It’s a questions I hear all of the time: “What has changes since the version we are running?” If we’re talking about the latest release, the answer can be straight-forward. However, the answer to that question can be complicated in some cases (if an upgrade hasn’t been installed over the last several releases) and just plain impossible to remember other times (it might not seem like a long time ago, but 3.71 was released over five years ago). To give a complete answer, I usually have to share Sage’s release notes or pre-release guides which are usually 20 to 30 pages each.
Recently, Sage launched a Chronicle of Enhancement Releases outlining the “wide array of enhancements through previous releases” all the way back to version 3.50 which was issued nine years ago. Curiously, the lastest release, 4.30 isn’t included but if you send me an email, I will share the 26-page pre-release guide.
Sage releases new promotions each fiscal quarter. On occasion a promotion valid for only the final month of the quarter is announced and on those occasions, the promotion is usually pretty valuable. I’ll let you be the judge this time.
By purchasing any MAS 90 module valued at $500 or more or any MAS 200 module valued at $1000 or more, Sage will add an additional user license for free. If you are thinking about adding a module, there certainly is no better time that when the publisher is giving something away, but keep in mind, your free license includes a maintenance fee that won’t be waived and will increase your annual subscription. The offer expires on September 30. Leave a comment if you have any questions.
The long-assumed industry standard financial reporting tool, Microsoft’s FRx is nearing the end of it’s life cycle. As of December 31, 2010, no new licenses (this means viewers or designers too) will be issued. As of December 31, 2012, Microsoft will discontinue support.
While it is some time away, some businesses are already searching for an alternative, Others might be looking for an alternative to the Standard Financials from MAS 90. Others still may still be looking for an option that doesn’t require re-keying data into Excel for analysis. If you into any of these categories, I suggest you join us for a free webinar highlighting BizInsight.
BizInsightTM, from BizNet software addresses the typical pitfalls of Excel. 100% Excel-based, BizInsight comes pre-integrated with “drag and drop” live links to your MAS 90/200 data. It installs quickly, requires no any additional hardware, and is easy to learn. In addition, it comes with on-the-fly business intelligence out of the box. All from within Excel.
If you manually key spreadsheet reports month after month or are you afraid to touch certain Excel reports for fear of breaking them; if you are looking for an alternative to FRx or Standard Financials, reserve your seat next Thursday, September 24 at 10:00 am.
Click here to RSVP for the free webinar.
The integration with Crystal Reports is one of the most popular features of MAS 90 and MAS 200 and Introduction to Crystal Reports has long been one of our most popular courses. A soft prerequisite for this course and a requirement for the Advanced Crystal Reports course is Data Files Structures.
Each business has one knowledgeable user that serves as the first line support. The person everyone goes to as soon something fishy happens. Sometimes it is someone in IT; sometimes they are in Accounting. I recommend Data Files Structures for these users or for any user that want to master their accounting application. The lessons included in the course translate to skills like modifying Crystal forms, writing new Crystal Reports, diagnosing system messages and advanced tasks such as creating imports and business alerts.
We will be adding this course to our schedule this year. If you are interested or have an employee that needs this course, leave a note in the comments.