Unofficial blog of Dataxstream; view of a minion

The Annual Christmas Party

2011-12-21T15:17:00.000-08:00

Jane, Kim and Will

Don't you just love the annual Christmas Party? It is one of those required things, that drives you nuts and yet if it didn't happen your company would be sort of sad... in a sort of sad kind of way. I mean really, you spend more time with the people you work with than you do with just about anybody else so it seems somehow necessary to celebrate the holidays...

or something like that

This year there was a bit of a twist. Tim Yates, being in charge and all that, decided to hijack the company party and make it into my surprise 40th birthday party. That explains the black balloons.

Tim Cooper, Mrs Cooper & Me

DataXstream represents at the Super G, Beaver Creek

2011-12-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

Last Week, Wednesday, the Women of the World Cup circuit competed at Beaver Creek in the Super G event. The event was originally scheduled to be held in Europe but due to lack of snow was canceled and rescheduled at Beaver Creek's Birds of Prey course.

DataXstream is taking a special interest in Alpine events this year. As mentioned in a previous post, DataXstream is helping to sponsor US Ski Team member Megan McJames. But she wasn't racing at Beaver Creek. DataXstream is also helping to sponsor Kiley Staples this year. And Kiley was racing at Beaver Creek, I personally screamed until my throat hurt. She had a great run.

The man behind DataXstream's connections to the US Ski Team is Shaun Goodwin. He is the owner of Hope Alive Media and previously a coach with the US Alpine Women's Development Team. That is him, above, with Alice McKennis who also raced the Birds of Prey Course last week. Check out that DataXstream swag he is sporting. Yeah, Yates showed up in a US Ski Team Jacket, but Shaun showed up at a World Cup event in a DataXstream jacket. Ask me who is cooler. Go ahead, ask me.

Skiing with Megan McJames

2011-12-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

Megan McJames is a member of the US Ski Team. She competes with the Alpine Skiers and prefers technical events, Slalom and Giant Slalom.

DataXstream is helping to sponsor her for the 2011-2012 season. She kindly agreed to ski with Tim Yates and his family at Copper Mountain, last Saturday. Megan has been a member of the US Ski Team for several years and skied in the Vancouver Olympics. This year she is focused on NorAm events and World Cup events.

For a full bio I encourage you to visit this page by Kenneth Sowles. You can also follow Megan on Facebook, and through her blog.

DataXstream's retail client

2011-11-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

November 18th saw the DataXstream Corporate Meeting in Williamsburg VA & Indianapolis Indiana. In addition to the all the other stuff that goes on in a corporate meeting, we were given a little demo regarding work at one of our clients.

This particular client is in the retail industry and has been working with SAP for some time. As they are in the vicinity of the Williamsburg office we were invited to join the team over 1 year ago. More recently DataXstream has been helping the client with challenges specific to retail.

Jason Jones lead the demo.

Some notes:

there was a problem with the way the system handled a cash payment. So DataXstream's team wrote code to allow a retail associate to accept a cash payment.

DataXstream wrote code that allows the retail associate to know that payment has been received.

To return an item to the store initially involved a 22 step process, DataXstream wrote code to reduce that to a 3 step process.

DataXstream wrote code to reduce the refund process to a 4 step process.

Previously a retail associate had to look up a customer's in store credit, DataXstream changed that. Now there is an "in store credit bucket" that is visible. When a customer uses the in store credit everything is updated in real time in the store.

DataXstream added a tender tracker that identifies individual credit card numbers and includes a customer history tab.

The above are just a few of my notes from the presentation. All in all, DataXstream has contributed some interesting pieces of code to this retail puzzle all designed to benefit the store customer's shopping experience.

When this phase of the project reaches completion, DataXstream expects a 50% reduction in point of sales time.

Cast of Characters - Meet Dick

2011-11-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

Senior EDI Consultant Dick Koch

Dick is a quiet guy and he keeps kind of a low profile, so I don't tend to write about him too much. And yet- you should see this guy's resume. I emailed him earlier this week as he is wrapping up a 1 1/2 year engagement with a client and Jane likes to have the next engagment ready to go. Jane had asked me if I could get it out there that Dick had experience with Sterling Gentran's newest and greatest and so I got in touch with Dick. He responded with the following bullets:

· Worked in Sterling Commerce’s Sterling Integrator EDI Software version 5.1

· Created, tested, and implemented EDI Maps for Sales Orders, Invoices, Advanced Ship Notices, and Order Responses.

· Created, updated, tested, and implemented Business Processes in SI 5.1

· Installed SAP Adapter for SI 5.1 linking the EDI software to SAP via a RFC Connection

· Configured SAP ECC 7.03 system for EDI processing. This included:

o Configuring Output Types

o Configuring Partner Profiles

o Configuring Distribution Module for Mexican Invoices

o Configuring Output Determination

· Analyzed Issues and new requirements and created Functional Specs. Worked with the developers on new requirements and tested the changes.

· Trained current EDI staff on SI operations and configuration

· Created documentation on SAP and SI configuration processes

· Made recommendations on EDI process changes that were accepted and decreased issues and improved system efficiency. For example, they were using an SAP programs to load inbound IDOCs and extract outbound files. They used an FTP process to move the files from the SAP server to the EDI server. The inbound files were getting corrupted by the FTP process. I recommended getting the SAP Adapter utility provided by Sterling Commerce that moves the IDOCs between SAP and IS using an RFC connection. They ended up buying the product and it resolved several issues.

um, I don't know that I can add much to that.

SAP Standard Sale Area Cross Reference For Inbound IDOC Processing

Snow

2011-11-03T19:49:00.001-07:00

Snow.

Do you pray for snow?

If you are in the North East US then you've probably had enough of it already, and its only November. But here, we do pray for snow. Yates and his team of skiers have been prepping for the upcoming ski season.

In fact DataXstream is sponsoring two members of the US Ski Team this season: Megan McJames and Kiley Staples. Which brings me back to snow.

If you aren't ready for it, snow can lead to loss of work time, inconvenience, even disaster. But if you train for snow, if you have the equipment and the expertise then snow provides an opportunity to excel.

Tim Yates's Birthday. It was a lot of Pink...

2011-11-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

I started to say, a little pink, but really it was a lot of pink.

This occurred at a client's.

In Richmond Virginia.

Thanks to Jason Jones and Tim Cooper for being the "inside men"

and Blake Vinson for providing the video

and thanks to First Class Balloons Richmond for a Birthday Gram well delivered

The Volt

2011-10-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Energy consumption is a recurring topic at DataXstream and is particularly fascinating to Tim Yates. And so, not long ago Tim & Will drove to pick up the "new toy" as they call it.

And then they had it wrapped...

Sign Visions in Williamsburg did the wrapping. Yes, those yellow LLs are Lumber Liquidators' stickers. Apparently somebody got a little "sticker happy" when the car was in the parking lot at the store. But we like Lumber Liquidators' so its all good. You may notice the car sports VMware and Dell logos as well.

DataXstream Partners with Dell and VMware

Lumber Liquidators’ SAP VMware Virtualization Case Study

Believe

2011-09-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

there has been an email circulating DataXstream today, titled "Believe."

It is kinda cool and I'm compelled to share it.

yes, that is Craig Stasila, saving your job, your POS development effort, and your world. Believe. Indeed.

SAP TECHED photos and so on...

2011-09-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

previously I had mentioned that Doug had sent me photos for TechEd *yawn* and I had requested that they try a little harder...
I recently received these:

Now this looks like the Will & Doug combo we all know!

not only did they send me photos of themselves, they sent me photos of others too!

SAP TECHED 2011

2011-09-12T18:13:00.001-07:00

Team members are assembling in Las Vegas once again for SAP TECHED:

What: SAP TechEd 2011

September 12-16, 2011

Where: Booth 204, The Venetian / Palazzo Congress Center, Las Vegas, NV

DataXstream is pleased to announce that, for the sixth year in a row, we will be exhibiting at the annual SAP TechEd conference. Visit us at booth 204 to discuss with our experts how you can utilize the latest ERP technologies, strategies, and best practices to bring value to your SAP solutions. Learn how your ERP initiatives can benefit by leveraging DataXstream’s SAP Project Management and Technical Consulting services, as well as our SAP solution offerings for Virtualization, Disaster Recovery, Hosting, Implementations & Upgrades, Solution Manager, Enterprise Support, Enterprise Information Management, Integration, and ISV Enablement.

Doug Foss sent me photos today:

I did reply back that this is Vegas after all, couldn't they liven it up a little? I mean, two or three years ago they were sending me photos that looked like this:

The official pitch can be viewed at dataxstream.com

or here

Win an Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLI Plaque Autographed by Peyton Manning

To celebrate the start of the NFL season we’re giving you the chance to leave TechEd with a framed and autographed photo of Peyton Manning, one of the greatest Quarterbacks of all time. Visit our booth for your chance to win

Sand in his face

2011-09-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

August, Irene, not so distant memory in Williamsburg.

Over the summer DataXstream had installed a generator to keep all those beautiful servers up and running regardless of the weather. And more recently DataXstream had installed a geo thermal system to keep all those servers from over heating.

So there was a question of drain off in one corner of the McClaws Circle building, and Friday afternoon found Yates, Matt, and Blake hurriedly installing a sump pump.

Yates brought me back photos.

Which he still has not actually given to me. (I'll get them eventually)

But the best part they failed to photograph, something to do with installing the pump, and sand, and Yates pulling up the top (?) and *whoosh* sand flying up and covering, covering his face. Blake couldn't tell me about it without choking on himself, laughing. I have a fabulous mental image of that, Yates's face completely covered in sand.

In the end the last laugh went to Irene. Despite the fact that the generator worked and the sump pump held, and both Matt and Yates drove over multiple times during the hurricane to check on things, utlimately our connections were down. Because Cox Communications was down. On Monday power was restored to the area and Cox Communications came back on line. We are working out the solution to that problem.

TidBits

2011-08-11T05:53:00.001-07:00

I was told this morning that I had been replaced. "In what capacity?" There is now a minion app. What?

Sadly this is true: CNN

But the news did bring to mind that there is a webinar being offered this afternoon at DataXstreamnand I haven't yet posted it here. So, if I can draw your attention to the website SAP NCo 3.0

Please join us Thursday, August 11 at 1 pm ET for an overview and best practice guide for upgrading to the recently released SAP .Net Connector (NCo) 3.0. This one hour webinar will supply you with knowledge of features specific to the new upgrade, as well as an overview of the advantages that come with investing in NCo 3.0.

What Will Be Highlighted:

Changes and new features brought upon by the NCo 3.0 update
Demonstrations of best-practices for implementing new and existing NCo code
Live demonstration of inbound and outbound function calls between a .NET solution and SAP ECC

And Jane Robetaille posted another position on Dice :

We are currently looking to for an MM/IM Functional Consultant to join our project team. This position is to start IMMEDIATELY, and will go through at least the remainder of 2011. Some requirements of the position:

Webinar: Virtualizating your infrastructure before your SAP Upgrade

2011-07-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Date: Thursday, August 4, 2011

Time: 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Duration: 30 Minutes

Speaker: Matt Lestock, Lead Infrastructure Architect, DataXstream

Register

Please join us on Thursday, August 4 at 1 pm ET for a thirty-minute webinar on the advantages of virtualizing your infrastructure before your SAP Upgrade. This session will provide you with a synopsis of the strategic advantages of virtualizing your SAP landscape, as well as an outline of the critical factors that one must consider and decide on to ensure successful execution of the virtualization process.

full description: here

Job Postings; SAP BW/BEx Developer, SAP SD Business Analyst

2011-07-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

SAP BW/BEx Developer

We are looking for a seasoned SAP BW/BI/BEx professional to join our team.

The BW Developer position is responsible for design, development, enhancements and support of SAP Business Warehouse (BW)/ Business Intelligence (BI) solutions. This position is responsible for working with analysts and business users to gather requirements, translate functional specifications into technical specifications ensuring a comprehensive design, developing assigned portions of the solution, testing, and on-going customer support. Reporting information through BEx and other various reporting tools.

Candidate must be professional and have excellent communtication skills. Will be working with both management and user community.

For immediate consideration, please forward resume and salary information to Jane Robitaille, jrobitaille@dataxstream.com. Must be a US Citizen. Please -- no third parties!

SAP SD Business Analyst

This position supports/develops application and business processes, and is responsible for working with business resources and project team members to define functional specifications and the configuration of the SD module to accomplish desired business processes.

Primary (Essential) Functions:

* Perform SD design and configuration, including sales order processing, pricing/conditions, stock allocation, billing and inventory management

* Support business processes and functionality including all areas of Sales and Distribution module

* Participate in application support and enhancements to the ECC configuration

* Debug SAP programs in order to solve application or configuration issues

* Perform the design and test application functionality

* Work with team members to design, develop and optimize cross module functionality

* Looking for 1-4 years SAP experience

Must be US Citizen. For immediate consideration, please forward resume and salary requirements to Jane Robitaille - jrobitaille@dataxstream.com. Please NO Third Parties.

Dice

check it out

VMware Commercial

2011-07-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

via twitter:

tony_dunn Tony Dunn

Love this new TV ad from #CDW for @VMware @EMCcorp"Virtualization not the kinda thing you talk about on a date..."bit.ly/praS6A

had to share - this makes me laugh!

Summer School

2011-07-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

so... I've been quiet. I tend to do that over the summer - I officially focus on Yates's kids and all their busy-ness.

However I interrupt all of that to remind you of some summer school that the DataXstream has planned:

Webinar – Integrate Your Enterprise Ticketing with SAP Solution Manager Service Desk

Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011

Time: 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Duration: 30 Minutes

Speaker: Steve Park, Senior SAP Interface Consultant, DataXstream

please check the DataXstream website for more information here

not really a re-cap but...

2011-05-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

well this is a bit after the fact-

but in case you've been too busy to hunt them all down, there have been some really good posts last week and this week recapping SAPPHIRENOW ASUG2011.

It seems most of the chatter had to do with HANA-

here are three to get you started

Vijay Vijayasankar's personal blog provides a detailed account of each day at the show here

Vishal Sikka's The Customer said it Best

Brian Rice had a daily posting "SAPPHIRE NOW: Experienced in 140 Characters or Less"

DataXstream + Dell at SAPPHIRENOW 2011

2011-05-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

They are packing up the truck-

and tomorrow team members will begin the trek to SAPPHIRENOW.

This year DataXstream is teaming up with Dell to bring live Disaster Recovery Demos. The techies have been buzzing about all the Dell equipment on loan. Matt has been flashing pictures and even creating videos of himself in the DataXstream office playing with the Dells.

If you are headed to Sapphire the team hopes you'll stop by and say hello. Team Members on site include: Tim Yates, Scott Julian, Jason Jones, Jane Robitaille, Doug Foss, Will Deacon, Matt Lestock, Cassi Hibbard, Michelle Jones

and off the DataXstream Web site:

DataXstream and Dell Partner to Run Live Disaster Recovery Demos of a Virtual SAP Environment

DataXstream is pleased to announce its participation at SAPPHIRENOW and the ASUG Annual Conference. Visit us at booth 2326 as we team up with our Dell partners to host presentations and demos of Disaster Recovery (DR) of a virtualized SAP environment on Dell hardware. Both DataXstream and Dell subject-matter-experts will be available to answer your questions and help you learn about the strategic advantages of virtualizing your SAP landscape, as well as the critical steps and tools that need to be in place to ensure a fool-proof DR plan.

Where: Booth 2326, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL

When: May 15 – 18, 2011

May 16: 10:15 – 10:30, 12:15 – 12:30, 1:45 – 2:00
May 17: 10:45 – 11:00, 12:15 – 12:30
May 16: 11:15 – 11:30, 12:15 – 12:30

Win one of three Dell Streak 7s!

This year at SAPPHIRENOW we’re holding three separate drawings and giving away a Dell Streak 7 Android Tablet to the lucky winner of each! That’s right; you have three chances to win. We’ll be holding a drawing for the following three categories:

Booth Visitors – Come by our booth and scan your Attendee Badge to qualify
DR Survey – Attend one of Disaster Recovery Demos at our booth and complete a short survey on the topic to qualify (Demo Schedule Above)
Twitter – Find us on Twitter and retweet one of our tweets that contain the #SAPPHIRENOW hashtag. You don’t even have to be at the conference to qualify!
1. http://twitter.com/DataXstream
2. @dataxstream

SAP insider April issue

2011-04-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

Excuse me while I toot the DataXstream horn a minute. *toot toot*

As seen in the latest edition of the SAP Insider

Going Viral How Lumber Liquidators Optimized Its IT Investments

Our goal was to deploy a solid and manageable foundation with the ability to scale,” says Jack Kinsey, Director of Network Operations at Lumber Liquidators. “The message from the top of our company was to continue to deliver the way we’re delivering, but to keep an eye toward the future.”

After considering all of these factors — and implementation time — Lumber Liquidators decided to purchase all of the necessary equipment and software to begin a virtual ERP implementation, including VMware solutions, Dell servers and storage, and Microsoft operating systems. The environment was used throughout the project for all SAP systems — sandbox, training, development, and quality assurance — and that continues today, but with the addition of the production environment, which went live in August 2010.

Because Kinsey had come to Lumber Liquidators in 2009 from a company that had virtualized extensively, he understood the benefits and advantages of virtual implementations. To help with the project, the business partnered with DataXstream, a proponent of virtualization that, according to Kinsey, provided extensive expertise in virtualization for SAP environments. (For more information on the integral role DataXstream played in Lumber Liquidators’ virtual implementation, refer to the sidebar to the right.)

please click here to read the full article

The guys involved in this implementation worked *hard* and I am excited to see this profile published.

Flat Stanley in Williamsburg

2011-03-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

DataXstream's Flat Stanley Contest

the "X" is popping up all over town:

contest ends April 13, 2011

DataXstream is attending IT 2011 Conference

2011-03-12T01:29:00.000-08:00

DataXstream to Exhibit at Insider IT 2011 Conference in March

Visit DataXstream at the IT 2011 Conference

What: IT 2011 Conference
When: March 15 – 18, 2011
Where: MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Do More, With Less

Through our industry best practice tailored solutions and our rare combination of project leadership, thorough understanding of business processes and high level company goals, and SAP technical expertise, we allow you to achieve higher business performance, maximize your return on investment, and truly do more, with less.
Come visit us at Booth 421 to learn more about these featured solutions:

Server / Storage Virtualization
SAP Solution Manager / CA Service Desk Integration
SAP .Net Connector (NCo) 3.0 Upgrade
SAP Upgrades
Custom Integration and Product Development

for more information check DataXstream's website here

Smart Lizards Choose DataXstream

2011-03-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

from the Flat Stanley Contest on Facebook:

March 1, Flat Stanley on Facebook

2011-02-26T05:41:00.000-08:00

Flat Stanley is back!

And you could win an IPod Touch for playing!

To play print out the DataXstream "X" and take a picture with it at your favorite destination. Pictures should be posted on Facebook.

Point System:

1 point - "Liking" something posted on DataXstream's Facebook page
3 points- Submitting a photo with DataXstream X
5 points - Submitting a photo with DataXstream Swag (t-shirt, key chain, x sticker, etc)

full rules see Notes on DataXstream's Facebook page

iPod Touch by M. Hayashiguchi

2011-02-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

Last Year's Flat Stanley Winner:

Thank You DataXstream for the iPod Touch! by Michael Hayashiguchi

Find DataXstream on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/dataxstream

Flat Stanley is back...

2011-02-22T03:16:00.000-08:00

Last Spring DataXstream ran a Flat Stanley Contest on Facebook. Take a picture of the "X" and send it in... win an iPod Touch.

It was a lot of fun. We received some awesome photos which I hope to repost here over the next few days.

This year I believe the contest begins March 1st and runs into April. It is easy. Find us on Facebook. Download the X and either print it out & take a photo, or digitally add it to photos. Win prizes.

Come join the fun!

Wess geeking out in DataXstream swag

2011-01-04T17:14:00.001-08:00

I just happened to be trolling facebook the other day and noticed this tagged photo of Wess - I haven't asked, I'm assuming he is podcasting -

if I can just direct your attention to his shirt sleeve - note the toaster? *grin* I love when the DataXstream "get toasted" toaster is spotted. Just makes my day.

Happy New Year Wess.

Holiday Cheer-

2010-12-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

there have been a few moments over the last week or so at the Williamsburg office- the floors are being redone (offices are pulled apart) and most people are working together in a very small space towards the back of the building. I visited one morning and something about "fun" and Mike Burns nearly took my head off. Cheery.
The project is beginning to reach completion. I believe both Burns and Yates are moving back into their offices. That ought to alleviate a little stress. And I was pleased to see this appear -

a little proof not everyone at DataXstream is feeling like Scrooge.

and to proove the point Will added some personal touches.

classic

Best of Consultant's Blog

2010-12-20T05:42:00.000-08:00

I took a look at Google Analytics this morning to see - from 1/01/2010 to 12/20/2010 which blog posts on the DataXstream consultant's blog were the most popular - based solely on number of visits. An interesting trend emerges:

Using the SAP .Net Connector in Visual Studio 2008 written by Terry DeBruicker in Aug of 2009 continues to be - hands down - the most popular blog post. It received over 1,000 more visits than the runner up.

Building an SAP .Net Connector Proxy also written by Terry DeBruicker is the second most visited blog post.

written in 2010:

Build an SAP RFC Server using the SAP .Net Connector written by, you guessed it! Terry DeBruicker takes the number 3 spot in most visited blog posts.

and Terry rounds out his record with Introduction to the SAP .Net Connector as the fourth most visited blog post on the DataXstream Consultant's blog.

Team Pictures

2010-11-15T16:37:00.000-08:00

Friday. Long day with a lot of information- a team photo

If you've worked with a DataXstream team member, chances are it was one of these guys...

And then Yates, Stasila and Cooper handed out the newly minted DataXstream watch:

Gathering in Williamsburg

2010-11-12T03:45:00.001-08:00

Everybody is coming to Williamsburg!

Most of the team arrived into town last night. Today is starting off early with breakfast at the Williamsburg office and then meetings throughout the day-

Having the team all in the same place at one time is a first for DataXstream.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone.

Photos to share

2010-11-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Martin Gillet SAP Mentor recently posted photos of Las Vegas TechEd that are so worth sharing...

Please enjoy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgillet/sets/72157625149431359/show/

SAP TechEd 2010

2010-10-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

My job at TechEd has been to attend the Sustainability Sessions, pods, and meetings. I have found it to be rather affirming. DataXstream has been working in Virtualization for some time now. Partnered with Dell and VMware, DataXstream is able to offer real solutions at optimal price points.

In the Sustainability sessions at TechEd Las Vegas many points are made regarding areas of improvement and goals a company can reach for however, every one agrees, Virtualization makes a huge impact. Data Centers are said to use between 30% and 40% of a given company's energy usage. In fact, it is being said that Data Centers account for 2% of the energy used throughout the entire United States.

In looking at the sessions prepared by SAP's Timo Stelzer, VP Green-IT, importance is placed on understanding the financial value of Green IT. Note the power costs and cooling costs associated with Data Centers. Note the cost of Hardware licenses, the cost of owning the space, staffing costs.

If a company has trouble determining the current cost of Data Centers there are companies to help with that. Sentilla has teamed up with SAP and is working with SAP to reduce SAP's server waste (SAP was 60% Virtualized by year end 2009 and expects that to be 80% year end 2010). Eddie White, Sr VP Business Development at Sentilla, was on hand for some of the sessions. Sentilla offers data management which helps Data Center Managers make smart decisions regarding energy management within the Data Center.

All of the information in the sessions, pods, and network meetings point in the direction of Virtualization as an important step in "Greening" your company. As Timo Stelzer said, "Virtualization has a huge impact."

And DataXstream can help you.

For more on SAP Sustainability: http://www.sapsustainabilityreport.com

SAP Green IT Community: http://go.sap.corp/GIC

SAP TechEd Las Vegas 2010

2010-10-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Was on the exhibitor floor earlier today to make sure that our booth looked the way we expected it to look. Bought some nice looking Callaway golf clubs to give away to a few lucky winners- some Big Bertha Diablo Hybrid drivers and a couple of Odyssey White Hot putters. So stop by and say hello and enter to win!

Tonight some of the DataXstream team will be meeting in the Sports Lounge at the Venetian to watch football with fellow SAP TechEd attendees.

Saturday Night we were lucky enough to score tickets to see the Cirque du Soleil show "Viva Elvis." DataXstream's Doug Foss knows David Locke who is in the show. He is an acrobat in many of the scenes but particularly the Blue Super Hero in the Marvel Comics scene. The acrobatics are amazing- for many of us the Super Hero scene was our favorite as it involved several 'heros' running up walls and flying with the help of two very large trampolines. After the show David was gracious enough to come spend a little time and hang out with us.

Go Green - TechEd Las Vegas 2010

2010-10-13T01:40:00.000-07:00

DataXstream will in be Las Vegas NV for SAP TechEd 2010 next week.

Stop by and see team members at booth 120 on the vendor floor. Talk virtualization, integration, upgrades, Solution Manager or just stop by to say hi. We appreciate it when previous clients, contacts and friends look us up.

Will has just received our giveaways for the trade show. Going Green on the green! We can't help it if several of our team members are golfers and get green and green mixed up. But even if you don't golf, the water bottle is handy and you can pass the tee and golf balls off to your father in law. And if you do golf- well we've got a nice little package for you.

Hope to see you there-

Relocating the Indy Office

2010-10-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

Blake Vinson, Tim Yates, Craig Stasila with Maven, Will Deacon

So there has been talk about relocating the DataXstream Indy office for some time. A new building has recently come to attention. It has been serving as the USO building but their lease is up and the building is for sale.

Permanent Changes will of course be noted on our website.

Checking out the building did provide a good opportunity for some of the Williamsburg team to visit Indianapolis. And DataXstream has season tickets to watch the Colts - not bad for a business trip.

Will Deacon and Blake Vinson watching the Colts warm up

Cast of Characters: Meet Will

2010-10-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Will Deacon has been haunting the 'back room' at DataXstream's Williamsburg Office for a while now. He has his games firmly implanted next to his computer. My kids like visiting Will. They can play basketball or some other throwing game that Jeff says is "Frisbee Golf" affectionately known as Frolf at the office. Throwing + lots of computers = good ideas???

So it is time to introduce Will.

He is officially the Director of Marketing at DataXstream. He frequently finds himself in charge of interns. He gets to buy things with DataXstream's logo on it. (so if there is something you'd us to give away, let him know. He'll look into it and you never know, maybe we will be handing "it" out at the next trade show.) He is also a Phillies fan, for better or for worse. Enjoys a good time (there are photos of him supporting the field hockey team to prove this) plays a fair game of basketball (so he says, I've not witnessed this myself). His boss says he is "sharp" which is good enough for the rest of us.

apparently the beard means something? I do not know so don't ask me. I also do not know what is all over his shirt. Is that a Phillies thing too?

Frolf - it is all about working smarter

SAP, APPLE, old You Tube

2010-10-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

APPLE runs SAP
and I use a MAC
really, I do

SAP DEMO JAM presents
SAP for the iPhone:

(okay that should be presented this is from 2008. But still...)

with a nod of thanks to Chip Rodgers who keeps tweeting SAP Videos. Just a little SAP TECHED hype? Yes, we will be there. Look us up!

Have you seen it? SAP - Run Better

2010-10-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

DataXstream Integrating the Best Run Businesses

At DataXstream Our Mission is simple: Help our clients be more successful at leveraging their ERP infrastructure and realize a better return on investment. We strive each day and with each client to be a world-class provider of enterprise solutions using proven and emerging technologies architected and deployed by seasoned professionals of the highest degree of integrity and skills.

Yates had a Party

2010-10-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

He isn't officially 40 yet and he'd like you to know that. BUT - TechEd is around the corner, and he shares a birthday weekend with his 4 year old daughter and Halloween sooooo... his party was a little early.

We wanted a photo of DataXstream's founding partners Yates & Nittmann on the golf course together Saturday but apparently they were having too much fun golfing to take photos. Where is Craig when we need him?

Instead we offer a photo of the Fife and Drum core that played Happy Birthday at the event. It is Williamsburg, Virginia after all.

SAP JOBS- US

2010-09-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

DataXstream is seeking to fill these positions:

Adobe Forms Developer

Min. 6 years experience

United States - Mid Atlantic Region

Contract

Start Date ASAP

job duration 3-4 months

Senior Level Rate

SAP Developer

Min. 6 years experience

Key Requirements: SD/MM Centric

United States - Mid Atlantic Region

Contract

Start Date ASAP

job duration 3-4 months

Senior Level Rate

Dataxstream, Go Green, and Leave Your Mark

2010-08-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

So it is officially launched- check it out at http://www.dataxstream.com/gogreen/

DataXstream's Tim Yates cleaning up a wooded lot with his family

A few ideas to get you started:

eat less meat

compost your biodegradables instead of filling up the landfill

check into home insulation that increases the efficiency of your air conditioner/ heater

use less paper

walk or bike

participate in a clean up

get your hair cut in a salon that will send the clippings to clean up the oil spill

turn off and unplug appliances when not in use

what can you add to this list? we want to know!

Leave Your Mark & the Go Green Campaign

2010-07-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Marketing Interns have been working on a "Leave Your Mark" campaign this summer in addition to their other duties at DataXstream.

They have targeted next week to kick it off and we are excited about it. Yes that is the 'proverbial we.' I am excited about it. So here is a sneak peak:

· Rules:

o The contest will run through 10/11/2010

o Participants should provide with each submission:

§ Name

§ City and State

§ Organization or Group Affiliation (if any)

§ The environmental improvement action

§ Any pictures or video clips that show their efforts

o Participants may make as many submissions as they want as long as each submission is a new environmental improvement action

o Participants must live in the United States

· Voting:

o Will take place from 7/15/2010 until 10/11/2010

o Participants can vote once a day for the submission of their choice

o Votes will count toward a % of the determination of the winner

o DataXstream’s members will also have a voice in determination of the winner.

· Prizes:
Donation to the winners choice of a DataXstream approved charity listed below.

· Winner:

o Will be announced 10/18/2010

DataXstream reserves the right to remove any pictures or comments for any reason or disqualify participants at any time. DataXstream also reserves the right to use any submitted pictures, videos or notes, and posted items at the company’s discretion.

Submissions will be received on the DataXstream Facebook Page as well as through the email: gogreen@dataxstream.com

and will be posted on the DataXstream web site as well as on the DataXstream Facebook Page.

ASUG Chapter Event

2010-07-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

This Friday there is an SAP ASUG Chapter event being held in Richmond VA. So if you are in the Richmond area ASUG North Carolina/Virginia Chapter Meeting

DataXstream's Matt Lestock will be presenting from 9:30 - 10:15; Infrastructure Architect: Ensure Business Continuity By Embracing Virtualization for Your SAP Environment

In addition there is a Thursday night meet-up/networking event sponsored by DataXstream at O'Charleys, 6291 West Broad Street from 6-9 PM.

from the ASUG site:
NC/VA Chapter Networking Event Sponsored by DataXStream:
Thursday, July 15, 2010, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
O’Charleys
6291 West Broad Street
Richmond, VA

Join us:
- Meet the NC/VA Chapter leadership team & network with other ASUG members
- Take advantage of one-on-one access to our event sponsors
- Register for the Friday meeting if you haven’t done so online
- Enjoy food, selected beverages

Joining Football Mania

2010-06-16T15:23:00.001-07:00

Ah! I ought to fire myself!

Last Saturday we gathered to watch the USA Men's Side play England. Tim Yates & family in USA jerseys and Tim Cooper sporting England's attire. A few friends mixed in as well. And I? Was I taking photos of DataXStream members enjoying the World Cup? No. I showed up without my camera! BAH!

However,

I shall treat you to this little tid bit instead:

Oh, and just in case you didn't know... if you twitter try #worldcup. The soccer ball is too cool. And then try your team's 3 letter abbreviation.

Catch you in July - I'm pretty much watching 'football' until then!

A Tardy Announcement-

2010-06-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Michael Hayashiguichi, our Flat Stanley Contest Winner!

He won an iPod Touch.

and-

Congratulations to Ken Tobin, the winner of our SAPPHIRENOW iPad drawing!

"Future Geek" spotted with Blagbert Swag

2010-05-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

While at Sapphire/ASUG Orlando, Tim Yates met Alvaro Tejada. He had brought along a very cute "Girl Geek Power" t-shirt which he offered to Tim for Future Geek Girl. She loved it and wore it to school the same day. She is modeling it here along with "Blagbert" the graphic novel. If you follow the SAP Mentors you will find yourself chuckling a bit as you enjoy Blagbert.
Blagbert can be purchased through lulu.com here
and Alvaro Tejada can be found via twitter as @blag

Sometimes you have to wonder...

2010-05-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

posted by Kayley Byrne
an image from the DataXstream Facebook Flat Stanley contest:

Is there a message here?
'Cause if there is, it is kinda funny
just need "that guy from Stevens" to do his Croatian Donkey bray and we are all set.

DataXstream, stop over to see Atlantis Launch

2010-05-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

Tim Yates, Will Deacon & Matt Lestock have spent the last 24 hours on the road bonding as only a road trip allows. They made a stop on their way to SAP SAPPHIRE/ASUG ORLANDO to see NASA launch Atlantis.
And to acquire photos of course. Mrs. Yates insists on photos, without bikini clad hotties.

Craig - blogging live from SAPPHIRE Orlando

2010-05-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Craig will be live blogging the following events next week:

Monday, May 17 • 10:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. EDT: SAPPHIRE® NOW Keynote Presentation
Mr. Sir Richard Branson, Founder and President, Virgin Group
Tuesday, May 18 • 9:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. EDT: SAPPHIRE® NOW Keynote Presentation
Mr. Bill McDermott, Co-CEO, SAP
Mr. Jim Hagemann Snabe, Co-CEO, SAP
Wednesday, May 19 • 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. EDT: SAPPHIRE® NOW Keynote Presentation
Mr. Hasso Plattner, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, SAP
Mr. Vishal Sikka, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), SAP

Monday, May 17 • 4:30 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. EDT: ASUG Keynote Presentation
Ms. Bridgette Chambers, President and CEO, ASUG
Mr. Anthony Bosco, Chairperson, ASUG Board of Directors
Mr. General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), and Secretary of State (2001–2005)

and remember, if you are not attending SAPPHIRE/ASUG Orlando, you can register to attend the Virtual Conference, free.

2010-05-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

one of Michael Hayashiguchi's contributions to the Facebook contest:

"Don't take DataXstream if you are drowsy or operating heavy machinery."

reworking the website - retro is cool

2010-05-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

Craig recently became a father to the world's cutest little girl ever.

I wonder though, does lack of sleep perhaps have anything to do with his latest website design?

Take a look, it will take you back. Way back...

Craig's latest DataXstream page

Love a picture-

2010-04-29T04:39:00.000-07:00

Look who's doing training and KT for ULA ....

This image sparked a small flurry of emails this week at DataXstream. This is Wess. Training at the client site. They don't know how lucky they are; I always describe Wess as an uber geek who can actually speak in English. If he can dumb it down enough for me to get it then he can teach anybody.

Just For Fun! IPOD Touch contest

2010-04-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our next contest has finally arrived and you could win an IPod Touch for playing! This contest will include several different social media outlets where you can earn weekly points by completing different actions on sites like Facebook and Twitter. For additional points, print out the DataXstream "X" and take a picture with it at your favorite destination. Pictures should be posted on Facebook or emailed to contest@dataxstream.com. Read on for more rules and regulations!

Point System:
• 1 point – "Liking" something DataXstream posts on Facebook
• 1 point – Following DataXstream on Twitter
• 1 point – Joining the DataXstream group on LinkedIn
• 2 points – Mentioning DataXstream on yourTwitter page
• 5 points – Submitting photo with DataXstream X

Rules:
• The contest will begin on Monday, April 12, 2010 and run through May 14, 2010.
• Points will be calculated on a weekly basis (Fridays).
• You will receive points for the activities of that week only.
• Running point totals will be posted weekly.
• For every point you earn, your name will be entered into the prize drawing (which will be drawn on May 14, 2010).
• Prize notification will be sent via Facebook and/or e-mail.

Prizes:
• 1 Grand Prize winner will receive an 8GB IPod Touch
• 5 additional winners will receive a DataXstream goody bag with assorted merchandise.

DataXstream reserves the right to remove any pictures or comments for any reason or disqualify players at any time. DataXstream is also able to use any pictures or posted items as they please. Play nicely!

DataXstream's Facebook Fan Page

DataXstream on Twitter

DataXstream on Linkedin

Our Virtualization Project is a HOT Topic

2010-04-06T18:51:00.001-07:00

DataXstream sent Will Deacon, Matt Lestock, Doug Foss and Scott Julian to Orlando in March for the SAP Insider Trade Show. They reported back that attendance was lower than expected but that they were extremely busy discussing our recent Virtualization project. DataXstream built a completely virtualized SAP platform for Lumber Liquidators with VMware on Dell Servers. A description of the project is on the DataXstream Web site at DataXstream Virtualizes Lumber Liquidators SAP Landscape.
Matt Lestock will be representing DataXstream at SAP Virtualization week in Palo Alto April 13-15 and speaking regarding virtualization, SAP, Vmware and Dell.

In case you missed it:

2010-03-11T07:18:00.001-08:00

a few blog posts to note:

first, SAP's Open Letter from March 4th:
Dear SAP Customers,

We are writing to you today in the spirit of openness. You have no doubt taken note of the changes SAP has made in its executive leadership team. We feel it's important to write to you directly and express how honored and excited we are to be appointed Co-CEOs. We do this with the firm belief that SAP's success was and will always be linked to the success of our customers. Our mission remains to make your business a best-run business. Customers are the very center of our strategy.

Over the last three weeks, we have been highly energized and working hard to set SAP on a better course. The excitement we feel and the passion we have for this company is very much about who we are and what we are all about. And we know that the changes at SAP have led to some questions, and we have answers for them: continue reading Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe

And a reminder to check in with Michael Koch ( @pixelbase on twitter) for his "This week in SAP" posts

On our own consultants blog over at DataXstream you'll find the following newly published pieces:
By Terry DeBruicker "Build an SAP RFC Server uning the SAP .Net Connector"
By Steve Park "SAP Event Driven Batch Job"
By Dave Morin "Troubleshooting the Services Registry"

Booth Babes-

2010-03-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year when the DataXstream trade show booth makes its appearance in the garage. Matt, Will & Jeff spent the better part of a snowy, slushy morning piecing it back together. Each year there is a brief discussion about "attractions" for the booth. If you know who we are you will no doubt stop by {after all we are the coolest vendors on the floor} but if you don't know us, how can we spark your interest?

And each year one of our consultants brings up "booth babes" as a sure fire draw. Although, in the past it has been said and I quote, "You guys must be good. You don't have any hired bimbos in your booth."

On the other hand, perhaps one of these three will dress up in heels and a skirt? Or, maybe the gig will be pies, we hand out nice cream pies with a nice blue X on it and if you get a bullseye you win a prize. hehe. No doubt a crowd pleaser- although the cream pie would likely cause an issue with neighboring booth's electronics.

Pigs in Wigs

2010-02-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

One of our V.P.s likes to use the terms: Wildy Important Goals and Pretty Important Goals. On the spreadsheets used to measure the progress towards these goals these terms are abbreviated to: WIG and PIG. Everytime I see those two titles my very mature brain runs to the muppets and my favorite pig in a wig ever -

And so this cheeky posting is in tribute to the Sales and Marketing team and their Monday Meetings. And I challenge you to include FROG in your next Monday Meeting. *grin*

Caution: Xstreamly Hot

2010-02-15T07:03:00.000-08:00

As seen on Facebook:

DataXstream, Systems Integration & ArchitectureCongratulations to

Blake Edmunds, the winner of DataXstream's coffee mug slogan contest. The winning slogan? "Caution: Xstreamly Hot" Images to come! Want to win an iPod touch from DataXstream?

Here are some entries:

No, We're Not Spanish-Dubbed Television Certified

Integrating One Mug at a Time

Xcellence And Xperience Going The Xtra Mile

We Go to the Xtream So You Don't Have to

Xstream Results

Going to the Xstream everyday

Xperience Xstream Xcellence

Xstream Xcellence every day

Intergration Sensation

Lean Mean Digerati Machine

and my personal favorite:

We Listen to All Your SAPpy Stories

We thank everyone who participated or commented.Our Thanks to Blake Edmunds for getting into the spirit of things and sending in some great entries!

We will be looking for photos in the near future; photos of DataXstream: members, logos, x's, and hoping you will stop by to vote for your favorites!

DataXstream sponsors the Hula Girls Team, Polar Plunge VA Beach 2010

2010-02-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

Thank you to DataXstream for sponsoring each member of our "Hula Around the World Tour" team of plungers for the Va Beach Polar Plunge to support the Special Olympics Virginia. We had nine plungers (one bowed out for family reasons) and with DataXstream's help we raised over $2,500.00 for the Special Olympics of Virginia.

Pre-plunge. Just about to venture out into the snow to walk to the tents...

Chip on American Idol

2010-02-03T14:47:00.001-08:00

Okay, so back in the day, several of the consultants now working together as DataXstream members, were working together in New Jersey at Lucent Technologies. Think 10 years ago. Everybody was quite a bit younger and one of the guys was nicknamed "Chip" by some of the people, okay women, at Lucent.

Last night I was watching American Idol.

Chip has a twin.

And look, he sings and plays football, just like Chip. I wonder if he is a closet computer geek?

like Chip, Austin tends not be deterred by other peoples negativity.

We wish him well.

Virtualization and the SAP landscape

2010-02-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

Virtualization {big word lately} Virtualization + SAP {why yes, yes we can}

DataXstream announced in January their partnership with vmware. There is a posting on the DataXstream Consultant's Blog regarding one of the projects currently being implimented at one of the clients.

A few Highlights:

As a reseller of both VMware and Dell, DataXstream’s proposal proved to be almost 40% lower than competitive offerings.

Utilizing VMware features such as DRS, SRM, and HA, the solution insured consistent SAP response to users, even during scheduled maintenance, or fail-over conditions.

go on and check out the full blog post:

DataXstream Virtualizes Lumber Liquidators SAP Landscape

Slogans, Contests, Prizes & so on

2010-01-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

We have a new Marketing Intern at DataXstream. Actually, he isn't that new, he has been around a few months now. But anyway, he is planning out the trade shows that DataXstream will be attending in 2010 and looking at our depleated stock of give away items.

He has suggested we add coffee mugs - sure not everbody drinks coffee but, you know, a lot of us do. Just for fun we are running a little contest:

come up with a slogan for the coffee cup and we will send you one along with a box of DataXstream give aways.

Contest is open now- Closes Feb 5th. Winner announced Feb 6th.

Check the Facebook Fan page for more information: under NOTES

Meet Up in Florida

2010-01-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Over the Winter Holidays Tim Yates and Doug Foss and families met for dinner and a little shop talk too. Quite the crew!

Catching a Colts Game

2010-01-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

In December Tim Yates & Matt Lestock were in Indianapolis to meet with other DataXstream Team Members. While there they looked at options for the Indianapolis office, and caught a game.

DataXstream, SAP, Dell and VMware

2010-01-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

DataXstream announced in November of 2009 a strategic partnership with Dell and VMware in the hardware and Virtualization realms of SAP and ERP business solutions. With the partnership, DataXstream becomes a preferred SAP solution provider for Dell storage and server hardware. DataXstream also gains certification in VMware solutions, thus furthering their Virtualization implementation expertise.
DataXstream Partners with Dell & VMWare

Blog recommendation: Dennis Howlett

2009-12-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

Time to re-evaluate SAP?
by DENNIS HOWLETT on DECEMBER 16, 2009

Most professionals I know take one look at SAP and go: ‘Harrumph…way too expensive.’ Well – that may in part be true. SAP has always commanded a premium price but then so does a BMW or Mercedes-Benz. You can argue whether the comparison is appropriate but then we are talking German engineering. Anyhoo – last week I was SAP’s guest at its Business Influencer Summit in Boston along with 274 other analysts, media and customers. I spent most of my time learning more about what SAP calls its SME business applications: Business ByDesign, Business One and All-in-One Solution.

click here for full blog post

The New SAP Blue Book

2009-12-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

Normally I am the type of person who writes to sum up something (a book, movie, lecture, event) and it is as much of an organizational exercise for myself as it is an effort to produce something for someone else. I retain better when I write. So imagine, if you will, my dilemma.

The New SAP Blue Book is quite a read. In fact I am not yet finished with it (it isn't a big book or anything it is just that whole "busy" thing we all complain about). It is a book I recommend to anybody. Seasoned SAP Guru? Read the book. I feel quite confident it will offer a different and possibly enlightening view in at least one of the many topics it covers. Clueless Novice? (moi) It is written from a perspective that is far less overwhelming than many of the pieces of literature on SAP that I have attempted thus far.

The dilemma, however, stems from its concise presentation. I cannot sum it up better than it is already written. So my options are, read it a few times and just keep telling everyone that they too ought to at least skim it, or plagiarize the whole darn thing.

I would like to suggest that you read it.

The New SAP Blue Book
Michael Doane

Rock Band or something like it

2009-11-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

There has been a bit of a weather system hanging out in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Loss of power plagues many. Including a few of DataXstream's own.

It also just happens to be the 9th Birthday of one of the Future Geeks Of DataXstream. Inspired by said birthday a few of the true geeks went shopping and showed up with "Lego Rock Band."

Allow me to illustrate:
That is Matt on vocals and Wess on drums...

Wess surrounded by future geeks

Tim Cooper singing along and waiting his turn

Have you see these blog posts?

2009-11-03T03:39:00.000-08:00

SAP Standard Customer Cross Reference for Inbound IDOC Processing by D. Koch
Have you ever had a project where you are converting a customer file into an SAP Sales Document IDOC (ex: ORDERS05) and the customer file contains their Internal Customer Number? So you need to determine what the SAP Customer Number will be on the IDOC. If you are not familiar with the SAP interface process you may hardcode the SAP Customer Number or create external tables in your third party mapping software to accomplish this conversion process. However, this involves customer specific logic or updating the tables with your SAP Customer Numbers and having a process to maintain this table as new SAP Customer Numbers are created. There is a much easier way to perform this conversion with no additional coding as it is a standard SAP utility read full post

SAP Standard Sale Reference for Inbound IDOC Processing by D. Koch
If you have ever converted an external file into a SAP Sales Document IDOC (ex: ORDERS05) you may have hard coded the E1EDK14 segments of the IDOC which specify Sales Area and order type for the SAP Sales Document. However, these segments are not required if you populate the E1EDKA1-LIFNR segment of the IDOC with the External Customer Number and populate the EDSDC table with the Sales Area and Order Type for the customer. Your SAP system contains a standard utility that converts the External Customer Number to the Sales Area values and Order Type value contained in this table. read full post

Discovering Something Old in SAP - Using an External Program as a Batch Job Step by M. Salvo
The question now becomes, how do we execute the ftp script after the first step of the batch job which creates the outbound data file? It turns out that SAP provides a facility to do just that. Effectively, SAP will allow the ftp script to be entered as a step in a batch job. read full post

Excel Returns Blank Workbooks in SAPGUI by Wess Tobler
Don’t you hate it when you’re trying to view a report as a spreadsheet in SAPGui and it returns a blank workbook? The problem could be due a security settings inside of Excel that is preventing the data from being displayed. It is real easy to fix. Use the following instructions for your version Microsoft Office. read full post

And a pick from Red Monk:
The Need for Timely Software - SAP TECHED 2009 by Michael Cote

DataXstream Job Board

2009-10-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

DataXstream launches the job board this week:
http://www.dataxstream.com/contact-us/sap-integration-consulting-jobs-and-careers/

currently listed are:

SAP Interface Developer

SAP ABAP Developer

SAP Middleware Developer

SAP Basis Consultant

Pictures from SAP TechEd Phoenix

2009-10-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

Craig blogging live from SAP TechEd

Adam Blum hanging out in the DataXstream booth

sapteched.com/LIVE -

2009-10-15T04:48:00.000-07:00

SAP TechEd has a site up with interviews and replays taken throughout the day at TechEd. If you aren't here it is the next best thing -

Visit www.sapteched.com/LIVE for the latest video replays including highlights from the keynote and these interviews recorded live today from the Community Clubhouse:

Mark Yolton — SAP Community Network Highlights
Christian Oehler — SAP Business Suite
Kaj van de Loo — Developing Timeless Software
Thomas Jung — Next Generation ABAP
Tales from the SAP Co-Innovation Lab — Greg Turco (Owens Corning), David Cruickshank (SAP), Markus Voigt (SUN), and Christine Puccio (SUN)
Susan Martin and Jon Reed — SAP Skills Certification
Dagfinn Parnas — on the "Company of the Future"
Don Whittington — CIO Florida Crystals, ASUG Board Member and Chairman of the ASUG CIO Council
Richard Probst — SAP Guidelines for Best-Built Applications

Live Blog - WooHoo

2009-10-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

Craig's live blog debut went well! And several people stopped in to see what we were up too - our thanks to you all.
The site is up at http://www.live.dataxstream.com
you can visit and read Craig's comments regarding the Keynote speakers from Tuesday's opening of SAP TechEd Phoenix as well as his comments from TechEd's Demo Jam.
While the crowd did love the "no hand" beer keg demo - we were particularly impressed with "Demo #4: SAP Business Objects Explorer On Demand Made Easy by Brian Dennett from Colgate-Palmolive Company" Brian got into the code and did a great 6 minute demo. In addition he plans to make it available at http://www.enterprisegeeks.com. Check it out.

live - from SAP TechEd Phoenix 2009

2009-10-08T02:44:00.000-07:00

As usual there is quite a bit of activity prior to SAP TechEd. This year the event is in Phoenix and DataXstream is of course attending. In addition to the usual prescense on the vendor floor, DataXstream's Craig Stasila will be blogging live from these events:

Tuesday, October 13 • 8:00 A.M. – 9:45 A.M. PDT: General Session Keynote
Tuesday, October 13 • 8:00 P.M. – 9:15 P.M. PDT: SAP TECHED 09 DEMO JAM!

check it out at http://live.dataxstream.com

DataXstream - U2 as a company event

2009-10-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Tim Yates, Tim Cooper and Doug Foss.
Charlottesville VA. October 1 2009.
U2 360 tour.

it so happens that the local chapter meeting for SAP ASUG was held in Norfolk October 2nd. So Tim Cooper scheduled to teach an "SAP for Dummies" class to me and I think help Doug fill in his knowledge base as well. Conviently U2 was also playing this week.
Naturally, DataXstream attended the U2 concert as part of our training weekend.

Doug in GA

2009-09-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

local chapter ASUG GA 2009-
Doug at Coca Cola Head Quarters
We worry he is working too hard...

Summary, Rob Enslin's keynote for ASUG Virtual Summit

2009-09-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

As I often point out I am not an SAP Geek (or really any kind of geek) I am simply surrounded by them. So this post is a bit heady for me but I’m having a go anyway…

I heard via Twitter that SAP was hosting an ASUG Virtual Summit and thought I’d check it out. Registration was free and allows downloads for a period of time after the event.

I listened to a presentation by Robert Enslin. Do you know who he is? I didn’t. He is the President of SAP North America. Listed under Keynote speaker there when you first login. It was really interesting to me.

We are hearing a lot about businesses not wanting to spend. ERP projects being put on hold until the economy turns around. But what Mr. Enslin was saying was on target. As a business one has to choose to prepare to emerge on top when the economy changes around or to be shaped by circumstances and hope for the best. Mr. Enslin of course would encourage choosing to “move forward with business regardless of the state of the economy.”

Sounds great but how are business decision makers supposed to do this? He called it clarity. Market strategies are changing minute by minute. Antiquated systems cannot get decision makers the information they need fast enough. Clarity is the ability to see clearly what is happening in every aspect of operations. “Best run businesses must see clearly, think clearly and act clearly.” In addition the business community anticipates additional pressures from the government as well as stake holders for transparency.

So how does a business achieve clarity? He identified 6 strategic areas.

1.) Manage Cash

2.) Run Lean Operations

3.) Drive Compliance Activities

4.) Get Closer to Best Customers

5.) Retain Top Talent

6.) Protect and Nurture Your Brand

He also noted that companies must move away from a cost focused mentality and toward value focus. To do this they need to identify and set strategic priorities and enable the strategy to achieve them with the intelligent use of IT. An agile IT platform is increasingly relevant, as the margin of error gets smaller and smaller.

SAP can help with Value Methodologies. Mr. Enslin identified 3 components here:

1.) Discovery

2.) Realization

3.) Optimization

Discovery; start the discovery with benchmarking against peers. The ASUG SAP Benchmarking Program with benchmark by Industry, Region or Company Size.

Realize more Value. For a large business Suite 7 was released last November to 300 customers and released early this year (2009) for general availability. Mr. Enslin calls it “innovation with minimum disruption.” The enhancement package for Suite 7 recently released allows access to new functionality without upgrading.

Optimize Value. Here Mr. Enslin takes the opportunity to introduce SME offerings: Business All in One, Business by Design, and Business One.

Mr. Enslin cites G.T. Solar an All in One client: G.T. Solar was a $50 million revenue business without a central IT program. They implemented SAP Business All in One in 16 weeks, and over the last 2 years have seen 900% revenue growth.

The message is timely. SAP does not dispute the times, the economy or the uncertainty business is faced with; instead SAP offers tools to help businesses not only navigate through these times but to move forward regardless of them.

DataXstream is hiring

2009-09-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Company

DataXstream is a consulting firm that specializes in SAP. Specifically, we consider ourselves to be the foremost experts in SAP integration. We have deep and wide experience writing, teaching, architecting, developing, and supporting commercial applications using a multitude of SAP-related technologies. We are extremely proud of our 100% project success track-record and our highly enthusiastic reference clients.

Our headquarters are in Williamsburg, VA, and we also have an office in Indianapolis, IN. You can read more about us at www.dataxstream.com.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the CEO, The Vice President of Sales/Marketing will be a highly motivated professional who will be responsible to develop business and relationships to meet or exceed sales revenue plan established through a strategic planning process and help define the company’s overall strategies and tactics for new markets and growth opportunities, build and lead a Marketing and Sales infrastructure, manage communications: Publications; Public Relations and Presentations. The successful person must be a metric driven individual who is capable of enhancing sales. As the marketing executive, the incumbent will be required to identify potential customers, qualify new market opportunities through market analysis.

Requirements & Preferences for the Position

· Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred) in an IT field or Business Management with at least 5 years of experience successfully managing complex sales for an IT or consulting company.

· Candidate must have a proven successful track record in marketing to Fortune 500 companies.

· Previous experience in a start up environment is a plus.

· Must be an energetic executive with excellent Sales leadership skills, a team builder, results driven, multi-tasker, able to function in a dynamic environment.

· Good negotiation skills and an excellent understanding of managing alliances/partnerships essential.

· Good team player, and yet also able to work without a lot of supervision.

· Strong skills and experience in mentoring a sales team.

· Excellent written and oral communications ability, and strong analytical skills.

· Experience using social marketing (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.) as a tool to increase our brand awareness and drive sales.

· Conversant in the “language” of technology, and with the ability to translate tech-speak into biz-speak.

Contact:

Elaine Thorington

DataXstream

471 McLaws Circle

Williamsburg, VA 23185

ethorington@dataxstream.com (preferred means of contact)

no calls please

VITRUAL ASUG 2009

2009-09-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

ASUG Virtual Education Summit

Summit was September 9 and 10 however:

registration is free

Kung Fu Fighting - SAP Master

2009-09-07T16:16:00.001-07:00

the Future Geeks of DataXstream had fun with their previous videos. K. Yates was spotted goofing around inspired by Kung Fu Panda.

In case you were wondering. That is her belt.

The Future Geeks of DataXstream - Youtube

2009-08-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago one of our sales guys gave me a call and logged a complaint. He had just spent hours searching for DataXstream on Youtube.

mmm...hmmm.

"Well, my influence doesn't run to Youtube" I said.

(although you never do know... I've gotten DataXstream to launch a consultants blog, twitter, and interact on Facebook)

But then my brain kicked into creative mode and I thought - well why not. I can't get the consultants to post on Youtube and I'm not yet convinced that they need to spend their time on such distractions. But I'm sure the Future Geeks would have a ball coming up with skits in the name of supporting Daddy's business. Why not?

And so we scanned the Official Blog and came upon Steve Park's official post:

Debugging Inbound Web Service Calls in SAP

and we found ourselves inspired:

and once we got started we just thought we were so hilarious that we came up with a short for "Mo"

inspiration drawn of course from her "Barbie" laptop which she travels with "just like dad."

Batman & Robin

2009-08-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Future Geeks and I have been goofing off with some video ideas - and are slowly merging into a Batman & Robin genre-

which lead to a google search for Batman & Robin quotes -

and we found this list: Great Sayings: Batman & Robin Quotes

Mr. Freeze, give yourself up. We can get help for you... medical help! - Batman

Why is a woman in love like a welder? Because they both carry a torch! - Batman

You've tripped on one of your tricks this time, Joker! - Robin

No use, Joker! I knew you'd employ your sneezing powder, so I took an Anti-Allergy Pill! Instead of a SNEEZE, I've caught YOU, COLD! - Batman

Here comes the bride, all bagged and tied! - Penguin

Holy bill of rights, Batman! - Robin

Holy haberdashery, Batman! - Robin

Holey rusted metal, Batman! The ground. It's all metal. It's full of holes. You know, holey. - Robin

The way we get into these scrapes and get out of them, it's almost as though someone was dreaming up these situations; guiding our destiny. - Robin

I never touch spirits. Have you some milk? - Batman

Changing the Unix user UID for SAP Users sidadm and orasid

2009-08-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

from the DataXstream website

Tim Yates blogs

Changing the UNIX user UID for the SAP Users sidadm and orasid

Posted by tyates on Friday, August 7, 2009 ·

SAP System Administrator Unix User Accounts adm and ora

You may find it necessary to change the the UID of the sidadm and orasid accounts on your SAP server. The process is not difficult but there are a number of steps that must be followed for it to work correctly. The following is an outline of steps that I have followed in that past on AIX running oracle. Please note you should always test this on a test server to develop a proper procedure for your specific OS and installation. You should also confirm that you have a current backup just in case.

Get Toasted - a little contest on Facebook

2009-08-13T03:44:00.000-07:00

well its summer and so we are having a little bit of fun before we buckle down into final quarter here.

we are having a contest. its my contest so like everything else I do it is a bit silly but its fun. At least for me its fun.

the winner will receive: an official DataXstream toaster, a "get toasted t shirt," and an i touch.

so... get in touch with your favorite DataXstream employee and ask them how you can win

sharing a laugh

2009-08-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

recently seen on twitter:

jonerp@nenshad got no choice but to make the switch to Google Reader but I'm shocked by mixture of good design and stupidity.

followed by:

nenshad@jonerp My wife says the exact same thing about me. :)

concluded with:

jonerp@nenshad one of the funniest Tweets ever. Well played.

Chomping at the bit

2009-08-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

since this is the UN-official blog I can leak just a bit...

It seems the Official blog is well received. There have been quite a number of hits, a decent number of comments. Things look good.

And for fun, a bit of a contest, a game you might say, is in the works to get our writers really going. No we don't want to posting things not worth reading - the content has been good and we want to keep it that way - but we want to keep the posts coming. So... a bit of a contest...

Keep an eye out for it next week. And be ready to support your favorite blogger.

and in the meantime. I am hoping to start another one of Friday. *wicked grin* it needs to be done before I run off the beaches with the "future geeks" of DataXstream; it is just a matter of pounding out details with Tim. Focus Tim. Focus.

Looky there -

2009-08-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

DataXstream has a proper twitter account as of this evening. twitter.com/DataXstream

It will update each time an official blog post is posted to the consultant blog, it will be used to shout out news, events and announcements, and maybe the admins will get really good and use it for even more than that!

All I can say is I am just so stinking proud of myself. I've managed to get them to pay attention to the web site, start a consultant's blog, and now twitter.

Now, if I can get them to use twitter to full potential!!! That'll be a challenge -- there is a fabulous article I'm nagging Tim Yates to read -- and then I want to push out to everybody else. This is the article: 62 Ways to Use Twitter for Business with subtitles; Share Expertise to Build Credibility, Grow Your Network, Marketing, Do the Right (and Fun) Thing, Finally Some Tips Absolute Beginners.

SAP Integration Experts and they are on a blog roll!

2009-07-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

The SAP Intergration Consultants at DataXstream have added several new blog posts to the official "Consultants Blog" at DataXstream.

Here is a list of new titles for you to check out:

Server Programming in JCo Part 1 by Steve Steffen

Server Programming in JCo Part 2 by Steve Steffen

Building an SAP Proxy by Terry DeBruicker

SAP ABAP Performance Tuning - High CPU Utilization, Low DB Activity by Tim Yates

stop by, leave a comment, ask a question!

Cast of Characters: Meet Salvo

2009-07-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

okay, normally I write a cast of characters post without direct input from the subject {victim} I get others to tell me a good story or two, sometimes I get the wives involved, and if I know them myself I can usually come up with something mildly entertaining.

Sadly my personal interactions with Mike Salvo have been limited and I wasn't getting much from my usual sources (they seem a bit busy lately) so I consulted directly with the subject.

The rest of you, sit up and take notice. I'm printing this straight from the document sent to me. It is perfect.

Mike Salvo on Mike Salvo:

How I met Tim
In 2004, while employed at Draeger Medical, I hired Tim Yates of DataXstream to build an interface between SAP and the Draeger Medical Field Service System. Two years later, Tim Yates hired me to work for him.

My Official Position at DataXstream
Unless there is a DataXstream employee that I haven’t met yet, I am the oldest and the shortest employee.

Obi-wan
During an all-hands meeting at United Launch Alliance, I was nicknamed “Obi-wan” by the SCM consulting functional lead. (I was the SCM data migration team lead.)
The nickname stuck, and I was given a light saber and action figures when I left the project.
(did you ever try to get a light saber through airport security?)
Here is the picture I submitted to Josh Sindy in May 2008 when he was considering publishing all consultant profiles:

YMCA Life
First part-time job in my former life was a part-time swim instructor at the YMCA.
Taught lifeguard training, instructor certification, adult swim and age-group swim lessons.
Coached a YMCA swim team for two years.
Directed summer camp for children with special needs for two years.

Teaching High School
First professional job in my former life was teaching science at Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philadelphia. Taught Physics and Introductory Physical Science.
Extra-curricular teaching activities:
1) Snookered (I think that’s a word) all of my students into sponsoring me for $.01 per lap in the swim
     team fund raiser.   They had no idea that I could swim, and I wasn’t telling.
     Did my planned 100 laps – collected the most money ever raised by a single swimmer in the fund raiser.
     Could only pull this off once – word got around after that.
2) Played in the pit orchestra of the school musicals.

Still Teaching
Part of the statement of work at Defense Logistics Agency was to provide informal mentoring and formal training classes. One of the formal classes I taught was a four-part series on dialog programming. A comment in a post-class training evaluation from one of the participants– “…better than any SAP-led training course I ever attended”.
Another DLA employee gave up part of his vacation day so that he would not miss any of the classes.

Hobbies
Accomplished classical pianist
Accompanied several Broadway Musicals in college, local theater, and high school.
Swimming

extras from the resume:

Project Management: Creation of project estimates, plans, and performance metrics for both local and global SAP projects.

SAP Lifecycle Management: Understanding of promote to production process, system upgrades and their associated risks.

SAP Functional Knowledge: Custom Business, Operations, and Regulatory Reporting, Transaction, and Interfaces. Experience with FI/CO, MM. SD, PP, SM. SAP versions 3.1H, 4.6C, ECC 6.0.

SAP Basis: Applied OSS Patches, created and installed add-on installation/update delivery packages, created and activated BC sets.

Platform Experience: Windows Server, VAX 4705, VAX 6420, MicroVAX 3100, VAX 11/750, Windows PC, UNISYS System 80, Prime 9950, IBM 370, IBM 3033, IBM 3081, Mohawk Series 2100.

Desktop Tools: SQL Enterprise Manager, Crystal Reports, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, Microsoft VISIO, Microsoft FrontPage.

Mike's Linked in profile here

SAP Consultant's Blog: Managing Change Pointers

2009-07-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

from the Official Site of DataXstream. The Consultant's Blog. Posted by Mike Salvo:

Are You Properly Managing Your Change Pointers Part 2 – A Simple Source of Runaway Growth

Last time, in my 50,000 foot view post, I presented an overview of the purpose, the location, and the
expected lifecycle of change pointer records. I also briefly discussed two programs:

RBDMIDOC -  triggers IDOC distribution for ‘unprocessed’ change pointer records, and marks
                          those change pointer records as ‘processed’.
RBDCPCLR -   deletes the ‘processed’ change pointer records from the change pointer tables.

One obvious source of runaway change pointer table growth is never running the cleanup program RBDCPCLR.
Using transaction SM37 (batch jobs), you can determine if RBDCPCLR is running in a batch job, and how frequently it is running.
As shown in the screen shot below, enter RBDCPCLR in the ABAP Program Name box, enter a relevant date range,
and check the various job status boxes that you might be looking for. I recommend setting a significantly wide date
range, as I have found situations where RBDCPCLR was running in a scheduled batch job a while ago, but for some
unknown reason is no longer currently running.

continue

Caught on camera

2009-07-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

DataXstream gets representation at the Sparta High School Class of 1989 reunion (along with Pringles. mmm good)

thanks to Andrew Rubin for the photo

Keeping up with DataXstream

2009-07-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Xstream Newsletter; it was recently sent to persons on the contact list. I believe the intent is to send it out quarterly... if you did not receive one and you'd like to please click here: XSTREAM NEWSLETTER

In addition there is now a consultant's blog up and running at the Official site of DataXstream. The consultants are writing on a variety of topics

click here: CONSULTANTS BLOG

recent additions include:

"Debugging Inbound Web Service calls in SAP" by Steve Park

"Server Programming in JCo Part 1" by Steve Steffen

"Are You Properly Managing Your Change Pointer Tables Part 1 – The 50,000 Foot View" by Mike Salvo

"Introduction to the SAP .Net Connector" by Terry DeBruicke

Cast of Characters: Meet Doug

2009-07-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Doug Foss, Regional Sales Manager, joined DataXstream in the spring of 2008. Shortly after joining the team he jumped straight into the fire at SAPPHIRE/ASUG 2008.

Doug and his oldest daughter.

Prior to working with DataXstream Doug knew team members through the American Tae Kwon Do Association. A 4th degree black belt Doug Foss was chief instructor at an ATA school in Williamsburg VA for over 5 years. In addition he is a certified Krav Maga Instructor and enjoys Extreme Martial Arts (XMA).

Currently based in Florida Doug also plays softball, likes dueling piano bars, enjoys being a DJ, and likes practical jokes.

Doug on linked in

Cforia: webinar replays

2009-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

Cforia Software - Credit, Collections & Deductions Management Software – DataXstream architected, designed, and developed the integration between Cforia Software’s MC2, MD2 products and SAP. DataXstream is the exclusive implementation partner for Cforia Software.

In June Cforia offered two webinars. Did you miss them? Need the info?
check it out;

Cforia's webinar "Lockbox Auto Cash Application Software"
Supports bank reconciliation, lockbox processing and automatic posting from remittance files. Supports any ERP system including SAP.

Cforia's webinar "Lockbox Auto Cash Management and Application"

In 2006 Dataxstream was approached by Cforia to integrate Cforia’s credit, collections and deductions software with SAP. Dataxstream assigned Craig Stasila, Wayne Tolson and Kerry Notestine to the initial development of the project. The first edition was available in early 2007 and Cforia was able to announce a software package that supported SAP. The first installation occurred in 2007. Tim Cooper, Terry deBruicker, Dick Koch, Mike Salvo and Tim Yates have all contributed to the project as well.

“The Xstream Connector is a clean and concise integral interface between our Greenlee SAP Production System and our Production Cforia MC2 instance. Its existence in our environment is seamless to the end-users and virtually invisible and maintenance free to the Basis Team. The Team from DataXstream has done an excellent job with the development of the Xstream Connector. The Team in general is excellent to work with and they are always there for you before, during and after the implementation. You are definitely a part of the DataXstream Team throughout the entire implementation process.”
“There is one phrase that comes to mind as a result of working with the DataXstream Team and the Xstream Connector: Flawless Execution. It has been a very pleasant experience working with them and I look forward to working with them on future projects.”
Joyce Bain
TFC-FSSC IT Group Lead
Textron

SAP TECHED 2009 DEMO JAM

2009-07-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

maybe I'm missing something but this really seems like it is right up the DataXstream team's ally:

SAP TECHED 2009 DEMO JAM
The SAP Developer Network (SDN) hosts the sixth annual Demo Jam at SAP TechEd 2009,
and we're looking for individuals or groups of SAP customers, partners, and employees to
show off new, electrifying technologies and applications in the competition.

Don't you think they should do this? C'mon. Tell them so!

Protera Technologies; a possible partnership in progress

2009-06-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

On Friday Tim Yates was in Chicago to meet with Dean Adamopoulos and Patrick Osterhaus of Protera Technologies regarding a possible partnership between the two companies.

Discussing the meeting Yates said "I think there are some good synergies between our companies and I think as partners we would complement each other well."

A joint press release should be announced in four or five weeks.

SAP TechEd 2009 Phoenix - DataXstream is in the Photogallery

2009-06-22T04:11:00.000-07:00

PHOTO GALLERY FROM SAP TECHED 2008

"A picture is worth a thousand words. The photographs below were taken at SAP TechEd 2008 Las Vegas which was held last September.
For those who are new to our exhibitor program, and even for our returning exhibitors, these photos may be helpful in understanding the
booth structures, the exhibit hall layout and various components of the program such as the Networking Reception."
from the SAP TechEd 2009 Website

The thumbnail above shows DataXstream's booth from TechEd 2008 in Las Vegas. In the photogallery DataXstream is in row 4 with the booths, second from left. Yeah, we look good!

XI/PI Architect

2009-06-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

from the official DataXstream site: DataXstream is seeking an XI/PI Architect:

We currently have an opportunity, in Indianapolis, IN for a SAP XI PI Architect for a permanent position. Green card or above only please. This is not negotiable (Can not do any sponsor ships or EAD’s).

JOB FUNCTION:
SAP XI PI Architect will perform the installation, configuration and maintenance of the NetWeaver components of SAP systems and will lead the planning, design, architecting of SAP NetWeaver 7.0 systems across a variety of platforms and databases. Individuals should be capable of working independently or leading teams and have the ability to effectively communicate with customers to gain insight and develop solutions to meet their business needs.

At DataXstream we work hard and we play hard - our staff enjoys terrific compensation, benefits, training, and work environments as well as access to ample “quality of life” perks like sporting events and numerous employee functions. Speak to one of our recruiters today to learn about the high degree of employee satisfaction we’re known for, then join the others who are making consulting a career and experience the diversity in assignments, the rapid career growth, and the stability that only DataXstream can offer.

see responsibilities & requirements click here

Webinar: Cforia Software and Cashbook Limited

2009-06-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Join us on Thursday, June 18 as Cforia Software and Cashbook Limited share a business improvement process that will help your company achieve auto cash application rates in excess of 90% to increase productivity and accuracy.

Attend this webinar to learn the benefits of, and guidelines for significantly improving your company's cash management.

* How to achieve straight through processing from Lockbox files into your ERP system
* Automatically handle customer provided remittance files including EDI, XML, Excel, Scanned and Hard Copy
* Automatically reconcile bank statements to your ERP system's General Ledger
* Work transparently with multiple currencies
* Use electronic payments to reduce cost and increase transactional accuracy

A practical demonstration will show how Automation Tools can improve cash management.

Speaker: Greg Coulter
CEO Cashbook, Ltd.

Greg came to Cashbook, Ltd. with a background in finance, marketing and systems implementation gained from working at Effem Foods in New Zealand (part of Mars Corporation). He has directed implementations of auto cash management and application software throughout England, Netherlands, United States, Belgium, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland.

to register click here

more cash application

Unofficial blog of Dataxstream; view of a minion

The Annual Christmas Party

DataXstream represents at the Super G, Beaver Creek

Skiing with Megan McJames

DataXstream's retail client

Cast of Characters - Meet Dick

SAP Standard Sale Area Cross Reference For Inbound IDOC Processing

Snow

Tim Yates's Birthday. It was a lot of Pink...

The Volt

DataXstream Partners with Dell and VMware

Lumber Liquidators’ SAP VMware Virtualization Case Study

*Believe*

SAP TECHED photos and so on...

SAP TECHED 2011

What: SAP TechEd 2011

September 12-16, 2011

Where: Booth 204, The Venetian / Palazzo Congress Center, Las Vegas, NV

Win an Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLI Plaque Autographed by Peyton Manning

Sand in his face

TidBits

What Will Be Highlighted:

Webinar: Virtualizating your infrastructure before your SAP Upgrade

Date: Thursday, August 4, 2011

Time: 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Duration: 30 Minutes

Speaker: Matt Lestock, Lead Infrastructure Architect, DataXstream

Register

Job Postings; SAP BW/BEx Developer, SAP SD Business Analyst

VMware Commercial

Summer School

Webinar – Integrate Your Enterprise Ticketing with SAP Solution Manager Service Desk

Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011

Time: 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT

Duration: 30 Minutes

Speaker: Steve Park, Senior SAP Interface Consultant, DataXstream

not really a re-cap but...

DataXstream + Dell at SAPPHIRENOW 2011

DataXstream and Dell Partner to Run Live Disaster Recovery Demos of a Virtual SAP Environment

Where: Booth 2326, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL

When: May 15 – 18, 2011

Win one of three Dell Streak 7s!

SAP insider April issue

Flat Stanley in Williamsburg

DataXstream is attending IT 2011 Conference

Smart Lizards Choose DataXstream

March 1, Flat Stanley on Facebook

iPod Touch by M. Hayashiguchi

Flat Stanley is back...

Wess geeking out in DataXstream swag

Holiday Cheer-

Best of Consultant's Blog

Team Pictures

Gathering in Williamsburg

Photos to share

SAP TechEd 2010

SAP TechEd Las Vegas 2010

Go Green - TechEd Las Vegas 2010

Relocating the Indy Office

Cast of Characters: Meet Will

SAP, APPLE, old You Tube

Have you seen it? SAP - Run Better

Yates had a Party

SAP JOBS- US

Dataxstream, Go Green, and Leave Your Mark

Leave Your Mark & the Go Green Campaign

ASUG Chapter Event

Joining Football Mania

A Tardy Announcement-

Congratulations to Michael Hayashiguichi, our Flat Stanley Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Ken Tobin, the winner of our SAPPHIRENOW iPad drawing!

"Future Geek" spotted with Blagbert Swag

Sometimes you have to wonder...

DataXstream, stop over to see Atlantis Launch

Craig - blogging live from SAPPHIRE Orlando

reworking the website - retro is cool

Love a picture-

Just For Fun! IPOD Touch contest

Our Virtualization Project is a HOT Topic

In case you missed it:

Believe