2019 End-of-Year Recap

Recap is our annual tradition. We look back at the end of each year and see how the landscape has changed. Normally, a tradition is about doing and seeing and saying the same things. But if the years have taught me anything, "the same things" are never what we find.

Ashwood Computer

What new features or services did Ashwood Computer introduce in 2019?

ForeMost ERP IV was introduced in August 2019 with:

• Improved Reports and Reporting Functionality
• New Dashboard Displays
• Web Reports
• Production Data Displays of Key Performance Indicators
• Improved Quality Modules
• Improved Performance, Faster System Responses
• Improved Documentation
• Support For All MultiValue Databases

What was the greatest or most exciting thing that happened to Ashwood Computer in 2019?

We have grown our ForeMost user base. We have with several new businesses migrating to ForeMost in 2020! These new ForeMost users benefit from software developed for other ForeMost users.

What would you like Spectrum readers to watch for in 2020?

Watch For Information Systems challenges and consider them opportunities to work with Ashwood's 'A-Team'!

We provide legacy MV systems services, mvTools, support, conversions, migrations and also integration with multitude of third party product solutions.

If any legacy PICK or MultiValue user sites are considering projects and have been told they need to scrap their legacy system or upgrade to some other solution to accomplish their goals, contact Ashwood's A-Team before you make any decisions!

BlueFinity International

What new features or services did BlueFinity International introduce in 2019?

2019 has seen a number of new Evoke features added, which can easily be incorporated as part of a new or existing app developed using Evoke. These include multiple types of graphs, integrated use of phone cameras, printing and production of documents for external use, user implementation of chatbots, QR and barcode reading, shopping cart functionality, payments, etc.

We have introduced the final phase of the multiple developer system to Evoke which will fully support the deployment and management of a group of developers working on the same app at the same time.

We have implemented the Evoke Premium Support Package, which is delivered as part of the Developer license. This provides Evoke clients with comprehensive training, extensive on-line support and unrivalled assistance sessions and on-call support which combined, takes the new Evoke user from the installation of the Evoke Developer through to the successful deployment of their first live app.

This year we have also introduced the Seed App service to our customers where we create and deliver a made-to-order working Seed App to them as a way to get a fully working, mobile or web app, quickly to allow for either immediate deployment or as a base for customization.

What was the greatest or most exciting thing that happened to your company or product in 2019?

The most significant events for BlueFinity during 2019 are derived almost entirely from our client base. The number of clients now using Evoke has continued to grow substantially during the year. But probably more significant is the number of clients that have gone 'live' by deploying their apps across important vertical markets. 2019 has seen our first app in the ever-growing healthcare market, as well as live clients in the energy provider and financial services markets.

In addition, one of the most notable aspects of the year has been the big take-up of our new seed app offering which is proving to be tremendously popular. Introduced only mid-way through the year, it is a very effective way of kickstarting the app development, getting the app live and deployed quickly, as well as providing a sound basis upon which the client may further customize and enhance the deployed app.

What would you like Spectrum readers to watch for in 2020?

There are two main things to look for in the Evoke world for 2020. The first is in the growth of the use of Evoke in regions outside of our fast expanding US and European markets. Our distributors in Australia and South Africa have already brought on new Evoke clients and the outlook for many more to follow is looking very good. We will also be adding additional distributors in other geographical regions during the course of next year.

The second is a seismic reaction in the MultiValue market as the full potential of Evoke becomes more widely known and provides a seamless route into the .Net and multi-device GUI User Interface world for existing MultiValue based solutions. As a product designed for the wider SQL market with industry standard technology employed throughout, Evoke is equally powerful when used for any of the MultiValue databases or even SQL and MultiValue together in the same app.

Incorporating Evoke apps with existing MultiValue based systems will prolong the life of those systems as well as providing huge potential to the business users. As Evoke becomes more widely used and better known, it will have a major impact on how legacy MultiValue systems are viewed.

Norse Systems, Inc.

What new features or services did Norse Systems introduce in 2019?

ScreenDriver is now the first and only MultiValue Application Suite to offer 'Integrated Document Management Services' (IDMS) for all of your Microsoft objects. Imagine every enterprise document, spreadsheet, photo, graph or form relationally attached to the relevant objects inside your enterprise database. From your 'Customer' screen — one mouse click — boom — and there is every contract, correspondence, phone directory, Memo, etc. related to that customer. A second mouse click and boom — its open. Form the 'Supplier' screen — boom — same thing. From the 'Inventory' screen — boom — drawings, manuals, price sheets, … You get the idea.

Attachment services in ScreenDriver are available for every table, from "InvoiceTermsCode' through 'Customer.'

And every object can have full 'library' services including access security, check-in/out change control, revision numbering, auto archiving, version compare and more.

There are many multi-value development tools which can help if you want to build the multi-value applications of yesterday, but only one with the forward thinking that will let you build the multi-value applications of tomorrow.

What was the greatest or most exciting thing that happened to your company or product in 2019?

Norse Systems settled on a pricing and licensing strategy for ScreenDriver® which sets the stage for the coming revolution. The IT "Environment of the Future" is now accessible to every enterprise. You can transform your multi-value applications for only $135.00 per user (retail perpetual) with annual maintenance of only $25.00!

This includes everything! You get computer generated GUI maintenance windows for most of your tables and menus; painless install preserving every functional aspect of your legacy system; Computer generated APIs to facilitate access from Web, phone or other restful service interfaces; The best multi-value Query tool on the market: Integrated Document Management; Attribute encryption to secure your Social Security, Credit Card, or other sensitive data; A suite of pre-GUIized methods to support easy, swift and equally modern custom programming; Intra-functional ticklers; User and Site administration; Software 'version-release' control; and much much more.

What would you like Spectrum readers to watch for in 2020?

ScreenDriver is going to go viral in 2020! Interest has been growing for the past couple of years, and the product has now been proven in large and ultra-complex enterprises applications. The word is going to spread rapidly among business executives and IT professionals. Don't delay — we're going to be busy.

After decades of road-maps and so-called visionaries which cannot see beyond "Restful Interfaces", the stage has now been set to let multi-value again be what it has historically been - the environment that puts "The Bigs" to shame. Functionality which makes IT better to be sure, but more importantly — Functionality which makes Enterprises better!

Call us at 800-769-8468 or visit us at www.norsesys.com to learn more.

Paradigm Systems

What new features or services did Paradigm Systems, Inc introduce in 2019?

When Mercury Flash was created, our goal was to go beyond the usual analysis and file resizing and provide a complete database administration tool. To do this we reached out to the community to find out what feature they would like in a MultiValue database administration tool, and they spoke volumes.

During this past year we have introduced the following enhancements:

• Two-Factor-Authentication has been implemented supporting the use for applications such as Google Authenticator as well as six other popular authentication tools on Android and iOS.
• The Master Scheduler has been enhanced to allow better control of commands that can be executed, allowing the administrator the ability to specify Allow/Deny commands, and user definable fields making the Mercury Flash Scheduler one of the most robust in the industry.
• Query Analyzer has been improved to better track the use of selection fields, allowing the user to easily identify indexed and non-indexed fields, and how often they are used.
• Improved AutoTune of the U2 configuration parameters allowing you to keep your system tuned for peak performance.

What was the greatest or most exciting thing that happened to your company or product in 2019?

Mercury Flash has been well received by the Multivalue community, so much so that the number of requests we receive to port the product has been very encouraging; beginning with our latest release, Mercury Flash 5.2 supports OpenQM 3.4-15 and above. Zumasys responded very well to our requests, which at times required additional features to their version of Basic. Zumasys did not disappoint and quickly provided us with the features we needed to successfully port Mercury Flash to OpenQM.

In addition to supporting OpenQM, we have added several new resellers to our global distribution network which now covers 32 countries in addition to the United States and Canada. In addition to new distributors we also introduced our new referral program offering referral rewards for new clients. If you are interested in finding out more about this program you can visit www.paradigm-systems.us/referrals.

What would you like Spectrum readers to watch for in 2020?

Paradigm Systems is constantly enhancing Mercury Flash and providing the tools our clients need to manage their Multivalue database. Over the past year we have received countless requests for new features, support for other Multivalue databases and various other customizations. In the coming year be on the lookout from the following among others:

• Mercury Flash on D3 and jBASE. We have been discussing enhancements to D3 and jBASE with Rocket Software and Zumasys respectively so that we can complete the task of porting to those platforms.
• Downloadable Applications for Mercury Flash are in the works, which will allow us to respond quickly to customization requested from our clients.
• Database issues don't limit themselves to normal work hours, so why should you have to limit how you manage your database. We are currently working on Smart Phone browser support so that you can handle the most important issues wherever you happen to be.

2020 is going to be a fantastic year for us and Mercury Flash is going to lead the way. If you're not currently using Mercury Flash, take the time to visit us at www.paradigm-systems.us and check out Mercury Flash.

SJ+ Systems Associates, Inc.

PRC just gets smarter every year. Why? Because of all the smart people who use it and all the cool things we think of together that it could do. We're still having fun. If you're using PRC and have some great ideas, let's hear them. If you're not using PRC yet, shouldn't you at least see why you might want to be? Happy New Year.

Zumasys

What new features or services did Zumasys introduce in 2019?

The major milestone for 2019 was the release of AccuTerm 8 and the new AccuTerm Web, which allows you to run your existing app through modern web browsers. The year also saw continued development on jBASE and OpenQM — focused on security, connectivity and increased performance — while road mapping major feature functionality releases to come for 2020.

What was the greatest or most exciting thing that happened to your company or product in 2019?

We're proud to have embraced Open Source and the MultiValue community by way of PickMultiValue.com and the work on the MV Basic extension in partnership with ONgroup and many other members of our community. We have been blown away by the growth and engagement with the Facebook group for Pick MultiValue and we are excited to see such broad engagement.

What would you like Spectrum readers to watch for in 2020?

Watch for growth in MultiValue Open Source projects, with utility type projects such as MV Basic for VS Code and application level projects such as Brent Blair's jBASE/jAgent REST framework, https://github.com/pickmultivalue/jAgent .

In the future, we will see the first MultiValue platform offer a free licensing model. While the existing user base has long been accustomed to the pay-for-play model, the barrier to entry for net-new users will finally be lowered by a vendor offering a zero-cost option for those looking to create new applications powered by MultiValue.

Featured:

Nov/Dec 2019