The Insider Blog

We recently posted release 6.0.414 (May 2011).  Users with current annual maintenance are welcome to download and update at any time at www.mastermine.net.

Here is a list of enhancements since release 6.0.385 (November 2010).

If you have any questions about any of these enhancements or bug fixes, please don’t hesitate to contact us for clarification, or an explanation of how the change might benefit you.

Full Windows 7 compatibility.  New file locations are:

•   Application and support files under MasterMine application folder (c:\program files)
•  User settings file (MMINI.xls)  and user-defined templates stored
  under All User profile, in App Data
• Default report saveto location under My Documents\MasterMine

Office 2010 compatility.  Resolve issues with saving reports created under Office 2010 (32-bit).  Compatibility with 64-bit Office 2010 is slated for Summer 2011.

Security on saved reports more fully implemented:  MasterMine reports can no longer be opened except by licensed MasterMine users, using the MasterMine “Open” dialog or immediate launch from GoldMine  taskbar

Usability.

•  Fix slow load of DisplayBox — make query size calculation manual on “Stats” page
•  For “Details” reports, both the report and the “DetailRef” field is now renamed after the selected Detail (Profile)type
•  Force MasterMine report to foremost window after creating or opening it
•  Configuration tool in installer (MMConfig) more transparent, and tolerant of failed SQL login
•  Add Contact2 fields to many templates that formerly did not have them
•  In “Snapshot” functionality for users of Excel 2007 and 2010. Saveas workbook type .xlsx or .xls at user’s preference
•  Fix slow loading/formatting of drilldown sheets in Excel 2010
•  Fix crash when selecting Opportunities or Projects and NO user-defined fields exist.
•  Fix handling of HTML in Opportunity Manager notes under GoldMine 9.1 (newly available)
•  Fix listing of potential QuoteWerks databases (Preferences, “Integration” tab)  for SQL 2005 and higher
•  Allow centralized management of “Site Share” license

Installation.  At installation, allow discovery of  multiple GoldMine databases to  add needed User-defined functions to SQL server at user’s request.  These functions provide user-friendly inclusion of  Primary and Secondary Email Addresses, etc.

MMUpdater.  Allow adding e-mail addresses: add new e-mail record if needed to accommodate new e-mail (Primary e-mail only, no undo)

We sometimes forget that MasterMine, in addition to being useful for quick reports, graphs, and complicated dynamic data presentations, can simply give us a powerful top-down understanding of our GoldMine database, indeed of our whole GoldMine-centered enterprise.  Here are a few comments on using MasterMine to “master” GoldMine.

Even if you’ve had MasterMine for years, you should still occasionally run the most basic MasterMine report there is:
1. Run the “Create MasterMine Report” dialog, and
2. hit “Finish”. 

From here, create simple one by one tables of your main account information, especially using your key fields.  For every GoldMine database, these fields are different, but they very likely reflect the most elemental, important, “key” information about your prospects and customers.  Breaking down these key fields by content is your first step to truly understanding how well your GoldMine reflects the reality of your business.

At first, what stands out will likely be inaccurate, inappropriate and missing data.  Drill through, use global replace and MMUpdater to clean these up.  In many cases, you may find genuine opportunities that have become lost because of seemingly minor errors.

Next, group the remaining items logically within each field in order to create the simplest possible tables (say, client type by account rep). The resulting tables should provide a variety of useful snapshots that tell you that tell you a great deal about the state of your company.

Why does your business, or any business, use CRM at all?  Typically, it is to capture and coordinate the invaluable information that flows through the company about clients, prospects, projects, and opportunities, and channel it into meaningful and timely action.  You’re collecting information, almost certainly, if you’re using GoldMine at all.  But are you really mastering that information and thereby getting the insight that makes your business the smooth running machine it could be?

Has GoldMine been “slowing down” on you? 

Some GoldMine users are unaware that regular maintenance of their database at the SQL level is a vital component of database efficiency.  This includes both backup AND index rebuilding, as well as various “cleanup” tasks, performed automatically on a regular basis. 

This is NOT an automatic part of GoldMine’s installation.  Your GoldMine partner, or your IT department, needs to make sure it is implemented.

D.J. Hunt of Computerese, Inc. has put together a great white paper on this topic, providing step-by-step instructions on setting up your GoldMine SQL Server maintenance plan.  We use this plan ourselves at MasterMine, and although we thought we already had a good plan in place, it helped us make incremental improvements that really show up in smoother operations every day.

We provide it here with D.J.’s kind permission.  Note that we at MasterMine are not the authors of this plan, and we accept no liability for your particular use or implementation of a SQL maintenance plan using this guide.

Download the whitepaper HERE.

Whenever you upgrade GoldMine, we recommend that you also upgrade MasterMine to the most current version.  That way, you automatically get the benefit of whatever new features, functions, or bug fixes we have added that address changes in the newer versions. This is also the most seamless way to keep your MasterMine functioning properly for all users.

Just download the most current software from our website (www.mastermine.net) and install right over the existing application.  If you are current on annual maintenance, and you are upgrading from a version earlier than 7.0, call us for a new MasterMine license number.

If you are already using MasterMine under an earlier version of GoldMine, and are upgrading to PE 8.5 or 9.0, here’s what else you need to know about upgrading:

Notes: GoldMine 8.5 and 9.0 handle notes differently than earlier versions.  After your MasterMine upgrade, you will need to re-create reports that use notes.  MasterMine automatically formats the new notes so they are most intelligible for reporting, and strips out unwanted HTML coding.

If re-writing your reports sounds like a daunting task, or you’d prefer to have it handled by experienced hands, it is possible to re-build the “back end” of your reports leaving the visible part exactly the same, but refreshable against your new database.  Contact our report writing experts if you need help.