SAFE/7 Debuts!

The seventh major release of Simple Accounting is now available! The industry-leading SQL Server based application has been updated with over 100 new features to further enhance your productivity. Major new features include: 30 Built-In Business Graphing Functions, True Period Auditing Of Forms Management, Support For Microsoft Reporting Services, 10 All New Reports, Auto-Complete Data Entry, Easier ID Editing, Shared Sales Tax Entities, Zoomable Sales Order Line Item Entry, Direct To XML Reporting, Enhanced Business Reminders, Better Tracking Of Who Did What, When; Easier Management Of Complex Queries. Whew! That's a lot. But you can get more details on SAFE/7 here. Upgrade Information Existing Users Of SAFE/6 will automatically be updated at no charge as a part of your Remote Support Service agreement. You will be informed when the update is to take place. Please read carefully the Upgrade Advisor you will receive before this date. Existing Users Of SAFE/5 will also be automatically upgraded at no charge as a part of your Remote Support Service agreement. You will be informed when the update is to take place. Please read the Upgrade Advisor you will receive carefully. As you know, SAFE now requires a different database. If you have less than five users, we will automatically install the Microsoft MSDE engine at no cost to you. If you have more than five users, you may purchase licenses for either, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Pervasive SQL 8 or install MySQL4 on your network. Otherwise, as part of the upgrade, we will install a 10 users Microsoft SQL Server 2000 system for you and bill you at our 40% discount. AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT FOR USERS OF SAFE 5.1: This is the end of the road for SAFE 5.1. You will still be able to upgrade to SAFE/7 through 2005, but at some point during 2005 we will end this offer. In other words, some time before the end of the year, any upgrades from SAFE 5.1 will no longer be free for anyone.

We'll give you a chance to digest all that. Then next time, we'll start delving into these new features.

Til Then!

Ciaran's Corner: Q/A Yet Again?
Yes, it's true. I'm answering some commonly asked questions more than once in a blue moon. As they say here, 'Go figure!' But for the next few issues I'll reprise some questions that we get every year end.

Q: Why can't I print either A/R or A/P Aging Reports for prior periods like it says I can in the manuals?!!
A: Yeah, what kind of a fast one are we trying to pull? Actually, we're trying to save you from, well you. You can only print prior period statements, if your forms support it. As with any of the forms, if you purchased SAFE before this feature was added (in SAFE/6) then your forms do not support this capability, so SAFE hides the ability from you. You can have your forms updated (for 1 hour labour) to take advantage of this capability for both A/R and A/P Aging Reports.

One little gotcha. The ability isn't grandfathered. In other words, if you purchase the forms update today, you can't suddenly begin printing prior period statements as of last year; the data simply will not be there! However if you do purchase the update today, three months from now you could go back and print a Customer Statement as of today.

Q: I have a number of Sales Orders and POs which I couldn't get entered into SAFE by the end of the year. I need to enter them now but if I do that they will post into the current period. This always drives me nuts. Why can't I just tell SAFE which period I want them to post to? And another thing, this whole 'Calendar Vs. Period Posting' is hard to figure out!
A: When you set up SAFE you choose to either post to a Current G/L Period or to a 'Calendar Driven' period. Unless your business is very small we do not recommend that you use the Calendar Posting Method. Why? Because it offers poor control. Remember that the Calendar Update Method use the date of the transaction to determine into which period to post. Makes perfect sense, right? Sure, until someone accidentally mis-dates a transaction; or if you need to back-date an invoice for a special customer.

What you really want to be able to do is either:

1. Force SAFE to post your (and only your) transactions into a particular period, even though the rest of your company has moved onward into a new period.

2. Fix transactions that were accidentally posted into the new period which you wanted to be posted into the prior period.

Both these are always possible. The trick is remembering how to do it! (Face it, you don't use it that often, so...) Well, like so many things in SAFE, we offer a plethora of options, but here is one (hopefully straightforward) method for each of these situations.

Scenario #1: I need to enter a new Source Transaction (Sales Order/Purchase Order/Vendor Bill/Customer Payment, etc...) and have it post to a prior period...
1. Start SAFE and go to Setup|User Options.
2. Change the G/L Period Update Method to Calendar

This puts you and only you into Calendar Mode. So, now any source transactions you enter which post to the G/L will post according to the period indicated by their key date. For example, today being February 4, if I entered a Sales Order and specified an Invoice Date of 01/15/05 and invoiced it, it would post into Period 1 of 2005 (assuming my financial calendar starts in January.)

Super Important! You only remain in Calendar Mode for the current session of SAFE; ie, until you exit SAFE. The moment you exit SAFE you revert back to the Current Period Mode.

Scenario #2: I have an existing Source Transaction (Sales Order/Purchase Order/Vendor Bill/Customer Payment, etc...) which was posted to the current period but which should posted to the prior period. I need to fix this.
1. Open the G/L Transactions Browse

2. Locate at least one record of the Transaction. (You can do this using your Locator on the Source Transaction column.)

3. Click the [Clone] button

4. Select the Move option.

5. Select the prior period that you want the transaction moved to.

SAFE will reverse the transaction in the current period and create the proper entry to the prior period.

Super Important! Make certain that the prior period you want to Move the transaction to is unlocked!

Et Voila!

Til Next Time!

Ciarān Marron
Technical Support Manager
cm@suntowersystems.com

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End of E-News From The Suntower, Volume VII #3