Report selection functions are now much easier

Selection options for reports are now on the main screen, rather than a separate tab, so all information is visible on one screen.

You can now enter value fields in report selection without having to select the operand.
Example: To select a customer for a report, enter 01-ABF as customer, the operand will automatically default to Equal-to in the operand column. This makes selection much quicker.

Also note that for AR, AP,GL & SO reports, if there are User Defined Fields setup for the primary report file, the User Define Fields appear on the report selection screen. You will have to scroll down the selection screen to see them, as they appear after the primary fields, but they can be used with the various selection options to choose records for the report. The User Defined Fields do not print on the report however, unless you add them using Crystal reports.

There’s a great new option to automatically return to the report selection screen after printing or previewing so you can change the selection options and print/preview again without having to start over. See the bottom line to the right of the printer selection where it says: Keep Window Open.

Just announced on June 25th, 2008 the Sage Software Customer Support Knowledgebase is now publicly available, and no longer requires a user logon and password. This site contains troubleshooting and support tips for many Sage products including Mas90 & Mas200, Sage Businessworks, F9 and FRx. You can see frequently accessed questions, or select a module and do a text-search for questions you may have. This can be a helpful addition to the help-text already provided in your Sage software products.

To access the Sage On-line Knowledgebase, go to:

http://www.sagesoftware.com/support/knowledgebase.cfm

Beginning with Sage Mas 90 and 200 version 4.00, grids are being added to more and more data entry programs in the system. Version 4.00 added grids to GL Journal Entries, 4.10 to AR Invoice Entry and SO Sales Order and Invoice Entry, and 4.20 to AP Invoice Entry. Two nice features of these grids are Grid-customization, and Grid searches.

Grid customization
Users can customize data entry grids in by clicking on a column, and either moving that column’s location on the primary grid, or moving that column to the secondary grid. Columns from the secondary grid can also be re-arranged, or be moved to the primary grid, and placed in any location. This allows you to put your important fields on the primary grid in the best sequence for your needs. Columns that are not important to you can be moved to the secondary grid. An important additional feature in 4.10 SO Order and Invoice Entry is the Change-View option activated by the icon beneath the Credit button on the upper right. Change View (you can un-change it) changes the entire Lines screen to a wide view, with the secondary grid on the right instead of the bottom. This is helpful when you enter data into a lot of columns, since it displays more fields on the secondary grid without having to scroll down to access them. The system saves your customizations so your customized screen appears the next time you access it.
Grid Searches
Grid Searches are done by clicking the magnifying-glass icon to the right of the Quick Row field (different locations on different screens). Click the icon and a Search Grid window will appear. This allows you to search by any field on the grid in a variety of ways. First select the field you want to search with. Then specify a search with beginning, ending, greater-than, less-than, containing, or not-equal-to searches. Then enter the search-value. Handy search examples include: cost=zero, description contains “wire”, extension greater-than $1000.00, etc. The Search-Grid dialogue remains displayed with a Find-Next button that highlights each line on the order for you to step through. You can change an applicable line, then click Find-Next and control goes to your search field on the next line meeting the criteria. The search can move up or down the lines, so you can re-check your entries. Nice Features!!

The Sage MAS 90 & MAS 200 Sales Order module has been enhancing the reporting of Miscellaneous Code item sales in their recent versions. Miscellaneous codes are used for a variety of things, including special labor or service charges, non-stocked items, and fees.

In versions up to 4.05, the Miscellaneous Charge Maintenance program on the Sales Order Setup menu reported Sales, Cost and Gross Profit% for Current-period, YTD and Prior Year. The report option did not allow you to export the data to an excel spreadsheet.

Beginning in version 4.10, the same program has added “returns” figures, and allows you to view these figures by year (2006,2007,etc) and period. Of course, since version 4.10 didn’t arrive until 2006, figures for years prior to 2006 were consolidated into period 12 on the screen or report. You can select the year to review figures by period on the screen or a report. Click the Print icon, and check the Print History Information box for a report version of the information. This version allows you to export the data to an excel spreadsheet.

In version 4.20, another report was added called Miscellaneous Item History by Period. Where is it? Not on the Sales Order Setup menu, but on the new Common Information menu (below Library Master). See the Reports menu under Common Information. It’s the only report on that menu. Selection options for this report allow you to select which figures are printed. It also allows you to select only items with figures above, below, or within a range of units, dollars, gross profit amount, or gross profit %. Now you can export this selected data to an excel spreadsheet.

Sage Mas90/200 version 4.20 has some nice new features for AP Vendors.

* You can set the remit-to-address to be updated automatically when the matching Vendor address is changed. See the AP Options Additional screen on the AP setup menu to activate this option. You may choose to make the changes automatically, or choose the “prompt” option if you want operators to be prompted before the address is changed.

* Prevent Incorrect Entry of Invoices for Goods Received. If invoices for some vendors will be received in Purchase Order Receipt of Invoice Entry instead of AP Invoice Data Entry, you can now select to be prompted during AP Invoice Data Entry to prevent double entry of invoices for goods received. See the right side of the Vendor Maintenance Additional screen for the checkbox which activates this option.

* View Invoice Transfer information from the originating Vendor. You can view the credit-card vendor information for transferred invoices. Previously only the receiving vendor displayed the originating vendor’s information. Now references from both the originating and receiving vendors simplify reconciliation. In Vendor maintenance or Inquiry, drill down on an invoice and select the payments tab. Click on a payment line and look for the additional icon displayed on the right. That will tell you the credit-card or payment-agent used to make the payment. It’s a helpful feature to have.

One of the major changes in Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 version 4.2 is the Accounts Payable module moving to the new framework. All AP forms and reports are now in Crystal Reports. After upgrading several allies to version 4.2, I have found a couple of things which need to change in the standard check form supplied by Sage (click the Designer button in the top right corner of the check printing screen on a workstation which has Crystal Reports 10 installed.):

First, the Vendor Number should be moved from the check face to the check stubs. You can slide the Vendor Name to the right to make room. This needs to be done in detail sections a, b, d and e.

One of our allies even reported that, using the standard form, several checks had been returned by the Post Office as their scanners thought the vendor number was a non-existent zip code!

Second, the @AddressBlock in the default form does not have the “Can Grow” box checked. As a result, if you write a check to a vendor that uses AddressLine1, AddressLine2, and AddressLine3, the City/State/Zip line will NOT print on the check. This was probably so that it wouldn’t overwite the Vendor Number field that was placed below the address. Somebody should have had a V8!

If you have not yet customized your 4.2 AP check form, and use preprinted laser checks, you can download a file with these issues fixed. In your 4.2 installation, save it to ..\MAS90\Reports. If you have already modified your check form to fit your preprinted checks, you will need to make these changes to the modified forms in Crystal Reports. This must be done for each form setting in each company.

Sage Software has posted their future support plans for Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 version 3.71.
December 2007 – Customers will receive the final 3.71 Year-End Tax Table updates in December 2007, and any mandated year-end changes to Accounts Payable, Payroll, and Electronic Reporting (formerly known as Magnetic Media Reporting) for calendar year 2008 processing.
December 2008 - Sage Telephone Support will continue for version 3.71 through the end of December 2008
Friendly Systems will continue to offer support for 3.71 and older versions of MAS 90/200 if you make arrangements with us. Payroll tax table changes can be made by getting the tables from state and IRS agencies, and entering the rate changes into MAS 90 Payroll table setup. If you have questions regarding your MAS 90/200 3.71 or earlier software support, or would like to upgrade your software to a newer version, contact our support line at: 678-273-4010.

Sage released Service Update 4.10.1.10 for Mas90/200 version 4.10 in late February 2007. The Service Update 4.10.1.10 includes all previous service-update changes. New changes added in 4.10.1.10 affect the following modules the most:

Accounts Receivable - 6 changes
Inventory - 2 changes
Sales Order - 15 changes, (including 5 for shipping)
Visual Integrator - 7 changes.

If you are using Mas90 or Mas200 version 4.10 and would like assistance with downloading or installing these changes, contact us at 678-273-4010 (support) or via our website: www.friendlysystems.com/contacts.htm

Reprint from Sage Software’s announcement on Windows VISTA compatibility:

The Sage MAS Product Team is currently evaluating our third party products and complementary Sage Software Solutions for a definitive timeline on full compatibility and certification on the Vista operating system. We will be posting a Vista Compatibility update on March 1, 2007 on http://www.sagesoftwareonline.com.

Sage Software has announced that their Sage MAS 90 and Sage MAS 200 products will be certified for Microsoft Windows VISTA Business Edition only, so if you are thinking of buying a new computer with the new Microsoft VISTA operating system, please take that into account. That does not mean existing or older versions of MAS 90 and MAS 200 will run on VISTA. An announcement will be made in early March regarding the soon to be released version 4.20. If you have questions on this, contact our support department at 678-273-4010 ext 2.