TOP REASONS TO ADOPT VERSION 7.4

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1 TOP REASONS TO ADOPT VERSION 7.4

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3 CONTENTS Advanced Manufacturing Enhancements... 5 New Checkbox to Complete a Work Order Step Without Issuing Material... 5 New Production Return Entry and Progress Return Entry Tasks... 5 Manufacturing Preferred Bins and Backflush from Bin Tracked Warehouses... 6 New Re-designed Posting Task... 6 Accounts Receivable Enhancements... 7 New Ability to Create and Track negative Invoices... 7 New Process to Issue Refund Checks from Cash Receipts... 7 Business Insights Improvements... 8 Performance Improvements... 8 New Top N Option... 8 New Export Options... 8 Inventory Management Unit of Measure Improvements... 9 New Expanded Decimal Precision in Data Tables... 9 New User Defined Rounding for Base Unit of measure... 9 Improved Definition of Conversion Factors Unit of Measure Stored with Transaction Records New Auto Adjustments Prevent Invisible Quantities Physical Count Records Both Expanded and Displayed Precision New Ability to Perform Bin Transfers in any Unit of Measure New Item Unit of Measure Business Insights View New Inventory Reporting in Alternative Units of Measure Inventory Replenishment Improvements New Ability to Assign Primary Vendor at Individual Item Level New Vendor Override Capabilities in Inventory Replenishment and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) Purchase Order Landed Cost Improvements New Option to Apply Freight to Item Auto Generates Landed Cost Entry New Options to Define and Customize Landed Cost Types New Flexibility to Assign Landed Costs on Receipt or Receipt Line Levels New User Determined Allocation Methods New Override Capabilities by Receipt or Receipt Line

4 New Business Insights Explorer Landed Cost Transactions View Sales Order Negative Line items New Ability to Enter Negative Line Items on Sales Orders Technology Updates Crystal XI R2 (v11.5) Microsoft Office Updated Third-Party Controls Visual Studio 2010 and.net Framework 4.x Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R

5 TOP REASONS TO ADOPT 7.4 ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ENHANCEMENTS Version 7.4 of Sage ERP MAS 500 delivers the results of close collaboration with our customers in the form of several key enhancements. NEW CHECKBOX TO COMPLETE A WORK ORDER STEP WITHOUT ISSUING MATERIAL Now why would anyone want to do such a thing? You ve told us there are a couple of reasons. First, many have requested the ability to use the work order process to record labor and processing costs for non-inventory materials used in producing their final product. Prior to this release, that was not possible. Material issues are no longer required, offering greater flexibility in processing. Second, customers tell us they needed a way to handle partial completions when there was no plan to process the remaining quantities. Outstanding materials from these work orders remained a part of the replenishment calculation, requiring numerous steps to adjust them appropriately, resulting in overstated demand and/or costly overstocking of materials. With the addition of this checkbox, outstanding materials associated with the step are automatically cleared from the quantity required for work order in the replenishment calculation. NEW PRODUCTION RETURN ENTRY AND PROGRESS RETURN ENTRY TASKS People make mistakes. It happens. The introduction of the new Production Return Entry and Progress Return Entry tasks in version 7.4 of Sage ERP MAS 500 simplifies the steps needed to recover from errors. Using the familiar format of the original entry, the return entry tasks relieve the product produced quantity; return all of the costs to work in progress; and reopen the individual steps for adjustments as needed. Whether the error was on an individual step or on the total quantity produced, these tasks make the recovery easier and more intuitive. 5

6 MANUFACTURING PREFERRED BINS AND BACKFLUSH FROM BIN TRACKED WAREHOUSES Bin tracking often plays a significant role in warehouse management. Distribution houses rely on preferred bins to streamline their pick, pack and ship operations. Businesses that perform manufacturing and distribution, however, can find bin tracking limiting. The backflush material issue method has been limited to non-bin tracked warehouses. Version 7.4 of Sage ERP MAS 500 addresses that limitation. Users now have the ability to either use the existing Distribution bins for manufacturing transactions, or, designate separate Manufacturing specific bins. Once at least one manufacturing preferred bin is established for a warehouse, materials can be issued using the backflush method according to the precedence as defined during setup, making the workflow faster and simpler. NOTE: Items that are Lot or Serial tracked still require manual distribution. NEW RE-DESIGNED POSTING TASK Posting manufacturing transactions can be a complex process. Monitoring manufacturing costs, tracking those costs to an individual item, and measuring productivity are critical to running a profitable manufacturing business. To that end, the completely re-designed manufacturing posting task in Version 7.4 pulls multiple individual tasks into one centralized task with the flexibility to filter transactions and customize the posting process. Additionally, the new task ensures transaction dates in the subsidiary Inventory Management ledger always tie to the corresponding journal dates in the General Ledger, simplifying the reconciliation task for the back office. 6

7 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE ENHANCEMENTS NEW ABILITY TO CREATE AND TRACK NEGATIVE INVOICES Customers do not always submit payments that tie neatly to existing invoices. How do you apply and track those payments in a way that makes sense to you and to them? In version 7.4 of Sage ERP MAS 500, users now have the ability to apply overpaid amounts to an existing invoice and track the balance using the original invoice number, whether using Accounts Receivable Enter Cash Receipts or Apply Payments and Memos, and whether applying Cash, a Customer Payment, a Credit Memo or another overpaid invoice s negative balance. The overpaid amount appears with the original invoice number in all the expected places such as: Print or Re-Print Invoices Customer Status Ledger tab Customer Statements Aged Receivables AR Trial Balance Explore Invoice Applications Explore Customer Payments Applications NEW PROCESS TO ISSUE REFUND CHECKS FROM CASH RECEIPTS No business wants to have to issue a refund check. Nonetheless, there are instances when that is the only correct action. A complex process that required multiple steps in multiple modules only adds to the desire to avoid the task. Version 7.4 simplifies the process. Process Cash Receipts has been enhanced to allow the creation of a customer return from start to finish, including printing the check, all from one task. Refund checks use the customer information without the need to create a vendor or a voucher saving steps and increasing productivity. 7

8 BUSINESS INSIGHTS IMPROVEMENTS The ability to quickly access and analyze the data retained in your ERP system is key to running an efficient and effective business. Key performance and usability enhancements in Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 improve your ability to do just that. PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS In order to reduce the time it takes to return selection and filtered results in a Business Insights Explorer view, we: Updated our controls Improved the Select Engine Optimized the metadata The impact is greatly improved performance in returning just the information you need. NEW TOP N OPTION Sometimes you just need to see the top performers at a glance. With the new Maximum Rows setting in Maintain Business Insights Views / Context Menus you can limit the results returned for a quick view of your top performers be it customers, items, salespeople or any view that can be ranked. NEW EXPORT OPTIONS Business Insights Explorer provides an extremely versatile tool to arrange and analyze data. Nonetheless, many find it convenient to export the data to other tools like Microsoft Excel for further analysis. Previous to version 7.4, the export included all data from the initial query. This fact meant all of the filtering, sorting and analysis performed prior to the export had to be repeated again in Excel. The new export options in version 7.4 provide you with a choice. You can now export all of the data just as you could in prior versions, or, you can export just the data in the view as it appears in Sage ERP MAS 500. The second option reduces the duplication of effort and gets you to your desired results more quickly. Another new option is the option to export in PDF format. This export also includes the options to export all data or just the visible data. 8

9 INVENTORY MANAGEMENT UNIT OF MEASURE IMPROVEMENTS Nearly every business needs flexibility in how they purchase, stock, use or distribute goods. Enterprise software must track and convert the various methods in a consistent manner to ensure data integrity and provide an accurate view of availability and usage. Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 includes the results of an in-depth project to improve the way Unit of Measure (UOM) conversions are calculated and tracked. NEW EXPANDED DECIMAL PRECISION IN DATA TABLES One way to increase the accuracy of UOM conversions is to increase the decimal precision, also known as places to the right of the decimal, used in the calculations. In version 7.4, we introduced a new data type and increased the decimal precision from 8 places to 13 places for quantities. While you will never see the increased decimals (they are only used in storing quantities in the data tables), the increased precision means there is a greater opportunity for an exact match when converting quantities. NEW USER DEFINED ROUNDING FOR BASE UNIT OF MEASURE Consistency in rounding is another way to increase accuracy. In order to allow flexibility that works best for your business we added options in version 7.4 to allow you to choose how the smallest or base unit of measure is rounded in every transaction for each individual item. In Maintain Items on the UOM tab, in addition to determining whether or not to allow decimal quantities, you can also set the rounding method for the item. The options are: Down to unit in decimal precision Down to whole unit To nearest unit in decimal precision To nearest whole unit NOTE: The rounding method for alternative units of measure is always Down to unit in decimal precision. The mystery is gone from rounding questions. You set the method and that method is consistently applied. 9

10 IMPROVED DEFINITION OF CONVERSION FACTORS Conversion factors have always been defined in Sage ERP MAS 500 as a numeric factor. In versions prior to 7.4, we defined those conversions as both a multiplier and a divisor, often resulting in infinite decimal quantities (i.e. a pack of 12 when defined as a divisor of the pack equals ). You now have increased flexibility to define how each alternate unit of measure relates to the base unit: Base Per Unit or Units Per Base. Defining the relationship in this manner allows the flexibility to enable the software to use the most logical conversion factor and minimize infinite decimal calculations, thereby increasing accuracy and minimizing invisible quantities (quantities less than the displayed decimal precision). UNIT OF MEASURE STORED WITH TRANSACTION RECORDS You now have the ability to track back to the unit of measure used for an individual transaction. The use of the wrong unit of measure for a transaction can really skew costs and counts. In version 7.4, we now store the unit of measure used for each transaction in the transaction record, making it much easier to backtrack and find out exactly where things went wrong. NEW AUTO ADJUSTMENTS PREVENT INVISIBLE QUANTITIES Increased decimal precision and consistent rounding methods can only go so far. There are still instances when infinitesimal quantities remain for an item, too small to display on any panel, view or report. For years, these minute quantities have been a consistent challenge to manage as there was no programmatic way to access and adjust the quantities. In version 7.4 we solved this quandary with the use of auto adjustments. Simply put, if a transaction results in a remaining quantity less than the assigned decimal precision, a tier adjustment is generated to remove the invisible quantity and reset the tier quantity to zero, just as it is displayed. PHYSICAL COUNT RECORDS BOTH EXPANDED AND DISPLAYED PRECISION The Physical Count Process is a time honored practice to reconcile actual quantities to the quantities reported. It is also an opportunity for frustration due to decimal precision issues. With the release of version 7.4, quantities are recorded in both the new expanded decimal precision as well as the displayed precision offering the opportunity to manually clear invisible quantities while ensuring the accuracy of the counts entered. NEW ABILITY TO PERFORM BIN TRANSFERS IN ANY UNIT OF MEASURE Warehouse A needs a quantity of an item equal to one-half the Standard Unit of Measure. Warehouse B has the quantity required, but not the full unit required by Standard. What to do? Process a bin transfer. Oh, but wait! We can only do bin transfers in the Standard Unit of Measure and we don t allow decimal quantities. No longer an issue! Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 now allows bin transfers in any unit of measure. Use the smaller unit of measure, transfer just the quantity needed and all is well. 10

11 NEW ITEM UNIT OF MEASURE BUSINESS INSIGHTS VIEW How can you see the unit of measure that was used for a transaction? Use the all new Item Unit of Measure Business Insights View. You can now drill down from any item in Items BIE and view the Rounding Method, Units of Measure, Conversion Factor, Conversion Type, and where the UOM is used. NEW INVENTORY REPORTING IN ALTERNATIVE UNITS OF MEASURE Reports in Inventory Management historically returned results in the Standard unit of measure. Customers indicated they found this limiting. Not all businesses or operations within a business view quantities in one unit of measure. As a result, meaningful quantities for the warehouse manager might have to be translated by hand for the purchasing agent or the CEO. Version 7.4 addresses this need by allowing three key reports (Stock Status, Inventory Valuation and Inventory Cost) to be generated in a variety of units of measure. These reports now have the flexibility to be run in the Stock, Purchase, Price or Sales unit of measure as defined by the audience requiring the information. 11

12 INVENTORY REPLENISHMENT IMPROVEMENTS Having the right stock on hand at the right time, with minimal capital tied up in hard goods has become the absolute standard when running and growing a profitable company. Inventory Replenishment planning requirements have matured with the market demand. Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 includes improvements that address the changing requirements by providing added flexibility in planning and purchasing. NEW ABILITY TO ASSIGN PRIMARY VENDOR AT INDIVIDUAL ITEM LEVEL Contract pricing with one vendor used to be the norm. It made sense to purchase like items from a vendor and enjoy the benefits of attractive pricing or contract discounts based on total order amounts. In some businesses, it still makes sense. In other businesses and for some types of items, the market is changing. Costs and terms are more fluid in response to economic or political or environmental factors that change in a matter of days or hours rather than months or years. With the addition of new options, Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 embraces changing times and allows you to determine by warehouse and item whether you wish to use the Primary Vendor identified in Warehouse Replenishment or identify a Primary Vendor specific to that item and warehouse. In other words, you could use one vendor as the Primary Vendor for an entire product line, but for a single item in that product line, select a different vendor. NEW VENDOR OVERRIDE CAPABILITIES IN INVENTORY REPLENISHMENT AND MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS PLANNING (MRP) Even the ability to assign a Primary Vendor by individual item and warehouse may not be sufficient flexibility in today s market. Version 7.4 goes one step further. You now have the ability to override the Primary Vendor on planned orders in either Inventory Replenishment or MRP, by simply selecting the vendor of choice, allowing for last minute changes should a better opportunity present itself based on pricing, terms or availability. Truly, you can choose the right vendor for the right order every time. 12

13 PURCHASE ORDER LANDED COST IMPROVEMENTS The application of landed costs requires flexibility to ensure accurate costing of materials and goods. In a global economy this accuracy is crucial in evaluating vendors and calculating accurate profit margins. Improvements in Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 increase the flexibility, simplify the process, and facilitate accuracy in applying these costs. NEW OPTION TO APPLY FREIGHT TO ITEM AUTO GENERATES LANDED COST ENTRY The most basic of landed cost types is freight. Adding freight expense to the cost of incoming goods applies that cost to the cost of goods, rather than an expense item on the Profit and Loss statement. Version 7.4 includes a new option in Purchase Order, Maintenance, PO Setup, Setup PO Options, on the General Ledger tab, to Post Freight Amount to Item. With the option selected, when freight is entered on a Purchase Order a landed cost transaction is generated automatically during Receipt of Goods to apply the freight amount to the items received. NEW OPTIONS TO DEFINE AND CUSTOMIZE LANDED COST TYPES Of course, freight is only the beginning. Duty, taxes, and third party freight are just a few of the other types of costs associated with the purchase and receipt of goods. In version 7.4 we added new options that allow you to customize each type of cost to your business needs. In versions prior to version 7.4, you defined landed costs and applied them to either an item or a vendor. You can still do so. However, that is no longer the only way to assign the landed cost. Any landed cost can now be applied to any item on any order. NEW FLEXIBILITY TO ASSIGN LANDED COSTS ON RECEIPT OR RECEIPT LINE LEVELS Landed costs were traditionally applied to individual receipt lines based on the item received as either a flat amount or a percentage added to the cost per item. In version 7.4, you now have the flexibility to define how the costs will be applied, either at the Receipt level or at the individual line. 13

14 NEW USER DETERMINED ALLOCATION METHODS Version 7.4 also introduces the ability to customize how the costs are allocated. Costs applied at the line level will still use the flat amount or percentage as in previous versions. Costs applied at the receipt level can be allocated by a number of methods: By Cost By Quantity By Weight By Volume Manually These additional allocation methods further enhance your ability to tailor the cost applications to your business need. NEW OVERRIDE CAPABILITIES BY RECEIPT OR RECEIPT LINE Whether you apply costs by receipt line, by receipt or not at all, there may be times when you need to override those costs to get the most accurate application. As of version 7.4, you can do just that. You can pull up any receipt, override the method, the cost and the distribution to just the cost you need. NEW BUSINESS INSIGHTS EXPLORER LANDED COST TRANSACTIONS VIEW And finally, once you have applied and / or adjusted landed costs, wouldn t it be nice to see exactly how the costs were applied? New in version 7.4 is the Landed Cost Transaction View in Purchase Order Insights. The new view provides information on each Landed Cost Transaction and the associated lines with all the detail on which costs were applied and how. By default, both pending and posted receipts are included with options to view only posted transactions or to tie the receipt back to the original Purchase Order. 14

15 SALES ORDER NEGATIVE LINE ITEMS Sales Orders are used to record sales, right? Isn t the definition of a sale the exchange of goods for legal tender? Then why would anyone want to include a negative line item on a Sales Order? Well, not everything is as straightforward as it might seem. Your business may lend itself to situations where items are often returned due to the wrong item being ordered or delivered. There is may be little or no monetary difference, but in order to keep an accurate inventory you need to record both the return and the new sale. For a single item, issuing a credit memo for the return and processing a new sales order seems like a lot of paperwork for a simple exchange. Or perhaps you offer discounts or rebates that do not conform to the normal quantity or terms discounts. How do you handle those entries? Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 delivers the flexibility required to meet your needs. NEW ABILITY TO ENTER NEGATIVE LINE ITEMS ON SALES ORDERS New in version 7.4 is the ability to enter a negative line item on a Sales Order. Now you can enter a negative quantity for either an inventory or a non-inventory item to simply the workflow and facilitate those out of the ordinary situations. A simple exchange can be managed on a single document. A discount or rebate can be applied to an order as a line item to reduce the total price. Sales Orders work the way you need them to work. 15

16 TECHNOLOGY UPDATES Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 delivers updated technology to leverage the latest in platform, reporting tools and usability options. CRYSTAL XI R2 (V11.5) While not the latest version of Crystal Reports, version 11.5 offers many key improvements and features available. Changes instituted by Crystal Reports in their most recent versions disabled key integration features utilized by Sage ERP MAS 500. We determined the value of the integration to our customer base outweighed the potential benefits of the newer versions. We are working closely with Crystal Reports to resolve the integration challenges and look forward to supporting the most current versions in the near future. MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010 Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 takes full advantage of Microsoft Office We also continue to support Office 2003 and With this release, we are retiring support of Microsoft Office XP in favor of the newer technologies. UPDATED THIRD-PARTY CONTROLS Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 delivers updated third-party controls to improve and expand the customization and integration capabilities available to development partners. VISUAL STUDIO 2010 AND.NET FRAMEWORK 4.X Visual Studio 2010 and.net Framework 4.x offer the next generation in developer tools. Sage ERP MAS 500 version 7.4 takes full advantage of those advances and fully supports the new environment. MICROSOFT SQL SERVER 2008 R2 Version 7.4 of Sage ERP MAS 500 is fully compatible with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, offering you the advantages of this advanced server, enhancing your ability to manage and monitor your ERP system with the latest technology. 16