NEWSTAR Pulse - Volume 2, Issue 5

Product Updates

New Features

• Tax – Supplier Update 5018SUP: Changes have been made to the “Supplier update” screen. The “Supplier Code” column has been moved to the left of “Supplier Name” and “1099 Type” column has been added to the left of the “1099 Code” field.

• System Admin. – Change Project Codes*: The “Change Project Codes” utility now includes and updates the applicable SalesXpress tables.
  NOTE: requires the license and installation of "Change Project Codes" utility.
• SYSTEM ADMIN. – USER ADMINISTRATION: A new "Inactive" flag has been added for Users (operators) in NEWSTAR Enterprise.

• Equipment – Depreciation Calculator: An Operating Unit field has been added.

• Calculate Projections
  • Batch Control: Offer Type settings have been added to Auto-Calculate Projection Batch.
  • An "Include History Lots" checkbox has been added.
• Lots: Changes have been made to Home Production – Lot and HP Masters – Lot Maintenance Import. Once a lot is Closed the "Construction Closing Date" becomes disabled.
• Line Report Columns: A new Data Field (D034 - Cost to Complete TTD) has been added to the data group Lot & Home Sales. 

• Changes have been made for when a Project has more than 100 home sales.
  • The system no longer recalculates the Total Sale Amount when Users exit the Add/Edit Home Sales screen, which improves performance.
  • Users can manually recalculate the Total Sale Amount by select the existing Refresh button in the icon row (which might only be desired if Users made any changes to the sales amounts.)
  • Help Text is displayed at the bottom-left of the main browse screen: "select Refresh icon to recalculate Total Sale Amount"
    Note: No changes to functionality apply for Projects with 100 or less home sales.
  • The filter has been enhanced to include multi-select for Phase and Lot, as well as ability to search by closing dates.

• Print Back Charge Invoices: The Lot Address now appears on a "Printed Warranty Back Charge Invoice" to show where the work was completed. This information is the same as what is printed on a Purchase Order or Variance Purchase Order.

• Build Spec & Model: Floor Plan functionality is now available in Build Spec and Model. Functionality matches Floor Plan in Design Agent Portal.
  

  Note: All existing configurator settings applicable for setting up the Floor Plan for the Contract is applicable for setting up Floor Plan for Build Spec and Model.
  Note: When the status of the contract becomes “Under Contract, the Floor Plan data is copied from Spec to Contract.

• Sales Agent Portal
  • The Prospect/Buyer’s Alternate Contact screen has been updated to include 4 available phone numbers along with the corresponding mail merge fields.
  • Changes have been made to the Current Incentive Limits screen by moving the “Contract Override Limit” toggle to the left side of the screen, along with now being able to override Lot Price, Lot Premium, Base Model, and Mortgage Incentive Limits.

Fixed

• Accounts Payable - Auto-Generate Group: NEWSTAR now looks at the full Invoice amount. If a Supplier invoice has one or more (but not all) Invoice Items with negative amounts (e.g. -$100.00) that are not Due Now but the Total Invoice amount is not a credit (e.g. $950.00), the “Auto-Generate Check Group” program skips this invoice, whether or not the “**Include Credit Invoices not Due Now**” box is checked.
• Accounts Receivable - A/R Categories: The default sort of “A/R Categories” is now by “Company Code - Category Code”. Sorting on the browser screen has been enabled in “A/R Categories”.
• Tax Systems - Magnetic Media T5018: The “T5018 Magnetic Media” now generates the phone number correctly when the Phone number in the Address Book record has a space between the Area Code and the main phone number.

• Tax Systems - Print T5018 Forms: The form for the “T5018 Summary of Contract Payments” now generates correctly and without errors in PDF format.

• Purchasing - PO Generation Status: Data is now aligned under the columns.

If you haven’t used the Subcontract Maintenance Import program, it is a great way to quickly revise 1 or more model subcontracts, whether you have changes in the Header (primary flag, signed date, etc.), the product costs, or the draws.  If you don’t see this on your menu, talk to your NEWSTAR admin about getting access.

Name Dropping: Peter Rode

• Team you are part of: Enterprise Solutions Research and Development.
• In two sentences, what is your job? Create and operate a scalable and global R&D organization that delivers commercial-grade ERP solutions.
• What do you love about your job? I get to work from the Vancouver area to create the homebuilding software business of tomorrow with super committed colleagues.
• What’s one thing you enjoy doing every day that’s not part of your job description? Mentoring people.
• What was your first job? Financial Systems Analyst at Rogers Communications.
• Currently reading: A Runner’s High by Dean Karnazes.
• Do you have any pets? Dog named Pebbles. She’s a mix of a hound and German Shepherd.
  
• Film you’ll always love: The Notebook.
• Last show you binged and loved: Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
• First concert you attended: Laura Branigan.
• Best snack you’ve had lately: Homemade Christmas fruitcake.
• Recipe you're known for: Baked salmon
• Sport team you cheer for: BC Lions (Canadian Football League).
• Songs on repeat these days: a Bruce Springsteen playlist: Ghosts, We Take Care of Our Own, My Lucky Day, Last To Die, The Rising, Light of Day, Janey Don’t You Lose Heart, Born To Run, Dancing In the Dark, All That Heaven Will Allow.
• Quotable: Happiness is something we create.