Sage Accpac ERP Software Support Hub

I was at Sage Summit 2009 last week, and I have to say that it was a very successful event. It was well organized, smoothly run, and greatly satisfying for our customers, business partners and our own Sage staff.

City of Atlanta gave us a few days of warm November weather that I have not experience in Vancouver. It also showcased a city with long history, as well as new and trendy city planning and designs. The CNN center tour was spectacular, so was the World of Coca-cola, not mentioning how many different soft drinks I have tried there. The Night at Aquarium brought all of us to the largest aquarium in the world, where we saw some amazing ocean species.

I was even more impressed with Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s speech and the emotional stories he told us about war and about people, and also the stories of our customers – how they deal with the economical crisis, how they manage and fight through tough situations, and how they succeed.

I was glad that I could meet many of our customers, and talking with them face to face, hearing the difficulties they were experiencing with software, and helping them by doing everything we could. And I was happy that I was able to give them a hand, a piece of information they needed, and ultimately helping them with their business needs.

It was overall a great experience for me, and many people at the Summit. It was upbeat, encouraging, and informative. If I get the chance again, I would go again, and I would encourage all of you to participate as well.

I think the new Windows 7 TV commercials have a really nice personal touch and are very cute, especially the little girl, Kylie, although I still think Mac has the funnier commercials. With the launching of the new Windows operating system, you must be wondering if Sage Accpac ERP is compatible with it.

Sage Accpac ERP version 5.6 will be compatible with Windows 7 when it is released in December. Although there will be not official testing of version 5.4 and 5.5 with Windows 7. We will also start support them with Windows 7 when 5.6 is released.

If you are using Pervasive SQL Database Engine, you will need version 10 SP3 (10.3). Only a trial version is available at the moment, but the full version should be available at the beginning of 2010. If you are using MS SQL Server, you will be require to install SP3 for SQL server 2005, and SP1 for SQL server 2008.

Once all the testings have been finalized, the information will be posted on our website. So for the most current and updated information, be sure to check our knowledge base and our system requirements page. I never had the chance to play with Vista, mainly because I'm happy with XP, and because of all the bad experiences I've heard. Hopefully, Windows 7 will be a much better experience.

Here's the newest from our Product Management Team:

The Sage Accpac 5.6 Controlled Release program is starting to recruit.  Take the plunge and be the first in your industry to go live on Sage Accpac 5.6. Apply Here.

Taking part in this program will give you access to priority Support (via phone) during the program.

What’s expected of you?

If you’re interested, talk to your Partner about applying. If accepted, your Partner will be sent a copy of the newest version to install at your work site. You are expected to run live on the latest release, and if you encounter any issues, report them to us immediately.

Incentives are offered and are listed on the Controlled Release website. Apply early and note that not all applicants will be accepted.

I have to say that it is a great opportunity to take advantage of the incentives offered, to try out the new features in 5.6, and most importantly to give us your “real world” feedback on how the new version works with your specific business needs.

Our last Controlled Release program for Sage Accpac ERP 5.5 was a great success. We are confident that the same will happen for 5.6.

Windows 2008 server has been certified as a supported platform for Sage Accpac ERP since the release of 5.5 Product Update 1.

But from what we have heard from our customers and partners, it still gives them occasional headaches when they need to setup Accpac on Windows 2008 Server machines.

Again, our analysts here are working hard to make sure the latest information on Windows 2008 Server is in the online Knowledge Base at kb.accpac.com.

Here are a few common questions related to 2k8 server, and the answers to them:

Q: I want to setup Web Deployment on my new Win 2k8 server, but it has a different IIS, I don’t know where to start!
A: The detailed setup documents in KB article 27089 can walk you through the process.

Q: Can Pervasive 9.6 be installed on Win 2008 server?
A: According to Pervasive, such configuration is not support, please check KB article 26876 for more details.

Q: We can not use our Windows Vista machines to sign into Accpac, the sign on procedure hangs. The shared data folder is on our Windows 2008 server.
A: The combination of Vista and 2008 systems might be causing the issue, KB article 27000 explains the situation and gives steps on how to resolve it.

And there are many more articles on other win 2008 related subjects.

If you are not able to find your answers in our KB however, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or drop us an email. We like challenges.

It's almost time for Sage Summit again. For those of you who are not familiar, Sage Summit is our annual conference that allows our customers to discover proven tips, tricks, strategies, and skills that will help you boost productivity and save your organization money.  Have you register for it yet?

I highly recommend attending this year's event if you have not been to one yet.  If you have, we would love to have you there again. I had a blast when I attended last time in D.C.

This year's Summit will be in Atlanta, Georgia November 9-12. There will be hands on training sessions, round table discussions, trades shows, and networking events. And besides work, you can attend Summit's Night at the Aquarium at the world famous Georgia Aquarium. Oh, and if you visit the Support Center, you will run into Kurt and Dave from the Support department. Yes, this is the very Kurt that partners with me on this Blog.  Be sure to drop by and say ‘hi’!

For more information, you can visit http://www.sagesummit.com/index.cfm. If you have any questions, you can always message Kurt or me.

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I personally like Financial Reporter a lot.

It’s a compact and yet powerful tool. FR does not require additional software other than Sage Accpac and Microsoft Excel, also the reports are portable. And since it utilizes Excel as the macro base, all the handy Excel functions are the added bonuses.

My favorite thing about Financial Reporter is that the process of customizing a report is very thought-provoking.

All the benefits, of course, would only be beneficial if Financial Reporter starts properly, right? I have compiled a list of error messages that we get questioned about the most, as well as the Knowledge Base articles that could resolve them:

1. Runtime error '429': ActiveX component can't create object – KB 21493
2. Error on running STARTGL9200 or STARTGL9100 in xla macro – KB 24244
3. Microsoft Visual Basic. Run-time error '91':Object Variable or Width block variable not set – KB 23601
4. cmdStart: Error on running InstalledAddinAndXLStard – KB 26267

There are more that people might encounter, but generally speaking, FR errors could be resolved if the following conditions are met:

1. Users have sufficient permissions on the operating system
2. Excel installation has the proper components required by FR
3. Security clearance is given to FR regarding macro or file permissions
4. Accpac and Excel applications are up to date
5. Last but not least, the shortcut to start Accpac should be pointing to the correct Runtime folder.

After resolving the initial errors, Financial Reporter will be much more interesting to work with. If you happen to run into any different error messages starting FR, we’d like to hear from you.

Now a days, you can find almost everything on the internet, restaurants reviews, bank account information, cheap flight tickets, etc. And if you are using multicurrencies in Sage Accpac ERP, you are probably using the internet to check the latest exchanges rates.

Instead of manually entering the exchange rates, have you tried using the GETRATES macro? It grabs the exchange rates from the internet and puts that information into Sage Accpac ERP. "Didn't you talk about macros in one of your previous blog already?" You may ask. I did, except we recently notice an issue with the website where the exchange rates are retrieved.

Like many websites, the addresses can be updated or they may no longer be valid. As a result of a change in the website address to Sauder School of Business from the University of British Columbia, the GETRATES macro no longer works. That is where the macro grabs the latest exchange rates. Their new address is http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/today.html. So to get the macro working again, you will need to modify it. Refer to KB 27004 if you need the instructions on how to do so.

Now that I have finished my blog, I can go back online and search for cheap flight tickets and hotel rates for my next vacation.

Web Deployment issues are among the most popular topics we discuss in Customer Support.

A common error message that users encounter when logging onto an Accpac ERP 5.4 or 5.5 servers via Web Deployment is:
Error occurred when connecting to Sage Accpac Server

Whenever users need to access the Sage Accpac Web Deployment either internally or externally on their network, ports 9000 to 9180 (by default) are opened on the web server.

If external connection is desired, the externally facing router or gateway could be configured to properly redirect all traffic from these ports to the web server.

By default, when Windows Firewall is enabled, these ports are blocked. It is never a good idea nor is it a best-practice to turn off the firewall, even during testing.

We could not find a convenient tool to easily open a range of ports for Windows Firewall. For that, the Support team developed a utility (KB 26903) which will allow users to do just that -- open/close a range of ports for Windows Firewall. At this time, it has been tested for following operating systems:

• Windows XP x32 and x64
• Windows Vista x32 and x64
• Windows 2003 Server x32 and x64
• Windows 2008 Server, x32 and x64

Go ahead and download this handy utility. Should you run into the above scenario, try it out and come back and tell us about your experience.  Did it resolve the issue for you? Could we fine-tune the utility further to make it more user-friendly?  We would love to hear from you.

Would you like to be one of the first to try out Sage Accpac  5.6? Would you like the chance to have a voice in your product? There is no better way to do so than to sign up for the version 5.6 Beta testing program.

It is not going to take up too much of you time, maybe about 8 hours a week. Basically, you just have to complete the Test Plan that you get from us each week. The testing includes procedures such as installation and conversion. You start by downloading and installing 5.6 on a system that doesn't affect you current operations. You will then receive a Test Plan once a week to focus testing on certain areas. Once you have completed the testing, you will need to e-mail the results back to us. Further to the set-forth requirements, you are welcome to the test areas that you regularly work with to identify items that matter to you most. In total, there are 8 Test plans.

By completing these Test Plans, you may qualify for either 3 moths of free AnyTime Learning from our online Sage Universiry, or 3 months of free Unlimited Customer Support. To qualify, you will need to complete at least 7 out of 8 Test Plans. The program is starting in June 1. Unfortunately, not everybody will be chosen. If you are still interested, click here to find out more information or to signup for it.

While actively testing our program, the Quality Assurance team has identified a potential issue in PJC 5.5A with Product Update 2. When using PJC to generate Billing Worksheets, taking certain steps in a specific order may cause corruption in the database which would require repair.

Although we have not received any reports from any clients or partners regarding this issue, we felt that it is important for us to inform all users about it.

We highly recommend that all users who use PJC 5.5A with Product Update 2 to apply the Hot Fix attached in our online knowledge base article 26641, as a precautionary measure to prevent running into this scenario. The detailed steps to replicate the issue could be found in the article as well.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this, please discuss it under this topic in our forum, leave your feedback in our blog, or contact our tech support at 1-800-253-1372.

Summer may be coming up, but it's time to go back to school!  Economy's getting rough, so going back to school might be a good way to stick out from the crowd.

Sage University (www.sageu.com/accpac) offers a variety of training, and multiple ways of delivering it.  Learn about each module of Sage Accpac ERP in depth (and other products, like Sage CRM), and even a few other things, like Crystal Reports.  You can get training a few different ways, Classroom, Anytime, Realtime, Lunch & Learn, or even Custom Training.

You can also become Certified in different areas of Sage Accpac ERP.  You already know the stuff, why not have something that proves it?

Check out the MindLeaders section too: http://sageu.com/mindleaders/mlhome.html.  There's a whole lot of courses there, ranging from MS Access to Business Ethics.

Need CPE Credits?  Many of our Live Courses will get you that.

Just remember, it's never too late to go back to school. =)

Have you ever needed to find a locksmith in the middle of the night? Not a good experience I would assume. Not only is it very inconvenient to be locked outside your house, you probably get charge for an arm and a leg for having the locksmith come over at that time as well. So what do you do if you loose your key codes to your Sage Accpac ERP when you are reinstalling or upgrading it during non-business hours?

The key codes to the latest version of Sage Accpac ERP are actually available on the website 24/7. Not only that, they are also free! Since only the ones for the latest version are available, it's another good reason why you should always be running the latest version Of Sage Accpac ERP.

So to access your activation codes, go to http://support.accpac.com/myaccount. YOu will be asked to enter your Username and Password. The Username will be your Client ID, and the password usually is a 5 digit number. After logging in, you should see your Contact information in the next screen. In the Products and Services area below, you should see a link for Further Product Detail. Click on the link and you will see your activation codes.

It may not show you the codes for the optional products, but you should be able to obtain the codes for all the main modules, enough to get your Sage Accpac ERP up and running till you can contact your Solution Provider or Sage Accpac ERP the next business day. Now you don't have to be worried that you will be locked out!!

Economy's slumping a little, and there seems to be little hope, right?  Here's some good news for a change:  New tax tables are coming!

Yeah, I know, it doesn't sound like much, for most people, with the new tax tables, you'll get a few extra dollars each paycheck due to revised Federal taxes(both US and Canada), and each country gets some specific updates as well.  Here's a few of them:

US:  Updated 941 form.  For all of you itching to print them, upgrade to the new tax table, and your 941s will now print the correct year (2009 instead of 2008)

Canada:  Not quite as glamourous as the US Tax Update, but those living in Yukon will get their updated tax tables as well.

Be sure to keep an eye out for these, they should be posted on March 25th.  Logon to your My Account web page to download them, and get your activation codes.

With Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Blogger, we are in a time where much information is shared across the internet. We wanted to do the same with our Sage Accpac Community with this Blog, our Forums, and our Knowledgebase. Just as important as having information, we feel that it is important to have it current and available to you at your finger tips.

We have received feedback that the Knowledgebase does not contain enough information, the information is not up to date, or the search is difficult to use. We hear about them from our clients, from our partners, and even from our own employees. Even I had my challenges with using it in the beginning. But I have seen the Knowledgebase improve a lot for the past 5 years. The technology behind it and the process of publishing the articles is definitely heading in the right direction.

I always find that when you are doing a search, simpler is better. What do I mean by that you ask? Let's say you are using version 5.5 and you are getting an error message when you are processing a Payroll calculation. If you don't find anything relevant when typing in the entire message, try typing in key words from the message, with only 2 to 3 words at a time. If you don't find anything, try doing another search with 2 or 3 other words. This may give you a lot of returns from the search and it may take you some time to go through the articles, but it's better than being too specific with the search and not getting any relevant hits.

I would recommend the same concept with the ‘criteria’. If I'm looking for a specific article, then I will narrow down the search by using the criteria since I know what I'm looking for. But if I'm doing a general search to see if there's a solution to a question, I would just select the program from the main product list. This way, I can get the maximum number of related returns.

So search away! Print them, E-mail them, or subscribe to them to keep up to date with changes on certain Solutions! I would love to hear from you on your experience with using our Knowledgebase.  What works for you? How could we make it better? Oh, if you’ve not been there yet, please give it a try... www.kb.accpac.com

Most customers generally pay their invoices on time.  Once in a while, they miss their payments, and once and a while, there are a few bad apples.  When you're ready to charge Interest, in AR Periodic Processing, select Create Interest Batch.  It offers a few options to select the customers to create Interest Invoices, and once that's set, press Process.

Now in AR Invoices, there's a new batch, with the customers you selected, each with a particular amount.  How did Accpac come up with those numbers?  There are two main factors, one is the customer's overdue amounts, and the other is the Interest Profile assigned to the Customer in the Customer's Processing tab.

If the Interest Profile is set to calculate by document, it uses this formula:

(overdue invoice amount) * (annual rate) * (number of days overdue) / 365

If the Interest Profile is set to calculate by balance, it uses this formula:

(net balance) * (annual rate) * (number of days in the interest period) / 365

For more details, when in the Interest Profiles setup screen, press F1, and click the link for "Calculate Interest By Document/Balance."  The next screen explains each of the formulas in detail.