Sage 300 2016 - What's new in the latest release?

SURBITON, U.K. - Dec. 18, 2015 - PRLog -- Since the Sage Summit in the summer we have been anticipating the release of Sage 300 ERP (http://www.tascoli.com/sage-300-erp/) and with that Sage 300c. Tascoli, one of the top 5 UK business partners brings you the news of what you can expect;

Tascoli previously wrote a blog detailing the new web screens that allow you to use Sage 300 in a web browser. Read it here – Announcement: Introducing Sage 300c (http://www.tascoli.com/announcement-introducing-sage-300c/). We shall discuss these in more detail below, but there are a few other general improvements too.  Not many, but they are very useful:

• Document posting date and Document Date will appear in the GL detail.
Ever since the document date was dropped in the GL posting about 3 versions ago we have been voting for this to be put back.  I know a number of you who will breathe a sigh of relief.  All the reports will show the document date.  In addition the document date is one of the  selection criteria. Great for running a report of accruals in the GL.

• “Post” from the transaction entry screen.  Now this is welcome!  In the financial modules, AR, AP, GL, Banks you used to enter the transactions in a batch then go to the batch screen and post the batch.  Now you can click “post” directly from the transaction screen.  In practice there is a general move away from batch processing.  In most of our client sites the settings are such that sub ledger batches are created and posted in the GL directly.  Very few companies have a user checking the batches and then posting them.  So this option to post directly from the transaction screen will save at least 3 clicks per transaction, enough time for an extra cup of tea.
• Prevent the accidental clearing of VAT details.  I am sure you have done this;  printed the tax tracking report, closed the print screen, a box pops up and says “Are you sure?”, you click “Yes” and then discover that you have just said yes to “Clear all transactions!”.  You don’t believe that this is possible and you reprint the report but it is blank.  The transactions are gone.  How can the developers be so ruthless!  Well the good news is that you can no longer clear the transactions from the report.  There is a separate screen that you use to do this and that should mean no more accidents.
• Authorisations report.  This report does exist in 2012, it shows all security authorisations granted to a user.  It now has more detail and includes screen customisations in UI profiles.
• A new “Entered by” field on the GL journal.  “Entered by” fields appeared in the sub ledgers to show on screen who originally entered the transaction.  Now it also appears in the GL journal, both for new entries and entries from sub ledgers.  Often when querying an expense in the GL, the second question after “what is it?” is “who entered it?”  .Now you will have the answer.  You do need to make sure that people are using the correct login id otherwise Colin, who left three years ago, will get all the blame.
• An alert that appears when you post a sales order.  It will alert the user if the “expected ship date” is later than the “deliver by date”.  In other words “you are about to disappoint a customer”.  That is all it does, so to make proper use of this you would need to first contact the customer, arrange the changed date, enter it in the order and then post.

The most talked about feature – Web Screens

By far the most talked about feature and the improvement that is bringing Sage 300 back in line with its competitors are the web screens.

The Sage 300 2016 release includes the option to install Sage 300 web screens: modernised versions of Sage 300 screens that you can use in a web browser. Whether you’re using your desktop computer, your laptop, or your tablet, now you can enter transactions, generate reports, manage company finances, and more—anywhere, anytime.

Web screens run in parallel with the classic Sage 300 desktop screens, so there’s no need to choose between desktop or web. Everyone in your organisation can use the interface that best suits their needs, while working seamlessly with a single shared set of company data.

The power in these options is that it allows users to view data in the most efficient way that makes sense to them.

Here’s a quick overview of what’s available in Sage 300 web screens:

• New browser-based home page. Use the home page to find and open program features and reports, to review key business information, and to find help and resources.

• Add and customise widgets to see the information that matters most to you.
• Use the navigation menu to find and open program features (“windows”) and reports.
• Use the Window Manager to switch between open windows, or to close windows.
• Click the Help menu at the top to see suggested articles and resources based on your current task.

• Financial modules web screens. Use financial modules to set up your general ledger, maintain banking and tax information, and manage payables and receivables.A selection of frequently used screens from the following Sage 300 financial modules are available as web screens:

• General Ledger
• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• Bank Services
• Tax Services

• Administration web screens. Administrators can use web screens to update company information and maintain data.A selection of frequently used screens from the following Sage 300 administration modules are available as web screens:

• Administrative Services
• Common Services
• Print financial reports, transaction reports, and other key business information, right from your web browser.

All in all we are happy to see that Sage are continuing to develop for Sage 300 ERP (http://www.tascoli.com/sage-300-erp/).

To take advantage of these new features please contact us (http://www.tascoli.com/contact-us/).