We have released an updated Setup MSI file for TopLine Designer 5.6.0.3.  This can be obtained from http://www.toplineresults.com/downloads.aspx.

There is a key new feature in this release.  We now perform a check during each login to make sure that you are running a version of TopLine Designer that is compatible with the version of metadata within the database.  In other words, if the Designer metadata is updated to a newer version and you are running an older version of Designer, you will be prompted to run the TopLine Update program automatically.  This will assist in preventing issues that arise from people using mixed versions of Designer.

If you are using ACT! 2012 and use custom tables, please be aware of a new bug that has been discovered.  The bug has to do with any field in your custom table where you have specified Generate History.  If you have fields in your custom table with Generate History turned on, you may be unable to create or update custom table records.  If you attempt to create or update custom table records and get an error, this is most likely the problem.  The workaround is to turn off Generate History for all custom table fields.  This issue has been raised with Sage (the creators of ACT!) but a fix has not been released yet.

The latest version of TopLine Designer does require all users to update to the latest version.  If you do not do so, there is a possibility that you could mess up your metadata which includes your screen definitions.  In order to resolve this, you have two options:

You can recreate all of the screens and relationships manually.

or you can attempt to recover the metadata from a backup.  If you want to do this, you must follow these steps:

1. In ACT!, perform a lookup and find the contact with a name that starts with Designer.

2. Look through the history and find the history where the regarding is Metadata.  Delete this history record.  If you find more than one, delete them all.

3. Close ACT!.

4. Find your ACT! backup and open the zip file.  Navigate the folder structure and open the Reports folder.

5. Find the file called DoNotDelete-Designer.dna.xml.env.  Copy this file to your Desktop.

6. Rename the file that is on your desktop to Metadata.dna.xml.

7. Copy the file to your [Databasename]-Database Files\Layouts folder.  It will overwrite an existing file.  DO NOT DELETE THE EXISTING METADATA FILE.  You simply want to overwrite it.

8. Open ACT! and everything should be working again.

TopLine Designer 5.6 has been updated.  The primary purpose of this update is to introduce support for the Solution Place (http://www.mysolutionplace.com).  All users must update to the latest version of TopLine Designer or the "non-updated" users will not have Designer functionality and will receive an error when logging into ACT!.  If, when logging into ACT!, you get an error message stating "There was an error loading the metadata.", then you should ensure that the user is running the latest version of TopLine Designer.

Get pre-made solution for Sage ACT! 2011 or 2012 from the Solution Place!  Visit http://www.mysolutionplace.com for more information!

We already have solutions for Event Management, Customer Service, Productivity (Getting things done), and Quoting.  Check back often to find out what else the ACT! community has come up with.

Sometimes when starting ACT! and you are using TopLine Designer, you will get a message similar to this.

There was an error loading the metadata.
System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access to the path 'xxx\Metadata.dna.xml' is denied.

This is caused by a Windows file security issue which means that you need to ensure that the user who is currently logged into Windows has access to the file that is given in the message.  You will need to navigate to the folder specified and right click on the Metadata.dna.xml file and choose Properties.  Then click on the Security tab and ensure that the current windows user has read permission to the file.  After you give the user permission to access the file, ACT! will start normally.  If you are unable to set the permissions, contact your network administrator as you may not have permission to modify the file attributes.

There is an update available for TopLine Designer for APFW 2011.  If you are attempting to install Designer for Web with ACT! for Web 2011, please download the attached file and unzip it.  Take the unzipped files and copy them to your APFW folder (the one specified in IIS).  It will overwrite a bunch of existing files.  Once you have done this, perform an IISRESET and you will be updated.

DesignerWeb.zip (2.23 mb)

We have just released TopLine Dash 8.1.1.  We've added a great new feature to this release called Manual Query.  When creating a new dashboard, you can now select Manual Query from the Solution group and write your own OLEDB SQL statements!  The possibilities are endless with this new ability.

To help get you started with some of the cool things you can do, try this query:

SELECT Record_Manager AS "User", History_Type AS Type, Count(History_Type) AS Count FROM History Group By Record_Manager, History_Type

This will give you a history KPI dashboard broken down by user and by history type.

Enjoy!

Check out http://www.toplineresults.com to view our new web presence.  As CRM and development specialists, our web page is a reflection of our dedication and hard work throughout the years.  Thank you to everyone for making us number 1!

New Downloads page: http://www.toplineresults.com/downloads.aspx

New Contact Us page: http://www.toplineresults.com/contact-us.aspx

New Solutions page: http://www.toplineresults.com/solutions.aspx

New Addons page: http://www.toplineresults.com/addons.aspx

New Services page: http://www.toplineresults.com/services.aspx

View it on YouTube!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Overview Demo
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/1/lLJa1pV4QZ0

Microsoft Outlook Integration in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Demo   
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/0/O8wxu9bi2Fs

Microsoft Excel Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Demo   
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/3/q0V7Wf-F6UM

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Sales Cycle Demo
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/4/U8TXq2vyaPI

Marketing and Customer Service Analytics in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Demo
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/5/rb4AkppI3NM

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 & Mobility Demo 
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/6/Eo8pN3zPQl8

Workflows in Micorsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Demo    
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Advanced Queries in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Demo    
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/8/El9l0B6dcwQ

Microsoft Excel Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Demo    
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/9/q0V7Wf-F6UM

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Activities Report  Demo 
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/10/nxNVVFcYSWs

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Accounts Demo   
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopLineResults#p/u/15/9W2D0pDtmyA