We would like to get some feedback from you our users.
 
1) What is the single most important benefit we offer you?
 
2) What does our system do better than any other you have used?
 
3) Where can we improve?
 
 
Be honest, we value your opinions and really do want to make this a great product.

1: Transparency. I hate it when it's impossible to get anything through to a developer. You post a bug report and hear nothing. Or you want a feature and there's no one to ask about it. ISTech isn't like that. If I need to report a bug I can (and even put it in a bug tracker now!). If I need to complain I could do that on this forum where the developers and several knowledgeable users frequent. This level of approachability and transparency is very nice.
 
2: I'd say it's price to feature ratio is probably better than anything else we've tried. It does what we need and isn't exorbitantly priced. Also, I'd say that updates both for bug fixes and new features are released at a pretty reasonable interval and more economically than other systems we had considered/used.
 
3: Well, I hate to keep harping on this but the squeaky wheel gets the oil... Database consistency! Use transactions so that program bugs can't crash an operation midway through and half post everything. Also, it might be nice to internally check the data consistency a bit more. I know it's a struggle to balance database normalization against program features and ease of development but a bit more normalization might be nice. It sucks when you need to change something and there isn't a good way to do it through a program and the data is stored in 10 different places in the database. It also might not hurt to investigate a better reporting system. The built-in TAS one is still kind of crummy even in TAS7. Using JasperReports or something instead would be cool. And, since I'm shooting for the moon here... switch to a real database system like PostgreSQL.

1. Clearly one of the bright spots with EVO is the responsiveness of the ISTech Support team
2. Aside from the amazing cost/benifit aspect, we find the links and the ability to attach them to various document extremely helpful. The stability of the system has been remarkable. I frequently talk with vendors and customers and hear them complain about their system being down - our experience with EVO is that this is minimal.
3. I would like to see all printable reports have the ability to be saved as csv, xls, or other formats; allowing for "off line" manipulation (other than Crystal Reports). I would also like to understand what databases to look in to get specific information when using crystal reports - right now it is trial and error - or email Lynn or Allen who know everything.
 
All in all, I cannot imagine getting more "bang for the buck" than EVO.

Well, as one who is about to depart from the fold after 9 years, it's too late to do anything for me. But I do still care about DBA and the IST group who have been so very helpful, so I hope that you will take this as constructive criticism, not a parting shot.
 
In general, I guess I too will echo GasGiant and kkmfg's comments.
 
The biggest reason we are leaving is because of the instability of the database. If the foundation was strong we would have been willing to pay a lot of money for the modifications we need to make it truly fit our business. But there is no point in building a house on the sand (IMO).
 
I WILL say, that the general response to problems and enhancement requests is very good. Comparing to other software I guess I would go so far as to say Excellent. However, there are issues that we have had for years that are still broken.
 
AND, when I look at what we paid for our new system, compared to what DBA/Evo costs, the value is incredible if you can accept its limitations. There really is nothing anywhere near the power of DBA out there until you start spending at least 5-10 times the price and up.

(1)  I agree with the others, you're very helpful and quick to respond.
 
(2) I've used DBA alone for about 10 years, we tried DBA Next-Gen (not my decision or request) and I hated it.  I kept complaining to the owners about it and when I ran across the ISTech web site and saw that DBA Classic was still available and supported I asked them if we could switch back, and we did.  I guess I like the simplicity of DBA Classic and EVO.  The biggest complaint from the shop about Next-Gen was the lack of a parent/child relationship on the work orders, they like the main work order number to show -1 as the assembly and then -2, -3, -4 etc. for the sub-assemblies.  Next-Gen could not do this without a lot of manual work, with EVO it's just automatic.
 
(3) I have to admit that I use DBA Classic more than EVO.  I'm used to the quick screen to screen change speed and the stability of Classic.  I learned how to use DBA back when it was all keyboard driven, I still use the function keys and do most of my data entry with the keyboard only.    I can just get my work done faster in Classic, it's simple and solid.  Please keep EVO as simple as possible.  I do appreciate the new features in EVO and use them on days that I work in EVO.  I especially like the e-mail feature and the notes with alert (flashing strobe light) feature to notify other users of important changes or updates.