How to show country names on forms using older MAS 90 and MAS 200 versions
July 30, 2009
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To create country code on MAS90 and MAS 200 forms:
Earlier versions of MAS 90 and MAS 200 (typically prior to version 4.10 or 4.20) did not allow for easy linking of the country code name to the code itself.
While the country code could be placed on forms (Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Checks) – the name of the country was not as easy to place for a few reasons –mainly that the data file required to pull the name from was not readily linkable.
Below is a workaround solution that you may find useful. It is primarily for MAS90 or MAS200 (it works on both) versions prior to 4.1 – so if you are using a later version you probably don’t need this procedure because Sage has wisely added country name to the tables that your forms are using.
All steps below require using Crystal Report Writer – which is included with your Sage MAS90 or MAS 200 product disks.
These are not beginner instructions – and assume some intermediate level comfort with Crystal Reports. Backup all your
For this example, assume that we are going to create a form for the ship to and bill to codes. The same logic here with slight modification can apply to any form with a bill/ship field.
Note: Technical information on creating a Crystal Sub report that shares variables is available from:
NOTE: Unfortunately links below to Crystal Reports technical documents appear to have been broken since Business Objects was acquired by SAP.
http://support.businessobjects.com/library/kbase/articles/c2007600.asp
1. Create a page header A that is above the main details (Note: It is important that this comes at the top of the page so that the shared variable calculates before the body of the report. If you do not put it at the top the whole thing doesn’t work). You will need to create a new header (Right click in the HEADER section area and select Insert Section Below. Once that section is created, right click on the section area again on the left side and select MOVE – then you can move it up).
2. Create a sub report for each Bill-To/Ship-To code. These will be placed into the page header created above.
a. Cty_ship
b. Cty_bill
c. Note: Link these back to the main table on the report. You’ll probably want to look in the Database – Visual Linking Expert to see what table is being used to hold your address information.
3. Within each of these subreports:
a. Create a formula as follows (Note: Vary the variable name depending on whether you are creating a bill to or ship to)
b. Place the above formula in the body of the subreport in the details section. Once on the report, right click the formula, select format field, then font, change the font to WHITE (or any shade that won’t show on the report)
c. Place the SY_Country.CountryName in the body of the subreport in the details section. Change the font to white so it doesn’t print on the final report.
d. Leave the Details section viewable – all other sections should be suppressed – ie headers/footers. (Note: If you suppress the details section this won’t work – so be sure to leave it viewable. The way to get around seeing the data on the report is to later change the font to white and make the field very tiny).
e. Make sure your subreport is linked from the SO1_SOEntryHeader.ShipToCountry to the SY_Country.CountryCode
f. When you’ve placed both sub reports into the header section you created above, right click on each subreport and de-select the “can grow” checkbox. (Note: If you do not remove the check you may get a “page size exceeded” message)
4. Within the main report create two variables
a. Country_bill
b. Country_ship
5. Now you can put this variable into your main report formula and the value from the subreport is carried over. The following is the example of it being worked into the @ship to address formula which is standard in the Sage SO Order and Invoice form.
6. Sample formula which has been modified with the new variable.
7. Important: Place the new variables onto the report in the main header section (NOT the sub report) – you can make the white fonts so they don’t print. You must make them viewable (Cannot suppress or this does not work).
BACKGROUND NOTES ON THIS ISSUE:
Q: Client wants to display the Country Code in the forms (SO Orders, Invoices, Purchase Orders, Checks).
A: (Prior to version 4.1 and 4.2) There is no simple way to do this in MAS90/MAS200 — though there are two standard approaches.
The first approach to adding MAS90 country names on forms
Use Alias Tables — this would allow for a table to be used in a report more than once. You give each table an “alias” and it would then allow you to link it to separate fields. This would be needed for the Country Code field because it is potentially a different result for either the Bill To or Ship To.
The problem in MAS90 4.x+ with the Alias Tables is that there is a bug of some sort preventing them from linking to the SY_Country field. This is documented in the Sage KB with the workaround to use a subreport (an ok solution but the country name is impossible to properly line up since it is a free floating field).
The better solution is to use shared variables within the report. Basically this involves creating a new section (header) at the top of the report (important because the variable has to be created before the rest of the report). Then you declare the variables as shared and they can be read from the header on down to the main body.
I did this through the SO and it seemed to work.
Here is the link to the Crystal KB article showing how to create shared variables:
http://support.businessobjects.com/library/kbase/articles/c2007600.asp
On the subreport, you have to create a main subreport, a formula (put this on the subreport) and a shared variable (reference this on the main report).
In the main report you have to create a formula, call up the shared variable (see the Crystal KB for syntax) and then use it in the address formula. Do not forget to put the formula itself onto the form or the value won’t compute.
You want to make the font be white on white. Do NOT suppress and printing or the calculation does not work. If you make it very small you can hide it on the form.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This information is being made available “AS-IS”. Prior to making any changes on your system be sure you have a backup of all forms being modified.
Subsequent upgrades to MAS 90 or MAS 200 table structures may render some (or all) of these instructions obsolete. Sage may also fix bugs that we’ve referred to above. These instructions are meant to serve as a starting point for your own use – and not as a detailed step by step guide to resolving any particular issue. We take no responsibility for updating these instructions. We are not able to provide support (except for our own MAS 90 support clients) on implementing these instructions.
MAS 90 & MAS 200 Virtualization Guide Published
July 29, 2009
Virtualization allows you to allocate hardware resources among multiple virtual environments running on the same machine. Application virtualization is the use of software to allow multiple application images (such as Sage MAS) to run on the same hardware at the same time.
Sage has just issued their officially supported Virtualization configurations. This one page document (copy below for your convenience – be sure to check for updates as they become available) outlines the various virtualization platforms that may now be used to run both MAS 90 and MAS 200.
Benefits of Server Virtualization:
•Provision additional servers without investing in new hardware
•Run multiple operating systems and applications on the same physical server
•Increase the CPU utilization of an underutilized physical server by running multiple virtual environments
•Move virtual machines from one physical server to another without re-configuration
•Capture the entire state of a virtual machine and roll back to that configuration easily
Benefits of Workstation virtualization:
•Run multiple virtual machines on a single PC
•Quickly provision, deploy and reconfigure physical machines
•Run multiple operating systems and applications on a single PC
•Eliminate risk by creating isolated testing environment
•Built-in Snapshots and easy Restore capabilities
Modify MAS90 and MAS200 menus with this cool hidden utility
March 23, 2009
Changing a MAS 90 or MAS 200 menu used to be – well – impossible.
At least that’s what I thought until half an hour ago when super consultant Dawn Anastasi of CG Consulting threw this little tip out.
To change your menus (hide, re-order, rename) in Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 version 4.x use the hidden SY_MENU_UI utility.
This works for any menu – including those pesky Custom Report menus that have a nasty tendency of dropping your reports in a random order.
Changing (move, rename, delete) Menu Selections in MAS90 or MAS200
The steps to change your MAS 90 or MAS 200 menu are so simple — once you know Dawn’s secret.
It relies upon being able to access the File – Run menu from within MAS (if you’re not able to do this you probably need to verify security rights and make sure you have access to this menu choice).
First start up MAS 90 or MAS 200. Select the File menu and then the Run option.
From the dialog box that appears, type in SY_MENU_UI and click OK.
You’ll be presented with the following dialog box.
From this dialog box you can drag a menu choice from one location to another:
Once you’ve found the spot where you want to the new item to reside – simply drop.
Rename MAS 90 Menu Items
If you double click on a menu selection you’ll have the ability to rename the item as illustrated below.
Reminders:
This tip works on version 4.x
You must have security rights to the File – Run menu in order to have be allowed acess to the utility (this is setup in Library Master – Main – Role Maintenance).
via: C&G Consulting -Waukesha, WI and 90Minds Consulting Group
Batch number xxxx already exists in the direct deposit transaction file
January 28, 2009
Here’s a quick resolution to a very common error message that occurs with Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 Payroll Direct Deposit (Extended Solution PR-1017).
If you receive the message:
“Batch number xxx already exists in the direct deposit transacton file”
While trying to update your payroll register — take the following action:
- Go to Payroll
- Direct Deposit Menu
- Generate Direct Deposit Interface
- Select the second option on the menu – Purge Direct Deposit Interface Files
- Select a beginning date that is early enough to remove the offending register number (Tip: In some instances I’ve had to go back as far as 1900 even though I was certain we weren’t using Sage MAS 90 payroll Direct Deposit then…;-) )
Link: Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 Direct Deposit Manual (PR-1017)
How to remove custom reports from Sage MAS 90 and 200 menus
October 17, 2008
One thing that has left me (and my clients) scratching our heads over is removing custom reports from the MAS 90 and MAS 200 menu structure. Like bad house guests, these user created reports are easy to add (Library Master – Setup – Report Manager) — but nearly impossible to get them to leave when you want.
Unless someone has discovered a better way, here’s the solution that I’ve used in the past to remove custom reports that have been added to the Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 menus (these are the reports that show on the Custom menu choice).
UPDATE/CLARIFICATION: These instructions are meant for situations where you cannot remove a Custom Report via the Report Manager menu. Normally you can go into the Report Manager menu and click the “X” when you have a custom report selected. In many situations (that I’ve seen) this red “X” either is not present for selection or once clicked does not work. That is what the instructions below are meant to cover.
Important: Backup your entire \MAS_SYSTEM and \SOA folder before making any changes. I take no responsibility for any damage that may occur on your system. This was tested on version 4.2 and may (or may not) work similarly on earlier and later versions.
Step One – MAKE A BACKUP FIRST
Go to Library Master – Utililities – Data File Display and Maintenance
For the filename, browse to your MAS_SYSTEM folder and find the file SY_MENU
Browse to the record which is showing your report and click delete.
Step Two
For the filename, browse to the \SOA folder and find the SY1RPM file
Browse to the record which is showing your report and click delete.
Step Three – Recompile your menus
Recompile the menus. You can do this by going into MAS 90 and selecting FILE / RUN.
Type SYZCON and click OK
At the prompt, enter the following and press ENTER after each line.
menus=new(“sy_menu_svc”,%sys_ss)
? menus’compilemenu()
drop object menus
bye
You’ll see either a 1 if the procedure succeeds or 0 if it fails.
Found a better way out of this situation? Let me know in the comments below.
MAS90 and MAS200 Data Dictionary Online
May 1, 2008
Have you ever wondered what the file structure was for a certain MAS90 or MAS200 table? You can alway view this from within the Resources tab of your Sage MAS90 or MAS200 system. However there is another way to see this information when you aren’t in front of your accounting system.
Sage Software publishes two data dictionaries which are free and available online with no login.
Access the dictionaries at:
Link: Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 Version 4.30 Data Dictionary
Link: Sage MAS90 and MAS200 Version 4.20 Data Dictionary
Link: Sage MAS 90 and MAS200 Version 4.10 Data Dictionary
Possible Solution to Pesky MAS90 Server Lockups
May 1, 2008
Have you ever been plagued by persistent unexplained lockups on your Sage MAS90 file server? One client recently had some rather consistent issues with their server locking and refusing to budge further without a re-boot. One call to Sage technical support uncovered a very interesting solution that you may want to try on your server (but only if you’re having problems).
Read more
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Custom SearchAbout Schulz Consulting, LLC
We are a Glastonbury CT consulting firm specializing in Sage MAS90, MAS200 and related software (FRX, Crystal Reports, Starship, F9, SQL Mirroring, etc).
We provide nationwide consulting services via on-site, telephone or remote connection. Our clients range in size from start-up to $200 million and are located as far away as Alaska, Hawaii, California, Florida, Texas, Montana, Michigan and many other states.
Since 1986 we've provided support for all versions of Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 under an unlimited client support agreement.
You may contact us via email or review our full support agreement here.
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