Job cost detail report - Descriptions

Lupton

Our situation is that when we run a  Job cost report the  Description field is extracted from descriptions entered via Bills.

The descriptions field in the Job Cost Report appears to be only showing 100 characters whereas the Bills descriptions can show a lot more.

I realise the workaround is to restrict the Bills descriptions to 100 characters but this is messy having extra lines like this.

Am I correct re the 100 character Job Cost Report restriction ?

Can anyone think of another way to get that info ? 


Thanks in advance

John Graetz

HI.  This is only an idea and I don't know if it works.  If you export the report to excel, will you be able to see the full detail?  John L G

Lupton

Hi John. No it doesn't work. Thanks for replying

gazza73

Lupton

The extra data is in fact in the database, because you can observe it when you edit the old existing bills.  From my experience, this perceived truncation of description field (or MEMO fields as it is called in some other parts of Reckon Accounts),  is purely a 'report layout' matter.   

John Graetz's  suggestion was close to the mark,  but when you export to Excel from a report that you've already run,  then the data going to Excel is limited to what  was fitting on the report.  The report is the issue, not the data.

Solutions are available by deploying either the new API (SDK kit) as a developer,  or deploying the QODBC facility and resorting to MS-Query ---> Excel type data extractions (or other QODBC compatible 3rd party products).  

Yes, it's all possible,  but you'd need to be proficient at using an external  report tool.  There are developers that provide this level of ancillary product/solution,   but it may be expensive to implement on a one-off basic.    PS:  I've had a similar issue myself, with the description/memo field in the timesheets, and resorted to developing a solution on the approach suggested.


As an advocate of Reckon products generally, I have a vested interest in assisting/exploring such questions where people are not finding a solution to their reporting needs.   

Feel free to drop me a line about this if you're still pursuing it.

Gary

Lupton

Excellent complete reply Gary

It is definitely a report layout issue. Any invoices we create using the timesheet descriptions have the whole field without truncation.
  
Would those solutions work well with Hosted ? eg do we have to download the database onto local drives each time 1st ?

If they do so then we can only put it to the client to work out whether the solution is worth it. (I am an accountant) 

Many thanks

gazza73

Lupton

The HOSTED environment would require external access I believe, because it runs in a caged SaaS (Software as a service) environment.  API/SDK (software development Partners) would need to gain access to the QBW file (Company file) and perform an application level extraction of what's needed, and put that into another environment that provides the sort of layout you would seek.  Not a simple answer for you, sorry.   but please email me to be in touch.  It is a growing area of interest in the business  world for sure.

Cheers

Gary Pope
m: 0408994799 
e:  [email protected]
An Accredited Partner- Consultant (VIC. Aust)
http://www.alchester.com.au/reckon-ac...
"Working with Accountants/Bookkeepers PPs/APs, as an
     independent IT Professional and retired FCPA Accountant"

John Graetz

So Gary - why do we have this restriction in the first place?  Why can't we have a "wrap text" option as we can do in an Excel spreadsheet?  There is more than one area in which this restriction applies and causes issues with presentations in reports.
We live in a day and age where things have changed a lot and yet this is one "feature" in Reckon that still lives in the dark ages.  One could readily draw a parallel between this restriction and that which existed in DOS file names whereby a file name could only contain 7 (or was it 8) characters.  We don't have that archaic restriction any more, but in Reckon we do.
Does it require a whole lot more people to cry out for this change to happen in order for Reckon to take some interest and do something about it?.
John L G

gazza73

Agreed

- a 'wrap text'  would solve it!   The data is in fact in there - it's just the report layout at issue.

Gary