Sage 50 Software Hints, Tips, Tricks, New Features, Service Patches, Secrets and Improvements

New / Improvements in Sage 50 (UK) Accounts Latest 2013 Version (V19) to be released Aug 2012

2012-07-13T20:04:00.001-07:00

How can Sage 50 Accounts 2013 (v19)

It is a powerful Accounting system that can help you to easily manage your customers and suppliers, control your cashflow, submit VAT returns online to HMRC and access detailed Management reports at the click of a button.

New features and Improvements of the 2013 version include:

New - User Interface and Language

Over 1,000 function/ feature labels have been updated and improved to ensure users know what they're doing without the need to know accounting terminology or abbreviations

New - Company Configuration

A new optional process to help guide users through the setup of their software

New - Help Centre

New search engine providing up-to-date help topics and information

New - Quick Tasks

Quickly create invoices, quotes, sales and purchase orders from the product list

Simplified month end, year end and VAT return tasks

Step-by-step guides through tasks, including confirmation when the tasks are complete

Improved Reporting

New user interface with updated look & feel
Excel improvements allow users to retrieve financial information faster
Accurate report descriptions, previews filters and action buttons
Send invoices by email is now accessible without entering Report Designer
Customised reporting function allows users to create a professional look

Backing up Sage 50 Data - Best plus other Strategies

2012-05-19T02:02:00.001-07:00

Backups are a must with any Electronic Data. Many times Organistaions have suffered due to various disasters and with the extent of IT use the cost of lack of backups could be Too big to bear.

Sage 50 standard Backup tool is able to slect what exactly needed to be backed up, namely Data, Reports, Layouts, Archives and such sections. There is no point in backing up something if there was no change to previous state. Likewise Reports, layouts, Archives etc are not changing regulary like Data. Thus backing up them everytime has no meaning, but it requires more space for the backed up File and takes more time.

When it comes to Sage 50, You can use following strategies :

1. Back Up option available in Sage (File/backup/Say yes to Check data )
This is the best option but might take some time as the data volume grows up. This process creates a compressed File with .001 extention which is comparatively smaller in size. Latest versions Automatically creates a File name with the company name and date time incorporated, which is very handy. This process reminds you to Check your data before backup, which is very important as there could be no use of a backup with errors.

2. Copy the Sage Folder, Company Folder or ACCDATA Folder manually
This would be faster mainly because it does not include data checking and compressing processes. But you dont know whether copied data has errors. Yet may have to resort to this sometimes at busy offices and when the normal backup option is not functioning (Due to data volumes or system errors, back option may not work or get stuck )

3. Use an automatic Backup Software.
Here again, whatever the software, you will have to set that program to copy one of above folders on a schedule.

How to properly Uninstall and Re install sage 50

2012-05-18T23:04:00.002-07:00

Sometimes we need to Unistall and Reistall Software Applications for various reasons like File Corruptions, unidentifiable errors etc. But sometimes such reisntallations do not correct the issues. This is due to there are some Files not getting cleared fully with the uninstall process and Registry entries not reversed. To overcome this you may follow the following procedure :

Using the Control panel uninstall Sage 50
Using the Control panel uninstall .net (all versions 2+)
Delete the following directories
C:\Program Files\Sage\Accounts\
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Sage Line50
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Sage Report Designer 2007
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Sage SBD
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Sage SData
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Sage Shared
If you are using a 64 bit operating system then the above paths will be \Program Files (x86)\

If you are on Vista or newer
C:\ProgramData\Sage

If you are using XP or older
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sage

Note: As these are areas that users would not normally go into the folder C:\ProgramData\ (or on XP and earlier C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\) is hidden. You can make "hidden folders visible" by opening Windows Explorer and going to Tools>Folder Options>View>Hidden Files and Folders>Show Hidden Files and Folders You need to press the "Alt" button to see the menu in some versions of Windows.

You are now ready to reinstall

Let Sage install .net as part of it's reinstall rather than manually installing it

Sage 50 - Closing Stock Valuations FIFO or Weighted Average Method?

2012-02-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

Many Sage 50 users are confused as to how the Closing stock Value obtained as per Stock Valuation Reports available in sage 50 .(Products/Product Valuation Reports) There are basically 2 reports available with sometimes 2 different Valuations shown. One Report shows the value using the FIFO method and the other one using the Last Purchase Cost. Last Purchase Cost method is not a valuation accepted under Accounting Standards, yet useful in verifying whether "Net Realisable value" of stocks is below than "Cost" (FIFO report) as per the Standard.

The FIFO method report shows Total stock value as per FIFO (Assuming First came went First Out) method divided by balance Quantity available and thus a average Cost per Item column is shown. This makes it is confusing to many users whether this is the "Average" method. which is not so.

If Minus Quanity is allowed in the system Option available) then there couls be serious variations and value of FIFO report could be widely fluctuating

Difference in value according to these 2 reports is completely acceptable if prices are fluctuating.Yet the biggest issue is sometimes certain Items available as per one report is not shown in the other report and vice versa thus total quantity also may very on 2 reports.

This happens when items with very low cost (Less than 0.01 Cents per Item) as per FIFO report are available, but the last cost could be higher. Such items may not appear in FIFO report but could appear on Last Purchase Cost Report creating a quntity (and also a value) Difference.

How to install and run Sage Accounts (50) programs on Windows Vista How to install and run Sage programs on Windows Vista

2012-02-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

Windows Vista includes security features such as User Account Control and virtualisation which may affect the running of Sage software.

Note: This article does not relate to:
Sage 50 Accounts 2008 and above.
Sage Instant Accounts v14 and above.
Sage 50 Payroll
Sage 50 Forecasting v12.02 and above
Sage Winforecast v4.08 and above

These software versions are Vista compatible. This means that when you install them, you can install into C:\Program Files. The data files and some application files are automatically installed into C:\ProgramData, and you don't need to run as administrator.

This article explains how to install and run Sage programs to minimise the effect of these new security features and includes the following sections:
To install Sage programs on Windows Vista - When installing on Windows Vista you must install in a folder other than C:\Program Files.

To run Sage programs as an administrator - Many programs, including Sage programs, need to perform administrative tasks during their normal operation. The new security features in Windows Vista restrict the operation of administrative tasks. To allow Sage programs to perform administrative tasks, you must run them as an administrator.
To install Sage programs on Windows Vista

The Program Files folder on Windows Vista is a protected folder and programs are prevented from writing any data to this folder or any of its subfolders. This prevents some programs from writing to data files and configuration files which are essential for them to operate correctly.

To enable Sage programs to update and maintain their own data files and configuration files, they must be installed in a folder other than C:\Program Files, for example:
C:\Sage\Accounts
C:\Sage\Instant Payroll
C:\Sage\Forecasting
C:\Sage\Job Costing

Tip: To install your Sage programs into a different folder, during the installation you must click Custom Install, then locate and select a new destination folder.

To run Sage programs as an administrator on Windows Vista
Right-click the relevant shortcut then choose Properties.

The shortcut Properties window appears.

Click the Shortcut tab then click Advanced.

The Advanced Properties window appears.

Select the Run as administrator check box then click OK.

The shortcut Properties window appears.

Click OK then on the Access Denied window, click Continue.

The User Account Control window appears.

To return to the Windows desktop, click Continue.

Tip: If you are not logged on to the PC as an administrator, the User Account Control window prompts you to enter the user name and password of an administrator. Enter the user name and password then click OK.

You have now successfully set the program to run as an administrator.

Tip: Each time you open the program when logged on to the PC as a non administrator, the administrator user name and password must be entered.

Correcting mistakes in Sage 50

2011-11-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Correcting mistakesIf you have made an error in posting a transaction in Sage 50 Accounts, don’t worry, you can correct your mistake and keep a full record of the corrections that have been made. You can access the Corrections module from File > Maintenance > Corrections. In this window you simply locate the transaction which contains the error and either choose Edit Item, to make an amendment or Delete Item to remove it completely.
Here are a few things to remember when editing transactions.

• If you amend a critical field, the original transaction is amended and a deleted
transaction is created at the end of the audit trail. This deleted transaction shows the
original details before the amendment. Some examples of a critical field are; date,
nominal code, net and VAT amounts.

• If you change the net amount of a transaction, the VAT amount doesn’t automatically
recalculate so you also need to amend this value.

• You cannot delete a transaction which has been VAT reconciled. Instead, the software
will ask you if you want to reverse the transaction; this posts the opposite transaction
type. For example, if you try to delete a VAT reconciled sales invoice, a sales credit is
posted to reverse its effect.

• If you amend or delete a transaction which has been bank reconciled, this changes the
Last reconciled balance of your next bank reconciliation.

• It’s not possible to delete or amend a critical field on a journal transaction. If you make
a mistake with a journal you should manually reverse the journal by reposting it with the
same date and values, but swapping debits for credits and vice versa. This removes
the effect of the journal and you can then repost it correctly

Year end Procedure in Sage 50

2011-11-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

At the end of your financial year, it is mandatory for the year end procedure to be run, however this does not have to be run on the actual day your financial year finishes.

1. Ensure that all transactions have been entered for the year you are closing.

2. Print all of the reports your business requires. As a minimum we would recommend the reports detailed above.

3. In Settings > Change program date, change the software date to the last day of your financial year.

4. Take two backups of your data in File > Backup, ensuring that these backups are stored in a secure location. It’s useful to label these backups as ‘YearEnd2012_1.001’ and ‘YearEnd2012_2.001’ for example.

5. Within Tools > Period End > Year End, check all the details are correct then click OK to complete the process. As part of this process an archive is automatically created. The archive is a ‘read only snapshot’ of your company at the point the year end is run. To access this at a later date, go to File > Open > Company Archive.

Running this process doesn’t stop you from being able to process transactions back into the year you have just completed, unless you have set a lock date.

Back Up option in Sage 50

2011-11-07T11:29:00.001-08:00

Back Up Data and other Files in option in Sage 50

Having checked that your data is free from errors, a data backup should then be
taken at the end of every day where processing has taken place. Found in File > Backup,
the file created by the backup process should be stored in a secure location, ideally not
relying on a single PC to hold these files. We also recommend that a backup is taken prior
to running any major business process like a VAT or bank reconciliation or the year end
procedure.

Chart of accounts - New Taxation Category with sage 50 2012 -V18

2011-11-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

COA -Taxation Category

Fulfilling a long felt need. The chart of accounts now includes a new Taxation category in the Profit and Loss area, therefore profit and loss reports can now show net profit before and after taxation. The Edit chart of Accounts window has been improved to show a preview of the effects of any changes that you make, and the profit and loss / balance sheet codes are now located on separate tabs.

Quick Search in Sage 50 2012 -V18 O/w

2011-11-07T11:24:00.001-08:00

Quick Search
The Quick Search option makes it easier to find the information that you’re looking for,
without the need to build a complex search query. The Quick Search analyses all fields
within the ledgers for the information you’ve entered.

Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook integration

2011-11-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook integration

If you have Microsoft Office 2003 or above installed on your PC you can send information
from Sage 50 Accounts over to Office, where you can manipulate the information as you
wish. For example, from within any ledger or list screen if you open File > Office Integration
> Contents to Microsoft Excel, all of the information in the window will be copied into a new
spreadsheet.

Using similar functionality it’s also possible to run a mail merge of your accounts information
in Microsoft Word, for example, to do a mail-shot to your customers. You can also export
your contact and Diary information from Sage 50 Accounts into Microsoft Outlook.

Sage 50 Mobile for Smart Phones

2011-11-07T11:21:00.001-08:00

Sage 50 Mobile
Using Sage 50 Mobile you can integrate Sage 50 Accounts 2012 with an application on your
Smartphone. For more information about this, please go to the following website
www.sage.co.uk/Sage50mobile

New Opening Balances Entry Tool in Sage 50 2012 (V18)

2011-11-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Opening balances
A new opening balances wizard guides you through the procedure step by step, accessed
from Tools > Opening Balances.

Data Corruptions and Data Verfication Tool in Sage 50

2011-11-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

Why Data Checking is important?

Your Sage data is absolutely critical to your business; therefore it is crucial that you have an effective data management strategy to protect yourself from any loss of information.

Check Data – The Check Data process found in File > Maintenance > Check Data

Analyses your data to ensure it is free from corruption. The worst case scenario if your data does become corrupt is that all the information relating to your accounts is lost; therefore checking its integrity is a key business process.

We recommend that the check data process is run at the end of every day where processing has taken place. The presence of errors indicates a problem which must be rectified immediately. If you have errors after running this procedure, contact Sage or Sage dealer for further advice. If you have any warnings or comments you can elect to either address these or ignore them until a later date.

Using the Search facility in Sage 50

2011-11-05T05:36:00.001-07:00

Using the Search facility
When you have a large number of records it can be difficult to find the one that you’re
looking for. You can use the Search facility within every ledger to refine the number of
records displayed to help you find the information you need quickly and efficiently.

Even if you don’t know the exact details, you can use a wildcard to search for non-specific
information. For example, if you know a customer’s telephone number starts with 0171 you
could search for all the records Where > Telephone Number > Is Equal To > 0171* to
show all appropriate records.

Customisation and configurable columns in Sage 50

2011-11-05T05:33:00.001-07:00

Customisation and configurable columns
It’s possible to customise Sage 50 Accounts so that the ledgers are presented in the way
you want them, and the opening ledger is the one most relevant to your business.

Within Tools > Options > View you can choose your own Initial View, that is the module that
appears by default when you first open the software, and choose whether you want the
Process Map or the List to be used for the Customers and Suppliers modules.

Within each ledger window you can show information which is not visible by default, and
hide information which is not relevant to your business. To do this right-click the column
heading and select the columns you require. So within the Customers list, for example, you
could hide the telephone number, and show the email address instead

Turning an invoice into a credit in Sage 50

2011-11-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

Turning an invoice into a credit

If you have created an invoice for a customer, and subsequently need to issue a credit note,
there is no need to manually enter the information again. Simply highlight the invoice within
the list then click Credit at the bottom of the screen.

The credit note is then created as an exact duplicate of the invoice. If required, changes can
still be made prior to saving and printing.

Duplicating and amending batches of records in Sage 50

2011-11-05T05:31:00.000-07:00

Duplicating and amending batches of records
If you need to create a number of records that are very similar, the Duplicate option saves
time by copying the data from an existing record to a new record. You can then amend any
details as required add an account name and save the new record.

The Batch Change option can be used to make the same changes to multiple records
without the need to open, change and save them individually.

Electronic Banking in Sage 50

2011-11-05T05:29:00.000-07:00

If you bank online it is possible to send payments to your suppliers from Sage 50 Accounts
through to your banking software. To set this up you need to follow a few simple steps:
1. A list of compatible banks is available from Sage’s website. To access this information,
from within Sage 50 Accounts 2012, open Weblinks > Sage e-Banking.

2. If your banking software is listed here, select the option to Download plug-in and save
the file to your desktop.

3. Close Sage 50 Accounts, locate the file you downloaded and double-click it to install
the required component.

4. Open Sage 50 Accounts and switch on e-Banking in Settings > Bank Defaults >
Enable e-Banking.

5. Within your list of bank accounts, open the appropriate bank record. In the Bank
Details tab make sure your sort code and account number have been entered, select
your bank type from the list and save the bank record.

6. For all the suppliers that you’re paying electronically, within the Bank tab of their
individual records, ensure all their banking details have been entered, select the Online
Payments check box, and save the records.

You are now ready to start using e-Banking. After paying your supplier, to create the
required file, click E Payments within your list of bank accounts, and follow the on-screen
prompts.

M, S1, S2 and S3 Special product / service codes in Sage 50

2011-11-05T05:26:00.000-07:00

When to use the M, S1, S2 and S3 product codes

Within a product invoice there are 3 special product codes you can use which don’t appear
in the main list of products. These codes are M, S1 and S2 and can be used in the following
scenarios:

M – If you want to add a one-off message to your invoice which doesn’t have any value, you
can use M and then enter the required text. For example, ‘We’ll be closed for Christmas
between December 24th and 29th ‘

S1 – If you are selling a customer a product with VAT which you do not usually sell and
therefore is not in your product list, you can use the S1 code.

S2 - If you are selling a customer a product without VAT which you do not usually sell and
therefore is not in your product list, you can use the S2 code.

S3 – Is used to add service items to product invoices. This code is only available in Sage 50
Accounts Professional and Client Manager.

Batch Reporting Function in sage 50

2011-11-05T05:24:00.001-07:00

You can use Batch Reporting to group reports together and run them at the same time,
saving you time and effort. For example, if you run customer and supplier day book reports
at the end of each month, you can run these together as a batch.

Global data changes in sage 50

2011-11-05T05:23:00.001-07:00

If you need to make the same change to a number of records the Global Changes wizard
can be used to save you having to make the change to each record individually.

For example, if you are increasing your product sales price by 5% you simply go into Tools
Global Changes and follow the on-screen prompts, choosing Product sales prices and
Increase by percentage

Using smart links in sage 50

2011-11-05T05:22:00.001-07:00

When viewing a customer’s activity, if you want to see the original invoice which created the
transaction simply double-click on it and the relevant invoice opens automatically.

What is new and improved in sage 50 2012 (With Screen Shots)

2011-08-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

What’s new in Sage 50 Accounts 2012

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Sarah Cripps

Sage 50 Accounts 2012 was released on 1st August and will be shipping soon, so this week we are highlighting the new features that will benefit old and new users alike.

Sage System Checker – this feature automatically checks the system requirements when you are installing Sage 50 on a new machine, and lets you know whether the machine meets the requirements. If it does, the installation will proceed as normal; if not you will see this box letting you know where the machine has failed. You can then cancel the installation and upgrade the machine to make sure it meets the requirements before restarting the process.
Massive performance improvements – speed improvements have been made in every area, including big processes such as Check Data, Bank Reconciliation, Year End and Bank Activity. There have also been improvements to concurrency – users will no longer be locked out of Sage 50 on their own machines when another user is running a report or trying to open the same data.
Lock Date – there is now the ability to restrict users from posting any transactions dated before a date of your choosing, meaning your management reports are much more reliable.
Quick Search – this new search toolbar makes it much simpler to find any record within the majority of ledgers. Quick Search will search all text-based fields within the records and can search for any combination of text, numbers or alphanumeric queries. Up to a maximum of sixty characters can be searched.
Chart of Accounts – the Chart of Accounts has been updated to show profit before AND after tax, and also now features a Preview Pane so you no longer have to run the full report to see any changes you have made to your layout.
Support Home Page – this new page is invaluable if you ever find yourself on the phone to Sage Support (or your Sage partner). It lists everything the technician may ask you about your software on one layout, allowing your problem to be resolved much faster.
Sage 50 Accounts Mobile – you can now access your Sage 50 Accounts data on your phone through a live secure gateway link, free of charge. You can limit what users see on their phone, so some could have full access whilst others may only be able to see an overview. The service is currently only available for Blackberrys and iPhones and is only compatible with Sage 50 Accounts 2012.

Overall, this new release of Sage 50 Accounts is a massive improvement on previous releases, without making too many changes so current users will not be alienated

Payment Voucher generation, management and Printing with Sage 50

2011-07-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

For a long time users of sage line 50 have been requesting an option to enter, manage and create Payment Vouchers from the system itself. However sage has not entertained such request till now.

Yet you may easily generate a Payment Voucher using the Remittance Advice facility, already available in the Bank Module. Now (after version 12)sage generates a Unique Number with each payment. This is automatically created with each payment whether you use Bank/Cash/CreditCard payment option or Supplier payment option. Thus the serail numbers created have only one series, not the ideal way to maintain separate Files (and sequences) each bank / cash accountwise. Yet some solution for control orinted Accountats.

Also, You can design a customised layout suited to your requirements.