MYOB Environment Collection Utility | MYOB Practice Support

This support note applies to:

AE Tax (AU and NZ)
AO Tax (AU and NZ)
Client Accounting (AU and NZ)
Document Manager (AU and NZ)
Practice Manager (AU and NZ)
AE Tax Series 6 & 8 (AU)
PDF Manager (AU and NZ)

Article ID: 39228

The Environment Collection Utility (ECU) is used to help identify common environmental issues that may impact on the installation and performance of MYOB software.

Please note, given the unique nature of your IT infrastructure, MYOB does not guarantee that the MYOB software will install and perform successfully. Incompatibility can arise for a number of reasons, including conflicts with third party applications, or if there are underlying issues with your current infrastructure that cannot be identified until the install is attempted

Before you begin, download the attached Environment Collection Utility or alternatively, download the attachment from the email you've received, and save this file to a location on your Server.

We recommend saving the file to a Network Drive letter which is accessible to all computers on the network, including the Server. If you have the Zipped/Compressed Environment Collection Utility file, you will need to extract the contents to a location accessible by all computers.

To run the MYOB Environment Collection Utility where you have access to the computer

Double-click the Environment Collection Utility.exe file from the server. The MYOB Environment Collection Utility window appears.

A security warning may appear, if this happens, click Run.
The Start tab appears displaying the Important Notice. Please read this carefully. You'll be asked to select a location to save your ECUResults.xml file.

We strongly recommend you do not change these file names – the utility will append any subsequent computer checks to the file, so there is no need to create individual files for each computer.

By default this file will be saved to the same location that the Environment Collection was saved to. To confirm these locations, click on the ellipsis icon and click Save. Once the location has been confirmed, click Next.
The Site Info tab will be selected. Complete the information as required, then click Next.

The IT information will only appear if you select “Yes” to “Is your IT Contact different from above"
On the General tab, enter any additional information that may be relevant in the comments field.
Select the type of review from the drop-down menu, then click Start System Check.

If you're running the utility on a workstation...

If you are running the utility on a workstation you will be presented with a window asking how many workstations of this configuration are in use.

This allows you to run the ECU on a single workstation if it has the same specifications as the other workstations in your business.
If you're running the utility on a Server...
If you are running the utility on a server, you'll be presented with a window asking if the server you are running the utility on is a Terminal Server.
1. Click Yes if you are running the utility on a Terminal Server environment, then enter the number of users connected to the Terminal Server. Otherwise click No.
2. Click Yes if you have a Exchange Server installed. If you don't have Exchange Server installed, click No.
3. Click Yes if this server is a Virtual Server. If the server you're running the utility on is not a Virtual Server, click No.
When finished, the message "Environment Check Finished for COMPUTERNAME. Please check details before saving" appears. Click Ok. The Review Comment tab appears outlining findings of the system check.
1. In the Review Comment tab, to ensure your Environment Check is able to be processed in a timely manner, respond to any Amber or Red alert messaging by entering a comment in the Can you resolve this? field. A green tick indicates that there were no issues found on the system check.
Click Save Current Details. The message "All Details now saved, Please run the ECU on the next computer" message appears.
Click OK then close the MYOB Environment Collection Utility.
Repeat steps 3 to 13 for any subsequent computers that will access or store the MYOB data.

you should not need to re-enter data on the Site Info tab as these should be populated each subsequent time you run the utility
Go to the location where the ECUResults.xml file is saved (as specified in step 3), and email the ECUResults.xml to your MYOB Client Manager.

The ECUResults.xml file may only appear as "ECUResults" if you have file extensions hidden in Windows.

To run the MYOB Environment Collection Utility where you don't have access to the computer

Double-click the Environment Collection Utility.exe file from the server. The MYOB Environment Collection Utility window appears.

A security warning may appear, if this happens, click Run.
The Start tab appears displaying the Important Notice. Please read this carefully. You'll be asked to select a location to save your ECUResults.xml file.

We strongly recommend you do not change these file names – the utility will append any subsequent computer checks to the file, so there is no need to create individual files for each computer.

By default this file will be saved to the same location that the Environment Collection was saved to. To confirm these locations, click on the ellipsis icon and click Save. Once the location has been confirmed, click Next.
The Site Info tab will be selected. Complete the information as required, then click Next.

The IT information will only appear if you select “Yes” to “Is your IT Contact different from above"
On the General tab, enter any additional information that may be relevant in the Comments field.
To add new computers for MYOB to review, click the Add New Computer button. The New Computers window appears
Enter the appropriate information for the new computer – this could be a new server or a new workstation. Once all information is entered, click Save. The Review Comments tab appears outlining any additional information required to assess the new computer/s.

If you need to perform a system check of the machine you are running the utility on, click on the General tab.
In the Review Comment tab, to ensure your Environment Check is able to be processed in a timely manner, respond to any Amber or Red alert messaging by entering a comment in the Can you resolve this? field. A green tick indicates that there were no issues found on the system check.
Click Save Current Details. The message "All Details now saved, Please run the ECU on the next computer" message appears.
Click OK then close the MYOB Environment Collection Utility.
Go to the location where the ECUResults.xml file is saved (as specified in step 3), and email the ECUResults.xml to your MYOB Client Manager.

The ECUResults.xml file may only appear as "ECUResults" if you have file extensions hidden in Windows.

FAQs

Where do I find the Environment Collection Utility (ECU)?

The Environment Collection Utility (ECU):

is located on my.myob.com under Utilities within the Useful Links section.
can be downloaded directly from this URL: https://downloads.myob.com/training/au/ed/Environment%20Collection%20Utility.zip

Where do I need to run the ECU?

You'll need to run this utility on any computer or server where you've installed and using MYOB software.

This includes:

SQL/Data Servers, Terminal Servers, PC’s, etc.
any additional computer/servers where you're planning to install and use MYOB software.

Do I need to run the ECU on every workstation?

If the workstations are the same and are running the same technologies, including MS Office, you can specify the number of workstations during the System Check phase.

Who can run the ECU?

Anyone can run the ECU, but if you have an IT person they can do it for you. It takes less than a minute to run and collect the required data before proceeding with the migration/service.

What should I do if I have new hardware?

There is a facility within the ECU to ‘add new hardware’ under the General tab.

I have a hardware quote from my IT. Do I still need to run the ECU?

You still need to run the ECU on all the computers so all the information we get is consistent. A hardware quote from your IT can be a supporting document to the ECU data.

Can I use ECU for performance issues?

No, ECU is to collect data about the technologies you use are supported by MYOB and meets our system requirements. ECU doesn't check the performance of your systems.

When will I hear back from MYOB on the ECU data?

We aim to review ECU data within 2-3 days. The completion of an EC review is dependent on the information you've provided. If the ECU is not run on the relevant systems, this is likely to cause delays in the review process.

How long is the ECU data valid for?

6 months, depending on the changing nature of technology, including new technologies released by Microsoft, changes to the MYOB suite and End of Life support dates.

If you require a new service within that 6 month period, let us know about the new product combination/license count so we can review your systems again.

If you require s service after 6 months since the last EC was reviewed, a new EC will need to be obtained and reviewed.