At the 2012 ImpactECS Users Conference, attendees were treated to a technical preview of the summer release of ImpactECS version 7.0. The development focus of the new release centered around two tenets – improving the core user experience and simplifying the model development process.  The top features fall in the following categories – Views, Grids, Outlines and Charts.

Views: With the new release, users will have the ability to choose from a number of different views.  Beyond the standard design view, a new default view will give users a simpler interface that focuses on the data.  Multi-item views will allow users to see multiple cost objects on the same screen, making it easier to compare data and results.

Grids: The redesigned grid controls in ImpactECS have significantly improved performance, allowing the system to return results and open large tables quicker.  It also provides a number of sorting and filtering options including row filtering, sorting and grouping, column section, multi-row editing and other features that make it easier to maintain and edit data.

Outlines: Enhancements to the outline feature gives the user the ability to create indented data structures that maintain a set hierarchy.  An example of a useful outline is an indented bill-of-materials that expands and shows child materials that are consumed by the parent product.

Charts: The newest item type, charts, makes it simple for users to generate visual representations of their cost data inside ImpactECS.

In addition to these features, there are 20+ more upgrades to the product that give users the ability to maintain multiple instances of ImpactECS, improved interaction with Microsoft Excel, advanced database options, and more.

ImpactECS version 7.0 is scheduled for release in Summer 2012.  Current maintenance customers can apply to participate in the beta testing program by contacting Paul Tezza or Rama Krishna Vavilala.