Technology in Practice

The purpose of this alert is to inform our Sage Abra Suite customers that v9SR and Hot Fixes for 7.79 and 7.85 are available to download on SupportPlus Online. The software update is available from SupportPlus Online for Sage Abra Suite users. This update includes the correction to both the 941 reports. Sage recommends that the Final Quarter Close process not be completed until the corrected files have been installed. If the final quarter close has been processed; Sage recommends a restore back to trial quarter so the correction can be installed. If a restore is not possible, manual edits to the 941 will need to be performed. Note: To prepare for Year End processes, Sage recommends that you review and validate the data related to the Hire Act for previous quarters. Pre-close 941 and Form 941: Sage has indentified an issue where the Pre-close 941 and Form 941 for Lines 6a and 6b (Hire Act Employee Count) and 6c (Hire Act Wages) are incorrectly populating for customers who currently use multiple companies sharing the same Employer Identification Number (EIN) with Hire Act data to report. Form 941 Line 6 A, B, and C v7.79 and Form 941 Line 6 A, B, and C v7.85 are now available for downloading from SupportPlus Online. Select Sage Abra Suite 7.x Product Updates. Select the file corresponding to your Abra Installation: Form 941 Line 6–v7.85 or Form 941 Line 6–v7.79. Follow the Read Me included in zip file. Version 9.x Customers Sage Abra Suite v9SR October 2010 is now available to download. The Abra AWC v9SR will be shipped in late October. Alert for Sage AWC v9SR Customers are asked to contact Customer Support for guidance if they have started or need to start Open Enrollment prior to receipt of the Sage Abra v9 AWC Product Update. If you do not own AWC, proceed with applying Abra Suite v9SR Product Update. If you are not processing Open Enrollment through AWC, proceed with applying Sage Abra Suite v9SR Product Update. If you own AWC and plan to process Open Enrollment in AWC, we highly recommend contacting Customer Support for further guidance. You can download Sage Abra Suite v9SR from SupportPlus Online. The zipped file: v9SR October 2010 9.04.zip will include the following items: Sage Abra Suite v9SR Release Notes for Sage Abra Suite v9SR Note: We now include information for all product changes made to the Sage Abra Suite v9 application since the previous Product Update. Therefore, these Product Release Notes will include information for both the Abra Human Resources (HR) and Abra Payroll modules. If any items are missing, please call Customer Support at 800-829-0170. This update corrects the North Carolina magnetic media file created within Sage Abra. North Carolina Unemployment Insurance Magnetic Media File: Sage has identified an issue where the Quarterly Tax and Wage File for North Carolina will generate an error upon creation. QTR line 254, File ‘ncqtr.prg’ does not exist. Error 1′. (This issue affects only customers on Sage Abra Suite version 9) This update corrects the 941 report issues noted below. Sage recommends that the Final Quarter Close process not be completed until the corrected files have been installed. If the final quarter has been run; we recommend a restore back to trial quarter so the correction can be installed. If a restore is not possible, manual edits to the 941 will need to be performed. Pre-close 941 and Form 941: Sage has identified an issue where the Pre-close 941 and Form 941 for Lines 6a and 6b (Hire Act Employee Count) and 6c (Hire Act Wages) are incorrectly populating for customers who currently use multiple companies sharing the same Employer Identification Number (EIN) with Hire Act data to report. Note: To prepare for Year End processes, Sage recommends that you review and validate the data related to the Hire Act for prior quarters. Important Reminders Please remember that Sage Abra Suite v9 Product Updates are cumulative and include all changes made to the product. A key advantage to this change is that Quarterly Product Updates (formerly Quarterly Tax Updates), include all changes made to the system, not just tax updates. So with each new Product Update released, you will have the benefit of all product fixes added to the system since the previous release. Product patches (or hot fixes) previously delivered individually, are now included with the Product Updates, which means each fix is no longer applied separately. Information on all changes will be documented and included in the Product Release Notes. Sage will publish the Product Updates and Release Notes on SupportPlus Online, and these updates can be downloaded. Once you are alerted of product availability, you will be able to locate the most recent updates for Sage Abra on SupportPlus Online. The file will be located on the Products and Documentation site (Download the latest updates). Please do not hesitate to contact Sage if you need technical help with downloading or applying this patch. Call at 800-829-0170, or send an email.

New Smart UpdateAs part of the new product strategy for Sage ERP MAS 500 implemented earlier this year, Product Updates for the software now include significant workflow and usability enhancements in addition to program corrections. In order for customers to more easily take advantage of these enhancements, Sage has made the installation logic within the update smarter. The Smart Update process comprises two components. First, it only overwrites files that have changed. The software will review the current version that is installed, and if a file is at the same level as the Product Update, it will not change it. This provides you with a smoother, faster install with less possibility for errors. Many Sage ERP MAS 500 customers have made customizations to their software, and are reluctant to install Product Updates because they may inadvertently overwrite one of their customizations. The new Smart Update now checks all of the files it is going to overwrite to see if there are any customizations. If customizations exist, a window is displayed during the installation process. You will be able to view a list of the files that have been customized, and choose whether to overwrite them during the installation of the Product Update. The new Smart Update process means that you can install Product Updates with confidence and quickly use the new features. The Smart Update process has been added to Product Updates beginning with Product Update 3 for Sage ERP MAS 500 7.3. Please let us know if you have any questions about the Smart Update process. Helpful Hint:Adding Formulas To Business Insights Analyzer It is useful to add formulas to Business Insights data for use in pivot-table calculations when you transfer your data to Microsoft Excel. Here is how you can add a formula column to an Analyzer View based on the values in other columns: Click the Calculated Totals and Fields button on the Analyzer menu bar. At the Commands and Options window, either select the column to use in the calculation or create a new column. Click the Calculation tab. Select the fields to be used in the calculation, and then click the Insert Reference To button to pull in the fields to generate the formula. For example, to create a net profit calculation, generate the following formula: Sum of Net Sales / Sum of Net Sales Qty. Click the Change button when calculations are finished. Click the Caption tab to modify the column name if desired. Please call us with your questions. Helpful Hint:Making Demand Adjustments In Inventory Replenishment You can make adjustments to Item Demand to alter the Recommended Replenishment Quantities as follows: Open Sage ERP MAS 500InventoryManagementActivitiesReplenish InventoryDemand Adjustment. Select the warehouse and item that you would like to enter or make adjustments for. Select either past or future adjustment. The adjustments are separated by periods and are based on the inventory calendar. The current inventory period is read from Inventory Management and is set in IM Options. Things to keep in mind: Positive or negative adjustments can be entered to calculate the Net Usage for the item. The system uses the Net Usage in the calculation of future demands that include the specific period. The Actual Usage field is based on sales. The rough calculation is Quantity Sold minus Returns quantity. To find the sales for an item, you can use the Sales Order Lines or the Inventory Transactions, Explorer view. You can filter the view by transaction type to find the sales (transaction type = 810) and returns (transaction type = 811). Please give us a call with any questions about this hint.

To print checks in a language other than English you have two options: change the default language in set up settings or override the default language when creating a new payment batch. Change Default Language – Change the default language (English) for check printing if you will print checks in just one other language all the time. You may change the setting in the Account Payable module by selecting: Vendors/Processing/Check Language. Once set, the default will be used by the program when creating a new payment batch, or generating system payment batches. Override Default Setting – If you need to print checks in more than one language on a regular basis, you can override the check language on the entry screen when you are manually creating a new payment batch. How To Partially Transfer Items In Inventory Control A partial transfer occurs when the requested quantity is more than the quantity available in inventory. The following are the steps to do partial transfer of items: From the I/C Transaction folder, click Transfers. Click the New icon to create a new document. For Document Type select Transfer. To simulate partial transfer, enter a transfer quantity that is less than the requested quantity. For example, enter 10 for Requested Quantity, and enter 7 for Transfer Quantity. This results to an outstanding quantity of 3. In the detail grid, enter values in the following fields: Item Number From Location To Location Requested Qty Transfer Quantity Click Post to post and generate the document number. Select No to the question Do you want to delete this transfer after posting? At this point you can no longer open the document and transfer the outstanding quantities. Instead, to complete the transfer, you can create a new document and use the incomplete transfer as reference transfer number. Perform the following steps to complete the transfer: Click on the New icon to create a new document. For Document Type select Transfer. For Transfer Number enter the transfer number of the incomplete document. Based on our example, the Outstanding Qty should have 3 and Transfer Quantity should also have 3. Click Post to complete the transfer of the outstanding quantities. Note: This tip applies to Sage ERP Accpac Version 5.3A and greater. Changing The Date Format In Sage ERP Accpac The date format used in Sage ERP Accpac is determined by the default Short Date format used in the operating system. You can change the default format, in Version 5.5 and greater. To change the default date format, from the Start menu navigate to the Control Panel/Regional and Language and select the desired date format. SageCRM 7.0: Setting Up A Custom Dashboard In this example we will set up a custom dashboard that gives all of the East Coast sales data on one page. Select My CRM/Dashboard/New Dashboard. Give the new dashboard a name. In this we will call it: East Coast Sales. Enter a description. In our example it would be: Prospects, Customers, and Sales Activities for US East Coast. For Category, select Sales from the drop-down list, or type in a new category. Select the check box next to each Library gadget you want to display, such as Prospects, and click OK. You also can select Modify Dashboard/Add New Gadget to create your own gadgets. The gadgets are displayed on your dashboard. You can use the drag-and-drop functionality to move columns within gadgets, and to switch entire gadgets around.

There continues to be excitement around the August launch of OnTheGo, the Sage SalesLogix CRM mobile app for iPhone and Android (Blackberry shortly!) We continue to see interest from both SalesLogix users and Sage Software Business Partners.Here we summarize answers to the top 4 questions the OnTheGo team has fielded: Why OnTheGo?  How Does It Work? Can I Extend OnTheGo? How is OnTheGo Different from Sage SalesLogix Mobile?   I. Why OnTheGo? In recent years  there has been a considerable shift between mobile devices that people use for personal and business purposes.  With storage being at a premium and customer databases having potentially significant amounts of data we decided to pursue a technology that would leverage a true application on a given device and source the data needed on demand.  We also wanted to start with the basic data points that most users universally ask for and then build out new capabilities that our users are asking about. II. How Does It Work? Any organization that is already using Sage SalesLogix must be on version 7.5, Service Pack 2 or later and have the Sage SData portal deployed and available externally in order to use the OnTheGo platform on an Android or iPhone device.   Users of the Sage SalesLogix Cloud Edition can also use OnTheGo as the SData portal is deployed by default when new customer signs up with Sage.  Users then simply download OnTheGo and put in their credentials and have access to the Accounts, Contacts, History and Activities for the data they already have access to based on the security model already deployed on their LAN or Web implementation. III. Can I Extend OnTheGo? The best part about deploying OnTheGo for Sage SalesLogix is the ability for our team to extend the platform for a single company or for specific vertical solutions developed by Sage business partners.  The OnTheGo platform can be extended to handle custom entities and custom fields for existing or new entities that have been created to personalize your Sage SalesLogix system.  OnTheGo extensions are sold through your business partner of record for Sage SalesLogix. IV. How is OnTheGo Different from Sage SalesLogix Mobile? Sage SalesLogix Mobile was developed several years ago and continues to evolve.  The approach from Sage has always been to “cache” information on a device they support and synchronize information between the mobile device and the CRM database.  We decided to rely on transacting with the data and serving up relevant information in a way that  it can be leveraged on the local device using a native application to the device for the best user experience. And of course, the very low cost & simple installation of OnTheGo. With our tiered pricing plan you pay for what you need and leverage your investment in Sage SalesLogix to its fullest. There are no server, software or IT consulting needed to use this app immediately. Simply download at the app store, put in the SalesLogix URL, and start using. OnTheGo is a mobile application that brings Sage SalesLogix  to your Android, iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile phone. Simply download & start using with no need for IT or costly implementations. For more information visit www.myonthego.com or download at your respective app store.

The landscape for reporting tools in MAS90/ MAS200/ MAS500 ERP is changing. The impending retirement of FRx has started a great conversation about how to do reporting in MAS ERP Sage is now releasing the Sage MAS Intelligence tool to ALL MAS ERP users as an alternative. For an in depth look, join us for one of our October User Groups as we discuss the reporting and business intelligence tools now available to help you make the most of your ERP data. We will take a look at this new tool and the impact on your ability to now report off more than accounting data.

With the new version 4.0 of Stonefield Query creating reports in Accpac is even easier.You can quickly create great Excel, printed or PDF reports on any Accpac data. Stonefield Query is a user-friendly database report writing, query, and data mining tool designed specifically for Sage Accpac ERP. Why not put Business Intelligence reporting in the hands of the end-user where it belongs. Stonefield Query has been customized specifically for Sage Accpac ERP giving you an intuitive, easy-to-use BI reporting solution that Makes report writing a snap with user-friendly design for even the most inexperienced user Creates elegant, persuasive, and easy-to-read reports in six easy steps with the report wizard Sets up reports in minutes and allow control of the sort order, filter conditions, and output Exports data to Microsoft©, Excel©, Word, PDF – any format you can think of Creates mailing, product, or barcode labels Allows different levels of user access for reports with custom security settings Reports on multiple companies in a single report..and much more If you’d like to learn more Watch Now! for this webinar on the Stonefield Query New v.4.0 or email us for more information.

No doubt a big portion of your time is spent processing employee forms, from hiring to performance appraisals to termination. A new Sage Endorsed Solution, HR Actions for Sage Abra HRMS powered by Delphia Consulting, can help you streamline the completion and approval of forms using the Web. The Web-based service allows you create web forms easily using any fields from Sage Abra HR. Let’s take a closer look. Easy-to-Use Form BuilderA wizard guides you through the process of building web forms using any field from Sage Abra HR, including custom fields. You can start with one of the sample forms provided or build a new one from scratch. Flexible Rules-Based Routing The HR Actions workflow engine allows you to define routing rules. Without any programming skills, you can set rules that delineate how many approvals are required and the sequence of the approval chain. Once forms are approved, one-click updates the information to Sage Abra, eliminating data entry from paper forms. Employee Self Service With HR Actions you can automate the collection of data from employees, such as skills, self-appraisals, and time-off requests. Manager Self Service Managers can initiate personnel actions such as hiring, promotions, transfers, pay changes, and termination requests for both direct and skip-level reports. Managers are notified by e-mail of forms requiring approval and can see the status of a form or cancel it while it is being routed for approval. Real-Time Visibility Managers and your Human Resources department have real-time visibility of forms being routed for approval. It is easy to see who has approved forms, where bottlenecks exist, and to view the content of forms. The Human Resources department can control the flow of a form by advancing it to the next reviewer, pushing it through the approval sequence, or cancelling the form. The Human Resources department controls the final update to Sage Abra for each approved form. Supports Complex Processes The performance appraisal process is often complex. HR Actions can automate the most complex performance appraisal process. Forms can include instructions, competency ratings, review questions, goal setting, development plans, narrative responses, rating scales, and weighting. HR Actions supports self-appraisals, manager appraisals, and unlimited back and forth between the employee and manager before routing for additional management and HR approvals. Detailed Audit Trail Every form has a permanent audit trail with time-stamped information about reviewersí actions and comments, edits to the data made during routing, and the final disposition of the form. Security HR Actions uses advanced security and data encryption to keep your confidential employee data safe and secure. HR Actions is compatible with current versions of Sage Abra SQL HRMS and Sage Abra Suite. Call us with your questions.

Sage MAS 500 ERP users please join us in New York City on Wednesday, October 13 for our quarterly complimentary User Group at the New Yorker Hotel on 34th and 8th Ave. This meetings featured discussion topic will be: Who Moved My Data? FRx, Sage MAS Intelligence and the Evolution of Reporting. As always, there will be networking/breakfast to start and an open discussion/roundtable conversation to close the meeting. We hope you can join. RSVP is required: http://bit.ly/bsLkAc Learn more about Sage ERP MAS Intelligence

Sage Accpac ERP users, current and prospective, have a lot to be excited about. I just got back from the annual Accpac Third Party Developers (TPAC) conference in Vancouver where I learned about a lot of exciting new things happening with Accpac. We saw previews of the next generation of Accpac, Version 6, which has a very contemporary new web browser user interface that is absolutely beautiful and very easy to use. It also has some great new inquiry and workflow enhancements that I am sure you will love. The main focus of the conference was on what are called Accpac Add-on products. Did you know there is literally a world of companies that have developed dozens of complementary products that add functionality to Accpac? These companies are called Third Party Developers and each year they gather at this conference. Since Accpac is very much an international product, I met people from all over the world, Australia, China, Dubai, South Africa, USA, Canada, New Zealand, England and more. The conference which is held annually in Vancouver, Canada, the home of Accpac, is a time for these companies to get together, share ideas and resources, and show off their latest wares to the Sage Accpac Partner Community. Net at Work was represented by, Valentine Domange, Solution Architect, Sandy Needham, Net at Work Director of Operations, and long time Accpac Partner, and me, Peter Conway, your Accpac Account Manger. While I am relatively new to Accpac ERP, I have been putting together business software solutions for almost 3 decades.  I have worked with dozens of software packages over the years and I must say I am very excited, as should you be, about all that Accpac has to offer businesses today. Here are some examples: Now more than ever business owners and managers want to make the most of their business data. The great news is that there are more and more great ways to do that. We saw many new and improved Business Intelligence tools; we liked Information Manager with the new Info-Explorer from Orchid Systems. We also liked the improvements to the best end user reporting tool, Stonefield Query for Accpac. In their new version 4 they have included what are called Application Views which combine relevant data to make report writing even easier. Controlling expenses is always on the mind of most business people. Tools like eRequester from Paperless Business Systems and Purchasing Workflow from Pacific Technology make controlling purchases fast and easy. Saving money is one thing but collecting it is even more important. One way to accomplish that is through electronic payment processing. Paytelligence a hot new product, that is setting a new standard for ease of use and efficiency in their fully integrated Payment Processing solution for Accpac. I really liked Sage ERP Accpac Time Billing by Enabling. It is a very well designed solution for companies that need project based time and expense tracking and billing. It integrates well with Outlook and Accpac. There were dozens of other great products for e-commerce, service management, manufacturing and more that I will talk about in future posts. The big “Wow” product for me was a tool called z.Find Enterprise Application Search by EVS. It is not actually released yet for Accpac but it allows users to search their business systems with a Google like search that finds information across modules and systems at lightning speed and with super accurate presentation. All in All it is very exciting times for Accpac and I am happy to be a part of the movement. If you would like to learn more about how to enhance your business with these solutions contact me at 212-997-5200 extension 4333 or via email.