Important Changes for CMD 2012

In response to..

• An increasing number of CMD users need to network CMD in their offices
• An increasing number of CMD users (both office staff and lay leaders) need to be able to connect to CMD’s data from home or other locations
• An increasing number of CMD users are asking that we make some web-based functionality available to staff and/or church members so that CMD data can be accessed from any type of computer, iPad, smart phone, etc. (There will be some modest additional cost for this feature)
• The need for CMD users to have these functions available at very reasonable cost

...we’ve made the decision to change the data engine in CMD starting with CMD 2012. This new (to us) data engine has been around as long as the one we’ve been using since 2000, and is every bit as strong and stable as our current data engine.

Why Didn’t We Use the New Data Engine to Begin With?

When we made the initial choice to go with our current data engine, virtually no CMD user needed networking or remote access for their data. Those needs evolved over time. The business model of our current data engine allowed for us to freely distribute their “local server” with the data engine, so we were able to keep costs very low. Their costs were recouped when they sold their remote database servers. It’s a fine product, but it’s pricey.

The business model of the data engine provider we are using in CMD 2012 onward is different from that of our current provider. This new data engine will allow for us to make the remote database server, which is needed for networking, remote access, and finally, web-enabled pages, available to you for a fraction of the cost that would be required from our current provider. In short, we are adapting to your growing needs for how you use CMD in the most stable and cost-efficient manner possible.

Why I’m Telling You This Now

You will benefit if you update to CMD 2011 before the end of this year (which also gets you CMD 2012 as well). Read these two bullet points carefully:

• Because of the complexities in moving over to the new data engine while still providing an update path for data in the current CMD data engine, CMD 2012 will only be able to import data from CMD 2011. Updating to CMD 2011.3 now allows you to import your current data into CMD 2011 format so that CMD 2012 will be able to import your data.
• If you choose not to update to CMD 2011.3 now, of course you will still be able to update to CMD 2012 later on, but there will be no direct path for data conversion to bring in your prior CMD version’s data. We will be able to provide conversion services for you, however the data conversion will carry a $25 fee.

Since you will get both CMD 2011 and CMD 2012 if you update before the end of 2011, you not only get the benefits of a few months of the latest version of CMD 2011, you will get CMD 2012 along with it when it’s ready, plus you won’t need to pay for any data conversion fees because your data will already be in CMD 2011 format.

Remote Database Server Software Costs

So that you can see what a difference this move to the new data engine will make for CMD users, look at the price comparisons between the remote database servers from our current provider and the new provider:

Current Provider   New Provider

2 Users:  $269           $99.95*

3 Users:  $450           $99.95*

5 Users:  $650           $99.95*

10 Users: $1240        $99.95*

*The $99.95 price is available if you purchase the server in January or February, 2012. It will be $299 starting March 1, 2012. Note that the remote database server for our new provider is not priced based on the number of concurrently connected users. The remote database server with the new provider does not limit the number of users who can be concurrently connected.

From the above comparison, you can easily see the value we are trying to make available to you in your present and future use of CMD. The low price point for the new remote database server we can offer during the introductory period of January and February, 2012, makes it possible for you to be able to network CMD, provide for remote access, and be ready for web-enabled pages for CMD when we get them ready.

If you update now, you only pay for the actual update for CMD 2011.3. You won’t need to purchase the remote database software until January-February 2012. We’ll send you a notice about it when the time comes.

If You Only Use CMD on a Single Computer…

If you only use CMD on a single computer (or on several single computers that will never be connected in a network), or you will never need remote access, and have no plans to ever network CMD or use any of the web-based pages for CMD when they are released, you will not need to purchase the remote database server. However, if you do not update to CMD 2011.3 now, you will need to pay the $25 data conversion fee when you update to CMD 2012 later on because CMD 2012 will only be able to import data from CMD 2011.

To Purchase Your CMD 2011.3 Update

Click this link to go to the Updates portion of our Purchase Page. Just select the download or CD update version that you want.

Our on-line store is now powered by PayPal, though you do not have to have a PayPal account to purchase. Your regular Credit Card works just fine. It’s a much simpler process than our former on-line store.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the above. Thanks for your use of CMD, and we look forward to continuing to work with you in our Master’s service.

Mic Thurber