This past week I’ve been seeing deals on all types of accounting software. This morning I spotted this red hot money saver on Peachtree 2009 Complete and Act! 2009 Standard Edition.
After rebates (and two of the rebates can be applied for online using Staple’s EZ Rebate system) you can purchase both Peachtree Complete 2009 and Act! 2009 Standard for a net cost of negative $27.
Popular deal seeking web site SlickDeals has the details as well as links to the products and rebate forms.
Here’s a quick resolution to a very common error message that occurs with Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 Payroll Direct Deposit (Extended Solution PR-1017).
If you receive the message:
While trying to update your payroll register — take the following action:
Link: Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 Direct Deposit Manual (PR-1017)
An unofficial Facebook event page is now live in advance of the Sage Insights 2009 Conference being held May 11 to 14 in Nashville TN.
Joining the unofficial Facebook event page allows for those attending Insights to network, exchange messages as well as share photos.
Everyone who signs up on the event page will receive periodic updates from the conference. This will include notice of any special networking meetings (we’re trying to convince Sage to have an informal get together for all of the people who contribute to the Sage online community forums).
One of the most valuable parts of any conference is the people that you meet and exchange ideas with. Join up via the unofficial Sage Insights 2009 Facebook event page and start networking now and stay in touch throughout the entire Insights Conference.
I’m surprised to see so much confusion among my clients about the year/month end closing process.
Virtually everyone hesitates to close their books for fear of not being able to go back and make an entry when their accounting staff or CPA eventually give them the journal entries needed to close out their old fiscal year.
Here’s my tip(s):
Starting with 4.2 1099 forms are less of a hassle because the totals are tracked for multiple years, but I still recommend you print and close the 1099 processing in a timely fashion. And remember that you won’t be able to take advantage of the latest software improvements if you are on an old MAS 90 version.
What so many people fail to realize is you can re-open the general ledger very easily. I recommend not developing crazy “workarounds” for year end. Close the period (most people strive to do it by the 10th or 15th of the following month) regularly and do away with worrying about keeping months open.
Stay on the latest version – it’s really tempting (but a bad idea) to cling to the older versions. If you avoid moving to version 4.3 you give up the ability to go paperless with monthly closings as well as productivity features (like the ability of 1099 forms to track information for unlimited years instead of just two) that greatly enhance the speed with which you can print reports.
Close your system each and every month – pick a date by which your books will be closed out each month. And close. Don’t be concerned about having to go back and make an entry into a closed period. It’s been our experience that many more people worry about closed periods than actually ever have to re-open them to post entries.
Plan for year end – realize the consolidating 15 different entities into one is probably best accomplished outside of your annual closign process. Instead take non-year end work — out of year end. Test and implement major changes during your normally slower times of the year.
Did I miss a tip — or get something wrong? Let me know in the comments below.
The software company behind the widely used Retail Pro point of sale software has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
According to a story from Multichannel Merchant, the Retail Pro parent company and a subsidiary Page-Digital filed bankruptcy re-organization on January 10, 2009.
According to the article:
Retail Pro has been struggling to survive over the past several years with declining sales and fewer annual maintenance renewals. On Sept. 5, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed securities fraud charges against Retail Pro and two of its former CEOs, as well as a former chief financial officer, for their roles in an accounting fraud scheme designed to falsely inflate Island Pacific’s revenues.
Retail Pro offers and integration to the Sage MAS 90 and 200 accounting software system. While it’s been some time since we’ve worked with it, the integration several years ago was fairly impressive with most data flowing seamlessly to the General Ledger and Accounts Receivable.
The other widely used solution for Sage MAS 90 and 200 is a Point of Sale solution which used to be offered directly by Sage themselves but has since been taken over by another third party developer.
Have you heard of the Twitter micro-blogging service? It’s a handy way to keep in touch with peers and friends. The primary use of Twitter is to publish short (maximum 140 character) messages that answer the question “what are you doing”.
Naturally the messages on Twitter have evolved to the point where people now ask questions such as “does anyone know how to ____”. These questions cover a huge range of topics and can be a perfect opportunity for your company to interact with a potential customer.
There’s a new software beta from Seeismic that adds some very helpful tools that will let you use Twitter without pulling the hair out of your head.
By default Twitter’s web client shows you messages addressed only to your name and only when that name is right at the beginning of the message.
Twhirl (beta) solves this problem by now including all mentions of your name in the default Twitter feed.
Using Twhirl you can now also create searches for keywords. For example my keywords are “mas90″, “sage sofwtare”, and “blackberry”. These keyword searches can be viewed individually within the software or you can have the show up in your main Twitter feed where they are most likely to be noticed.
Finally, the new Twhirl program integrates with a service called Ping.fm which lets you update all of your social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendfeed, etc) from one location. So now instead of having to visit multiple web sites to update your status you can do it all automatically from within Twhirl.
If you’ve looked at Twitter before and found it too confusing, this may be a perfect time to take another look. Twhirl is beta so you must receive an invitation (request here) to get the download link. However it’s well worth the time to request and install this software because it makes Twitter use even easier.
Taylor Macdonald, the popular former Chief Channel and Strategy Officer for Sage Software and more recently the Worldwide Channel Boss for Deltek has joined interactive learning technology provider Promethean as Vice President of Channels.
Taylor Macdonald will be charged with leading and developing Promethean’s North American sales channel which will involve both resellers and strategic partner agreements.
One of Promethean’s offerings is an Activeclassroom solution designed to help educators by using a whiteboard which integrates with wireless technology. Their ActiveSoftware Inspire Edition creates realistic whiteboard teaching environments which combine full-color video, sound and graphics.
The latest version of Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 version 4.4 will be previewed in a free web seminar on February 6, 2009 at 1pm EST.
The modules which are slated for upgrade are: Inventory, Bill of Materials and Purchase Order.
Join Roberta Vigil, product manager, as she steps through a demonstration of the Sage MAS 90 and 200 new features.
Official Description:
Join us for a preview of the new features and enhancements available in the upcoming version 4.4 release of Sage MAS 90 and 200. Presented by Product Manager Roberta Vigil, this session will provide an overview of the new and improved functionality being introduced through business framework for Inventory Management, Purchase Order, and Bill of Materials planned for release later this year.
Several of my Sage MAS 90 reseller friends were contacted by their clients who subscribe to Avalara’s sales tax processing and reporting service. These clients noticed on January 21, 2008 that their Avalara Sales Tax processing add-on for Sage MAS 90 and 200 was either not connecting or very slow in reaching the Internet to obtain and updated sales tax processing information.
Avalara is an outsourced Sales Tax processor who have a link for the Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 accounting system. As you process sales orders the program reaches out over the Internet to the Avalara servers to compute the exact tax based on shipping location and other appropriate tax rules.
One Sage VAR described the January 21, 2009 outage as “six hours” while another reported only varying lengths of time and their connection problems were only described as “slow”.
According to an email just shared, Avalara has this explanation:
Yesterday Avalara’s Avatax system suffered a disruption caused by an unexpected error during a routine maintenance activity. This error impacted multiple systems and required intensive effort to restore all functionality. During this time, customers experienced varying levels of disruption, from complete outage to slow response times. Detailed analysis has resulted in the establishment of several new processes and procedures designed to eliminate the possibility of a recurrence of this or similar issues. In addition, Avalara is in the process of implementing a significant hardware upgrade that will dramatically improve the reliability and performance or our system. Additional reliability related improvements are planned for release during the first half of 2009. We apologize for the inconvenience and seek to assure you and all customers that we are committed to constantly improving the dependability of our technology and service.
Generally acknowledged as a good sales tax service, the Avalara weakness seems to be both the reliance on a remote Internet site to calculate sales tax and return the proper amounts (when the site is down so is your tax calculation) as well as some speed issues with calculating tax on large sales orders.
The workaround for times when the tax service may be unavailable (and we haven’t heard of any other widespread outages like this) is to change the tax code from the Avalara provided code to another. Then when service returns, swap the code back to Avalara and re-calculate the tax. This provides a mini-workaround that would unfortunately result in a delayed posting of invoices until the tax could be re-computed.
Resellers who work with Avalara on a daily basis report that new software connectors supplied by the company appear to resolve some of the slow speed and connectivity issues.
Do you need a Bill of Lading solution for your Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 accounting software? How about one that will integrate directly to your Sage MAS 90 and 200 Sales Order data?
Meet Starship Freight.
No … we’re not talking about the rock group.
This is the Starship software program from V-Technologies that integrates rather seamlessly with MAS 90 and MAS 200 (version 4.1 or higher required for Starship Freight).
Learn how V-Technologies newest product, Starship Freight, can help you ship via LTL common carrier and generate all the require paperwork including the most common Bill of Lading formats and even pallet labels.
This one hour demonstration will feature:
The session is free – open to all – and lasts about an hour with time left at the end for your questions and Caroline’s answers.
To enroll – follow this link.
For more information on Starship Freight – visit V-Technologies
Starship Freight is a new module ($3,500 – single user / $700 add’l user / $2,500 five user) for Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 that provides for shipments that utilize LTL trucking common carriers.
One of the unique things about Starship Freight is that the software now replaces the Shipping Data Entry for nearly all activities (packing lists are still printed in the Shipping Data Entry module).
You may combine multiple Sales Orders into one shipment and then place that shipment within separate pallets and automatically notify the carrier that your order is ready for pickup.
Here are some rough notes that I took during an hour long demonstration that was just hosted for one of my clients by V-Technologies.
Targeted users are those with large, palletized freight
- Initiate shipping from Starship Freight and not MAS90 Shipping Data Entry
- line item detail from Sales Order (for bill of lading)
- pick pack functionality (optional)
- print BOL and Pallet Labels
- Uses Microsoft SQL 2005
- Server/Seat licensing separate from MAS 90 / MAS 200 (previously the licensing was unlimited)
Tip: Starship 10.1 combines parcel and freight (hoping for year end 2009) — unsure on timing of final release but seems more like it will be in the first half of 2010. (Standard disclaimers about projected shipping dates apply)
Three carriers currently supported (more to be added as other carriers have API availability)
Freightquote.com
- 3pl – muli-carrier
- Electronically tender & book (don’t have to call the carrier for pickup)
- Shipment visibility (tracking) – only for freightquote.com shipments you’ve selected
Yellow
- Generate PRO #
- Electronically tender & book
- Shipment visibility
SMC3 – coming soon
- must license the tarrifs (additional cost)
-
There is no rating engine built in
- one of the rating methods is freightquote.com for rating.
- freightquote will load negotiated rates as well as freightquote negotiated rates
- service of freightquote is free if you select their rates (at least sometime)
- there is a possible monthly fee if you don’t use the freightquote rate – there’s a salesperson who is assigned to your account
- Note: Sounds like freightquote.com takes a piece of your freight and if you don’t use them then they can charge you a fee
-
Requires MAS 90 or MAS 200 4.1 or higher
- Can ship against orders (takes place of shipping data entry) and you can do multiple orders to place onto one shipment
- Most people start at Sales Order
- Shows “related orders” by looking at the ship to address of other open orders
-
Potential Issue/Concern:
Can’t look up the rate ahead of time to quote the customer on freight — rating of the carrier is not required.
If you load up negotiated rates – then freightquote.com carrier rates are not displayed (even if lower)
Freight write back can be turned off if you quote the customer the freight in advance.
SLP Pricing:
Starship Freight – $3,500
Includes:
- 1 seat
- server
User Pricing (additional)
- $700/seat for an additional single user
- 5 seats $2,500 – concurrent licensing (NOT named)
If you’ve experienced an error 20 SY_MemoHandler_BUS.pvc while trying to delete a memo from your Sage MAS 90 customer master file (this error will also occur on MAS 200) then here’s something you should check.
Make sure that you don’t have any quotation marks in the memo code. We’ve found that as far back as Sage MAS 90 version 4.1 that having a quotation mark as part of your memo code will produce the above error condition and make it impossible to delete the memo code with the quote.
The only fix that we’ve found is to use Data File Display and Maintenance to manually remove the quotes.
The latest pricing promotions for Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 have been released by Sage Software. In order to qualify for any of these promotions your order must be placed prior to March 31, 2009.
Promotions are always applied to the product portion of any software costs and not against the recurring software maintenance.
In order to participate in these promotions (and to purchase any new modules or product licenses), a current Sage Basic Software Maintenance Plan is required.
I’ve included a complete listing of all promotions as distributed by Sage Software earlier this month.
Some of the more noteworthy promotions are:
New purchasers of Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 should look no farther than the Extended Enterprise Suite. This bundle includes:
We are seeing extremely aggressive upgrade pricing for existing users of Sage MAS 90 and 200 that starts at about $500 per user (minimum 5 users) to upgrade from standard MAS 90 to EES (Extended Enterprise Suite). In most instances you should strongly consider EES even if all you need is an extra module or two.
Sage Software is currently running a promotion with EES that gives you 2 extra users for every 5 you purchase.
Below is the official promotional sheet distributed this quarter that goes into greater detail about the savings that are being offered.
Sage MAS90 and MAS200 Winter 2009 Pricing Promotions
The complete manual for the just release BlackBerry 8900 has just been posted online. This guide spotlights the features of this updated GSM version of the popular Curve product line.
Except for the relatively pokey EDGE data speeds, there is a lot to like in this updated Curve (code named Javelin).
3.2 megapixel camera
quad band GSM
UMA voice and data services
Wi-Fi
OS version 4.6
T-Mobile MyFaves
The BlackBerry Curve 8900 (aka Javelin) is rumored to be arriving on the T-Mobile network on February 11, 2009. There is some information that it may launch sooner for business network customers with a date of January 19, 2009 being rumored.
Below is the product information sheet for the BlackBerry 8900 on T-Mobile which lists it’s specifications and features.
This update includes important, new tax law changes that are now in place along with the latest rules, rates and IRS forms. Provisions made to your software include, but are not limited to, the following:
Tax Rules
* The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which offers adjustments to Section 179 limits, is now accounted for.
* The Heartland, Habitat, Harvest and Horticulture Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Act), which allows a 168k bonus and Section 179 expensing, is now included.
Tax Rates
* Updated Tax Limits. The 2009.1 tax update complies with the scheduled updates to the Section 179 limits and luxury auto limits. This includes a reduction in the Section 179 limit from $250,000 to $133,000.
* Updated ITC Credits. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 created new ITC credits and extended the dates or increased the percentage for existing credits. Included are new credits for historic properties, advanced coal projects, and green energy expenditures.
* Increased Section 179 Limits for Two New Property Zones. The 2009.1 tax update includes Section 179 dollar limits for two new property zones: the Qualified Disaster Zone and the Kansas Disaster Zone. The update also includes increased Section 179 limits for Gulf Opportunity Zone and Enterprise Zone property. Tax Forms
* Updated forms are now available, such as the 4562 and worksheets for your 3468, 4255, 4626 and 4797.
* Assets Snapshot. Get an at-a-glance graphical summary of important information for instant command over your fixed asset “portfolio”.
* Report Writer with Crystal Reports® XI . While still offering the ability to customize built-in standard reports, now you can more easily integrate Sage FAS data with data from other sources, specify run-time input parameters, create charts and graphs, and so much more.
* New IRS Form 4562-FY, which reflects recently instated depreciation and amortization allowances.
Need more details? Be sure to view the What’s New document for complete information!
This update will be automatically mailed to you on CD over the next few weeks. Or, you can download it now and get more information by visiting: www.sagefas.com/update.
We provide all technical support for Sage MAS 90 and 200 under an unlimited telephone support agreement. This removes the need for our clients to worry that their staff will be charged for technical support questions. Since our plan covers as many technical questions as the staff may have – there’s seldom a need (unless additional services have been requested) for an extra suport charge.
It’s important to realize that this fee is for support and not the basic maintenance which is charged annually by Sage Software for their product upgrades.
The following form is required by Sage Software before Schulz Consulting can:
Once you file a Reseller of Record form, Sage Software will change their records to show that Schulz Consulting is handling your account.
Schulz Consulting requires new clients to file this form because it generally greatly speeds the process should we need to access information online about your company (maintenance renewal dates, etc).
The following is the updated pricing for basic maintenance (ongoing technology upgrades) for Sage MAS 90 and 200 accounting software. These amounts represent the suggested list price as charged by Sage Software. They are not discounted and must be paid annually on your maintenance renewal date in order to continue to receive software upgrades and other good and valuable program benefits.
Sage Software Consulting and Sales Academies have just received two new class dates. Both of these five day courses are held at the Dallas Hilton DFW. Pricing is $2,295 for the week or if you stay at the hotel you pay only $1,295.
These courses are taught or supervised by either Ed Kless or Rob Johnson and are consistently among the most positively reviewed educational opportunities at Sage.
If you’ve ever attended either Rob or Ed’s classes at Sage you’ll know that there’s something very wrong with both of these guys…
They both do away with the corporate speak and tell it like it is in a way that is easy to understand. When you disagree with something they say during a session it becomes part of the session with brainstorming encouraged to build upon the ideas that are being taught/discussed.
I’ve sat in on both their sessions (Full Confession: These are the ONLY two guys I travel to Insights every year to see). Each time I’ve felt completely open to challenge/discuss additional points of view about anything they teach.
You’ll walk away with a lot of materials and checklists that you can put into practice immediately. You also gain contacts from the other students in the class and the ability to compare notes and experiences.
Sage Software Sales Academy Essentials is a five-day course designed to give sales representatives a comprehensive education on the selling process. In this course you will gain an understanding of the business and industry issues faced by companies, the industries they’re sellign to, and learn hands-on approaches to presenting Sage Software solutions in the marketplace.
Date: Feburary 9 – 13, 2009 – Dallas Hiton, DFW
Date: March 23 – 27, 2009 – Dallas Hilton, DFW
Price: $2,295 (USD) or $1,295 if you stay at the hotel with a Sage room reservation)
Sage Software Consulting Academy – Consulting Essentials is a five-day course designed to give consultants, new and seasoned, a comprehensive, and perhaps different look at the consulting process, a thorough understanding of the business and industry issues faced by the companies in the industries they’re consulting to, and a hands-on approach to implementing Sage Software solutions in the marketplace.
Date: Feburary 9 – 13, 2009 – Dallas Hiton, DFW
Date: March 23 – 27, 2009 – Dallas Hilton, DFW
Price: $2,295 (USD) or $1,295 if you stay at the hotel with a Sage room reservation)
Link: Sageu
Have you heard of the Eye-Fi memory card? Available in both 2 GB and special 4 GB (Costco or direct from Eye-Fi) versions, these SD memory cards fit into your camera just like any other memory device.
What’s unusual about them is you never have to remove the memory from your camera in order to upload the picture. Using a wireless Internet connection (Wi-Fi) the device will automatically send your latest images over the Internet to services like Flickr where you can store your images at no cost.
The next generation of Eye-Fi has just been introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
This new Eye-Fi now supports uploads of video directly to the popular YouTube video hosting site.
Accpac consultants Terrell & Terrell have created a rather amusing parody video that demonstrates why someone should want to use their Accpac time collection software.
The 7 minute video is a skit that someone in the firm produced which was shown at their annual customer conference. While the point of the skit is to drive home the need for additional software – I like it as a selling tool much better than receiving a boring sales call asking me if I’m interested in software.
While I’m not sure who the starring actors were in this video, I’m assuming it was staff from the firm. How interesting that a prospective user for Accpac might receive this YouTube (instead of boring boilerplate emails) and then during the initial meeting find themselves face to face with the actors who starred in the skit!
Terrell & Terrell is a Dallas Texas based CPA firm specializing in the Accpac product line. Their products include accounting , CRM, project management, point of sale, EDDI, and Human Resource Management.
Link – Terrell & Terrell
Is one of your goals for 2009 to get rid of paper? The prediction of the paperless society has been hovering for years yet never seems for most of us to get much closer to reality.
WestBrook Technologies is hosting an online web seminar this Friday January 9 at 11am EST and 2pm EST that will show their innovative Fortis document management software.
We’ve worked with Westbrook Techologies previously supporting their accounting system. And their dedication to the document management industry is impressive – especially the fact that they use all of their own software and integrate it directly to Sage MAS 90 for processing of their journals and registers.
Although the integration to Sage MAS 90 isn’t a native one (most of the journals and registers are printed to an imaging printer similar to how you’d print a PDF) – there’s never been a journal or register that this client has not been able to locate. It’s also impressive to see the system by which they store their source documents – all paperless.
Their Fortis Document Imaging is a next step solution for someone looking to take their entire company paperless.
For this web seminar they’ve paired with Paradatec who will demonstrate their PROSAIR-AIDA OCR software which integrates to Fortis for a complete solution offering:
Two sessions are being offered:
Have you been fighting frequent lockups, freezes or other unexplained problems where Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 has stopped responding to your users?
Members of the 90Minds group have reported that one of the causes of many lockups for their clients appears to be the Symantec Endpoint system security software.
This suite of software includes antivirus, antispyware, firewall, intrusion prevention (protection against unauthorized access, theft, tampering, and attacks on network availability), and device control – to protect against known and unknown threats.
The traditional way to deal with anti-virus software suspected of causing system crashes or lock-ups is to exclude the data files within the MAS 90 folder from scanning.
In this instance several of my trusted consultants have reported that excluding files and directories does not seems to eliminate the crashing/lockups of MAS 90 or MAS 200 (this problem seems to occur with either product).
The only cure that seems to work is to completely remove Symantec Endpoint. Simply excluding files or turning off the scanning does not appear to be effective at stopping crashes.
IMPORTANT: System locks, crashes and freezing can be caused by MANY different problems including faulty hardware and data corruption. In most instances if all other things have remained unchanged you should look to the latest additions or changes to your system as the most likely culprit.
Removing Symantec Endpoint is never guaranteed to solve the problem. Rather, locking or random freezing of a MAS90 system is generally solved by a series of trial and error steps – of which one would be to replace the anti-virus software.
After making slight system changes you should allow for a period of time to observe whether the problem is cured (or reduced). If you have one user who seems to start the chain of events that lead to a system lockup – have that user move to another computer for the day and see if the problem goes away.
Curing MAS90 lockups is often a process of making small changes to your system and observing whether they work. My experience has been that the best place to start is with anti-virus software. Based on the feedback of my 20+ consultant network – it is looking increasingly like there may be some concerns that cause Symantec Endpoint to not play well with Sage MAS 90 or 200.
If you have found a way to make Symantec Endpoint work – please share in the comments below so the rest of our daily readers can learn from your suggestion.
Mike Lazarus of GLComputing has been working extra hard over the holidays and reports that Handheld Contact for iPhone is due out soon.
This add-on for Sage’s Act! contact manager allows for wireless synchronization of Act! Contacts, Calendar Activities, Notes, Histories and more.
They’ve started a mailing list which will provide notifications when the application is available. Sign up on Mike’s site at the link below.
Handheld Contact to put Act! on your iPhone via Life and Times with ACT!