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Escape (Now part of Frontline Education)

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Product Details

Overview
Welcome to the most powerful fund accounting and HR/payroll system available to education! An intuitive, comprehensive system designed from the ground up specifically for the unique needs of education. Escape is not just a collection of individual modules. This system was designed as a complete, fully integrated solution, running in an online/real-time environment. 

EXPECTING MORE FROM ESCAPE TECHNOLOGY To paraphrase a character in an old TV show, “It’s great when a plan comes together!” And that is exactly what happened with Escape’s business plan, first put together by the three founders in 1989. At that time we had a collection of individual school business departmental modules, such as purchasing, fixed assets, work orders, etc. 

During the 1990s, our plan was to create an integrated finance system, including HR and payroll, while continuing to implement individual modules as needed. Toward the end of that decade we were ready to expand to support County Office of Education functionality. But the dominance of Microsoft Windows required a change of plans. Our system was based on DOS and clearly that was not the way of the future. In 2001 we set a bold new course, a “fresh start” project, developed from the ground up as a County Office of Education system. We utilized Microsoft’s .Net development platform and SQL Server as the database. 

We partnered with our two COE customers, who had implemented our DOS system for their districts. No shortage of feedback there! We also had a number of other COEs advising us to create the “ultimate COE school business system.” We named this system Escape Online 5. In 2007, we went live at Placer COE and all their districts – the first new county-wide implementation. As of early 2015, we have 18 COEs and their districts (over 330 organizations total) live and in production. 

When you combine: 30+ years of experience writing school business software for all application areas, including feedback from thousands of users at over 330 organizations, including 18 COEs and 8 CCDs. Experience with several different Windows development environments. A consistent team of people dedicated to writing, implementing and supporting quality software. Today’s state-of-the-art development, database and reporting platforms. You have one notable project! No other company is better suited than Escape Technology to produce this truly revolutionary school business system. 

Features
Navigation – quick and easy access to all functionality, that stays in place — always available for your next task. To make navigation consistent and intuitive, Escape Online 5 always places elements in the same place in the work space so users know where they are.

Data entry is a breeze with quick identification of changed fields, lookup windows, popup calendars, date entry logic and a host of other efficiency tools. Lookup windows display system-defined codes in an easy to use list, eliminating typos and reducing input error. Popup calendars are available for any date field, just like Microsoft Outlook.

Escape Online 5 groups related records. All the information is right there. Requisition, PO, vendor info and payments — all from one window! Complex searches are simple to enter and easy to understand, allowing users to create just-the-right list. No matter what type of record you are searching for, the “look” of the search form is consistent, making searching for various records very straightforward.
Processes are easy to perform. Escape Online 5 process forms are so simple to use. A few mouse clicks is all it takes. Extensive Workflow automation in both Finance and HR areas. Gives you the flexibility to route documents and notifications in a way that makes sense for your organization while streamlining processes.

Searching results in a list that can be sorted by any column, and every list can be viewed in our DataGrid, and even exported to Excel spreadsheets!

Real-time editing and list-based management provides you with just enough information to make a decision as to whether or not to open the record.

Crystal Reports – hundreds of standard reports, with the ability for a COE or district to exclude any of ours and/or include any of theirs. Every report has ad hoc searching and multiple output options. Reports can also dump raw data directly into Excel for pivot tables.

Integrations
THIRD PARTY INTERFACES

Once you start using Escape Online, you will want it to connect with all of your other software business packages. Our customers have driven the list of technologies with which we interface. As new ideas, like Office Depot online, come to the forefront, we work closely with customers and vendors to create a seamless interface with third party technologies.

Scanning Repository Software – Automatic extract and import into repository

We have developed and implemented interfaces to the following document management systems, archiving AP and Payroll check information automatically on a nightly basis. Several customers are using the interfaces on their LIVE systems. The DocStar interface has been in production for over 5 years.

– DocStar – Questys
Substitute Management – Import files into payroll from sub-management system

We have created a task (a simple click of a button) within Escape Online for importing information for leave processing and payroll processing for the following substitute management systems. Several of our larger COE customers and some districts are using these imports for pay day processing.

– Aesop – SubFinder – Veritime
TSA Files – Automatic extract of payroll data to a file for submission

For our customers that use third party vendors to administer their retirement/benefit and/or time/attendance plans, we have created interfaces that automatically create files in the appropriate format, every pay day, for the following vendors in the plan administration segment.

– Envoy – MidAmerica
Vendor Catalog – Access items directly from vendor

We are working with Office Depot and several of our customers to develop a seamless interface to Escape Online finance requisitions, with approval routing and line item receiving built-in.

– Office Depot (in progress)
Inventory – Reads information from barcoder file

We have been supporting fixed asset inventory using the Worth Data line of products for over 15 years, in both our Escape Classic and Escape Online products.
– Worth Data Tricoder 5000


Districts
This list is compiled annually through our web surveys, internet research, and phone interviews with California school districts.

School Districts in California that use Escape*

Photos

Escape (Now part of Frontline Education)