Latest Articles

Free Introduction to Excel training at Sage University

Friday, August 27th, 2010

I don’t think there is any fee to sign up with Sage University. This particular course covers the basics of Excel 2007 and is ideal for new employees. Here is the link to Register. You may have to first register with the site:

Click ME

Here is the course description:

EOS2DIS1 – Discovering Excel Course

Anytime Learning Course
Course Level: Beginning Course Instructional Method: Self-paced Internet-based
Estimated Course Length: 7+ hours Number of Topics: 10
Course Content:

This Anytime Learning course provides an all around understanding of how Microsoft Excel works. You will learn how to develop spreadsheets using formulas and formatting and create charts ensuring you leave with a comprehensive knowledge of how to make Excel work for you.
Topics covered in ATL Topics include:

Understanding Microsoft Excel and working with Workbooks and Worksheets.
Managing and using multiple worksheets and creating multiple views.
Formatting and editing worksheets as well as printing and page setup.
Working with formulas and using functions and charts.

Schedule Id: 36557
Anytime Learning – ACS

Anytime Learning offers the convenience of Internet-based recorded sessions that are available whenever you are. All you need is a computer, speakers, and high-speed Internet connection. Anytime Learning is an ideal way to review material, acquaint new hires with basic software skills, and train your staff in remote offices.
Anytime Learning sessions offer an unlimited number of viewings during the subscription period.

Course Fee: $0.00 (USD)

Tags: ca, mas 200, mas 90, mas200, mas90, microsoft office excel, nj, ny, pa
Posted in Partners Perspective, SAGE, Tech Tips, Tips & Tricks Videos | No Comments »

Improving the Performance of MAS90 and MAS200

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

For client workstations, make sure to exclude virus scanning pointed at your network MAS 90/200 installation folder. Since these files are in constant change, an anti-virus scanner will attempt to “scan” each file every time this happens, causing significant performance issues. Note: MAS 90/200 supports only corporate editions of anti-virus packages.
All modern versions of MS Windows can benefit from more RAM. If you are running less than 1 GB of RAM, consider upgrading to at least 2 GB’s. More is always better, in this case. The overall performance improvement in all Windows applications will be significant.
If you are running MAS 200, network performance is critical. Make sure you are running at least 100MB network interface cards (in full duplex mode) and your workstation and cabling can support these speeds (Cat 5 10Base-T cabling is a good choice). If you are running a large installation with 20+ workstations, consider using a managed Ethernet switch to support high throughput. (Editors note: My experience is that Gigabit Ethernet is the single biggest improvement of speed with MAS90 in version 4.x. The application sizes have grown 400% since version 3.71 and all applications are pulled over the network when you launch them. 100mbs sounds fast, but its ‘megabits’ not ‘megabytes’ . Remember it takes 8bits to make a byte so this speed, with additional network collisions and overhead isn’t even enough to watch a single high definition video)
If you are running MAS 200 and Crystal Reports are slow to print, consider trying the Crystal client/server ODBC driver.
If you are running MAS 90 and experience intermittent hanging of the application, make sure all the printers in the windows printer manager are valid printers. If a printer has been removed from the network but not removed from the Windows printer manager, you may see intermittent hanging as MAS 90 attempts to connect to a printer.

(more…)

Tags: performance, speed, Tips and tricks
Posted in Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 | No Comments »

Sage Mas90 and 200 v.4.4

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Version 4.4 focuses on Inventory management, purchase order, bill of materials and bar code areas of the system but is not limited to these sectors. Backed by 20 years of experience in fabricating “top of the line” ERP Solutions Mas 90 and 200 manages to keep up with new technology making your business run smoothly and efficiently.
Providing your company with a wide array of Benefits such as:

Improved productivity with more information in expanded customer and item numbers
Substantially improved scripting engine that allows for ‘master developer’ like customizations without changing source code.
Upgrade more conveniently with significantly less downtime
Simplify the process of applying customizations that survive upgrades
Dual Grid streamlines data entry throughout core Accounting, Distribution, and Bill of Materials
Increase Productivity by accessing data with fewer clicks
More Business Insights Explorer Views
Personalize reports, views and other options throughout the system

Tags: nj, ny, pa
Posted in Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 | No Comments »

Thinking of selling your business someday? You need to implement a CRM/ERP system now..

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

I came across an article in Accounting Today written by a regular columnist, Gene Marks. Gene talks about a ‘friend’ who is looking to sell his business and retire but is finding his business is worth less than he thinks. There a few common reasons mentioned including:

Non-exclusive product agreements
Non-exclusive employee agreements
No intention of staying on very long after the sale
And the most important reason? The lack of any CRM or ERP software that captures the essence of their customer relationships.

The conclusion I draw from this article is one I’ve always thought, but is now being validated by a respected media publication.

If you plan on selling your business someday, among other preparation that your CPA can assist with, you need to have software and systems in place that can help the business run like a well oiled machine when you leave. A modern ERP/CRM solution will let you know about your customers as PEOPLE. What sports they like, what beer they drink, what their holiday gift preferences are. A new owner will know about past pricing and deals on a customer by customer basis. A proper ERP/CRM solution will allow a new owner (and maybe even you!) to take a vacation and know the place can run without the need for your approval on everything.

A proper system will give significantly more comfort to the prospective buyer’s CPA that the numbers your produce are accurate and reliable. Low end solutions like Quickbooks allow for too much ‘slight of hand’ or back dating to allow for a level of comfort in your financials that are trustworthy. Higher end solutions provide the ability to audit and trace where transactions came from and give the knowledge that they couldn’t have been changed, even by the owner trying to sell the business.

The summary is that if you don’t want to invest in the business for now because you think you can maximize your personal cash flow, than do so for your retirement. A business run on a low end accounting program, sticky notes, and Excel isn’t going to fetch much in the upcoming competitive market as the baby boomers are retiring and want to sell their businesses to a shrinking post baby boom buying population.

Tags: business valuation, ca, ct, erp crm, nj, ny, pa, sell your business, tx
Posted in Industry Insights | No Comments »

Some blog articles truly are worthless

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Below is a blog article I found purporting to compare Microsoft Dynamics AX to Sage ERP X3. If you read this, it isn’t quite written by a ‘bot’ but could very well have been put together in an ‘overseas factory.’

This is either the worlds worst blog or much more likely yet another attempt to game Google and other search engines by hitting keywords.

There is virtually nothing useful in the ‘comparison’ itself that would help anybody deciding between the two systems. On that note, feel free to contact us via info@clientsfirst-us.com if you want an honest comparison between these system relative to your specific actual needs.

Here is the original blog post:

Comparison on Sage ERP X3 Vs Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP Software

The debate on Sage ERP X3 vs Microsoft Dynamics AX makes taking a decision very difficult because they are both competitive, manufacturing oriented and capable of providing effective business solutions. In order to find out which one is most suitable for a certain company, one needs to make an in depth analysis of the features and options the software provides.

(more…)

Posted in Industry Insights | No Comments »