2021 Release Notes

Updated September 25, 2026 12:28

Overview

This document outlines the new features and system enhancements for the year 2021. After July’s build in 2017, there were no more enhancements made to FileMaker 11 or previous versions. All new system improvements, fixes, enhancements and features have been developed for FileMaker 15, 17 and 19. There will be no new development made to FileMaker 11 or other engines. Please contact sales@pacific-solutions.com to inquire about a FileMaker upgrade and management system update.

Admin

*Always review Personnel Access levels after your update*

Administrative Options

Admin Defaults

There are some new default settings to review:

Comm Draw on % Invoiced or % Collected

% posted for Commission Draw

Accounting Tab > Commission Defaults

Accounting Tab > Customer Statement defaults for Minimum ranges

Printing tab > Print Job Start Date

Quotes Select All when Copying ensures that when a user Copies a Proposal, the “Select All” box is automatically selected. User then has the option to uncheck desired boxes.

Personnel Access Levels

Always review your personnel’s access levels after an update. Settings may have changed or there may be new settings that they will need. In this release, there are some new permission boxes in the Admin > Personnel > Access Level screen:

Warehouse Management (in 3^rd column) In preparation for the pending release of the Warehouse Management module, there are new settings in the Access Level screen. Until this feature is enabled for your company, do not modify these boxes. This feature is anticipated to be announced and released at the May User’s Education Seminar.

Restrictions (4^th column) > Restrict Quote Tax Copy Deselect prevents the user from deselecting the Tax Code and Tax Type during copy of a proposal.

Viewing Zoom Levels - v21b1.20

In the Admin > Personnel area, there is a new tab for Zoom Levels. By the Module (screen), you can customize that employee’s desired zoom level to 75, 100, 150, 200, 300 or 400 %. One screen can be 100% but the next screen can be 150%. Settings can be copied and pasted to another user profile. Through the Admin > Admin/Report Options area, you can also assign this Admin > Maintenance > Module Zoom Level option so that each employee can access and modify their own settings.

Product Kits - v21b2.19

Changes have been made to Creating Lines, Copy and Paste Kits, and Deleting Lines. The “Edit Material” and “Edit Labor” buttons are the only way to import existing items from the Product Catalog and Labor Catalog. Every line (even labor only) must have a Product/Line Type. A Kit can now be copied and turned into a new, independent kit or added to the bottom of an existing kit!

Sales

Contacts/Customers

Customer Statements - v21b1.20

Once this feature has been requested and activated for your company, the Customers Detail > Accounting tab will have new areas to set up the Statement Email options. This feature will automatically generate Customer Statements per the parameters you create and email those statements directly to the customers at the email specified.

Opportunities

FloorManager new contracts sell Opportunities as an add-on module and JobRunner continues to include Opportunities as part of the management system. If you have FloorManager and you have Opportunities as part of your original sales contract, please read through the Opportunity enhancements here.

Recall Date / CRM Activities - v21b1.20

The Recall Date and Time field on the Opportunities header and the Pipeline view will populate into the CRM Activities tab of the Opportunity. It will also allow and keep manual text editing in the “Text” field, and which will display on the CRM/JobMail Dashboard.

Proposals/Quotes

Copy Feature - v21b1.20

When a Proposal is Copied, there are now options to select background settings such as Jobmail, Salesperson, Bundles, Tax Code and Tax Type and much more. There is also a “Select All” option. **If no options are selected, the copy feature will copy the original Proposal header info and job lines only. All these other background settings will need to be filled in (Tax Code, Tax Type, etc).

Proposal Copy Settings - v21b3.30

In the Admin > Default settings, there is now an option to make the Copy feature default to “Select All”. And in the Admin > Personnel > Access Level, there is now the ability to allow the users to unselect proposal copy options except for Tax Code and Tax Type.

Bundle Override Grand Total - v21b2.19

In the Proposal > Bundle tab, you bundle the lines into the desired groupings. Then you can create the desired value of each bundle. Once the Bundle total is the desired total of the proposal, you can use a new “Bundle backfill” button to force the dollar value of each bundle as an average sell price over each line of the associated Bundle group. In the end, the Bundle Total will “backfill” the Sell prices on the job, ensuring that the Grand Total of the job matches the Bundle Total.

Import Bundle Descriptions - v21b1.20

On the Proposals or Sales screen > Bundle tab, click on the “Notes” button under the User Added Text column to get the option to combine several product descriptions from the main job lines in one Bundle group description. You can also change the order in which they populate the field by changing the Sort number.

CRM Activities - v21b1.20

When creating a new Activity, the fields now include a “Next Action” field, as well as the ability to “Assign To” a different system user (Other than the Creator of the Activity). These items appear on the new Dashboard view.

Setting GPM by Product Type - v20b10

In a Quote, on the Entry or Profits tab, use the Filter by Product Type to view a set of like products (IE: carpet) then use the GPM Tab to set the Material GPM on those items (IE: 40%). Repeat these steps to Filter by a different Product Type (IE: wood) and then use the GPM Tab to set a different GPM level on those items (IE: 35%).

Sales Orders

Setting GPM by Product Type - v20b10

In a Sale, on the Profits tab, use the Filter by Product Type to view a set of like products (IE: carpet) then use the GPM Tab to set the Material GPM on those items (IE: 40%). Repeat these steps to Filter by a different Product Type (IE: wood) and then use the GPM Tab to set a different GPM level on those items (IE: 35%). **NOTE: A Sale must be Locked or Invoiced (in any part) in order to prevent this GPM override (which changes the Sell Price).

Bundle Override Grand Total - v21b2.19

In the Sale > Bundle tab, you bundle the lines into the desired groupings. Then you can create the desired value of each bundle. Once the Bundle total is the desired total of the proposal, you can use a new “Bundle backfill” button to force the dollar value of each bundle as an average sell price over each line of the associated Bundle group. In the end, the Bundle Total will “backfill” the Sell prices on the job, ensuring that the Grand Total of the job matches the Bundle Total. **NOTE: In order for the Grand Total Override function to work, the Sale cannot be Invoiced at all, cannot be Locked, and cannot have any other documents generated such as PO’s, WO’s, etc.

Import Bundle Descriptions - v21b1.20

CRM Activities - v21b1.20

Status Tab (JR Only) - v20b11.19

A reminder that in JobRunner systems, the Status tab is not the place to view items that were made with any of the “Project” features such as Invoice Project, Work Order Project, Purchase Order Project. Please use the Project tab of the Sale to see all of those items.

Operations

Purchase Orders

You may no longer delete the last line of a PO from the purchase order. This is leaving the PO blank with no way to add a line to the PO. Please void the PO and create a new one.

Accounting

Accounts Receivable

Receivables Aging Report - v21b1.20

You can now create a Scheduled Report for Receivables Aging to send out a report for AR Invoices that have hit the 30 day, 60 day, or 90 day aging column. As an example, the first Report will list all items in the 90 day column. Thereafter the system will check the 90 day column every night and will generate another report only when a new item enters the 90 day column. This report is a list that is sent to an email address.

Emailing Batch Invoices - v20b12.19

This feature must be requested to activate for your system. At the Customer record, on the Accounting tab, you’ll be able to use the Default Email or create a new email address specifically for the purpose of emailing the AR Invoice to the customer. Then from the AR Invoices > Find > Invoices (determine your search criteria such as Invoice Date = today), use the List View filter “Late” or “Paid” invoices. Verify the email addresses in the List View, omit the ones you don’t want to send out, and click “Email Set” to send them out. This feature will use the Admin > Personnel > Profile > Email Settings of the current user to send out the emails.

Emailing Batch Statements - v20b12.19

This feature must be requested to activate for your system. At the Customer record, on the Accounting tab, you’ll be able to use the Default Email or create a new email address specifically for the purpose of emailing the AR Statement to the customer. You can then run the Customer Statements, email them directly to each customer, and have a recap/summary report emailed to your Accounting team leader.

Reversed Invoices - v20b10

When an AR Invoice is Reversed, the credit invoice gets a unique Invoice number and posting date. Both entries will appear in the Status/Project tab of the job.

Reports

Receivables Aging Report - v21b1.20

In the Admin > Scheduled Reports list, choose the “Receivables Aging” report to send out a report for AR Invoices that have hit the 30 day, 60 day, or 90 day aging column. The Frequency = “When Modified”; the Report Filter Period is 30 day, 60 day, or 90 days. This report requires an email address(es) to be the recipient(s) of the report.

Why would you update/upgrade?

Updating refers to maintaining a current version of JobRunner or FloorManager.

JobRunner and FloorManager are the two business solutions offered by Pacific Solutions. JobRunner is the commercial business solution and FloorManager is the retail business solution. These solutions are constantly improving based on user feedback, industry trends and technology improvements. Maintaining your business solution to the most currently available version is the best way to ensure you are using the most advanced business solution we offer. Delaying an update to JobRunner or FloorManager can set a company back years in the industry trends as well as orphan the company from proper system support.

Upgrading refers to maintaining a current version of FileMaker.

FileMaker is the engine in which Pacific Solutions writes the code for JobRunner and FloorManager. As FileMaker Inc. releases new versions we must comply to the new engine specifications, convert our code and move forward with the current technology. This is beneficial to development and to our users. New FileMaker versions means better diagnostic tools, better code tools and industry forward technologies to better our user experience and interface environment.

There are several components to maintaining your JobRunner/FloorManager version and your FileMaker version. Some of these include although not limited to; servers, work stations, network infrastructure, education, mobile devices are just to name a few. Attempts to move forward with management and FileMaker versions without compatible equipment/infrastructure can be catastrophic. Please consult our support department to inquire about current requirements for the latest version of JobRunner/FloorManager and FileMaker.

Technology moves forward and older technology becomes obsolete.

All of the applications we use on a day-to-day basis eventually have updates. The longer we stay in outdated technology the harder updating becomes. Companies that make computer programs will render old versions obsolete and no longer provide support for those older versions. This is called a lifecycle. As of January 2020, Microsoft will no longer supports operating systems Windows 7 and older. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsforbusiness/end-of-windows-7-support Microsoft issues a Windows life cycle fact sheet regularly to keep consumers informed: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet. Why is this important? Because this is the world of software and computers. Pacific Solutions is a software company. We too will be ending lifecycles on versions of JobRunner and FloorManager. Older versions of our business solutions are simply not compatible with the current technologies (Windows, FileMaker, Printers, etc.).

These release notes outline the major components available in the current version of JobRunner and FloorManager running in FileMaker 17 and 19. These notes do not cover small improvements or enhancements that users may come across. These types of tweaks fall into the “improvements to minor bugs and fixes to several areas of the system”.