Snap Schedule Premium - Frequently Asked Questions

Snap Schedule is a desktop application that stores its data in a single SQL Server Compact Edition schedule file for convenience. Although the schedule file can be as large as 4GB, only one user can change its contents at a time. If the schedule file is located on a network and there are multiple users trying to access the schedule file, only the user who first opens the file will have total read/write control over the file contents. Other users can only open the file in Read Only mode and cannot make changes to the file. This behavior is typical in Microsoft Office applications like Excel where a single user will work on a file and pass it on to others to review and edit.

Snap Schedule Premium is an enterprise-level software product, designed for multiple schedulers working concurrently and accessing the same information from anywhere. It has all the features in Snap Schedule and stores its data in a scalable Microsoft SQL Server database that can be located on a computer in your local area network, or hosted on the Web. Snap Schedule Premium also works with in-the-cloud database services like Microsoft SQL Azure™ that allow easy access to a highly reliable and scalable database from anywhere, using just a standard Internet connection. Your schedulers can work from diverse geographical locations and can instantly access and update scheduling data concurrently.

Yes. You can have as many locations as you like. A location is a work site or a place where the shift is performed. You can authorize your employees to work at certain locations but not others. Snap Schedule Premium will alert you when an employee is scheduled to work at a location where he/she is not authorized to work.

Not at all. You can schedule an unlimited number of employees, shifts, and time off requests. Snap Schedule Premium lets you create as many schedule databases as you like.

Yes! Snap Schedule Premium keeps track of employee availabilities, skills, work hour preferences and alerts you to potential scheduling conflicts. Filling an open shift or finding a replacement is easy. Simply specify your criteria and Snap Schedule will present a list of qualified employees for your shift planning purposes.

Snap Schedule Premium’s shift and employee forms have a tab that opens 25 Custom Fields, in addition to two to five tabs of optional data. There are 10 Custom Text fields, 5 Custom Number fields, 5 Custom Check Boxes, and 5 Custom Dates for each form.

Label Custom Fields with whatever names fit your business. Show or hide them. You can even format Text and Number fields to accept only specific formats, e.g., telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, file paths, or social security numbers, monies, percentages, or other patterns.

Yes. The E-mail Schedules wizard lets you e-mail shift assignment schedules to all or selected employees. Each e-mail can contain the employee's personal schedule or schedule information of all selected employees. You have the option of including an iCalendar formatted file that contains the employee's personal schedule so your employees can import their schedules into their calendar programs or PDAs.

Yes, because Snap Schedule Premium is built on Microsoft’s latest database platform, SQL Server (SQL Express included). SQL Server delivers excellent stability and flexibility for growth.

Snap Schedule Premium is also built upon Microsoft .NET Framework, which enables developers to rely upon proven software tools, rather than continually reinvent new code.

Yes. For simple applications, reports and lists can be saved in Microsoft Excel and PDF format.

Programmers and system integrators can use the Snap Schedule Premium software development kit (SDK) to access and manipulate Snap Schedule Premium data, or to create custom plug-ins to extend its functionality. Using plug-ins, you can insert your custom logic and execute it on-demand from within Snap Schedule Premium. There is no limitation on what you can do with your custom logic code. When a plug-in is invoked, Snap Schedule Premium provides a connection to its schedule database so the plug-in may have direct read/write access to the schedule data. When the plug-in has finished its operations, control is returned to Snap Schedule Premium and any changes to the schedule database made by the plug-in will be incorporated.

Plug-ins can be written in a .NET language such as VB .NET or C# and compiled as .NET assembly dynamic link libraries (DLL) that implement a specific interface known by Snap Schedule Premium. The plug-in DLL’s are located in the Snap Schedule Premium program files directory. Note that a single DLL may contain several classes that implement the interface – each will be treated as a separate plug-in by Snap Schedule Premium. At startup, Snap Schedule Premium will search its directory for any DLL’s that contain classes which implement the known plug-in interface and display them under the Plug-ins drop-down menu.

Yes. The Snap Schedule Premium SDK provides developers with a powerful toolset for writing software to integrate with Snap Schedule Premium. It is a .NET class library that allows organizations to write fully functional stand-alone programs that have full access to Snap Schedule Premium data objects or to create a customized system that integrates Snap Schedule Premium with other applications. In using the SDK, source code written for one version of Snap Schedule Premium can run on future versions of Snap Schedule Premium as long as the members of existing interfaces defined in its interface libraries don't change.

The SDK can be used by external applications to automatically access Snap Schedule Premium data without requiring user’s actions or having Snap Schedule Premium running as in the case of plug-ins. To enable automatic data transfer, an external connector can be developed using the APIs and run as a batch process or by an automated trigger. For example, you can write an HR-Snap Schedule Premium connector using the SDK to update Snap Schedule Premium employee data with changes made in the HR system. The connector can be scheduled to run at a set time, which may vary from once a day to once a week, depending on your preference. Alternatively, you can design the connector such that a change of employee contact information or pay-rate in the HR system can trigger it to update the corresponding information in Snap Schedule Premium. Not only will this automated data sharing procedure minimize errors, users will see consistent data throughout the applications.

If you have Bootcamp installed on an Apple computer running MAC OS X Leopard, you can run Windows-based programs including Snap Schedule on a Mac. Snap Schedule Premium is a Windows-based application and will not run on a Mac without Bootcamp installed.

Snap Schedule Premium is licensed on a per-computer basis. Per-computer licensing means a valid license must be obtained for each computer that runs or accesses the software, whether you run the software directly on the computer or through another computer such as a terminal server that allows the software to be accessed remotely. For examples, if you want to install Snap Schedule Premium and run it on three computers, you will need to buy three licenses, one for each computer. If you want to install Snap Schedule Premium on a Citrix or Windows terminal server and access it from three remote computers, you will need to purchase three licenses.

Your cost for a single PC license (one copy of Snap Schedule Premium) is $995. If you plan to run Snap Schedule Premium on multiple computers for your business, you will need multiple licenses. Visit our online store for the latest pricing information. There you can place an order and pay for it with a credit card. Once we receive your online order you will receive via e-mail a product key to unlock the 30-day evaluation software you currently have installed on your machine and turn it into a full, permanent license. Volume discounts are available for large volume purchases. Please contact BMS at (800) 450-4230 or (714) 661-5954 for volume pricing.

When you purchase a Snap Schedule Premium license, you can use the licensed software version as long as you like. Unlike ASP, hosted, or managed services, you don’t pay any subscription or monthly fees to use Snap Schedule Premium.