Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 Accounting Software

Starship Link Replacement Out Soon

2011-12-15T04:20:00.001-05:00

We've just confirmed with Vtechnologies that they plan to release a Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 compatible Starship Link by the end of 2011.

The new link will be free to those customers already on a Vtechnologies support plan.

MAS90 and MAS200 Closing Tips For 2011

2011-11-12T09:58:00.001-05:00

Hard to believe that it's already that time of year when we have to start thinking about backing up and closing out our modules in either MAS90 or MAS200.

Since this is such a hot topic I've compiled a number of tips - and best practices for closing out the year in MAS90 or MAS200. These should only be used to supplement the good and valuable advice of your Sage Business Partner (or the person you rely upon for support). Please remember that we're not in the business of provided tax or accounting advice and as such our recommendations and tips should never be relied upon as such.

If I were to summarize the top advice that we give to our customers asking about closing the year:

Don't wait for your accountant's entries (unless they've specifically requested you to). Most adjusting entries can be made even after you've closed.
Backup your system - especially payroll. Once payroll is closed you will not be able to go back. Some of our customers use multiple backup years of payroll to do things like re-print W2 forms that their employees loose.
Close the modules in order from the ones most likely to post into General Ledger or another module (Example - Inventory) to the ones that receive all the transactions - such as General Ledger.
Make a backup , label it "Year End _____ " and set it aside. Don't backup over it again.
Be sure you are on a supported version of MAS90 or MAS200 well in advance of the year end. If you are using payroll some tax changes REQUIRED a program update which might not be available for older versions of MAS90 or MAS200 (which is why we recommend all payroll users stay current).

I've summarize much more - plus added in Sage's Year End 2011 Tax Tips - at the post below:

MAS90 and MAS200 Year End Closing Tips

MAS 90 Payroll Year End Updates FAQ - 2011

2011-11-07T07:11:00.001-05:00

Sage have just issued a 24 question FAQ that reviews common questions about the 2011 payroll and accounts payable year end processing season.

Updates should be available by December 20, 2011. For most users who have already installed the IRD (Interim Release Disk) from 2010 there appears to be very little that needs to be done.

If you have MAS90 or MAS200 v4.2 to 4.4 then you'll want to download the W-2 printing IRD on December 20, 2011 so that your forms will print with proper data.

Full details on the upgrades expected can be viewed at the link below:

MAS90 and MAS200 Year End 2011 Questions and Answers

Sage Releases MAS90 and MAS200 v4.5 Product Update 1 - Adds List Of Files That Will Convert

2011-11-02T14:44:00.000-04:00

I just noticed in the Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 version 4.5 product update 1 release that there's a listing of tables that will be converted upon installation of the product update.

Previously there was no way to tell if a product update was going to kick off a sometimes lengthy conversion process without actually installing the update.

According to Sage's Linda Cade - "we do that so customers know whether or not they need to be concerned that customizations will be at risk."

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 V4.50 Product Update 1 Change Log

The Best MAS90 & MAS200 New Feature List On Earth: V4.20 to V4.50

2011-10-27T07:47:00.000-04:00

Curious about the latest features added to MAS90 and MAS200?

Has it been a few versions since you upgraded?

Sage publishes lots of standalone PDF documents that outline the features for each major release. You can go and search for and download them individually from here - or just grab my jumbo 10 MB compiled package here.

Not in the mood to play hide and seek to hunt down individual PDF files? You're in luck - here's the complete set of links I share with customers looking to get an inside view of the latest upgrade features.

What's New in MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.2
What's New in MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.3
What's New in MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4
Sage Product Update 2 Delivers Added Value!
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.4 Product Update 3 Delivers Added Value!
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.40 Product Update 4
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.4 Product Update 5 Delivers Added Value!
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.4 Product Update 6 Delivers Added Value!
What's New In Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.5?
Sage ERP MAS 90, 200, and 200 SQL Version 4.5 Release Guide - October 2011
Sage ERP MAS 90 ERP Version 4.50 Supported Platform Matrix
Sage ERP MAS 200 Version 4.50 Supported Platform Matrix
Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL Version 4.50 Supported Platform Matrix
Download link for Sage ERP MAS 90, 200 and 200 SQL Version 4.5
New Features Splash Page - Count Me In To Upgrade - MAS90,200, 200 SQL 4.50

Free MAS 90 , 200 Anytime Learning Version 4.5 Upgrade Class

Would you like to be kept better informed of MAS90 and MAS200 related new? Subscribe to this email newsletter and we'll mail you updates once per week on Tuesday at about 3pm ET.

How Much Is MAS 90 or MAS 200?

2011-10-25T20:28:00.002-04:00

Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 is priced in one of three ways:

Per user - MAS90, MAS200, MAS200 SQL
Bundled - MAS90, MAS200, MAS200 SQL
Modular - MAS90, MAS200, MAS200 SQL

The per user price varies by type of software and number of licenses (min. 5) however it starts at $1,999 for MAS90 and goes up to $2,599 for the SQL version.

Bundles can be an effective way for small businesses to purchase MAS90. There are three core bundles available:

SBE (Small Business Edition) 5 User Core Accounting - $ 4,500
SBE (Small Business Edition) 5 User Core Accounting with Payroll - $ 5,000
SBE (Smalle Business Edition) 5 User Core Accounting with Payroll and Distribution - $ 6,000

Lastly the traditional modular pricing allows for more efficient mixing and matching because each module ranges in price from $1,200 to 2,000.

Please remember that maintenance applies to all product as follows:

Bronze - 18% annually (first and each year)
Silver - 20% annually (first and each year)
Gold - 25% annually (first and each year)

Sage ERP MAS 90 Pricing

Look Inside The New MAS90 and 200 4.5

2011-10-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

Sage is getting ready to release version 4.5 of MAS90 and MAS200. One of their landing pages for either the customer release or some type of email campaign has just gone live.

The page has three key areas -

Discover 4.5 - Animated cartoon ~~Moron~~ Mary walks you through a guide to MAS90
Look Inside - Three detailed looks at the new features in MAS 90 and 200 4.5
Be Convinced - PDF files that you can print and share which outline the new features

There is also a link to a free anytime training course for MAS90 and 200 4.5

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.5

Schulz Consulting MAS90 and MAS200 Email Newsletter

2011-10-25T14:44:00.001-04:00

Each week at 3pm EST I send a summary of every article posted on the Schulz Consulting web site. Some weeks there may be a dozen or more posts. If you are looking to obtain regular updates about MAS90 and MAS200 news, tips and technical topics - please sign up here - http://eepurl.com/dIcyo

Use Google To Search The Sage MAS90 and 200 Support Knowledgebase

2011-10-22T08:47:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick way that you can use the Google search engine to more effectively find knowledgebase articles about Sage ERP MAS90 and 200.

You've always been able to go to http://infosource.sagesoftwareonline.com/sw_attach/search.asp and perform a search.

The problem is that sometimes the results are not as relevant as you may like. Instead try using a Google search and limiting the results to the Sage site by using this syntax:

By adding in the "site:" parameter you'll limit the results to only those publicly available from the Sage knowledgebase. Unlike a regular Sage search these Google searches will often return more helpful information such as program patch links, tax table downloads, etc

Google Sage Site Search

MAS90 Paperless Office Hangs on Windows 7 - Possible Solutions

2011-10-21T13:19:00.000-04:00

Have you struggled to get Sage ERP MAS90 or MAS 200 v4.3.0.17 or higher to run under Windows 7 or Windows 2008? Before you give up in frustration have a look at this giant collection of tips that Sage have posted. There doesn't seem to be one "cure all" fix to pesky Paperless Office problems such as errors or hanging - however these fixes are the most complete that we've seen.

In most cases your issues with Paperless Office and Windows 7 either center around compatibility (you must be on MAS90 or MAS200 v4.3.0.17 or higher) or security.

The compatibility issue is generally easy to fix by downloading the latest service update. Security rights are a little harder to get your arms around because in most cases you'll appear to be installing under an administrator account which you presume shouldn't cause issues.

Turns out there are several extra steps - such as creating new printer ports and assigning printer security - which may completely eliminate your MAS90 or MAS200 Paperless Office problems.

Have a look at this information for fixing pesky Paperless Office errors.

Sage ERP MAS90 and 200 Roadmap

2011-10-21T07:35:00.000-04:00

Interested in what lays ahead for MAS 90 and MAS200? Aside from a name change in late 2012 to 2013 (Sage plans to rename MAS90 and MAS20 to be Sage 100 ERP Standard, Sage 100 ERP Advanced and Sage 100 ERP Premium (SQL) - here's your best bet at understanding the future development path for MAS90/200.

Published in September 2011 this update MAS90 Roadmap shows that:

Version 4.5 is expected Q4 2011
Update Sage MAS Intelligence is expected Q4 2011
Sage MAS 90 Online is expected Q4 2011
SageCRM 7.1 is expected Q4 2011

Sage MAS90 v5.0 is expected Q4 2012
Sage MAS90 v5.1 is expected Q4 2012

For more details see this roadmap for Sage MAS90

PC Charge Compatibility With MAS90/200 Ends With Version 5

2011-10-18T12:39:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that Sage plans to do away with PC Charge integration once MAS90 hits v5.0 in favor of Sage Exchange.

http://cdn.na.sage.com/sagemail/SageMail/MAS_90_CCP_1011.html

Sage Exchange is Sage's plan to host credit card information outside of their software. There is then a link between the software and Sage Exchange for CC processing. This will apparently be used across all Sage NA product lines. They say that they're doing this because it saves a boatload of money not having to put every release of their software through a PCI compliance audit.

Some customers may decide to gamble and just stay with PC Charge figuring that "if it ain't broke" ... And for some that could work -- until they have their first need for support (and because this deals with credit card acceptance it could be a critical issue).

In reality you could experience problems sooner since Sage will ensure compatibility with PC Charge up to v 5.9.3. If you've ever had the need to call PC Charge for support --- the way it rolls is they almost always require you go to the latest version of their software.

So if customers remain on PC Charge figuring that they'll "take their chances" they could have problems if they need to seek tech support and VeriFone requires that they upgrade to the latest PC Charge.

It's almost a guarantee that any support call to VeriFone will require that the customer upgrade to the latest PC Charge. The problem being that if the version of PC Charge is greater than 5.9.3 then Sage will not promise compatibility.

While Sage claims to support PC Charge my experience is that the most Sage will do is keep you on the phone while making a call to connect you to VeriFone (provided the issue is identified as PC Charge's problem).

PC Charge VeriFone Will Stop Integrating With MAS90 As Of Version 5

Paperless Office for MAS90 Won't Install to Windows 7? Try This.

2011-09-04T09:08:00.001-04:00

I just noticed this post on Sage's Community forum. User Boo Gafford of BCS Group has provided a handy list of files that need to be separately installed during MAS90 or MAS200 Paperless Office setup.

First some background on the issue that is being discussed.

On a small portion of MAS 90 or MAS 200 version 4.3 customers there can be issues with installing the drivers needed to properly use Paperless Office.

The Paperless Office feature allows for printing of forms, reports, journals and registers and month end reports to PDF. The solution is integrated within both MAS90 and MAS200 v4.3+ and normally installs just fine.

Some users seem to run into what I've found are often permissions based errors or Window registry issues which seem to prevent them from installing the Paperless Office drivers to one or more workstations. Instead what may occur when trying to use Paperless Office are error messages about the driver not being initialized, etc.

Boo posts on the Sage Community that he has been able to bundle up the following files for use on version 4.3 of MAS90 where installation has perhaps been more problematic.

I've not tested this solution - so use it at your own risk. Be sure you backup your system first and in most cases you'll need administrative privileges to install.

Here's the list of files:

acfpdf.txt

acfpdfu.dll

acfpdfuamd64.dll

acfpdfui.dll

acfpdfuiamd64.dll

acXMLParser.dll

amyuni.inf

cdintf.dll

PDFInstall.exe

xmllite.dll

All the files come from \MAS\HOME directory except for xmllite.dll, which you can grab from any Win7 workstation, just do a file search for it.

via Sage Community Forum and BCS Grouip - Kilgore TX

MAS90 Online Early Adopters Wanted

2011-09-04T08:55:00.002-04:00

Sage have issued a call for early adopters for their upcoming Sage ERP MAS90 Online product. This Sage hosted solution will feature all of the features of MAS90 without the need for users to install and configure the solution.

Scheduled to launch in October 2011 Sage have asked that any users (at this time you need to be a new user of MAS90) who wishes to be an early adopter of MAS 90 Online contact Jamie Kandola at Sage.

Early adopters who participate in testing may be eligible for reduced fees for the first few months of testing. Interested? More details at the link below.

More info on Sage MAS90Online

Sage Summit Blog - Now Live

2011-06-23T08:39:00.000-04:00

Are you attending Sage Software's first ever combined customer and partner conference - Sage Summit - July 10 to 15, 2011 in Washington DC?

This years gathering promises to host an expected 3,000 participants who will share technical tips, tricks and news about Sage's myriad of ERP and CRM products.

Sage have asked Schulz Consulting to become an endorsed blogger. We've established a separate web site - http://summitdiary.com - which is live now and will continue with news and tips throughout the Sage Summit conference.

We have also recruited a team of bloggers including SageCRM Guru Peter Wolf of Azamba and MAS 90 and MAS200 Guru Robert Wood of DDF Consulting .

Please visit the site for more news and information about this upcoming conference - and if you have any news to submit contact me at wayne@s-consult.com.

Sage Summit Blog

MAS90 V4.5 What's New Guide (PDF)

2011-05-18T20:53:00.000-04:00

Sage just released a 27 page pre-release guide which outlines the new features expected in the version 4.5 release of Sage ERP MAS90 and MAS200 due in August 2011.

Key to this release is the inclusion of one license of SageCRM (both server and workstation), introduction of over 12 new features (many geared toward payroll users) as well as improvement to Sage MAS Intelligence and an FRX data conversion tool to take older financial reports to SMI.

For more details and a copy of the guide view the MAS90 MAS200 4.5 Pre-Release PDF

MAS90 Extended Solutions Availability - April 2011 Update

2011-04-27T08:25:00.001-04:00

One of the best kept secrets of MAS90 used to be the Extended Solutions that Sage offered which added functionality to the core MAS90 and MAS200 accounting system.

We used these enhancement quite a bit whenever a client need cash basis, multi-company accounts payable, security by division, or foreign currency.

Starting in 2009 Sage exited the business of maintaining and upgrading their list of Extended Solutions. Instead they turned over their solutions to a select few Extended Solution Preferred Development Partners.

These partners have been hard at work converting and upgrading the catalog of enhancements from version 4.3 to 4.4.

Last night I received this email from Jon Reiter at DSD Business Systems (Disclosure: Schulz Consulting is affiliated with DSD Business Systems). In the email (PDF copy here) Jon outlines the solutions that he's converted to version 4.4 and lists the ones that are "in the hopper".

We continue to use and recommend these solutions as an inexpensive way for users to add varying levels of customized functionality to MAS 90 or MAS 200 without the need to pay for expensive one-off custom programming.

DSD Business Systems Connecticut

MAS90 and MAS200 Virtual Environment Compatibility Chart - March 2011

2011-03-31T06:35:00.000-04:00

We've received numerous inquiries from users and their IT departments about whether Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 will operate in a virtual environment.

Apparently Sage is also receiving those questions as they've just published a one page "Virtualization with Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200" document that provides guidelines on the benefits of both server and workstation virtualization.

While the benefits seem rather obvious (less decentralized technology to manage) the real meat of this guide is the compatibility of the core MAS 90 and MAS 200 with the following various virtualization products:

VMWARE - VMWare Workstation 6.0 to 7.1.3
VMWare Server - 3.5 to 4.1
Terminal Services (Windows 2008) (32 and 64 bit)
Virtual PC 2007
Hyper-V (Windows 2008)

Prior to implementing any virtual computing environment that will also host your MAS 90 or MAS 200 software - I recommend you download and read the latest Sage compatibility guide for virtual environments at the link below.

Virtualization with Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200

F9 For MAS90 Maintenance Costs

2011-03-14T11:37:00.000-04:00

I just spoke with Infor about the costs for F9 for MAS 90 and MAS 200 software maintenance.

If you are a user of F9 for MAS90/200 then as of October 1, 2010 maintenance renewals you would have stopped paying Sage maintenance and instead the fee would be paid to Infor (the publisher of F9).

Costs on this maintenance plan are:

Initial user - $ 300/yr
Additional 5 user block $240 (after the initial one user)
Additional single user $ 60

via: Schulz Consulting

What's New in Sage ERP MAS 90 4.05 through 4.4?

2011-03-10T17:55:00.000-05:00

Have you just upgraded your MAS90 or MAS200 accounting software?

If so, the first question you probably have is "so, what's new in version x.xx of MAS90 or MAS200?".

While you can always access a complet list of new features right on your MAS 90 desktop under the Resources page - sometimes it's nice to have a PDF file to review while away from the office.

Luckily Sage publishes a number of documents that you can print and distribute to staff or use for your own reference that show the new features added to the product.
Here are some of the more helpful guides:

What's new in Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.4
What's new in Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.3
What's new in Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.2
What's new in Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.1
What's new in Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.05

More

Save $200 On Customer Registration - Sage Summit

2011-03-09T08:04:00.000-05:00

Registration for the Sage Summit 2011 combined customer and partner conference is now live. For a short time customers can register online and use discount code PTOC10 and take $200 off registration. Simply enter in the name of your Sage Business Partner at the referral field.

Sage Summit 2011 is being held from July 10 to 15, 2011 at the Gaylord National just outside of Washington DC.

Sage Summit $200 Off

MAS90 v QuickBooks Comparison Guide (PDF)

2011-03-05T10:26:00.000-05:00

Are you wondering what the differences between MAS 90 and QuickBooks are?

Aside from a few thousand dollars - and lots of room to grow - there are quite a few features.

Check ou this PDF guide that Sage published a few years back. It's one of the more complete QuickBooks comparison guides that I've seen.

QuickBooks vs MAS 90 or MAS 200

Sage MAS Intelligence PDF Guides - Download Now

2011-03-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

I've had a few requests from MAS90 and MAS200 users and consultants for copies of the Sage MAS Intelligence quick guides. These are quite good and we were delighted to see that they answer many of the common questions about the new Business Intelligence tool for Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200.

Here are the three guides (all in PDF) which you can download straight from our Drop Box folder. No registration or other BS required.

Getting Going with Sage MAS Intelligence - Business Partner Resource

This document contains lots of links to online sits - the Sage EPR MAS Intelligence microsite, resource center, community forum, data dictionaries (Excel format) and more.

Sage ERP MAS Intelligence Cheat Sheet

Curious about pricing, how Sage MAS Intelligence is licensed (seat based) and a quick overview of exactly what the product does? This is the document you want.

Everything You Want To Know About Sage ERP MAS Intelligence

The title of this document says it all. 10 pages of Q&A regarding features, benefits, limitations, etc.

Sage MAS Intelligence: Cheat Sheet

2011-03-03T20:27:00.000-05:00

Using MAS90 or MAS200 and interested in learning more about Sage MAS Intelligence? As you may have heard Sage is replacing their prior financial report writer, FRX, because the product has been discontinued.

Their new reporting too is Sage MAS Intelligence - a rebranded version of similar Business Intelligence Software offered by Alchemex.

This concise two page report details some of the most frequently asked questions about Sage MAS Intelligence - including:

Which type of licenses do MAS90 users get for free? (Report Manager and Security Manager).

What does SMI do?

What does Sage MAS Intelligence Cost?

For the details on the above - and a beautiful PDF suitable for printing and framing - visit the link below.

Sage MAS Intelligence Cheat Sheet

Best Practices In MAS 90 Support

2011-03-03T07:57:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I spent nearly 4 hours diagnosing a customers issue with MAS90 Job Cost. It was all related to a known Sage bug yet there was still a lingering problem when they posted transactions to a job. What was occurring was the buckets on the job status page were updating incorrectly.

Even though the system was in the 3rd period of their year - and they were posting transactions dated within that period -- all the totals were updating to a future period "bucket". Needless to say this threw all their totals and reporting out-of-sync.

During the process the customer asked if I could just call Sage and ask if they knew what the problem was.

In the end it turns out that there was an unpublished knowledgebase article which indeed described this problem perfectly.

The only other workaround for these types of hidden issue is to flood the Sage support lines. We have customers call all the time with questions and ask us to "just call Sage" --- and the reason we don't call is that we have a prescribed procedure to follow to see if we can reproduce an issue.

1. Research in KB
2. Apply and KB fixes/suggestions
3. Work with mutual customer to determine if the error can be reproduced
4. Verify if it's reproducible on our version of MAS
5. If none of the above 4 solve the issue and we feel it's a bug - then call Sage.

The problem is that if step #1 isn't reliable and we have a question about whether the issue is known then we really have to start calling on every client inquiry that we can't resolve in the first 15 minutes.

Best practices dictate that VARS follow (at least) the above 5 steps -- and that software publishers give them the tools required by step #1.

My feel - hidden support KB entries need to be eliminated at Sage and all KB entries should be published. I've said this for the past few years and Sage has made more KB entries visible - but apparently not all of them.

The problem is that if step #1 isn't reliable and we have a question about whether an issue is known then we really have to start calling Sage (complete waste of both our time) on every client inquiry that we can't resolve in the first 15 minutes.

Those phone conversations we'll have to make to Sage will largely be to ask "do you know about this" ---

umm, hello this is 2011 --- 1986 called and would like their knowledgebase back....