Since the release of version 4.40 Product Update 3, Sage has published a one-page description of the features included in the release. The inclusion of compatibility with Microsoft Office 2010 is a new to this list (and not noted on the Chronicle of Enhancement Releases). Sage has also issued hot fixes to correct two previously reported issues as well as an issue with Paperless Office and General Ledger Journals.
Tag Archive for '4.40'
Installing Product Updates can be tricky business and should not be done without consideration. Case in point: Product Update 3 (4.40.0.3) was released by Sage on September 27 and in just the first two full days, two issues have been uncovered.
Both issues were first reported by DFeller at the Sage MAS Community Forum.
- /C Comments on Sales Orders are not included when the Sales Order is committed to Shipping Data Entry of Sales Order Invoice Data Entry. You may notice that the Inventory Item Comments are included. Resolution ID 529733
- Bill Kit Components do not populate into Materials tab in Work Order Entry. Resolution ID 529655
Inside of an hour, Sage responded within the forum to confirm that they were working on a resolution. Until the hotfix is released (and you want Sales Order Invoice comments or Bill Kit Components is Work Order), do not install Product Update 3.
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.
In a response to the feedback we have received since the June 29 Online User Group meeting which covered the version 4.40 release and Product Updates, the agenda for the Thursday, August 18 User Group meeting is being expanded to highlight several of the enhancements included with Product Update 2 which was released in July.
The conversation will include:
- Bank Reconciliation – Automatically Reconcile Checks: Efficiently and automatically reconcile check information you download from your financial institution.
- Bank Reconciliation – Positive Pay Export: 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.
- Accounts Payable – ACH Electronic Payments: 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.
The content for each User Group is crafted to suit those that attend. If you have an idea for a presentation or are curious about a particular feature or topic, please leave a comment and we will try to incorporate it into our meetings.
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.
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.
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.