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CALSTARS (California State Accounting & Reporting System)

Monarch Tips and System Specifications

    Following are some tips and system specifications to remember when working with Monarch software.

    • System Requirements

      Minimum Requirements:

      • Windows 2000 with SP4, Windows XP Home/Professional, Windows 2003 Server, Windows Vista
      • 256 MB RAM
      • 100 MB disk space for installation
      • Pentium III class CPU
      • 16-Bit color display
      • Internet Explorer 5
      • .NET Framework 1.1

      Recommended Requirements:

      • Windows XP Home/Professional with SP2, Windows 2003 Server, Windows Vista
      • 512 MB RAM
      • 100 MB Disk Space for installation
      • Sufficient disk space for temporary workspace if dealing with large reports
      • Pentium IV or higher CPU
      • 32-Bit color display
      • Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or higher
      • Microsoft Office XP/2003 or Microsoft Office XP/2003 Web Component for HTML export functionality
      • .NET Framework 2.0
    • File Types Used by Monarch as Data Sources

    Monarch reads any of the following file types:

    • ASCII and ANSI character reports (also known as print, spool, TXT, PRN and SDF files)
      • (format used for CALSTARS Reports)
    • HTML files
    • dBASE DBF
    • Paradox DB
    • Access MDB
    • Excel XLS
    • Lotus WKx
    • Delimited text files
    • OBDC Data source (SQL Server, Oracle, DB2)

    • File Types Exported by Monarch

    File Format Versions Extensions
    MS-Access 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 MDB
    dBase III, IV, 5.0 DBF
    Paradox 3.x, 4.x, 5.x, 7.x DB
    MS-Excel 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 8.0 XLS/
    XLSX (Excel 2007)
    Lotus 3.0 WKS, WK1, WK3, WK4
    test N/A TXT
    Delimited Text N/A Any
    HTML N/A HTM/HTML
    Fixed Length Text N/A TXT
    XML-SS N/A XML
     

    • Record limits 

    When exporting to other applications (i.e. Excel, Lotus, or Quattro Pro), keep in mind that each program has a limit to the number of records (rows) it can handle. These are NOT Monarch limits. They are limits of the spreadsheet/database programs. These limits are as follows:

     

    Application

    Record/Row Limits
    Lotus (wks, wk1, wk3) 8,192 records
    MS Excel 2.1- 5.0  16,384 records
    MS Excel 8.0 (xls) 64,536 records
    MS Excel 2007 (XLSX) 1,000,000 records
    dBASE III, IV, 5.0 (dbf) 255 fields
    4,000 characters/record
    9,999,999 records
    Paradox 3.X-7.X 255 fields
    4,000 characters/record
    9,999,999 records
    Access 1.0-4.0 255 fields
    2,000 characters/record
    9,999,999 records
    ANSI and ASCII Text files 9,999,999 records
    ANSI and ASCII Delimited text 9,999,999 records
    HTML 65536 default cell limit
    PDF -

    • Downloading files from CALSTARS to Monarch

    Monarch reads any ASCII or ANSI text file report. These files are commonly known as print files or spool files, but are also referred to as text files (TXT), formatted text files, PRN files and SDF files. This is the standard format used by CALSTARS. Any standard or requestable reports can be downloaded from CALSTARS for use in Monarch.

    In CALSTARS, Monarch users access report files across a network or via terminal emulation software. If you are not familiar with this process, ask your PC manager or IT manager for help. If your PC is not connected to a host computer, the IT staff can generally supply report files on the network or on a diskette.

    If you are able to access your reports across the network or via the terminal you may order CALSTARS reports for Monarch use as follows:

    • “F1” (report file) and “N1” (print “now”) Report Requests: These reports can be requested through CALSTARS Report Request menu screen (G.3) and are an “Immediate” request of a Standard Report. When using these functions, be aware of the following:

      •  

      • When using the “N1” function after printing checks or claim schedules, you may need to “wake up” the printer to get it to start printing again.
      • Occasionally, reports requested using the F1 or N1 functions will take awhile to process, sometimes more than an hour.

         

    • “D1” Report files: These report files are generated during the nightly CALSTARS process after the table and financial transaction input processes. “D1” report files can be requested for all standard reports through CALSTARS Report Request menu screen (G.3). System Generated Reports (e.g. CFB710-1), Tables (e.g. PCA Table) and /or External Reports (e.g. SCO Tab Run) are also available for the “D1” report option.

    • “E1” Archived Report files: These files are similar to reports currently ordered with D1 or F1 output destination. However, E1 files are only produced in zip-compressed format. E1 report files may be downloaded onto a PC or a LAN using FTP file transfer software. Once the report has been downloaded, a file must first be unzipped before it may be viewed. (See CALSTARS Procedures Manual Vol 6, Ch II for instructions.)

  • CALSTARS Files that have Migrated to Tape

    • • How to use Monarch

      The Learning Guide that is provided with Monarch is an excellent and quick way to learn how to use Monarch. It is a complete and comprehensive tutorial for learning to use Monarch and used to develop the training classes offered by CALSTARS.(See training COM).

    • Page Breaks

    When printing CALSTARS Standard Reports from Monarch, the pages will not break correctly. Check the default settings under Option, Input, and Force Page Break to determine the default. To redefine the page size in Monarch use the Page Header Template.

    These are just a few of the tips and system specifications you may find useful when using the Monarch desktop software. If you have any additional questions or need assistance with Monarch, you may contact Lorraine Hernandez @ (916) 445-0211, Ext. 2839.