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What’s Ahead for QuickBase in the Near Term?

By Peter Fearey | Posted on August 9th, 2005

I’m going to talk in this post about near term “ahead” and then later (this week hopefully) about longer term “ahead”. First, the caveats… sharing new features early is tough for a few reasons:

I have to give a brief overview (these aren’t our release notes), which inevitably leads to some miss set expectations (sometimes even scandalous rumors!).
You won’t get that "holiday gift anticipation" the days leading to our release, because the surprise element will be gone.
We might not get all the features planned done because of changes in scope and regular “things happen” demands.
Some of these features will only be available for additional costs. Final packaging decisions have not been made, so I can’t tell you which now.

If something below jumps out at you as particularly "scandalous", don’t let it bug you. Talk to us about it by posting comments here or through feedback@quickbase.com.

So, here we go… As per our norm, we plan on having a Fall release. Based on feedback from our customers and prospects, our theme for this release is “supporting the corporation”. Here are the top three areas that this translates into:

Enhanced Integration and Consolidation: I need some help in naming this one; these words are too bland. Two major features here: the ability to create relationships across applications and the ability to roll-up/synch data across applications. So for example, you’ll be able to have one, single, centralized list of products, customers, resources or initiatives that can be used across many applications. You’ll be able to have four different divisions with customized sales or project applications that work perfectly for each, but still “roll-up” to the corporate level key information about status. These are just two examples. Let your mind ponder this one. It is big.
Improved Reporting and Printing: While you might hate “new and improved” wording in advertising, you’ll love them here. For you data analysis geeks, we are talking cross tabs with drill down. For the rest of us, we mean that you’ll have more flexibility in the layout of reports to help get your points across. We’ll also make improvements to printing, so you have less to worry about when reporting all your great progress and results.
Easier User Administration and Increased Security Options: We’re adding user directory integration, including LDAP support, and a broad range of password policy improvements (expiring, lock-outs, length and characteristic enhancements, etc.). This one is geeky, but really cool to “all of the sudden” have the world of your corporate directory open to QuickBase. We’ve been using LDAP-based integration at Intuit for over a month now, and the easier administration has been felt by us and by our IT management team.

As the theme indicates, these features are targeted at larger applications with larger numbers of users which are demanded by “the corporation”. We’ve got you to thank for this! You’ve pushed what QuickBase can do, and we are all seeing continual growth in the “size” of applications, number of applications, and number of users that companies need us to support.

I look forward to your feedback and questions!

P.S. I apologize for being later than expected in getting this out to y’all. Along with backlog from our budgeting process, I’ve been training for a triathlon, which has completely corrupted my normal workaholic schedule. Three of us from the QuickBase team are taking part in this triathlon and many others who are supporting us. I feel lucky everyday to work with folks I also like to see on the weekends!

About Peter Fearey

Dave Hogarty

Fantastic! These features are critical =)

[Reply]
Dave Hogarty

Fantastic! These features are critical =)

[Reply]
Enhanced Integration and Conso

Name suggestion for Enhanced Integration and Consolidation–

Cross App Linking

[Reply]
Enhanced Integration and Consolidation Naming

Name suggestion for Enhanced Integration and Consolidation–

Cross App Linking

[Reply]
Mark Shnier

I appreciate the heads up on the password change. We were about to manually force a change of passwords by going thru each of our 200+ users and re-setting their passwords.

We will now wait for the proper solution (expiry date on passwords) to come this fall.

Also, Relationships across applications is great for exactly the purposes that you outlined.

Mark Shnier

[Reply]
Mark Shnier

I appreciate the heads up on the password change. We were about to manually force a change of passwords by going thru each of our 200+ users and re-setting their passwords.

We will now wait for the proper solution (expiry date on passwords) to come this fall.

Also, Relationships across applications is great for exactly the purposes that you outlined.

Mark Shnier

[Reply]
Peter Fearey

Thanks for the positive feedback on the functionality we are looking to deliver in the near term. As we’ve been working on these features, one thing we’ve tried to do has been to make sure we’ve designed the features for the most frequent customer situations, which brings me to my question…

How do you all envision using features like “Cross-app linking” and “Cross-app rollup” (or as some on our team call it: “Table to Table Copy”)? Or, put differently, what kind of information will you link, rollup or copy?

We’d love to hear your thoughts…

[Reply]
Peter Fearey

Thanks for the positive feedback on the functionality we are looking to deliver in the near term. As we’ve been working on these features, one thing we’ve tried to do has been to make sure we’ve designed the features for the most frequent customer situations, which brings me to my question…

How do you all envision using features like “Cross-app linking” and “Cross-app rollup” (or as some on our team call it: “Table to Table Copy”)? Or, put differently, what kind of information will you link, rollup or copy?

We’d love to hear your thoughts…

[Reply]
Mary Alexander

We are using QB to manage our business from a Sales standpoint through the implementation of all products purchased. We have separate applications for each. Prospect (for outside sales), Customer (new contract processing), Implementation (for new customer product implementation), Upgrade (for existing customer software upgrades), etc, etc…
Previously, the only way to get common data from one app to another is to export then import with lots of manual intervention and room for typos/human error. This enhancement will not only make this flow seamlessly and massively reduce the amount of redundant data entry and errors, it will make QB usable for other aspects of the business where we’re presently using spreadsheets and other silly means of capturing/maintaining data!! This is going to allow us to be almost flawlessly organized and impeccably accurate with everyone on the same page using the same tools. THANK YOU for listening to our request for this enhancement.

[Reply]
Mary Alexander

We are using QB to manage our business from a Sales standpoint through the implementation of all products purchased. We have separate applications for each. Prospect (for outside sales), Customer (new contract processing), Implementation (for new customer product implementation), Upgrade (for existing customer software upgrades), etc, etc…
Previously, the only way to get common data from one app to another is to export then import with lots of manual intervention and room for typos/human error. This enhancement will not only make this flow seamlessly and massively reduce the amount of redundant data entry and errors, it will make QB usable for other aspects of the business where we’re presently using spreadsheets and other silly means of capturing/maintaining data!! This is going to allow us to be almost flawlessly organized and impeccably accurate with everyone on the same page using the same tools. THANK YOU for listening to our request for this enhancement.

[Reply]
moshe weitzman

I’m real happy to see bot hthe cross-app linking and the user administration improvements. I’m not sure I can get my IT department to open up their Active Directory server, but I’ll try.

I already do a sync of my master ‘users’ table to all applications which need user fields. Thats because I like having a custom form on the users table which shows all the records the user is associated with. i know that Views provide this already, but for complex multi-table apps a single form gives a cleaner look than Views. The sync is done using an IE6 tool which Claude wrote (https://www.quickbase.com/db/6mztyxu8?a=dbpage&pagename;=sync.html).

Another advantage of syncing down the master users table is that i get user properties like ‘department’, ‘office’, etc. in my applications. Very useful for Views. I also store organizational hierarchy in this master Users table so that I can do record level access control based on hierarchy.

Email me for more info. I manage the VistraPrint workgroup. I’m happy to discuss.

[Reply]
moshe weitzman

I’m real happy to see bot hthe cross-app linking and the user administration improvements. I’m not sure I can get my IT department to open up their Active Directory server, but I’ll try.

I already do a sync of my master ‘users’ table to all applications which need user fields. Thats because I like having a custom form on the users table which shows all the records the user is associated with. i know that Views provide this already, but for complex multi-table apps a single form gives a cleaner look than Views. The sync is done using an IE6 tool which Claude wrote (https://www.quickbase.com/db/6mztyxu8?a=dbpage&pagename=sync.html).

Another advantage of syncing down the master users table is that i get user properties like ‘department’, ‘office’, etc. in my applications. Very useful for Views. I also store organizational hierarchy in this master Users table so that I can do record level access control based on hierarchy.

Email me for more info. I manage the VistraPrint workgroup. I’m happy to discuss.

[Reply]
Mark Shnier

I’m wondering if there is a target few weeks or month that the Developers are targeting for the Fall release. Maybe they would be willing to bracket the likely time frame?
Mark Shnier

[Reply]
Mark Shnier

I’m wondering if there is a target few weeks or month that the Developers are targeting for the Fall release. Maybe they would be willing to bracket the likely time frame?
Mark Shnier

[Reply]
Mary Alexander

Any news on an ETA of this release?
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Huh? Huh? Huh?
“Patiently” awaiting these wonderful new enhancements….
Mary

[Reply]
Mary Alexander

Any news on an ETA of this release?
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Huh? Huh? Huh?
“Patiently” awaiting these wonderful new enhancements….
Mary

[Reply]
George Carvill

I just stumbled on this, and while there may be a delay in the update, I suspect I am too late to change anything, but…

You wrote:
“So for example, you’ll be able to have one, single, centralized list of products, customers, resources …”

Does this mean I can do this:
Have the single centralized list of all products provide a list of them in a drop-down in another app,
AND
Have the user only see a sub-set of that list in a drop down based on the user’s role?

[Reply]
George Carvill

I just stumbled on this, and while there may be a delay in the update, I suspect I am too late to change anything, but…

You wrote:
“So for example, you’ll be able to have one, single, centralized list of products, customers, resources …”

Does this mean I can do this:
Have the single centralized list of all products provide a list of them in a drop-down in another app,
AND
Have the user only see a sub-set of that list in a drop down based on the user’s role?

[Reply]
Jim

re:

[Reply]
Jim

re:

[Reply]
http://www.partysause.de/Members/Angeli/ Angelina

Good

[Reply]
http://www.partysause.de/Members/Angeli/ Angelina

Good

[Reply]
rush

Division & Consolidation

Division as in: division of labor, division of responsibility, division of cost center, division of profit center, division of entity.

Someone could post accounts payable but not pay them. Someone could do payroll only. Store A would not see Store B, and so on.

[Reply]
rush

Division & Consolidation

Division as in: division of labor, division of responsibility, division of cost center, division of profit center, division of entity.

Someone could post accounts payable but not pay them. Someone could do payroll only. Store A would not see Store B, and so on.

[Reply]

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