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Web Developer's Journal Archive SectionThis article is out of date, but may still be useful to some readers.GoldminePersonal Information Managerby Bob Pearsall |
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Impressive! That was my first thought after loading and running GoldMine. If you are a business professional who must develop and maintain contacts, then you need to look at this software package. GoldMine is a combination of personal secretary and administrative assistant that allows you to keep tabs on everything necessary to maintain a productive business. It is easy to learn, simple to use, and can make life easier for busy business professionals. Do you need to manage your time better, become more efficient, write letters, forecast sales, and more? If so, then GoldMine is the answer.
GoldMine allows you to automate the following areas of your daily business activity. Time and task management, client and contact management, sales staff management, sales forecasting, and document management. Your time is limited, and GoldMine maximizes this precious commodity by managing your appointments and daily activities, in much the same manner as an appointment book. The calendar in GoldMine functions like an electronic day planner. Appointments, meetings, and phone calls can be scheduled for future dates and times. Prioritization of daily activities ensure your attention to the most important items. Pop-up reminders keep you on schedule and aware of those high-priority commitments. GoldMine enables you to maintain a thorough database on contacts, prospective clients, and current customers. Client names, addresses, phone numbers, and other important personal data are instantly available at the push of a button. This information can be printed out in a number of different formats and carried to presentations or meetings. The electronic message functions allow you to keep in touch with your staff. Shipment requests, follow-up calls, and the ordering of supplies or literature can be delegated to assistants without having to break into their schedules. GoldMine can even be used as a real-time intercom when the program is on a network. With your entire sales staff on-line via GoldMine, you have instant access to data on pending sales, follow-up calls, total sales dollars, etc. These readily available statistics decrease time spent in meetings and allow rapid analysis of the sources and profitability of leads. GoldMine's document management allows the automation of correspondence with clients and contacts. Follow-ups are easy with the extensive letter-writing capabilities. Customized memos, letters, and envelopes may be created on any of the database entries. The output format of all printed data is entirely under your control. There are five different security levels which you can assign to each of your staff members. From level one, which allows total information access, to level five, which provides the maximum level of information security, you control the extent of accessibility to your important records. On-line context sensitive help is available if questions arise about specific commands. Press the F-1 key to access Help and receive information relative to your current position within the program. If you press the F-1 key a second time, you will access an index of all help topics. There is also an option for printing either the entire manual or selected portions. GoldMine requires an IBM compatible computer (PC, XT, AT, 386, 486) with DOS 3.1 or greater, a minimum of 640K RAM, a hard drive with at least 2MB of free space, and either a 360K, 720K, 1.2MB, or 1.44MB floppy drive. It is convenient to have a printer, modem, and FAX board, along with a VGA monitor. The GoldMine package is available in either single-user or network configurations. The network version requires a network operating system that supports DOS file and record locking, ie., Novell NetWare, Artisoft LANtastic, Banyan Vines, and IBM PC Local Area Network, among others. Installation was smooth, error-free, and took about 90 seconds. During installation you enter the password and name of the system supervisor. You are provided with the option of manually updating your CONFIG.SYS file, or GoldMine will make the necessary changes for you safely and effectively. The installation disk(s), depending on which disk size you received, must not be write-protected or you will receive an error message. I installed GoldMine on a 386DX 25 MHz compatible with 4MB of RAM, two 340MB hard drives, DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1, a Boca Super VGA card with 1MB of video RAM, a Magnavox Professional VGA monitor, a Logitech mouse, and a Panasonic multispin CD-ROM drive. The 500-page manual is divided into three sections: installation and setup, tutorial, and the appendix. Installation and setup are self-explanatory, the tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to GoldMine's features, and the appendix includes technical information on GoldMine's data structure and organization, error messages, and programming expressions. Technical support by phone is available from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. PST, Monday through Friday and by FAX. The ELAN Software Electronic Bulletin Board System is available to all GoldMine users, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Although the GoldMine single-user version suggested retail price is $295, I found a local discounted price of $172. The GoldMine 5-user Network version had a suggested retail price of $895 with a local discounted price of $559. |
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