CompuDance Version 8.0 New Features

This document describes features added to CompuDance that were not in Version 7.3.  Some of these are not documented in the Version 8.0 User Manual.  Please print this and put it in your User Manual.

(This prints best in WordPad.  If you use MS Word, change the Right & Left margins to .6 inch.)
 
Specific details about these and other enhancements can be found in the new User Manual and in additional Help Windows.

1.  The maximum number of classes that can be taken by a student has been increased from 15 to 25.

2.  The printed Deposit Slip function has been rewritten.

3.  When there is a "Z" in the Student Code field and/or when there is a "Z" as the first character in the FRD Misc Field, CompuDance will not change Tuition values in the SRD or FRD.  The program will assume that you will manually enter the appropriate tuition value.

4.  We have added an operation that will report the total amount of TUITION paid during a year by each student and/or family.  From the point-of-view of the client, this is sort of a "receipt" for dance school expenses.  This has been added at the request of Canadian studios because their clients can deduct certain dance school expenses on their federal tax returns.  Access it  from the CompuDance Main Window.  Click Income in the Menu Bar.  It's the last one in the list.

5.  The Transfer a Student operation in the SRD has been rewritten.

6.  There is a new Query operation: Have Grade, Find Students. This will list all students who are in a specified grade.

7.  CompuDance now deletes the contents of the Memo Text Box after saving a change to a transaction.

8.   A new E-Mail operation will allow you to send an E-Mail to all students who have a class on a specified day, regardless of what class it is.  So, you want to send an E-Mail to all students who have class on Friday telling them that the studio will be closed this coming Friday?  You can do it.  Click E-Mail Operations, then All Students in A Class.  Read the Input Box.

9.  There is a new E-Mail Operation to E-Mail Statements to a specific class - all students and families with a balance due in whatever category or categories you select.  There is a Help Window.

10.  We have added the ability to enter a 2nd E-Mail Address for each Student and Family.  There is a Help item in the E-Mail Window that explains how CompuDance uses the two E-Mails. The method is based upon a survey we took for three months of Users when they called for Tech Support.

11.  There is a new report - a list of all students/families with NO E-Mail Addresses. You will find it under Lists, Other Lists, E-Mail.

12.  When changing the System Date in CompuDance, the program immediately recognizes the change for Income Date purposes. That was a bug in 7.3.

13.  There are a number of EFT changes.  The first two provide you with enhanced security.

    1) We have encrypted client Bank Account Numbers stored on your computer.  The encryption is in the Copy file generated when doing a Global EFT Payment operation, and in the EFT Client file.  After you upload the Transaction File to Smart Payment Solutions, and all is well, you should delete that file from your computer (through the Browse function in Other Lists).  The Copy file contains encrypted account numbers, so you can leave that one on your computer as long as you want.

      2) You can also elect to eliminate client bank account numbers when printing a list of EFT Clients.  Again, for greater security.  See FAQ #30 on the FAQ Page of our web site.

      3) Some people would rather you take their payments out of their savings account instead of their checking account.  So, you can now accept Savings Accounts as well as Checking Accounts.

      4) You can now elect Multiple Categories when globally posting EFT Payments.  CompuDance will combine all those payments into ONE transaction in the file to upload to SPS.  That will save you many $$$ in a year if you can plane ahead.

14.  You now have the option of sending all Query reports to Windows Clipboard.

15.  All Class Rosters that are sent to Files and to the Clipboard now have headers describing the class in detail.

16.  "A File of Some Friends" has been converted for Version 8 compatibility.  When you first run Version 8, CompuDance will notice that your "Friends" database is not Version 8 compatible and will offer to make it so.  You must allow it to do that.

17.  When sending a deleted student to "Friends" it will now send E-Mail Address 1. (E-Mail Address 2 will be placed in the Misc field.)

18.  CompuDance checks to see if a newly registered student already has an SRD and checks to see if a newly registered student is in "A File of Some Friends".

19.  There is a new Report in the Lists Window.  It shows all active students and the Day and Time each student has class.  It answers the question, "What students are supposed to be here on what days and at what times?"

20.  There is now a Copy file of Credit Card transactions (similar to the one for EFT).  The CC Account Number is encrypted in that file.   Another enhanced security feature.  See FAQ #30.

21.  CompuDance no longer stores CVV (the credit card security code) data on your computer.  That is not legal.  So, starting with Version 8 you cannot enter that Code when entering a client's Credit Card information. These are changes to more securely protect your clients' sensitive credit card and banking information.  Please see FAQ #30 on the FAQ page of our web site and please read the latest Keeping In Touch article on that page of our web site.

This version contains the new credit card file formatting - the elimination of the CVV Code.  The previous formatting will not be accepted by SPS after 11:00 AM CDT on June 2, 2008.  Make certain that you use the CompuDance 8.0 format when uploading batch files.

22.  The User can now delete CC files in the CC Transactions folder.  You must have CC/EFT access to do that.

23.  There is a new Input Data 2 operation. From the Main Window, click GoTo, then Import Data 2.  There is a Help Window there to explain the operation.

24.  CompuDance now supports SSL (Secure Socket Layering)  for more secure E-Mail operations.  Please see FAQ #30 on the FAQ page of our web site.

25.  There is a new Credit Card Report of all students and families who have Credit Card data on file.  It is Menu Item 6 in the Credit Card menu under Income on the Menu Bar of the CompuDance Main Window.

26.  The Monthly Birthday List that is sent to the Clipboard now has a Header.