Author Archive for Brian Rice

2010 K2 Enterprises 9th Annual Quality Awards

Published
by
Brian Rice
on September 28, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200 and Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

K2 Enterprises, a technology-focused continuing education provider for accountants and other professionals has released the list of recipients for their 9th Annual Quality Awards (which includes Sage North America in the Reseller Channel category and BizNet in the Financial Reporting category.)

Hammond, LA – September 27, 2010 ‐‐ K2 Enterprises today announced the recipients of their annual quality awards as follows:
· Reseller Program – Avalara
· CPA Program – QuickBooks ProAdvisor – Intuit, Inc.
· Installation Channel/Methodology – Intacct
· Reseller Channel – Sage North America
· New Product – iPad – Apple, Inc.
· New Module – MIP Fundraising Online – Sage
· New Technology – Intelliconnect – CCH
· Management Strategy – Thomson Reuters
· Technical Support – Conexxus
· Customer Satisfaction – AccountantsWorld, Inc.
· Ease of Use – Confirmation.com – Capital Confirmation
· Marketing Communications – Thomson Reuters
· Overall Quality – Windows 7 – Microsoft, Inc.
· Tax – Pro Systems fx – CCH
· Accounting Industry Press Coverage – CPA Technology Advisor
· Audit – Knowledge Coach – CCH
· Financial Reporting – BizNet
· Workflow – XCM – XCM Solutions
· Small Business Solution – Freshbooks
· Small CPA Firm Solution – Drake
K2 Enterprises is the premier provider of technology continuing professional education (CPE) in both the United States and Canada. With seminars in over 46 states in 2010, 1,000+ presentations, special events such as their turn‐key Annual Technology Conferences, CPE & Ski, K2 Enterprises ‐ Canada, they are the largest provider of technology CPE in North America.
K2 Enterprises CEO, Val Steed, announced five new categories this year.  “We feel like after nine years we needed to expand our awards a bit.  The accounting technology industry is becoming more specialized and I would imagine we will add a few more categories next year”.  Executive Vice President Randy Johnston said “I am especially pleased to see so many good candidates this year.  It certainly makes voting much more difficult and expanding the awards is the right thing to do”.
K2 Enterprises Annual Quality Awards are determined by a simple voting poll of the K2 Enterprises instructor team. The polling members of this team are Randy Johnston, Will Fleenor, Val Steed, Bob Spencer, Alan Salmon, Lawrence (Mac) McClelland, Tommy Stephens, Brian Tankersley, & Ilene Eisen.
K2 team votes are influenced by, end user feedback, and experience from consulting and extensive teaching. Detailed biographies on each of the polled members can be found at:
http://www.k2e.com/team

Product Update 3 for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.40 (4.40.0.03) released 09/27/10

Published
by
Brian Rice
on September 28, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 1 Comment

Following the plan outlined in the Product Road Map, Sage has released Product Update 3 (4.40.0.3) for MAS 90 and 200 adding a number of features to the popular Bank Reconciliation module.

  • Post to the General Ledger Module From Bank Reconciliation:In Bank Reconciliation, you can select the transactions to post to the General Ledger module using Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry, as well as the new Bank Reconciliation Check Entry and Bank Reconciliation Deposit and Adjustment Entry tasks. If you select to post the transactions to General Ledger, you can print and update the new Bank Reconciliation Transaction Register.
  • Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry and Reconcile Bank Changes: Bank Recap Report and Bank Reconciliation Transaction Register buttons have been added to Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry, as well as Reconcile Bank to use as a tool when reconciling the bank statement.
  • Bank Reconciliation Transaction Register: This new task has been added to the Bank Reconciliation Main menu, as well as Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry and Reconcile Bank to provide the ability to post selected transactions that are entered in Bank Reconciliation to the General Ledger module.
  • Security Events for Bank Reconciliation: In Role Maintenance, “Allow Updating of Registers from Preview” has been added for the Bank Reconciliation Transaction Register as a standard security event. Additionally, “Allow Access to the Select for G/L Posting Setting for Check Entries” and “Allow Access to the Select for G/L Posting Setting for Deposit and Adjustment Entries” have also been added as an option for the Bank Reconciliation module.
  • Paperless Office Options for Bank Reconciliation: You can now convert, save, and retrieve the Bank Reconciliation Report and Bank Reconciliation Transaction Register in PDF format. Additionally, you can e-mail and fax the PDFs.

The product update includes a full list of enhancements and corrections (including the cumulative details of Product Update 4.40.0.1-4.40.0.2) which can be read here. The product update can be downloaded here. Be careful to consider all of the integrated applications, enhancements and customizations your system is running.

Product Update 20 for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.30 (4.30.0.20) released 09/27/10

Published
by
Brian Rice
on September 28, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

Development and distribution of new features is something Sage has been actively working – just look at the Product Road Map and Product Releases 1-3 for version 4.40. Not turning their backs on those users continuing to run supported versions, Sage has released Product Update 20 for version 4.30. We only recommend you consider installing Product Updates if you are upgrading, re-installing or are experiencing an issue the update is intended to resolve. Be careful to consider all of the integrated applications, enhancements and customizations your system is running. Do not take an installation like this lightly.

Here are the issues this Product Update is intended to resolve. You can read the full list (including Product Updates 4.30.0.1-4.30.0.19) here and download the update here.

  • Accounts Payable: Now the data is printed correctly on the AP Expense by GL Account Report when making a selection based on UDF data
  • Bar Code: Legacy Bar Code imports for Standard and Back Order type sales orders can now be imported in the same import.
  • CRM (Sage EES Only): No longer receive error message “Opportunity is invalid for this customer” or “The   is no longer valid” when creating sales orders or quotes and assigning opportunities on the fly from Sage CRM.
  • Library Master: Country Code ‘Name’ can now be added to ship to address in Office Merge.
  • Sales Order: In a Sales Order Invoice Entry, if a lot item is entered, using the enter key to advance to the next row no longer duplicates the first line item entry to the second row.
  • System Setup: All Document Types display correctly in Starship.
  • TimeCard: An employee’s full social security number and address will now print on the Certified Payroll Report.

In the Field, On the Move, At Your Service

Published
by
Brian Rice
on September 28, 2010
in Make Your Business Better
. 0 Comments

With the implementation of several new technologies (Google Apps, Google Voice, Dropbox, WebEx, Zoho, and Smart Phones to name a few), everyone at Acuity Solutions has been able to break away from their desks at the office more frequently while remaining available and more easily accessible to our customers and vendors. Google Apps allow us to share calendars and documents while accessing our email from any browser. Google Voice distributes calls to multiple lines and immediately delivers messages. Dropbox enables file sharing. Webex provides remote access for customer service and support. Zoho tracks projects and cases. And of course, our Smart Phones allow us to access to all of this from anywhere we might be.

While we maintain the classroom (and the 7881 West Charleston Blvd. Suite 175, Las Vegas, NV 89117 address), our new mailing address is:

Acuity Solutions, LLC
9811 West Charleston Bvld. Suite 2-#856
Las Vegas, NV 89117

Phone: 702-966-2000
Fax: 702-522-1450
Web: www.acuitynv.com

FRx Original Equipment Manufacturer Agreement

Published
by
Brian Rice
on September 17, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments
The following is taken from a Sage email to their business partners.
Effective January 31, 2011, there will be an important change regarding the FRx module developed by Microsoft and marketed and sold by Sage. As a result of Microsoft’s decision to retire FRx, the module will no longer be distributed with Sage ERP MAS products. There are several changes you need to be aware of.
  • As of January 31, 2011, FRx will no longer be available for purchase through Sage for Sage ERP MAS products.
  • After January 31, 2011, customers current on maintenance and using FRx will continue to receive support from Sage. Microsoft will no longer be providing any bug fixes for issues found within the FRx product so Sage will only be able to support matters that involve the integration between Sage MAS and FRx.
  • Sage will maintain backward compatibility between FRx and Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 V4.5 and Sage ERP MAS 500 V7.4

Most of this isn’t new. We have written about the FRx retirement and possible alternatives BizInsight and Sage MAS ERP Intelligence (SMI). The take away is that Sage is confirming backward compatibility including MAS 90 and 200 version 4.50. The January 31, 2011 date is getting nearer, but this news appears to give users which are heavily reliant on FRx a bit more time.

Online User Group: September 23 at 10:00 am

Published
by
Brian Rice
on September 14, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 3 Comments

Much like a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system provides features beyond the sales tracking and customer services capabilities of MAS 90 and MAS 200, a Credit and Collections Management (CCM) system helps control the Accounts Receivable cycle.

You can begin to craft your CCM by reviewing 17 Fundamental of Effective Credit & Collections Management.

On Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 10:00 am, we will dive deeper into the requirements of a CCM system during the Sage MAS 90/200 Online User Group meeting. We will consider activity tracking, automation, documentation, work flow, and Business Intelligence. If you are interested in attending, leave a comment below and we will be certain to get your invitation to you.

Don’t forget that every User Group meeting concludes with the Open Forum where everyone has the opportunity to ask their MAS 90/200-related questions for feedback from other users and consultants.

Suggest, Collaborate, Vote: Product Enhancements

Published
by
Brian Rice
on September 8, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 1 Comment

Over the course of the last several releases, Sage has shipped a load of system enhancements. One might think there are too many to document, but Sage has taken care of that with the MAS 90 and 200 Chronicle of Releases. Sage’s development decisions are based on a number of

factors, most important of which is user feedback. With the VersionOne-powered Sage MAS 90 and 200 and Extended Enterprise Suite Ideas, we can all study, suggest,collaborate, and vote on ideas for future development. The site is organized by categories (Financial Management, Manufacturing, Sales & Distribution, Reports/BI, CRM, Integration, and General Enhancements), is completely searchable, and can be sorted by the latest suggestions, hot suggestions, top voted, planned for release, and completed.

You can create an account or browse anonymously, but participating is the best way to get your idea implemented and your request fulfilled. Of course you want your idea to get some votes, so leave a comment below and let us know why we should vote.

Sage MAS 90 and 200 Product Roadmap Updated

Published
by
Brian Rice
on September 8, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

Sage has again updated the public product roadmap for MAS 90 and 200 including information regarding upcoming product updates, the SQL release, and future versions.

Scheduled to ship before the end of 2010, Product Update 3 (September) and Product Update 4 (December) are not detailed to any degree. The roadmap only tells us that Product Update 3 will somehow further integrate Bank Rec and General Ledger. Product Update 4 will include Year-end Payroll updated, changes supporting the HIRE Act, and Q1 2011 Tax Table updates. Product Update 5 is scheduled for March 2011 and will include more integrated Extended Solutions

  • IM-1244 Inactive Item Designation
  • IM-1111 Security for Inventory Inquiry
  • IM-1119 Physicall Count Entry by Ticket Number
  • LM-1028 Background Color by Company Code
  • AP-1101 Multiple Company Aged Invoice Report
  • AP-1043 Distribution Table for Invoice Entry
  • AP-1077 Additional Check Printing Sort Option

Sage MAS 200 version 4.45 is targeted for release in October 2010 and will offer a SQL backend. There are several details that are still being clarified (including why the SQL backend will only be made available for new installation, read: no upgrades). The SQL backend should be available for everyone with the version 4.50 release (Q3 2011). The 4.50 release is also scheduled to include a merged Extended Enterprise Suite (which I interpret as a new licensing structure for integrated MAS 90 and 200 with SageCRM) and fourteen more Extended Solutions titles (for Payroll, Sales Order, Accounts Receivable, and Purchase Order).

Another word on the SQL release: Payroll, Job Cost, Work Order, and e-Business Manager (prior framework modules) will not be available. More information about the SQL release will follow when it becomes available.

Bank Code Field Limitations

Published
by
Brian Rice
on August 31, 2010
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

To some businesses, it might seem negligible but to others it is vital. The Bank Code field in MAS 90 and 200 is limited to a single character which means any single organization can have up to 36 bank accounts (26 alpha plus 10 numeric characters). With the number of locations that Bank Code file writes to in a MAS 90 or 200 installation, extending the field to two or more characters is a daunting task.

Wisely, our friends as DSD Business Systems in San Diego, have programmed a system enhancement allowing lower-case characters in the Bank Code field. Now 62 bank accounts are available (26 lower-case alpha, 26 upper-case alpha, plus 10 numeric characters).

Discovering Excel: Free Anytime Learning

Published
by
Brian Rice
on August 31, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

Sage University offers paid Anytime Learning subscriptions, a convenient way to train multiple users a variety of topics. From time to time, some of these topics are listed at no charge. This is one of those times.

One might assume Sage is offering the Discovering Excel course to help users incorporate Sage MAS ERP Intelligence or BizInsights as FRx nears the end of its life cycle. While this course my seem elementary to some seasoned Excel users, a no charge introduction or refresher is a welcome offer.

To take advantage of the offer, create an account at Sage University, navigate to Sage MAS Training, choose Search by Type and select Anytime Learning.