LedgerSMB 1.4.0 Beta 1 released

[Chris Travers <..hidden..>]

The LedgerSMB development team is proud to release the first beta release of LedgerSMB 1.4.0.  This represents a significant amount of effort and a significant amount of code reworked.  This release integrates a budgetting module, better reporting, and much more.  Highlights include:

1.  A payroll framework, so that locally supported payroll modules can be built.

2.  A web services framework to allow easier export and import of data from disconnected systems

3. A new reporting framework which allows data to be exported into a number of different formats including PDF and CSV.  This will make it much easier to build new reports in the future for independent consultants.

4.  Improved error handling.  Now it is possible to use die.

5.  Separation of duties for transactions involving inventory.

This release is not believed to be safe for production if time and frustration matter, but it is believed to be robust numbers-wise.  In most cases, nothing has changed.  The only area where things have significantly changed there is in the cost of goods sold code, which has been moved into a stored procedure so that it can be called from transaction approval routines.  This code is highly unit tested but has not been extensively production tested yet.

During the beta release, I think we should continue to move search routines to the new reporting framework.  This will put us in a better position to rework the financial code in 1.5.

I will be sending out a more general announcement to the other lists in the next week.

The complete changelog is below.  You can find this release at:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/ledger-smb/files/Beta%20Releases/1.4.0-beta1/

Best Wishes,

Chris Travers

Changelog for 1.4 Series

Forthcoming

General Enhancements:

* Performance enhancements on menu routines (Chris T and Steven M)

* Added +/- selection indicators to menu CSS (Chris T)

* Changing all auth calls to hit postgres db instead of template1 (Chris T)

* invoice.unit is now unbounded varchar to reduce errors (Chris T, 3516235)

* Invoices with inventory subject to draft/vouchers workflows (Chris T)

* Added Equity (Temp) account type, closed at year-end (Chris T)

* Added description field to transaction and invoice screens (Chris T)

* Removed ability to repost/delete transactions (Chris T)

* Partsgroups can now be nested though this is not yet used by LSMB (Chris T)

* Session expiration now with configurable behavior (Chris T)

* Timecard system generalized to allow labor and materials cards too (Chris T)

Enhancing data integrity

* No longer allow NULL amounts in acc_trans (Chris T)

Installation/Upgrade

* PostgreSQL contrib dependencies removed, now require Pg 8.4 (Chris T)

* LaTeX format detection now run-time call, not configured (Chris T)

Code/API improvements

* scripts/* files moved to make inheritance possible (Chris T)

* Removed the Config::Std dependency and moved to Config::General (Chris T)

* Improved error handling using Try::Tiny and die (Chris T)

* Added "dynatable.html" template that can be included in templates (Chris T)

* Dynatable forms obtained through GET now show link back to form (Chris T)

* LedgerSMB->error and Form->error now show db version and company (Chris T)

* Simpler use of Log::Log4perl instead of LedgerSMB::Log (Chris T)

* Centralized database commit for new code (Chris T)

New RESTful Web Services Framework

* Supports XML and JSON as input formats

* Supports XML and JSON as output formats

* Supports read/write for Contacts:

   * Customers

   * Vendors

   * Employees

   * Leads

   * More

New Reporting Framework

* Easy bridge between SQL and display (Chris T)

* All reports exportable to CSV (Chris T)

* All reports exportable to PDF (Chris T)

* Unified UI for reports (Chris T)

* Enhanced trial balance allows for partial trial balance (Chris T)

* Enhanced trial balance allows for saved criteria (Chris T)

* New income-statement-like reports for customers and products (Chris T)

* New income-statement-like reports for invoices (Chris T)

Customer/Vendor/Employee Handling and CRM

* Added sales tax id and license number fields for companies (Chris T)

* Simpified database schema (Chris T)

* Full text search of notes for customers/vendors (Chris T)

* Added file attachments to customers, vendors, employees, leads etc (Chris T)

* Added lead handling (Chris T)

New CSV Import Module

* Imports GL transactions (Chris T)

* Imports AP batches (Chris T)

* Imports charts of accounts entries (Erik H)

* Imports GIFI tables (Erik H)

* Imports SIC tables (Erik H)

* Imports timecards (Chris T)

* Imports initial inventory and periodic counts (Chris T)

* Extensible

* field maps can be overridden

New Business Reporting Unit System (Chris T)

* Replaces Projects and Departments

* Business reporting units may be nested

* Allows one to do funds accounting, track jobs separately from projects, etc

* Report on any combination of business reporting units (up to one per class)