Evaluating Editions

Before a license is installed, the program is in evaluation mode and the user is automatically logged in as the program administrator. In evaluation mode, all features of the program are available with the exception of the following limitations:

1.  No more than 200 records may be entered in each program routine (see Adding Records).

2.  All forms will print with the heading “Unlicensed Evaluation Edition” instead of a business name (see Business Locations, and Form Options).

3.  Only a single business location may be configured (see Business Locations).

To display a list of program editions, first close all windows within the main program shell and then select Edition from the main menu. Select the desired program edition and all program menus and options will be changed to reflect the features of the selected edition. The following table briefly summarizes the various editions.

At Your Service – Repair Centre Editions

Edition	Description
Repair edition	The Repair edition is considered the standard edition and includes all program features for repair shops. It uses a Microsoft Access database to store data and is suitable for licenses of up to approximately 10 users. Multi-user licenses can be configured for multiple business locations that share a single database.
Repair SQL edition	The Repair SQL edition includes all program features for repair shops. It uses a MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server database to store data and is suitable for licenses of any number of users. Data can also be transferred to and from a Microsoft Access database. Multi-user licenses can be configured for multiple business locations that share a single database.
Repair Mobile edition	The Repair Mobile edition works in conjunction with the Repair edition and allows a mobile repair technician to work on a notebook computer that does not have a live connection to the main database, and then later synchronize with the main Repair edition database. It includes most program features, but many configuration features are in read-only mode since they would be configured from the main Repair edition database. It uses a Microsoft Access database to store data and is for a single user working on the notebook computer.
Repair Lite edition	The Repair Lite edition is for repair shops that do not need all of the features available in the Repair edition. Major features such as inventory, purchase orders, service codes, warranty cards, or custom fields and captions are not available. It uses a Microsoft Access database to store data and is suitable for licenses of up to approximately 10 users.
Repair Micro edition	The Repair Micro edition is for repair shops that are looking for very basic functionality at an economical price. Most advanced features including many integration and configuration options are not available.
Retail edition	The Retail edition is for retail stores or repair depots that do not do repairs in-house, but need to track repairs that are sent out to repair shops. It uses a Microsoft Access database to store data and is suitable for licenses of up to approximately 10 users. Multi-user licenses can be configured for multiple business locations that share a single database.
Retail SQL edition	The Retail SQL edition is for retail stores or repair depots that do not do repairs in-house, but need to track repairs that are sent out to repair shops. It uses a MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server database to store data and is suitable for licenses of any number of users. Data can also be transferred to and from a Microsoft Access database. Multi-user licenses can be configured for multiple business locations that share a single database.

 

For a complete comparison of features in the various editions, please see the Edition Comparison by selecting Programs  At Your Service  Documentation  Edition Comparison from the Windows Start menu (at the left side of the Windows taskbar). Or, select the Edition Comparison main menu option on the At Your Service Software, Inc. web site (www.ayssoftware.com).

Choosing Between Editions that use Microsoft Access versus SQL Databases

While the user interface and program functionality between the Repair and Repair SQL editions, or the Retail and Retail SQL editions, are essentially the same, there is a significant difference in the way that the various back-end databases perform. The following differences can help you decide whether to use a SQL edition or an edition that only supports Microsoft Access databases.

•      Depending on the level of user activity and the physical network configuration, Microsoft Access databases can typically support a practical maximum of only about 10 users before they noticeably slow down. SQL servers are scalable and can typically be configured to support as many users as necessary (see Optimizing the Database for Speed).

•      Even if a Microsoft Access database is stored on a file server, all database processing is performed at the user’s workstation. Therefore each time a user accesses the database, a considerable amount of data is copied across the network to the user’s workstation so that it can be searched and sorted — and then records that are not needed are simply discarded. This results in a significant increase in network traffic as each user is added which thereby slows down the overall processing for all users. SQL servers do all database processing at the server and only return the final results of the data request to the user’s workstation. This reduces network traffic to a minimum (see Optimizing a Network for Speed).

•      Microsoft Access databases by nature are more susceptible to database corruption from a network disconnection or power failure. It is for this reason that only the Microsoft Access editions support automatic backups, and database repair and recovery (see Automatically Backing Up an Access Database, Repairing and Compacting an Access Database, Repairing a Database, and Restoring a Backup Database). SQL servers are more robust and unlikely to ever face corruption.

•      Microsoft Access databases are more susceptible to record locking conflicts between users. SQL servers use technology that reduces the likelihood of record locking conflicts.

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Logging In and Out