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  1. What does the software do? Does it interact with any other Applications?
  2. Do you only have one version of the software? What are the differences with this version and the others?
  3. Can we use one database on a server and share it with all the users?
  4. What type of database does your program support?
  5. Do I need to buy any other programs to make yours work?
  6. How long have you been making software, and where are you located?
  7. How many users can I have on the program?
  8. If I go over the system limit of users in the future what will happen?
  9. How would I know how to use the program? Are there training classes I can take or are there help files? What type of help do I get and how?
  10. What makes your software better than others?
  11. What are the systems minimum requirements to run your program?
  12. Can I use your software with any operating system? What about Macintosh?
  13. What type of security features does the software have to prevent people from deleting records or messing up the program?
  14. How many licenses do I need to buy?
  15. Will my programmers or IT specialist be able to customize a report or view the code if they want?
  16. How much will it cost to purchase a customize report?
  17. If I buy the SQL version or the Oracle version, do I need to purchase Oracle or SQL server? What do I need to run those versions?
  18. Why is there a large price difference between the Standard and Platinum version?
  19. How many accounts of customers in my utility company can the SQL version hold? Oracle?
  20. Is there a demo that I can install and try?
  21. Does the program do anything other than billing?
  22. Are there going to be any upgrades? How do I get them? How often do I get them?
  23. If the program has a bug, will they fix it? How long will it take to fix the bug?
  24. Is there technical support? How much does that cost? And what are the hours of operation?
  25. How do I install the software and how long will it take to get it running?

  1. What does the software do? Does it interact with any other Applications? [top]
    Utility Star, a Windows-based program, is a billing and customer information software for the utility industry. It is integrated with many 3rd party software for handheld devices, bank drafts, CASS mailing, etc.

  2. Do you only have one version of the software? What are the differences with this version and the others? [top]
    ASI has developed 3 versions of Utility Star:

    Utility Star Lite is for water and sewer companies who have less than a total of 2,500 customers.

    Utility Star Standard is for clients who have 2,500 or more customers, and is capable of handling multiple utilities.

    Utility Star Platinum is for larger utility companies with a need to handle well over 20,000 customers. Utility Star Lite and Standard can link to any Access databases, while Platinum is SQL/Oracle base. Moreover, Platinum has more features and functionalities, such as high-level security settings, multi-tasking, real-time billing, and inventory management.

  3. Can we use one database on a server and share it with all the users? [top]
    Yes. Any versions of Utility Star can be installed on several computers in the network while sharing one database server.

  4. What type of database does your program support? [top]
    Four types of databases: MS Access, MSDE (Microsoft Data Engine), SQL Server, and Oracle.
    We also provide database conversion services to help you transfer your data from your old database to ours.

  5. Do I need to buy any other programs to make yours work? [top]
    No, you will not need to purchase any programs in order to run Utility Star. Even if you purchase our Utility Star Platinum software you will not have to purchase a database software. This is because Utility Star Platinum can also run on MSDE, which is free.

  6. How long have you been making software, and where are you located? [top]
    Able Software is centrally located in Irvine, California. Able Software's resources and capabilities allow us to have the competitive advantage over our competitors. We have over 10 years of software development experience and our software has been on the market for over 10 years. Our team of software developers work around the clock to develop software programs that are highly intelligent and "bug-free".

  7. How many people can I have on the program? [top]
    MS Access for Utility Star Standard and Lite:
    MS Access can support up to 255 concurrent users. But we do not recommend this many users on the MS Access database due to the limitation on its file architecture. In general, it is best to use MS Access database with less than 10 concurrent users.

    MSDE for Utility Star Standard and Lite:
    MSDE is tuned for best optimum performance at five concurrent users or less. MSDE can support more than five concurrent users both from a technical and licensing standpoint; however, Microsoft strongly suggests that the number of concurrent users be five or less in order to enjoy the performance level that are available with MSDE.

    SQL Server for Utility Star Platinum:
    SQL Server can support hundreds of concurrent users.

    Oracle for Utility Star Platinum:
    Oracle can support hundreds of concurrent users.

  8. If I go over the system limit of users in the future what will happen? [top]
    If you are using Utility Star Lite or Standard you will need to upgrade to Utility Star Platinum. For any existing or previous Dynasty customers, Able Software will provide a free database conversion to Utility Star Standard Edition.

  9. How would I know how to use the program? Are there training classes I can take or are there help files? What type of help do I get and how? [top]
    We provide three kind of training services:
    1. On site training- Certified Utility Star trainer will impart the training seminar at your company's site.
    2. Remote training- With PC Anywhere or GoToMyPC service.
    3. Online training- Live seminar through the Internet.

    We also have a number of support analysts available to assist you during technical difficulties. Able Software is emphatic that our customers have "live assistance" not answering services to receive your calls.

  10. What makes your software better than others? [top]
    Able Software's resources and capabilities allow us to have the competitive advantage over our competitors. Not only do we have over 10 years of programming experience, but our large customer base and industry knowledge allow us to stay on the forefront of utility industry trends. The combination of technical and industry expertise makes our software much more powerful than our competitors.

  11. What are the systems minimum requirements to run your program? [top]
    For Utility Star Standard and Lite:
    http://download.ablesoftwareinc.com/document/utsl/utsl_sr.zip
    For Utility Star Platinum:
    http://download.ablesoftwareinc.com/document/utp/utp_sr.zip

  12. Can I use your software with any operating system? What about Macintosh? [top]
    The Utility Star programs will run on Windows 9x, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP, and Window Server 2003. The programs are not Macintosh compatible.

  13. What type of security features does the software have to prevent people from deleting records or messing up the program? [top]
    Utility Star software features a role defined user right management. This means an administrator can define and set the security rights for different "roles" (such as cashier, IT sepcialist, billing, etc), and assign individual user id to a certain role. The rights setup module allows detailed security options for the various part of the system.

  14. How many licenses do I need to buy? [top]
    Utility Star will require a minimum of two licenses for a standard client\server network.

  15. Will my programmers or IT specialist be able to customize a report or view the code if they want? [top]
    For Utility Star Standard and Lite:
    If you have MS Access, you will be able to access the database and create your own custom reports. You can also purchase our professional services to help you create customized reports.

    For Utility Star Platinum:
    The system offers in-program ability to create customized report through the ActiveX report designer. It is very powerful, and allows for the creation of virtually any report you will need. You can also purchase our professional services to help you create customized reports.

    Program source code is also available for purchase by our customers for all versions of Utility Star.

  16. How much will it cost to purchase a customize report? [top]
    The total cost depends on the complexity of the report. Typically we charge $125 per programming hour, and a report will usually take about 2 to 8 programming hours to complete. Often time our technical support specialist can help you create the reports for free (well, if you have a valid support contract with us) if it is simple (less than 2 programming hours).

  17. If I buy the SQL version or the Oracle version, do I need to purchase Oracle or SQL server? What do I need to run those versions?[top]
    Yes. If you buy Utility Star Platinum, and you do not want to use MSDE, you will also need to purchase SQL Server 2000, 2005, or Oracle version 8, 9, 10.

  18. Why is there a large price difference between the Standard and Platinum version? [top]
    Utility Star Platinum uses a completely different and highly sophisticated core architecture that results in a very robust and efficient system. The Utility Star Platinum system is much faster, can handle a much larger database, supports almost unlimited number of users, and provides a much wider scope in terms of functionality offered. When factoring in all these improvements, we believe the premium price for Utility Star Platinum is well worth it.

  19. How many accounts of customers in my utility company can the SQL version hold? Oracle? [top]
    SQL Server and Oracle can support over 1 TB of data. The number of accounts are virtually unlimited as long as you have enough disk space to store them.

  20. Is there a demo that I can install and try? [top]
    Yes. We have a 30-day demo that we can send you with a 60-day money back guarantee on all of our products. Please visit our Demo Request Page to request a demo today!

  21. Does the program do anything other than billing? [top]
    Yes. Utility Star is not just a billing software, it is also a customer informational system. It has the ability to not just calculate and produce bills, but keep track of all sorts of customer, service address, and meter information. The system also interfaces with many 3rd party software for accounting, handhelds, CASS mailing, etc. The system also provides the ability support point-of-sales operations, scanners, receipt printers, barcodes, maps, and more. For a complete list, please contact Yolande at ypawley@able-soft.com for brochure or demo.

  22. Are there going to be any upgrades? How do I get them? How often do I get them? [top]
    Yes, we are always working on improving the software so it'll be more useful for our customers. Upgrades are released in the form of a service pack for Utility Star Standard and Lite, or through the LiveUpdate server for Utility Star Platinum. You can get them as part of our support and service contract.

  23. If the program has a bug, will they fix it? How long will it take to fix the bug? [top]
    Able Software's IT department will work to resolve your problem ASAP. We will provide you with a response within an hour, and normally the bug will be fixed in 24 hours.

  24. Is there technical support? How much does that cost? And what are the hours of operation? [top]
    Technical support is offered through our Technical Support Service Contract. Support Specialist will be available from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm pacific standard time. The amount of support time available to you depends upon the Technical Support Service Contract. Additionally, we also provide a pager support after business hours. The cost of the support contract varies depending on the size and scope of your company's implementation.

  25. How do I install the software and how long will it take to get it running? [top]
    The Utility Star programs are easy to install and should not take more than 10 minutes of installation time. It may require more technical expertise for Utility Star Platinum since you need to setup either MSDE, SQL Server, or Oracle database.


















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