Below is  a general timeline for product updates and release dates:

Two changes of note are the addition of Sage 100 ERP Shipping by SmartLinc.  SmartLinc is a replacement for the prior Starship solution (Starship is sill supported by V-Technologies, independently) and is available in two versions

• Process Shipper – on-premises, browser-based
• Ship One –  cloud-based

SmartLinc includes complete carrier & shipping support for the US and Canada, as well as rate shopping, email notifications, and Bill of Lading support.

Another announcement is the Sage ERP Payroll module for SQL.  This will be a standalone payroll module and will integrate only to Sage 100 Premium (SQL).  This payroll module is based on the former Sage Accpac Payroll.

Another note of interest is that Sage Payments will play an even larger role in the Sage 100 ERP credit card transaction processing.  Payment data is not stored in the software itself but instead is stored in the Sage vault for tighter security and compliance.

Access the full roadmap here.

Tired of playing the lottery with your technology projects?  If so, then we can show you what it’s like to work with a Firm of The Future…forget about the lottery and work with certainty.

Highlights for Abra HR:

• Support for Active Directory logons.  By linking your Abra login id to your Windows login id, you can eliminate the need for a separate login and password to get into Abra.
• Ability to access Sage Abra Support through a chat link located within Abra.
• Employee Find is faster and includes searches for both first and last names.
• Increased security with SSN/SIN masking for all reports (standard and those created through Secure Query).

Highlights for Payroll:

• Greater flexibility for creating custom payment forms.
• Ability to choose whether or not a check should display in Employee Self Service.

Highlights for Employee Self Service (ESS):

• Sage Employee Analytics has the ability to create custom graphical dashboards (when used in conjunction with Sage Crystal Dashboard Design).  Combine workforce cost and performance data into a high level overview and quickly drill down for more detailed analysis.  These dashboards can be viewed from most web browsers (Safari, IE, Chrome and Firefox).
• The ESS user interface has been overhauled to provide easier navigation and the ability to customize the look and feel of your ESS system.
• The new Time Off Calendar provides managers with a monthly view of employee’s’ pending, approved and rejected time off.
• Employees and managers can access ESS on their mobile devices including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows CE, Windows Phone 7 and Windows Mobile.
• SSN masking for dependents and beneficiaries in Open Enrollment.
• The new Provider Enrollment Details report allows you to send open enrollment information to the benefit provider prior to sending the enrollment updates to Abra.

For more details about all of the enhancements in version 9.1, please click on the What’s New in Sage Abra v9.1 document.

Highlights of the roadmap include:

• Release of Version 4.5!  The roadmap includes an overview of new features in this new version.
• New features in Product Update 6 for Version 4.4
• An overview of Sage Connected Services (like Federal and State e-Filing, Sage Sales Tax and Credit Card Processing)
• Sage ERP MAS 90 Online
• An update on Sage MAS Intelligence, Sage’s new financial reporting tool
• Information on Sage CRM
• A preview of Sage MAS 90 and 200 Version 5.0

SMI is Sage’s recommended replacement for FRx (which has been discontinued by Microsoft).  SMI is Excel-based and can be used to generate financial statements and is capable of generating reports for other MAS 90 and MAS 200 modules such as Accounts Receivable, Inventory Management and Sales Order.  In addition, reports can be created using multiple databases (even non-Sage databases).  For example, a report which combines data from MAS 90 and Abra HRMS.

For a more in-depth look at what you need to learn to get started with SMI, check out the list of Customer Resources that Sage has made available.

I am presenting a session at the conference for other Sage partners who have attended Ed Kless’ Sage Consulting Academy (SCA).  Ed conducts the SCA several times a year to assist partners with becoming better consultants and project managers.  It is a fantastic program that, to my knowledge, has no equal in the world of software publishers.

While every attendee I have talked with feels that they received valuable knowledge from SCA that has made them better consultants, the one comment that Ed and I hear on a regular basis is “we really want to implement these new ideas at our firm but we can’t quite figure out how to do it.”  With that thought in mind, my goal for this session is to provide several real world examples of how we have implemented SCA processes into our business.  Specifically, my focus will be on how to use the project management tools from SCA.

I’m bringing examples of the following tools from several of our projects:

• Business process diagrams
• Issues List
• Project Charter
• Project Manager Selection
• Project Scope

And examples of additional tools that we have developed including:

• Vision Statement
• Pricing Proposal
• Knowledge Transfer Agreement (KTA)

Since this session in an interactive one, I’m encouraging dialog from the group about how you have used knowledge from SCA in your organization.  How has SCA helped you move from a firm of the past to a Firm of The Future?  Please feel free to bring sample project management documents (it doesn’t matter if they are for small projects or large ones) to share with the group.  If you would like, you can e-mail copies of them to me at jshaver@ariestech.com so we can present them to the group.

I’m also open to talk through any aspect of SCA that may be of interest.  Please share those ideas via the comments on this article.

I’m looking forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday, July 12th at 10am!

Highlights of the roadmap include:

• New features in Product Update 5
• Announcing Product Update 6 availability in July 2011
• Overview of automated sales tax processing by Avalara
• Overview of credit card processing by Sage Payment Solutions
• Overview of Sage ERP MAS Intelligence (FRx’s replacement) including information about an FRx Conversion Utility
• New features in Version 4.5, including payroll, sales order and accounts receivable
• Overview of SageCRM
• Announcing MAS 90 Cloud Deployment (only framework modules available)
• New features coming in Version 5, including auto update

• 3.7x, 4.0, 4.05 and 4.1:  September 30, 2011
• 4.2:  September 30, 2012
• 4.3:  September 30, 2013
• 4.4:  September 30, 2014

If you have any questions about the roadmap, please be sure to give Aries a call!

This past January at the international VeraSage conference, I was talking with Ron Baker about how we can more effectively get the message out that the only way for a business to know that a software consultant knows what they are doing is by having that consultant provide them with a fixed price for every project.

Ron provided a wonderful insight.  The most effective way to demonstrate the absurdity of a particular idea (in this case, the billable hour) is to ridicule it.

Greg Kyte, who is a VeraSage Fellow, CPA and professional stand-up comedian, and I started working on a video lampooning the practice of billing time.

The result is Bob’s Barbecue.  It is the first in a series of videos which will depict all of the many ways that the billable hour is harmful and risky for your company.

Additions include:

• Multiple Company Aged Invoice Report:  Print your A/P Aged Invoice Report in a multi-company format and combine vendor information.  You’ll get a complete picture of your vendors across all MAS companies, helping you identify opportunities for improving the bottom line, negotiating better volume discounts or consolidating orders to save on shipping.
• Accounts Payable Check Sorting Options.  Print checks alphabetically by vendor name, not just by vendor number.
• Expense Distribution Tables.  Streamline the entry of invoices in A/P when you need to regularly allocate across multiple departments.
• Security in Item Inquiry.  Four new permission settings are available to further restrict users.  These permissions apply to Item Inquiry and are Allow Access to All Item Inquiry Tabs Including Main and Quantity, Allow Access to Costing, Receipts and Vendor Information, Display Standard Cost Information and Display Vendor Information.
• Inactive Items.  An inventory item can be designated as ‘inactive’ in Inventory Management so it can no longer be purchased or sold.  If an item is marked inactive, you can process returns using RMA or a Sales Order Credit Memo, or maintain history for warranty purposes.
• Company-Specific Background Colors.  Assign an easily identifiable background color for each company in MAS.  This helps ensure entries are made into the correct company.
• 2011 941 Form Update.

Contact Aries Technology Group at (865) 291-0005 x721 for further information about this Product Update or to arrange a time to install the update.  Thank you!

1. The year has been updated to 2011 on the entire form.
2. A new entry field was added for Tax Due on Unreported Tips.
3. There are no changes to the Schedule B for 2011.

Please contact Aries at (865) 291-0005 x721 if you have any questions.