STI Version 10 Conversion Instructions
for Converting Version 9 Systems
(excluding Case Master)
These instructions are used to convert the following STI systems to Version 10:
The conversion program, STCONV10.EXE, will convert all of the above systems at the same time. Check boxes are included in these conversion instructions when the same task must be performed for more than one system. If a particular step applies to systems that your firm is not converting, simply skip that step.
We recommend reading through all of these instructions before proceeding.
Our Technical Support Department is available to assist you with any questions you may have. Please call us at (402) 423-1440 if you have any questions regarding this conversion.
Note: If you will be converting Case Master OR you are converting software with a version other than those listed above, call STI for a different set of installation and conversion instructions.
Notes
RUNNING ON A NETWORK: If running on a network, we recommend running the actual conversion during non-peak usage. (Tip: If you are running on a Windows network, running the conversion from the file server will take considerably less time if you have a large amount of data.)
PREVIOUS VERSIONS: Previous versions of the programs will no longer be accessible once the conversion has been completed.
WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM: Version 10 requires Windows 95 or greater or Windows NT 4.0 or greater. Version 10 will not run under Windows 3.1, Windows 32S or Windows NT 3.5.1.
REFERENCE NUMBERS: Reference numbers of Version 9 transactions may change.
CDS: Users of STI’s Critical Date System (CDS) can upgrade to PracticeMaster. However, you can still use Critical Date System Version 8 with TABS III Version 10.
TASKBILL: If you are using STI’s TASKBILL software, then you must update TASKBILL to Version 10. Statements that have been updated using TABS III Version 9 can be processed using TASKBILL Version 10.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS: If your firm purchased any modified or special programs from STI, call STI before converting to Version 10 to see if the program(s) need updating.
Version 10 Pre-Conversion Checklist
TAS EMPLOYEES & TABS III TIMEKEEPERS: Make sure TABS III timekeepers match the TAS employee numbers. Start TABS III and print a Timekeeper List (Reports | Miscellaneous | Timekeeper List). Start TAS and print an Employee List (Reports | Miscellaneous | Attorney List). Compare the numbers. If there are discrepancies, use the TAS Renumber Employee program to renumber employees so they have the same timekeeper numbers as TABS III.
APS VOIDED CHECK LIST: If you are converting APS, print a Voided Check List in APS (Checks|Void Checks|Voided Check List). In previous versions of APS, you entered your initials when voiding a check. This is no longer necessary because APS Version 10 automatically tracks which user ID voided a check. However, all previously voided checks will have their initials switched to a special user name of STCONV10.
GLS CLIENT LIST: If you are converting GLS, print a GLS Client List in GLS (Reports | GLS Client List). Review the GLS Data Path specified for all GLS clients to make sure the paths are valid. Invalid paths will cause the conversion to abort.
TAS & TABS III NOTE: If you are converting TABS III and TAS where TABS III uses an Alpha Key Type and TAS uses a Numeric Key Type, contact Technical Support for special instructions.
Procedure
Note: Make sure no other users are accessing STI software when this update is installed. This update must be installed over an existing Version 9 installation. If you haven’t installed Version 9, you must first install Version 9 and convert to Version 9 before installing the Version 10 update (or call STI for a different set of installation and conversion instructions).
TABS III REMOTE: If you use TABS III Remote, merge any data files created by TABS III Remote before proceeding with the conversion. Also, make sure no remote sites perform data entry until they have been updated to Version 10. Print and delete any remote data entry verification lists. This applies to all workstations using TABS III Remote.
PRINT VERIFICATION LISTS: Any verification lists that haven’t been printed
will be deleted by the conversion program. Print these lists (if they exist)
before starting the conversion if you want to retain a copy of this information.
If you are using a multi-user version of the software, make sure you print
verification lists for all users.
o TABS III o GLS o APS o TAS
DATA FILE INTEGRITY CHECK: Run the Data File Integrity Check utility program
for all systems. If you are converting TABS III, also run the TABS III
Archive Data Integrity Check. Proceed only if there are no errors.
o TABS III
o TABS III Archive Data
Integrity Check
o GLS o APS
o TAS
GLS Note: If you are configured for multiple GLS clients, make sure you run the Data File Integrity Check program for all GLS clients.
BACK UP: Back up all of the Version 9 data files and program files. DO
NOT skip this step. If the conversion program is interrupted for any reason,
you must restore from a backup and start over. Use a backup method other
than the built-in backup program because the built-in backup program does
not back up program files.
o TABS III
o GLS o APS
o TAS o STI
System Configuration
Windows Users: Start TABS III (GLS, TAS or APS). From the Help menu, select the About TABS III menu selection (About GLS, About TAS or About APS). Write down the Program Directory in the space provided (not the Current Working Directory).
Version 9 Program Directory: ____________________________________________________________________
Close any STI programs opened during the previous step.
Note: STI System Configuration must be installed first. DO NOT start any Version 10 programs until after the conversion has been completed.
Insert the STI CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
A CD Browser program will automatically start. (Note: If the CD-ROM Autorun feature is disabled, click the Start button, and then click Run... Click the Browse button and navigate to the CD-ROM drive. Double-click the LAUNCH.EXE file. Click OK.)
Select the menu option shown on the CD and follow the on-screen instructions to install the software.
Install Update - If you received a maintenance update, the CD will have the Install Update menu option and will automatically install all systems at the same time.
Install Products - Install each of the following products your firm is updating.o STI System Configuration o TABS III o GLS o APS o TAS
o TABS III Report Writer o GLS Report WriterNote: If installing from a floppy disk, use the following instructions:
Insert program disk #1 into your floppy disk drive.
Click the Start button, and then click Run...
Type A:SETUP or B:SETUP (depending on the floppy drive used) and then click OK.
Follow the on-screen instructions to run the SETUP program.
Repeat these instructions for each of the products listed.
Note: If the STI Version 10 Conversion menu option is not shown, you can use the following alternate method to start the conversion.
Click the Start button, and then select Run.
Click the Browse button to navigate to the program directory specified in step #5, and then select the
STCONV10.EXE file. Click Open. Click OK.
If the STCONV10.EXE file cannot be found, this indicates one of the following:s the installation program was interrupted;
s Version 10 was installed in the wrong directory.
Note: If messages were generated during the conversion or synchronization, the message “Data conversion completed with X message(s).” will be displayed. These messages can be found in a file named STCONV10.LOG and can be printed using any text editor such as Windows Notepad. We recommend printing this file (provided it is not too large). STI’s Knowledge Base on the Internet (http://www.search.stilegal.com) contains details regarding possible messages that may be found in this log file (keyword = Conversion | Version 10). Call STI Technical Support if you need help interpreting or troubleshooting any messages.
Click OK. Upon completion, the message “Task Completed” will be displayed. Click OK to close the program.
INTEGRITY CHECKS: Repeat step #3 using the Version 10 programs. If there are errors, print the Error Report(s) and resolve the errors. Call STI Technical Support if you need help resolving the errors.
Finishing Touches
SERIAL NUMBERS: Start TABS III. From the Help menu, select About TABS
III. Verify that the serial number shown in the About TABS III dialog box
matches your TABS III Version 9 serial number. Repeat
these instructions for each of the products listed.
o TABS III
o GLS o APS
o TAS
o
TABS III Remote o TABS III Report
Writer o GLS Report Writer
BACKUP PROCEDURES: Review your backup procedures—specifically file names and locations. The TAS data file names are now *.DAT and *.IDX as opposed to *.DTA and *.KEY.
Repeat steps a through c for each workstation that will be using STI software.
Repeat these procedures for each workstation where Version 9 was installed.
SECURITY: The STI System Configuration Version 9 “Groups” are now called
“Access Profiles”. Version 9 Groups are converted to Version 10 Access
Profiles. Groups can be defined in STI System Configuration Version 10;
however, they are only used for PracticeMaster e-mail and calendaring purposes.
If converting only Version 9 systems, no other changes are required in
STI System Configuration. However, you may want to review the rights assigned
to the access profiles for new functions. All access profiles are assigned
rights to all new programs including Back Up Data Files, Restore Data Files,
Support Log, etc.
TASK FOLDERS: Version 10 now stores Task Folder customization information
in the user profile as opposed to the STI.INI file. This means that no
matter which workstation you log onto, your customized Task Folder preferences
will be shown. As a result of this new feature, customized Task Folders
from Version 9 are not converted. You must customize Task Folders for each
user for each system.
o
TABS III o GLS o APS
o TAS
CONVERSION BACKUP FILE: If you elected to create a backup file during the conversion, a backup file named CVBACK.ARQ has been created in the BACKUP directory. This file may be fairly large depending on the amount of data. You may want to delete this file at some point; however, we recommend not deleting it right away.
DELETE TMP FILES: Various files with an extension of “.TMP” may be present from previous versions. We recommend deleting these files to recover disk space. It is not unusual to have hundreds of these TMP files.
EDIT OR DELETE DESKTOP ICONS: The names of the programs used to start Version 10 have changed. If you elected to add new desktop icons during the installation, you will want to delete your old desktop icons (i.e., right-click the old desktop icon and click Delete). If you did not install new desktop icons, you will need to edit any existing desktop icons (i.e., right-click the old desktop icon, click Properties and edit the Target field). (Note: You will also need to edit any shortcuts that are located in your Startup menu.) The following table shows the new and old executable names:
| Program | Version 10 | Version 9 |
| STI System Configuration * | STICONFG.EXE | STICONFG.EXE |
| TABS III | TABS.EXE | WTABS.EXE |
| GLS | GLS.EXE | WGLS.EXE |
| APS | APS.EXE | WAPS.EXE |
| TAS | TAS.EXE | WTAS.EXE |
| TABS III Remote | RTABS.EXE | WRTABS.EXE |
| Taskbill * | WTSKBILL.EXE | WTSKBILL.EXE |
| * The executable name for these programs did not change. | ||
INSTALL VERSION 10 DOCUMENTATION: The Version 10 manuals and tutorials are provided as Adobe PDF files (Portable Document Format) to make them accessible to you at any time from your workstation. This documentation can be installed from the STI CD-ROM by selecting the DOCUMENTATION menu option and following the on-screen instructions to install the desired documentation.
TABS III Notes
Alpha Key Type: Like Version 9, TABS III Version 10 can be configured to use alpha client numbers. However, if you are using Critical Date System (CDS), the Key Type must remain Numeric. Furthermore, any cost recovery systems that integrate with TABS III may require a Numeric Key Type.
GLS Notes
GLS Report Writer: GLS Report Writer Version 10 is not available as a Windows application. However, the DOS GLS Report Writer has been modified to integrate with GLS Version 10.
Alpha Search: TAS users that integrated with TABS III Version 9 when configured for an alpha Key Type used the TAS Name Search field to hold the TABS III alpha client ID as a work around. The TAS Trust Account Number will automatically be changed to the TABS III alpha client ID during the conversion. Likewise, the TAS Name Search field will automatically be changed to the TABS III Name Search during the conversion.
TABS III Integration: Previously, it was possible to use the same TAS Trust Account # / TABS III Client ID for different clients. This is no longer possible in Version 10 because of the new synchronization feature. The conversion program compares the client name fields [i.e., Name (Last/First)] for any clients with the same TAS Trust Account # and TABS III Client ID. If the conversion program encounters a client with the same number but different names, it will renumber the TAS trust account to the next available number and then synchronize it to TABS III thereby retaining both accounts in both systems. A message will be written to the STCONV10.LOG file indicating that the trust account was renumbered. In some situations, you may not want a new trust account number for the trust account. If renumbering the trust account in TAS was not the desired outcome (due to the name fields being slightly different, i.e., Charles Miller and Charles C. Miller), the client can be renumbered. Renumber the TAS trust account back to the original trust account number in TAS using the Renumber Trust Account program. It will then be necessary to manually change the Name Search field in TAS to match the TABS III Name Search field after renumbering. After the renumber is complete, log into TABS III and delete the Client ID created by the conversion program.
The STCONV10 conversion program automatically converts the archive files founds in the archive path specified in TABS III Customization. Some firms may have maintained separate sets of archive files over the years. If you have more than one set of TABS III archive data files, you will need to convert the other archive files if you want to access them using TABS III Version 10. You can use the following steps to convert other sets of TABS III Version 9 archive files:
Copy the following files from the Version 10 program directory to an empty directory that we will call the archive conversion directory: STCONV10.EXE, STUSER.*, TABS.EXE, TBMAIN.EXE, WTBMENU.EXE and T3CUSTOM.DAT.
Copy all *.DLL files from the Version 10 program directory to the archive conversion directory.
Copy the following archive files from the Version 9 archive directory to the archive conversion directory: T3ARCH.DAT and T3ARCH.IDX.
Edit T3CUSTOM.DAT in the archive conversion directory with a text editor and change the text “TABS10” to “TABS91”.
Run STCONV10.EXE in the archive conversion directory.
When you want to access these other archive files, you will need to change the archive path in TABS III Customization to the archive conversion directory that you just created.
05-06-2002