Upgrading MAS90 or MAS200 ? Here’s A LIst Of Every New Feature From 4.20 to 4.50
October 26, 2011
If you’ve been holding off on upgrading your Sage ERP MAS 90 or MAS 200 for a few versions you may feel like you’ve missed out on some features. And you’d be right. There has been plenty added to the product since the early 4.x releases.
Finding all the “new stuff” can be difficult because the information is spread across several different publications. I’ve simplified the process by bundling up all the data sheets from version 4.20 to 4.50 (including every 4.40 product update detailed feature list).
In addition I’ve added the latest Supported Platforms Matrix for Sage ERP MAS90, MAS200 and MAS200 SQL as well as the Integrated Applications that have been certified for the latest MAS version.
Review the information below – or if you prefer you can download the whole 10mb PDF from here.
MAS Upgrade 4.50 Information Package
Introducing Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.5
October 25, 2011
I’m not quite sure if this is going to be the landing page when Sage sends out announcements about downloading MAS90 4.5 — or if this might be part of a separate email that is being sent to off-plan Sage ERP MAS90 and 200 users.
It’s odd because this page has a “Get Started Now – Call 877-336-4042″ in the corner which leads to a generic auto-attendant (Sage sales desk) — rather than a “download now” link you might expect if it was being sent to customers on plan.
For whatever the purpose is — Sage did a really great job giving an overview of 4.5
Link:
http://www.sagemas.com/~/media/Category/ERP/MAS/Assets/lp/45_release/index.html
5 Ways To Drive Business Using Social Media – Three to Avoid At All Costs
October 23, 2011
Bob Scott, of The Progressive Accountant, asked me a month ago if I could summarize some tips on social media marketing.
Quite frankly I think the social media term is way overdone.
I consider it with the same eye-roll as I used to greet talk about those who proclaimed themselves “webmasters”.
In other words – if you can fog a mirror you can call yourself either of these.
The million dollar question many people have is – how do you make money online? What works. What doesn’t. And what’s just a waste of time and money.
Do people buy software on Facebook (No, but a Facebook friend messaged me last week to ask about taking over their support, another messaged me two months ago and we provided an assessment).
I’d never met either of these people previously.
Can online social media work? I think so.
Bob summarized my top tips in a post on his site – I think it’s worth a read. Especially the last two paragraphs.
Regularly participate in new social activities – always with an eye toward whether these activities will produce qualified traffic to your web site. It takes some time to see results so be patient.
If an activity is not working, move on. However, be sure you are measuring site traffic as this is the only way to know if your activities are working. There are two services that you might utilize:
1. Google Analytics = Free, but not real time.
2. StatCounter = Not free, but real time.
When it comes to using social media, here’s what I find works:
1. Be consistent. Set goals to post content regularly (this is key).
2. Measure your website traffic.
3. Watch what others do before you jump right in.
4. Watch what tech bloggers adopt and talk about (techmeme.com is a great site for this).
5. You don’t need to do everything tech bloggers do, but they are excellent early indicators of new technology.
Here’s what never worked for me:
1. Overtly selling.
2. Spamming discussion groups with “please call me I can help” type posts.
3. Sending email newsletters with lots of advertising (or any ads). I found that people tuned out.
http://www.theprogressiveaccountant.com/running-a-firm/practical-tips-for-using-social-media.html
How To Use Google To Search Sage’s MAS90 & MAS200 Knowledgebase
October 22, 2011
Frustrated by search results that appear when you look for support articles in the Sage Software MAS90 knowledgebase?
Here’s a quick tip.
Use Google and a special parameter (site:infosource.sagesoftwareonline.com) when you do a Google search. This instructs Google to review all public posts that originate from the Sage knowledgebase and which contain your search string.
Use quotes in the initial search for direct matches:
“tax tables” site:infosource.sagesoftwareonline.com
What’s unique about this search is that you’ll often receive results from Google which also include program patches, tax table updates and other more difficult to locate technical information.
Remember that this type of Google search only returns results that are PUBLIC. If a login is required on the Sage site to view information then you will be unable to use Google to view the resulting data.
via: MAS90GURU
Best Article on Solving Sage ERP MAS90 Paperless Office Printing Problems
October 21, 2011
I just hung up the phone with a customer whose MAS90 system would no longer print to Paperless Office after upgrading their workstations to Windows 7.
This in my experience is usually solved by:
- Re-running workstation setup
- Re-running the PDF Install Program
1. Manually install the Amyuni PDF Converter
- Go to the MAS90\Home folder and run PDFInstall.exe
2. Go into Start Menu | Printer and Faxes | and search for the Amyuni PDF Converter
3. Rename the Amyuni PDF Converter as Sage PDF Converter
4. Go into MAS | File | Run and enter PL_ADVANCEDOPTIONS_UI
5. Install the converter and test the converter to see if it initialized properly
Though I’ve found in some cases nothing you try works.
Luckily I found this article in Sage’s knowledgebase which solved not only this issue but serves as a nice summary of many other potential fixes.
So if you’re having trouble printing to Paperless Office with Windows 7 or Windows 2008 – be sure to try this KB entry from Sage.
Note: Windows 7 is not supported on any version of MAS prior to 4.30.0.18. This KB only applies to versions released since 4.30.0.17. 4.30 versions require Program Fix LM4046-T, as well (make sure all the instructions on the download page for LM4046 are followed exactly). 4.40 versions require at least Product Update 1, with LM4045-T, or Product Update 2 or above without Program Fix LM4045. Please view our Supported Platform Matrix for our most currently supported platform.
Sage’s New Product Names
October 18, 2011
Sage just provided us with additional information on their new product names which expands upon their re-branding conference call held today. As previously discussed Sage North America plans to rename the majority of their products under the Sage brand name thus doing away with legacy names such as MAS90, MAS200, Peachtree, Accpac, MAS 500, etc.
Below is the chart provided by Sage with more branding details.
UPDATE – OCTOBER 28, 2011:
Even though at least one other Sage Partner sites is displaying the chart of tentative new Sage names we are removing the chart as per the communication from Sage VP of Corporate Communications.
You can download a complete chart of the preliminary product names just by doing a Google search for Sage Product Naming Grid.
Say Hello to Sage 100
October 18, 2011
Sage today unveiled tentative plans to rebrand their product names in North America. The current naming plans are to develop a common strategy in order to build the Sage brand:
- As a strong brand trusted by users
- To significantly increase both awareness and consideration of all Sage products in the SMB space
- To increate the value proposition of how Sage can support the needs of SMBs
- To grow market share and revenue
Although these names are still subject to change, expect the new product brand names to be similar to the following:
Sage 50
- Sage Peachtree
- Sage Simply Accounting (Canada)
Sage 100
- Sage ERP MAS 90
- Sage ERP MAS 200
- Sage Master Builder
- Sage Fund Accounting
Sage 300
- Sage ERP Accpac
- Sage Timberline Office
Sage 500
- Sage ERP MAS 500
- Sage Fund Accounting – Multi User Edition
Sage Universal Solutions
- Sage CRM
- Sage Fixed Assets (Previously Sage FAS Fixed Assets)
- Sage HRMS (Previously Sage Abra HRMS)
- Sage Estimating (Previously Sage Timberline Estimating)
The timeline for these changes should approximate the release date of the next major upgrade for the product(s) with most changes occurring late in 2012 and early 2013.
Products not presently slated for rebranding due to specific market plans, strategies or international factors:
- Sage ACT!
- Sage SalesLogix
- Sage EPR X3
- Sage BusinessWorks
- Sage BusinessVision
- Sage DacEasy
- Sage PFW
- Sage Pro
- Sage fundraising series – including Sage Millennium
Sage ERP MAS 90, 200 Will Be Delivered Via Download
October 18, 2011
Waiting for a disk to arrive for your latest Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 version 4.5 upgrade? Starting with this version you’ll no longer receive disks (unless you request them). Instead you’ll be directed to a download site to retrieve the program disk.
This 2.x GB download will include all versions of Sage ERP MAS90, 200 and SQL. The version installed to your computer will be determined by the unlocking keys you insert during setup.
Here’s the announcement from Sage regarding the MAS90,200,SQL download plans:
We’re building up to the 4.5 launch at the end of this month to correspond with the timing of the Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Auto-Delivery communications. Also the last week of October, the 4.5 microsite will go live to communicate to prospects and customers the value, flexibility, and enhancements packed in this release. Featured on the site will be a series of 4.5 videos staring Mary, our animated product ambassador; she’ll cover the highlights of the business value of the 4.5 enhancements in an entertaining way. New interactive 4.5 product screenshots will show examples of the enhancement details. The 4.5 microsite will also provide customers and prospects easy access to sign up for 4.5 webcasts, updated spec sheets and brochures, and the technology whitepaper. Look for your 4.5 Auto-Delivery package coming your way the end of October!
What’s New In Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 V4.50
PC Charge / VeriFone Integration With Sage ERP MAS90,200 Version 5.0 – Update
October 18, 2011
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 5.0 will contain a new integration with Sage Exchange. Sage Payment Solutions created this integration to streamline credit card processing across the entire Sage product portfolio. As part of this implementation, credit card numbers will no longer be stored within Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200. Instead they will be stored in the Sage Exchange Vault.
With the introduction of Sage Exchange in Version 5.0, the integration to PC Charge Payment Server will no longer function because it requires that credit card numbers be stored within the ERP system.
Sage Payment Solutions will be the only supported credit card processor for the Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 product line.
In anticipation of the version 5.0 release, please note the following:
- Effective November 1, 2011, Sage will no longer offer the Credit Card Processing powered by PC Charge Payment Server module for new customer sales.
- For existing customers who wish to continue using PC Charge until their existing credit card processing provider contract expires, supported versions of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 will continue to work with PC Charge. This includes version 4.5.
- PC Charge version 5.9.3 will be the last version tested by Sage for compatibility with Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200. While subsequent versions of PC Charge may continue to work, they will not be validated as compatible by Sage.
- As has always been the case, requests for customer assistance for PC Charge should be directed to VeriFone. If a customer purchased PC Charge from Sage within the last 12 months, their purchase included an initial 12 months of VeriFone technical support. If they purchased PC Charge over a year ago, they will need to renew their support agreement directly with VeriFone. VeriFone offers two support plans:
- Telephone support plus software maintenance: $229 annual fee
- Telephone support only: $139 annual fee. If this plan is selected, there is a $120 fee per upgrade for any subsequent releases of PC Charge.
- Customers should contact Lela Reeves at VeriFone by telephone at: 912-527-4576 or by email at: Lela_Reeves@verifone.com to renew their PC Charge support agreement if necessary.
- Sage will discontinue telephone support for all versions of the Credit Card Processing powered by PC Charge Payment Server module as of December 31, 2012. Until then, Sage will continue to provide telephone support for the Credit Card Processing powered by PC Charge module, while VeriFone must be contacted for any support for the PC Charge Payment Server application.
Sage Contact:
Rob Ullmann
Account Executive
Sage
Sage Payment Solutions
978-232-0240
978-808-2343(cell)
720-834-1777(efax)
Rullmann@SagePayments.com
www.sagepayments.com
Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL Pricing Updated
October 18, 2011
Sage have just updated their pricing on Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL user licenses. Initially they had indicated that whether MAS 200 was used on a Providex or SQL database the per user pricing would be identical.
That pricing information is now updated to reflect that Sage EPR MAS 200 SQL user licenses will have an additional $350 per user price (plus maintenance) which goes into effect 12/1/11.
Also on December 1, 2011 to get the scalability, flexibility, integration, and reporting of SQL Server that Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL offers, installed base customers who wish to migrate to the SQL product will “pay the difference” of $350 per user. With 4.5, Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL customers will receive one free SageCRM 7.1 user and server license when they upgrade. And, customers who have not previously received a free Sage ERP MAS Intelligence Report Manager license will receive one compatible with Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL 4.5, which includes Reporting Tree capabilities and enhanced report distribution.
Sage ERP MAS200 SQL v4.5 Specifications
Sage ERP MAS200 SQL v4.5 Release Guide (October 2011)
Sage ERP MAS90, MAS200, MAS500 Supported Versions and Retirement Dates – October 2011
October 18, 2011
The link below provides a document showing the lastest Sage ERP MAS90,200,500 Supported Versions as of October 1011.
In essence the last date for payroll and year end updates is the end of life for those using payroll.
Recall that many states are issuing significant payroll withholding rules which might require a program update in order to continue processing payrolls. In most cases it is not apparent until the later part of December that a program update is going to be required.
Note that on most of these versions payroll updates end 9 months ahead of the official phone/email support.
Sage ERP MAS 90 , 200 , 500 Retirement Dates (pdf)
Why You Should Only Be Agreeing To Fixed Price Consulting
October 14, 2011
Here’s a short 2 minute video that hits the nail on the head with respect to the concept of hourly vs fixed price billing.
At Schulz Consulting we’ve converted all of our work over to fixed price with a money back guarantee. We no longer track hours or provide silly quotes like “our time will be between x and y but if it is less you pay less”.
The major reasons we don’t bill hourly:
- An experienced professional should know what the work is going to cost
- An experienced professional will take the time up front to understand the desired outcome
- An experienced professional will back their work with a money back guarantee
- Quoting a fixed price requires us to work with you to fully understand and document the work to be performed
- No surprise bill(s) showing extra hours
- If a consultant quotes “it will be between 10 and 20 hours” – guess which number the consultant is thinking (Hint: 20+) and which number you’re thinking (Hint: 10 or less).
- Any consultant who doesn’t understand the work can quote you an hourly rate which essentially “learns on your dime”
Altec doc-link webinars for MAS 90/200
October 13, 2011
If you’re looking to take your use of paperless processing in Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 to the next level…
Join us to learn how doc-link electronically captures, workflows, routes and archives business documents and reports to reduce handling costs and improve communication. Combining best practices, state-of-the-art technology, and sound implementation methods into an affordable package makes doc-link the document management choice among financial accounting software users. Our webinar and demo will focus on streamlined business processes along with corresponding return on investment with a focus on integrated document management.
Tuesday, 11/8/11 at 10am PT / 1pm ET – register
Wednesday, 11/9/11 at 10am PT /1pm ET – register
The included Paperless Office features of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 are fantastic at reducing paper. For the majority of businesses the included capabilities of Sage’s Paperless Office are all they’ll ever need.
If your company needs:
- To allow non-MAS90 users access to paperless source documents
- Indexing of source documents
- Approval workflow of paperless documents
Then doc-link is one solution that you should consider. Tightly integrated with Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 this product is widely used by businesses needing to take their paperless processing to the next level.
Sage Altec doc-link Armed and Paperless Whitepaper
TIP: Anyone Using Sage Extended Solutions Should Request Updates
October 11, 2011
Remember that Sage will shortly STOP sending out updated Extended Solution bundles. This will be problematic for ANY customers still using ES on versions prior to 4.4 who also need to add another add-on that requires an updated ES version.
We ran into this with DSD’s IMFX utility which was certified for the latest 4.3 SU and the customer was on SU 14 with two legacy ES.
We also ran into this during payroll year end when Sage pushed out mandatory payroll updates (at least mandatory for any customer who wanted to compute the proper CT withholding) and it required a specific SU level to install. In those cases we were forced to quickly go to Sage and get an updated SU.
TIP: Any customer using Extended Solutions, not on 4.4 and not planning to move to the latest version of MAS soon – should ask Sage for the latest upgrade to their Extended Solutions. Sage is indicating that they will soon “remove the program” that generates these updates and the bundles will not be available.
View a Free Sage ERP Demo – Recorded or Live
October 10, 2011
Interested in viewing a free demo of Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 – without having to schedule a convenient time for several people to meet in your conference room? You’re in luck!
Sage has a site where they list both live and recorded versions of their most popular Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS20o demonstrations.
Presently they have listed:
LIVE Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200DEMOS
- Paperless Payroll with Sage Payroll Paycard
- What’s New In Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Version 4.5 (October 20, 2011)
- Maximizing ROI on Your ERP Investment with doc-link Document Imaging and Workflow Solutions
RECORDED Sage ERP MAS90 and 200 DEMOS
- Sage TimeSheet
- BI in 2010 – Abolishing Technology Hindrances (Parts 1 and 2)
- Business Alerts Professional for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Customer Newsletter
October 10, 2011
Did you know that Sage publishes a semi-regular email newsletter for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 customers? You can read this from within your MAS 90 or MAS 200 launcher – or if you prefer you can follow the link below to view the newsletter online.
It appears that the newsletter for September/October 2011 has yet to be published however this August issue has a good overview of the features to be expected in Sage EPR MAS 90 and 200 v4.5 which was released to new customers on September 8, 2011 and will ship shortly to existing customers and partners.
Want to stay updated on all the latest MAS90 news? Subscribe to the Schulz Consulting email newsletter and every Tuesday we’ll send a summary of all the newest items on our web site. Click here to subscribe to the Schulz Consulting newsletter.
Sage July / August 2011 MAS 90 and 200 Customer Newsletter
Sage Softline South Africa Acquires Alchemex
October 10, 2011
Sage have announced that their South African division, Sage Softline, has acquired the tool behind the Sage MAS Intelligence product. The deal is apparently effective October 1, 2011 though few additional details were released and there’s presently no plans to issue a standalone press release.
Alchemex was selected about a year ago in North America to be Sage ERP MAS90 and MAS200′s replacement for Microsoft’s discontinued FRX financial report writer. In additional to drawing upon financial data Alchemex/Sage MAS Intelligence has the capability of reading other data tables such as customer and vendor lists and preparing reports based on that information.
Sage MAS Intelligence via The ERP Lifestyle Consultant
Upgrade your iPhone To iOS 5 Without Waiting Until Wednesday 10/12
October 10, 2011
Impatient to load the latest Apple iOS 5 to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch? Lifehacker has instructions and download links to let you grab an early copy (this should be the final version) and apply it to your device.
You’ll need a copy of iTunes 10.5 beta 7 or higher (links on the Lifehacker post) and the following versions are available:
iPhone 4 (GSM)
iPhone 4 (CDMA)
iPhone 3GS
iPad 2 (Wi-Fi)
iPad 2 (Wi-Fi + 3G GSM)
iPad 2 (Wi-Fi + 3G CDMA)
iPad 1 (All)
iPod Touch (3G)
iPod Touch (4G)
Head to Lifehacker to download the latest version
. As with all pre-release software – backup first and upgrade only at your own risk.
How To Default MAS90 Customized Report Setting Reports To Todays Date
October 4, 2011
Here’s a really useful fix that we made today for a customer.
We had modified an existing Aged Invoice report for a customer on v4.3. Saved it as report setting “CUSTOM”.
They noticed that while their “STANDARD” report would automatically default to today’s date — the CUSTOM one that we created and saved under the new CUSTOM name would not.
Turns out this was discussed on the forums about two years ago. It’s a WAD — unless you use this undocumented trick.
You saved a set of alternate Report Settings for the A/R Aged Invoice Report under some name other than STANDARD.
This unfortunately included the Aging Date report option, so now it always wants to age the invoices as of that same date every time, and this is annoying.
You want it to default the Aging Date the same way that it does with the STANDARD Report Settings.
This works for me:
Open SY_ReportOption table in DFDM.
Find the record for the AR_AGEDINVOICEREPORT_UI in your company that has the name of your Report Settings on it.
Edit the OptionsString$. Add ;
Done.
If you browse over to the record for the STANDARD Report Settings, you’ll see that it already has this interesting little bit on the end of its OptionsString$ too. It’s the magic signal that tells the report code to go default some things (like date options) in a smart way instead of just reading them out of this file. The details of exactly what this little token means will vary from report to report.
via: http://community.sagemas.com/t5/Personalization-Customization/A-R-Aging-Date-after-creating-customized-Aging-Report/m-p/6165
Sage ERP MAS90 Cloud Hosting For 5+ User Sites
October 4, 2011
Sage have just rolled out their MAS 90 Online product. It’s generally a great entry level solution for companies that are in the 1 to 5 user range who don’t need access to all the features of MAS90.
Over this number of users you may have a need for some of the features of MAS90 that Sage’s online hosting does not initially provide.
Some examples of things presently unavailable in Sage’s online offering which can be provided by other hosts:
- Non-Framework (ie – Payroll, Manufacturing) modules are not initially available under the Sage hosted MAS90
- Ability to create Crystal Reports on the hosted system
- Ability to use SageCRM
- Ability to use Visual Integrator
- Ability to use Custom Office
- Ability to use Job Cost
- Ability to email out of MAS90 for Paperless Office
For this type of hosting you can use a third party host such as I-Business Network. They’ve been hosting MAS90 for years and can setup your solution so that the MAS90 icon on a remote desktop appears to function almost identically to a locally installed copy of MAS90.
Gary Feldman is the contact there – you can view more information at MyOnlineMAS or email Gary. Watch Gary provide a tour of the data center below (captured during Sage Summit 2011)
Sage ERP MAS90 Electronic Filing – 20% Through 10/26/11
October 4, 2011
Are your payroll tax filings taking more and more time each month? If so you should consider using the e-Filing that’s built into every supported version of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200.
Electronic filing is not going away. In fact, it is the future for virtually all business activity. State and federal agencies are being legislatively and budgetary driven to take advantage of the efficiencies and cost savings eFiling affords them. Take great care in choosing a solution that meets all your needs and has the ability to grow and meet your future needs.
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 offers unlimited eFiling though Federal and State eFiling and Reporting and you can also purchase an unlimited eFile Package. Through October 26, 2011 save 20% on Sage’s unlimited eFiling program.
The package includes UNLIMITED eFiling for Federal and State Unemployment, New Hire, Wage Withholding,
and all associated payments. NOTE: Additional fee is charged for annual W-2 and 1099 eFilings.
With Sage Aatrix e-Filing you can electronically complete and file these federal forms:
- 941
- 940
- New Hire
- 941 Payments
- 940 Payments
For the states (all 50 are supported)
- State wage withholding
- State withholding payments
- SUI reports
- SUI payments
- State new hire reports
Click here for a complete listing of the 250+ forms that Sage eFiling for MAS90 and MAS200 supports.
Sage Unlimited eFiling via Sean Leonard
Sage ERP MAS90 Online Price List PDF October 2011
October 4, 2011
Sage has released a summary of pricing for their online version of Sage ERP MAS90. This product is functionally equivalent to the core MAS90 with certain limitations (no Crystal designer on the remote, no Visual Integrator or Custom Office, only Framework modules).
Sage ERP MAS 90 Online Price List
http://www.s-consult.com/2011/09/11/mas90-online-pre-release-information-pricing/
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