How Much Does Bad Data Cost You?

Posted on August 14, 2006 by Site Administrator

It’ s amazing how businesses can spend so much time and money analyzing software features, assessing hardware and training requirements and then completely forget about the data their systems hold. Many businesses don’ t regularly back up their data. But even those organizations who do, don’ t really know if the data they are backing up is any good.

Too many businesses have experienced this “Good News Bad News” story:

Consultant 1: My client’ s system crashed the other day. Consultant 2: Oh no. Did they have a back up? Consultant 1: Well, there’ s good news and bad news. The good news is that, yes they did have a tape back up on the network server. Consultant 2: Oh that’ s good. What’ s so bad? Weren’ t you able to get them up and running within a few hours? Consultant 1: Well, the bad news is that the back up data was corrupt and their back up files got overwritten. They had to manually re-key the first 6 months of the year to get current. It’ s taken 2 weeks to get caught up.

Sound familiar? I hope not. If you have never had the pleasure of restoring from back up count yourself as one of the lucky ones. However, the law of averages does eventually catch up to us and Murphy’ s Law is bound to strike when you least expect it.

There really is no excuse for not taking better care of your data. You need this data to generate reports for decision making and keep your system running smoothly so your daily transaction processing is not interrupted. The cost of checking your data is miniscule compared to the cost of fixing corrupt data, restoring from back up or worse having to re-key lost transactions. How much would it cost your business to lose valuable data and processing time during business hours? How many missed dinners would it take to justify investing in a tool to schedule regular data integrity checks?

If you use a business management software such as SAGE ACCPAC ERP (formerly Advantage Series) then you have the ability to run Data Integrity checks at any time. The problem companies face is remembering to run Data Integrity Checks and finding the best time to do them.

That is where a utility module called Unattended Data Integrity Checker (UDIC) can really help. Unattended Data Integrity Checker allows SAGE ACCPAC ERP customers to control when and how their accounting and business data is reviewed for integrity errors and fixes any errors found. It is recommended practice to check data for integrity errors to ensure that all data is accurate and reliable. By scheduling automatic data integrity checks at off-peak times, daily transaction processing is not interrupted and no employee time is used.

With Unattended Data Integrity Checker users can schedule and run data integrity checks at a particular time, on a particular day for any module they select in their SAGE ACCPAC ERP system. Typically these checks are run overnight to avoid any conflicts with important day-to-day activities. A log file is created to document any errors found so corrective action can be taken first thing the next morning. Once data has been checked and, if necessary, fixed it can also be backed up using ACCPAC’ s DB DUMP function.

UDIC allows companies to set up multiple schedules within one company or across multiple companies. UDIC can also support scheduling of multiple tasks within the same company. UDIC stores a history of integrity logs so if an error does occur in your data, UDIC can pinpoint when it happened.  The standard ACCPAC integrity checker does not have this functionality.  The log files are overwritten every time an integrity check is run.

Using the Windows Scheduler allows you to schedule UDIC to run daily, weekly, monthly, one time only, when the computer starts or when you log in.  You can select the time and day you want the recurring task to start.  You can also set up multiple instances of a recurring task – for example you may need to run your Integrity Check twice a day. Within Windows XP the Scheduler is accessed through Start/ All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Scheduled Tasks. If the functionality of the Windows Scheduler is inadequate (for example you may only want it to run if certain criteria has been met) then third party Schedulers can be used.

So we have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that there are very cost effective ways to safeguard the integrity of your business and accounting data. The bad news is that doing nothing will eventually allow the law of averages to catch up with you. How much will bad data cost you? How much would it cost your business to lose valuable data and processing time during business hours? How many missed dinners would it take to justify investing in a tool to schedule regular unattended data integrity checks?

We sincerely hope you never have to find out. Unfortunately our consulting experience tells us that it is only a matter of time.  For more information, please contact us at info@axisglobalpartners.com

Posted in August 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Complete Your Tasks and Appointments Faster and more Efficiently

Posted on August 14, 2006 by Site Administrator

Do you have several Tasks and Appointments you need to complete? Do you also need to update or touch each Company or Opportunity that the Task is for? Ever wonder if there was a faster way to complete your appointments and tasks while updating other information in Companies and Opportunities. Well there is!

Step 1: Making the My Communications Report Auto Hyperlink (This may need to be completed by the Administrator or someone with rights to edit Reports)

  1. Click on Reports on the Main Menu
  2. Click the Communications Category.
  3. Click the Edit Button (Pencil Icon) next to the My Communications report.
  4. Click the Auto Hyperlinking checkbox to enable it.

  1. Click Continue
  2. Click Save to save the report.

Step 2. Running the Report using Saved Search Criteria

  1. Click Reports on the Main Menu
  2. Click the Communications Category
  3. Choose the period for which you want to see your Communications for from the Saved Search dropdown.

  1. Click the Run Button.
  2. Change the Communication – Status to Pending to see only your uncompleted Tasks/Appointments.
  3. Click Run again.

Step 3. Start Going Through your Appointments/Tasks.

  1. You will now have a popup window with the Report contents in it showing all your Appointments and Tasks
  2. Click on an item in the Report and the main CRM window will automatically take you to the corresponding Task, Appointment, Company, Person or Opportunity depending on which field you choose. For example, if you click the Company Name field the Company will open in the main CRM window. If you click the Date, the Task will open in the main window.


Report Window


Main CRM Window

  1. Open the two windows up side-by-side or you can switch back and forth
    between the two windows.
  2. Start setting your Tasks and Appointments to complete, or change the
    Company/Opportunity fields then move to the next record on the Report.
Posted in August 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Frequently Asked Questions

Posted on August 14, 2006 by Site Administrator
Sage Accpac ERP
Q – Can I change my Accounts Receivable control account in the Account Set form?A – Yes.  This is a new feature in Sage Accpac ERP version 5.4.  You can now change the receivables control, prepayment liability, and retainage accounts in an account set that is assigned to one or more customers.  It is no longer necessary to create a new Accounts Set and manually assign each customer to the new account set.

Q – Is it possible to enter an adjustment directly in the Accounts Payable Payment Entry screen?

A – Yes.  In the Adjustment Entry form, you can easily write off small amounts when you adjust payments. For example, suppose that you post a prepayment of $250.00 for a vendor. Later, you receive an invoice that totals only $248.50. When you apply the prepayment to the invoice you end up with an overpayment of $1.50 in your system.  You can now write off the $1.50 amount while applying the prepayment to the invoice.

Q – When posting a batch in a subledger such as Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable, can I automatically post the General Ledger batch it creates as well?

A – Yes.  In Sage Accpac ERP version 5.4, batches from other applications can be posted automatically when you choose “Creating and Posting a New Batch” as the Create G/L Batches By option in G/L Integration forms.
Sage Accpac CRM
Q – Can I view User Activity for an Individual User?A – In CRM v5.8 you can view user activity for an individual by opening the User Details page for the specific user. To view user activity for a specific user:

  1. Select Administration | Users | Users and search for the user whose activity history you wish to view. Select the hyperlink of the user to open the User Details page.
  2. Select the User Activity History tab.

Q – How do I create a Default Set of User Preferences for a Sales Rep?

A – If you already have a User Template tailored to the Sales Rep function in SageCRM v5.8, all you do is open up the template, and edit the User Preferences from the User Preferences tab. If you are creating a new template, then the user preferences are defined in the third step of the template creation.

To create a default set of User Preferences for a Sales Rep:

  1. Select Administration | Users | User Templates, then search for the Sales Rep template. Click on the hyperlink of the Sales Rep template.
  2. Click on the User Preferences tab.
  3. Select the Change button.
  4. Update the preferences and select Save.

All new users, who are set up using this template, will have the Sales Rep User Preferences as their default settings. The user can then modify their own user preferences from the My CRM | My Preferences tab.
Sage Pro ERP
Q – How can I add new fields to tables in Sage Pro ERP?A – Note: It is recommended that this be done by a Sage Certified Consultant or Business Partner. Create a full and verified backup before proceeding. This should first be attempted in a test installation and the results should be fully verified before implementing in a live system.

Follow the steps below:

  • Open System Manager.
  • Under the Maintain menu, point-to Dictionary and click Tables. The Table File Maintenance screen should appear.
  • Enter the Table ID for the table to be modified.
  • Select Field from the list box menu.
  • Click Select.
  • Enter the name of the new field in the Field Name field.
  • Press Enter; the Maintain Fields message box should appear.
  • Click Add. Another message appears asking whether to copy the default values from an existing record. There are three options: Field, Data Type or No.
  • Select the appropriate option. If No is selected, the information for the new field must be entered manually.
  • Save.

Note:  For more information, refer to the “Data Dictionary” section in the System Manager documentation.

Q – What causes the delay when populating payment priority and terms id field when creating a payable?

After selecting a vendor when creating a payable, there is a long delay in populating the Payment Priority and Terms ID field in the Enter Payables screen. In some cases these fields never get populated.

This situation usually involves a custom payment term assigned to a vendor and is affected by how the custom payment term was setup. It occurs when the fiscal calendar has no work days selected and the custom payment term has either any of the following options selected:

  • move date to the preceding work day
  • move date to the following work day

If these options are selected, Sage Pro ERP attempts to find the next available work day to calculate the due date of the payable. In the above scenario, Sage Pro ERP will create a payable due date outside the 3 year fiscal calendar window.

Refer to the list below to help troubleshoot this issue:

  1. Verify which vendor payment term is assigned to the vendor that is causing the issue.
    1. Under the Maintain menu, click Vendors; the Vendor Maintenance screen should appear.
    2. Enter the vendor id in the Vendor field.
    3. Click the Purchases tab.
    4. Locate the Payment Terms field, the payment term can be found here.
  2. Check whether either of the following options is selected for If due/discount date is not a business work day:
    1. move date to the preceding work day
    2. move date to the following work day

With either selection, the fiscal calendar should have at least one work day selected. Otherwise,Sage Pro will continue to look for the next work day to calculate the due date. Follow the steps below:

  1. Open System Manger(SM).
  2. Under the Maintain menu, point-to Companies and click Fiscal Calendars.
  3. Enter the appropriate company id into the Company field.
  4. Enter the appropriate fiscal year into the Fiscal Year field.
  5. Click the Main tab.
  6. Ensure that at least one work day is selected in the Working Days section of this tab.
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Posted in August 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TOOL OF THE MONTH

Posted on August 14, 2006 by Site Administrator

Microsoft Excel 2003 – Formatting Shortcuts

Action

Shortcut

Display the Format Cells dialog box

[Ctrl] 1

Add an outline border

[Ctrl][Shift] &

Remove the outline border

[Ctrl][Shift]

Apply or remove bold formatting

[Ctrl] B

Apply or remove italic formatting

[Ctrl] I

Apply or remove underlining

[Ctrl] U

Assign the general format

[Ctrl][Shift] ~

Assign the currency format

[Ctrl][Shift] $

Assign the percentage format

[Ctrl][Shift] %

Assign the exponential format

[Ctrl][Shift] ^

Assign the date format

[Ctrl][Shift] #

Assign the time format

[Ctrl][Shift] @

Insert the current date

[Ctrl] ;

Insert the current time

[Ctrl][Shift] :
Posted in August 2006, Newsletter | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Successful Execution of CRM: Part 1 July 2006 By Dr. Nancy Rauseo

Posted on July 14, 2006 by Site Administrator

This is the first of a series of articles focused on the
execution of CRM, directed primarily to software resellers, vendors, and
consultants. The majority of you may view your role in CRM as a provider
of CRM technology and services. Most view CRM implementation as three
phases: selling the CRM technology, designing it, and implementing/using
it. Depending on the type of provider, your role may lean more towards
sales, with little involvement in design and implementation.

Think about these questions:

  • Which of these phases is the longest? Which of these should be the
    longest
  • How do you measure success with your customers? By the number of
    sales or closes? By revenue? Or by successful implementation of CRM
    technology?
  • Which of these phases impacts your reputation and future sales the
    most?
  • How do you create value for your customers during the sales cycle?

We are all pressured to sell more, faster. Success is normally measured
by the revenues produced in a given time period. The reality is that some
sellers of CRM are so anxious to close the deal and gain the commitment
from the users of CRM, that they bypass the most important role of all
~ creating value for the customer. Here’s the problem: inadequate
analysis and planning during the software evaluation process will inevitably
cause a delay in design and implementation. When the customer’s
experience is frustrating, they will take it out on you and the software! So how can software resellers, vendors and consultants bridge the gap
between a company’s readiness for CRM and the implementation of
technology? Consider these best practices:

  1. Measure success from the customer’s eyes. Your success depends on the value created for the customer during all
    three phases. Your credibility rests on your customer’s experience during sales, design & implementation ~ whether you are a participant
    or not.
  2. Pay now or pay later. Short sales cycles normally
    mean longer, more frustrating design and implementation cycles. The
    more thorough you are in your analysis during the sales cycle, the faster
    and more efficient the design and implementation phases will be for
    your customers.
  3. Be an asset, not just a vendor. It’s not about
    the technology; it’s the integration of that technology into the
    company’s culture, processes, and business strategy. You can enhance
    your role by facilitating the CRM change process for your customers.
    At minimum during the sales cycle, help your customer develop an Organizational
    Readiness GAP Analysis, a CRM Strategy, and Critical Success Factors
    for CRM. Now, let’s briefly review these three best practices.

Organizational Readiness GAP Analysis

Organizational CRM readiness refers to the level of structural, cultural,
financial, intellectual, and technological resources and skills embedded
and available to the company. This assessment process allows a company
to evaluate its current conditions in key CRM areas and then define the
level of risk associated with the implementation of CRM. The degree of
CRM success depends on how well the risks are managed, i.e. how well the
gaps and corrections are defined and implemented. The results of this
analysis are the foundation for development of a CRM Strategy.

What is a CRM Strategy?

A company must know where it is today, where it wants to be in the future,
and how it is going to get there. In a nutshell, CRM is a business strategy
and philosophy ~ it is future-oriented. A CRM strategy is guided by a
Vision Statement as well as supporting values and behaviors. The key elements
of the strategy are guided by these principles:

  • CRM is based on customer knowledge and the voice of the
    customer    . Data and information are the raw materials of CRM.
  • CRM is not technology ~ technology merely enables it. Technology
    is the machinery that enables CRM to work.
  • CRM requires that an organization be customer-centric and display
    value-based behaviors.
  • CRM requires the right people. People are the power
    supply     of CRM.
  • CRM is a set of processes and experiences designed with
    the customer in mind. Customer-centered processes & experiences
    are the products of CRM.
  • CRM improves human interactions.
  • CRM creates value for both the company and the customer.
  • CRM strategies must include clear, measurable objectives and metrics. It is virtually impossible to improve what you don’t
    measure.

What are Critical Success Factors?

Critical success factors or CSFs are skills, actions, values or behaviors
that influence the desired CRM performance. They are measurable, actionable,
and specific to your market or industry. Identifying critical success
factors is an evaluation approach that is used to gauge whether the company
has achieved its desired performance. Before embarking on the CRM journey,
it is important for the company to identify those issues critical to its
business. If the issues or factors were absent, the company would not
survive.

There are hundreds of general critical success factors available in the
CRM literature today. You can find all kinds of lists in white papers,
books, articles, vendor case studies, and so on. The problem is that ‘one
size does not fit all’!

Here a sampling of some generic CSFs for CRM:

  1. Establish and obtain acceptance of change.
  2. Ensure that changes are compatible with the customer’s needs.
  3. Integrate CRM objectives with business objectives.
  4. Integrate the voice of the customer within all strategies.
  5. Be honest about your current conditions.
  6. Solicit input and obtain support from all CRM stakeholders ~ all
    the time.
  7. Make a commitment to change.
  8. Measure all successes and failures and communicate them openly.
  9. Embrace negative feedback from customers.
  10. Use CRM information (customer knowledge) in all critical business
    decisions.
  11. Partner only with external parties that have the same customer-centric
    values and beliefs as we do.
  12. Partner with external stakeholders that have experience with CRM
    – both good and bad.
  13. Be patient when making changes.
  14. Ensure that technology follows process design – not the other
    way around.
  15. Empower employees to make decisions beneficial to customers.

Each CSF is given a level of importance, i.e. high, medium or low. This
aids the company in ranking or prioritizing strategies and evaluating
their feasibility.

Dr. Nancy Rauseo is on the faculty of Florida International University’s
College of Business Administration where she teaches marketing and CRM.
Nancy holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Purdue
University and an M.B.A and Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University. Prior
to her teaching career, she held various senior management positions for
over 20 years in the areas of sales, marketing and technology implementation.
For information about our CRM On-line training, please visit us at AXIS.

Posted in July 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sage Accpac 5.4 is here. 267 more reasons to love your Sage Accpac ERP Business Management Solution

Posted on July 14, 2006 by Site Administrator

Sage Software proudly announced the new release of Sage
Accpac ERP Version 5.4—an important upgrade that includes 267 of
the most requested features by Sage Accpac customers. Sage Accpac 5.4
delivers more power and flexibility, so customers can work faster and
smarter than ever before.

The new Sage Accpac 5.4 gives everyone in the accounting department more
of the tools that they need to get their jobs done faster and with greater
confidence. New process improvements let accounting personnel speed through
their tactical tasks, giving them more time for analysis and strategic
thinking. New Reporting and Inquiry tools give business owners and controllers
better and faster access to information for more effective decision-making.
And, with new operational flexibility that runs through every module of
version 5.4, Sage Accpac customers now have more ways to configure the
system to accommodate their unique processes, procedures, and preferences.

Product Compatibility with Sage Accpac 5.4

For customers running earlier versions of Sage Accpac ERP it takes some
planning to make sure that all of the products are running are compatible
with each other. These products may include other end-to-end applications
such as Warehouse management, Human Resources, and CRM, among others.
They also include Sage Accpac Options products and third-party applications.
Please contact us and we will contact the vendor for third-party compatibility
information. Sage also has some tools to assist you with respect to end-to-end
and Options products.

On Sage’s public Web pages, you can find updated Sage Accpac
Options and end-to-end compatibility charts under “Related Links”
on the right side of the page. In most cases you’ll find out if
the current version of the Sage Accpac products you are currently running
is compatible today, needs a service pack, or at least see the ETA on
the compatibility release.

For a detail list of enhancements,
please download the document “What
is New in Version 5.4”.

Posted in July 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Managing Offshore Business Deals Within Sage Accpac ERP

Posted on July 14, 2006 by Site Administrator

Businesses located in port cities often deal with “offshore”
suppliers who can usually provide a cost advantage for goods over local
competitors. As this became more evident in the 1970’s and 1980’s,
many companies created business models where they not only benefited from
low cost “offshore” suppliers but took the model one step
further by not taking delivery of any inventory. Instead, they had goods
sent directly to their customers from the supplier.

This “middleman” or “jobber” model is popular
with businesses that supply specialty merchandise with company logos such
as pens, paper, shirts or other promotional items. It is also popular
with companies who supply specialized materials and equipment to hotels,
hospitals, universities or the military.

The nature of these deals is that you can have several purchases from
multiple suppliers and several sales to multiple customers all related
to the same Job. In Accpac, it is not possible to track multiple purchases
and sales orders under one job at the transaction level. Until now.

Trade Job Costing is a new solution for Accpac that captures information
about a wholesale trade deal and updates related operational transactions
(sales orders and purchase orders) in Accpac. Deals are commercial projects
or jobs, which are potential orders that may or may not be confirmed and
which consist of numerous business transactions conducted by an intermediary
or “jobber” between a number of vendors and customers. In
addition to tracking historical and analytical data on deals, Trade Job
Costing is useful for tracking order fulfillment, purchase commitments
and margin analysis on jobs.

There are several business benefits gained by implementing the Trade
Job Costing solution. Businesses can:

  1. manage trade jobs within Sage Accpac ERP;
  2. sell products before they are purchased;
  3. track actual sales and purchases to calculate margins;
  4. attach electronic documents to trade jobs;
  5. add customized notes to trade jobs;
  6. generate status reports at any time during the life cycle of a job.

In addition to the Trade Job Costing module, there is also a new Trade
Finance solution that allows businesses who purchase from “offshore”
suppliers to manage all aspects of purchasing goods with Letters of Credit
inside Sage Accpac ERP.

You can amend a Letter of Credit as many times as necessary and keep
a full history of the Letter of Credit from the day of opening to the
day of closing. Open Letters of Credit can also be adjusted, reversed,
canceled or closed at any time. The system will track not only approved
Letters of Credit but also those rejected and waiting approval.

Integration to Accpac is very tight since Trade Finance is written with
Accpac’s software development kit. As a result, Bank charges are
posted to Accpac’s Bank Services module and Vendor Payments are
processed through Accounts Payable as normal.

Trade Finance can capture various shipment details such as Port of Shipment,
Port of Destination and Carrier. You can also define whether partial shipments
are allowed or not. Transhipments, where goods have been reshipped from
one port to another, can also be tracked.

There are several business benefits gained by implementing the Trade
Finance solution. Businesses can:

  1. monitor exposure to currency risk and total charges by Letter of
    Credit;
  2. monitor exposure by bank to assess cash flow needs;
  3. monitor exposure by vendor to assess commitments;
  4. keep track of all shipment and payment schedules;
  5. keep track of all insurance and inspection details;
  6. create a list of documents required to complete Letters of Credit;
  7. link various Accpac documents (such as invoices) to the Letter of
    Credit;
  8. monitor margins withheld, credit lines and any collateral pledged
    against Letters of Credit;
  9. attach electronic documents to Letters of Credit.

If your company trades with “offshore” suppliers and/or Letters
of Credit you should consider the benefits of these solutions to your
business.

Posted in July 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to champion a Warehouse Management System project to your Organization

Posted on July 14, 2006 by Site Administrator

Today, most companies face three basic questions when
considering purchasing a warehouse management solution:

  1. Why buy anything? (the tactical decision);
  2. Why buy now? (the strategic decision); and
  3. Who to buy from? (the personal decision)

Why buy anything? Individuals within your company
must recognize needs and be able to sell those needs to management before
a project will be approved. Companies need to purchase new systems for
several reasons. Some of these reasons can include the following:

  1. Managing an increase in sales and inventory volumes;
  2. Reducing training of new or temporary personnel;
  3. Improving accuracy of pick/pack/ship operations;
  4. Moving to a new warehouse or adding locations; or
  5. Encountering new customer requirements.

When considering a purchase, a company should analyze the Return on Investment
(ROI) for the project. The real needs of the company need to be stressed
during the project definition. Establish the expectations of the project
up front. When preparing the ROI, consider items such as a cost reduction
by taking cycle counts versus shutting down for a full physical inventory.
Think outside the walls of the distribution center to include areas of
improvement from product flow to customers and stores. Also, consider
supply chain efficiencies that can be achieved with the implementation
of a new system.

Tailor the solution to the needs of your company. Figure out the decision
makers within your organization need in order to obtain “buy-in”
on the project. A warehouse manager should consider partnering with the
CFO of the company. The CFO is responsible for the financial security
of an organization. The CFO will be more willing to budget this investment
if you can clearly justify the benefits and payback of this project. It
is much easier to gain acceptance for projects that are backed or championed
by a corporation’s financial gatekeeper than without them. Be prepared,
however, to be held accountable for ROI calculations.

Also be prepared to do battle for resources or funds for your project.
Every department within an organization battles for funds and resources
to support the organization. Sometimes, the person whom complains the
most gets the most attention. In order to beat out those whom seem to
carry the loudest voices in the corporation, you will need to document
existing processes in the company and outline benefits from changing those
processes.

Derive a list of requirements that are based on cold hard analytical
facts from your business processes. Develop a base line for areas of improvements.
Calculate these improvements as part of the overall project. Claim them
as part of the project. Detail business processes for each individual.
If not done well, this can cause problems with the implementation. Be
prepared to define how are you doing business today and what is the cost
of doing business that way?

Before entering into a project, an organization’s project sponsor
should have a total understanding of the processes needed to run the company.
Eighty (80) percent of these processes should be well documented. Companies
should leave twenty (20) percent for wiggle room to implement best practices.

Why buy now? Or, in other words, “How
to persuade people in your organization that they should consider purchasing
a system now?” Typically, the decision process takes a compelling event, such as a new warehouse or new customer requirements.

If you need a system and do not have a compelling event, then you need
a selling event – which will provide
incremental value over time. If you have a selling event, it is imperative
to have a well defined plan, project sponsors, and an ROI to move a project
forward within your organization. Be prepared to explain why the company
should invest in upgrades for additional efficiencies.

Who to buy from? If you are unsure on how to
proceed with any of these tasks, engage with or ask your current software
vendor for assistance. They should be a key player in providing information
to the project sponsor. Business advisors should introduce ideas to improve
current operational processes as well as providing a solution to the organization
whether software is involved or not.

If you are in need of assistance of a trusted business advisor or would
like some help in creating a project to implement a warehouse management
solution, please contact us immediately for our support at info@axisglobalpartners.com.
We’d love to help you!

Posted in July 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Centralized Data Management for Sage Accpac ERP

Posted on July 14, 2006 by Site Administrator

Managing data has become a major concern for most businesses
for several reasons. As computerized business management and accounting
systems have become more comprehensive and large computer hard drives
have become less expensive, it has become easier to record and store vast
amounts of detailed data about our businesses. As more processes in a
company have been automated, the accounting systems of old have evolved
into full scale business management systems that integrate all operational
facets of a business. The result is that businesses are increasingly demanding
more and better information out of these systems to assess their performance
and measure results against pre-established criteria such as budgets,
forecasts and other key performance indicators.

As companies grow and their need for comprehensive reporting and analysis
increases, it becomes easy for people to look for a quick fix by creating
one spreadsheet after another to solve the information needs of managers
and other top level executives. One day we realize that we have created
a reporting and data management nightmare because none of the reporting
systems are integrated to the accounting system, there is little or no
security for the data and there is no centralized control over updates
to the data. Therefore the integrity of the data we depend on for decision
making purposes comes into question.

Not only does it get more difficult to manage all this data but it gets
more difficult to create reports with relevant information delivered with
the right amount of detail. Reporting systems need to be flexible enough
to link different financial data elements together to identify key trends
in a business. Since these elements can change over time these systems
need to dynamically change with the requirements in the business.

With the rise in popularity of benchmarking and the use of key performance
indicators (KPI’s) not only is there a requirement to link financial
data elements, but analysts are also recognizing the need to link financial
data to non-financial data that influences financial performance in a
business. Furthermore, as graphical user interfaces and scanning equipment
have become more popular, linking documents and pictures to data has also
become more important.

In order to provide structure and security to the collection and management
of all types of information requires a centralized repository of data
(sometimes referred to as a data warehouse) which is stored in the same
database as the rest of the information in the accounting and business
management system rather than an external database. The question is, how
do companies develop a cost effective method of collecting and managing
the data they need to support the reporting and decision making systems
required to run their businesses?

To address this growing trend in the Sage Accpac ERP (Accpac) market,
Orchid Systems created a tool set called Budget and Information Management
that allows users to add any type of data to their Accpac company databases.
The immediate benefit of this approach is that all data is protected by
the same security, back up and maintenance functions included in Accpac’s
System Manager. Multi-User access is provided through standard Accpac
Lanpaks so there is no additional cost for multi-user access. Documents
and pictures can be linked to Accpac data and stored in the same database.

Budget and Information Management makes reporting on financial and non-financial
data in Sage Accpac ERP much easier. Each Budget code can link up to 10
fields and combine that with 10 additional user-defined fields for tracking
information not normally kept in an accounting system. You can capture
an unlimited number of budgets and forecasts for any combination of Accpac
master file data not just GL budget sets. Because all the data is held
in one table, it is easy to create and run Crystal Reports against this
data without the need for sub reports in Crystal.

A link to Microsoft Excel is included with the solution to allow you
to read data from Sage Accpac, manipulate it in a spreadsheet and then
write back automatically. You can also use Budget and Information Management
as a data source for other reporting and analysis tools such as Sage Accpac
Insight and Crystal Analysis.

If you’ve been wondering how to enhance the budget, forecast and
analysis capabilities of Sage Accpac ERP without creating redundant or
duplicate systems, consider the benefits of Budget and Information Management
from Orchid Systems. For more
information, please contact us at info@axisglobalpartners.com.

Posted in July 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Frequently Asked Questions

Posted on July 14, 2006 by Site Administrator
Sage
Accpac ERP

Q – Can I view a list of all the Account
Receivable Miscellaneous Receipts that were posted?

A – Beginning with Sage Accpac ERP version 5.3, an Accounts Receivable
Receipt Inquiry Form has been added that allows you to display information
for all the miscellaneous receipts. On the form, make sure there are blanks
in both the From Customer Number and To Customer Number.

Note: You may also drill down from a selected line on the list to view
the original receipt in the Receipt Entry form by clicking the Document
button.

Q – Can I view a list of deposits in Accounts Receivable
by Bank for a specific fiscal period?

A – Beginning with Accpac version 5.3, an Accounts Receivable Receipt
Inquiry Form has been added that allows you to display information for
all the receipts deposited to a selected bank for range of fiscal year
& periods as well as a range of receipt dates.

The Receipt Inquiry also allows you to look up receipts using other criteria.
For example, you can display information for a receipt for which you have
only the receipt number. In addition, you are no longer limited to viewing
the receipts for one customer in the Customer Activity form.

Note: You may also drill down from a selected line on the list to view
the original receipt in the Receipt Entry form by clicking the Document
button.
Sage Accpac
CRM

Q – How do I define a Default User Template?

A – In SageCRM v5.8 all new CRM installs contain a Default User
Template. The Default User Template is where you can define your baseline
of settings for all new users. What is the default language to be set
to? What are the security access rights common to all users? What are
the default user preference settings? Once the default user template is
defined, you can create other user templates, using the default as a basis,
to set the baseline for the Sales users, Customer Care users, and so on.

To define the default user template:

  1. Select Administration | Users | User Templates, then search for the
    Default User Template. Click on the hyperlink of the Default template.
    The Template Details tab for the Default template is displayed. You
    can also associate a default set of User Preferences and a default Security
    Profile with the template, from the User Preferences and Security Profile
    tabs respectively.
  2. Select the Change action button on the Template Details tab and update
    the fields. Select the Save button.

Q – Can I get an Overview of User Activity from within SageCRM?

A – Yes. In CRM v5.8 the User Activity administration option enables
you to view details such as summary information about all user activity,
a list of currently logged on users, and a list of historical user activity
records. For example, to view user activity information for all users:

  1. Select Administration | Users | User Activity.
  2. Click on one of the three tabs to view the information you require
    (All User Activity, Currently Logged In Users, and User Inactivity).

 
Sage Pro
ERP

Q – Why the "Invalid User ID or Password
or could not connect to the database." message appears when running
the Sqltest Tool from FoxPro access?

A – This issue may occur if the user is not logged into Sage Pro with
the "ADMN" user ID. If the user is logged in as "ADMN"
and the error still appears on a Microsoft SQL Server (SQL) installation
of Sage Pro, the "ADMN" privileges must be verified in SQL.
Follow the steps below:

  1. Open Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Manager.
  2. Under the correct SQL Server Group, double-click Security and click
    Logins.
  3. Right-click user "AIADMN" and click Properties.
  4. Click Server Roles and verify that the following options are selected:
    1. System Administrators
    2. Security Administrators
    3. Disk Administrators
    4. Database Creators
  5. Click Database Access.
  6. Verify that all of the appropriate Sage Pro databases, including
    the system and temp databases, are selected.

The Sqltest tool should now run with no issues.

Q – How do I shrink the Microsoft SQL Database log file?

A – When using Sage Pro ERP with Microsoft SQL Server, it is important
to monitor database log file size. These files can become very large if
performing many transactions. At times, it may also be necessary to shrink
this file if using excessive amounts of hard drive space on the SQL server.

By default, the database logs for Sage Pro (system, temporary and individual
company databases) are set to Recovery Model "Full" in SQL.
As a result, all operations on the database are recorded in the database
log file. This can be useful since at times it may be necessary to restore
the database. However, this can be detrimental to system performance since
the log file may become too large.

General practice for database administration is to use the Recovery Model
"Full" at scheduled intervals to back up the database log file,
and then shrink the live one to an acceptable size.
Changing the Recovery Model, backing up the log file, and shrinking the
log file should be evaluated by a certified DBA who is able to determine
the possible repercussions of such changes for Sage Pro and the policies
of the customer site. Additional information on these settings and procedures
can be found in the Microsoft SQL Help.

To determine and change the Recovery Model used by a database, follow
the steps below:

  1. Open SQL Enterprise Manager.
  2. Right-click the appropriate database and click Properties.
  3. Under the Options tab, the Recovery Model is listed in the middle
    of the screen.

To determine the size and to shrink the database log file, follow the
steps below:

  1. Open SQL Enterprise Manager.
  2. Right-click the appropriate database, point to All Tasks and click
    Shrink Database.
  3. Click Files.
  4. Click the Database files list box and select the database log file.
    It will have "_log" appended to the database name.
  5. The database log file size is listed. Select Shrink file to to activate
    the size field. This allows the log file to be shrunk to a user-defined
    size

Note: This information should be reviewed with a Microsoft
SQL Server Database Administrator (DBA) before implementing on live systems.
The following is provided for informational purposes only and is not supported
by Sage Customer Support.

Q – Why values in the “At % of Value” column in the
ABC Exception Report do not add to 100 percent?

A – This report acts as a categorization of inventory; it is not a financial
report. It compares small portions of a large amount of data and mathematical
rounding differences prevent a 100 percent correlation.

This report evaluates inventory ranges in order of importance, based
on value or usage. It reflects the relative contribution of a given inventory
item’s value in accordance with the business model of the company.
The report reflects the relative contribution of a given inventory item’s
value (Usage) to the overall IC valuation (Usage). In other words, this
report ranks the importance of an item.
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Posted in July 2006, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment