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February 15, 2007
Volume 3 Issue 2
In this issue: Avoid These Pitfalls to
Keep Agency Advantage Running Smoothly
 From the Editor
The Agency Advantage is user friendly, but like all
business applications, it requires one to absorb a lot of information.
This month's newsletter is dedicated to explaining some of the more
common pitfalls that are made in the setup, installation, and day to day
use of the software.
If you have a question or topic you would like
explained, a story to share, or just a quick useful tip, we'd love to
hear from you. Please send your responses to tina@agencyadvantage.com.
Tina Stewart
Editor
Avoid
These Pitfalls to Keep Agency Advantage Running Smoothly
These are in order from least severe to most critical.
Most of the items on this list can be corrected by simply heeding the
warnings, talking with your local computer technician, or giving us a
call here at the support center.
10. Ignoring the expiration
warnings until you're locked out.
There are two types of warnings, license and version.
The license expiration means that your software needs an access
code [Click on the key on the Main Menu of the registered computer in the
office and then click on Get Access Code Via Internet]. The version
update means you need to update the program [Utilities - Internet
Update].
9. Using the X in the upper
right hand corner to close the program.
The Agency Advantage is designed to use the Exit button
(lower left) to return to the previous screen. Program code is assigned to
this button and may not run if you close the program using Alt-F4 (the
red X in Windows XP). Always use the Exit button (Alt-X) in the lower
left hand corner to exit each screen as well as the program.
8. Not making users at
least Power Users on XP Pro.
Many computer technicians want to keep a tight and
secure network, however, users need to have at least Power User rights on
their XP Pro computer for the Agency Advantage to work correctly.
7. Having multiple AA
folders across the network.
If you have multiple AA folders across the network then
chances are there are multiple databases. This can cause confusion with
the program and increase the chances that users will be connected to
different databases. This can result in loss of data.
6. Mapping directly to the
AA folder.
The Agency Advantage looks for the AA folder when
connecting to the database, importing quotes and doing updates. Mapping
the drive directly to the AA folder can cause the quoting and updating
functions not to work.
5. Using different drive
letters on each computer.
This can cause problems when using the Attachments
feature. Attachments are saved using a path to the file. On one computer
the path may say S:\aa\attachments, but on another computer that path may
not exist. It may be connected to the server as F: or another drive
letter. If this is the case, the attachments will not open.
4. Not restarting computers
when problems appear.
One of the most common phrases we hear is "It was
working fine earlier, and I haven't changed a thing." Restarting the
computer will solve a large percentage of these "mystery
problems."
3. Server never restarts.
Sometimes files get locked open on the server and it
can cause errors. Restarting the server periodically solves these issues
and is a healthy practice on your network. Your technician can even
create a scheduled task to restart the server after hours.
2. Databases never
Repaired/Reindexed.
Databases can become corrupt and still be usable.
Reindexing the database can speed up the program, shrink the database,
and correct minor database problems.
1. No backups.
This is the most fatal of all mistakes! Not
having a backup can mean the loss of all your data. Hardware failure or
database corruption can lead to loss of data. Database corruptions this
severe are rare, but it can happen. Take five minutes out of your day and
back up your data. It can save you hours in the future.
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