Q. Can we use My Clients & Profits! X to connect multiple offices?
Yes. Staff members in the remote offices can access the main office's Clients & Profits database from any web browser, seeing clients, jobs, time cards, traffic, POs, and other non-accounting functions. Because My Clients & Profits! X is designed for creatives, account executives, and road warriors, it won't be useful for bookkeepers, accountants, and controllers.
Q. Can I run the My Clients & Profits! X web server from a Mac?
Yes. The My Clients & Profits! web server application can run on any late model Mac G4 or higher (i.e., iMac, etc.) with OS 10.3.9 or higher. Both Mac and Windows installers are included on the My C&P! X installer, which can be
downloaded from our web site.
Q. What's the difference between My Clients & Profits! X and Clients & Profits Enterprise Edition?
They are different applications entirely. My Clients & Profits! X is simply an add-on for Clients & Profits Classic 10.1, Clients & Profits Pro 10.1, and Job Tracker 10.1 that allows web-based users to access the shop's C&P database with a web browser. Clients & Profits Enterprise Edition is client/server version of Clients & Profits Pro that uses MySQL 5.0 or SQL Server Express 2005 as a "back-end" database. Because C&P Enterprise Edition is a client/server system, multiple offices can share a single company-wide database -- something that isn't possible with Clients & Profits Pro. Also, the database for Clients & Profits Enterprise Edition is completely open to other SQL-based applications, such as Microsoft Access and corporate accounting systems. Because Clients & Profits Enterprise Edition is based on SQL Server, it is much more scalable, reliable, and customizable than Clients & Profits Pro. So If your shop is growing fast -- opening offices and adding dozens of users -- Clients & Profits Enterprise Edition is the answer. However, client/server systems are 2-3 times more expensive than Clients & Profits Pro and will demand many more technical resources from your shop. If you only need to let staff members enter time cards and expense reports, track jobs, and look up job costs, then all you need is My Clients & Profits! X.
Q. How many users can access the My Clients & Profits! X web server at the same time?
There is no artificial limit on the number of users who can use My Clients & Profits! X. The number of concurrent users is limited by the performance of the computer that's running My Clients & Profits! X, the available bandwidth of your internet connection, the speed of your Clients & Profits file server, and the amount of traffic on the network. The My Clients & Profits! X server uses one user license regardless of the number of users accessing it at one time.
Q. Will My Clients & Profits! X work with any version of Clients & Profits?
Your shop needs to be using Clients & Profits Classic, Clients & Profits Pro, or Clients & Profits Job Tracker versions 10.1 or above before it can use My Clients & Profits! X. Earlier versions of C&P Classic, C&P Pro, and Job Tracker must be upgraded before installing the My C&P! X web server. For upgrade information, call Clients & Profits Sales at (800) 272-4488. My Clients & Profits! X is also available for Clients & Profits Enterprise Edition when used with MySQL or Microsoft SQL Express.
Q. Do we need a high-powered PC to run the My Clients & Profits! X web server?
No, but the performance of My Clients & Profits! X will be better with a comparatively faster server. A practical idea would be to start off first with a used Pentium 4 PC, or Macintosh G4 or G5 and monitor its performance as more people use My Clients & Profits! X. As the server's volume increases you'll probably notice a slow down in performance, at which time a faster computer is justified.
Q. Can clients access the My Clients & Profits! X web server?
Yes, but only if they are set up in My Clients & Profits! X as authorized users. Each individual person at a client needs to be added as a My Clients & Profits! X user, then given the appropriate access privileges (for example, not to add time cards). Since employees of clients and vendors are regular Clients & Profits users, they have extremely limited to the web server.
Q. Are a user's access privileges in My C&P! X different from their Clients & Profits access privileges?
Yes, but both sets of access privileges work together. A user's access privileges in My Clients & Profits! X determines which features and functions can be accessed from the web server. Once a user has logged onto the My C&P! X web server, his or her access privileges from Clients & Profits determine whether tasks can be added, status codes can be changed, purchase orders can be approved, etc. Sometimes a user's access privileges will need to be updated in both My Clients & Profits! X and the Clients & Profits' users, access, and passwords window.
Q. Can someone use My Clients & Profits! X even if they only have a dial-up connection?
Yes, but the web pages they request will display more slowly. Whether it's too slow or not depends on how much work a user does with My Clients & Profits! X and if it's tolerable. If the web page loads too slowly for a user, the only option is to increase the speed of the internet connection with a DSL or cable modem, etc.
Q. Can I trade in some Clients & Profits user licenses for a My C&P! X web server?
No, the My Clients & Profits! X web server software must be purchased separately.
Q. Is the My Clients & Profits! X server secure?
No. My Clients & Profits! X does not support SSL at this time, so it can't establish a secure connection between the server and a user.
Q. Our shop doesn't have a full-time internet connection. Can we still use My Clients & Profits! X?
Yes, but access to My Clients & Profits! X will be limited to only users located inside the office on the shop's local area network (LAN).
