Priority has improved its ERP solution with several tweaks in its latest release 17.3. The new release includes improvements to the user interface (UI), system management, financials, warehouse management system (WMS) and payroll, time & attendance. Refreshingly Priority has made available a detailed breakdown of the changes to the version. This does not list any bug fixes although there some improvements that they may listed as such previously.
General UI changes
There are several changes to the UI and system maintenance. These include improvements to the query and search forms to streamline the process. Full details of the UI changes are in the updated user manual. Another minor improvement that users will welcome is the context sensitive action buttons that appear when a user moves their cursor over a form on the home screen. The user is able to access either the search functionality or add a new record with a single click.
Priority has already delivered a number of enhancements to the way scroll bars work including their speed when browsing. The changes are only supported when users are using Priority in a web browser.
Payroll, Time and Attendance
The improvements in this module include improvements to reporting, employee loans and payslips. There is a new batch payroll reporting that allows users to create reports faster. They have also added employee loan functionality. This enables companies to record details of employee loans. It is also possible to track repayments, especially when they happen early. There are also supporting reports, that enable companies to identify outstanding amounts.
It is now possible to send password protected payslips to employees. This is an interesting privacy enhancement and it will be interesting to see of other vendors adopt it. The user password can be sent to employees by email and SMS. Sending passwords by email is not recommended as there is always a risk of them being intercepted.
SMS is also risky. Data is sent in clear text to an SMS gateway and then sent on to the phone. There is no details on whether passwords are encrypted by Priority when stored on servers. It does say that it is possible to delete the password for specific employees. What that actually means is not made clear.
Other changes
Improvements to the financial module seem to focus mainly on reporting functionality. Journals allow accountants to create separate lines for each project linked to the invoice. Improvements in accounts receivable and payables include better support for dual currency. Companies who do business in Italy get a number of improvements. One of those is setting the VAT reporting date according to the transaction date.
Several other modules also have enhancements. These include the WMS (Warehouse Management System) , inventory, sales, purchasing. Most of the updates are minor and appear to give minor improvements to the functionality rather than any major update.
Conclusion
This is a typical dot release for an ERP solution. There is nothing earth shattering in terms of new functionality. It is disappointing that there is no new major feature. Customers will benefit from updating to this latest version though as it contains several useful updates that users will quickly take advantage of.
