Sage MAS Intelligence is Sage’s replacement for the soon to be retired Microsoft FRx. It is an Excel based plugin that reads Sage MAS 90/200 data and presents it in both a report format and as a dashboard.

Additional good news: unlike FRx and F9, SMI reports not just on General Ledger Data, but it reports on data from the other MAS 90/200 modules.

This video by Clients First, a fellow Sage Partner and 90 Minds member firm.

via Clients First

As Brett Zimmerman points out over on the 90 Minds blog, the Upper Case Address Utility (or SWUPCS) is a “Hidden Utility” in Sage MAS 90/200 for converting Customer and Vendor addresses (or just City in case you forgot about the “Return City Name in ALL CAPS” setting in Company Maintenance) to ALL CAPS.

WARNING!: This is a permanent change, so be sure to use with caution!

To access this utility in MAS go to File | Run.

Enter SWUPCS in the Program box and click OK.

From here you can select City Only or All Address Fields and which addresses you’d like to set to All Caps (Customer, Ship To, Vendor, or Purchase Addresses) and click Proceed.

Unfortunately there isn’t a utility to convert all addresses to Mixed Case, but that’s what Visual Integrator is for, right?

Via 90 Minds

This has to be one of the most requested features for any user of the MAS 90 Bank Rec module.

From Modules | Bank Reconciliation | Main select Check, Deposit, and Adjustment Entry. There are a few new features here. From either the Checks tab

or the Dep/Adjust tab

you now have access to a “Select For G/L Posting” check box and a “Distribution Account No.”. If you check the GL Posting check box, it will allow you to enter the distribution account number.

Once you’ve finished entering your adjustments you can click the new “B/R Trans Register button at the bottom of the Check, Deposit, and Adjustment Entry screen (highlighted in red above).

You’ll then be prompted to select the bank code or leave it blank for all and select the GL Posting date and print and update as you would any other module.

One place where the posting from Bank Rec is different from other modules is that you can delete the record from Check, Deposit, and Adjustment Entry after it’s been posted and it won’t update the GL. Also the account number can’t be changed after it’s been posted, so you’ll either need to correct with a GL Journal entry or enter a correcting entry if there is a problem with an account that has been selected.

If you try to update the Bank Reconciliation Register and purge cleared transactions you will get the following message and be unable to purge until you have run the Bank Reconciliation Transaction Register and updated it (or deleted the transactions).

Via Partners In Technology

The /C comment lines do not carry over from Sales Orders to Invoices.

Just for verification, I had to test it out myself and sure enough here’s the screenshot of the sales order:

and here is one of the invoice:

What is interesting is the comment on the line item did carry over.

Hopefully Sage will get a patch out for this quickly!

See Dawn’s post here: http://community.sagemas.com/t5/Technical-and-Installation/ALERT-Do-not-install-PU3-yet/m-p/34286

Update: Dawn reports that Sage is aware of the issue and working on a fix ASAP.

Sage has posted their writeup on the knowledgebase.

Wayne Schulz points out over on the 90 minds website that if you have Kit Bills (are using Bill of Materials and kits) they are not carrying over to work orders.

Please do not install PU3 without discussing with your reseller first.

Update 5:15 pm: Sage has verified this and the kit issue and are working to get a hot fix out as soon as possible.

Update 10/1/2010 2:17 pm: Sage has updated the 4.40 update page to reflect the issue with links to the kb articles.

Update 10/5/2010: Sage has release a fix to correct the SO Comment problem: http://support.sagesoftwareonline.com/mas/query/index.cfm?action=tipdetail&tip_id=1874

Now we’re waiting for the patches for GL Paperless and the BOM issue.

There are many solutions out there for individuals looking for help with their Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200.

1. The best place to look for free help is The Sage MAS 90 and 200 Community (http://community.sagemas.com/sagemas/?category.id=SageMAS90-200)

It’s free and doesn’t require you to be on a current subscription plan. You don’t have to know you’re Sage account number or be on your company’s current contact list with Sage. You don’t even have to own MAS 90. Best of all many of the brightest Sage consultants and end users are frequently on there answering questions.

2. The Sage Knowledgebase is currently available for free with no login required. I’m not sure I’m allowed to provide a direct link, but a quick Google search should reveal the way.

This is the same knowledgebase that consultants use to help support our end users. Sometimes Sage locks it behind a login which requires a current Sage MAS 90 / MAS 200 subscription, but for now it’s freely accessible. So take advantage of it.

3. The Sage MAS 90 / MAS 200 help system built into MAS 90 and MAS 200. The online help built into the software itself often provides many answers.

It’s not as good as having actual manuals, but it definitely contains a lot of good useful information.

4. Google (or your favorite search engine) is another tool that can be helpful. I’d wager it’s even how you found this site. However there are many consultants with blogs and resources that have been made available without requiring subscriptions or logins. Additionally, I’d suggest checking out the 90 Minds website for a listing of reseller websites that may contain helpful information. And of course check back here frequently for new and exciting tips, tricks, and ideas.

5. Finally Sage University while not free provides many courses both online and classroom based for reasonable fees.

While not tailored to your exact needs, these classes are usually cheaper than training from a consultant and the manuals that you get are often worth the price of the class.

If none of these solutions provide you with the answers you seek, then feel free to contact us for a quote to help you.

via 90 minds

There are 12 requirements for compliance that fall into six categories:

1. Build and Maintain a Secure Network: Install and maintain a firewall and use unique, high-security, passwords with special care to replace default passwords.
2. Protect Cardholder Data: Whenever possible, cardholder data must not be stored. You must also encrypt any data passed across public networks, including your shopping cart and web-hosting providers.
3. Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program: Use anti-virus and keep it up date. Develop and maintain secure operating systems and payment applications. Ensure the applications you use are compliant.
4. Implement Strong Access Control Measures: Access to cardholder data – both electronic and physical – should be on a “need-to-know” basis. Ensure those people with access have a unique ID and password. Do not share logon information.
5. Regularly Monitor and Test Networks: Track and monitor all access to networks and cardholder data. Ensure you have a regular testing schedule for security systems and processes including firewalls, patches and anti-virus.
6. Maintain an Information Security Policy: It’s critical that your organization has a resource for governing your company’s data security. Ensure you have a policy and that it’s disseminated and updated regularly.

What does this mean for Sage MAS 90 and Sage MAS 200 Customers? Versions 4.30.18 and 4.40.1 are currently undergoing the certification process as are Sage MAS 90 EES & Sage MAS 200 EES versions 1.3 with service update 18. If you’re not on one of those versions with the most current patches, get upgraded. There are some known issues with the installation of 4.30 service update 18 and 4.40 service update 1, so be sure to discuss with your reseller before installing these updates.

If you are using Sage Payment Solutions, they are a Level 1 credit card service provider and are currently in full compliance.

For more information for Sage MAS 90 ERP, Sage MAS 200 ERP, Sage MAS 90 EES, and Sage MAS 200 EES, check Sage’s PCI-DSS site. While you’re there sign up for one of the webcasts Sage is offering on the subject.

Also of note, I find it funny there is a PCI for Dummies in PDF form.

2 years: 5% discount (multiply this year’s 1-year renewal amount by 0.95, then multiply that by 2)

3 years: 10% discount

5 years: 15% discount

The Multi-Yr can be paid through your reseller or Sage. This is a new incentive that Sage is promoting to end users. If you are interested, Ask Sage to send an invoice/quote with the new 2/3/5 year end date. Everything is prepaid  but the yearly rates are locked into the total price.

Also, the multi-year contract can be paid through the Easy-pay option as well.

MAS 90/200 The Road Ahead Summary

Customer number will be 20 characters. For existing users there is a setting to convert from seven characters, but once that setting is changed, there is no going back. All new implementations will have 20 character customer numbers. This is in addition to the two digit division.

Item numbers will be 30 characters. Same thing. Existing users can choose to move up. New implementations will be 30 characters.

Inventory transactions can now go up to four decimal places. Also, if you use the decimal places you no longer lose digits to the left of the decimal.

MAS 90/200 4.4 will be the completion of the Framework. What will happen to unconverted modules like payroll, work orders, and job cost? Sage is not sure yet. There was some discussion of “replacing” job cost with either a project accounting module or adding project accounting functionality to the core some how.

Several other changes with 4.4 are the addition of web services (more on that below), customizer enhancements (also more below), and parallel migrations. Not in the road ahead, but in the 4.4 preview session immediatly afterward, Roberta Vigil (Sage Product Development Team) demonstrated the parallel migration functionality. It’s basically the same steps we went through when converting from 3.71 to 4.x. The wizards all look the same. The logic is the same.

It is scheduled to be released Q1 of 2010 (Pushed back from December 2009).

Customizer enhancements:

They are adding scripting functionality to specific MAS 90/200 events that no longer require user interactions (no buttons). You can establish validations on any column and works with the user interface, visual integrator, the business objects, and presumably the new web services.

You will be able to automatically total detail numeric UDFs to the header object and create cumulative calculations on multiple records and save to table or UDT during update. Example given was if you are totaling quantity sold by salesperson, you could have them update to a UDT or to a UDF in the salesperson table when the invoices are updated.

Going forward all VB scripting customizations will survive upgrades.

Small Business Edition will include Payroll as an option and Sage SPS Credit Card will be provided at no charge.

What are web services? Web services is the Business Objects optimized for use with the web. The demonstration was a website developed by ISM Barsa for Moonstruck Chocolatier (thanks Moonstruck for the free samples. No I’m not sharing.). It’s not online yet. The rep from ISM Barsa said the most difficult part of implementing the web services elements of the new website was ripping out the existing Business Objects code so they could implement with the new web services.

The first phase of web services will include Sales Orders, Contacts, Customers, and Credit Cards. Phase II will include Inventory Items and more. Again the stated purpose was to optimize the Business Objects for the next generation of e-commerce.

Stated benefits of web services: scalability and separate front end from back end. My interpretation was they were further splitting up the programming of the MAS 90/200 interface from the data layer for use in third party applications.

Challenges for implementing web services: knowledge for back end development and data mapping in and out is complex.

The Business Object interface was not designed for direct over the net communication and Web Services is designed for direct over the net communication.

On the front page to MAS 90/200 Sage is adding links to the new Sage MAS Community forum and to their new hosted feedback solution, Ideascope. When you submit an enhancement request from Ideascope it will try to match your recommendation up with existing recommendations and allow you to say that your request matches one that already exists and add your vote to the tally or you can add yours as a new request. With the link to Ideascope on the front page in MAS 90/200 and not having to log into a website to make requests, it should make it easier for customers to submit their suggestions. Ideascope will be available soon. Erika Jelovsek (Sage Product Development Team) did not give a date.

Applianz appears to be Sage’s solution for SAAS/Cloud Computing. Currently available and supported by Sage for MAS 90/200 and MAS 500. EES should be supported with version 1.3 which is supposed to be available this summer. The holdup is apparently an issue with SageCRM’s incompatability with Terminal Services, which is supposed to be corrected with version 1.3.

What’s happening with FRx? Sage hasn’t made a decision and appear to be early on in their search for a replacement. Most customers prefer using Excel and want drill down, wizards, real time data, and simple conversions. While development has discontinued, Microsoft will continue to support FRx until December 2011, so Sage doesn’t feel huge pressure to make a decision.

Another big issue is PA-DSS compliance or Pyament Application Data Secruity Standards. these are the rules that require credit numbers to be stored only in encrypted form and standards designed to protect consumers from credit card fraud. Sage has engaged an audit firm to get them certified by later this year.

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) compliance is something Sage is looking into and has in the works, but they are looking for feedback.

Some new features with MAS 90/200 EES 1.3 are: salesperson mapping to allow for divisions, one salesperson in CRM can be mapped to the different required salespeople in MAS 90/200; opportunities can be entered on the fly from CRM; copying of orders from selected company will be allowed in CRM; FAS will be updated to reflect the changes in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; Fixed Asset Snapshots; Terminal Services support for SageCRM; and it will still be based on the MAS 90/200 4.3 code.

Planned features for MAS 90/200 EES 2.0 are: MAS 90/200 info in CRM User Interface; Opportunities on the fly from MAS; copy orders to/from any customer in CRM; Fixed Assets 2010.1; Role Based landing page in CRM; CRM to support IE 8; and will be based on the MAS 90/200 4.4 code. Scheduled to be released Spring 2010 or about a year from now. The order entry screens in CRM will be the JavX screens from MAS 90/200, so they will have the dual entry lines in order entry and customizations from MAS 90/200 can be added to the JavX screens.

After MAS 90/200 EES 2.0: additional roles supported including purchasing agent and customer service (RMA); Multiple company support (one SageCRM database can update to multiple MAS 90/200 companies); and mobile solutions (Blackberry and iPhone), and business intelligence.

Future requests from customers are electronic payments, electronic bank reconciliations, sales history for drop ships (which I thought they also said would be in 4.4), and one click journal entry reversals.

Sage MAS 90/200 from 2010 and beyond: multi bin, expand other IDs (Vendor Numbers, etc) positive pay, they will include other Extended Solutions when/where appropriate, vertical functionality, more business intelligence, and relations DB (SQL).

SQL was seen as very important to partners, existing customers, and new prospects. The biggest reasons were reporting and easier data transportation/warehousing/extracting. Why now? The Business Framework makes it possible. What about modules not being brought up to the Framework? SQL expected to be in beta three to six months after 4.4 is released.

Questions:

Job Cost? Erika: Next question. Probably moving to more of a project accounting model than job cost. Suggestion from the audience was Sage should survey existing job cost customers to see what they thought.

Payroll? No decision has been made yet.

With EES having three different databases, could we see some consolidation toward a single platform (ie: move FAS to SQL instead of Sybase).

Afterwards I asked Erika what was the migration path for existing MAS 200 SQL users. her answer was none. They would either have to convert from MAS 200 SQL to current 4.4 or use a tool like the DSD SQL to MAS 3.71 conversion utility and then upgrade.

There were several inventory features covered in the MAS 90/200 4.4 preview that was immediately after the Road Ahead session. Standard cost adjustment register and update. This will be patterned after automatic cost/price change and incldues adjustments to GL. Removed ability to change from Inventory Maintenance unless quantity on hand is zero. System Activity Log will indicate the start, finish, and number of items updated.No more having to enter a journal entry after standard cost is changed.

In physical count you can have the current quantity print on the worksheets and have it prepopulate current quantity on hand in physical count entry. Print current or historical standard cost on inventory valuation report. Because of this change, the Inventory Valuation by Period works. The Inventory Detail Transaction Report, Inventory Valuation Report by Period, and Inventory Trial Balance can be printed either portrait or landscape.

Standard cost items can be valued at zero. They will be relieved from inventory at zero cost. IM account untouched while standard cost is zero. The purchase cost will be offset in GL at the time of receipt.