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Business Intelligence Tools

Sage customizable report writers and integration tools create an all-encompassing information system for your business. Customers rave about the latest additions to MAS 90 and MAS 200: Business Insights and Business Alerts. These business tools and many others are reasons why MAS 90 and MAS 200 are recommended by more CPAs than any other mid-range accounting and business management solution.

Business Alerts Spec Sheet
Business Alerts is an impressive add-on module, which sends e-mail notifications to you and your specified personnel when something significant happens in your business. Solving problems before they start can satisfy your customers far more consistently. Integrated into critical modules, Business Alerts shifts your focus using early warning signals that announce critical events in your MAS 90 or MAS 200 system, including credit holds, inventory thresholds, priority client transactions, urgency levels and more.

Business Insights Spec Sheet
Business Insights, which comes standard with any new MAS 90 or MAS 200 system, is the ideal solution for busy managers, executives and business owners who need quick access to key business information in an easy-to-read format. Designed to present easily accessible information in a high-level, graphical layout, Sage's goal was to provide the data necessary to make well-informed, business-critical decisions to make your firm more competitive. The application is customizable and allows you to pick what information is the most important to your operation. With a multitude of insightful reports, extensive drill-down capabilities and an automatic data refreshing feature, Business Insights makes staying informed easy.

Abra Alerts Spec Sheet
Abra Alerts is an impressive module that automatically monitors your database and proactively distributes information to your HR and payroll personnel, managers, and employees via your existing e-mail system. Because Abra Alerts is fully integrated with Abra HR Suite, the information you enter automatically triggers messages and reports. Abra Alerts sends notices about annual reviews, enrollment in required training courses, and even personalized messages for applicants who e-mail resumes or it can be used to welcome new employees.

Crystal Reports Spec Sheet
Crystal Reports is a powerful report writer that creates meaningful, real-time reports quickly and easily. Out-of-the-box reports are available along with the ability to modify them to suit your business needs. Wizards can walk you through the necessary steps to modify a report with ease. If you would like to create a report from scratch, more wizards (called Experts) guide you through the process from start to finish. Your reports can run at pre-determined times, even unattended. Using the open database connectivity (ODBC) driver, Crystal Reports has direct access to MAS 90 and MAS 200 data. The Crystal Reports design engine is also fully integrated into MAS 90 and MAS 200 form printing.

FRx Desktop Spec Sheet
This version of FRx comes bundled with the MAS 90 and MAS 200 General Ledger modules, and is a full-featured, graphical reporting tool. The ability to specify row and column formats independently maximizes the flexibility of report formats. After creating a report, you can print it, export it to an Excel worksheet, drill down to examine details or distribute it via e-mail. Combine the report formats with a custom-reporting tree that matches your company's chart of accounts structure, and you can create customized reports that detail almost any aspect of your business. FRx Desktop also provides multi-company consolidation and robust security.

F9 Spec Sheet
This optional module uses Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) technology to deliver data from your MAS 90 and MAS 200 General Ledger module to a spreadsheet document, such as Lotus 1-2-3 or Microsoft Excel. The data migration is easy due to an automatic link to your General Ledger using the hotlink feature in your spreadsheet, or hotlink cells in your spreadsheet that tie into any data item in General Ledger. This linkage provides instant, real-time financial information in your spreadsheet and saves time by eliminating the rekeying of data into your spreadsheet.

Custom Office Spec Sheet
The Custom Office module provides a suite of tools (Visual PostMaster, Customizer and MS Office Link) that integrate your MAS 90 or MAS 200 system with Microsoft Office. Customizer allows you to modify application screens to work the way you run your business, including the ability to add user-defined fields, all without programming. Visual Postmaster is a wizard-driven tool that creates mail merges in a snap using MAS 90 or MAS 200 data and/or custom databases for your mailing. MS Office Link can automatically merge accounting information in MAS 90 or MAS 200 with Microsoft Word, Excel or Exchange software to quickly create custom documents, messages and attachments to send to individual customers or vendors.

Visual Integrator Spec Sheet
In the past, businesses withstood standalone applications and performed software "workarounds" to achieve integrated reporting. Today, it's expected that these products work together. Using open database connectivity (ODBC), Visual Integrator provides fully automated data transfer between MAS 90 or MAS 200 and other business applications. If you regularly import data from a custom or vertical software package, you'll find you can use Visual Integrator to make the integration virtually seamless.

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Accounting Micro Systems - MAS/FAS

Base - Payment Solutions.

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Study Finds Leading Companies are Optimizing Payments Processes to Increase Cash Flow

June 17, 2010

Sage North America today announced high-level findings from Aberdeen Group's recently published third annual payments report, titled "Global Payments: Maximizing Cash Flow with Electronic Payments and Process Automation." According to the report, leading companies are employing electronic payments and process automation to streamline and accelerate finance processes, reduce operating costs, and improve visibility, control, and efficiency to provide a foundation for increased profits.

"Despite the reign of the paper check and manual-based processes in business-to-business transactions in the U.S. and many parts of the world, economic and efficiency gains from automating the financial supply chain-from invoicing through payment settlement-are key motivators for demand and supply to align," said Nasreen Quibria, senior analyst at Aberdeen and author of the report. "While the adoption of electronic payment vehicles requires businesses to alter their payment behavior and restructure their financial processes, companies that can make the shift will gain competitive advantage."

Reflecting the unpredictable economic conditions of the past year, Aberdeen found that companies are focused on maximizing cash flow and taking a holistic approach to transactions-examining the flow of funds into Accounts Receivable (AR), and outflow of funds from Accounts Payable (AP).

In its survey of more than 160 companies worldwide, Aberdeen found that businesses adopting electronic channels have been able to achieve a 16% decrease in accounts receivable (AR) processing cost, and a 14% decrease in accounts payable (AP) costs year over year.

"Aberdeen's report shows the value that systems interoperability with electronic payment networks has for both buyers and suppliers," said Greg Hammermaster, president of Sage Payment Solutions, the payments division for Sage North America. "We believe this interoperability is critical toward achieving three major payments objectives for every business: improving cash flow, reducing costs, and maximizing the utility of their ERP environment."

The Aberdeen survey identified two main pressures creating the need for improved payments processing:

Corporate mandate to reduce overall payment transaction costs, such as staff and processing (65%); and
Stakeholder demand for improved operational efficiency, such as reduced reliance on paper documents (47%).

Also, according to Aberdeen, 50% of best-in-class companies integrate their electronic payment solutions with their accounting, enterprise resource planning (ERP), or other financial systems. At the same time, 39% of best-in-class companies identify a lack of integration between electronic payments and accounting systems as a barrier to increased electronic payments.

Last month, Sage introduced Sage Exchange, a new secure, Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) certified payment platform that will allow businesses and organizations to accept all forms and methods of payment, with seamless data integration to a wide range of Sage business management software products and third-party business solutions. Seamless integration between payment applications and back-office software can improve an organization's cash flow and forecasting, while eliminating manual data entry and the risk of errors.

"Integrating electronic payment networks with back office ERP systems is a challenge faced by all businesses," added Hammermaster. "Sage Exchange overcomes this challenge by tightly integrating Sage's accounting and ERP solutions, on both the AR and AP sides, with the most widely used electronic payment networks, including credit and debit cards, electronic check, ACH, and even private label networks. While electronic payments data integration is the foundation, exponential value will be gained through a suite of connected services focused on streamlining the financial supply chain. Sage Exchange is set to deliver on that value proposition."

Aberdeen's payments study was co-underwritten by Sage Payment Solutions and Syncada. A joint venture between Visa and U.S. Bank, Syncada provides a business-to-business network for financial institutions to enable their clients to increase control over their financial supply chains.

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