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915 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-3705
(916) 445-0211

Monarch Tips and Techniques

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

• System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements:

• Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP or NT 4.0 SP5 or higher
• 32 MB RAM
• 80 MB HD
• Pentium Class CPU
• 256 Color Display

Recommended Requirements:

• Windows 98 Second Edition, ME, 2000, XP
• 128 MB RAM
• 80 MB HD for install
• Pentium III or higher CPU
• 16-Bit Color Display
• MS Office XP Web Components for MS Office XP for HTML and XML-SS export functionality

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

Monarch reads any of the following file types:

• 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
MS Excel 2.1- 5.0	16,384 records
MS Excel 8.0 (xls)	64,536 records
Lotus (wks, wk1, wk3)	8,192 records
Quattro Pro (wb1-3 & wq1 & wq2)	8,192 records
dBASE III (dbf)	128 fields 4,000 characters/record 9,999,999 records

• 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. To request reports with this option, e-mail Judy Lewis-Matlock at Judy-Lewis-Matlock.
  

• “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 COM 04-04 for instructions)

• 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 techniques you may find useful when using the Monarch desktop software. If you have any additional questions or need assistance with Monarch, you may contact Judy Lewis-Matlock @ (916) 445-0211, Ext. 2832.

Last updated: April 10, 2007 | e-mail CALSTARS Webmaster