What’s New In MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4 (Mini Brochure)
January 27, 2010
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Sage has just released this four page “What’s New in MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4″ brochure. The document is a high level overview of the enhancements to the desktop, increased customer number (20 characters) and inventory item numbers (30 characters) as well as other important enhancements to MAS 90 and MAS 200 that will appear when version 4.4 ships in February 2010.
Sage MAS 90 and 200 – Whats New in 4 4
Former Microsoft VP, Robert Deshaies To Lead Sage Construction and Specialized Business
January 25, 2010
Sage North America just announced that Robert Deshaies, a former VP who helped developed the partner strategy for Microsoft and also worked on their SaaS strategies as well as managing field operations for MS Dynamics.
Robert Deshaies is the second Microsoft executive to join Sage in the last year. Tom Miller joined Sage in June 2009 as their Vice President – North American Channel Management after having spent a combined 17 years at Great Plains and Microsoft.
In February 2009 Sage made permanent the appointment of Jodi Uecker-Rust as the President of Sage Business Solutions. Jodi herself was widely known as Doug Burgum’s second in command for many years at Great Plans and subsequently Microsoft when they acquired Great plains.
Deshaies appears to replace Himanshu Palsule who is still very much at Sage (I can vouch for that personally as he’s here at President’s Circle in Arizona as is Robert Deshaies).
While there’s no title given for Himanshu’s new position, he was recently the only Sage North America executive featured on the Sage ERP X3 webcast live from Paris France. Perhaps an announcement is pending on his new role and title.
The move to hire talent from the Great Plains / Microsoft pool is certainly a positive one for Sage. Great Plains had long been respected for their strong commitment to their sales channel as well as unrelenting focus on customer support.
The full press release follows:
Sage Organizational Announcement
Introducing Robert Deshaies, EVP SBS
Dear Sage Business Partner,
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Deshaies as executive vice president, Sage Business Solutions. Robert will lead our Construction and Real Estate Business as well as our group of Specialized Solutions businesses (Sage FAS Fixed Assets, Employer Solutions, and the Value product families). He will also assume the interim day-to-day general manager’s responsibilities for our Construction and Real Estate (CRE) business until a new leader is hired, after which he will continue to provide oversight.
Robert brings more than 20 years of industry experience to Sage. Most recently, he was with Microsoft as vice president of the U.S. Partner Group, accountable for partner strategy, group management, business development, marketing, and sales. He has also led sales, marketing, and services for Microsoft’s eastern region, including all products and partner channels. Before working at Microsoft, Robert gained extensive experience and knowledge in business software with State of the Art, Solomon, and Great Plains in product management, sales, marketing, consulting services, and general management. As such he brings a very strong understanding of the industry and business to Sage.
Please join me, too, in thanking Himanshu Palsule, who has been providing executive leadership to the Specialized Solutions team, while also leading our divisional business strategy. This change will enable Himanshu to focus 100 percent on our business strategy to insure we have industry-competitive solutions today and into the future. With more than 12 years at Sage and over 20 years in our industry, we are fortunate to have Himanshu’s focused leadership in this critically important area of product and marketing strategy.
We have a great opportunity before us and I believe these announcements will accelerate our position in the industry.
Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment,
Jodi Uecker-Rust
President, Sage Business Solutions
Sage North America
SDATA: Sage’s “Secret Sauce” In Communicating Between ERP Systems and The Web?
January 25, 2010
Through the years most ERP companies have grown through acquisition.
From humble single product beginnings we’ve seen many companies including Sage North America evolve from a relatively tiny one product company called State of The Art which evolved to a company named Best Software then Sage Software then ultimately Sage North America or simply Sage.
As software companies grow and add products with different code bases the single most difficult issue is making each product share data. Acquired products have different core programming code as well as sometimes incompatible data dictionaries.
A common issue is how to link product A whose customer numbers can be 15 characters with product B whose customer numbers might only be 5.
For example the Sage Extended Enterprise is made up of at least three different products: Sage MAS200 + SageCRM + Sage FAS. Through the magic of programming, and brute force, Sage gets all three products to work together and exchange data.
But what if there was a standard that was simple and didn’t require extensive custom programming to enable communication between different products. This is where Sage’s open sourced SDATA protocols and SDATA extensions might come into play.
Stephen Smith, Chief Architect Sage Software, has done a great job of sharing some details of Sage’s SDATA protocols. Stephen’s job (from his LinkedIn profile) is:
Work on defining the architecture and technology direction for the Sage Accpac ERP line of accounting products. Leading the effort to modernize Accpac into a state of the art web based ERP package. Developing a shared Sage technology platform to bring together a number of Sage products into a unified end to end package with Accounting, CRM, HRMS and other vertical solutions; all sharing a common look and feel as nice user friendly web based applications.
According to Stephen’s blog posts (read the full post here) SDATA is a major new feature of Accpac 6.0:
One of the big features in Accpac 6 is SData support. What is SData? SData is a web services protocol based on REST. What is REST? REST is a web services protocol that is very popular among Internet companies. There are basically two main competing standards for web services. One is SOAP which is promoted by Microsoft, Oracle and IBM; this is a fairly heavy duty protocol which requires a fair bit of infrastructure (which is provided by the companies promoting this protocol). The other is REST which was invented as a University Research project and basically uses existing Web Technologies such as HTTP and RSS to implement a web services protocol. The nice thing about REST is that it doesn’t require any extra middleware. You are basically doing everything via standard web URLs. The infrastructure that supports this is basically just the standard Internet. SData is just an extension to REST, similar to Google’s GData which is also based on REST. REST protocols are used by Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo and all the main Internet companies. Gartner estimates that 75% of web services in use on the Internet are REST based. REST/SData also provides a standard mechanism for performing CRUD (create, read, update, delete) on all records.
While it may be too early to know how widespread the adoption of SDATA will be within all of Sage’s products, Sage certainly appears to be making a major push for it’s use. Sage ACCPAC is one of the ERP products (Sage ERP X3 is the other) that Sage has stated will be marketed worldwide.
I’ll be asking Sage where we can expect SDATA technology to appear next. For now it’s seems like an exciting addition to the Accpac 6.x product and will enable significantly greater interaction between different applications as Stephen explains:
All the new Sage ERP Accpac 6 screens are written entirely using SData. This means the screen can access any Accpac Views via SData, but additionally they can access any SData feeds from any product. In Accpac 5.x, the screen controls were mapped via datasource controls to views and view fields. This was great, but it limited you to only connecting our standard controls to fields in Views developed in our SDK. Now that the controls are mapped to a standards based SData fields, it means they will be able to be connected easily to much more data than just Accapc data. Look for other Sage products to start providing SData interfaces in their coming versions.
Read more about SDATA on the Sage SDATA web site or visit Stephen Smith’s blog via Geni Whitehouse – Even A Nerd Twitter Stream
Sage Offers Free One Day Consulting Skills Workshops In Locations Nationwide
January 21, 2010
Sage has just unleashed a free gift on their partner community that may be one of the most valuable sessions you ever attend.
Ed Kless, Sage’s Senior Director of Partner Development, is bringing a one day consulting skills workshop to seven locations near you between now and April 20.
Hopefully by now you’ve attended one of Ed’s classes. If not – take a peek at some video from IT Alliance where he teaches as well.
Why Should You Attend Ed’s Class?
- Because you disagree with his stance on pricing
- Because you agree with his stance on pricing
- Because you want to network with other proactive consultants and learn
- Because you hate boring canned presentations (No two of Ed’s classes are alike – but they’re all tremendously helpful)
- You enjoy classes where nearly the entire group participates
- You enjoy learning from other consultants and implementing their best practices – while sharing your own
Who Should Avoid Ed’s Classes
- Anyone planning on leaving the consulting business soon
- Anyone who thinks that what they’ve been doing the last 20 years is going to last into the next 5
- Any of my competitors in Connecticut
To register:
Login (create an account if needed) at http://www.sageu.com
Click “Academies and Boot Camps” on the left
Click “Mid Market ERP”
The list of Consulting Skills Workshops should appear (PDC103)
I’ll be attending the New York City session (Affinia Manhattan) on April 6, 2010.
See you there!
via: Bill Kizer Sage Software LinkedIn Group
FRX SP 11 for MAS 90 and MAS 200 Available For Download
January 20, 2010
Been looking for the FRX Service Pack 11 for MAS90 and MAS200?
Consultant Alan Niergarth found it right on Microsoft’s own site.
This 52.5 MB download patches FRX for numerous program issues. Although the “whats fixed” doesn’t mention any fixes for Windows 7 compatibility, at least one site claims that FRX Service Update 11 enables FRX to work with Windows 7. Check the What’s New for details.
While Microsoft has this patch available for MAS 90 and MAS 200 users we must point out that Sage has apparently not yet tested it. So install it at your own risk though at least one person says that “it didn’t blow my system up” when they installed it.
YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). Consult your Sage Business Partner prior to installing – that is unless you are a Sage Business Partner which in that case consult yourself.
Link: FRX Service Pack 11 for MAS 90 and MAS 200
Top 10 Mistakes People Make With MAS 90 and MAS 200 (And how you can avoid them)
January 20, 2010
The end of each calendar year marks the busy season for most accounting software users. They’re hurriedly making adjustments to their accounting records and performing tasks – such as closing the year – that happen only once annually.
Naturally everyone’s a little foggy as they perform tasks that are less familiar. Here’s a quick compilation of the top 10 mistakes we’ve seen users make with MAS 90 and MAS 200 – as well as our advice on how to avoid them.
10. Not making a backup company at year end.
As mistakes go this ones a little teeny one. Best practices followed by veteran MAS 90/200 users say to create a backup of your data prior to the year end close (In version 4.x you’ll do this in company maintenance – versions prior to 4.x use the File – Run SVDATA trick). The backup company comes in handy for researching old information, reprint payroll reports and in general is your safety net in case a main backup should fail.
Come to think of it – anytime you’re unsure of how a transaction is going to turn out (booking a reversal of an invoice) just make a backup company and first test the transaction in the backup company before performing it live.
9. Failing to reconcile the subsidiary ledger detail balances (accounts payable, accounts receivable, inventory) monthly to the general ledger control totals.
It’s far easier to reconcile an incorrect balance within 30 days of when it occurred than a whole year later. Face it, nobody will remember what happened a year ago to cause the balance on your general ledger to stop agreeing to the subsidiary reports (accounts payable listing, etc).
What, you mean nobody ever told you that your debits were supposed to equal your credits?
At a minimum reconcile all your subsidiary reports (accounts payable aging, accounts receivable aging, inventory valuation) to your general ledger accounts. Investigate any discrepancies immediately when you’ll still have a prayer of spotting them in under 12 hours because everything is fresh in your mind.
And while you’re at it eat better, exercise and take your vitamins. All things we know we ought to do – but too often don’t.
8. Trying to agree the subsidiary AGED INVOICE instead of TRIAL BALANCE report to the general ledger (via Michael Pruet).
Here’s a good tip from consultant Michael Pruett (www.integratedaccounting.biz). When you’re trying to reconcile either the accounts receivable or accounts payable detail to the general ledger control – use the trial balance report in the payables or receivables module and not the aging report.
The trial balance report in either accounts payable or accounts receivable reconciles based on posting date. Just like your general ledger. If you try to use the aging reports those will report based on the invoice date and in some cases they’ll reconcile – but not if there have been other transaction between the month end and time the report printed.
Save yourself some headache (and consulting fees) – use the trial balance report found in both the accounts payable and accounts receivable modules to print detail reports that tie out to the general ledger.
7. Setting the data retention periods to any number less than the maximum in any module.
Data storage has been cheap since about the late 1980’s. Until your MAS 90/200 system begins to bog down (it almost never will) I recommend you set the maximum retention period. This is enabled on each individual module next to options that ask “number of months/days/periods to save history” (or similar phrasing).
The danger is retaining too little historical information is that once the data purges you can never get it back. I’ve seen many companies wish they’d saved more of their historical data which they can use for reporting, etc.
If you awaken one day and find that your system has too much data on hand – guess what? You can always purge it. But you can’t make it come back if you’ve chosen not to retain it to begin with.
6. Believing any third party software company who tells you that integration to MAS 90 or MAS 200 is “no problem”.
The happiest day in the ownership cycle of third party software that’s promised to “easily” integrate to MAS90/200 is the day you make the decision to buy it.
From that day forward it’s usually a never ending learning process of hidden limitations and “why didn’t we think to ask” about that.
It’s not that 3rd party software is bad – because usually it’s quite good. What’s usually bad is the integration to your accounting system.
When you think of the words “fully integrated” you’ll be imagining that with the push of one button all the data in the third party program magically sails into your MAS 90/200 system.
When the vendor who sold you the software used the world “fully integrated” what they really meant was that their software could create a plain text file. What you did with that text file was up to you and your accounting software consultant to figure out (usually for an extra fee).
Here’s a tip. If a third party solution provider tells you that it’s “no problem” to integrate their software to your MAS90/200 then reply back …
“If it’s no problem, then may I assume you won’t be concerned if I delay payment until after the integration is created and is working as described”
Tip: Get details on exactly how third party software will integrate to MAS 90/200. Will postings be in detail? Will you be forced to massage the data? Who will be responsible for creating the integration? These integrations are rarely “no problem” – so be sure to get the details in advance of writing a check.
5. Reinitializing any data file other than a temporary data entry file.
The “King Kong” of all data problems is when a data file is “mistakenly” erased. Usually this happens when a user watches their consultant fix a problem. Then, thinking that they can duplicate the steps when a similar error occurs, the client erases all their data files using Reinitialize Data Files in the MAS 90/200 utilities menu.
The moral of the story is: (a) Backup before erasing any file and (b) when you do erase a file be darned sure it’s not a history file (usually the only files that you’d want to initialize are data entry ones).
4. Failing to backup your data every day.
It’s absolutely shocking how many companies don’t have a backup. Some of them even KNOWINGLY don’t backup their data.
A quick and dirty way to back your data is to buy a cheap (under $100) USB drive and just copy the entire \MAS90 folder and all subfolders. This should get all of your core MAS 90 data.
Then go out and purchase a good tape backup drive with backup software (this should cost well under $2,000). For an investment of under $2,000 in proper backup procedures you can save $20,000 more in lost productivity should a drive shut down or crash during a busy month end.
3. Making a change to a payroll tax deduction and failing to check with your tax accountant to verify the proper tax treatment.
All payroll deductions are not treated the same way. Some may be subject to (or deducted before) different taxes. The time to discover this is when you’re initially setting up the deduction and not after using the code (wrongly) for a year.
Consult with your tax professional after you setup any new deduction or earnings codes. Better to disover problems in setup right at day one than during W2 printing at year end (when it’s too late to fix the issue).
2. Closing payroll for the year before printing W2s or making a backup.
Prior to closing out your payroll – but after the last payroll run of the year – make a backup (or two) of your payroll data. Most companies use the company maintenance trick referenced in #10 above.
Having a copy of your data on hand is also handy for those times (or twelve) when employees lose their W2 and as you to print them another midway through the next year.
1. Delete, renumbering or merging a range of customers, vendors, inventory item or general ledger accounts.
And the number one mistake – by far – is to mistakenly use Sage’s powerful delete/renumber/merge utility to combine all of your data. Usually you don’t want to delete or renumber a range of items. Most especially not on a Friday before a long holiday weekend.
The problem is that there’s no undo. Once you’ve merged all your items (almost always by mistake) you can’t make them come back.
Consultant Scott Hickman of Serviceworld Business Solutions and Gene Ulrich of New Solutions NW explain it this way:
How about merging all inventory items into a single part number? Same with customers?The call starts – “all my part numbers are gone except one…. Let me tell you what I did…. “ I interrupt, “you went into an Inventory Utility……” They say “yes, but……..”
Same song for customers……
Tip: Before you delete/renumber/merge (or do anything in MAS90/200 that could alter data) make a backup.
Some honorable mention goofs courtesy Mark Kotyla of Giving Tree Consulting:
One that I see occasionally is reopening a closed GL year and closing again… not realizing that GL is configured to 1. Reset journal & registers at year end and 2. Copy actual to default budget is checked.
Another is configuring allocation journals based on period activity, opening prior periods and not running the allocations before reclosing the period.
Using General Journal Entry to record bank rec activity, and either not entering them in Bank Rec or entering them into Bank Rec as adjustments and not knowing whether to use a positive or negative value
Start configuring AP for 1099 printing mid year and act disappointed when MAS won’t magically recalculate the first 6 months of payment history
Installing service updates, then checking whether enhancements exist or upgrade OS, then ask about compatibility
Set passwords on Paperless office documents, then forget them
Think you have a bug because you can’t find the Invoice Payment Selection Register on the 4.3 AP menu
Incremental backups
Image via: Despair
Sage ERP X3 V6 Launch Streaming Live from Paris
January 20, 2010
The Sage Software ERP X3 v6 launch is happening live starting today January 20, 2010 at 9:30 EST.
Sage ERP X3, formerly Adonix, is a product Sage acquired in 2005. It’s being positioned as a global ERP system with a centralized product management team. Today’s webcast is the launch of version 6 and features explanation of Sage’s plans for the product.
Simulcast live on the web from Paris, the event features speakers from Sage discussing the new features and marketing of their latest version of Sage ERP X3.
Speaking at the event:
Paul Walker – Chief Executive The Sage Group, PLC
Christoper Leteiller, Sage ERP X3 Worldwide
Himanshu Palsule, Executive VP North America
Emmanuel Obadia, Senior VP, Sage ERP X3
Francois Sancho, Managing Director Logica
Paula Paravechio, EMEA Managing Director, Distribution & Services Industry Microsoft
Pascal Dumontet, GM Oracle France
Freddy Mini, CEO Netvibes
Link: Sage ERP X3 V6 Launch (Live Streaming Video) and My Sage ERP X3 V6 Launch Notes
Sage Announces Alchemex As Their MAS 90 MAS 200 FRX Financial Reporter Replacement
January 18, 2010
Sage yesterday announced on LinkedIn that Alchemex is their new reporting tool that will be bundled with MAS90/200 and serve to replace the FRX Report Writer which Microsoft is retiring in 12/2012.
It’s possible I missed a public announcement about the replacement for FRX Financial Reporting for the Sage MAS90 and MAS200 product line.
While Alchemex has been informally discussed during internal Sage Business Partner roadmap sessions – the only other indication that it was being considered was reportedly during comments public customer demonstrations made at the Sage Summit customer conference.
As we’ve discussed before, FRX is being discontinued at the end of 2012. FRX is a financial report writer bundled with MAS 90 and MAS 200 General Ledger. It has advanced capabilities (consolidations, formatting, structure) that larger companies use to create custom financial statements based on their MAS 90 or MAS 200 General Ledger data.
Microsoft owns the product and made a decision in 2008 to discontinue FRX support. The exact discontinuation schedule changed a few times until it arrived at the final end-of-life date of December 2012.
This means that all software publishers (including Sage) who offered FRX as their primary financial reporting tool needed to either write their own financial reporting package or scramble to find a suitable replacement in advance of the 2012 deadline.
There had been some informal indicationis that Alchmex, an Excel-based reporting tool, would be the replacement. This program is already used in the Accpac, Sage ERP X3 product lines to create financial reports.
Until now I have not seen any public announcement to users or the Sage channel about the use of Alchemex as the replacement for FRX .
Confirmation of the Alchemex use in MAS 90 and MAS 200 appears to be all but confirmed by today’s statement on the MAS90 LinkedIn Group by Erik Kaas, Director of Product Management at Sage Software who states that users should expect to see the first MAS 90 and MAS 200 compatible version in Summer 2010 :
Microsoft has announced an end of support date of December 31, 2012 for FRx. This summer, Sage will start shipping “Business insights Intelligence” as an alternative solution for Financial Reporting within our Sage MAS products. Sage has established an OEM relationship with a business intelligence (BI) vendor (Alchemex) that offers advanced financial reporting, operational reporting, and advanced OLAP analysis capabilities. Sage MAS customers will be provided with one free user license for this product with the option of purchasing additional licenses. This solution will provide robust financial reporting out of the box and will complement the already very strong tools in Sage MAS, including Business Insights Explorer and Dashboard. Sage will also ensure that the next releases of MAS 90 will continue to be backward compatible with FRx Desktop.
Note that FRx Forecaster has been discontinued by Microsoft and is no longer available for sale. It will continue to be supported directly by Microsoft through September 30, 2010.
Update January 18, 2010: According to Sage every MAS90/200 user will get 1 free license as part of the MAS 90 v4.4 Product Update. In addition, they are reviewing a “trade in” program to allow customers that have purchased additional FRx licenses to exchange them for equivalent BI Intelligence licenses.
Sage is investigating if and how custom FRx reports can be converted to the new format and we will make a utility available to assist with the conversion. However, since FRx is a proprietary format it is unlikely that the utility will be perfect – but it should minimize the costs of conversion.
This is the second time a major announcement has debuted on the Sage MAS90 LinkedIn group. The first announcement was earlier this month when Sage stated they would support MAS90/200 v4.3 on Windows 7 with the expected release of Service Update 18 in March 2010.
Sage Spirit Award 2009: Attacked and Unboxed
January 14, 2010
You may remember a few weeks ago that I mentioned Schulz Consulting was named as one of the inaugural Sage Spirit Award Winners. The award arrived today and for a while I thought the packaging tape was going to get the better of me.
Sage Spirit Award 2009 Awarded To Schulz Consulting
What’s New In MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4: Free Anytime Learning
January 13, 2010
Are you getting excited for the next release of MAS 90/200 version 4.4? Having trouble sleeping at night because you feel like you just don’t have your finger on the pulse of the changes that will occur in your Inventory, Bill of Materials or Purchase Order module (not to mention the other module updates)?
Here’s your chance to get a free look at the new features. Sage offers an Anytime Learning Course for free to those who are Business Partners or Customers.
To view the course simply visit Sage Software University. Register (or supply your user name / password if you already have one) then once inside click this link and you’ll see the page below.
Select the What’s New in MAS90200 4.4 and you can register for free to view this update.
It does not appear that this training is available in the Sage Partner section of Sage University – instead you should go into the regular Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 section listed under Accounting /ERP (or just use this link).
Sage Insights 2010: How to suggest a topic for the conference
January 13, 2010
The Sage Insights Reseller Conference is scheduled for May 17 to 20, 2010 in Denver Colorado.
If you’ve attended prior conferences and wondered how you might be able to suggest topics for next year – here’s one quick way to do so. It’s all online in the Sage Software University site.
Simply login to your Sagesoftwareuniversity account (membership is free) and access the link on the front page.
After selecting the suggestion link you’ll be able to enter in a topic (or topics) that you’d like Sage to cover at Insights 2010!
If you’re attending and would like to collaborate on making notes and observations about the various sessions at Sage Insights 2010 – take a look at our Google Wave collaboration information to see how we’ll be sharing notes between people in our Insights group.
Sage Software University
Sage UK Seeking Digital Content Manager
January 13, 2010
Looking for a new gig managing digital content online?
This lavish Newcastle upon Tyne office cube (Use of the bottle of water left behind by the last occupant is negotiable) could all be yours.
This position involves coordination of various content streams including video case studies, downloadable white papers, blog posts, tools/calculators, podcasts and whatever else the internet dreams up next.
The jpb posting doesn’t say but I think you’ll probably get to attend tons and tons of time wasting meetings too and learn new cliched corporate phrases like “let me reach out to Ted in legal for his opinion before we do anything”.
If this is you – check out their Twitter announcement with links to a more complete job description.
Snaptax from Intuit uses iPhone to file your 1040 for 2009
January 12, 2010
SnapTax makes it easy to prepare and file simple tax returns via your iPhone. Distributed by Intuit, publishers of the popular Turbotax software, this iPhone software will be available January 15, 2010 exclusively for California residents. It uses advanced optical character recognition software to allow
taxpayers to prepare and file their federal and state returns (California only for now) from their iPhones.
The procedure (as outlined below) is amazingly simply. Use your iPhone to take a photo of your W-2. The software uses OCR (optical character recognition) to import data from your pay form. Then it asks you a series of questions until it computes your refund (or payment due).
For the initial release ($10 download fee and due out 1/15/10) you’ll only be able to file California returns and only for simple tax returns like a 1040 or 1040EZ. You must have an iPhone 3G or 3GS in order to run it.
If the program is not able to file your return because your tax status is too complicated then you can take the $10 fee you paid for the software and apply it toward the full Turbotax software.
via: Macworld
Free Kindle Available To ERP Purchasers via Slingshot Software
January 12, 2010
Slingshot Software a provider of Internet based ERP software has an interesting offer. If you register on their site with your contact information, then see a Slingshot demonstration – you’ll be in the running for a free Amazon Kindle (about $270 value).
This promotion applies to anyone who views a Slingshot Software demo and then either purchases Slingshot or one of their named competitors — namely Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, Epicor or Sage.
While their site is sparse on screenshots of their software in action they did note in October that their Slingshot version 11 was released.
Some terms and conditions apply as follows:
Offer is valid for all eligible submissions received between December 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. This promotion is eligible to all qualified residents of the United States and Canada. Limit one Kindle® per company/organization.
In order to meet eligibility requirements, registrants must purchase enterprise software between March 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010 from Slingshot Software or provide proof of purchase of enterprise software from a named competitor. “Named competitors” are hereby defined as Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, Epicor and Sage.
Additionally, in order to be eligible, Slingshot must provide a demonstration of one or more applicable Slingshot products to the individuals at the registrant’s company responsible for the software selection.
Participants who meet all eligibility criteria will be shipped the Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6″ Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation) no later than one month following the determination of qualification. More information about the Kindle can be found here.
Should the Amazon Kindle no longer be available, an alternative gift of equal value will be provided. Slingshot Software reserves the right to disqualify any individual or organization it deems unqualified and to cancel, suspend and/or modify the terms of this promotion at any time without notice.
Slingshot Software Free Kindle
2010 Payroll Tax Rate Cheat Sheet
January 11, 2010
Looking for a quick guide to the 2010 payroll tax rates? Paychex have just published their Paychex Tax Faces for 2010.
This guide provides updated 2010 FICA, Social Security and Retirement information that you may find handy.
Also included is state data (withholding rates, unemployment wage base, state unemployment rate range, minimum wage, minimum wage with tips) for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
MAS90 4.3 To Be Windows 7 Compatible With Service Update 18
January 8, 2010
It looks like users of Sage MAS 90 and 200 version 4.3 can expect a present for the new year in the form of a Service Update that will provide for support of Windows 7. Service updates are quarterly bundles of minor fixes and updates that are released to keep MAS 90 and MAS 200 running smoothly.
Previously MAS 90 and MAS 200 had not been certified for Windows 7 though many users have been able to run it with some minor tweaks ( With the 32 bit version of Windows 7 and using the Sage CD to install workstation updates).
According to a posting in the LinkedIn group today by Jeff Konstanzer who manages Customer Support at Sage Software users should look for Windows 7 compatibility with the release of Service Update 18 for Sage MAS90 and MAS200.
While not specified in the post we think that the compatibility will be with the 32 bit version of Windows 7 as there are reportedly various errors with the Paperless Office drivers and possibly some of the ODBC integrations when run in a 64 bit operating system environment.
The usual quarterly release cycle for service updates would have Service Update 18 hitting Sage’s online support center in March 2010.
Update January 8, 2010:
From the MAS90 & MAS200 Users Linked In Group -
Sage MAS 90 and 200 will support Windows 7, 32-bit with version 4.4, scheduled for release in early February 2010. In addition, the intent is to support Windows 7 64-bit for 4.4 and both 32- and 64-bit for version 4.3 with Product Update 18, scheduled for release at the end of March, assuming successful completion of all test cases. Older versions will not be supported on Windows 7.
As Jeff mentioned above, WOW mode is the plan for 64 bit.
Kudos to Brett Zimmerman for fleshing out this news via MAS90 LinkedIN Group
How to delete a warehouse in MAS90 or MAS200
January 8, 2010
Sage has an interesting knowledgebase article that describes how to delete a warehouse from MAS90 and MAS200 Inventory Management. As you likely have discovered if someone creates a warehouse and makes an entry into that warehouse then you’ll be prohibited (“You may not delete an active warehouse”) from deleting the warehouse.
Sage’s article advises running the Stock Status Report for the specific warehouse and zeroing any items shown on the report. For details take a peek at the official Sage KB.
How to delete a warehouse in Sage MAS 90 and 200
SAP Business One VS MAS 500 Down & Dirty
January 7, 2010
A Sage Business Partner who represents both Sage MAS 500 and SAP Business one has weighed in with a most interesting assessment of how Sage matches up against SAP in the mid-sized business ERP market.
Super consultant Mark Chinsky posted yesterday a very extensive list of how SAP Business One kicks MAS 500’s ass compares against MAS 500.
Mark’s intimately familiar with both products and for a period of time in the late 1990’s ran the #1 Sage MAS 90 and MAS 500 consulting firm in the United States (he sold the very first copy of MAS 500 then called Acuity).
Here’s a peek at his post – follow the link at the bottom to read the really good stuff on his site:
SAP Corporation is the 2nd largest software company in the world. Sage is much smaller. Sage is basically a UK finance company that has acquired over 100 companies over the years and they operate mostly independently with limited sharing of best practices and solutions. They more often compete with each other rather than complement each other. Sage must spread their R&D over hundreds of different code bases. SAP currently only has 2 code bases. MySAP, the product for very large companies, and SAP Business One for small and mid-size companies. This means their rate of progress and enhancements can be substantially faster in terms of long term improvements.
And to be fair, here’s some positive feedback from Martk about MAS 500:
MAS500 has some built in functionality that doesn’t exist in SAP Business One. It has Inventory Replenishment logic for companies with many warehouses and strict adherence to specialized buying processes. It has out of the box Intercompany GL & AP processing, the available manufacturing modules go deeper on shop floor and work order controls, MAS500 has more advanced bin management as well, SAP cannot tell you what location in a warehouse an item is in, if its in more than one bin location. SAP’s vast third party library can address any of these issues but they aren’t out of the box.
If you are considering MAS 500 vs SAP Business One want to speak with the smartest ERP consultant I know – head over to Clients First, read the post.
Clients First Business Solutions
Google Nexus One vs Droid : Pros and Cons
January 7, 2010
Google’s entry into the phone world – the Google Nexus One – is out. I’ve been testing it for the last day since FedEx dropped one on my doorstep. I paid $529 for an unlocked version which means that I am able to use it on my existing T-Mobile account simply by swapping the tiny SIM card that is inside my BlackBerry 9700.
What many people have been asking is whether the Google Nexus One is the best Android phone or whether the much advertised Droid might be a better choice.
Well since I own both phones I’ve taken a few minutes this morning to write up a pros and cons comparison between the two.
You can read my Google Nexus One vs Droid Pros and Cons on my gadget blog for the full details.
In a nutshell I like everything about the Google Nexus One – especially the speed. If you’re comfortable using T-Mobile as the carrier (which is the only carrier supporting the phone for now though Verizon is slated to provide service come Spring 2010) and if you’re a heavy Gmail user (which I am) then you’ll love Android and I think the Google Nexus One.
Based on my repeatedly poor experiences with the Droid voice quality – I don’t recommend you purchase a Droid.
If however you’re company is stoic in its use of Microsoft Exchange Server or you are not on Gmail (and don’t plan to be) then I think either the BlackBerry (for heavy emailers) or iPhone (for those with light email needs but strong desire for third party applications and music/video) are better choices.
Joe De Maria DSD Business Systems 2009 Employee of the Year
January 5, 2010
DSD Business Systems proudly announces Joe De Maria as the recipient of its 2009 Employee of the Year Award. DSD’s management team was asked to nominate one staff member who stood out above all others, who made the most significant contribution in 2009. Joe was overwhelmingly selected to receive this distinguished award. He has consistently proven to be a valuable employee as Senior Programmer in DSD’s Sage MAS and Sage Accpac Programming and Custom Development Department.
Doug Deane (wearing the reindeer antlers in the photo at left), president and founder of DSD Business Systems, had this to say, “Joe has been an instrumental part of DSD’s success for the past two years. Joe came to DSD from Sage, where he was a key member of their development staff and was heavily involved in the upgrading of Sage’s MAS90 ERP modules to the new Business Framework architecture. Joe brought that expertise with him to DSD and used it to create DSD’s MAS90 Multi-Language enhancement, and to continue developing DSD’s signature MAS90 & MAS200 Multi-Currency suite.”
“More important than his technical knowledge, Joe brings a set of values that exactly mirrors DSD’s. Joe is always willing to help others and to go above and beyond the call of duty to solve a problem or to complete a project. He is very dedicated to the success of DSD, and to the success of our clients and partners. We are very proud to have Joe as our Employee of the Year,” said Jon Reiter, VP of Engineering, DSD Business Systems.
Joe De Maria Demonstrates DSD Multi-Language for MAS90
ABOUT DSD BUSINESS SYSTEMS
Founded in 1984, headquartered in San Diego, California, DSD Business Systems is a national award-winning Enterprise Software Solutions Provider. Serving the needs of small- to medium-sized companies, we specialize in a service-oriented approach to integrating accounting and business management systems with information technology. By automating our customers’ business processes, we help growth-oriented companies turn disconnected data into reliable information. DSD’s success extends beyond system integration – from network configuration, hardware, and technical support to web development, search engine optimization, and system security. DSD has been a Sage President’s Circle award winner for thirteen consecutive years and has been nationally recognized by Accounting Technology Magazine as a Technology Pacesetter and Top 100 VAR firm. For more information, visit www.DSDinc.com.
Free Turbotax Business 2009
January 4, 2010
Intuit has a special free version of their Turbotax 2009 for Business. Although this version is only for businesses (it will NOT work for individuals or sole proprietors filing a “schedule C” on their 1040) it’s still a relatively hot deal considering Amazon sells the full version for $95.
Prior year data won’t automatically transfer (probably one of the reasons this is free) making this version primarily for new Turbotax users who would like to get a free fully functioning version to test on their current year data.
Free Turbotax Business 2009 via SlickDeals
Schulz Consulting MAS90 Newsletter Signup
January 3, 2010
Interested in tips, tricks and news about Sage MAS90 and MAS200 accounting software?
Sign up here for our twice monthly (first and fifteenth) MAS90 email newsletter. Each edition contains the latest MAS 90 and MAS 200 news as well as technology tips and tricks of interest to MAS90 users. There’s no advertising and you can unsubscribe from the email list yourself at any time.
The cost is free and we presently have over 2,000 members receiving the newsletter every month.
MAS 90 Newsletter Topics Include (but aren’t limited to):
- Instructions on closing the year in MAS 90 and MAS 200
- News of critical software patches
- Links to whitepapers describing new features
- Information about free web seminars
- Reviews of different add-on solutions for MAS 90 and MAS 200
- Technology tips – mobile phones, social media, web site links
Schulz Consulting MAS90 Newsletter Signup
MAS200 Supported Hardware, Networking and Operating System Platforms – 12/31/09
January 3, 2010
The supported hardware and software platforms for Sage MAS 90 have been updated as of 12/31/09. The list below shows exactly what configurations Sage support.
Note that Windows 7 is stated as not supported with versions prior to 4.3.
Tip: While we do not recommend running MAS 90 on un-supported platforms we’ve found that you may be able to run it on Windows 7 32-bit (avoid 64-bit) by using the MAS 90 CD to run workstation setup on each of your stations. If you don’t use the CD you’ll likely receive some type of error (under Windows 7) about the workstation not being able to map to the server.
FRX does not appear like it will be supported under Windows 7 64-bit.
MAS90 Supported Hardware, Networking and Operating System Platforms – 12/31/09
January 3, 2010
The supported hardware and software platforms for Sage MAS 90 have been updated as of 12/31/09. The list below shows exactly what configurations Sage support.
Note that Windows 7 is stated as not supported with versions prior to 4.3.
Tip: While we do not recommend running MAS 90 on un-supported platforms we’ve found that you may be able to run it on Windows 7 32-bit (avoid 64-bit) by using the MAS 90 CD to run workstation setup on each of your stations. If you don’t use the CD you’ll likely receive some type of error (under Windows 7) about the workstation not being able to map to the server.
FRX does not appear like it will be supported under Windows 7 64-bit.
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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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