Sage 100

Have client that was happily using Bar Tender Pro to print labels that pulled ODBC data from MAS90 4.3. Enter MAS90 4.4. After updating the ODBC connection info in Bar Tender the prompt queries do not work anymore. The way it used to work was this - at print time, Bar Tender prompted them to enter the sales order number and then presented them with a list of items on the order from which they selected to print the carton labels. It all works great until the prompt query is added. Spent a bunch of time on the phone with Seagull Scientific and could not get it to work. My question is this; what program are you all using to print bar code labels that has similar functionality to Bar Tender Pro and can access MAS ODBC data reliably?

I do most of my label stuff within MAS from either custom reports or some of the label programs (ship labels, receipt, inventory, etc).

I thought of that, but did not know how to get Crystal to ask for a sales order number and then present a list of only the items on that sales order and allow the user to select one or more items from that list?

I use a PTQ Access file to do this with Label Matrix. What tables are you using to pull data from (sounds like IM or PO) which changed in v44. So it could be the crappy ODBC driver. Try the PTC pulling from the same tables.

SalesOrderHeader and Detail. Is the point of a Pass Thru Query that it does not need to be refreshed?

One of the many points. Data access is 10X faster via the PTQ than through the SOTAMAS driver. IF the BC label software will only allow access to one table, yuo can create a select query that combines nay PTQ's into one table to pull from.

I am pretty sure I can relate the tables in bar tender. Trying that now. Thanks @JeffSchwenk good to know.

Greg I have used Bartender in the past and it works great. Most of the time I setup an Acces database as a go-between as the SOTAMAS90 DSN gets wonkie at times.

I have used Bar Tender for years too and never ran into a problem like this before. Also knew about the speed issue with wonky mas odbc and used @DanBurleson Shadow Access. Testing out the pass thru query as we speak (or type LOL)

Did the location of your MAS change? That would need to be reflected in the PTQ properties.

Seems that Bar Tender does not allow access to queries, only tables. Got the PTQ setup, but it does not show in the list of objects after opening the Access file with Bar Tender's database connection wizard.

Can you use a different driver? Label Matrix was the same until I used a different ODBC connection.

When you add a connection In the Database Connector Setup there is a button for ""Table Types..."" where you can select to see ""VIEWS"". See the attached screen shot with queries (AKA VIEWS) in the list of tables.

Saw the table type button, selected the VIEWS type, but alas no PTQ. I see your shadow tables are in the list as views, will try that with my shadow copy. Maybe I am not doing something right creating @JeffSchwenk's 10 step pass thru query.

Send it to me and I'll take a look.

OK figured that part out. Had to select the ODBC Data Source Access option and not the OLE DB Access option at the Type of Database to use - my bad.

Thanks for the help guys, taking a break for dinner, will kill this thing later tonight!

Try the ODBC link to Access.

Using the ODBC Access connection works like a charm! Thanks @JeffSchwenk and @DanBurleson appreciate the help.

Great to hear. So Bar Tender is serving drinks? On the house?

Cheers!

@GregStiles Aside from the wonderful and unchallenged superiority of using PTQ to add years to our lives, reverse aging and absolve ourselves of all bad habits ---- did you find a resolution to the original issue of Bartender suddenly stopping? I have a customer with the exact same problem. I have not yet logged in to see if they are using a PTQ (yes, yes I know they are wonderful and will change my life) - am curious if there was a way to just return the functionality to the way it was before the 4.5 Upgrade.

From what I can tell by talking to the customer - I've no experience with Bartender - it appears you need to create some type of PTQ in order to make it work. Probably something changes during the upgrade and either a path or syntax of some sort has to change. If you have more information please let me know so I can update our KB.

Nope! Spent a lot of time with Seagull Scientific support and they could not make it work. They even suggested retrieving the data from another data source, but of course they could not tell me how to setup the pass thru query for MAS. The frustrating thing was the label worked except for the ability to prompt the user for the Sales Order Number. In my case the list the user was presented with (all items on all open SOs) was too long to effectively deal with, otherwise the label format would have worked. But after creating the PTQ the query prompting worked just like it did before the upgrade, go figure! To quote @LouisAraiza blame it on that wonky SOTAMAS90 ODBC driver! Now I'm just waiting for that reverse aging to kick in and all bad habits to absolve!

I am pretty sure it is something we have no control over, not as simple as a path or a syntax issue, it is an issue in the ODBC driver that does not work correctly with the query prompt feature. Incidentally, I tried multiple version of BarTender as well, the old version that the client has (8 I think) as well as the latest version. Neither worked after the prompt was added.

Pass Through Queries have been a life saver ever since I learned about them back in the v3.0 days. Read about them in book on Access in which it explained that SQL pass-through queries send commands directly to an ODBC database server. By using an SQL pass-through query, you work directly with the server tables and bypass almost all levels of the SOTAMAS90 DSN.

It was not clear from the message thread (which was large) that apparently Bartender requires PTQ?

Reverse aging? I wonder what my head shot would look like had I NOT taken the PTQ anti aging pills....................

Wayne, I have BarTender working in a similar capacity on 4.4 with another client and did not have this issue. This other client prints pallet receiving labels for incoming inventory from PO Receipt of Goods and is using the Query Prompt feature and it works fine!? And again, if you are just pulling data without any query prompts, as opposed to selecting records from a list at print time, it works fine. And of course if you are just printing all records, there is no issue whatsoever. Judging from @LouisAraiza photo, he REALLY LOVES PTQs!

Thanks I'll update when I know more. Customer installed/uninstalled Bartender and is in the process of reinstalling.

Turns out my customer issue was slightly different. They'd tried to update the ODBC and instead of selecting CI_Item they selected a wrk file. I think that may have caused some of their issue. They appear to only have had a single table used to print their labels and as such I have not explored the PTQ.