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What’s New in Sage MAS90 and 200 4.5 Webinar – 2/1/12 12pm ET

February 1, 2012

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.5 is packed with compelling value, new features and functionality, and even more flexibility. The enhancements in this exciting release are inspired by you—our customers—mainly in Accounts Receivable, Payroll, Purchase Order, and Sales Order.

Register Now

Customers upgrading to 4.5 will receive a FREE fully functional SageCRM 7.1 user and server license, and one Sage ERP MAS Intelligence Report Manager License. Intelligence now includes new Reporting Tree capabilities and enhanced report distribution. 4.5 is so flexible, you can choose to remain on your current system, or move to Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL*, running on a Microsoft SQL Server database.

Also incorporated in 4.5 are the 37 enhancements provided through downloadable Product Updates since Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.4 shipped last year, in Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Bank Reconciliation, Inventory Management, Job Cost, Paperless Office, Payroll, Sales Order, as well as additional system-wide features and functionality.

Register Now

Double Posting From Sage 100 ERP (Formerly Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200) Sales Order – Fixed

February 1, 2012

Sage have issued program fix SO4081-T which resolves a rather serious Sales Order double posting issue which my 90 Minds Consulting Group first spotted back in December 2011.

The program issue was:
Daily Transaction Register doubles the amount of one or more invoices from Sales Order Invoice Journal

 

Until Sage issued their program fix the only workaround was to preview the posting registers before updating.
Possible Workaround:

• Expand Modules, Sales Order, Main, Daily Sales Reports/Updates
• Preview the Daily Sales Journal and exit.
• Answer No to Print the other reports (Gross Profit, Sales Recap, etc..)
• Answer No to Update the Daily Sales Journal

 

• Expand Modules, Sales Order, Main, Daily Sales Reports/Updates
• Print the Daily Sales Journal as well as all subsequent reports
• Answer Yes to Update
• Print the Daily Transaction Register – it should reflect the correct detail and total information.

More

64 Bit ODBC and Sage 100 ERP (Formerly Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200)

February 1, 2012

An interesting question was just asked on the MAS 90 LinkedIn Group. One of the users posed the question:

When a customer has 64-bit OS systems, they naturally want to install 64-bit versions of MS Office. All seems fine until one decides to connect to their 32-bit ODBC and are greeted by the “Specified DSN contains and architecture mismatch”. This happened to me – from a 64-bit version of Excel running on a 64-bit OS, selected Data, Other Sources and then selected SOTAMAS90*. (Note the asterisk). Once selected the message displays about the mismatch.

Is there any way around this? It seems that you need a method to tell the 64-bit programs that when they want to use a specific 32-bit ODBC they need to go through SYSWOW64 and call the ODBCAD.EXE. However, I’ve not found any options to force it to the 32-bit ODBC.

 

The short answer is that 64 bit ODBC drivers are not yet available for Sage 100 ERP .

What most users have done is uninstall any 64 bit apps (usually Microsoft Office 64 Bit) and installing their 32 bit versions.

Our 90 Minds Consulting Group has been tracking this issue since August 2011 and have the following feedback:

 

- Might be able to in MAS 5.0 but probably pushed to 5.1
- PVX Plus may have a 64 bit ODBC to offer (for a fee) at some point (I think they’re testing)

The present resolution has been to uninstall 64 bit Microsoft and install 32 bit.

Would gladly welcome updates from anyone with different workarounds.

 

UPDATE: The 64 Bit ODBC Drivers are available from PVX Plus per the following post on the MAS90 LinkedIN group:

 

 

Duplicate Form Codes In Sage 100 ERP v4.50 (Formerly Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200)

January 25, 2012

After installing Product Update 1 for Sage 100 ERP v4.50 (Formerly Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200) you may notice that your form codes are suddenly duplicating when you perform a lookup.

This appears to be a known issue and Sage have a knowledgebase entry :

 

Multiple form codes appear in Form Code lookup in 4.50 after installing Product Update 1

 According to the entry a fix is pending and hoped for a release prior to or within the next product update.

(FIXED) Daily Transaction Register doubles the amount of one or more invoices from Sales Order Invoice Journal [Sage 100 ERP]

January 23, 2012

Users of Sage 100 ERP (Formerly Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200) should see a fix to a pesky version 4.50 program issue which might double general ledger postings on some transactions originating in the Sales Order Entry module.  The only workaround for v4.50 users has been to preview the sales journals prior to updating (View Sage Knowledgebase Resolution).

Update 1-25-2012: Sage have issued a program patch to resolve this issue

In a post on the MAS90 LinkedIN Group over the weekend Sage have updated their status (click image to view full sized):

 

Via: 90 Minds Consulting Group

Sage Payments Renewal Email: It’s A Fake – Don’t Click That Link

January 20, 2012

Several partners have advised that at least some of their customers received an email claiming to be from Sage Payments which instructed the recipient to login online to renew their SPS account.

This was a bogus email and customers should be instructed to disregard it. It appears that Sage may have sent out a notice to at least some partners a few days ago advising them of the fake email.

Here’s a partial copy of the text within the email.

Subject: Annual Agreement Update – Sage Payments

Dear Sage Payments customer, you need to renew your annual agreement
with Sage. Failure to do so will result with your account status set to
-INACTIVE-, only test transactions will be possible. Download your
personal login page from this email and continue.

Sage VT Team 2012.

 

Copy of Bogus Login:

Via: Sage Payments

Knowledgesync Eliminates Free Version – No Change To Existing Customers

January 18, 2012

According to one of my 90 Minds members, Paul Ziliak of xkZero, Vineyardsoft – the publisher of Knowledgesync alerts software which integrates to Sage ERP 100 (formerly Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200) – have announced the retirement of their free version effective 1/31/2012.

This isn’t as big a change as it may seem since those already owning the software can continue using it. The impact will primarily be for new users who in the past could request a free license key for Knowledgesync simply by paying first year maintenance.

Reportedly these changes go into effect January 31, 2012

 

via: Sage KnowledgeSync Free Edition Retired

Sage Modifies Bronze Maintenance Effective 3/1/2012

January 16, 2012

Effective with maintenance plan renewals on or after March 1, 2012 Sage have indicated they will eliminate their Bronze maintenance plan option and move all Bronze users up to Silver plan.

The Bronze plan is the one used by most of our customers and, until Sage abruptly discontinued it, allowed for periodic software upgrades with no help desk access to Sage.

Under Sage’s Silver plan the additional percentage paid to Sage will be 3% (Bronze was 18% and Silver’s new price is 21% of product SLP). In additional to the benefits Bronze previously offered Sage adds very limited help desk access (5 contacts per year ).

This Sage access is best used for basic front line questions about things such as an error message or a request for a copy of your software unlocking codes. Do not expect them to advise you on best business practices, provide candid opinions on third party solutions  or guide you with non-routine implementation questions. They are technicians working from a knowledgebase, not experienced field consultants with decades of business experience.

Schulz Consulting has a network of 90 fellow consultants working to provide feedback on:

• What is the real world experience with the latest MAS90 upgrade? Is it relatively bug free and  ’safe’ to install (On December 14, 2011 three of our 90 Minds members caught a critical v4.50 error that was causing some daily transaction registers to double during Sales Order updates – and immediately notified our mutual customers to defer upgrades pending a Sage fix)
• Consultants with skills in scripting (our group has 4 of the best Sage scripting consultants in the country), reporting (we have a Crystal Reports export, a Sage MAS Intelligence expert and several BizNet consultants, custom programming (three of our members are authorized to modify Sage 100 ERP source code), manufacturing (we operate a full time 24 x 7 support area for Job Ops manufacturing software and have half a dozen experts), eBusiness
• Unpublished workarounds for issues not document anywhere in the knowledgebase
• Experiences with add-on software from various third party providers – EDI, Bar Coding, Sales Tax – often we provide references for these services that may or may not reinforce a decision to continue investigating them

 

In short, if you were previously on Bronze maintenance, you will see a 3% increase in the cost of your annual plan if it renews on or after 3/1/12.

If you were on Silver or Gold with Sage – there’s no change.

Schulz Access Agreements for your consulting and systems support remain unchanged.

50% off Select DSD Business Systems Enhancements Through January 31, 2012

January 11, 2012

Is one of your resolutions for 2012 to increase the functionality of your Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 accounting system? DSD Business Systems has a large catalog of pre-written customizations designed to save you time and money.

Now through January 31, 2012 you can select any of the enhancements from the list below and take 50% off the product price.

AP-1046 Division Number by Distribution Line
AP-1076 Retain Paid Invoices for 9,999 Days
AP-1085 Multiple Company Vendor Synchronization
AP-1102 Automatic Next Vendor Number
AP-1109 Budget Comparison for A/P and P/O
AP-1117 Auto A/R Invoice Creation from A/P Inv Entry
APLC Subcontractor License Expiration Checking
APMR Multi-Company Reporting
APMV Master Vendor
AR-1007 Ship To Addresses
AR-1032 Consolidated Statements
AR-1095 Retain Paid Invoices for 9999 Days
AR-1099 Import Into Cash Receipts
AR-1115 Enhanced Credit Checking
AR-1124 A/R Invoicing of Jobs to Multiple Customers
AR-1129 Sales Tax Automation System
AR-1173 Sales Order Deposits On Rec’vble Reports
AR-1205 G/L Segment Subst. by Custom Office UDF
AR-1227 Terms Code Disc. per Sales Code Qty Ordered
BM-1026 Parent Items as Components of Themselves
BM-1043 Alternate Component Order on Picking Sheets
GL-1043 Billion Dollar Support
GL-1060 Daily Amortization Utility for Service Contracts
IMUE Lot/Serial UDF Edit
IM-1042 Customer Specific Item Numbers
IM-1090 Exended Item Information Posting to Job Cost
IM-1099 User Defined Fields In Product Line Maintenance
IM-1137 Always Taxable Item Designation
IM-1203 Extended Description Display in I/M Inquiry
IM-1212 Item Pricing by Customer/Ship To/Warehouse
IM-1217 Additional Pricing Methods in Item Pricing
IM-1220 Apparel Matrix for Inventory and Sales Order
IM-1261 Alternate Calculation of Cost Markup %
IT-1000 Internet Sales
IT-1024 Purchase Control Integration with e-Business Mgr
JC-1000 Inventory Price Transfer
JC-1012 Enhanced Burden & Overhead Allocation Posting
JC-1157 Job Pay Rate Type
JC-1158 Cost and Price Summary Reports By Cost Code
JC-1159 Job Transaction Information Report
PO-1026 Special and Misc. Item Update to Job Cost
PO-1127 Multiple General Ledger Account Allocation
PO-1182 Consolidated Postings to Job Cost
PO-1196 Freight Posting to Job Cost
PR-1006 Washington State Unemployment Report
PR-1030 Employer Taxes (Actual) Posted to Job Cost
PR-1055 Deduction Calculation for Pension Plans
PR-1108 Half Time Due
PR-1131 Update Last Check Date to Employee UDF
PR-1136 Enhanced Payroll Check History
PR-1137 Payable Sick Benefit
PR-1138 Pension Enrollment Verification
PR-1139 Restrict Benefit Earnings to Available Hours
PR-1140 Employee Maint. Benefit Accrual Security
PR-1141 Employee Termination Utility
PR-1142 Reimbursement Earnings Type
SO-1010 Sales Order Data Entry Tracking By User ID
SO-1017 S/O Line Print Suppression
SO-1047 Commissions to use Alternate Cost/Price
SO-1056 Segment Substitution On The Fly
SO-1092 Bill Option Description & Price On SO Forms
SO-1123 Import Utility for Sales Order
SO-1250 Auto Next Order/Invoice Number by Division
SO-1274 Master Orders to Impact on Sales Order
SO-1288 Enhanced Auto Generate Invoice Function
SO-1394 Additional Order and Invoice Number Series
SO-1396 Negative Lot/Serial Distribution in Inv. Entry
SO-1477 Auto Create One P/O from S/O Entry
SO-1500 Enhanced Starship Link
SO-1533 Sales Order Ship Date Restrictions
SO-1547 Pricing by Product Line/Customer
SO-1549 Duplicate Item Checking in Sales Order Entry
SOCM Sales Order Enhanced Credit Memo
TB-1000 Time and Billing Interface with TimeCard and Payroll
TB-1022 Bill Rate By Client/Employee/Work Code
TC-1033 Enhanced TimeCard Options
TC-1036 TimeCard Integration with Union Payroll
TC-1047 Allowable Number of Days Between TC Entries
TC-1049 Duplicate Entry Prevention
TC-1050 TimeCard Entry for Subcontractors
TR-1000 Truck Management – Windows
WO-1000 Bar Code Import into Work Order
WO-1004 Operation Tckt Printing w Range of WO No.
 

Link

How Socialcast Helps 90 Minds Members Like Schulz Consulting Provide Exceptional Support

January 9, 2012

 

Seven years ago I was one of the founding members of a (then) small group of Sage partners. We initially met at the annual Sage Software conference and kept in touch throughout the year by email. We’d exchange a few messages each month when one of us ran into a touch technical issue regarding MAS90 or MAS200.

Over time our membership grew until 90 Minds Consulting, with membership approaching 90 people,  is now perhaps the largest such Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 collaborative effort in the country.

Here are some thoughts about how we moved from a handful of people to several dozen – and in the process had to adapt our collaborative efforts to manage our growth.

Online software and technology makes it easier than ever to share ideas, technical inquiries and just socialize with colleagues across the state or even the world.

In 2005 a group of accounting software colleagues started sharing information via email groups.

We met at the annual Sage Software conferences, exchanged email addresses and kept in touch throughout the year.

We would exchange email when one of us encountered an unusual technology issue. This allowed for second opinion sharing.

Our first foray into this type of collaboration was simple email. From there we progressed to group email. And lastly (where we are today) is online collaboration software (Yammer or Socialcast are examples).

Here’s how we progressed:

1. Large email list that everyone had to hit “reply all” for

Pros: Available to everyone
Cons: Does not scale well for large groups, no ability to have different subgroups

Problem: You forget to hit reply all and start having private conversations. Soon half the group doesn’t benefit from the collective wisdom of everyone because email conversations become private (depending upon if someone forgot the reply-al).

This works well for small groups (under half dozen people). As the group grows you may become increasingly frustrated with simple email exchanges. Personally I always forget to hit “reply all” and my patience is short for this type of communication.

2. Graduated to Group Email (Yahoo Groups)

Pros: No need to “reply all”
Cons: Does not scale well for groups that have multiple types of members (interests) – such as technical, marketing, management

 

This is a free service from Yahoo. Google has one too. You can setup a group and obtain one email address. When members of the group send an email to that address everyone gets a copy of the email (yeah – no more ‘reply all’)…

This free group is nice because if members want to only read messages online (as opposed to having them sent to their inbox) they can go online and set their individual group options (one option is usually to read messages only online versus individual emails).

Problem: Too much email. Our group grew and grew to 1,500-ish email exchanges per month. That was WAY too many for us to have in our inboxes and still be noticing client emails, etc.

Problem: The group worked great for on-topic stuff but when discussions strayed (think politics) there would be some days I’d have 100+ emails about the latest candidate or celebrity gossip that someone in our group was hung up on.

Problem: Logging into Yahoo was too many clicks to get to the point where I could begin reading and replying to emails. We also couldn’t create special interest groups — all email replies were going to the entire group. For example our manufacturing experts were being hit with emails from our marketing experts. And our marketing exerts were reading technical information that wasn’t in their area of expertise.

3. Graduated to online collaboration using Socialcast (where we are today).

Pros: Scales well, can establish separate groups, can establish external groups so non-members can have limited participation, highly configurable for notifications, can still interact via email

Cons: Some platforms are free though only for company email domains, lock in of data

 

Early last year a small group of us (about three or four people) started using Socialcast which is an online collaboration platform somewhat similar to the old computer BBS (bulletin board system) of the early 1980′s.

This platform is operated on what’s often termed a “fermium” model. You may setup your own groups provided that everyone joining has the same company email address. If the company wants to take on administrative control or add features such as admitting non-company participants then there’s a fee involved.

Socialcast allows us to create separate interest groups for our members (presently about 90 Sage consultants across the United States).

In the past using email or email groups we were sending email to everyone in the group — no matter what their level of expertise – now with Socialcast we allow our members to join groups based on their interest.

We have these groups available for our members:

- Business of consulting
- General discussion & chit-chat
- Job Ops
- MAS 90 & MAS 200 Routine
- MAS 90 & MAS 200 Urgent (Configured to send all 90 members an email for any new post)
- Sage CRM
- Sage news and discussion

Here’s The Payback of Collaboration

For a nominal annual fee which covers the cost of our collaboration platform each individual member is connected to a nearly real-time support system. Since our consulting members are often working weekends, holidays and late nights – this extra access to support is invaluable should an invariable issue be encountered during the consulting project.

Our group also regularly provides opinions about:

• Various third party add-ins for  MAS 90 or MAS 200
• The readiness of various upgrades and product updates for customer use
• Second opinions on specific industry usage of MAS90 or MAS200

 

This group grew from one simple activity – collecting business cards at educational conferences and keeping in touch with those people who regularly attended the conference.

The next time you’re at a trade show, conference or even a seminar – consider whether starting your own version of a collaboration group might be beneficial. Start small and take advantage of the free or low cost resources that can connect your contacts and provide you with a great depth of resources that you have locally. In return you can offer your customers and exceptional customer experience that they won’t be able to obtain elsewhere.

Server Error 404 – File or Directory Not Found When Tracking Shipments Within MAS 90 or 200

January 5, 2012

When attempting to track shipments online from within Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 the message “Server Error 404 – File or Directory Not Found” may appear. This seems to be an issue with the underlying web URL being changed so that when the link is clicked within MAS 90 or MAS 200 the Error 404 results.

Temporarily work around this by adding an “x” to the end of the url as shown below:

via: 90 Minds

Sage ERP MAS 90 & 200 Point of Sale Pre-Release Specials

January 4, 2012

February 2012 brings an update for the Hightower Point-Of-Sale, Time and Billing  and Multi-Bin Advanced Distribution.  These enhancements are re-written for the new Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 version 4.50 framework.

 

Special promotions offered by Hightower through 1/31/12:

New Point of Sale Professional Customer?

Buy (reserve) Point of Sale Professional v4.5 by 1/31/12, and get:

• 5 additional register licenses free! ($745 value)
• Our Gift Card Expansion Pack free! ($1995 value)

Point of Sale Customer w/Expired Maintenance?

UPGRADE / get back on plan by 1/31/12, and get

• 5 additional register licenses free ($745 value)
• Our Gift Card Expansion Pack free! ($1995 value)

Point of Sale Customer Current on Maintenance?

Renew early (by 1/31/12) and get

• 5 additional register licenses free ($745 value) AND
• Gift Card Expansion Pack, TimeKeeper, or the enhancement of YOUR CHOICE for FREE!
• (up to a $2995 value!)

For more information

CT Withholding Taxes May Be Zero if Period Ending Date in 2011 And Check/Quarter Date in 2012

January 3, 2012

I haven’t been able to figure this out totally because it’s not happening for every one of my test employees — however one customer on Sage ERP MAS 90 4.3.0.23 had it occur on all her employees and I can duplicate it on some employees in my test Sage ERP MAS 90 4.50 system (though only on existing employees and not newly created ones).

For employees with CT withholding codes:

If the period ending date in payroll data entry is in 2011 and the current payroll quarter is in 2012 — when you go to run the payroll tax calculation you may notice that some CT employees have no CT tax withheld unless they have an override amount in their employee maintenance screen.

I was able to resolve this by changing the period end date so it falls into 2012 and recomputing the payroll taxes.

How to configure MAS90 Sales Order entry so it will automatically backorder items that are not on hand

January 2, 2012

Several consultants in my 90 Minds Consulting Group were just comparing notes about a question that one of them had asked.  The question was “Is there a way to configure MAS90 and MAS200 so that inventory items not in stock will automatically be back ordered on the order?”.

After some debate about potential ways to accomplish this task – Dawn Anastasi - of C&G Consulting offered up this best practice:

Yes that is possible, you want to turn off the quantity checking in S/O first of all. Second, you want to turn OFF the setting in Role Maintenance for “allow to exceed qty on hand” on tab #3.

CT Withholding Tables – 2012 (pdf)

December 31, 2011

The State of Connecticut have released their withholding tables for 2012. These lookup tables allow you to verify employee wage withholding against any computerized payroll computations.  CT tax statuses A, B C, D, and F are included as well as weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly wage payment periods.

 

CT DRS 2012 Withholding Tables

CT W-4 for 2012

CT 2012 Withholding Forms and Tables

 

 

CT Payroll Tax Withholding Wrong? Join The Club

December 31, 2011

The Hartford Courant is reporting that over 700 Connecticut employees contacted the state to ask why their December 2011 tax withholding was incorrect. Apparently this widespread issue is due to the state attempting to apply some retroactive tax adjustments to worker’s pay. The reason so many are experiencing issues in December is automated payroll systems miscalculate income tax owed when workers have either overtime pay, a Christmas bonus or a buyback of unused sick days.

Provided your pay is regular each period the Connecticut withholding tax tables appear to work just fine. When payroll is different weekt to week (as may be the case with vacation or holiday pay or year end bonus) then the CT Withholding tables (provided by the state) may inaccurately withhold too much.

According to the Courant:

Because the increase in state income taxes began in August, but was retroactive to the beginning of the year, state income tax withholding is designed to both take out the right amount for the current pay period and for the first two-thirds of the year. But when employees have higher pay than usual, many payroll systems assume they’ve been earning that amount all year.

Even the state of Connecticut had overwithholding issues, with Department of Transportation workers after Tropical Storm Irene. The state did not make a fix to its software, because the same thing happened again in December, for corrections officers who received holiday pay and overtime.

“Those employees have been refunded where possible,” said Tara Downes, spokeswoman for the state Comptroller.

The good news: no worker, no matter how plumped up his check is with overtime or bonuses, will see this glitch starting Sunday. That’s because the systems will no longer be trying to calculate retroactive withholding.

via: Hartford Courant  and State of CT Withholding Tables for 2012 (PDF)

How To Disable Sage Product Enhancement Program (PEP) in MAS90 or MAS200

December 30, 2011

Starting with version 4.50 of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Sage have added a new “phone home” feature which they advise is purely optional and can be enabled or disabled by the user.

Sage provides a full explanation of their PEP program here.

From their site:
We collect information about your usage of the software program, the hardware used to run the program, and statistics about your company. We also collect the serial number of your product so that we can identify trends over time for a given installation. We do not collect financial information from your company information. For example, we may be interested in how many Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 customers use “Enter Cash Receipts” versus “Apply Payments and Memos”, but we will not collect any information contained in the individual transactions.

Examples of the data collected:

• What version of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 is installed?
• What auditing features are enabled?
• How often is the “Shipping Data Entry” screen used?
• How many transactions are in the system?
• What is the serial number of the product being used?
• What is the operating system running Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200?
• Does the company use finance charges?

We are interested in aggregating usage data so that we can identify areas of the program that we need to improve. We may also use the information we gather to create offers that suit your individual needs. As we continue to gather and analyze data, we may change the types of data we collect to better achieve the goal of improving our products and services. Those changes will be transparent and will not affect your work.

How often will I be sharing this anonymous information with you?

We anticipate that the information will be shared once per day.

How is data sent and stored?

All information will be sent automatically via the Internet. Once you join the Product Enhancement Program you don’t need to do anything else. Data transmission takes place in the background, without disturbing your current tasks, and should not affect the performance of your computer. Data is encrypted during transmission using SSL and is stored securely. We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it.

Will you be sharing this information with other companies?

Sage will use this information for internal purposes only.

How long will the Product Enhancement Program run?

The program will run indefinitely or until you choose to discontinue participating. To opt out of the program, please click Product Enhancement Program from the Administrative Tools menu. Once the study has been turned off, no more data will be collected or sent. You can join or drop out of the program as many times as desired.

Here’s The Step-By-Step Instructions To Opt-Out From The Sage Product Enhancement Program

 

Second, from the administrator screen select the last option “Sage Product Enhancement Program – Change your Participation In The Program”.

Finally, remove the check mark next to the participation.

Note: At this time it appears that you must opt-out each time a product update is installed as some users have reported that when they install the product update they find that they have re-enrolled after specifically opting-out.. Tested installing Sage ERP MAS 90 v4.50 PU2 after opting out on PU1 and the Opt-Out for PEP remained (as it should have) after the PU update.

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 v4.50 Product Update 2 Now Available

December 26, 2011

Sage have been working hard over the holidays creating their second product update for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.50 as well as their 8th product update for version 4.40.

Check the list of new features in 4.50 PU 2 here or 4.40 PU 8 here. There’s a new inventory balancing utility on the *UTL hidden menu and slow performance printing Crystal Forms across the network in 4.50.

 

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Product Updates – Version 4.50

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Product Updates – Version 4.40

 

How to report Employer-Sponsored Health Care coverage on the W-2

December 22, 2011

The Internal Revenue Service issued interim guidance to employers on informational reporting on each employee’s annual Form W-2 of the cost of the health insurance coverage they sponsor for employees.

The IRS emphasized that this new reporting to employees is for their information only, to inform them of the cost of their health coverage, and does not cause excludable employer-provided health coverage to become taxable; employer-provided health coverage continues to be excludable from an employee’s income, and is not taxable.

The Affordable Care Act provides that employers are required to report the cost of employer-provided health care coverage on the Form W-2. Notice 2010-69, issued last fall, made this requirement optional for all employers for the 2011 Forms W-2 (generally furnished to employees in January 2012).

The IRS provided further relief for smaller employers (those filing fewer than 250 W-2 forms) by making this requirement optional for them at least for 2012 (i.e., for 2012 Forms W-2 that generally would be furnished to employees in January 2013) and continuing this optional treatment for smaller employers until further guidance is issued.

Using a question-and-answer format, Notice 2011-28 also provides guidance for employers that are subject to this requirement for the 2012 Forms W-2 and those that choose to voluntarily comply with it for either 2011 or 2012. The notice includes information on how to report, what coverage to include and how to determine the cost of the coverage.

The 2011 Form W-2, prior IRS Notice 2010-69 deferring the reporting requirement for 2011, and Notice 2011-28 containing the new guidance are available on IRS.gov.

Via: IRS

Instructions on how to implement the Employer-Sponsored Health Care reporting on the W-2 form within Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 payroll is available here.

Up To 25% Of ERP Users Looking to Upgrade Or Change Solution

December 20, 2011

Forrester Research has an interesting study predicting that up to 25% of companies might be in the market for either upgrading or completely changing their accounting system.

What’s interesting about this news post is there’s no clear direction that companies are headed. The decision between a SaaS (software as a service) offering which is hosted off-site and an on-site offering is, according to this article, largely made on a company by company basis.

 
From The Computerworld Post:

An ERP boomlet, born of necessityFor the past decade, ERP has been the poster child for IT projects that overpromise and underdeliver. It was notorious for painfully complex rollouts that took years to implement, required massive customization, and were often only partially realized. Billions of dollars were spent just trying to get ERP systems to work as advertised.

Now ERP is back — and not just for big enterprises looking to refresh legacy systems. According to surveys by Forrester Research, roughly one out of four SMBs and enterprises plans to either upgrade their existing ERP solutions or implement a new one over the next 12 months.

Many of these are small to midsize companies that have been getting by for years with QuickBooks or Peachtree but now need to take managing their businesses to the next level, says Forrester Research analyst China Martens.

Computerworld

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Tax Table Update: Q1 2012 (12/16/11)

December 20, 2011

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 payroll tax updates are now available for download here. Remember that you’ll need to be on version 4.20 or higher (supported versions) in order to install these new tables.

 

IMPORTANT: Payroll tax tables may be updated frequently. Please check with your tax advisor and manually verify that payroll tax computations are accurate. We strive to update our content with the most current information but cannot guarantee that subsequent changes to these tables may occur. You are responsible for verifying all tax computations. Schulz Consulting is not in the business of providing tax or accounting advice and you are advised to consult your tax or accounting advisor before implementing any changes.

 

Here’s what’s new:

via: Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Tax Table Update 

PR-3037-E-KBA

 

 

 

 

 

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 2011 Year End W2, Electronic Reporting Updates

December 20, 2011

Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 Level 4.20, 4.30 SU 17-23, 4.40 PU 1-7

Sage ERP MAS 90 MAS 200 Extended Enterprise Suite versions 1.3 and 1.4

Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL Level 3.74

12-16-11

The release of the 2011 Year End Program Change IRD contains enhancements for Payroll and Electronic Reporting:

PAYROLL

W-2 Form Printing and Deduction Code Maintenance have been modified according to the Internal Revenue Service 2011 Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 to allow for the following new Box 12 codes:

DD-Cost of employer-sponsored health coverage

EE-Designated Roth contributions under a governmental section 457(b) plan

Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.30 SU 17-23, 4.40 PU 1-7 ONLY:

A new field Kind of Employer has been added to Federal eFiling and Reporting screen. For Federal eFiling and Reporting of the W-2s, the employee e-mail address will now populate the Electronic Delivery column in the W2/1099 Preparer. If you have not done so already, to set up the employee’s e-mail address you will need to do the following:

Paperless Office

1. From Paperless Office Setup menu select Options. Select the Forms checkbox.

2. From Paperless Office Setup menu select Form Maintenance. Complete the following:

a. Company Code

b. Module Code (P/R)

c. Document (Direct Deposit Stub)

d. PDF Directory

e. Override Password/Confirm Password

Payroll

1. From Payroll Setup menu select Options. On the Direct Deposit tabselect Require Direct Deposit checkbox.

2. From the Payroll Main menu select Employee Maintenance. Select employee, select the Direct Deposit checkbox and then click the Direct Deposit button.

3. On the Direct Deposits window click the Paperless button.

4. On the Paperless Office Delivery Options window complete the following:

5. PDF Document Password

6. E-mail Address (for employee). Accept

After setting up the e-mail address for an employee, if that employee is not paid by Direct Deposit you may deselect the Direct Deposit checkbox on the Main panel in Employee Maintenance. The e-mail address entered will be retained. You will need to perform the Payroll steps 2 through 4 for each employee you want to set up with an e-mail address.

(SD 90276, PER 108204)

In Federal eFiling and Reporting amounts for new Box 12 Codes “DD” and “EE” will now populate the W2/1099 Preparer.

Federal eFiling and Reporting has been updated with new federal tax codes for Puerto Rico and new local codes for Ohio.

ELECTRONIC REPORTING

W2 Electronic Reporting has been modified according to the SSA 2011 Specifications for Filing Form W-2 Electronically. The following changes have been made:

A new field Kind of Employer has been added to the W2 Electronic Reporting screen.

Record changes:

RW Record–position 463-473 is now for Cost of Employer Sponsored Health Coverage

RO Record–position 111-121 is now for Designated Roth Contributions Under a Governmental Section 457

RT Record–position 295-309 is now for Cost of Employer Sponsored Health Coverage

RU Record–position 145-159 is now for Designated Roth Contributions Under a Governmental Section 457

 

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 IRD – Q4 2011

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Tips & Tricks Demo Videos

December 19, 2011

2012 W2 and W3 Instructions and Box 12 Codes

December 19, 2011

Looking for the W2 and W3 official instructions for preparing year end employee tax forms? The IRS published this guide (see below) in November 2011 which also includes a handy list of W2 Box 12 form codes and their proper use.

2012 w2 w3 IRS form Instructions

GetX: Global search for Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 v4.4+

December 16, 2011

Have you ever wished there was a way you could search all of your data within Sage ERP MAS 90 or MAS 200 from one screen?

I just attended a demonstration hosted by VAR XKZERO that spotlighted their GetX search tool for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200. This affordable solution provides a single search screen from which you can look at data in any of your Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 framework modules.

The setup of the software looked very fast. The only software required is a .NET component (typically included with all modern computer operating systems) and a Providex program that works on the server.

Indexing of your Sage ERP MAS 90 or MAS 200 data files can be scheduled for certain time periods of the day. You can  limit the company codes, data tables and fields that are indexed. Expect that the indexes will be about the same size as your normal Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 data files.

System security is fully supported so that only authorized users can scan through accounting data. Presently the solution is available for Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 (nothing for SQL) on versions 4.4 or 4.5.

Pricing is $ 250 for the software component and $ 60 per user per year. The user licenses must match those which you already own from Sage. So if you have a 10 user Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 system you’d need 10 licenses of GetX.

For more information visit – http://www.gogetx.com

FRX Replacement WebCast: BizNet Excel Information Suite for Sage ERP MAS 90, 200, 500

December 15, 2011

Business Reporting and Analytics for Sage MAS 90/200/500

 

 

Are you struggling with finding a suitable replacement for FRx? Why not use what every company already utilizes today – EXCEL! BizNet’s Excel Business Information Suite is the next generation reporting solution and was designed with the assistance of FRx professionals. BizNet’s Reporting solution is pre-built for MAS 90/200/500.

 

• 100% Excel
• Fills Top 10 FRx Feature Gaps
• Real Time Reporting & Business Intelligence
• Drill to transaction detail
• Drag and Drop Report Creation
• Pre-built Connections, Content & Analysis
• Utilize Single Excel Template for Multiple Report Distribution
• Fully Deployed in Less Than a Day
• No additional Hardware

Join us on Wednesday January 18, 2012 at 1pm ET for a one hour free presentation that highlights the BizNet reporting tool. You have an opportunity to see how an FRX report can be converted quickly to BizNet and how subsequent reporting happens entirely within Microsoft Excel.

 

Register for our Free BizNet WebCast – January 18, 2012 – 1pm ET

 

 

 

 

 

30 New Features You’ll Add By Upgrading from Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 v4.2 to 4.5

December 14, 2011

Sage have put together a rather nice PDF form highlighting the top 10 new features of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 versions 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5. This summary is meant to provide an idea of the major benefits of upgrading such as:

Version 4.30:

- Paperless Office
- Electronic Payroll Tax Processing
- Direct Deposit

Version 4.40:

- Expanded customer and inventory item numbers
- Enhanced security
- Attachements to memo fields
- Parallel data migration

Version 4.50:

- National account management in Accounts Receivable
- Create Purchase Orders from Sales Orders
- One free Sage CRM 7.1 user license
- Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL availability

More

Sage ERP MAS 90, 200, and 200 SQL Feature Tours

December 14, 2011

Save have put together a series of feature tours that demonstrate some helpful features of the new Sage ERP MAS 90, 200 and 200 SQL. Feature tours are available for Quick Printing, Wire Transfers, Printing AP Checks by Vendor Name. Closed captioning is available on all large tours to provide a transcription of the audio portion of the tour. To turn on closed captioning, click the CC button on the playback bar.

Sage Feature Tours

The wrong version of Crystal Reports is installed on this workstation – Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200

December 14, 2011

While installing Sage ERP MAS 90 version 4.50 for a customer who was upgrading from another version I ran into a pesky error message — “The wrong version of Crystal Reports is installed on this workstation”.

The customer was running all their workstation on Windows 2003 via Terminal Services. This meant each user remotely accessed their Sage ERP MAS 90 workstation as opposed to having a local desktop.

Normally this issue is resolved either by:

- Installing the full version of Crystal Reports
- Re-running workstation setup

In this particular instance I did both of these without any relief from the error message.

What finally resolved the issue:

- Uninstalled the workstation setup
- Reinstalled workstation setup except instead of using the C: as I’d previously done I used a mapped drive letter and the “wrong version” error disappeared.

Additional information on this error can be viewed here.

New Sage North America Product Families Explained

December 9, 2011

Sage North America have recently released information that clarifies how they will re-brand their product portfolio into broad “families” beginning in 2011 and extending through 2012.

Essentially what you’ll see is that the product brands such as MAS90, MAS200 will now be known by numbers (Ex. Sage ERP MAS 90 becomes Sage 100).

The larger the number the larger or more complex type company where the solution is designed to be used.

Here’s the explanation from the Sage website that details these product families. Not all products are being rebranded. We have a full list of the old and new Sage product names.

New Sage Product Family Descriptions

Sage is the world leader in financial management applications for small and midsized businesses (SMBs)* with a portfolio of business management solutions that helps businesses more easily manage their operations. See the full list of all Sage products and information about them.

Sage 50 is Sage’s small business family of accounting, business intelligence, payroll, and human resources software and services that is designed to deliver dynamic guidance to help you realize your business ambition. Sage 50 is easy to set up and use and is backed by Sage Business Care and Sage Advisor Technology to ensure you get the most from your investment. Sage 50 grows as your business grows by providing editions with increasing levels of functionality to support your businesses’ growth. Available in a U.S. Edition and a Canadian Edition, Sage 50 offers a robust set of capabilities to make your business life easier and also comes in an Accountant Edition specifically for your accountant, bookkeeper, or business consultant. Sage 50 U.S.—Edition is also available for specific industries including manufacturing, distribution, construction, and nonprofit.

Sage 100 is Sage’s family of business management software and services for midsized businesses, organizations, and practices with a focus on North America. It supports configuration options to best match your needs and delivers a low total cost of ownership. Sage 100 includes ERP, Fixed Assets, HRMS, and specialty solutions for construction and nonprofit organizations, plus integration with Sage CRM solutions. Sage 100 solutions are sold and supported through local business partners, are backed by Sage Business Care, and will be implementing Sage Advisor technology to ensure you get the most from your investment. Sage 100 grows as your business grows by providing versions to support the business growth cycle.

Sage 300 is Sage’s family of business management software and services for midsized businesses and organizations and is available internationally. It supports configuration options to best match your needs and delivers a low total cost of ownership. Sage 300 includes ERP, Fixed Assets, HRMS, and specialty solutions for construction businesses, plus integration with Sage CRM solutions. Sage 300 solutions are sold and supported through local business partners, are backed by Sage Business Care, and will be implementing Sage Advisor technology to ensure you get the most from your investment. Sage 300 grows as your business grows by providing versions to support the business growth cycle.

Sage 500 ERP is Sage’s highly customizable ERP system for midsized businesses, organizations, and practices, typically larger companies with advanced requirements. Sage 500 ERP is designed for robust financial needs, often requiring customization or higher degrees of configuration and optimization. Sage 500 ERP is available with complementary CRM, Fixed Assets, and HRMS, plus specialty solutions for construction and real estate businesses and nonprofit organizations. Sage 500 products are sold and supported through local business partners, are backed by Sage Business Care, and will be implementing Sage Advisor Technology to ensure you get the most from your investment.

Sage HRMS is a comprehensive human resource management system for small and midsized businesses. Available alone or integrated with Sage 100, 300, and 500 families of business management solutions, Sage HRMS helps streamline day-to-day administrative tasks and provides insights that will help you manage, forecast, and implement effective strategies to make positive changes to your bottom line.

Sage construction and real estate solutions include Sage 50 Construction Accounting for smaller contractors who want an easy-to-install accounting solution with robust job costing, progress billing, and industry-specific reports; Sage 100 Contractor for construction-specific functionality that addresses all phases of the business profit cycle including accounting and operations management; and Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate and Sage 300 Trade Specialty for midsized businesses that have advanced needs for integrated accounting, job cost, project management, estimating, and service management processes. Sage Estimating provides the ability create more estimates in less time and to increase the bid-to-win ratio for any size company.

Sage nonprofit fundraising and fund accounting solutions include Sage 50 Nonprofit Accounting for smaller organizations that want an easy-to-install, standardized solution and Sage 100 Fund Accounting for organizations that need to track and report on multiple funds across multiple budget periods to meet their reporting requirements and demonstrate accountability. 

Common Sage Services

Sage Business Care

At Sage, our focus is on our customers’ success. And there’s no better way to protect and extend a Sage software investment than with a Sage Business Care plan, which delivers value to organizations by helping to reduce the time, resources, effort, and cost of operating Sage solutions.

There are three Sage Business Care plans—Gold, Silver, and Bronze. All plans include automatic access to software updates as soon as they become available; many of these updates are based on requests from Sage customers.

The Sage Business Care Gold plan includes unlimited phone support, online chat, and more, but all Sage Business Care plans offer access to support from our in-house customer care staff as well as our extensive network of business partners, certified consultants, and authorized training centers. Plans also include access to our online Knowledgebases, discounted and free online training, and much more.

Sage Connected Services

Sage Connected Services are web- or mobile-based business services—such as credit card processing and data security. These services connect with Sage solutions, adding to the richness and functionality of the overall implementation.

Sage Advisor

The Sage Business Care program is further enhanced by the deployment of Sage Advisor technology. Currently, this technology feeds Sage product planners with ongoing monitoring of how customers use the software on a day-to-day basis, allowing quick and accurate identification of important areas to enhance. In the future, Sage Advisor technology will also proactively provide customers with personalized training and advice recommendations when needed.

 

 

Expect this rollout of new product names to occur late 2011 and increase throughout 2012. Sage have indicated that most changes can be expected during the normal product upgrade cycle. This means, for example, if Sage Peachtree has a major release in February 2012 then you may see any rebranding for that product take place as well.

via: Sage

Sage Product Branding Roadmap

December 9, 2011

Sage have just published additional information on their product rebranding expected to begin occurring in late 2011 and continuing through 2012.

Expect many of the familiar products to be renamed to a new name – often in conjunction with numbers. Full explanation of the new Sage product families.

Sage Product Name Grid

Current/Former	New Name
Sage Abra SQL HRMS	Sage HRMS
Sage ACH Processing	Sage ACH Processing
Sage ACT!	Sage ACT!
Sage Active Planner	Sage Active Planner
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200	Sage 100 ERP
Sage ERP MAS 90	Sage 100 Standard ERP
Sage ERP MAS 200	Sage 100 Advanced ERP
Sage ERP Accpac	Sage 300 ERP
Sage ERP Accpac 100	Sage 300 Standard ERP
Sage ERP Accpac 200	Sage 300 Advanced ERP
Sage ERP Accpac 500	Sage 300 Premium ERP
Sage ERP MAS 500	Sage 500 ERP
Sage ERP X3	Sage ERP X3
Sage FAS Fixed Assets	Sage Fixed Assets
Sage FAS Gov Fixed Assets	Sage Fixed Assets Government Edition
Sage FAS Nonprofit Fixed Assets	Sage Fixed Assets Nonprofit Edition
Sage FAS Canada Fixed Assets	Sage Fixed Assets Canadian Edition
Sage Fund Accounting	Sage 100 Fund Accounting
Sage Fundraising 50	Sage Fundraising 50
Sage Fundraising 100	Sage Fundraising 100
Sage Fundraising Online	Sage Fundraising Online
Sage Grant Management	Sage Grant Management
Sage Master Builder	Sage 100 Contractor
Sage Millennium	Sage Millennium
Sage Peachtree	Sage 50—U.S. Edition
Sage Peachtree First Accounting	Sage 50 First Accounting
Sage Peachtree Pro Accounting	Sage 50 Pro Accounting
Sage Peachtree Complete Accounting	Sage 50 Complete Accounting
Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting	Sage 50 Premium Accounting
Sage Peachtree Quantum	Sage 50 Quantum Accounting
Sage Peachtree Pro Accounting with Payroll	Sage 50 Pro Accounting with Payroll
Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting for Construction	Sage 50 Construction Accounting
Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting for Distribution	Sage 50 Distribution Accounting
Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting for Manufacturing	Sage 50 Manufacturing Accounting
Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting for Manufacturing	Sage 50 Manufacturing Accounting
Sage Peachtree Quantum – Accountants’ Edition	Sage 50 Accountant Edition
Sage PFW ERP	Sage PFW ERP
Sage Pro ERP	Sage Pro ERP
Sage Project Lifecycle Management	Sage Project Lifecycle Management
Sage SalesLogix	Sage SalesLogix
Sage Simply Accounting	Sage 50—Canadian Edition
Sage Simply Accounting First Step	Sage 50 First Step Accounting
Sage Simply Accounting First Step – Express	Sage 50 First Step Express Accounting
Sage Simply Accounting Pro	Sage 50 Pro Accounting
Sage Simply Accounting Pro with Payroll	Sage 50 Pro Accounting with Payroll
Sage Simply Accounting Premium	Sage 50 Premium Accounting
Sage Simply Accounting Premium with Payroll	Sage 50 Premium Accounting with Payroll
Sage Simply Accounting Enterprise	Sage 50 Quantum Accounting
Sage Simply Accounting – Accountants’ Edition	Sage 50 Accountant Edition
Sage Simply Accounting HR Manager	Sage 50 HR Manager
Sage Simply Accounting (English/Spanish)	Sage 50 Accounting—Spanish/English Edition
Sage Simply Accounting First Step (English/Spanish)	Sage 50 First Step Accounting—Spanish/Bilingual Edition
Sage Simply Accounting First Step – Express (English/Spanish)	Sage 50 First Step Express Accounting—Spanish/Bilingual Edition
Sage Simply Accounting Pro (English/Spanish)	Sage 50 Pro Accounting—Spanish/Bilingual Edition
Sage Simply Accounting Premium (English/Spanish)	Sage 50 Premium Accounting—Spanish/Bilingual Edition
Sage Simply Accounting Enterprise (English/Spanish)	Sage 50 Quantum Accounting—Spanish/Bilingual Edition
Sage Simply Accounting – Accountants’ Edition (English/Spanish)	Sage 50 Accountant Edition—Spanish/Bilingual Edition
Sage Timberline Estimating	Sage Estimating
Sage Timberline Office	Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
Sage Timberline Enterprise	Sage 300 Trade Specialty
Sage TimeSheet	Sage TimeSheet
Sage Timeslips	Sage Timeslips

Sage’s Dennis Frahmann on Rebranding (Video)

December 7, 2011

Forbes have posted a short video interview with Dennis Frahmann – Sage’s EVP of  Corporate Marketing – asking questions about Sage’s upcoming product re-branding which will take most legacy Sage product names and rebrand them around a common Sage naming methodology which primarily uses numbers to differentiate the various products.

 

 

via: Forbes

Local Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS200 Training , Anytime Learning

December 7, 2011

This morning I received an email from an existing user of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 asking if I could refer them to a local education center where they could attend classroom instruction on the MAS90 Job Costing module.

Sage maintains a network of 9 different locations (most operated by independent partners authorized by Sage). These sites provide hands on classroom instruction using Sage created textbooks (which by the way are great substitutes for the manuals). I’ve often highly recommended the courses because the quality of the instruction and materials is so high.

Sage U Training Center Listing

Typically you’ll find each center offering a full suite of courses covering the various Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 modules. Some of the more niche modules may have less frequent dates scheduled – and are often subject to re-scheduling if minimum attendance is not met – so always confirm these dates with the centers prior to booking travel.

If you’re not in the mood for live MAS90 instruction - you can also browse Sage’s Anytime Learning online offerings (which also have fantastic course manuals).

MAS90 BACKORDERED QUANTITY DISAPPEARS IN V4.50 AFTER UPGRADING RECEIPT OF GOODS

December 6, 2011

As you my know at Schulz Consulting we are one of the founding members of the 90 Minds group of 90+ consultants who share technical information about Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 ERP. One of our members, Beth Bowers – http://www.bethbowers.com, just noticed this critical bug within Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 v4.5 and the purchase order module.

 

She describes it as:

JUST found a BIG error in PO/IM for 4.50. If you have more than one item on a purchase order, do a receipt of goods and say “no” to strongreceive all/strong and only receive one item – the strongbackordered item qty disappears from the Qty On PO in the IM_ItemWarehouse file after updating the ROG.
Have a new client on 4.50 and was having to rebuild the sort files in PO a LOT. Now I know why and can recreate on my 4.50. Just reported to Sage and they verified the issue.

We’ll keep you posted about a future fix to this issue.

via 90 Minds

FUTA Credit Reduction Act to Affect 20 States

November 29, 2011

The DOL released its long-anticipated list of 2011 FUTA “credit-reduction” states on November 18, 2011. Employers in these 20 states and the Virgin Islands will experience associated tax increases.

The standard FUTA rate is 6.0% on the first $7,000 of wages. Employers in most states receive a credit of 5.4% against the rate, resulting in a net tax rate of .6%. However, some states had Federal Unemployment Trust Fund loans – taken to keep their unemployment insurance benefit programs solvent during recent periods of extended high unemployment that were still outstanding. As a result, these states will have their FUTA credit amount reduced for 2011 filing in a way to recover funds still owed to pay back these loans, resulting as noted, in higher taxes for employers in those states.

Instead of the standard 5.4% credit allowed, employers in these states will have a reduced credit of 5.1% for 2011, making their FUTA tax rate .9%.

Arkansas
California
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Kentucky
Minnesota
Missouri
North Carolina
New Jersey
Nevada
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Virginia
Virgin Islands
Wisconsin

The following exceptions apply:

Employers in Indiana will have their credit reduced from 5.4% to 4.8% for 2011, making their FUTA tax rate 1.2%

Employers in Michigan will have their credit reduced from 5.4% to 4.5% for 2011, making their FUTA tax rate 1.5%

IMPORTANT NOTE: All rate calculations above are based on the current FUTA rate of 6.0%. This rate has been in effect since 7/1/11, when the .2% FUTA surtax expired. It is not known at this time how the IRS will handle the split year rates on its FUTA credit reduction calculations. Further guidance from the IRS is forthcoming.

The credit reduction only applies to employers who SUI wages to the states listed above. All other employers will receive the full FUTA tax credit of 5.4%.

 

IRS RULES CHANGE FREQUENTLY. CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE WITH THE ABOVE.

We believe the information above is accurate as of the date published – 11/29/11 – though changes may occur which are NOT reflected above.  Schulz Consulting is NOT in the business of providing tax or accounting advice. You are advised to only make changes based on the advised of your financial professional.

 

FUTA Credit Reduction Act 20110-2012

What’s New In MAS 90 / 200 v4.50 – December 7, 2011

November 28, 2011

Interested in learning more about what’s new in Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 version 4.5? We’re delighted to announce that Leanne Lowe of Sage will be presenting a full hour new feature review for our customers and web visitors. We’ve reserved 15 spots for those who sign up via the link below. After these spots are gone the remaining enrollment will be on a space available basis (Webinar software limits us to the number of people we can simultaneously host ).

Leanne has spent 13 years working with Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200. She started with The Macabe Associates who were the originators of Sage’s Extended Solutions. When Macabe sold the catalog to Sage Leanne transferred to Sage as an employee where she has worked since 2004.

 

Alert: DSD SQL Mirroring & Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 – v4.4 PU 7

November 22, 2011

We just received this notice from DSD Business Systems that Sage’s product update 7 for MAS 90 and MAS 200 apparently has some changes rendering DSD’s popular SQL Mirroring product incompatible in some way.

Here’s the notice:
November 22, 2011

It has come to our attention that Sage’s Product Update 7 for MAS90 Version 4.40 has a major change to the Providex DLL that causes an incompatibility with SQL Mirroring. DSD is working hard to resolve the issue with Sage and PVX Plus. Please do not install Product Update 7 if you have SQL Mirroring installed at version 4.40 until DSD has resolved the incompatibility problem.

DSD Business Systems will send out another Important Announcement once the issue has been resolved and the DSD Website is updated with the new 4.40P7 Version of SQL Mirroring
.
Sincerely,
Jon Reiter
Chief Development Officer
DSD Business Systems

DSD SQL Mirroring for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 License Agreement

November 22, 2011

From time to time our customers ask about receiving a copy of the Sage End User License Agreement (EULA). Previously would furnish them with a PDF that we’d stored locally.

Now I see that Sage have established a central area that distributes license agreements for most of their products.

To download and review EULA information for Sage North America products simply follow the link below:

 

Sage EULA – MAS90 & MAS200

object PvxDax.PvxDictionary could not be initialized during MAS90 4.5 Upgrade

November 21, 2011

Consultant and DSD partner David Selko  of Baltimore just checked in to report an odd issue he encountered while upgrading Sage ERP MAS 90 from version 4.30 to 4.50 today:
I am out to upgrade a client to 4.5. Get all the conversion work done, get the forms done, log a couple people in, then a user comes to me and says she can’t get in.

Immediate error

object PvxDax.PvxDictionary could not be initialized.

I uninstall the client, repair the client, run the regcom.bat file, register the pvxdax.dll file. No luck. Had this on two workstations. I call support and they say, your computers are messed up,

The work was all done, all the clients for 4.3 were removed and 4.5 installed. I start running around to put them back to 4.3 and support called back and says that it is possible that you don’t have Visual C++ 2008 installed.

The MAS90 workstation  setups installed fine without it and never mentioned anything about needing  it.

These machines were both missing dotnet. Anyway, installing the visual C++ fixed the issue. I ALMOST had to abandon the upgrade because of the missing files.

So if you see a workstation setup warn you about dotnet, this may be your issue.

 

And here is the file I needed to install:

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=29

Via: DSD of Baltimore Maryland – MAS90/MAS200/MAS500/SageCRM

Frequently Asked Questions about Sage ERP MAS90 Online

November 19, 2011

If you are interested in using Sage ERP MAS 90 but don’t want to setup your own server or maintain the level of hardware that might be required for an online implementation – you should consider Sage’s cloud implementation of Sage ERP MAS 90.

This version offers most of the current MAS 90 modules in convenient monthly pricing.

Here is the frequently asked question list as distributed by Sage which provides answers to many questions that users have. Additionally you can review a MAS90 Online price list here.

Sage ERP MAS 90 Online Customer FAQs

Sage ERP MAS 90 Online Now Live

November 19, 2011

Sage ERP MAS 90 is now live. The new hosted version of Sage’s popular Sage ERP MAS 90 has apparently exited the early adopter phase can now be accessed direct at the Sage site via:

 

Sage MAS Online

Pricing on Sage ERP MAS 90 Online starts at $ 169 per user per month. There is a one year minimum commitment and unlike similar products there is NO minimum number of users Sage requires. Take 10% off for a 36 month contract. There is a 5% discount for prepaid contracts.

At this price you’ll receive 5 support cases per year, 24/7 access to the Sage KB.

TIP: This solution is  ideal for existing Sage ERP MAS 90 customers who are off plan as there are no fees or penalties to “get on” plan again when they sign up MAS 90 Online. By paying the per user fee for Sage ERP MAS 90 Online these customers would be considered on plan.

 

MAS90 Online Modules Include:

• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• Bank Reconciliation
• Bill of Materials
• Business Insights Dashboard
• Business Insights Explorer
• Electronic Reporting
• General Ledger
• Inventory Management
• Library Master
• Paperless Office (No fax or email capabilities)
• Purchase Order
• Return Merchandise Authorization
• Sales Order
• Includes up to 5 company databases
• Unlimited Sage ERP MAS 90 database size
• 1 GB of non-ERP personal file storage
• First user of Microsoft Word and Excel
• Backup service
• Disaster recovery service
• Unlimited 24/7 connectivity

MAS90 Online Options

• Sage Business Care – Online Advantage Plan.(optional)  - $20/user/month (unlimited support cases/ Unlimited anytime learning)
• Additional  Sage ERP MAS 90 Online Company – $ 50/company
• Additional users of Microsoft Word and Excel (1 provided free) – $ 25
• Additional personal file storage – $50 per GB

 

We see this as an especially strong offering for small companies with a need for Sage ERP MAS 90. Those companies are mostly likely wholesale distribution and making use of some type of inventory and order entry system. The key selling point of MAS90 Online will likely bet that there’s no minimum number of users to enroll and there is zero setup and configuration.

According to Sage here is how the MAS90 Online upgrade process will work (note the requirement to move to the current version of MAS within 90 days of release):

Sage will make the latest version of MAS90 available online so there is no need for partner install. However, the migration of data from the older version to the new version will still be similar to the on premise process where it is upgraded by the partner offline. Once the data is migrated to the latest version, it is then uploaded to the online environment where the customer can begin using the latest version going forward. Its also important to note that with MAS 90 Online we will have a “stay current” requirement where a customer with the assistance of a partner will need to ensure they upgrade to the latest version (via the process above) within 90 days of a new version release.

Its important to note that these upgrades should be more straightforward and less complex in nature compared to on premise upgrades. This is due to the fact that there are (1) a low number of customizations in the Online solution compared to on premise, and (2) beyond the initial move to Online the version jump will always be only 1 version.

Lastly, in reference to Product Updates and hot fixes for the current version, these are regularly applied by Sage as part of the Online service. This should not be confused with version upgrades.

 

Sage ERP MAS 90 Online Frequently Asked Questions

Sage ERP MAS 90 Online Customer FAQs
MAS90 Online

Year End 2011 Newsletter: Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200

November 17, 2011

We’ve just received our year end MAS 90 and MAS 200 newsletter – 2011 edition.

This issue covers a lot of ground  - including:

• What’s new and what’s coming for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200
• Creating a new company in Sage ERP MAS 90
• The importance of budgeting
• Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 Module Closing sequence
• Year end compliance issues (W2 , 1099, tax tables)
• SQL Payroll for Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL customers
• General module closing: Purchase Order , Sales Order
• General module closing: Inventory Management, Payroll
• General module closing: Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable
• General Module Closing: General Ledger
• Tips to help your Sage ERP MAS 90 year end processing run smoothly
• DSD Business Systems office locations

 

Whether you have been working with Sage ERP MAS 90 or MAS 200 as a novice or expert – there’s something for everyone in our year end newsletter. You can view the information online or click to download the newsletter.

 
MAS90 Newsletter Year-End 2011

What Is The Difference Between MAS90, MAS200, MAS200SQL and MAS90 Online?

November 16, 2011

As I’ve met with many of our customers one question everyone has is — “what’s the difference between MAS90, MAS200, MAS200 SQL and MAS90 Online”?

I thought I’d take just a minute to explain the differences between the four current flavors of MAS90.

What Is The Difference Between MAS90, MAS200, MAS200 SQL and MAS90 Online

MAS90: This is the most common version used by our customers. The program is based on a business basic database language (Providex) and is typically used by companies with up to 20 concurrent users (although this is not a hard and fast rule).

The current version of MAS90 is 4.50. Every MAS90 module has undergone an upgrade (details) to reach this version (often referred to as framework because the underlying data tables changed in the upgraded modules) with the exception of the MRP, Work Order, Job Cost, Timecard and Payroll where the UI (user interface) changed but the tables did not.

MAS200: All of the above MAS90 information applies to MAS200. The screens, reports, underlying data tables and functionality of MAS200 is identical to MAS90.

What’s different about MAS200 is speed. The product used to be called MAS 90 Client Server before it was given the name MAS 200.

Processing with MAS 200 is offloaded to a Microsoft Server so every operation within the program usually runs much faster than MAS90.

While there’s no hard and fast rule of when you must use MAS200 (anyone who tells you different is giving a sale pitch) we typically see customers look at MAS200 when they have 20 or more users or significant issues with speed.

Although it appears due to the client server nature of MAS200 that you should be able to have remote users operating over a thin client — in practice most customers run MAS 200 over a remote desktop environment similar to Citrix or Terminal Server.

MAS200 SQL: All of the above applies with the added benefit that an IT department can make use of SQL data tables as the underlying file storage. Because of some behind the scenes processing that occurs to get the data between native Providex and SQL we have NOT heard that MAS200 SQL is a faster alternative than ‘regular’ MAS200.

MAS90 Online: This is MAS90 hosted by Sage in a secure data environment. For a fee of about $ 170 per user per month you access most MAS90 modules (notably absent is Payroll) and eliminate the need to maintain your own server to run MAS90.

 

SageCRM Education and Training Classes

November 16, 2011

Have you just installed the latest Sage ERP MAS 90 or MAS 200 4.5 – including the free user license of SageCRM?

Interested in some affordable educational classes that walk you through the basics (and beyond) of SageCRM)?

Check these training options from Azamba. They’ve broken down their training in cost effective modules – and the price easily accommodates large groups.

SageCRM Training Classes

4 Reasons People Still Check Voicemail

November 16, 2011

Have you noticed that voicemail is now old hat in today’s high tech society. In this age of text messaging and social media many people don’t even both checking their voicemails.

Yet when they do – there’s usually only 4 reasons – as perfectly outlined by this graphic from  Ryan Block’s Google+.

MAS90 & MAS200 Consulting: Scripting, Manufacturing, Reporting, Integrations

November 15, 2011

Through our network of consultants we have access to experts in some of the more advanced areas of MAS90 and MAS200.

With over 70 members our 90 Minds Consulting offers a diverse pool of experience to answer your toughest MAS90 or MAS200 technical requests.

 

Schulz Consulting On Google +

November 8, 2011

Schulz Consulting is now on Google +.

If you haven’t yet explored Google Plus – here’s a quick video that explains Google’s new social platform.

Google+ Pages provides businesses, products, brands, and organizations with a public identity and presence on Google+. Pages can currently be created for one of five categories to help guide you when signing up:

• Product or Brand
• Company, Institution or Organization
• Local Business or Place
• Arts, Entertainment or Sports
• Other

Google+ pages interact in the Google+ world similar to the way that regular Google+ profile owners do – they can add people to circles, edit their profile, share things in Google+, +1 comments and photos, and create and join Hangouts. But they’re not entirely the same. Learn about how pages and profiles are different.

We will use Google Plus to provide constantly updated news about ERP software and specifically Sage EPR MAS 90 and MAS 200.

 

Schulz Consulting Google Plus

Do CT Employers Have To Pay Employees Idled By The Halloween Power Failure?

November 7, 2011

Here’s an interesting answer to a question that my friend Corrine Nadolny has just sent to me via email.

According to Corrine, who is a consultant for Paychex payroll processing, she was being asked by her customers:

Some CPA’s and clients have asked, if businesses were closed last week due to power outages and hourly employees were available to work but couldn’t, do they still have to be paid? Or should they collect? If the employer offers them extra hours to make up the lost hours, do they have to pay OT?

To which Corrine say’s that she called the CT Department of Labor and received this response:

I just called the Dept of Labor:
Exempt ee’s have to be paid

Non-exempt employees:
Do not have to be paid, they have the right to collect
If they work more than 40 hours to make up the time, they have to be paid 1.5 X
Comp time is illegal for non-exempt ee’s

Paychex’s contingency plan was tested again and payrolls were processes last week without missing a beat! If any of your clients had difficulty with their payroll processing and need help, please ask them to contact me directly.

Corrine
Corrine Nadolny
Paychex Inc
714 Brook Street
Suite 120
Rocky Hill, Ct 06067
Office (860)257-0677 Ext. 25012
Fax (866)784-5725
cnadolny@paychex.com

Tip: Always check with your own tax provider about these types decisions. The information on our web site is general in nature and may not apply to your company’s particular situation. We are not in the business of providing tax or accounting advice and make not guarantee about the reliability of the above information.

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 2011 Year End Frequently Asked Questions (W-2, 1099, Tax Tables, IRD)

November 7, 2011

Sage have just released their MAS90 and MAS200 2011 frequently asked year end questions.

This list of 24 common questions about year end processing reveals several interesting bits of information:

1099 Reporting with MAS90 and MAS200

For AP 1099 Reporting, there are no changes, so no IRD is required. If you performed 1099 reporting last year, using Sage ERP MAS 90 or Sage ERP MAS 200 you should have all the programs you need to process 1099 reporting this year. The following are the minimum versions you must be running for 1099 filings

Versions 4.40.0.1 and lower must have last year’s IRD (Interim Release Disk) installed

Is an IRD required to print 2011 W2 forms with MAS90 or MAS200?

Yes. Customers running Payroll must install the 2011 year-end IRD. The following list contains the minimum versions
required. If you are not at least on the minimum version, you must add the required product update to get to the
minimum before installing the year-end IRD.

I am running payroll on MAS90 or MAS200 4.5 – do I need to download the IRD?

No. All of the program changes included in the IRD are also included in 4.5. However, you will still need to download and install the Q1 2012 Tax Table Update before processing your first payroll for 2012.

 

Do I need to download the MAS90 2011 IRD if I’m using the Federal and State eFiling and Reporting feature?

 

Yes, if you choose to use Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 version 4.3 or 4.4 Federal and State eFiling and Reporting, you will need to apply the IRD.

 

When will the year-end Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Federal and State eFiling and Reporting updates be available?

On December 20, 2011, you will be able to access Federal and State eFiling and Reporting within the Payroll module
to update your W-2s. Also using eFiling and Reporting, you’ll be able to update your 1099s for year-end 2012 within
the Accounts Payable module. Simply access eFiling and Reporting within Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 after December
20, and the system will prompt you to apply the online automated update.
Throughout the year, quarterly updates for Federal and State eFiling and Reporting are generally available on the
twentieth of the last month of each quarter unless that date falls on a weekend. If it falls on a weekend, they will be
made available on the last business date before the twentieth.

 

When will the year-end Tax Table Update (TTU) and Interim Release Download (IRD) for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 be made available?

 

It will be available as a download from Sage Online, Sage ERP MAS support section; access it by using the upper right
corner “Log On” from www.SageMAS.com. This download will ensure that you will have the most up-to-date tax rates for
the new tax year. Since Sage must wait for states to announce tax rate changes before we can create the new tax tables,
and legislative tendency is for last-minute changes, we’ll also update as necessary through January 2012. Subsequent
quarterly TTU releases will be posted in the same location

How can I obtain the TTU or IRD if I do not own a current Sage Business Care Plan?

 

You must be a customer with a current Sage Business Care plan, a business partner with a current Sage Business
Partner agreement, or a Sage Accountants Network member with a current membership agreement in order to access
Sage Online, Sage ERP MAS Support. Click there by using the upper-right corner “Log On” from www.SageMAS.com
and download the TTU or IRD. If your plan or agreement has expired, please contact our Sage Business Care department
for customer renewals at 866-709-2432, Business Partner renewals at 800-854-3415, and Sage Accountants Network
enrollment at 866-565-2726.

I’ve never been to Sage ERP MAS support, and I don’t know if anyone else from my company has either. What do I do
to get a logon and access the information I need?

If you do not have a current logon to Sage ERP MAS support, go to the following URL and click on the Register Now link:
www.sagesoftwareonline.com/eServices. You’ll need your Sage account number to register. Please note that to access
the support tools of Sage ERP MAS support, you must have a current agreement or subscription plan with Sage. If you
have issues with obtaining a logon, please email us at tools.na@sage.com for assistance.

Previously, I’ve filed employees W-2s through Magnetic Media. Are there any changes

The Social Security Administration will not accept W-2 information from employers on any type of magnetic media. Instead,
it requires electronic filing of W-2 information. Sage ERP MAS 200 for SQL version 3.74 Magnetic Media module and Sage
ERP MAS 90 and 200 versions 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 Electronic Reporting module will allow you to create an EFW2 format file for
uploading to the SSA’s website (www.ssa.gov/employer). The EFW2 file is formatted to the SSA’s Electronic Filing specifications
provided the applicable IRD has been downloaded from Sage Online and properly installed on your system. The file will be
created in directory EFW2/”company code” as file name “W2REPORT.TXT.”
Some states may still accept magnetic media filings; please check the information your state has provided to you for its
policies. If your state accepts magnetic media filings and uses the Federal EFW2 format, you can use the Electronic Reporting
module to create the media for your state filing.

Does the IRD contain changes to Payroll to support the Cost of Employer-sponsored health coverage reporting?

Yes. Although reporting this information is not mandatory for employers until filing reports for 2012, the ability to include Code
DD on Form W-2 Box 12 is included in this IRD.

Does the IRD contain changes to Payroll to support Designated Roth Contributions under Governmental Section 457

Yes. The ability to include Code EE on Form W-2 Box 12 is included in this IRD.

I am running Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 version 4.2 or Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL v 3.74. Is there anything else I need to
know regarding Payroll support?

The Q1 2012 Tax Table Update and Year-End IRD are that last ones that will be available for versions 3.74 and 4.2. You must
upgrade to a more current version of software in order to receive future TTUs. Please see the Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200
Supported Versions listing posted on Sage Online. Log onto Sage Software Online, click the link to Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200
Support. In the Compatibility section, click the Support Versions link

Will I be required to print my W-3 on the red, preprinted form when using Federal and State eFiling and Reporting?

The Federal W-2s and W-3s are not required to be printed on the official form. We have incorporated an approved substitute
that can be printed on plain paper with an inkjet or laser printer. It should not be printed on red paper. You can identify the
approved form by looking for the numbers 0000/1048 under “year” on the W-2 form and in the For Official Use Only box on
the W-3. These forms are approved for use by the Social Security Administration and conform to the IRS Publication 1141 as
required.

 
MAS90 and MAS200 Year End 2011 FAQ – Payroll, Accounts Payable, W2, 1099

Sage EasyPay Makes New Purchases or Reinstating Maintenance Easier Through March 2012

November 3, 2011

Looks like Sage is rolling back out (continuing?) their EasyPay plan where customers off plan can get back on by making monthly payments.

I’ve used this in the past and it’s a pretty nice incentive for someone off-maintenance who owes a large back maintenance amount in order to become current.

I believe the changes this time around:

a. You can use credit cards for the monthly payment. Previously it was only a direct ACH and some customers balked at giving access to their checking account.

b. 5 year and quarterly payments are no longer being offered effective December 1, 2011

c. Partners on the hook for defaults (I’m unsure if this has always been the case – correct me if I’m wrong). Seems fair to me though.

d. Add-on modules (qualifying) can be put on Easy Pay – though oddly there is a separate payment that you have to make – they don’t add it into your main payment.

e. Discounted multi-year M&S subscriptions cannot be combined with Easy Pay (I believe you could before)

f. The following items are NOT eligible for the SAGE ERP EasyPay Purchase Program:
• Other non-ERP Sage products (Abra, FAS, SalesLogix, etc.)
• Endorsed Partner products
• Third party products and OEM’s
• Edition upgrades (e.g., Sage ERP Accpac 200 upgrade to 500)

I’ve had several customers use this program to lessen the burden of becoming current on maintenance and it’s a nice deal in my opinion.

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 V4.50 Product Update 1 Changelog Adds Conversion Information

November 2, 2011

Sage have posted the first product update for their latest MAS90 4.5 release. This product update includes a very helpful section which provides information on what files are converted (if any) when you load the product update.

Previously there was no way to know if a lengthy data conversion was going to kick off or if the product update might impact a customization that was installed on your system. The new changelog (view here) provides these details and should be helpful when deciding on the timing of the installation.

 

Sage MAS90 4.50 Product Update 1 – Via MAS90GURU

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

 

More

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 ; to the end of it. (That looks like an HTML tag, and your browser might’ve tried to render it, so I will spell it out for you. It’s semicolon, less than, capital R, capital T, greater than. No spaces anywhere.)

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/

Beware The New IRS PDF Malware That’s Going Around

September 30, 2011

I awoke this morning from a notice claiming to be from IRS.GOV notifying me that my latest federal tax deposit had been rejected.

Nice try.

My Google Mail clipped the email and threw it into the SPAM bucket – even flagging it for me as a fraud. Since not everyone has a reliable email filter – I figured it would be worth a minute to point out that the new malware trick that’s going around uses what appear to be PDF files but in reality are programs which when clicked insert rogue software to your computer.

Read More Here

If you receive odd emails asking you to click a pdf file – think twice before doing so. It might just be a virus or trojan looking to hop onto your computer.

BizNet Excel Reporting for Sage ERP MAS90 and 200 – October 26, 2011 1pm EDT

September 29, 2011

DSD Business Systems presents a free demonstration of BizNet Excel Business Information Suite for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200. Struggling with finding a suitable replacement for FRx? Why not use what every company already utilizes today – EXCEL!

• 100% Excel
• Fills Top 10 FRx Feature Gaps
• Real Time Reporting & Business Intelligence
• Drill to transaction detail
• Drag and Drop Report Creation
• Pre-built Connections, Content & Analysis
• Utilize Single Excel Template for Multiple Report Distribution
• Fully Deployed in Less Than a Day
• No additional Hardware

Date: October 26, 2011 10:00 am PDT / 1pm EDT
Register: Free Business Reporting with BizNet for Sage ERP MAS 90/200/500 or View Recorded BizNet Overview

MAS90 Automatic Bank Reconciliation – Two Thumbs Up

September 29, 2011

Just back from a client today. Went through the automatic bank reconciliation with them. I’d never set one up before (this functionality is new in 4.4 and imports a list of checks from the bank into your BR and clears them and provides a list of exceptions – wrong $ or checks that cleared bank not on BR).

I highly recommend you go through all your customers who use BR and help set this up.

I had not done this previously — took maybe 10 minutes and all you need to provide is a CSV with:

Bank Acct# (it will clear against multiple cash files)
Check No
Amount

I found the Amount has to be positive or it balked (though I didn’t search to see fi there was a config I missed).

Recommended

How To Find and Fix Bad Dates in MAS90 and MAS200 Data Tables

September 28, 2011

A user has just asked our 90 Minds group whether there’s an easy way to detect a bad date that is within a set of their MAS90 version 4.4 data.

This can be a very tricky issue to resolve mostly because finding the exact bad record is hampered by the fact that MAS90 or MAS200 will error out each time you run a report – or try to design a report to print the bad record(s).

That is — unless you know the secret setting that will allow the bad date(s) to print via a Crystal report.

If you’re wrestling with a bad date somewhere in your MAS90 or MAS200 files – here’s the solution that I’ve used before to quickly print out the data and find the bad date record:
Go into your SOTAMAS90 ODBC source. Check off “NULL Date”. Create a report in Crystal that draws from the file with the bad date. The bad date will no longer stop the report from processing. Sort by the date field. The bad dates will sort to the top (or end).
Now go into Sage ERP MAS 90 or MAS 200 (usually through Data File Display and Maintenance) and fix the bad record(s).

Note: Always backup prior to making any changes to your data through Data File Display and Maintenance. We are not responsible for damage done to your data.

Sage ERP MAS 500 Roadmap

September 27, 2011

The Sage ERP MAS 500 roadmap is out reflecting planned upgrades for 2011 through 2014. Watch for lots of manufacturing improvements in 2011. The Sage Exchange credit card interface is slated for integration in late 2012 before the road map goes silent until 2014 when Sales Order usability improvements and Sage Advisor are added.

 

Download the PDF roadmap here.

How We Solve MAS90 Problems By Collaborating With Other Sage Partners

September 27, 2011

Yesterday we ran across a unique problem while designing a Crystal Report for a customer.

The issues was that the traditional linking of two tables:

IM_13 and SO_ShipToAddress

Ordinarily this is a pretty easy link to make. We could have done it in three (left outer joins) and been done. Except there’s apparently an issue with one field — the most important one to our customer — not linking easily between the two files.

After spending two hours looking at the issue we decided to post this to our 90 Minds consulting group.

Many of you have heard me talk about the 90 Minds Group.

We are a simple group of vars (most with companies under 5 people in size) who met at Sage’s partner conference over the years. We’ve kept in touch and have formalized our group around providing each other with support. As of last month we were sharing over 1,000 messages.

On  daily basis members login and share information online. This is pretty evenly broken down into:

Second opinions (such as our problem with Crystal0

1. Urgent calls for technical assistance from group members who are on site with a customer
2. Chit-chat about the industry
3. Marketing initiatives (we’re presently focused on delivering reporting and scripting classes to our members).

We have 27 members (and growing) across North America.  Our members include experts in Crystal Reports, Pivot Tables, Scripting (we have four experts), SageCRM, and Sage support (we were lucky to convince the smartest former Sage support tech to join our group).

I am a big believer that increasingly no single business partner of any size  can know every aspect of their product.

What is of most value in today’s marketplace is:

1. Being as much of an expert in your product as possible
2. Knowing when to ask an expert if an issue is not in your field of expertise
3. Having a well defined field of experts who you regularly share this type of information (this is where 90% of the consultants fail – because they wait until the last minute to cultivate these relationships and then wonder why nobody helps them to solve difficult problems).

Here’s an example below of the power of 90 Minds and how it helps us to deliver better support.

Notice the time that the question was posed. This happened at 3:08pm. The issue was largely resolved by 3:18 and specific code provided at 3:40.

The power of collaboration.

How To Change Inventory Standard Cost in MAS90 or MAS200 4.4+

September 26, 2011

If you’ve been using Sage ERP MAS 90 or MAS 200 Inventory since prior to release 4.4 then you may know (or should know) about a release enhancement that impacts anyone making changes to the standard cost of an Inventory item.

In prior releases (v4.3 and earlier) this standard cost field on the Inventory Maintenance field was modifiable. You could change it at will (whether that is the right way to make the change for accounting purposes is between you and your accountant).

With the release of 4.4 Sage changed (corrected?) this feature.

Now instead of seeing a field for standard cost which you can edit at will – you must follow a specific posting procedure to change the cost.

This procedure has always been there – Sage is just now forcing you to use a more formal method for making the change.

Here’s the description of how Sage would allow you to make a standard cost change prior to 4.4:

For Standard Cost items, although the standard cost can be manually changed within Inventory Maintenance, this change will not update the inventory value in General Ledger. Using an adjustment to bring the total quantity (for all warehouses) to 0 at the current (incorrect) standard cost will bring the total quantity and total value in inventory to 0. At that time, you can manually change the standard cost within the Inventory Masterfile and adjust the total quantity back in at the new standard cost. This transaction will update General Ledger with the new inventory value.

The Automatic Cost/Price Change utility can also be used to update the standard cost for ranges of items. This utility does not update the general ledger. A Journal Entry will need to be made for the difference in inventory value. The Inventory Valuation Report should be printed before and after the change and then used to make adjustments in General Ledger.

If the item has a bill of material, the ‘Cost Roll up Register’ can also be used to change the Standard cost.

 

Here’s Sage’s knowledgebase entry on the issue that exists with 4.4+:
Unable to change the standard cost field. The standard cost is grayed out in Inventory Maintenance

Along with their recommended workaround of using Standard Cost Adjustment Entry:
How to enter Standard Cost Adjustments for an inventory item

What you should know is that making this standard cost adjustment will require exclusive access to your MAS 90 or MAS 200 inventory. This means people working within integrated modules (think Sales Order, Purchase Order, Inventory, etc) will need to exit the software for the period of time when the update is running. This can be a potential issue for any company where cost adjustments were entered manually several times per day. Be sure you consider this impact on your workflow during your MAS90 or MAS200 upgrade to version 4.4 planning.

How To Use eFax, Faxaway, MaxEmail and Protus with MAS90 or MAS200 Paperless Office v4.4+

September 26, 2011

If your company uses faxing with MAS90 Paperless Office you may know that starting with version 4.3 the features of Paperless Faxing were significantly changed. Prior to v4.30  you could use any number of Internet based faxing services such as:

• eFax
• Faxaway
• MaxEmail
• Protus

Beginning with MAS90 and MAS200 4.3 your choices were narrowed to any service you like – so long as it was Microsoft Faxing service.

This required (starting with 4.3) users to setup a fax device/modem for use with Microsoft fax. Some users found this cumbersome where their prior method of using Internet faxing was seamless.

While you still can use an Internet based service (simply substituted an email address as directed by the various fax providers) you may find that it’s less convenient for those customers who receive documents both by fax and email.

The quickest solution may be Sage’s old Extended Solution – LM-1033 which they sold until recently and which enabled a more seamless integration with the above Internet fax services.

Sage no longer sells the enhancement directly however you can order the enhancement (presently showing as available at version 4.4 product update 2) directly from DSD Business Systems.

The cost is $ 1, 060 (this includes first year maintenance) and the annual recurring maintenance is $265

eFax, Faxaway, MaxEmail, Protus integration with MAS90 and MAS200 Paperless Office 4.4+

 

 

Sage ERP MAS 500 Will Work with Windows 8

September 19, 2011

Good news from Sage. They’ve verified that Sage ERP MAS 500 will run on the next release of Microsoft Windows 8. Early reports from the Microsoft BUILD conference had indicated as much. Sage ERP MAS 500 Product Manager  Linda Cade notes:

Further, our own Wei Li was in attendance and received a Windows 8 tablet. He installed both the Windows 8 desktop and the Windows 8 server and confirmed that Sage ERP MAS 500 Version 7.4 and the development version 7.5 run perfectly in the new operating system. This is wonderful news!

Read the full post at Sage ERP MAS 500 Partner Link

How to install or upgrade Sage ERP MAS90 or MAS200 4.5

September 19, 2011

Have you just received your download link or DVD of Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 v4.50? If so you probably have questions about exactly how to install this latest release.

First, let me recommend that if you’ve never installed the upgrades for Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200 that you contact your Sage business partner. There are multiple things that they will review with you – including reviewing your system to see if you have any custom enhancements that require upgrading BEFORE installing the upgrade.

TIP: Remember that if you have third party integrated solutions such as Starship, PC Charge, F9, FRX, AccuPos, Avalara, INSynch, etc — you must consider whether those integrations also require an upgrade at the same time you are upgrading your core Sage ERP MAS 90 or 200.

If you’re still determined to upgrade your system without the help of a consultant – here are some quick tips:

• Do the upgrade first as a test. This avoids the possibility that you’ve overlooked something and need to restore your data from a backup (while your company’s users sit tapping their fingers wonder when the system will be up).
• Make a backup. Even if you think you have a great backup – take a copy of all your relevant MAS90 folders and copy them to a separate location somewhere. You can never have enough backups.
• Engage users in testing the system before allowing everyone back in. Usually you have three or four power users who are experts at checking to be sure their accounting system is functioning exactly as it was before – harness their willingness to help!

Here’s some technical information from Sage which will assist you in the technical install process:

 NOTE: These are all PDF guides. Clicking the links will download them (or open for viewing) depending on your use of  the Adobe PDF viewer.

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Installation Guide (PDF)

Sage ERP MAS90 Hardware and OS Configuration Requirements – v4.50

Sage ERP MAS200 Hardware and OS Configuration Requirements – v4.50

Sage ERP MAS200 SQL Hardware and OS Configuration Requirements – v4.50

 

 

 

 

What’s New In Sage ERP MAS 90, MAS200 Version 4.50?

September 19, 2011

Sage is now shipping their latest upgrade to Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200. This latest version 4.5 includes enhancements to payroll, sales commission processing, job costing, SageCRM and more.

The new release started shipping September 8, 2011 to new customers. Sage have begun sending out announcements and encouraging existing users to update their records in anticipation of an October 2011 release to their existing users.

Here’s a look at a summary of new features included in Sage ERP MAS 90 , MAS 200 and MAS 200 SQL.

Sage ERP 200 WhatsNew 45 Brochure

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Roadmap – September 2011

September 15, 2011

Sage have just issued their September 2011 roadmap for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200.

News of note in the roadmap:

• Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 serves over 45,000 customers
• Deployment options for on-premises or on-demand (MAS90 cloud)
• Roadmap Summary of Key Dates

Q4 2011

• SageCRM 7.1 Free Single License
• Existing MAS users can migrate automatically to SQL
• Additional 14 Extended Solution titles added

Q4 2011

• MAS90 Online 
• Reporting trees for SMI
• Report distribution for SMI
• Performance gains
• FRX conversion assistance tool
• SageCRM 7.1 – with eMarketing
• SageCRM MS Exchange integration
• SageCRM iPhone App
• SageCRM Twitter integration

Versioni 5.0 of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 is due on or about Q4 2012. Look for more web integration, automatic updates of new versions. Version 5.1 will follow around Q4 2013 with mobile apps, Sage Payroll, Sage Portal and Sage Advisor.

View the full roadmap below:
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Roadmap September

On a Windows 7 workstation, MAS 200 clients do not show the icon pictures on the toolbar. Why would this be and how to fix?

September 14, 2011

Two people in my 90 Minds Consulting Group have run across similar tricky issues wehre the icons on the Sage ERP MAS 200  taskbar disappear. Turns out there’s an easy solution related to font sizes that my friend Jim Woodhead at DSD documented on his site. Here’s the fix.

MAS90 Online: Pre-Release Information, Pricing

September 11, 2011

Last week Sage sent around a pre-release guide to their upcoming MAS90 Online offering. Expect this to become available in October 2011 and MAS90 Online to be a competitively hosted version of MAS 90 aimed at companies in the 1 to 5 user range.

MAS90 Online modules will include:

Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Bank Reconciliation
Bill of Materials
Business Insights Dashboard
Business Insights Explorer
Electronic Reporting
General Ledger
Inventory Management
Library Master
Paperless Office*
Purchase Order
Return Merchandise Authorization
Sage ERP MAS Intelligence*
Sales Order

 

Important Notes:

1. Upgrades have to be done by the partner and by downloading the data and then uploading the newly updated/converted data. This means Sage doesn’t upgrade the customer automatically — and the customer still had the expense of having a partner (or themselves) doing the upgrade. This sort of baffles me but I guess at least the hosting saves some complexity.
2. Crystal Reports have to all be designed offline (I think this may have more to do with licensing)
3. No credit card processing
4. No SageCRM integration
5. Phone  support is additional/optional (maintenance is mandatory ).

6. Business Insights Dashboard and Business Insights Explorer will be available within the Sage ERP MAS 90 Online service.

Sage ERP MAS Intelligence (SMI) is under evaluation for compatibility at this time.

7. The following Modules and Functionality are NOT Available:
• Bar Code
• Batch Faxing
• Credit Card Processing
• Custom Office
• eBusiness Manager
• eBusiness Web Services
• FAS Integration
• Federal and State eFiling and Reporting
• Job Cost
• Payroll
• Sales Tax powered by AvaTax
• SageCRM
• Timecard
• Visual Integrator
• Work Order

8. No outbound email server for Paperless Office

9. No third party integrations

10.

MAS90 Online Pricing

Sage ERP MAS 90 Online pricing will offer customers a suite of business management software applications hosted by Sage, accessed over the Internet, for a monthly subscription fee. A minimum requirement of one full concurrent Sage ERP MAS 90

Online user license for one year is required to access the software, with optional add-on user licenses and services available for additional fees. Included in the monthly subscription fees are: the secure backup service, up to five Sage ERP MAS 90 Online companies, one gigabyte of personal storage, and one free named user license of both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Discounts will be offered for multi-year contracts and pre-payments.
Sage ERP MAS 90 Online user licenses ($169*) are concurrent licenses and can be used by a pool of users.

In addition to Sage ERP MAS 90 Online user licenses, Sage also offers optional Remote Concurrent Access License (RCAL) for an additional monthly fee ($75*). RCAL licenses allow user access to Sage ERP MAS 90 Online system ─ but differ from Sage ERP MAS 90 user licenses, because they are named Citrix users.

Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 v4.50 Detailed Pre-Release Guide

September 6, 2011

Sage has just re-released their detailed guide to new features to be included in their version 4.50 release when it begins shipping on June 8, 2011.

Significant enhancements have been made to payroll , sales order, and Sage ERP MAS Intelligence financial reporting.

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4 5 Pre-Release Guide 6-24-11

What’s New In Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 V4.5

September 6, 2011

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.5 is packed with compelling value, new features and
functionality, and even more flexibility. The enhancements in this exciting release
are inspired by you—our customers—mainly in Accounts Receivable, Payroll,
Purchase Order, and Sales Order. Customers upgrading to 4.5 will receive a FREE
fully functional SageCRM 7.1 user and server license, and one Sage ERP MAS
Intelligence Report Manager License. Intelligence now includes new Reporting Tree
capabilities and enhanced report distribution. 4.5 is so flexible, you can choose to
remain on your current system, or move to Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL*, running on a
Microsoft SQL Server database. Also incorporated in 4.5 are the 37 enhancements
provided through downloadable Product Updates since Sage ERP MAS 90 and
200 4.4 shipped last year, in Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Bank
Reconciliation, Inventory Management, Job Cost, Paperless Office, Payroll, Sales
Order, as well as additional system-wide features and functionality.

Whats New in Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4 5 Overview Brochure

Supported Platforms – Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 – September 2011

September 5, 2011

Users of Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 should consult the following supported platforms listing as issued by Sage prior to installing upgrades or purchasing new hardware or operating systems.

These are the only official platforms supported by Sage. If you attempt o run Sage ERP MAS90 or MAS200 on an unsupported platform – while it may work – you will not be able to obtain any official support to resolve any issues you encounter.

Supported Platform Matrices – MAS90 + MAS200 Version 4.50

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 90

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 200

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 200 for SQL Server

Supported Platform Matrices – Version 4.45

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 200

Supported Platform Matrices – Version 4.40

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 90

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 200

Supported Platform Matrices – Version 4.30 and earlier

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 90

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 200

Supported Platform Matrix for Sage MAS 200 for SQL Server

Important: From time to time Sage updates their supported platforms matrix. While every effort is made to provide current information we cannot guarantee that these are the most current documents from Sage or that there are not other considerations for your specific situation. You are advised to consult with your Sage Business Partner prior to making any purchasing decisions. In no case is Schulz Consulting responsible for any incorrect purchases of hardware or operating systems based on use of these Sage Supported Platform Matrices.

Paperless Office Setup with MAS90 v4.30 and Windows 7 – Tip

September 4, 2011

In most cases Sage ERP MAS90 and MAS200 workstation setup will properly setup your computer for use with the popular Paperless Office feature which allows printing reports and forms to PDF.

However some users have reported issues where installation to Windows 7 computers may be troublesome. They report either issues with the paperless drivers not installing or various registration related errors.

Often we find that logging in and running workstation setup as administrator solves the issue.

In some cases you may find that extra measures such as registry tweaks (as advised by Sage) are required. I just noticed on the Sage Community Forums that someone has come up with an easier way to attempt to resolve pesky Windows 7 Paperless Office issues.

This involves using the MAS version 4.4 install files for paperless – and installing them to your version 4.30 system.

First a warning. We’ve not yet tested this – so you’re on your own if something breaks or is damaged. Make a backup before attempting this solution.

Remember that in most cases you can install Paperless Office straight from the workstation setup — with no need for this workaround. You should only use the below tip if you’ve tried to install paperless, have researched the Sage KB for solutions – and still failed.

Paperless Office Setup – MAS90 4.3 Windows 7 – Workaround
UPDATE: Sage have issued an additional knowledgebase article which seems very comprehensive in the number of tips that it provides. If you are having trouble with Paperless Office hanging on Windows 7 or Windows 2008 please review this Sage KB Article.

How Is Unit Cost Computed For FIFO Items Within MAS90 Sales Order Invoice Entry?

August 31, 2011

Here is an interesting tidbit that I just learned (or maybe I knew it before but re-learned it).

The cost field in the MAS90 Sales Order Invoice data entry may not be the true cost so long as the invoice is unposted.

A Client was using FIFO costing for an item that they sold. Noticed that the data entry cost didn’t match with the gross profit journal cost. Turns out the way that the cost is assigned is MAS90 and MAS200 may use last cost within the invoice data entry cost field. (see this link for the Sage explanation)

When the transaction is posted the cost is assigned properly to the invoice history file.

This came about because the client wanted to provide a file of sMAS90 Sales Order invoice data entry transactions (including line item costs) to a third party. My thinking was just take MAS90 Sales Order Invoice Data Entry and do an export.

That worked — except the client noticed the cost per the export I had created did not match to the cost per the Cost Journal for FIFO (and possibly other) cost types.

Here’s the Sage KB that explains it better than I probably have.

MAS90 Online Early Adopters Wanted

August 30, 2011

Looking for Early Adopters for Sage ERP MAS 90 Online

Sage ERP MAS 90 Online is scheduled to launch in October 2011. Sage is currently looking for clients and partners to participate in an Early Adopter program. We are specifically looking for clients to go “live” in September to help Sage ensure the system is ready to go. Sage will cover the first two months of the Sage ERP MAS Online subscription fees for clients participating in the Early Adopter Program.

If you have a (prospective) client who would be interested in the Early Adopter program for Sage ERP MAS 90 Online please contact me at jamie.kandola@sage.com.

Note: As of now only new users are being accepted. In the future this program may open up to existing users of Sage ERP MAS90 or 200.

MAS90 Users Off Maintenance? September 8, 2011 Could Be Your Last Day To Reinstated Inexpensively

August 27, 2011

My fellow 90 Minds collaborator Beth Bowers dropped this into the group a few days ago. I think it’s worth sharing.

I’ve not seen an official memo on this from Sage but the reinstatement folks are advising:

On September 8 (I believe the magic of that date is when 4.5 is slated to be available for new sales) those users on version 4.1 or earlier who are OFF SAGE MAINTENANCE will no longer have the option to reinstated for the price of the penalty.

Instead those users on 4.1 and earlier who are also off maintenance and wanting to come back on will have to re-purchase the package – which depending upon configuration – could be two or three times the reinstatement cost.

Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 Extended Solutions Advisory

August 26, 2011

If you’re using Extended Solutions Sage have stopped providing any updates for versions that might be needed in instances where you are forced to install a product/service update (example – payroll tax table update that also requires a service update).

This has been in effect since 4/30 though they make exceptions. I just had one granted today.

While I was on the phone with Sage they mentioned that these exceptions are going away – with no stated date on when that will occur.

If you’re still using Extended Solutions — especially if you are a payroll users — please be aware that some tax table updates or forms changes that are issued by Sage require that you install up to a certain service/product update level or the fixes won’t load.

I had a customer using a payroll enhancement and they had to install a service update in order to load the latest Connecticut tax tables. In the process the latest version 4.20 service update broke their PR-1068 Extended Solution. I had to call Sage to ask for an update.

Just a warning that in the not too distant future Sage will no longer be sending out these upgraded Extended Solutions even though you are still on a supported version of MAS90/MAS200.

Sage Branding North American Roadmap

August 24, 2011

I was of the impression that these items were under embargo however they seem to have appeared in public and most of the details being shown privately to select partners has been reposted on LinkedIn.

Here’s what we understand so far about the Sage re-branding.

On stage at the Sage Summit 2011 conference incoming CEO Pascal Houillon surprised the audience of Sage Business Partners with an announcement that most of the products in Sage’s North American portfolio would be rebranded with a numbering scheme similar to that used in Sage Europe.


What followed was apparent confusion for some in the Sage channel as evidenced by this very lengthy 130+ message LinkedIn message thread.

Sage have been meeting privately with select VARS to roll out their concept of re-branding and solicit private feedback. When asked if he’d be going on the road to do a general listening tour with the entire channel, EVP Marketing Dennis Frahmann paused before stating that Sage had no plans to gather general feedback from partners.

As conversation continued on LinkedIn around this re-branding efforts Sage seemed to move into position to participate in the conversation (too late in my opinion) and issued several general statements to clarify their branding.

According to Sage EVP of Corporate Marketing Dennis Frahmann, not all product names will be reduced to a numbering system as per this post he made on August 24, 2011:

The current straw case naming architecture that has been shared with a number of partners and advisory groups for comments proposes that the name of Sage ERP X3 be untouched. There are other products as well that would not get renamed. Our intent is to publish the complete naming architecture to our partner community later this fall.

Frahmann also followed up in a post here with further reasoning on why certain products might not be renamed:

Second, as noted in an earlier FAQ to partners, not every product is being renamed. Some programs and products, currently designed to support all of Sage, already have generic names that will remain the same or change only slightly. Other products, due to either specific business plans or limited intent to acquire new customers, will not change their names. Only a limited set of numbers will be used to create families of offerings; each renamed product will not have a distinct number.

Finally, while this is a North American-led initiative, we are working closely with our international colleagues. If a product is renamed, it will be renamed for all regions in which it is sold.

Sage will around the end of 2011 announce final plans for their new branding initiative. Implementation will follow at the start of 2012 with full branding rollout presently scheduled for the end of 2012.

Product names for some (but not all) products will go away. Instead of referring to product names you’ll refer to them as follows (tentative and preliminary examples – not complete):

Sage 50: Sage Simply, etc.

This will also roughly describe products used by companies with 50 or fewer employees and under $50 million of sales.

Sage 100: Sage ERP MAS 90, etc.

This will also roughly describe products used by companies with 100 or fewer employees and under $100 million of sales.

Sage 300: Sage ERP Accpac, etc.

This will include mid-market applications that also are distributed outside North America.

Sage 500: Sage ERP MAS 500

This will also roughly describe products used by companies with up to 500 employees and $500 million of sales.

It appears Sage ERP X3 will retain its name. As of right now there’s not much information on whether Peachtree will rebrand. Earlier reports has Sage stating that Sage Peachtree would be referred to as Sage 50. Also later in the year watch for a new SaaS offering which Sage CEO Houillon briefly announced from the podium. While details were not announced it’s likely that Sage will leverage some of their overseas product technology for this.

Sage MAS Intelligence (SMI) Free Web Demonstration Schedule

August 22, 2011

As you know the FRX Financial Reporting tool included with Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 General Ledger is no longer supported by the software publisher (Microsoft).

Sage have issued prior notices on this which you can review here.

FRX remains compatible with prior versions of Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200. Sage have also indicated it will be compatible with the next version 4.5 slated for release 9/8/11 – though the only assistance Sage can provide is with integration to Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200. All bug fixes and patches have ceased to be readily available for the FRX program.

For new custom financial reporting projects involving more than a few hours of efforts you may wish to evaluate which reporting tool you should use to create new reports.

Moving forward users of FRX will eventually need to migrate to another reporting solution. Sage have provided Sage MAS Intelligence (SMI) as their recommended solution.

SMI is Microsoft Excel based and draws data not only from your financial data but also data from other MAS 90 + MAS 200 data files such as Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, etc.

Sage published this PDF which provides many tips and online links showing how to get started with SMI. Those of you with immediate reporting needs may find it helpful to review the information which goes into greater depth on available resources.

On Wednesday August 24, 2011 Sage will sponsor a free one hour look (30 minute demo and 30 minute question and answer) at creating financial statements using SMI Report Designer. The session starts at 1pm PDT or 4pm EDT. You can sign up here to attend this overview or review the schedule of future SMI web seminars.

Sage’s MAS90 and MAS200 Support Fee Structure – August 2011 Edition

August 17, 2011

I’ve had a few inquiries from users of MAS90 and MAS200 about the fee structure for Sage’s maintenance.

Sage offers three levels of maintenance for MAS90 and MAS200:

Bronze – no phone support , product updates only (required entry level plan to get upgrades or buy new modules or licenses)

Silver – 5 calls to Sage per year

Gold – Unlimited calls to Sage per year

More detail on the exact Sage plan benefits :

Pricing is as follows:

Sage is automatically invoicing any MAS90/200 customer who was on Silver last year as Gold this year.

Any customer who was on silver last year is automatically invoiced for Gold.

The reason for this is because with Silver this year, you don’t get unlimited support. Silver this year only gets you 5 cases. The pricing structure has also been modified.

There is no longer a flat fee of 1500(silver) or 2400(gold) for support.

It is now based on a percentage of SLP.

For instance: if a customer has a 10,000 dollar SLP, their maintenance/support would be calculated as follows:

Bronze: 18% or $1800
Silver: 20% or $2000
Gold: 25% or $2500

For more information please contact wayne@s-consult.com

Various MAS90 and MAS200 ALE lookups that filter by customer number are blank or do not filter correctly (FIXED).

August 17, 2011

Several users have reported in MAS90 or MAS200 version 4.4.x.x that the customizable lookups sometimes were returning blank records. One example was when a customer lookup was done in sales order INVOICE data entry that the SHIP-TO code lookup was returning blank data.

Some consultants were able to fix this by running the ALE rebuild utilities. Others found that the utility did not resolve the open issue. At first Sage reportedly promised a fix for Product Update 7. Now it seems cooler heads have prevailed and Sage published an independent hot fix last night on their web site.

Download (Version 4.4.0.6)

Sage Summit Pascal Houillon Keynote, Branding Announcement, Panel Discussion

August 4, 2011

Sage have just posted the keynote address from their Sage Summit 2011 conference that was held in July 2011. Interesting topics covered include significant branding changes for Sage North America.

Following the keynote is a Q&A session with Sage Executives.

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