MOORE.LOSANGEL%IBM%csnet-relay@sri-unix.UUCP (03/12/84)
From: Rene moore <MOORE.LOSANGEL%IBM@csnet-relay> In response to the query for information on the CHAMPION accounting system, based on dBASE runtime package. I have had occasion to evaluate a number of accounting packages over the past few years. With all of these I was struck with the varying degree of user- UNfriendliness, opacity of the documentation, difficulty of setup, and (for 2-floppy systems) the necessity of continually swapping disks. EXCEPT for CHAMPION. I recently visited Tianjin University, in Peoples Republic of China, to lecture on "Desktop Computing for Small Businesses". For this trip, Champion Software (then Data Base Research) supplied me with a full copy of their system . My experience while preparing for the trip, as well as during the lectures/demos was uniformly positive. The system fits on a SINGLE DSDD disk (we used a Kaypro-4), with all data on the second disk. The installation is smooth and well documented. We never encountered a single bug or unexplained behavior. Help is available at any time with references back to the (large) manual. For dealers they supply a "demo setup" procedure which is an excellent introduction to the system. (probably a user can get this by asking.) The price is a bit steep ($2500, I think), but you can get a full money refund in 30 days. (They protect themselves by having the system lock up at 200 transactions unless you input a password, which you only can get by signing a release of your rights to a refund.) I have not tried it on large masses of data, so I cannot attest to its per- formance under those conditions. It is installed on a hard disk and seems to work like a charm (Kaypro-10). The data structures are obscure/encrypted, but these would not usually be accessed by the typical user. For the advanced dBASE user who wants to twiddle the data, or custom-design reports, They will sell you the file structure info for $200. All in all, I reccommend this system unconditionally. By the way, there was a recent issue of Interface Age which compared a whole bunch of integrated bookkeeping systems, on a feature-by-feature basis. Well worth examining if you are considering spending this kind of money. Rene Moore President, THE CALCULATING LADY