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Hello PCR users! This update has significant
database changes. Most PCR updates only change the executable file,
not the database. If you are past version 3.90.210, your database
is already updated.
BE CERTAIN TO HIT "UPDATE DATABASE" ON THE SYSTEM TAB
AFTER YOU CHANGE THE .EXE FILE. This will prompt you for a restart
and write the new tables and fields that PCR will use.
For this reason, this update should be done with special care.
You should backup your database AND your .EXE files to ensure that
you can get back to a pre-update state if you need to. This update
has already been performed several hundred times and here have been
no major problems.
One issue that may arise is that rollup lists may "disappear".
They have not really gone away, but they are now listed according
to the user name that created them FIRST and all shared lists SECOND.
You may have to go to your lists and assign them a user name so
that the correct user can see them on the first click. Note that
more info on this will follow in the rollup section of this mail
PCR WEB SITE
The PCR web site now has the completed and updated help screens
for every function and Window in the program. The help has been
edited and updated to reflect every change in this document. You
may want to check it out and browse a bit; you may find stuff about
PCR that you did not know. Even we do from time to time!
USER PREFERENCES
A "User Preferences" Tab has now been added to the user
records under Recruiters/Users located on the System Tab. This new
screen offers eighteen checkboxes that allow users to choose how
they prefer to interact with PCR. To make changes, check the appropriate
box and hit save. Note that each preference follows the USER NAME
and needs to be changed for all users who wish to enable or disable
the feature(s) involved.
TITLES TABLE
The "Use Titles Table Instead of 'On The Fly' Titles Dropdown
Box" preference allows you to establish a list of fixed titles
to choose from as opposed to the "On The Fly" method which
adds to the dropdown any title that's saved into the Title field
on the Names profile screen. This preference was added as an alternative
to the "On the Fly" method. This is used when management
wants a tight control over the titles used. The downside is that
each time a new title is needed, the table must be updated…
SERVER BASED INDEXING
The "Index Resumes on Server" preference should NOT be
checked, unless you've consulted a PCR representative. This is recommended
for SQL Server clients ONLY. This batches the index to a server
side operation only, which is effective for offices indexing resumes
over a WAN, or for users inputting many hundreds of resumes per
day.
CUSTOM FIELDS
If you would like selected custom fields to have standard choices
available when they are used, you may click within the "Preloaded
Field Items" field on the "Edit Custom Field" screen
and enter your field items in the list below. This is similar to
the "Titles Table" alternative as opposed to "On
The Fly". It makes your custom field choices more manageable.
This "pre builds" your custom drop down s. The custom
fields also have a new action; administrator. This setting means
that only users with admin permission may change the data in a field
once it has been entered.
ROLLUP LISTS
The presentation of the rollup lists feature has changed significantly.
In older versions of PCR, when a rollup list was created, it was
added to a master list of rollup lists for the entire office / database.
This could be cumbersome because you had to scroll through everybody's
lists in order to locate yours. We had many requests to make it
possible to be presented with just your (each user name) list of
lists when initially accessing the rollup list screen.
Now when you add a rollup list, the system automatically assigns
the list a unique code with your User ID and a number. As before,
you assign the new list a description that is task specific so it
is easily identifiable from your other rollup lists.
For User Name: Click the "…" button to the right
of this field to select from a list of User Names in PCR. This is
important to link your user profile to the rollup; it's NOT recommended
that you type in your User Name. Assigning your User Name to a rollup
list allows it to appear in YOUR master list of rollup lists. If
you would like a rollup list to appear in everyone's master list
of rollup list, simply leave User Name blank.
For Owner: Assigning your rollup list an owner makes it so that
list can only be edited or deleted (under the "Roll Up Names"
button on the System Tab) by the Owner assigned to it, or by anyone
with administrative privileges. NOTE: This does NOT mean that other
users are unable open the rollup list and make changes! It means
that they can't go to "Rollup Names" on the System Tab
and alter the description, User Name, Owner, Notes, etc., or delete
the list entirely. Again, use the "…" button when
assigning an owner.
Parent List: Rollup lists may now be linked to a Parent Rollup
List. For example, if you have a client with whom you have several
job orders open on a regular basis, you can create a Parent List
for this client and link all the rollup lists you have for that
client's job orders to this Parent List. This allows you to more
easily manage and maintain your rollup lists.
Notes: Allows you to type in any free form text that you like for
the particular rollup list. (i.e. what and whom it was created for,
when the job needs to be filled, etc.) This allows you to memo and
recall why you made the list on the first place.
Date Entered: Defaults to today, however it may be changed.
Share With Other Users: If the check is removed, the list will
be viewable only by you.
A "…" button was added between "No List Selected"
and the "NAMES / COMPANIES / POSITIONS" dropdown. When
clicked, this button allows you to view the rollup lists of other
users. You may choose to list them by User Name, Rollup List Description,
Parent List, Date Entered, or Owner. IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SEE A
LIST THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THERE, CLICKING THIS BUTTON WILL SHOW
ALL LISTS.
When right-clicking on a highlighted name in a rollup list, "View"
has been added allowing you to view the person's Resume, Attributes
and Profile directly from the rollup list.
ACTIVITY ALARMS
Alarms for activities can now be added directly from the Activity
Entry screen. Click the "Place on Schedule" checkbox to
activate the "Alarm" checkbox underneath the time. This
will pop the normal alarm at the designated time.
ACTIVITY TYPES
You'll notice on the Activity Entry screen, a new field called
"Activity Type". This field allows you to categorize the
types of calls and activities that you make. (i.e. Marketing Call,
Recruiting Call, Left Voice Mail, Closing Call, etc.) You can create
your own with the "Activity Types" button on the System
Tab. You can give your activities a Code and a Description. (i.e.
LVM: Left Voice Mail) The description ends up in the message entry
area of the Custom Activity Entry if you've specified that in the
User Preferences on your User Profile. This feature can be a big
time saver in creating new activities, as well as a good management
tool to track how you are spending your time and how your team is
spending its time.
VIEW ACTIVITIES SCREEN
A "Filter" tab has been added to the View Activities
screen that allows you to filter activities by types and user. These
boxes can be filled with terms to limit your search. For example,
you may decide that you only want to see activities for ABC Company,
entered by user ELMER (the three-dotted buttons next to each field
will give you an appropriate list to choose from). To perform a
search with the filters applied, you must click the large button
on the left that the purple arrow is pointing to. The categories
you filter by will change depending on the category you are viewing;
name, company, job order, or sendout.
Activities Edit Menu: Use this menu to search for a specific string
of text within the activities listed in the Results Area. You may
press the F3 key on your keyboard to jump from one instance of the
word to the next. If you click on another record in the list below,
the word will be found in that record immediately. This feature
is similar to the "find" feature in Word and your browser.
OPTIMIZED SEARCH SCREENS
The search engine within PCR has been revamped.. In older versions,
when you performed a search for specific keywords and phrases, you
had to wait for the entire list of results to be returned before
you could begin to click on them or put them on a rollup list.
The new search engine immediately fires you the first group of
results so that you may proceed to view even before the search has
been completed. You may also perform more than one search at a time,
simply open more than one instance of the search screen.
A reengineered "Advanced" tab on the Name Search, Company
Search, and Job Order Search screens allows for easier construction
of multiple field searches to be used in conjunction with your text
search. The familiar "Search for Name/Company/Job Order Query
Builder" has been incorporated here. The same query builder
you get when you click the "Find" button on the Names,
Companies or Job Order screen now integrates with your full powered
text searching..
You may also create a new rollup list directly from the search
engine by clicking "File" in the upper left-hand portion
of the search engine.
Synonym: This button will find all records including your chosen
search term, and return a list of other hits common to those records,
with percentages. For example, if you searched for "Manager"
and 75 of the 100 records found also contained the word "Operations,"
you would be shown "75 | Operations" in the results window.
You could then add this word to your query by clicking on it. This
allows you to build synonym searches based on the exact characteristics
of your own data; a more subtle and revealing method than just a
raw list of synonyms.
Keyword Dropdown: Clicking this button will allow you to add skill
codes, equipment codes, SIC codes, etc. to your search by selecting
them from a menu. You will have the option to add the code itself,
the description of the code, or both to your search.
Tips: This button displays a quick popup reference for freeform
search syntax. Using these search terms will help you to quickly
become a power user. The conventions are similar to most Internet
search engines.
PERSONAL SCHEDULING
"Jump to Record" has been moved to the top of the list
of actions when you right-click on a highlighted entry.
"Dial Phone Number" has been added to the list of actions.
"Move Task" now has the option of moving multiple tasks,
which you may pick using the same standard Windows conventions you
use to select people off of your search results. (i.e. clicking
while holding the Shift or Ctrl keys down)
"Insert Company" has been added to "Insert Name"
and "Insert Rollup"
"Completed" no longer simply marks a call as completed,
it now immediately asks you if you would like to schedule a follow
up call, "Yes" or "No". Should you choose "Yes",
you will be presented with the "Activity Entry Screen"
to schedule a new item.
In the scheduler, days with a task scheduled on them will show
up in lime green. Once all tasks for that day have been marked as
completed using the Action Menu, the box will return to gray.
Activity entries may be edited using the Activity Description Window
above. Simply type in the field and click the "Click to Save"
button that appears in the lower right. Note: This does NOT update
the entry as it appears in activities journal for the corresponding
name, company, or job order.
SENDOUTS
A "Show Sendouts" button, which looks like two hands
shaking, has been added to both the Names screen and the Companies
screen. When this button is clicked from the Names screen, you are
presented with a list of all the sendouts that particular candidate
has been on. By selecting from this list, you are taken directly
to the sendout screen for that particular sendout.
When this button is clicked from the Companies screen, you are
presented with a list of all the sendouts that particular company
has hosted. By selecting from this list, you are taken directly
to the sendout screen for that particular sendout.
A new "Action" menu has been added to the top to of the
Sendout screen. This menu contains the commands to instantly jump
to the record of the Company, Position, or the Candidate You may
also get this menu via a right click in the "introducing"
area of the sendout.
A "Status" field has been added to the Sendout screen
to indicate which sendout the candidate is being sent on.
COMPANY, NAME, AND JOB ORDER ASSOCIATIONS
You'll notice a new button on the Companies, Names and Job Orders
screen that looks like two cars passing each other. This button
is called the "Associations" button.
Company Associations: You may associate companies with each other
by various relationships using this screen. Associations are reciprocal
(the connection will be listed on both the current and the associated
record). Click on the main listing area to add or remove an association
from the current record. Choose the type of connection you wish
to signify using the menu. The relationships can be competitors,
HQ/Subsidiary, or others.
'Jump to Company'' will minimize the Company Associations screen
down to your Windows task bar (bottom of your screen) and take you
to the name record for that associated person. 'Return to (Company)"
will minimize the Company Associations screen down to your Windows
task bar (bottom of your screen) and take you back to the record
you were just viewing.
Name Associations: You may associate names with each other by various
relationships using this screen. Associations are reciprocal (the
connection will be listed on both the current and the associated
record). Click on the main listing area to add or remove a contact
from the current record. Choose the type of relationship you wish
to signify using the menu.
'Jump to Name' will minimize the Name Associations screen down
to your Windows task bar (bottom of your screen) and take you to
the name record for that associated person. 'Return to (Name)"
will minimize the Name Associations screen down to your Windows
task bar (bottom of your screen) and take you back to the record
you were just viewing.
COMMA SEPARATED SEARCHING
Has been added to the field searching within PCR allowing the user
to search for more than one entry for each field. For example, you
can search for the state of Ohio AND California by clicking the
"State" button and entering "oh, ca" into the
search field. Comma separated searching can also be used in the
"Search for Name Query Builder" under the Find button
and in the "Select List Options" screen under Name/Company/Order
List.
RESUME SCREEN
A resume may now be e-mailed as a Word document attachment by clicking
the check box that says "E-mail as Attachment" on the
resume screen.
Custom Header: The resume screen now offers you a custom header
feature that allows you to create a personalized stamp that gets
stamped to any resume that's printed or e-mailed as an attachment.
Click the "Set" button to access the "Edit Custom
Header" screen to create a custom header or edit your current
header. Images may be pasted into the Custom Header screen as long
as they are in bitmap format. Once the header has been created,
click the appropriate checkbox to activate the header.
FORM LETTER ATTACHMENTS
Attachments may now be added to a form letter. The "Set"
button will give you a selection screen for locating a file to attach
on your hard drive. In order to send this file with your form letters,
you must have the "Include Attachment With Letter" box
checked.
FORM LETTER FIELD INSERTS
Under the Edit menu option of the Form Letters screen is an "Insert
Field" option that allows you to insert universal fields. These
are wildcard items that can be placed in your form letter, and will
be filled with the correct information based on the record to which
the letter is being sent.
ZIP CODES
A ZIP code database has been added to the program so that a ZIP
code is automatically added to the ZIP field after a city and state
is added and the Tab key is pushed on your keyboard. For larger
cities with more than one ZIP code, the first three numbers of the
code will be correct with "00" following. For example,
Cleveland, OH will come up "44100". You can change the
"00" to whatever you want or use the "…"
button to the right of the city field to select from a list to match
that city.
On the converse, if you know the ZIP code and enter it before entering
the city and state, the program will automatically enter the appropriate
city and state for that ZIP code. Or you may enter as much of the
ZIP code as you know and click the "…" to the right
of the ZIP field to select from a list of ZIP codes.
MAP LINKS
A "Map" button has been added to the Companies and Names
screen. If the name or company you are currently viewing has an
address entered, the Map button will take you directly to Yahoo
Maps and load the map of the address.
STICKY NOTES
A new "Sticky Notes" feature has been added to the program
under the Action menu option on any of the four main tabs. (Companies,
Names, System, and Search) This feature allows you to create sticky
notes, "While You Were Out" messages, and "to-do
lists" for yourself and any other user. Once they are saved,
an orange construction cone will appear in the lower right hand
corner of the recipient's computer screen (right by the time) letting
the recipient know that they've received a new sticky note. You
can even schedule sticky notes for the future.
SCRIPTS
A "Scripts" feature has been added to PCR. Use this item
to edit or create phone call scripts , presentations, or documents
to be associated with a rollup list, a single list item, or a specific
company. The script editor is a simple word processor that works
much like the resume editor. Scripts are located under the Edit
menu on the Rollup List Planner screen. Scripts are also located
under the face mask button on the Companies screen.
SPLIT SCREEN ATTRIBUTES
Have been added in order to facilitate faster indexing and the
ability to lock notes. Only the new notes will be added and indexed,
and the old ones will be protected.
LIMITING SEARCHES TO SPECIFIC ROLLUP
LISTS
Use these selections to limit the results of your search to the
contents of a rollup list (name or company) or to 'recent contacts'.
The 'recent contacts' search will limit the results to records that
have no activities entered before or after a specified date This
may be useful in purging or archiving the database. Note that 'recent
contacts' searches will take more time than a standard search.
GLOBAL CHANGES SCREEN
Area Code Changes Tab: If an area code has been changed, and you
wish to reflect the change in your PCRecruiter database, use this
feature. Simply enter the original area code and prefix into the
appropriate boxes, and the new code into the area below. Be sure
to fill in the check boxes for the record types you wish to affect.
Click Begin to activate the change.
Rollup List Changes: This screen can be used to make changes to
a single field for a large number of records simultaneously. For
example, if your database contains 50 records with the last name
Belmont, and they should all be Bellmonte, you can add them all
to a rollup list and change them all at once here. Choose the type
of record you wish to affect in the top portion of the screen, and
then the specific field and rollup list to change, as well as the
word to change them to, in the lower portion. Click Begin to execute
the change. Naturally, you wan to be careful with this feature as
you are changing many records at once…as they say, think twice,
do once…
DATABASE REPORTS BY ROLLUP
New "(From Rollup)" options have been added to the Database
Reports menu option allowing you to create reports from specified
rollup lists. This keeps you from having to run all of the items
in a set on reports; you can just run the ones you wish..
ENCRYPTED SQL PASSWORDS
If you select this option on the SQL data location screen, it will
encrypt the multi.mdb file that contains the path and logon for
the SQL database. This security feature will prevent hacks based
on passwords obtained from the multi.mdb file, which can be visible
if a network share is invoked. See the SQL CONNECTION WIZARD for
more details.
JOB ORDER IMPORT
This feature on the system tab allows users to import job orders
into the DB. This works just as the name and company imports do;
by showing sample data and mapping the old data to the new.
RESUME IMPORT FEATURES
A new tab has been added to the import/export screen on the system
tab. The tab is for resumes.
PCR now has three additional methods to bulk process resumes. The
first method is for situations where the resumes are coded with
a file name or ID number. If you have a folder with coded resumes,
you can mass import them to records that have that code or filename
in the IDENTIFICATION field. This is most useful during data conversions,
but may also be used from web site downloads and other applications.
The import with profile control will allow you to select a folder
full of resumes and step through them rapidly by eliminating the
clicks to make new records and open the resume windows. The ADDR
screen will continue to come up each time you complete a resume
entry, saving lots of clicks IF you have a folder full of resumes.
The third new method is invoked when you have a folder full of resumes
that are named in a special manner. If the resumes are named firstname_lastname_phone
number, PCR will bring the folder in and create the records. i.e.
Benjamin_Franklin and Bill_Clinton would be imported, their records
made, and their resumes added. This is most useful if your web person
sets a form up on your page to download e mails with the resumes named
in that format.
TAPI DIALER
This feature updates the old dialer to the TAPI standard so that it
will work with TAPI phone systems. This dialer is actually a bit more
of a pain to use, but it is the Microsoft Windows Dialer, and thus
the most compatible one to use.
SQL CONNECTION WIZARD
The SQL connection can now be made without DSN's. The DSN-less connection
uses library files and allows a user to connect to an SQL database
by creating a new line in the data locations, just as one would
to connect to an Access database. To use this feature, go to data
locations (and note that WKSETUP or ODBC Setup from the PCR disc
must have been run on the workstation) and right click to get ADD
ODBC connection.
The description is whatever you want to call the database, and will
appear in the dropdown from the logon screen. The ODBC driver must
be SQL Server. The network column is the library that you wish to
use. TCP/IP (DBMSSOCM) is the best one to use, if TCP/IP is your
network protocol. If you are using Novell, use (DBMSSOCM) and if
you need to use Named Pipes (least desirable), use (DBNMTW).
Place the Server IP or Server name in the server name window. Use
the UID and Password for the SQL database. It's often SA and no
password, but you may have the SQL security running, and you will
need the password. Because this line is visible in plain text in
the MULTI.MDB file, (the file that PCR looks at for database connection
information when it starts) you may encrypt the line. Note that
if you need to read that line again, you are out of luck. You will
have to reenter it and you will need the SQL password and user name
to log on.
The final dropdown is the database name, and that is the name of
the database device on the SQL server that you will be using. If
this dropdown is working, and you can see the devices, you know
that the SQL server is started and visible to the workstation. If
the dropdown errors, you know that the ODBC is not working, or the
SQL Server is stopped or not visible to the PC you are using.
Note that if the PCR program is started from each PC, it will need
a copy of the correct multi.mdb in the folder from which it is launched.
IMPROVED HTML EXPORT
The web posting export now remembers your settings, adjusts for
color and style, and uses a rollup list for the source, not the
whole list of jobs…
THE END, ALREADY!
So that's the summary of changes since 3.90.207. Once this big one
was out of the way, we plan to make the next bunch smaller. Main
Sequence has tripled in sales and staff, and thanks to all of you.,
PCRecruiter is getting to be quite well known among savvy staffing
pros.
We are working hard on our THIN software; it's evolved hugely in
the last three months. SQL 7 is a great program, Microsoft did a
fine job on it and everyone seems to be pleased with the enhanced
performance and low support compared to it's predecessor.
AS ALWAYS, BACK IT UP OR BLUBBER LIKE A BABY WHEN A COSMIC RAY
ZAPS YOUR DATA !!!!
Remember to keep some older backups just in case, and to keep the
backup media fresh and safe. Backup theft is a security hole, and
media can fail over time. CDs are good, copies to other hard drives
are just fine, and Tapes are good too. BACKUPS ARE THE CHEAPEST
THING YOU CAN DO WITH A COMPUTER, AND THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING NOT
TO DO.
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