery!

The message:

Press Enter to start edge recovery

Is being displayed and no other screens work. The quick answer is to remove the floppy/CD/DVD from the drive a re-start the system.

The long answer, the system has for some reason re-booted overnight and has started to run in `Disaster Recovery' mode by reading the bootable media - the chances are you don't really want to do this! - If there is no media in the drive it will boot to the hard disk and start up as normal.

Stock Ordering Missing Items

When I get the system to generate a stock order the items I have added recently are being missed - Why?

Check the 'O'ptions - Start and Finish records - both of these should be set to ZERO (0) - this tells the system to include ALL records - the chances are you have manually entered a start/finish record.

Prescription/Drug Labels

My drug labels are printing out with the same client details - Someone has edited the template used and entered specific details.

Select the label maker (Fees and Stock -> Label Maker), Select 'D'rug - enter the appropriate details.

Whenever you select any of the templates the system will indicate it is a template, you should make sure staff do not edit them unless required.

Address Labels

Can I print an address label quickly? - Yes

From the Management record select;

Label -> Address

You will be asked the number of copies. You can also do a quick Drug label from here as well if the printer manages to gobble up the automatic one.

Scan Windows PC for SpyWare

You should periodically scan your Windows PC's for `SpyWare'. SpyWare is annoying software that appears on Web Pages, Demo software etc.

For EnServe Sites you have some of the common anti-spy ware software already on the server (in a folder called EnServe on the common folder) or you can download directly from the Internet. We recommend you start with LavaSoft's AdAware, which is one of the better offerings (www.lavasoft.de).

This applies to ALL Windows PC's that can access the net.

Also take a minute to make sure your PC's are running some form of virus protection and that the virus definition files are up-to-date.

Invoice Summaries

Do you actually look at them? - They show number of invoices generated by client type - if you don't then Switch them off. Why? They are sent to the Print Spooler and clutter it up very quickly making it inoperative.

Accounts - Invoice Production - Option 9
Set it to Excluded

How Do I Get Rid Invoice Summaries from the Spooler?

Select the spooler as normal:

Reports -> Print Spooler

Enter a forward slash (/) you will be asked -

Mark/Unmark Entries….

Enter: Invoice Summary

The system will scan and mark all entries, when you quit you have the option to Delete all marked entries (Tip: When asked to confirm if you select 'A'll then you will not need to confirm each entry).

See the Print Spooler FAQ for more details: http://www.vetsolutions.co.uk/premvet/faq/faq106.html

No (or wrong address) on the top of invoices and receipts.

I have printed a Bill/Invoice/Receipt/Recall for a client and no address has printed. - Check the surgery number the client normally attends (Top right of Management record) - it may be you have not have actually entered an address for this surgery

Accounts -> Billing Utilities -> Billing Addresses

Make sure you have details beside each of the surgeries.

Generic Vet Login

Try to avoid logging with the generic 'vet' login - it is practically impossible to track any problems if it is used - it swallows up system resources and makes the whole system slower. Create individual accounts or groups of accounts using the admin login - stop using 'vet'. There is an option on the Admin login that allows you create users very easily. See: http://www.vetsolutions.co.uk/premvet/faq/adlog.html

I want to change the time the automatic validation takes place?

Use the Automation Manager;

System Management -> Automation Manager

List the current jobs and check that you are actually setup to validate the system!

Select Edit an Existing job, the details will be displayed on the screen, alter the times as you see fit.

What Automatic Jobs Should I have?

It depends on specific needs but we would recommend you have at least:

Ø Validation Data files towards the end of the month, say the 27^th.

Ø Update DataMajor Database each night

Ø Check related records once a month, say the 26^th.

You can add in nightly Vatbooks, reset your End Of year, FDI scans and other jobs as you see fit. See the manual:
http://www.vetsolutions.co.uk/premvet/manual/pv5/ch27b.html#am

For full details.

How Often Should I Replace My backup Tapes.

Short answer - Once a Year

Long Answer, Assuming you are backing up each night and rotating the tapes (yes some of you do leave the same tape in all the time which is NOT a good idea) - the recommendation generally is '100-150 backup operations' - each backup has two passes so you are looking at 50-75 backup IN AN OPTIMUM ENVIROMENT - just over a year - set a strategy and rotate the tapes to suit. The Edge summary you get printed/mailed to you will show the 'Media Usage' figures - archive the tape when the usage reaches the figures you have set.