May 1, 2003

SYNERGY/DE xfNETLINK .NET TUTORIAL NOW AVAILABLE
Synergex is pleased to debut a new tutorial, Using Synergy Components with Microsoft .NET and Web Services: A tutorial for building a distributed computing system with Synergy components, xfNetLink .NET, xfServerPlus, ASP.NET, and C#.

This tutorial will teach users how to use the xfNetLink .NET interface generation tools to

- Create a Synergy .NET assembly

- Use Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, ASP.NET, HTML, and C# to create a user interface that will be displayed in a Web browser

- Link the ASP.NET front-end to the Synergy application with xfServerPlus

The tutorial walks users through building a distributed application with an ASP.NET front-end. After completing the application, users can build a currency converter Web service that can be called from the application.

The tutorial concentrates on using the Synergy/DE interface generation tools and building the server portions of the application. To get the most out of the tutorial, we recommend that users have some familiarity with C#, Visual Studio .NET, and HTML to build ASP.NET pages.

To complete the tutorial, users need xfNetLink .NET version 7.5.3 or higher, xfServerPlus version 7.5 or higher, and Synergy/DE version 7.5 or higher. You can download the xfNetLink .NET tutorial on the Demos and Tutorials Web page within the Resource Center.
(Attention HelpDesk customers: After clicking on this link, log into the Resource Center. You'll then be redirected to the Demos and Tutorials page.)

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CRYSTAL REPORTS 9 HOT FIXES COMING SOON TO SYNERGY DEVELOPERS
There are currently some issues with Crystal Reports 9 when used with Synergy/DE xfODBC. Synergex has been working with Crystal Decisions to resolve these issues, resulting in the creation of two hot fixes that are available on Crystal Decisions' Web site.

The first issue concerns the mechanism Crystal Reports 9 uses to link tables. In some cases, reports can be unusable because of performance issues and/or invalid results. The severity of the problem depends on the nature of the links between tables. Our understanding is that Crystal Reports 9 uses a master (or "driving") table as the starting point for links when it encounters circular or bi-directional links. In Crystal Reports 9, however, there is no way to specify a driving table when working with the xfODBC driver.

In addition, if you pass a d8 date (YYYYMMDD), Crystal Reports 9 displays only the century (for example, 01/02/19, rather than 01/02/98 for a date in 1998).

Once these issues were discovered, Synergex and Crystal Decisions worked together to make the necessary changes to Crystal Reports 9. The resulting hot fixes instruct Crystal Reports 9 to use the first referenced table as the driving table when the xfODBC driver is used and to correctly return d8 date values.

Information on the hot fixes can be found on Crystal Decision's Web site:

- The first knowledge base article describes how Crystal Reports' SQL generator has been fixed to generate only SQL92 syntax when tables are joined. This is a performance enhancement and is installed as a service pack.

- The second knowledge base article describes how Crystal Decisions has fixed their ODBC driver so that it correctly returns dates. This is a critical fix and is currently provided only as an emergency hot fix (EHF) on Crystal Decisions' weekly hot fix FTP site. Synergex does not recommend installing EHFs, but until the monthly hot fix is available, this is the only way to fix the date problem.

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SYNERGY/DE 8.1: A CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY
After a smooth upgrade to Synergy/DE 8.1, Jack Henry & Associates, Inc., takes advantage of new features.

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc., (Nasdaq: JKHY) is a leading provider of integrated technology solutions for financial institutions throughout the United States. To take advantage of enhancements including the new XML API and improvements to Professional Series Workbench, Jack Henry decided to migrate their Core Director™ product to Synergy/DE 8.1.
The XML API and new support for HTTPS in Synergy/DE 8.1 enables customers like Jack Henry to communicate with more third-party applications, and to implement enhanced communication between their own application components. Synergy/DE 8.1 also provides enhancements to xfODBC, Synergy Language, UI Toolkit, and many other Synergy/DE tools.

“Overall, upgrading our application to Synergy/DE 8.1 was a smooth process—we had no issues at all,” commented Tom Head, Programmer and Analyst Team Leader at Jack Henry, “We were very impressed with 8.1's quality; it looks great and runs very smoothly.”

Following the smooth upgrade to 8.1, Jack Henry plans to add a browser interface to their existing application using ASP.NET and Synergy/DE's xfNetLink .NET and xfServerPlus products. The company will use version 8.1's XML API to communicate between the Synergy side of their application and the browser side. "We think that this will allow us more flexibility as our structures change, and will position us to more easily utilize emerging technologies," said Erik Read, lead developer at Jack Henry.

Head and his team are particularly pleased with the improvements to version 8.1's Professional Series Workbench: “I noticed a vast improvement in how well it functions and the ease with which you can upgrade Workbench now.”

Jack Henry plans to support the following platforms with their Synergy/DE 8.1 application:

- Windows Server 2003
- Windows 2000 Professional and Server SP3
- Windows NT 4.0 SP6a Workstation and Server
- Compaq Tru64 Unix
- IBM AIX 4.3 or higher
- NCR 3000

About Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.
Jack Henry & Associates, Inc., based in Monett, Missouri, provides integrated computer systems and processes ATM and debit card transactions for banks and credit unions. Jack Henry markets and supports its systems throughout the United States and has over 3,000 customers nationwide.
www.jackhenry.com

Did you know?
Jack Henry is just one example of the companies who experienced Synergy/DE 8.1 firsthand at SPC 2003 and upgraded as a result. In fact, over half of SPC 2003 attendees have already upgraded to version 8.1 and are taking advantage of the exciting new communication capabilities it offers for their Synergy applications.

Find out why so many of our customers are making the move to Synergy/DE 8.1. Visit the Synergy/DE 8.1 Web site today and register to win a Synergy/DE 8.1 distribution kit.

All registrations must be in by 5 p.m. EDT on May 12 to be entered into the contest. The winner will be notified in the May 13 edition of Synerg-E-News. Good luck!

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SUPPORT TECH TIP: OPENVMS ERROR 0X00018292 IN XFPL LOG FILE
Symptom: When trying to call a Synergy/DE xfServerPlus method within a shared image on OpenVMS, the following error occurs and is logged to the xfpl log file:

***** Error #98962 at XFPL_BUILD_ARG_BLOCK, line 328 *****
98962: Undefined error
98962: Error occurred during lookup of external routine.
98962: System error: 0x00018292.
98962: VMS error value: 00018292
***** End of Error *****

If the same routine is called from a small test program on the xfServerPlus system, the following error also occurs:

***** Error #2015 at XFPL_BUILD_ARG_BLOCK, line 328 *****
2015: ELB not found.
2015: Error occurred during lookup of external routine.
2015: Routine name: synGetBookingPrefixCount
2015: ELB name: ELBDIR:elbname
2015: System error: 0x00018292.
2015: VMS error value: 00018292
***** End of Error *****

Cause: The xfServerPlus shared image was linked against another shared image that was not defined as a system logical.

Solution: Ensure that all shared images needed by the xfServerPlus shared image are defined as logicals for the xfServerPlus process.

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WHERE IN THE WORLD IS SYNERGY/DE?
Next time you're out shopping, pay attention to the temperature of the store. Hopefully, it's so comfortable that you don't even notice it.

Thanks to Direct Digital Control systems from Roth Bros., Inc., many retail stores, such as J.C. Penney and OfficeMax, are managing their local and national facilities' heating and cooling systems twenty-four hours a day, real-time, on the Internet. Based on Vertical Market Software's Synergy/DE-based eService application, Roth's HVAC (Heating, Ventilation,
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Service and Facilities Automation software tracks service-related calls from the time they are received in dispatching, through billing for the service(s) rendered. Renewal of service agreements, monitoring and maintenance agreements, scheduling and billing of periodic inspections, flat rate pricing, technician productivity reporting, and dispatching of technicians are just some of the features of this powerful application.
http://www.rothbros.com

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UPCOMING SYNERGY/DE CLASSES
Book your travel arrangements now! Synergex is offering two back-to-back classes in July in Gold River, CA. On July 7-11, Synergex will be teaching a class on Synergy Language Essentials, followed immediately by a weeklong class on Synergy/DE UI Toolkit.

Sign up for both classes and receive 10% off the tuition!

Class Descriptions:

Synergy Language Essentials (July 7-11, 2003):
Great for programmers new to Synergy Language
Discover the Synergy Language Essentials through lecture and hands-on exercises. Students will use Synergy Language elements to enhance an ongoing sample application; and, as the class progresses, will use more sophisticated methodologies to implement the required software solution. This class also focuses on optimization techniques that will simplify migration to multiple platforms (including Windows). Concepts will be explained in the context of actual programming examples distributed to each student.

Synergy/DE UI Toolkit Essentials (July 14-18):
This is an intensive, hands-on class designed for experienced Synergy application programmers new to Synergy/DE UI Toolkit. Students will build on a series of template programs to create a working Synergy/DE UI Toolkit-based application by using the Synergy Composer to design and prototype their screens.

Register today on the Synergex Education Web page.

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