1. Server improvements.
The server improvement section is related to your SQL server configurations and answers questions like: Have you installed the latest Service packs? Can you make changes in your SQL Server configuration to make use of all available memory? Etcetera.
Screenshot of Server Improvements:

2. Database improvements.
The database improvements section is related to the database itself and gives advice about new available product updates, clean up of historical journal records, clean up of voided entry record, background jobs, clean up of temporary tables etcetera.
Screenshot of database improvements:

The number of requested improvements reports are growing every month. The Exact System Information tool can be downloaded and used for free by all organizations that uses Exact Globe and/or Exact Synergy (Enterprise). Did you already request an improvement report? Do not forget to specify your email address when running the tool.

If you have feedback please comment on this blog or send an email to Andre.van.de.Graaf@exact.com The ESI tool can be downloaded from here.

• Multi browser support.
• Support of latest SSRS versions and features.
• Reports built with the Microsoft report building tools.
• Easy management of deployed reports.
• Support for Web parts.
• Deployment and access to reports via Synergy roles.  

Multi browser support.
In March 2010 Exact announced the start of the project: Multi-browser support of Exact Synergy Enterprise. This requirement made the answer to the next question relative easy to made: Will we retrieve and render the data on the web server or on a Reporting Services report server? Retrieve and rendering of reports on the web server can be done with the Report Viewer control. This has some advantages however it conflicts with our goal to support multiple browsers.  This means that Exact Synergy Enterprise will render all SSRS reports on a Reporting Services report server. You have a license to use reporting services as long as the reporting server is installed on your database server. If you install a seperate reporting server you require an additional license. More information about SQL 2008 licensing can be found here.  

Support of latest SSRS versions and features.
In every new version of SQL server, new features will be added to Reporting server. Especially in SQL 2008 R2 a lot of nice reporting features are added like 

Maps, Sparklines, Databars and Indicators.  

Reports build with the Microsoft report building tools.
Microsoft made excellent tools to build reports and make use of the new features. For instance:  

• Report Builder 2.0  for SQL 2008
• Report Builder 3.0  for SQL 2008 R2. At this moment availabel in the CTP version. As of June with the launch of SQL 2008 R2 commercial availabe.
• SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio.

Easy management of deployed reports.
After building a SSRS report, you should deploy the report to the reporting server. The deployment of SSRS reports can be done via the Synergy user interface. This includes deletion of deployed reports and the re-deploy of reports to a new or additional reporting server. 

Support of web parts.
Web parts are a nice way to build your own dashboard. As of Exact Synergy Enterprise we support web parts on the home page of a user. 

Deployment and access to reports via Synergy roles.
To deploy reports via Synergy you should have the role Report manager. To access a report you should have the role which are linked to the reports. This can be existing roles but also new created roles.

I hope you will enjoy the integration of Reporting services in Exact Synergy Enterprise.

Photo credits: SOCIALisBETTER

It is important for you to know what kind of information is exchanged by the ESI Tool. When you use the ESI Tool no company sensitive information will be transferred. Only technical information like usage statistics, logged errors, numbers of records per table, database size and settings will be exchanged. When using the ESI Tool you can see exactly what information is send to us in the CSV file that is placed on your desktop or via menupath ‘Logs, View CSV file’.

Personally, I am very happy to see that a lot of our customers have already used the ESI tool. As of today, the Exact System Information Tool is even extended with the option to receive an automated improvement report per e-mail.

If you specify your e-mail address before pressing the ‘Start Analysis button’, the Exact System Information will analyze your SQL Server and Exact databases. When the analysis is completed you will receive the improvement report within 10 minutes. The report is divided in 2 sections:

1. Server improvements.
The server improvements section is related to your SQL server configurations and answers questions like: Have you installed the latest Service packs? Can you make changes in your SQL Server configuration to make use of all available memory? Etcetera.
 
2. Database improvements.
The database improvements section is related to the database itself and gives advice about new available product updates, clean up of historical journal records, clean up of voided entry record, background jobs, clean up of temporary tables etcetera.

If you have already used the Exact System Information tool in the past, the tool will update itself when you start it up again.

Enjoy using the Exact System Information tool. If you have suggestions for improvements please let me know, as we do not only want to improve our software solutions but also the Exact System Information Tool itself.

Photo credit: cliff1066tm