Archive

Scheduled Product Updates

Published
by
Brian Rice
on July 19, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

The Sage MAS 90 and 200 Product Update 2 was released on schedule. A review of the product’s Public Road Map shows there are three remaining updates in the pipeline, each estimated to be release (approximately) over the coming successive calendar quarters. Here is a break down of the details expected to be included with each update. The information in parentheses is the former Extended Solution inventory number.

Product Update 3: estimated Q3 2010 release

  • Customers with National Accounts (AR 1068)
  • Price Level By Customer/Product Line (SO 1005)

Product Update 4: estimated Q4 2010 release

  • Contract Pricing By Valid Date (IM 1069)
  • Additional Pricing Tiers for Item Pricing (IM 1097)
  • Customer Discount Rate by Line Item (SO 1069)
  • Item Pricing By Total Quantity (SO 1173)

Product Update 5: estimated Q1 2011 release

  • Distribution Table For Invoice Entry (AP 1043)
  • Additional Check Printing Sort Option (AP 1077)
  • Multiple Company Aged Invoice Report (AP 1101)
  • Multiple Company Bank Reconciliation (BR 1002)
  • Security For Inventory Inquiry (IM 1111)
  • ‘Inactive’ Item Designation (IM 1244 )
  • Background Color by Company Code (LM 1028)
  • Enhanced Faxing for Paperless Office (LM 1033)
  • Enhanced Batch Processing (SO 1100)
  • Back Orders Allowed By Customer (SO 1269)

Sage MAS 90 and 200 Product Update Released

Published
by
Brian Rice
on July 16, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 1 Comment

The much anticipated batch of integrated Extended Solutions and enhancements that represent version 4.40 Product Update 2 have been released. We previously outlined the expected details and with the download available (active Business Care and user account required), there is now official documentation as well as granular descriptions.

Be careful to consider all of the integrated applications, enhancements and customizations your system is running. This is the equivalent of an upgrade: do not take a product update installation lightly.


Online Meeting: Sage MAS 90 and 200 User Group

Published
by
Brian Rice
on July 16, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 1 Comment

The Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 User Group will be meeting online again in July. Live meetings return (look for notices here) in August.

The July meeting will include a presentation of BizInsight, a potential replacement for FRx or Custom Financials (with additional flexibility and capabilities). Following the presentation and Q&A session, we will continue with the open forum where the floor is yours to share your stories or ask questions: your fellow users and service pros will be ready to help.

Join us for the 60-minute meeting on July 22 at 10:00 am. Space is limited so reserve your seat now.

Here is a short description of BizInsight directly from the publisher:

Looking for a suitable replacement for FRx? In addition to replacing FRx, are you also looking to enhance your financial reporting and analysis capabilities? BizNet Software has the answer. BizNet’s BizInsight™ is an Excel-based financial reporting and analytics solution that delivers simple, yet powerful, reporting and analysis capabilities to business users. Designed with the assistance of FRx professionals, BizInsight makes it easy to gain immediate control of the entire reporting and analysis process and allows users to produce reports accurately, efficiently and more easily than ever before.

Sage MAS 90 and 200 – 941 Form, Tax Table, New HIRE Act Updates Released

Published
by
Brian Rice
on July 1, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 2 Comments

Updated 941 Forms are now available through the 2010 Q2 Payroll Update. We encourage all Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Payroll customers to download and install this update, which captures and processes the employee information required for compliance with the new HIRE Act. The new 941 form is required for Q2 filings for all Payroll customers even if the HIRE Act does not apply to you. New Tax Table Updates for 2010 Q3 are also available. To download the 941 Forms and Tax Table updates:

1.  Login to Sage Software Online by following this link: .

2.  For 2010 Q2 Payroll Updates, follow this link.

3.  For Tax Table Updates, follow this link.

Like all updates to a live system, every precaution should be taken including verifying a reliable back up (and working with a MAS 90 and 200 professional).

The HIRE Act encourages companies to hire unemployed workers by exempting certain wages from the employer’s portion of Social Security taxes (payroll tax exemption), and by providing employers with a business tax credit if new hires are retained for at least 52 consecutive weeks. For an employer to receive these tax benefits, the unemployed worker must be a “qualified individual”. A qualified individual is anyone who:

  1. Begins work for a qualified employer after Feb. 3, 2010 and before Jan. 1, 2011
  2. Certifies by signed affidavit (under penalties of perjury) that he has not been employed for more than 40 hours during the 60-day period ending on the date the employment begins
  3. Is not employed to replace another employee of the employer unless that former employee separated from employment voluntarily, or for cause
  4. Is not related to the employer (under rules similar to those for related individuals in IRC §51(i) ) [ IRC §3111(d)(1) ].

The IRS has drafted Form W-11, Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act Employee Affidavit, to help employers meet the second requirement under “qualified individual”. The form instructions state that the employee must complete and sign the affidavit, or a similar statement, under penalties of perjury, for an employer to receive the tax benefits under the HIRE Act. The Form W-11 requires qualified individuals to provide their name, Social Security Number (SSN), first date of employment, and name of the employer.

Additional information can be found on the IRS website.

New HIRE Act and the Q2 941 for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200

Published
by
Brian Rice
on June 30, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

For those anxiously awaiting the Payroll Update file for Sage MAS 90 and 200 including changes affected by the new HIRE Act and the Q2 Form 941, the wait is over.

On the support pages, Sage has posted the file for versions 4.30, 4.40.0, and 4.40.0.1. The file for versions 3.71-4.20 will be posted next.

Online: MAS 90 and 200 User Group Meeting

Published
by
Brian Rice
on June 29, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

During the first online meeting of the MAS 90 and 200 User Group meeting, we were able to cover several different aspects of the version 4.40 release that we have covered here in the past or as part of the updated What’s New in Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.4? web pages including the Top Reasons to Upgrade MAS 90 and 200. In particular, we discussed Product Update 1 and the scheduled Product Update 2.

What are the features of the newest releases that have the greatest affect on you as a user? If you were able to attend the meeting, please let us know what you thought of the meeting.

The Case For Organized Data

Published
by
Brian Rice
on June 29, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

Why are we using a software application to manage our financial data? Of course there are several answers (and several of them, if not all are correct), but if we ask a series of “why” questions, we will arrive at the core reason: to understand data and make decisions. To make decisions, the data must be organized.

This is the reason so many users say that reporting (specifically custom reporting) is so important to their organization. The data has been collected, indexed, and stored, but if it cannot be organized into logical and comprehensible outputs, the software application is not serving its primary function of organizing financial data.

There are a number of tools to organize the data in Sage MAS 90 and 200 including Crystal Reports. After including the classroom course Introduction to Crystal Reports on our class schedule for several years, in 2009 we added Data File Structures and Crystal Reports: Beyond the Basics (a total of five full days of classroom education). These five days alone won’t be sufficient to qualify any user as a Crystal Reports expert; practical, in field application of the knowledge is required to master Crystal Reports for MAS 90 and 200, but these courses are a good start.

Introduction to Crystal Reports
(soft prerequisite: Data File Structures)
December 7-8

Data File Structures
August 9
October 25
December 6

Crystal Reports: Beyond The Basics
(hard prerequisites: Data File Structures, Introduction to Crystal Reports)
August 10-11
October 26-27

If you are interested in these or any other courses but your schedule does not permit you to attend, leave a comment below and we will see if arrangements can be made to accommodate your calendar.

Pending Product Update 2 for Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 version 4.40

Published
by
Brian Rice
on June 24, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments
Sage released MAS 90 and 200 version 4.40 with four scheduled Product Updates. Following the release of Product Update 1, the details for Product Update 2 have been released and include both Extended Solutions (which were previously available for an additional licensing fee) and user-requested enhancements for Bank Reconciliation, Paperless Office and Accounts Payable (with a data utility thrown in for good measure).
  • Bank Reconciliation – Automatically Reconcile Checks (similar to BR-1005) Efficiently and automatically reconcile check information you download from your financial institution. Use the new Auto Check Reconciliation Wizard to create the proper check setting format for your financial institution per their specifications. Or, your Business Partner can configure the setting in their office, export the file, and then import it into your system.
  • Bank Reconciliation – Enforce Tighter Controls over Bank Reconciliation Adjusting Entries (New) Further refine and control who is allowed to enter modifications to the Current Balance in Bank Reconciliation using a new option in Role Maintenance, Common Information. For banks defined in Bank Code Maintenance, you can specify the users who are allowed to access and make adjusting balance entries.
  • Bank Reconciliation – Enter Checks, Deposits, and Adjustments On-the-Fly (New) In Reconcile Bank, you have instant access to enter checks, deposits, and adjustments through a quick link button to bring you directly into Check or Deposit and Adjustment Entry for that bank — without navigating all the way back to the main menu to open a data entry screen, or existing your Reconcile Bank screen.
  • Bank Reconciliation – Conveniently Use Recalculate Outstanding Entries Totals Utility (New) To improve workflow, the Recalculate Outstanding Entries Totals Utility is available from the Bank Reconciliation module, via the Utilities Menu. This utility allows you to recalculate the totals of all outstanding check, deposit, and adjustment entries that have not been marked as cleared.
  • Bank Reconciliation – Positive Pay Export (similar to BR-1004) Deter check fraud using the new Positive Pay features in the Bank Reconciliation module. Positive Pay assists your financial institution to monitor against suspicious check activity using a file you create and submit for comparison and verification. The Positive Pay file contains key information, such as check numbers and dollar amounts, to identify only the checks you have issued and authorized for payment. Components of the check must match exactly, or the check will not be paid by the financial institution. Checks sent to the bank using Positive Pay are identified with an Exported check box In Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry.
  • Bank Reconciliation – Positive Pay Export Wizard (New) Use the new Positive Pay Export Wizard to create the proper export file format specified by our financial institution, for comparison of the file you send with the checks that are presented for payment. To help you understand and translate formatting requirements, we’ve included a reference document that outlines the most commonly used field formatting and export details required by financial institutions. And, if your financial institution updates their specified file format, you can also use the Positive Pay Export Wizard to make the necessary changes without depending on a programmer to re-format it for you.
  • Bank Reconciliation – Expanded Comment Field (New) In Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry, the Comment field has been expanded to 2048 characters to allow you to add information to track why the adjustment was made.
  • Accounts Payable – ACH Electronic Payments(similar to AP-1063) Increase your efficiencies, improve your cash management, reduce operating costs and lessen the risk of lost or stolen checks by paying vendors electronically using an ACH file created from the Accounts Payable module. Enable ACH electronic payments, define how they will be handled by your company, and the type of information that will be transmitted to your financial institution. You have the flexibility to select and set up one or more financial institution(s) for your electronic payments, and for each one you select, define the format and layout of the ACH file. The feature includes pre-note functionality, and flexibility in your electronic payment distribution, including options to allocate amounts between one or more accounts. ACH information on processed payments, historical information and vendors paid electronically is available on AP Reports. They can include auto checks, manual checks, voided checks, reversals, credit card transfers, electronic payments, wire transfer information in any combination.
  • Paperless Office — Accounts Payable Checks, Extended Stubs, and Electronic Payment Remittance Advices (similar to AP-1095) Save time, money, and the environment by utilizing Paperless Office to process, send and retain electronic copies of Accounts Payable checks and extended stubs, and remittance advices created for ACH Electronic Payments in PDF format. Add a unique message to include when emailing or faxing electronic remittances. The PDFs you create are also available to e-mail and fax, retrieve and archive. Easily access PDFs using the Vendor Viewer from Paperless Office or the Checks panel in Vendor Maintenance Inquiry.
  • Product Update Pre-Installation Scan Feature (New) Utilize the Product Update Pre-Installation Scan to ensure good data integrity during the installation process of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.4 Product Updates. Conveniently add this maintenance step to your normal process whenever you install a new product update to ensure your data is sound. Determine your data’s health during your routine Product Update installation, and utilize Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Library Master Utilities for corrections as needed.  Prevent spending hours correcting data from a power outage or other natural or human-induced disaster.

Credit Card Security and PCI Compliance

Published
by
Brian Rice
on June 18, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

If you are accepting credit cards as a form of payment, July 1, 2010 will be a big day. This is the day be which all credit card merchants (businesses accepting credit cards) must be using a PA-DSS compliant payment application. If you are using MAS 90 or MAS 200 to process credit cards and running versions 4.30.0.18 or 4.40.0.1, you are in the clear for this requirement. If you are accepting credit cards through some other process like a stand-alone point of sale or other software application, you will need to verify that it is also PA-DSS compliant.

Beyond the PA-DSS requirment (the software portion of compliance) which was setup by the Payment Card Industry, there is also the PCI-DSS (Data Security Standard),  technological and physical controls of card holder data and the processes used to manage those controls. These physical controls include addressing details like where records are stored, who has access to these areas, how the records are retained, and when they are destroyed. There are varying levels of controls for the varying types of merchants, but if you maintaining card holder data in MAS 90 or MAS 200, you are considered Level 4.

To meet the standards, you must complete a Self Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). To give you an idea of how seriously these standards are taken, the Level 4 SAQ includes 222 questions. The good news is that you don’t have to handle this on your own. Sage has partnered with a Qualified Assessor (QA) in Trustwave. For $85 annually, Trustwave provides an SAQ assistance tool, security awareness training for your staff, and will complete monthly security scans (better than the quarterly scans required by PCI-DSS).

Be certain, there is a great deal of work to do and detail to monitor, but consider the risk if you customer data is compromised:

  • Damage to your brand
  • Costs of investigation
  • Cost of remediation
  • Fines and fees
  • Ongoing compliance audits
  • Victim notification costs
  • Financial loss
  • Data loss
  • Charge backs
  • Operational disruptions

By working with a QA like Trustwave, you will ease the burden of becoming compliant and reduce your risk of exposure. If you have done everything you can to maintain your compliance, your business should receive some sympathy from the card brand if data is compromised.

I have mentioned it before and will mention it again. Sage has created a PCI Compliance website. The information is thorough and updated often.

July Sage MAS 90 and 200 User Group

Published
by
Brian Rice
on June 15, 2010
in MAS 90 and MAS 200
. 0 Comments

The July edition of the Sage MAS 90 and 200 User Group will be our second online meeting. We will look at plans to replace FRx through BizInsight, a business intelligence and reporting tool from BizNet Software. Both FRx and Custom Financials users will learn about the additional flexibility and capabilities BizInsight provides. Following the presentation, we will following with a live Question and Answer session.

Join us for the 60-minute meeting on July 22 at 10:00 am. Space is limited so reserve your seat now.

Here is a short description of BizInsight directly from BizNet Software:

Looking for a suitable replacement for FRx? In addition to replacing FRx, are you also looking to enhance your financial reporting and analysis capabilities? BizNet Software has the answer. BizNet’s BizInsight™ is an Excel-based financial reporting and analytics solution that delivers simple, yet powerful, reporting and analysis capabilities to business users. Designed with the assistance of FRx professionals, BizInsight makes it easy to gain immediate control of the entire reporting and analysis process and allows users to produce reports accurately, efficiently and more easily than ever before.