Software helps distributors manage data.

Press Release Summary:



CommerceCenter v10.0 helps distributors track information gathered in enterprise software solutions. Windows-based, SQL Server software incorporates features such as audit trails, electronic document imaging functionality, and PDA capabilities. Additional features include automated accessory item identification tool, purchase order requirement generation, and ability to link electronic files or URL links to any transaction/maintenance record.



Original Press Release:



Prophet 21 Releases CommerceCenter Version 10.0



Newest Release of Windows-Based Solution Helps Distributors Better Manage Data

YARDLEY, PA, April 5, 2004 - Recognizing that easy access to organized data is key to a highly effective organization, Prophet 21 engineered CommerceCenter version 10.0 to help distributors better track the information gathered in their enterprise software solutions.

The latest release of Prophet 21's Windows-based, SQL Server enterprise software solution, CommerceCenter version 10.0 incorporates new features - including audit trails, electronic document imaging functionality, and enhanced PDA capabilities - that help distributors increase sales, improve customer service, and reduce operating costs while maintaining better business data.

"CommerceCenter 10.0 is full of enhancements that streamline processes and help distributors better manage the information in their solutions," said Chuck Boyle, Prophet 21 president and CEO. "Each release of CommerceCenter only helps strengthen a distributor's position in this competitive marketplace."

Document Imaging

Tyler McKenzie-Sanders, IT manager at Accurate Fasteners, a Concord, Ontario-based distributor, must keep drawers full of paperwork - including specifications and certifications - on file. "Our customers need information about the products they buy," Sanders says. "It's something we can't avoid - it's just part of doing business."

Sanders looks forward to putting CommerceCenter's document imaging functionality to work for his business. CommerceCenter 10.0 gives you the ability link electronic files or URL links - including vendor invoices, customer purchase orders, handwritten letters, and e-mails - to any transaction and/or maintenance record within the solution.

"It will be much easier to click a button to view specifications and certifications and then just e-mail them or fax them to the customer, instead of trekking to the file cabinets anytime we need anything," says Sanders. "It will definitely save our order entry and customer service clerks lots of time."

Audit Trail Functionality

Before moving to CommerceCenter 10.0, Brian Williams, IT manager at Industrial Supply Co., a Terre Haute, IN-based distributor, faced an issue common to many distributors: Someone would modify an order, a customer or vendor address, or an item - and no one knew how, why, or when the change was made. "We dealt with it all the time," says Brian Williams, IT director at Industrial Supply Co. in Terre Haute, IN. "I mean, things don't just magically appear or change in the database, do they?"

Audit trails available in CommerceCenter 10.0 enable users to view who modified data, when changes were made, and the new and old values of data. "It allows everybody to see who did what, and when," Williams says. "It's really useful - especially since more than 30 people at our company use CommerceCenter each day."

Other functionality in CommerceCenter 10.0 includes:

o PDA Scan and Validate: Increase shipping accuracy during picking by integrating personal digital assistants (PDAs) into processes to validate bar-coded items on pick tickets and receiving documents.

o Automated Accessory Item: CommerceCenter 10.0 reduces the time you must spend creating accessory items by using sales history and parameters you define to automatically identify appropriate accessory items and create the parent-child relationship.

o Purchase Order Requirement Generation Enhancements: Purchase Order Requirement Generation enhancements that increase flexibility - thereby increasing productivity - include the ability to view multiple location requirements at once; review target values; create separate or group purchase orders; review and generate transfers; generate all requirements (specials, direct, and stock) at once; and indicate requirements with notes attached.

o And many more...

Pricing and Availability

CommerceCenter version 10.0 is currently available. For additional information and pricing, please visit www.p21.com, e-mail info@p21.com, or call 1-800-PROPHET.

About Prophet 21

Since 1967, Prophet 21 has been a leader in providing durable goods distributors with innovative, adaptive solutions essential for running their businesses. With more than 2,400 customers and 80,000 users conducting over $41 billion in highly complex supply chain transactions annually, Prophet 21 is a true business partner, helping companies of all sizes leverage technologies and maintain a competitive advantage. Through its business technology and services, Prophet 21 seeks to streamline customers' business processes and reduce transaction costs to maximize profit and growth.

Prophet 21 offers enterprise software solutions that provide organizations with powerful, highly customizable applications designed to improve customer service and maximize their return on investment. In addition, the company offers an Internet trading network that streamlines the commerce process between distributors, manufacturers/suppliers, and end-users. A complete line of professional services backs all Prophet 21 solutions.

For more information about Prophet 21, please visit www.p21.com, e-mail info@p21.com, or call 1-800-PROPHET, press 1.

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