Sage Pro
Sage Accpac ERP
Sage Pro Tips
& Tricks
HOW TO: Find Data Issues Using the Data Center/Data Driller
If using Sage Pro 7.3 or later versions it is possible to browse
the suspected table by using the Data Center/Data Drillers. The Data Center will allow the viewing, sorting and filtering of data easily without the risk of
entering the table directly and entering the command manually. This will work the same way for both the Microsoft SQL and Microsoft Visual FoxPro versions of the product.
Tips for finding bad records:
1) Click on the column headers for each field. This will sort the records in ascending
or descending order. Blank or corrupt data will usually appear at the top of the view
when doing this.
2) Use the filters at the bottom of the table being browsed to narrow the scope
of data to be reviewed. For example, if an error only occurs when a particular
vendor is selected, the browse could be filtered for only those vendor records.
Want more Power Drill Tips & Tricks?
PowerDrill differs in architecture from the old browser(v6.5 and under) in a number
of key areas. These differences include the usage of grids and SQL statements rather than the Browse command, new classes designed for the enhancement, and an architecture that
supports future extensibility.
The PowerDrill enhancement adds a host of new and upgraded features to the previous
browser functionality. Some of these features include drill-down, table join, the ability to print preview and print, and Excel spreadsheet exporting.
As in the prior version, it is essential to have proper index definitions when
viewing large datasets in PowerDrill mode. Performance is not an issue for small datasets, however, there is a minimal difference in the performance when compared to Pro 6.0 browsers
due to loading time.
- Drill-down feature
The drill-down functionality allows viewing detail or otherwise related data
in a natural manner (i.e. selecting a parent record and drilling down to detail data.) Setup of this functionality utilizes the existing Relation Maintenance of System
Manager’s Table Maintenance. It brings up the "Select Drill-Down" form, which is the same as the "Select Data view" form with a different caption. However, the data views
that display are different. The data views available when pressing the drill-down button are the data views with related underlying tables for the data view displayed in the
active page. You set up the relations using the standard relation maintenance in the Maintain Tables menu in System Manager and clicking the Relation button. For example, two
data views are defined--one to view the APVEND table and another, the APMAST table. The relation is set up between APVEND and APMAST in System Manager. First, you select the
APVEND data view in PowerDrill. With the APVEND data view active, click the Drill-down button. The APMAST data view displays if you select the APMAST.
- Join feature
The Join feature opens the "Select Join" form, which is similar to the "Select Data view" form except with a different caption. Also, the Join feature always displays in a
new tab, so the option to show it in the same tab becomes disabled. However, the data views that display are different. The same data views as previously specified for the
Drill-down button display when you click the Join button based on the relations and data view setup. Using the previous Drill-down example, you view APVEND and click the Join
button. APMAST is selected to join. The resulting data view is the data view definition from the APVEND data view joined with the data view definition from APMAST, which
shows only the vendors from the selected row of the APVEND data view grid. The page caption for a join is the page number, the first data view title, a text arrow ("->") and
the second data view title. Expressions for either of the data views in a joined data view is skipped and does not display in the joined data view. Column headers in the grid
of the joined data view can be modified slightly if duplicate named columns are present in both data views. Typically, you add "_a" to the first of the duplicate columns and
"_b" to the second. For example, VENDNO would be present in both data views used for the join, so that the first VENDNO would display as "Vendno_a" and the second "Vendno_b".
- Print and Export to Excel Feature
Print and Print Preview use the VFP quick report feature to create a report on the fly based on the active data view. The export feature allows you to export the active data
view to an Excel file by calling the built-in VFP export function (EXPORT TO <File> TYPE XLS).
HOW TO: Use the report options for the AP As of Aging:
- To show all payables open currently, choose ‘No’ for ‘As of Report’ option.
- To show open payables as of a particular date, choose ‘Yes’ to 'As of Report' option and enter date.
- Choosing ‘Past Due’ orders the payables grouped by past due aging periods (uses "Due Date').
- ‘Transaction Posting Date’ orders payables due as of invoice posting date (not invoice date. ** This option is not available prior to build 708a and appears as 'Transaction Date' if 708a service pack has not been installed. ***
- Choosing ‘Forecast’ option orders payables by future aging periods (uses 'Due Date').
of Aging' is a snap shot in time of what was open as of that particular date.
The report totals should balance against GL as long as everything has been released and posted in GL, there are no open sessions, there are no journal entries in GL, and the AP account is not used in other modules.
'As
of Aging' is not based on a single AP Control account. If using multiple control (AP accounts) it does not differentiate.
Pulls almost exclusively from APDIST/APYDST, but also uses APMAST/APYMST
HOW TO: Export and Import Company Data
This feature was introduced in ACCPAC Pro Series 6.5 which allowed entire companies to be exported and imported from System Manager. The Import Company Data and Export Company Data feature is located under the Transaction menu in System Manager. See the list below for some useful applications of this feature:
Using this feature would save time by installing Pro Series to a new location to insure correct pathing. Export the company data from the original installation to a specified directory in the computer. Then import the company data to the new installation. A Pro Series installation no longer requires the MovePro utility or any database editing if it needs to be moved.
Use the Export feature to transfer a client's company data to the office where it can be imported for testing.
Copy company data quickly without creating a new company and copying each module. This can allow for the rapid creation of a test company.
Note: To avoid broken links, do not create new company data using data from companies containing applications linked to other companies. For more information on importing and exporting company data, please refer to "Importing and Exporting Company Data" in the System Manager documentation.
Rules in the
System Manager
Ever wonder what ‘Rules’ are
in the System Manager? Let’s find out! Rules allow the user to have control over what data gets populated in to certain fields. So, if you choose to set up purchasing agents for your company,
you can set up a rule that will only allow certain buyer codes/names to be entered while entering a purchase order. Let’s examine the three types of rules:
A list rule validates entries against a pre-defined list of correct choices, such as territory or sales persons.
An expression rule validates entries using a VFP expression.
A range rule validates entries against a predefined range of entry values, such as credit limits on a customer or vendor account.
You can also very easily set up a message that pops up when a user inserts something in to these fields and it is not a correct or
valid entry. Go in to Company 99 and look at the rules set up in there for further examples. If you need further assistance or want to set up rules that do not exist, please call us today.
785-832-0007.
Sage Accpac ERP Tips & Tricks
Automate
account reconciliation by importing bank and credit card statements
Did you know that you can automate much of your account reconciliation by importing bank and credit card statements that you have downloaded from your financial institution’s web
site? If your bank offers online services that support the Open Financial Exchange (OFX) data format then you are about to become friends with true productivity. Assuming you have AP, AR and
bank services activated, you will need to open the banks dialog box to check that you have entered the correct numbers in the bank account field (no punctuation, no dashes, and no spaces) and
in the transit number field for each bank that has a statement you will download. Now, from the bank reconciliation folder, click File, Import, then select downloaded bank statements and click
OK.
Version
Compatibility Charts
Are you wondering if your option products are compatible with the current version? The compatibility charts posted on the Sage Accpac website will show you what option products will run with what versions of Accpac ERP. Compatibility charts are available for current as well as past versions of the software. http://www.sageaccpac.com/products/options/compatability/
For further information see your help manual or call Smart e-Solutions today.
