Sage MAS 90 Consulting

MAS90 Product Update 1 - In Detail

Sage has just released the first of many planned product updates for their MAS90 and MAS200 v4.40 accounting software.

Unlike in the past when they referred to these releases as service updates - these collections of program patches will also include brand new functionality.

For the first two years expect to see mostly Extended Solutions that Sage has rolled in from their now defunct enhancement catalog.

Four times a year you can expect to see product updates released for MAS90 and MAS200 version 4.40+.

These update will include program fixes as well as new functionality.

The latest update has just been released. Unfortunately there was no detailed "what's new"  included with the update.

Consultant Jeff Schwenk from my 90Minds Consulting Group set about to create his own documentation that shows many screen shots of the new features added into product update 1.

This free download is very handy for locating some of the new features - which while described to some extent by Sage had until now lacked the type of new feature detail most users would have liked.

MAS90 Product Update 1 Feature Screen Shots

MAS90 Is Windows 7 Compatible - Sorta

 MAS 90 and MAS 200 are now officially Windows 7 compatible. At least that's the case if you're using version 4.30 or 4.4 of the product.

Users of the latest version can benefit from two patches (over 300mb each) which Sage posted earlier this week.

The program fixes appear to resolve a long standing issue with the paperless office feature which prints reports to PDF file. Under certain configurations, namely the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, the feature displayed any number of errors and usually did not allow the printer driver to load.

Users of earlier versions (prior to v4.3), though supported by Sage, will not have access to the patches required to bring their system to full Windows 7 compatibility.

Going forward we think that Sage is going to heavily focus patches and maintenance on their current releases. If you're using any version of MAS90 prior to 4.3 and are current on your maintenance this is the time to make plans to become current.

If you're using any Extended Solutions - be sure to consider that you may have to use a third party developer to upgrade them. Sage announced late last year that their Extended Solutions (save for 56 which they're keeping to incorporate into the next two year release cycle) have been released to developers for further upgrades. While this means you'll no longer incur maintenance on these enhancements it also requires careful planning for future upgrades.

Links:

MAS90 Windows 7 Patches 

MAS 90 + MAS 200 Road Map Released By Sage

 
 Sage today released a road map for their Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 accounting software. This guide is meant to give users an idea of the road ahead for the popular ERP Accounting Software.

Among the new information contained in the document:

Payroll is expected to be released in a SQL format - though the exact time frame is unknown and it remains to be seen if this will be an Abra off-shoot (likely) or a newly written module.

A new MAS 200 SQL targeted initially at new customers (and only for framework modules) is expected to be introduced in the fourth quarter of 2010.

For a full copy of the MAS 90 and MAS 200 product road map - follow the link below.

Via: Sage MAS90 Roadmap Image via: Flickr

Extended Solutions compatiblity with Service Update 17 for Sage Mas 90 and 200 4.30 (4.30.0.17)

Are you using an Extended Solution with Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200?

Before loading the latest MAS 90 Service Update 17 for Version 4.3 you should check this list to see if an updated Extended Solution is required.

In most cases you can simply install your old Extended Solution (ES) after applying Service Update 17. If your ES is on the following list then be sure to contact your Sage Business Partner to obtain an updated ES.

MAS90 Newsletter

Looking for information, tips and tricks regarding Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 accounting software?

Sign up for the free Schulz Consulting MAS 90 and MAS 200 email newsletter.

Published twice each month, on the first and fifteenth, the newsletter contains information of interest to MAS 90 and MAS 200 users.

Past topics have included: News of pending upgrades, bug reports, suggested third party solutions, links to YouTube video demonstrations of MAS 90 add-ons, links to the latest MAS 90 tax tables, important news about future releases (whitepapers, etc).

Join over 2,000 people across the country reading the Schulz Consulting MAS 90 Email Newsletter. Your address is never shared and each issue has a convenient and easy way for you to permanently un-subscribe should you wish to leave the newsletter.

Image via Flickr

Does MAS90 Support Windows 7?

Is MAS 90 or MAS 200 supported under Windows 7?

The short answer is that no versions of MAS 90 or MAS 200 (as of 1/3/10) are supported under Windows 7 (View MAS90 Supported Platforms and MAS200 Supported Platforms).

According to Sage the first version of either MAS 90 or MAS 200 to be officially "blessed" for use with Windows 7 will be MAS 90/200 v4.4 (Due Q1 2010).

This compatibility will only occur though after the first service update for 4.4.

The problems that Sage appear to be working to fix are an incompatibility with Paperless Office when MAS 90 or 200 is running under Windows 7.

For more information on exactly when earlier versions of MAS 90 and MAS 200 will be compatible with Windows 7 please check with your Sage Business Partner or keep an eye on our web site or sign up for the Schulz Consulting MAS90 Newsletter.

MAS90 and MAS200 Supported Platform Matrix Updated 12/28/09

Sage Software have released their 12/28/09 Supported Platform Matrix for MAS 90 and MAS 200.

These two documents spell out the exact configurations that Sage will (or won't) support or their MAS 90 and MAS 200 accounting software.

Use the documents when specifying new server hardware (or operating systems). Most noteworthy is the absence of any support for Windows 7 in version 4.3 (current) or earlier of both MAS 90 and MAS 200.

While there's been no official announcement of what platforms 4.4 will support we believe that initially the 4.4 release won't support Windows 7 due to an incompatibility with Paperless Office. Sage will likely work on that and we expect compatibility with Windows 7 to be added in the first service update for MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4.

After the release of 4.4 we expect that Sage will take another look at 4.3 compatibility with Windows 7.

In the meantime you can try our unofficial workaround for running MAS90 paperless office in a 64-bit operating system.

MAS 200 Supported Operating Systems & Hardware Requirements

MAS 90 Supported Operating Systems & Hardware Requirements

Extended Solutions Upgrade Ninja Pool Expanded

Upgrading an Extended Solution? Sage continues to update their list of Preferred Development Partners.

These are programmers who Sage has accepted into their Preferred Developer Program which lists those firms with advanced skills who may be available to update Extended Solutions.

As you may have heard all but 56 of the Sage Extended Solution catalog is going away. This means that those users who have a solution will need to pay to have it upgraded to version 4.4 or higher if they'd like to keep using the solution.

In most cases we'd recommend taking a fresh look to see if the solution (assuming it's being eliminated ) is really needed or not.

If the solution is needed, consult our list of Sage Preferred Development Partners to find the best fit for your company. These folks can work with your local consultant to upgrade your Extended Solutions to level 4.4 or higher.

Extended Solutions Upgrade - Preferred Development Partners

IRS Withholding Tax Tables for 2010 Released (Circular E)

The Internal Revenue Service just released Publication 15 aka Circular E - aka the 2010 Withholding Tax Tables.

This guide, dated December 17, 2009, is available for download directly from the IRS site.

The tables in this document can be used to manually compute 2010 payroll withholding tax. There's also a handy cross reference that displays the taxability of numerous withholding deductions such as 401k or employee benefit plans.

Even if you are using the computer to prepare payroll checks it is a good idea to use the IRS Publication 15 for the first run to compute a few checks on a test basis. This insures that any table updates for 2010 have been properly reflected in the software.

Problems with tax table rates are much easier to fix if caught early in the year as opposed to during the more hectic end of year.

IRS Tax Tables 2010

MAS90 Tax Table Update for 2010 Released

MAS90 and MAS200 users can download the latest 2010 payroll tax table update from Sage Software's web site.

This release, dated 12/11/09, is the initial update that includes all the federal tax table changes as well as numerous states.

Be sure to watch the Sage site for future updates as traditionally some states have been slow/tardy in updating their tables. Therefore Sage is often forced to issue updates well into January.

As with all changes to payroll processing we recommend you manually compute the first few payroll runs on a test basis. Make comparisons of the computed withholding taxes (as per MAS90) to the tax table books provided by the government.

MAS90 Tax Tables