MaxPal – Linking Maximizer and Pastel

The cherry on top!

The Upgrade to MaxPal "Export" Version 13.14.0 of 12 March 2015 for Maximizer 12/13 and Pastel Partner 14 (2015) is available for download (see below).  Do not use earlier versions of MaxPal with Pastel Accounting 2013 and later!

This stripped-down version does not write directly to Pastel files, instead it produces CSV files of Customers and invoices that you have to import into Pastel.  Pastel changed their file structures in 9.2.1: Using earlier versions of MaxPal may corrupt your Debtors (Customer) file.

Click here for details of the latest enhancements.

For pricing, see Prices below.  To get a copy, go to Downloads below.

What does the program do?

MaxPal (previously called "Pastelizer") is a utility that links the popular Maximizer contact management system and Pastel Accounting. Maximizer’s Client details (new entries and changed details) are transferred into Pastel’s Customer database, while a wealth of Pastel's financial information can be brought back from Pastel to Maximizer.

Your sales team enters prospects and customers into Maximizer. Once MaxPal is installed, your financial department does not need to be concerned with manually making changes of address and/or new customers’ details – they will come through from Maximizer into Pastel with a simple import.

MaxPal can also bring a wealth of selected information from Pastel into Maximizer so that your sales staff can see the status of a customer's account at a glance without having to run Pastel.

The Billing options allow you to create monthly or annual invoices in Pastel, or quote and invoice in Pastel as required based on codes you input in Maximizer. The Pastel Document Numbers and Dates can be written into Maximizer user-defined fields as confirmation.

MaxPal can be run manually, or can be configured to start automatically in background mode and check details periodically. You have the ability to select all Clients from Maximizer, or make a selection based on Maximizer’s user-defined fields, or select new clients only. The Program uses an intelligent pattern matching process to determine if the Maximizer client already exists in Pastel under a different name. If unsure, it will ask you to make the final decision.

MaxPal comes with extensive on-line context-sensitive HTML Help.

More Details

Demo Version

When MaxPal is first run, it will be in “DEMO” mode until registered. Data transfer will be restricted to 30 Clients only, of which not more than 5 will be updated at a time. Billing will be similarly limited. To access all features of the full program, you enter an unlocking code obtained from us.

Installation

MaxPal is provided with a user-friendly Setup program and can be installed and uninstalled in the usual way. No matter how many Pastel users the user has, only one copy of MaxPal is needed to connect the databases.

Setting Up & Importing

Setting up the import process is “Wizard” driven, so you can click Next >> or << Back to move between the screens.

When MaxPal's main screen appears you see two folder lists. Select the Maximizer Database folder of the clients you wish to import, and the folder in which your set of Pastel accounts is stored. You must have Maximizer running first, and the Program will automatically use the Maximizer Address Book that is open at the time (but will warn you if you are using a different address book to the previous run).

Import Criteria

You can specify that all, or only certain Maximizer clients are to be imported, depending on the value in a Maximizer user-defined field. For example, it may be that you enter prospective customers into Maximizer and have a user-defined field "Pastel Customer". When a prospect becomes a customer you fill in "Y" in this field.

You may further specify that only Clients that have not previously been imported into Pastel, or Clients whose information has changed since the last import, are included in the import.

The customer's account number can be specified in Maximizer for transfer to Pastel, or created in Pastel and transferred back to Maximizer.  The Program can warn you if the account number no longer matches in both packages.

An extensive list of data (71 fields) can be transferred from Pastel to Maximizer: Customer Balance, Customer Credit Limit, "Is Account Blocked?", Monthly Account Aging (Current/30/60/90/120+ days), Monthly Sales and Balances, User-Defined Fields 1-5, and many more!

You may save the settings into a Template file for later re-use. This is particularly useful if you have more than one set of Pastel accounts or multiple Maximizer databases.

In Background Mode, MaxPal updates Pastel’s Customer information automatically at set time intervals. MaxPal can be set to Run Automatically at Start-up, i.e. to start whenever Windows is started, and to run specified templates.

Billing from MaxPal

MaxPal has two billing features: Recurring and "On-Demand" (casual) billing.

Recurring Billing is ideal for organizations that do repeat invoicing for memberships, service contracts, etc. Billing can be done monthly, or annually the month before the anniversary of joining, and can take place on or after a specific date in the month, the last day, or last weekday. In Maximizer, you create different categories at different prices.

With on-demand (casual) billing you bill as and when required. This is activated by putting codes that you define into Maximizer User-Defined Fields. The items billed are drawn from Pastel's inventory. Not only invoices, but also quotes, pro-forma invoices, debit and credit notes can be created in this way.

In both cases, MaxPal writes the documents to a CSV file.  You import this into a Pastel batch ready to be printed and posted.

Cost of Licenses:

You only need one copy of MaxPal no matter how many Maximizer or Pastel Users you have, so MaxPal is not priced per user, but according to the number of Maximizer Clients you want to transfer to Pastel. This allows you to start small and grow as required. The Billing Option costs 25% more than standard.

MaxPal now comes with an Annual Software Maintenance fee. This fee, billed annually on the anniversary of initial purchase, ensures that you are always eligible to install the latest version.  Fees are as follows (effective July 2012):

For a New Purchase you pay the Base Fee on purchase.
You then pay the Annual Maintenance fee for subsequent years and all upgrades are included in the price.
Add the "Billing Option" price to the "Standard" price if you require this option.
The cost to increase the number of debtors or add Billing at a later stage, is the difference between the two prices.

Dealer price (resale): Retail as above less 25%.  Dealer referral (we close the sale): 15% of Retail.

*Not-for-resale (NFR): Prices as above, available only to registered Maximizer or Pastel dealers.

Prices are in South African Rand, exclude VAT, and are valid for Africa only.
South African purchasers: Please add 14% VAT.
Purchasers in the rest of Africa: Please add R100 for bank charges.

Prices in US Dollar, Euro, and Pound Sterling are approximately 25% higher: e-mail us for details.
Prices are subject to change without notice. E&OE.

Pay Nothing Now!

Download MaxPal now, run it in Demo mode for as long as you like - when you are happy with it, register by e-mail using the pop-up form in the program and pay for only the capabilities you need.

MaxPal comes with full on-line Windows Help.  If you want more details about the program you can download just the Help file for version 11.11.0 (it can be used from your C: drive without MaxPal): Download Help File MaxPal.chm of 19 March 2013 (245 KB).

Download the Full Package Here:

Note: If you are already have MaxPal installed and are just changing to a new version, you only need the last Upgrade below.

Which Version?  Caution:  MaxPal will only work with the correct versions of Maximizer and Pastel!  To find out which version of Maximizer or Pastel you have, run that program and click Help > About.  Maximizer version numbers mentioned here apply to all desktop editions (Personal (PE), Entrepreneur, and Enterprise).

Earlier versions are available on application.  For an upgrade to a later version, see below.

Installation Instructions:

• If you are running Windows XP or Vista, make sure you have a high enough security level to install software.

• The file is a self-extracting (exe) file.  Download it to a temporary folder, e.g. C:\MaxPalTemp.

• Run it (double-click in Explorer or "My Computer", or use Start > Run) and let it Unzip to a temporary folder.

• Locate Setup.exe in the temporary folder, run it, and follow instructions.

• Now scroll down and download and install the upgrade for the version of Pastel (probably 2011) that you are running.

Note:  In keeping with Pastel's tradition of always being a step behind, Pastel 2007 (released in 2006) uses Pervasive SQL 8.5, whereas Maximizer 9.0 uses Pervasive SQL 9.0.  You can either run them on different PCs, or make certain settings to Pervasive (available from us) to enable Pastel 2007 to run with it.  Pastel will run more slowly than with Pervasive 8.5.  Maximizer 10 and later run on Microsoft SQL Server, while Pastel 2015 (14) still runs on Pervasive SQL 10, the latest version.

Download an Upgrade Here:

If you have already installed any earlier version of MaxPal or Pastelizer, you can upgrade your EXE and Help only:

For Pastel Partner 14 (2015) with Maximizer 12 or 13: Download MaxPal 13.14.0 "Export" Upgrade of 12 March 2015 (801 KB) now!

Upgrade Instructions:

1. If you are running Windows XP or Vista, make sure you have a high enough security level to install software.
2. The download is a self-extracting (exe) file.  Download it to your MaxPal program folder (normally  "C:\Program Files\MaxPal", but on a 64-bit PC it will probably be  "C:\Program Files (x86)\MaxPal".  Make sure you know which one is correct!)
3. Locate the file in Windows Explorer (Windows key ÿ + E) or "My Computer".
4. Run it as Administrator (right-click and choose "Run as administrator")
5. Click Unzip and let it unzip to the same folder.  This will replace MaxPal.exe and MaxPal.chm.
6. You can then delete the downloaded file.

Note: The names "Maximizer", "Softline", "Sage", "Pastel", and "Idiots" are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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