Dear AccountMate Clients:
I’m often asked “what’s the difference between a build update and version” and the quick answer is that a build is bug fixes and minor enhancements, while a version has major functional changes and often an update to the user interface. One of the things that AccountMate is doing is making a concerted effort to increase and improve the built-in reports with each build released so that you see more incremental “got your money’s worth” for keeping your software maintenance agreement current.
Of course one of the greatest features of the AccountMate architecture is that we can easily develop custom reports, but isn’t it great when it’s included with the product already?
So where do the ideas for new reports come from? You and us! So I encourage you to send in your ideas for new reports (we already submit the custom work that we do for consideration).
V7.3 of AccountMate SQL and Express is due out shortly, but I’d like to list some of the reports enhancements that were added in V7.2 as you may have missed them amongst the other more transactional enhancements (such as AR National Accounts, Payroll rewrite, AP Positive Pay file creation, etc).
- When closing out Sales Quotes, record a “reason code” and then report against it (so you know if you’re losing out to a particular competitor, etc.)
- Built-in report of on-time Sales Order shipment analysis
- New features in Finance Charge generation, where you can exempt very small invoices,
- Purchase Orders Recommended Purchases report is much more complete
- Bank Reconciliation now supports “As Of” statement date printing
There’s some really great new features and reports in V7.3 (I just can’t let that cat out of bag yet, so stay tuned!) but wanted to take this opportunity to point out the consistent improvements to the AccountMate product line in areas you might not have initially thought to look in.
In closing, I’d like to wish everyone a pleasant summer – and let you know that my next adventure is pacing a friend of mine the last 60 miles of the 135 mile Badwater Ultra-Marathon during the last week of July. It starts at the bottom of Death Valley (282 feet below sea level, where the temperature exceeds 120F in the shade!) and finishes at the Whitney Portals, halfway up the tallest mountain in the 48 contiguous United States. At the completion of the official race distance, we’ll then continue 22 more miles to/from the summit of Mount Whitney at a little over 14,500 ft. Should be an interesting adventure!!!
Regards,
Kevin E. Stroud
NexLAN, LLC
https://nexlan.com
Tech Notes
Track Cost in Inventory Maintenance Record
Whether your product is an item or a service, its cost is of paramount concern to you. The more competitive the marketplace, the greater will be your efforts to control product costs in order to keep your business operating at a respectable profit. AccountMate gives you the ability to track certain cost information in the Inventory Maintenance record. Each cost is tracked and used differently in the system. This week’s article discusses what these costs are and how each one is used in AccountMate. Click the title of the article below to access the document. This TechNote contains a link to a downloadable PDF version of the article
Article 1232: Understanding the Inventory Maintenance Cost Fields
How AccountMate Handles Shipment of Sample Items to Customers
Companies devise creative ways to stimulate demand for their products. One of the more popular ways to achieve this is to give out product samples. This practice presents a unique accounting challenge in terms of how it affects asset valuation and expense recognition. This week we reissue an article that discusses the ways in which you can record shipment of samples in AccountMate. Click the title of the article below to access the document. This TechNote contains a link to a downloadable PDF version of the article.
Article 1199: How AccountMate Handles Shipment of Sample Items to Customers
Rename Capability in Data Wizard for 7.2 SQL/Express
NexLAN now has a key enhancement to the Data Wizard version in the introduction of a renaming feature. This allows you to update values in certain key fields in your AccountMate database. Among the field values you can update are:
- Inventory Item # and/or Item Description
- Warehouse Code and/or Description
- Customer # and/or Company Name
- Vendor # and/or Company Name
- Earning Code and/or Description
- Deduction Code and/or Description
- Pay Code and/or Description
- Bank # and/or Bank Name
- Currency Code and/or Name
Your ability to change field values depends on the modules you have activated in AccountMate. The wizard has built-in data validation so you can be assured that the renaming process will not duplicate existing data. For more information on the enhancements introduced in the latest Data Wizard version, please click on this link.
Technical Tips
Version: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM6.5 for SQL and MSDE
AM6.5 for LAN
Tech Tip: It is important that you not remove the sample company, National Office Supply, from your AccountMate installation. The AccountMate Administrator program uses the sample company in various functions.
Version: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM6.5 for LAN (Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
Q: I attempted to change the salary rate in the Per Pay Period After field in the Salary tab of Employee Maintenance but the system will not allow me to do so. How can I change the salary rate?
A: The salary rate is now defined in the regular earning code you entered in the Employee Maintenance à Earning Code tab. You can enter the salary rate in the Pay Amount column in the Earning Code grid.
Version: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM6.5 for SQL and MSDE
AM6.5 for LAN
Module: IC, AR, SO, PO, MI, RA
Q: When I perform an inventory adjustment for a FIFO item, I notice that the system is using average cost. Why?
A: The Inventory Adjustment’s Unit Cost field displays the item’s warehouse average cost by default; however, the system will use the proper cost for the units of FIFO item that will be adjusted. To determine the inventory costs involved, generate the Inventory Transaction Log or GL Transfer Report.
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