Extended Solution Upgrade Path Announced By DSD Business Systems of San Diego
November 24, 2009
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Sage have recently announced that they’ll be incorporating some of their Extended Solutions catalog into release 4.4 (due first quarter 2010) and the remainder will be provided as open source programming code.
The open source nature of the code means that qualified Master Developers will have the ability to upgrade the Extended Solutions not included in version 4.4 of MAS 90 or MAS 200.
DSD Business Systems of San Diego (member of the Premier Partner program of which we are also a member) has just issued the following announcement about their upgrade plans:
DSD Business Systems – Extended Solutions for MAS 90 and 200 Page
Paperless Office Manuals – MAS90 & MAS200
November 24, 2009
Several of our clients have asked about where they can review the manuals for Sage’s Paperless Office solutions. This enhancement to MAS90 and MAS200 allows for nearly all printed output to be sent automatically to PDF files that are then managed in consistent folders/naming structure by MAS90/MAS200.
These are not all of the manuals but are the ones that I had on my drive.
Paperless Manuals (from v4.2 but should still be relevant):
SO-1437 Paperless Office Sales Order Invoices
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991336/SO-1437-Paperless-Office-Sales-Order-Invoices
PO-1165 Paperless Office Purchase Orders
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991332/PO-1165-Paperless-Office-Purchase-Orders
LM-1022 Associated Source Documents for Paperless Office
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991327/LM-1022-Associated-Source-Documents-for-Paperless-Office
LM-1020 Paperless Office Period End Processing
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991323/LM-1020-Paperless-Office-Period-End-Processing
LM-1019 Paperless Office Electronic Forms Delivery
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991317/LM-1019-Paperless-Office-Electronic-Forms-Delivery
LM-1018 Paperless Office Journals and Registers
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991315/LM-1018-Paperless-Office-Journals-and-Registers
AR-1225 Paperless Office AR Invioces
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991313/AR-1225-Paperless-Office-AR-Invioces
AR-1223 Sage Paperless Office Statements
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991308/AR-1223-Sage-Paperless-Office-Statements
SO-1463: Sage Paperless Office Sales Orders
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22991305/SO-1463-Sage-Paperless-Office-Sales-Orders
Other manuals not listed above may be available at Sage’s Extended Solutions site. I would hold on making any ES purchases so use this for possible reference.
http://www.sagemas.com/products/sagemas90_mas200/extended_solutions/
Sage Extended Solutions Get An Updated Site
November 20, 2009
The Sage Extended Solutions for MAS 90 and MAS 200 web site has just been updated.
The new site is a bit vague on the availability of the Extended Solutions listed.
Our understanding from speaking to partners who’ve attended Sage briefings is that as of version 4.4 (expected Q1 2010) Sage will not be selling Extended Solutions. They will however continue to support existing Extended Solutions for a period of time.
As noted previously, we understand that approximately 56 of the Extended Solutions (link to list of solutions is below) will be incorporated at some point (schedule TBD) to version 4.4 (and higher) of the Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 product.
http://www.s-consult.com/2009/11/19/sage-extended-solutions-absorbed-into-mas90-mas200/
In addition the following 25 Extended Solutions are not shown on the new site and will be rendered obsolete by the release of Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 version 4.4 and are expected to be retired.
Although there’s been no formal announcement, Sage have indicated in various partner meetings that the following Extended Solutions will be incorporated to the main product after version 4.4 has been released (Warning: Subject to change):
March 2010: SO1096, PR1018, JC1046, AR1200, SO1271, AR1027, SO1035
June 2010: BR1005, BR1004
September 2010: SO1173, AP1043, AP1101, SO1354
For now we only know that 56 solutions are being added into MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4+. Except as noted above we don’t know when they will be added or how long it will take to add them all into the product.
Disclaimer/Warning: Prior to making any decisions on Sage Extended Solutions please consult with your Sage Business Partner. All information provided is preliminary and subject to change. This represents our interpretation of Sage’s plans for their Extended Solutions and NOT any official statement on behalf of Sage.
New Sage Extended Solutions Web Site – thanks Brett Zimmerman, Tom Maurer
Sage Extended Solutions Absorbed Into MAS90 & MAS200
November 19, 2009
Sage North America appears to be formalizing their plans for including some of their popular catalog of Extended Solutions for Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 into the core product beginning with release 4.4.
If you’re not familiar with Extended Solutions they were pre-written customizations (sold separately) that once installed work seamlessly within MAS 90 and MAS 200.
For years Extended Solutions were the “secret sauce” that Sage consultants used when they implemented new systems for customers.
During any ERP software implementation there’s usually a tiny bit of missing functionality that’s needed. For example finding a fixed cost Extended Solution that for example performed ACH Payments for Accounts Payable (not a core MAS 90 feature) was significantly cheaper and easier than hiring a programmer to modify the software to perform that task.
Sage Extended Solutions No Longer Sold
Beginning with version 4.4 of MAS 90 and MAS 200 Extended Solutions will not be sold separately. Instead Sage have taken the list of available solutions and intends to cull out the most popular ones for inclusion in future releases of MAS 90 and MAS 200.
Extended Solutions not selected for inclusion will have their source code made available to a number of select programmers (Master Developers) so that customers can have their enhancements upgraded.
Although some solutions with few users may not make it into Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 we understand that Sage will continue to provide support (without upgrades past version 4.3) for a period of time yet to be officially announced.
Note: As of this writing the site for Extended Solutions catalogs and pricing is down.
Exact Timetable For Inclusion Uncertain
We’ve yet to hear anything official on when these enhancements (shown below) will be included in the next release(s) of Sage MAS 90 and 200.
One source who attended a Sage meeting indicated that out of and estimated 700 titles (active & inactive) there will be approximately 56 preserved and rolled into MAS 90 and MAS 200 over the next 12-24 months in various quarterly updates.
Another approximate two dozen enhancements were listed as being un-needed due to functionality that was in the new version 4.4 release of MAS 90 and MAS 200.
An unofficial partial list (we think this list is close to what will be added in the first three rounds of updates in 2010 is almost certainly shy a few enhancements and probably subject to change – so take it with a grain of salt) of Extended Solution parts that may be rolled into the first release is:
March 2010: SO1096, PR1018, JC1046, AR1200, SO1271, AR1027, SO1035
June 2010: BR1005, BR1004
September 2010: SO1173, AP1043, AP1101, SO1354
According to consultants who’ve attended the briefings, Sage is selecting the enhancements to include based on the numbers of installed base users and the ease of embedding them in the future release.
Recommendations
While the exact timetable of when certain Extended Solutions will be included in the future releases of Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 is uncertain we recommend reviewing the official Sage document below to see which of your enhancements is being incorporated in a future MAS 90 or MAS 200 list.
If your enhancement is not on the list you may be able to enlist the aid of a qualified Sage Master Developer to assist you in the upgrade process or to purchase a similar enhancement from another developer.
Wayne Schulz Launches Modeling Career in SCOTTEVEST / SeV Catalog
November 16, 2009
The current issue of the SCOTTEVEST Catalog features Wayne Schulz prominently modeling the Fleece 5.0 Jacket.
Well, ok, that’s a bit of a stretch. Technically Wayne IS in the catalog. But..
Wayne’s not featured. And while he is in the catalog (as a postage stamp image) he’s not exactly prominent.
…but you have to start somewhere, right?
SCOTTEVEST is a manufacturer of activewear jackets and clothing that feature lots of storage space for holding phones, MP3 players, and more. They asked for customers to submit pictures of themselves wearing their clothes. Wayne submitted a picture from a June 2009 trip to the Ridin Hy Dude Ranch which was used in the catalog.
To see Wayne riding Trigger – and modelining his SCOTTEVEST Fleece Jacket – flip to page 9 of the catalog below (upper right corner – second image down).
Sage Customer Awards Announced At Summit 2009
November 10, 2009
Sage North America Announced the following customer award winners during their annual Summit Customer Conference November 9 to 12, 2009 in Atlanta Georgia.
Best Use of Customization
The Best Use of Customization award recognizes a Sage customer who has customized their Sage solution to solve a specific business objective and achieve a sustained competitive advantage.
The 2009 winner is Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), Rockville, MD. In 2006, MRIS upgraded its legacy accounting systems to Sage MAS 500 ERP and worked with Blytheco LLC to develop and implement automated processes that simplified the entire customer invoicing and payment cycle. In 2009, MRIS launched an online payment service for its customers that integrated with Sage MAS 500 ERP. Since then, over 32,000 customers have used the system to pay their MRIS bills. As MRIS continues to automate its processes, they expect Sage will continue to provide the stability and scalability to make this possible.
Community Stewardship
The Community Stewardship Award recognizes a Sage customer for their outstanding commitment to better the lives of the people and the communities they serve.
The 2009 winner is Teach For America, New York, NY. Prior to their Sage SalesLogix implementation, the organization did not have a centralized system to track prospective candidates in the field. They have now standardized their recruitment processes resulting in a stronger applicant pool through and more targeted and effective recruiting. Teach for America worked with Infinity Info Systems on their implementation.
Best End-to-End Deployment
The Best End-to-End Deployment Award recognizes a Sage customer who has achieved outstanding business results through the implementation of two or more Sage applications.
The 2009 winner is Power Curbers, Inc., Salisbury, NC. Prior to their Sage implementation of MAS 500 ERP, Sage FAS Fixed Assets and Sage SalesLogix, the company was using a difficult ERP system and was spending more time managing the system than using the information. As a result of this end-to-end implementation, the company has transitioned to a pull inventory system using just-in-time manufacturing processes and doubled their inventory turns in just 12 months. Power Curbers, Inc. worked with Practical Software Solutions on their implementation.
Best Innovation Award
The Best Innovation Award recognizes a Sage customer who has developed a unique solution to a challenge within their industry and demonstrated significant business benefits as a result.
The 2009 winner is Entertainment Lighting Services, Inc., Sun Valley, CA. Prior to their implementation of Sage MAS 500 ERP, the company was searching for a completely integrated system that could handle their unique industry requirements in accounting for rental and sales inventories as well as labor scheduling. They now have a comprehensive system that helped reduce their inventory shrinkage by 50% while the month-end close process was reduced from 4 weeks to 5 days. Entertainment Lighting Services, Inc. worked with Information Integration Group, Inc. on their implementation.
Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year Award recognizes a new Sage customer who has demonstrated immediate business results and positive impact from their Sage implementation.
The 2009 winner is Coilhose Pneumatics, East Brunswick, NJ. Prior to Sage, they were looking for a new ERP system that could unify their two separate companies and they found it with Sage MAS 500 ERP. Product costing is now automated and booking inter-company transactions is a snap. Coilhose Pneumatics worked with Net@Work on their implementation.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an exceptional customer who has used a Sage solution for over 10 years, and who has survived difficult economic environments, shifting technology trends and demonstrated continuous business improvements and results over this time period.
The 2009 winner is Amix Salvage & Sales Ltd., Surrey, BC. The company has been using Sage solutions for over 17 years. Since their initial DOS implementation, they have now grown to use Sage Accpac ERP, which has helped automate or eliminate many of their old manual processes such as the manual time entry for payroll, which saved 15 hours each week. In addition, real time perpetual inventory has saved 10 hours per month by eliminating the need for retail store workers to research inventory levels. Amix Salvage & Sales Ltd. worked with Plus Computer Solutions on their implementation.
Images and information via: Sage
5 Ways To Make Your Sage Summit Conference A Home Run
November 10, 2009
We’ve all been to conferences before. Taken pages and pages of notes. Collected stacks of business cards and garbage bags full of free giveaways from vendors.
Then we come home and what happens?
After we’ve distributed the pens and pads to the kids – typically nothing happens. At least nothing until the day six months later when we run across that bag of junk from the conference and decide to throw it away.
If you’re like most conference participants you’ll return to the office to face the urgency of all the business you ignored while at the conference takes over. Suddenly all those great ideas that you shared with people that you met become distant memories.
I’ve got five suggestions on how you can make the most of your Sage Summit Conference. I’ve implemented these after attending conferences in the past and the return on the time invested has been triple what it otherwise would have been.
Five Ways To Maximize Your Sage Summit Conference Experience
#1 Start A Free Google Group – Invite Everyone You Met To Participate
You’ve just obtained a few dozen business cards. Don’t let them go to waste. Instead setup a free Google Group where you can enter in everyone’s name and then invite them to participate with exchanging ideas all year round (not just during the conference).
What do you talk about in a Google Group? The group that I am involved in (sageresellers) exchanges over 500 email messages monthly about technical topics that range from experiences with new MAS90 versions to experiences with add-on modules.
We started the group by realizing that a dozen or so Sage consultants typically gathered each and every year at conferences to exchange war stories and technical tips. You can create the same type of group with other users of Sage Software who you’ve met at conferences.
Use the power of group collaboration to bounce ideas off your peers or get second opinions about technology you’re considering. Best of all this advice is both trustworthy and free — because nobody in the group is trying to sell you anything.
Google Groups are completely free and automate the task of sending out one email to a group of people. With Google Groups the people in the group don’t have to remember to “reply all” so that each person gets an individual email. The group feature automatically delivers the emails and allows people to reply via email or they can log into the Google web site and read messages online.
This is a great way to keep in touch and share technical tips with other users throughout the year.
#2 Twitter and Social Media Are The “In” Thing – But You Still Don’t Get It
The next big thing is Twitter and Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn) – at least according to the conference speakers. Yet you feel way behind because you’ve yet to start up a Twitter account – or know what to talk about if you had one.
Use the power of Twitter Lists to view groups of people connected to Sage (consultants, end users, vendors) and observe what they’re chatting about. This isn’t an official Twitter stream and names are always being added each day. It’s a perfect way to start.
Access our Twitter list of Sage related accounts (vendors, Sage employees, consultants) – here.
It’s ok to lurk (read only) until you get the hang of this Twitter thing. Once you do become active you’ll see that Twitter is really not anything more than another way to stay in touch with friends and business acquaintances.
What are you waiting for? Create your Twitter account here. Then add http://www.twitter.com/mas90guru and some of the folks in the Sage Twitter List.
#3 Join LinkedIn
Most of the people you meet at the conference are probably active online with LinkedIN.
Think of LinkedIN as Facebook for business. Here you establish online contacts and can participate in groups of people with similar interests. Two great groups are the Sage Partners, Employees and Alumni LinkedIN group and the MAS90 and MAS 200 Group.
Although group discussions can vary in frequency and topic – the Sage groups tend to be very business focused and stay on the topic of Sage. Don’t let your experience with other LinkedIN groups that aren’t well managed deter you from joining a Sage group.
The key to getting the most from your online groups is participation. Don’t be afraid to ask questions because chances are there will be half a dozen other people who wonder the same thing.
When you can, step up and provide answers or assistance to other users. Share your candid experiences (both good and bad) with users who may be in the same industry or considering the same type of software setup. LinkedIN is a great structured site to make business contacts that can provide assistance to your company and to you personally.
MAS 90 & MAS 200 Users & Consultants Group – LinkedIN
Sage Partners, Employees and Alumni
#4 – Join the Sage Communities
Did you know that Sage has various communities (discussion forums) where users meet to ask technical questions about products that they use? These communities are free and open to everyone. Once you’re a member you can ask questions and participate in discussions about the products that you use.
One of my favorite uses of communities is to find unbiased references for software that I’m considering purchasing.
The sales fliers always make software appear like it can do absolutely anything. The real story often is told when you find someone who has been using the software for a period of time and can give real world examples of both pros and cons of the program.
Although many Sage staffers frequent the communities, you’ll find most of the support is member to member. One way to extend the benefits of communities is to keep in closer contact with the more active members – typically via email.
#5 – Regularly Attend The Free Sage Online Seminars
Did you know that Sage has regularly scheduled technical sessions. Some of these are free. And many have a nominal fee. You can look at the list here.
There’s also self-study and other types of guides that you can purchase and use as your reference materials for the various Sage products that you use daily.
These sessions are easily justified as I’ve found attending a seminar can save your company countless hours of consulting time both now and in the future.
Keep The Momentum After The Conference
Don’t let the knowledge and friendships die down once you’ve left the shelter of the Sage Summit conference and returned home.
All of the suggested activities above are available for free (or extremely low cost) and are great ways to keep the Sage Summit experience going after you’ve left the conference. Peer to peer networking is one of the best ways to learn and share important information from other users of the software just like you.
Sage Summit 2009 Conference Blog Now Live
November 9, 2009
Attending Sage Summit this week in Atlanta Georgia?
The official Sage Summit conference blog is now live with periodic updates from the 2009 customer conference.
The blog contains a few guest posts that are centered around CRM. Also available is alive tweet stream that seems to capture the official Sage Summit Twitter feed – http://www.twitter.com/sage_summit.
Contributors to the Sage Summit Blog:
The Sage Summit Blog editors are from the Sage North America public relations team:
John Schoutsen – Sage North America Corporate
Aimee Ertley – Small Business Accounting Solutions
Lynne Durham – Healthcare Solutions
Cynthia Sutton – Nonprofit Solutions, Payment Solutions/Merchant Services
Monisha Khanna – Construction and Real Estate Solutions, Small Business Accounting Solutions
Stephen Moore – Mid-Market Accounting/ERP and Employer Solutions
Ryan Zuk – Industry Analyst Relations, CRM and Contact Management Solutions
You can also save some time and follow most of the interesting Sage Twitter conversations using our Sage Twitter List which contains the Twitter feeds of 85 tops Sage employees, consultants and industry analysts.
and How To Get The Most From The Sage Summit Conference
via: Towner Blackstock - CIS Consulting Group
Sage issues statement on FRX support – RIP December 31, 2012?
November 3, 2009
Microsoft has previously announced that they are discontinuing support for their FRX Financial Report Writer which is used as the primary financial reporting tool for both Sage MAS 90 and 200.
Now Sage has confirmed that December 31, 2012 is the last date that FRX will be supported by Microsoft. While Sage’s announcement does not explicitly state that they will stop support for FRX as of that date, it’s likely that their policy will mirror Microsoft’s.
Here’s Sage’s FRX Announcement
Product Update: FRx Reporting Software Beyond Version 6.7
Sage has been advised that Microsoft has made a decision against further enhancement or development of their FRx reporting software beyond version 6.7. Microsoft agreed to continue supporting the current version of FRx through December 31, 2012, thereby enabling Sage adequate opportunity to evaluate suitable alternatives. As a part of the evaluation process, Sage will also assess Microsoft’s Management Reporter; Management Reporter has been described as the next generation FRx and is equipped with full migration capability.
Microsoft’s decision affects not only Sage, but also other competitive ERP solution providers. In response, Sage remains committed to supporting the integrity of our products and your customer’s Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, and Sage MAS 500 ERP, and Sage PFW ERP business software solutions. As a part of our go-forward strategy, we have actively initiated the process of determining what option(s) will provide the most effective solution regarding your customer’s financial report-writing needs. We will inform you of our progress as updates are available. A copy of this notification will be posted on the Partner File Center under the Product Information & Tools category.
[Sage]
MAS90 Payroll Tax Tables Updated 10-26-09 for New California Tax Tables
November 2, 2009
Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 tax tables have just been released to reflect the new California payroll taxes, exemption increases and supplemental wage rate increases.
You may download the latest MAS90 and MAS200 tax table update online or apply them manually. The tax tables download will work with versions 3.71 to 4.x.
Below is a list of all changes incorporated into the tax table update.
[MAS90 and MAS200 Tax Table Update]
Google Wave Guide Is Available Online
November 1, 2009
Have you started to explore Google Wave?
Google Wave is a new web-based tool that is still in early testing. Ultimately it’s hoped that Wave will become an easy-to-use tool that enables collaboration between teams of people.
From the Google site:
Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more. If you have spent any amount of time with Google Wave you’ll know that a big part of the initial experience is confusing.
Without any formal user guide to provide information on Google Wave’s unique collaboration features work – most users are initially left to wonder aloud “what do we do next”.
Gina Trapani and Adam Pash have created an online manual titled The Complete Guide to Google Wave. This free manual is available now. You will be able to purchase a PDF copy starting in November.
The Complete Guide To Google Wave
Chapter 1 – Meet Google Wave
Find out what Google Wave is and what problems it solves
Chapter 2 – Get Started With Wave
Set up your Wave account and create your first wave
Chapter 3 – Manage Your Wave Contacts
Find and add people and groups to collaborate with in Wave
Chapter 4 – Find and Organize Waves
Tag, file, search and filter waves
Chapter 5 – Dive Deeper into Wave
Add rich content to your waves like maps and photo slide shows
Chapter 6 – Master Wave’s Interface
Navigate Wave from the keyboard and customize your Wave interface
Chapter 7 – Wave Gadgets
Add interactive content to your waves with gadgets
Chapter 8 – Wave Bots
Automatically update the contents of your waves with bots
Appendix A – What Wave Can’t Do
It’s not just you. See what’s NOT working in the current version of Wave, and what features the Wave team has promised are coming.
Appendix B – Contribute to The Complete Guide to Google Wave
In the spirit of Google Wave, this guide is a collaborative effort. We need you (yes, you) to help revise and expand this guide as Wave evolves.
One observation is the manual itself is in an open sourced MediaWiki online format rather than being created in Google Wave itself – perhaps an indication of how far Google still has to go in order for Google Wave to be truly useful for group collaboration.
[The Complete Guide to Google Wave] via [Download Squad]
Business Card Reader for iPhone is A Must Have – $5.99
November 1, 2009
If you’re like most people you have top desk drawer chock full of business cards that you’ve collected at conferences and other business meetings.
Of course you’ve collected them with the best intentions of manually entering them one-after-another into your computer – but somehow they sit unentered in that top drawer. Someday when you have extra time you’ll sit down and enter them all into your computer.
At last there’s a cheap and easy solution to automatically enter the information on most business cards to your computer.
If you have an iPhone 3GS there’s a new inexpensive software application called Business Card Reader from Shape Services that you should try.
For only $5.99 you can download it to your iPhone 3GS (other versions are supported but because the 3GS has a higher resolution auto-focus camera this is the preferred model).
Use the application to take a picture of a business card.
Here’s a really lousy sample of a business card from a prospective client that I collected about a year ago. I took this picture with my iPhone 3GS in the dim light of my kitchen.
And unbelievably this $5.99 program transcribed the business card perfectly.
In this instance the contact phone, address and email were all exactly as they should have been – despite having been capture off a dimly lit photograph of a business card. Total time from image to transcription? About a minute.
Certainly in many instances you might have to tweak the final address if the program doesn’t read the information perfectly.
Total time from taking the image to having a new contact in my iPhone? About a minute.
Because I use Google Apps for my email and contact management I am also able to use the free iPhone GoogleSync program to automatically synchronize contacts off the iPhone directly to my Google Apps account.
The end result is a business card accurately scanned from any iPhone 3GS into your iPhone contact database. If you are synchronizing that data to Google Apps then the contact information will also synchronize in real time.
Recommended.
[Business Card Reader] (iTunes link)
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Custom SearchAbout Schulz Consulting, LLC
We are a Glastonbury CT consulting firm specializing in Sage MAS90, MAS200 and related software (FRX, Crystal Reports, Starship, F9, SQL Mirroring, etc).
We provide nationwide consulting services via on-site, telephone or remote connection. Our clients range in size from start-up to $200 million and are located as far away as Alaska, Hawaii, California, Florida, Texas, Montana, Michigan and many other states.
Since 1986 we've provided support for all versions of Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 under an unlimited client support agreement.
You may contact us via email or review our full support agreement here.
Our phone number is 860-657-8544
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