Chapter 1 - Introduction

he AGKSoft® lets you run your Gas Station/C-Store or Liquor Store entirely without ever leaving the software.  The software provides all features required to do all your accounting work as well as track your inventory.  The software is based-upon an open architecture by using the standard Microsoft Access Database as well as the standard Crystal ® Reports reporting package.  Using a standard gives you the ability to create your own reports or even do your own what if analysis on your data.

The software runs as a Back Office Software (BOS), Home Office Software (HOS), or as Point Of Sale (POS).

If you are running the software as BOS, we currently support the following systems:

Gilbarco G-Site ®

Gilbarco Passport ®

Dresser Wayne Plus ®

Dresser Wayne Nucleus ®

Ruby VeriFone ®

Ruby VeriFone Sapphire ®

Ruby VeriFone Topaz ®

If you are running the software as POS, we currently support the following systems:

Epson ® Receipt Printers

Epson ® DMD Pole Displays

MMF ECD-200 Cash Drawers

The software includes the following features:

Gas Sale and Gas Load (Pool Margin and Tank Level Tracking)

Salesroom (by Amount, Count or Point of Sale) and Inventory Control.

Client Accounts (Account Receivable, Local Charges, Invoices and Label Printing).

Expenses, Assets tracking and Car Wash.

Vendor Invoices with Data Invoicing (EDI).

A wide variety of Portable Data Collectors to do inventory, load invoices or do price checks.

Lottery Scratch Tickets, Lottery Machine, Lottery Paid and Lottery Settlements.

Electronic and Manual Credit Cards (Track pending batches and charges)

Work Order and Garage Inventory tracking for all your parts

Payroll (With the ability to handle taxes for all 50 states)

Multiple Checking Accounts, Electronic and Cash Accounts.

Short/Over and Daily Books.

Balance Sheet, General Ledger and Net Income

QuickBooks and ASCII Export

Price book Import/Export for multiple locations

Consolidate multiple locations into the Home Office

and much much more...

Hardware Requirements

PC Hardware/Software

• Windows XP or Vista Business Edition.

Running AGKSoft

Look for your AGKSoft Icon on the desktop and double click to open it.  When you run the software for the 1st time, you should see the Login Dialog with “****” under “Enter Password”, click OK and you will be asked to setup your own password.  You should see the Password Change dialog to change the Supervisor password.  Other passwords (Manager, Worker and Garage) can be set from the Misc. menu.  After you set your passwords, you should see the “First Time User” window.  Follow the instructions in the “First Time User” window to do what needs to be done.

Windows Vista will work only if the User Account Control (UAC) is disabled. To disable UAC, open the Control Panel, open User Accounts, click [Turn User Account Control on or off] and make sure the [User Account Control] checkbox is unchecked and click OK.

If you are using the software as BOS or POS, please follow the instructions that came with your package at this point.

Chapter 2 - Quick Tour

Using the AGKSoft login window:

When the "Select Department" window is open, simply click on each Department to configure it.  For BOS, click "Send to Register" when you are finished.

To create PLUs and UPC-Codes, click the Setup menu and pick "Products" then select "Create/Modify".  If you have the Cash Register Interface open, select "Create/Modify Products" and you will get the following:

If you have a scanner, you can simply scan the item and make the proper selections.  Please contact AGKSoft if you need a scanner.

If you do not have a scanner, make sure you enter the 1st digit shown on the UPC-Code, this is the prefix.  The prefix is typically 0 or 7 for most convenient store items.  Do not enter the check-digit at the end of the UPC-Code.  If you are connected to a Cash Register, you need to check your Cash Register to see if short UPC-Codes (UPC-E) are expanded to (UPC-A) or not.  UPC-A codes are made up of 11 digits + a check-digit which we do not use.

To figure out if your Cash Register is expanding the UPC-E to UPC-A, put your Cash Register in Programming mode and scan a short UPC-E and see if the UPC-E is getting expanded from 7-digits to 11-digits.  Note that if you are a Shell Dealer or you are using a Ruby VeriFone Cash Register, your Cash Register is most likely expanding the UPC-E to UPC-A.  Most vendors will expand UPC-E to UPC-A on the Electronic Invoice (EDI), we recommend that you configure your Cash Register to expand UPC-Codes in all cases.

If your Cash Register is expanding UPC-E to UPC-A, make sure to check the "Expand UPC-E to UPC-A" in the "First Time Users" window. Note:  This selection is checked by default.

If you do not have a scanner, you can lookup UPC-Codes by name by pressing the Enter key while in the UPC Number field in the Create/Modify Product window.  When you press Enter, you will see the list of UPC-Codes as shown below.

In this list, you can enter part of the name to help you find the item and press ENTER when you find it.  You can also sort by Description or ID by clicking on the title "Description" or "ID".  You can also type a name or a portion into the search field and click find and the software will find all names matching your criteria.

AGKSoft has the ability to print to barcode labels from printers such as the Dymo Label Writer. You must install the printer and software that came with your printer before trying to print any labels.  Please follow the instructions that came with your printer.  Once your printer is installed please follow the steps below to print shelf labels.

How to create/print shelf labels:  Open the Cash Register Interface window and click “Create/Modify Products”.  You will get the window shown below.

 

From the Create / Modify Products window do the following:

In the UPC Number enter or scan the UPC of the item you would like to create the label for, validate that all information for this UPC is correct.  An example would be: 4000010001.

If you are creating your own In-House UPC it must start with 4 and have 10 digits after that for a total of 11 digits.

Click on the arrow > by the close button

If you are using Word or other programs such as Avery to print sheets of Bar-Codes, click "Create Bar Code".  This will create the Bar-Code in the specified folder.  You can add the Bar-Code image to the Word Document or insert it in your Avery Software and print it as you wish.  To select a folder where the Bar-Code image will be saved, click "Select Folder".  To browse to the created folder, click "Explore Folder".

If you are using a Dymo Label Writer, click "Print Bar Code" and you will get the window shown below:

From the "Dymo Print UPC-Code" window do the following:

Click next to "Select Printer" and  choose your printer (example: Dymo Label Writer 400)

Check the "Hide Dymo Label" checkbox to hide the Dymo Software that came with your printer.

Choose the "# of Copies" you would like to print.

If you have chosen to use a label other then one of the Predefined Labels, choose "Other" and enter the Label Filename (example: MyOwnCustomLabel.LWL)

When creating your own custom labels the file has to be saved into "C:\Program Files\STATION".

Once all your selections have been made, click "Print Label" and your label will print.

How to create custom labels:

  From the Dymo Software do the following: 

Please Save all labels into “C:\Program Files\STATION” with the extension “.LWL”.

1.      Choose the label size by clicking on File and New or CTRL + N.

2.      Click on “Designer” on the left side.

3.      Add a barcode by clicking on the barcode graphic.  Once added right click on the barcode and select “Object Settings”; you should now see the “Barcode Setting” dialog box.

o   Under where it says “Data” enter in a UPC (e.g. 01254630281).

o   For the “symbology” select UPC A from the list. Press OK once finished.

o   Save the Label.

o   Reminder: Please save all labels into “C:\Program Files\STATION” with the extension “.LWL”.

·         Right click again on the barcode and select “Object Properties”; you should now see the Object Properties box.

o   Change the “Reference Name” from barcode to “UPCCode”.  Press OK once finished.

o   Save the Label.

4.      Click on the “AB” to add a text object.  Position it so it looks appropriate for the label size you have chosen. Enter in a description of an item (e.g. Dentyne Ice).  Once satisfied right click on the description and select “Objetc Properties”; you should now see the “Object Properties” dialog box.

o   Change the “Reference Name” from Text to “Desc”.

o   Save the Label.

5.      Click on the “AB” again to add another text object for the price.  Position it so it looks appropriate.  Enter in a price (e.g. $1.95).  Once satisfied right click on the price and select “Object Properties”; you should now see the “Object Properties” dialog box.

o   Change the “Reference Name” from Text to “Price”.

o   Save the Label.

6.      When you are ready to use this label in AGKSoft choose “Other” as your label type and enter the name you saved it as (e.g. MyCustomLabel.LWL)

·         Note: Please save all labels in C:\Program Files\STATION.

Products Setup - Click on the “View Products” button in the First Time Users window or click on the Setup menu and pick Products then List all products. You will see the following "Products List" window as shown below:

ID – Is your Dept, PLU or UPC-Code. Note: that since a Dept. can be the same as a PLU; we automatically add 9500, so ID 9501 is PLU 1.  For PLUs larger than 500, we automatically add 95000000000000.  So, PLU 500 would look like 95000000000500.

Desc – Is the Product Description.

Deleted – Tells us to no longer show this product in any list where we have a list of products. We don't recommend that you physically delete the whole line for any particular product if you no longer sell that product, instead you should mark it deleted. The reason for this is that your old saved data may point to this ID.  You can also set Deleted to True if you want us to remove this product from your Cash Register.

Buying –Your cost to buy this product.

Selling – Your selling price (before tax) for this product.

Note: that if you are going to use Sales Room by Amount (Sales Room by amount is when you enter in all your information by the total dollar amount and you DO NOT have a scanner), then make sure that the Selling price versus Buying price is your profit margin (Profit Margin = 1 - (Buying / Selling) * 100).  Typically most departments don't have a Buying or Selling Price, since Buying and Selling will vary from product to product within the same Dept. and that is the reason why we set the Buying and Selling prices in order to calculate the Profit margin).

For example: If an item is selling for 1.00 with a buying price of .75 the profit margin  is 25%, if the buying price changes to .67 with the same selling price of $1.00 the Profit Margin changes to .33% . 

·         This is the formula we use to determine the profit margin on an item (Profit Margin = 1 - (Buying / Selling) * 100). 

State Tax – Enter 5 if your state tax is 5%

·         AGKSoft support up to 3 tax rates not counting 0 as Tax Free

Local Tax – Leave this blank or Enter 0 if you have no local city or county sales tax.

Parent ID – This is the Department #

Parent Desc – This is the Department Name

Prod Code is the Product Code typically used by your Oil Company.  If you are connected to a Gilbarco G-Site, this product code must be correct or you will not be able to upload to your G-Site.

Modified is used internally to flag every change you make.

• True = The item has changed in some way,  buying price, selling, description, price group, category, sub category, was loaded as part of an electronic invoice, had inventory done on it etc...  This field is also used when selecting to upload Modified Products Only in the Cash Register Interface.

• False = The item has not changed, it is still in its original form.  Note:  The True field will revert to false once uploaded.

Discount – Enter how many cents discount you want to give (Used by the Point Of Sale only)

Max Inventory and Min Inventory can be used to automatically generate orders from your vendors, this can be setup in the Product Wizard.

• When the Min Inventory number (qty) is reached the software will then order up to the Max Inventory (qty) number through the Vendor Order screen if this option is chosen. Note:  Taking into consideration cigarettes which always have to be ordered in qty of 10.

PriceGroup allows you to group a bunch of items together that have the same price (Example: King size candy bars selling for.89). 

• If you are using a Gilbarco G-Site, Price groups have to be uploaded to the register before they can be used.  To set up a Price Group select the Setup Menu, Products and then Price Group.  Note: The qty of price that can be configured is limited to the software running on the G-Site.

Category is the Category this product belongs to. 

• Category allows you to group items together that share similar price points, manufacturers etc.. and allows for easy reporting and price changing.  To setup a Category select the Setup Menu, Products and then Category.  Items can then be added either through Create Modify products or in Product Wizard which can both be found in the Cash register Interface 

SubCategory is the Sub-Category this product belongs to. 

• SubCategory allows you to group items together that share similar price points, manufacturers etc.. and allows for easy reporting and price changing.  You can group the same item that is in the category, this is useful with packs and cartons of cigarettes.  To setup a Sub Category select the Setup Menu, Products and then Sub Category.  Items can then be added either through Create Modify products or in Product Wizard which can both be found in the Cash register Interface

BuyDown is the amount of money the manufacturer pays you back for selling a product at a discount.

The BuyDown amounts can be setup to automatically start/end on a certain date/time.  The BuyDown window will also automatically discount/lower the selling price by the BuyDown amount after the Start Date/Time and will automatically raise the selling price by the BuyDown amount after the End Date/Time.

While in the Cash Register Interface click on the BuyDown button and you will see the window shown below.

ID is the Vendor's Identifier

• The ID number is also used when saving an invoice on the portable handheld scanner.

Desc is the name of the vendor

Vendor Code is an internal code used by vendors only when you get an Electronic Invoice (EDI)

Address  is the Vendor's Street Address

Phone is the Vendor's main telephone number

Fax is the Vendor's Fax number

Contact would be the person who you would speak with

City, State, Zip is the Vendor's address

Address2  is the 2nd line of the Vendor's Street Address

Phone2 is the Vendor's or Contact's cellular number

Email is the Vendor's email address

Notes can be used to make comments regarding the Vendor

Click on the "Employees" button in the First Time Users window or click on the Setup menu and pick Employees then Create/Modify.

You can use this window to add new employees or modify existing employees.

What to enter:

Employee Name is the name of the Employee you are entering

Allowances (Dependants):  The number of dependants the employee claims on their taxes including themselves

Hourly Pay:  This is the employee's hourly pay (How much they get paid per hour)

Single or Married:  Select the employee's marital status

Password is used in the Point Of Sale software when the cashier is logging in

SSN is the Employee's Social Security Number and it is used in the Back Office for the Ruby System to identify an employee

Street, City, State, Zip Code and County is the address where the employee lives

Notes:  Would be used to enter comments about an employee

Active should be selected if the employee is currently working for you otherwise it should not be selected.

Commission would be selected if the employee was on commission.

• To add a new Employee, click the "New" button, enter the Employee Name and all other needed info. and click "Save".

• If the "New" button is grayed out (disabled) this means you are already in "New" mode and you can start entering the information.

• To change an Employee, click the down arrow next to "Employee Name", select an Employee, make the changes and click "Save".

• To duplicate an Employee, click the down arrow next to "Employee Name" and select an Employee, click the "Duplicate" button, make the necessary changes and click "Save".

• To see all the Employees, click the "Find" button and you will see the window shown below:

ID:  Is the Employee's ID Number

• This number is used for the Time Card to check in and out.

Name:  Is the Employee's name

Allowances:  The number of dependants the Employee claims on their taxes

Status:  Is the Employee's Marital Status

• “M” = Married, “S” = Single

Hourly Pay:  This this the $ amount the  Employee gets paid per hour

Reg. Hours:  The typical number of hours the Employee works per pay period

Street/City/State/Zip:  The Employee’s Address

SSN:  The Employee's Social Security Number

• This is used on the Ruby VeriFone for payroll

Type:  This is the default Type of Payment you typically pay this Employee (Example: C-Check)

Insurance:  The Employee’s portion of the health insurance to be deducted each pay period

IRA:  This is the IRA or 401K amount the Employee elected to set aside for retirement

FedAdtlWith:  Additional Federal Withholding tax the Employee wants to withhold

StateAdtlWith:  Additional State Withholding tax the Employee wants to withhold

Deleted:  Indicates the Employee's Job Status

True = Non-Active Employee (Deleted)

False = Active Employee  (Not Deleted)

Notes:  Would be used to enter comments about an Employee

Child Support:  The dollar amount to be deducted each pay period

Child Support Name:  Name to which the support will be paid to

IRA%:  the percent of gross reg. pay to be withheld for IRA/401K

Note:  If you are connected to a Ruby Cash Register, make sure the SSN field matches the Social Security field in the Employee file on your Ruby.

To enter in your Bank Information, choose the checking account you would like to set up by selecting 1,2 or 3 under "Checking Account" and fill in the necessary information.  Please Note the Bank Info. is only important if you want to print Payroll Checks directly from the Weekly Payroll window.

Make sure you enter:

Name: The name of the institution where you do your banking.

Street, City, State and Zip:  The address where this bank is located.

Routing #:  The first series of numbers found on the bottom of your check.

Account #:  The second series of numbers found on the bottom of your check.

Press Save when you are finished making changes. 

Press Find to see all your bank info. in a spreadsheet.

Press Quit to close this window.

Follow these steps for all the bank accounts you are entering. When you are finished click save and quit.

Expenses  - List all your expense types.

Click on the "Expenses" button in the First Time User window or click on the Setup menu and pick Expenses.

 Expenses are things like your telephone bill, Ads., Rent, etc.

What to enter:

Name: The name of the expense

Choose a default payment type if any from the combo box.

• To add a new Expense, click the "New" button, enter the Expense Name and all other information and click "Save".

• To change an Expense, click the down arrow next to "Expense Name", select an Expense, make the changes and click "Save".

• To duplicate an Expense, click the down arrow next to "Expense Name", or use the left and right arrows to scroll through the list,  and select an Expense, click the "Duplicate" button, make the necessary changes and click "Save".  If you would like to see what was saved click on "Find"

This window is an alternative to the Create/Modify Expenses window above.

You can modify this list or click on the Fast Forward button to go to the last record and you will see this star , click next to it under ID and enter a unique ID number (e.g. 65), hit the right arrow and enter the Expense Type under "Desc" (e.g. "Electric Bill"), hit the right arrow and enter the price that you pay for this expense under "Price" which can be changed later on. Note that you don't have to enter any number for the Price column . You may also enter the default Type of payment enter "E" for Electronic, "C" for Checking Account 1, "2" for Checking Account 2 , "H" for Cash, "R" for Cash Register and "N" for None.  "N" is used for None if you are going to use the Import QIF feature found in the various Accounts.

 Income- List all your income types.

Click on the "Income" button in the First Time User window or click on the Setup menu and pick Income.

What to enter:

Name: The name of the Income type

Default Price (Optional):  If you always collect the same amount you can enter that here

Category: Choose a category to assign this Income type to

• To add a new Income type, click the "New" button, enter the Income Name and all other needed info. and click "Save".

• To change an Income type, click the down arrow next to "Income Name", select the Income, make the changes and click "Save"

• To duplicate an Income type, click the down arrow next to "Income Name" and select the Income, click the "Duplicate" button, make the necessary changes and click save.  If you would like to see what you have saved click the "find" button

This window is an alternative to the Create/Modify Incomes window above.

You can modify this list or click on the Fast Forward button to go to the last record and you will see this star , click next to it under ID and enter a unique ID number, hit the right arrow on your keyboard and enter the Income Name under "Desc", hit the right arrow and enter the default price (OPTIONAL), then under Type would be the typical payment type.

Assets - List all your Asset types.

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