My apologies for not being able to attend the meeting at IBM Warwick, this was for all the best reasons. As many of you have learned over the years here at Suffolk County Council we have had a bespoke system with Tetra additions, this is all about to change. We are in the throes of moving to a standard system based upon Enterprise Version 2.0. We are also in the process of introducing Project Accounting. As you can well imagine such a massive change is proving to be something of a nightmare, hopefully it will all be worth it in the end. Go live day was supposed to have been on 6^th March 2001 the day of the meeting - last minute glitches have caused this to be delayed.

I promise to tell the full story of the upgrade in a future edition of ISTUG News, it will be a useful reference to others contemplating such a move, hopefully without all the complications of our situation. You will have noted we have taken Project Accounting, and I am therefore willing to give help assistance or advice to any other companies already running these modules, or considering doing so in the future.

Thanks to Jim Wigmore (ISTUG Technical Director) who has been able to step in and act on my behalf hosting the meetings, I look forward to being back with you again shortly.

I would encourage all of you who are interested in reporting tools e.g. Report Writer, Business Objects, Crystal Reports, Cognos, ODBC Drivers, or any other package that will allowing reporting to be done on the data within Sage Enterprise Systems, to contact the ISTUG Help Desk and join RSIG.

We are trying to encourage the SIGs to be more proactive, by having meeting agendas set prior to meetings, FSIG have already set this process up, and it is to be hoped the other SIGs will follow, let the SIG Chairman know of subject matter you would like to see covered at future meetings of your SIG.

I am quite excited about the introduction of Technology Blocks in the Members Club - read more about this new offering we are making to our members in the dedicated chapter later in the newsletter.

As always may I remind you, it is your user group, what is achieved depends upon your input, we can only deliver your requirements if you tell us what they are. If you like what you get from the user group tell others, if you don’t like what you get tell us and we will put it right.

This is a new initiative in the Members Club area of the ISTUG web site - its prime aim is to link suppliers and end users by technologies. Those with access to the Members Club can find the Technology Blocks listed on the Links Page.

Each Technology Block lists the suppliers for that technology, makes direct links to supplier web sites, or gives online presentations of the supplier offerings, gives you the option to email for more information, and lists ISTUG members who use the product and are prepared to act as a reference site.