Current Release: SM 8.0.114 | AW 3.5.070 4.0.070

 August 2022 | Issue #118 

Information to Run Your Program

The ACEware Newsletter has a new editor and a new design. Enjoy!!!

Upcoming Events

Coffee & Conversation

This session is designed for Directors--those who are new(er), and those who need to catch up. This will be an informal discussion, so grab a cup of coffee and sit around a virtual table with us to discuss your registration software!

New date and time!


September 21, 2022

12:00 PM Central Time

Sign Up for the Webinar

Report Training

Join us for a comprehensive online course on Student Manager's powerful Report Writer. The training will be offered in four two-hour sessions, allowing for you to absorb content and apply the information learned.



September 26-29, 2022

12 Noon to 2:00 PM CT (Each Day)

Sign Up for the Training

New Style Email Templates

Are you interested in using the new-style Email Templates but don't have time to build them yourself? Then we have news for you! 


Samples of the new-style email templates are now available for download: **New Style Templates


Don't know which one to download? See the Email Templates topic in the Online Help for a description of each template. 


Each template consists of 2 files: A .dbf and an .fpt. You will need to unzip them into a folder on your computer (Downloads is a good one), then import the template by selecting Tools > Import/Export > Email Template Import.  

BEFORE you import an email template, go to Module > Catalog > Email Templates, look up your existing template and change the Code. For example if you are importing a new E_MAIL template, change the code on the existing one to oldE_MAIL (the system will not import the new template if it has the same Code as an existing template).


If you have customized your existing copy of an email template, you will need to re-apply the customization to the new template. 


And as always, your ACEware technician is happy to help with importing a template or customizing after the import. Be sure to contact them if you need help!

**You will need the Customer credentials to download the templates. Contact your ACEware technician if you don't have them. 


Contributed by Cheryl

ACEware Cloud Development Update

In this month's ACEware Cloud video update, we look at Adding/Removing/Updating Payers on a Profile, taking Cash or Check Payments, and updates to Registration Details on a Course. Credit Card Payments are currently in development.


We hope you enjoy these short video updates each month. Have questions or comments? Email me!

Contributed by Sharon

Student Manager New Goodies

Student Manager 8.0.114 was released Monday, August 1, and contains a handful of new features, including:



See more about the new features and fixes in our Student Manager Updates Forum!


Contributed by Cheryl 

Reintroduction to Private, On-Site Training

It has been some time since (28 months if I count right) since ACEware has traveled on-location to provide private training, and we know that there has been significant turnover in programs during these months. We’ve seen new directors, keepers of the flame, and staff. This turnover naturally leads to the need for private, customized training. With the increase of requests for private training, it is time to reintroduce this ACEware service! Here are the FAQ’s we receive about private training:


What is private training? It is a two to three day, 6-7 hours per day, training customized to the needs of your team. A recommended day is 8:30 – 4:30 with an hour for lunch and two 15-minute breaks.


Whether meals are provided to your team is up to you.


What is needed on-site for the training? A conference room (for small groups of 10-12) or computer lab for larger groups.


Each trainee needs their own computer and access to the internet. Our trainer or your designated representative will need the ability to download a Student Manager demo to each PC/laptop prior to the training.


Our trainer needs a data projector, screen, and laser pointer. They will bring their own laptop. The trainer will need access to the training location the night prior to training OR an hour before training begins to do any final preparations.


How many can attend? With a single trainer, we recommend capping the attendees to 20. If your group is larger than that, we can talk options, but may recommend a second person to help with the training.


How is the agenda set? It is set by the needs of your unit. We do consult with you and your assigned technician and send a survey to discover what is known or what should be known by your team. Then, together with your technician/trainer, an agenda for those two days is established.


What is the investment for the training? $2,500 plus expenses for two days. Expenses include travel, lodging, and per diem. Sometimes a rental car and gas are required. This is location specific, of course.


Each additional day of training is $1,000 per day.


The trainer arrives the evening prior to the scheduled training, and depending on flights available, may need to depart the day after training ends. So, budgeting for 3-4 nights is recommended. If you plan to offer meals, you will want to budget for that.


Is private training only available on site? No. If you need private training in virtual format, we can accommodate that as well. In these cases, we recommend two hours of training in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. We will work out these details with you.



How do we get started? When you are ready to schedule private training for your next in-service or staff retreat, contact sharon@aceware.com. I’ll get the ball rolling for you!


Contributed by Sharon

Tip of the Month: Math in Reports

Did you know that Student Manager, specifically reporting, can do some math? 


Let's say you want to calculate the date an Escrow payment will expire if you give them 180 days from today. You can add this expression to your report:


       date()+180


This will add 180 days to the current date, and display that date on your report!


Or, you can add 365 days (1 year) to the date the payment was originally made with this expression:


     pydate+365


See the Comparison Operators topic in the Online Help for more information on Math operators as well as other comparison operators you can use in reports. 


See the Calculations topic in the Online Help if you want to look at other calculation options for fields and expressions. 


There are also Report Functions you can use to calculate information for you. For example, the AGE() function can calculate age based on the person's Birthdate. See the Report Functions by Category topic in the Online Help for more information on report functions. 


Contributed by Joe

Report of the Month: Set your favorites!

Do you have a report that you run quite often? Maybe you have one that you don’t run very often but it must be set just so. If either of these apply to you, you should be setting that report up as one of your favorite reports. Each user can have their own list of 10 favorite reports To access the user favorite reports, you have 3 options. You can:


  1. Use the My Favorite Reports button on the Quick Launch Menu (it’s the one right in the middle).
  2. From the Menu: Reports > My Favorites
  3. Use the Ctrl + F1 Keyboard shortcut


Once you do that this menu will pop up, which allows you to set or run the report, as well as view notes on the report:

In the above example, there are a few reports already set. To add or replace one of them, click the Set Report button, and in the next window you can make your selections. Then click done.

To run the report, click Run Report, plug in your query value, and you still get the options to modify, print and also output as, if you need them.


This should save you a few clicks on your daily reports, and from having to remember exactly how that quarterly report that needs to be sent to the state should be formatted.


Do you want to become a report master or find out more about favorite reports? Register for our Getting your MMR (Masters in Managing Reports).


Contributed by Susan

To your continued success,


- Chuck, Sharon, Cheryl, Jason, Joe, Lindsey, Matthew, Stein, and Susan

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suggestions about this newsletter, please contact sharon@aceware.com