MAS 90 Accounting Software Newsletter Best Software MAS90 MAS200 MAS500 Saleslogix DSD Business Systems San Diego

	DSD Business Systems News Product News, Tech Tips and the Inside Scoop July 2003 l www.dsdinc.com l 619-683-9900

Index

MAS 90 / MAS 200 l MAS 500 l Enhancements l CRM l The IT Guys

MAS 90/MAS 200

Newsflash: Tax Relief and New MAS 90 / MAS 200 Tax Tables Available Immediately

by April Holman and Ken Phillips

The 2003-Q2 Tax Table Update (TTU), dated 05/30/03, contains the new Federal tables and withholding allowance amounts that have changed as a result of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. This Tax Table Update has been posted on BOSS and is ready for download. Effective immediately, employers should begin using the revised tables for wages paid through 2004. The information used to create these new tables was based on early release copies of the new IRS Notice 1036 Rev. May 2003 that will appear in Publication 15-T. As always, the Best payroll team will continue to monitor www.irs.gov for the official posting of Publication 15-T. If any other changes are discovered, they will post a new TTU if applicable.

Contact DSD Business Systems Support Department at 619-683-9900 for a copy of the new tax tables, or use the link to access the Best BOSS website if your Software Maintenance Plan is current, and you already have a BOSS login and password.

Link: http://support.bestsoftwareinc.com/mas/

Free MAS 90 and MAS 200 Webinars from Best

Increase Profitability in Just One Hour!

It's fast, free and could save you countless hours spent increasing your productivity and profitability. From the comfort of your own desk you can learn about the MAS 90 modules not available to maximize your workflow and minimize your work time.

Visual Integrator: June 10th, 10:00 am PST

Enjoy seamless, automated transfer of data between MAS 90 or MAS 200 and custom or vertical software packages! You can now import from, (or export to) an ODBC-compliant source, without the need for an intermediary data file such as ASCII delimited or Microsoft Excel.

Special Offer: Buy two MAS 90 modules and get a 10% discount or buy three MAS 90 modules and get a 15% discount.

Expires 6/27/03

FRx Software Add-On Components: June 17th, 10:00 am PST

Add the next level of powerful functionality to your Microsoft FRx Financial Reporter and boost productivity with these add-ons. With FRx Drill Down Viewer, view detailed reports and retrieve any layer of detail without accessing the GL. With FRx Report Server, free your client workstations and personnel for more urgent tasks with overnight or off-peak report generation. With FRx WebView, securely distribute multi-layered reports over the Web that users can access from anywhere in the world using their security clearance, Internet access and a browser.

Special Offer: Get 20% off any FRx products - Plus, buy FRx Report Saver and get three additional FRx DrillDown Viewers - Plus, buy FRx Webview and get 10 additional FRx Webview seats.

Offer Expires 6/27/03

To Register Visit: www.bestwebevents.com or Call: 1-866-289-7243 or E-mail: offers@bestsoftware.com

MAS 90 and MAS 200 Promotions

Existing Customers

Receive up to 15% Discount on Add-on Modules for MAS 90, MAS 200 or MAS 200 for SQL* – Receive a 10% discount with the purchase of any two MAS 90 or MAS 200 add-on modules. Or receive a 15% discount with the purchase of any three MAS 90 or MAS 200 add-on modules.

$150 Rebate on ACT! – 5-Users*

Receive a $150 Rebate on a 5-user or more version of ACT!. Discount is based on SLP.

Receive 20% Off Any FRx Add-On Component*

Gold Plan members get a 15% Discount on Add-on Modules and Additional Users for MAS 90 or MAS 200*

Discounts on Gold and Silver Plan Upgrades *

10% Discount on Silver plans when a customer upgrades from Basic Plan to Silver Plan. 20% Discount on Gold Plan when a customer upgrades from a Basic Plan to a Gold Plan.

$1000 Silver Support Plan Tailored for Smaller Maintenance Needs* – For customers who are currently not on a Sage Software Phone Support Plan, and pay less than $1000 for their annual maintenance plan, Sage Software is offering Silver Phone Support for only $1000, a $500 savings off the regular price.

For more information, contact Stephanie Smith at 619-683-9900 or StephanieS@dsdinc.com.

* Some restrictions may apply, please contact Stephanie Smith for promotion details and expiration dates.

Upcoming MAS 90 and MAS 200 Classes

Module(s)	Fee	Class Date(s)
Library Master & Security	$425	Jun 9, Jul 14, Aug 11
General Ledger	$425	Jun 10, Jul 15, Aug 12
Accounts Payable	$425	Jun 11, Jul 16, Aug 13
Accounts Receivable	$425	Jun 12, Jul 17, Aug 14
Inventory Management	$425	Jun 17, Jul 22, Aug 19
Sales Order	$425	Jun 18, Jul 23, Aug 20
Purchase Order	$425	Jun 19, Jul 24, Aug 21
Crystal Reports (2 days)	$800	July 28 & 29 (2-day class)

You must sign-up at a week before the class to reserve your spot!

All classes are held from 9am - 5pm, and cost $425 per person unless stated otherwise. Lunch is provided. They are held at the DSD Building in beautiful Mission Valley in San Diego.

To register by fax, download and print: Registration Form

To register, call Sandy McCauley at 619-683-9900 or e-mail SandyM@dsdinc.com

MAS 90 and MAS 200 Module Spotlight

by Angela Davis

Does your company have the desire to modify MAS 90/200 to fit your business needs… without the cost of programming? User-defined fields, customized look-up screens, additional panels for data entry and mail merges are all possibilities with the use of Custom Office! This empowering module includes the following components:

Microsoft Office Link: Automatically merge accounting information with Microsoft Word, Excel, or Exchange software to quickly create custom documents, messages and attachments.
Visual Postmaster: Create mail merges in a snap with this wizard-driven tool. Use MAS 90 and MAS 200 data and/or custom databases for your mailing campaigns.
Customizer: Modify MAS 90 and MAS 200 screens to work the way you run your business – even add your own industry specific fields – all without programming!

Many of our clients currently own custom office and are simply not aware of how or when it can be used. So, if you want to find out if you currently own this module, or are interested in more information, please feel free to contact your DSD Account Manager, or our support department to find out how you can use these powerful Custom Office tools.

MAS 90 and MAS 200 TechTip: Balance Forward Issue

by Ken Phillips

MAS 90 and MAS 200 allows for both Open Item Customers and Balance Forward Customers. A Customer is an “Open Item Customer” if the Open Item checkbox, in Customer Maintenance is checked, and Balance Forward if the checkbox is cleared.

Open Item Customers allow you to apply cash receipt payments directly to individual invoices. For Balance Forward Customers, cash receipt payments are applied against the entire customer balance. When Accounts Receivable Period End Processing is performed, payments are applied to the oldest customer balances first, and any current period invoices not paid are rolled into a new end-of-month Balance Forward record for aging purposes.

DSD Business Systems, as well as other MAS 90 users have noted, occasionally, an Open Item Customer’s Open Item flag is reset to Balance Forward. When this occurs, cash receipt payments cannot be applied to individual invoices, and a BF Payment record is created for the customer account. When A/R Period End Processing is performed, Balance Forward Balance records are created, identified by the BF transaction type with the Period End date as the description or invoice number.

The following link leads to a complete description of the issue and how to deal with it:

DSD MAS 90 and MAS 200 Tech Tip 6: Balance Forward Issue

Attention Starship Users
UPS will no Longer use Starship Version 7.1b
7.1b Must Upgrade to Starship 7.3b

by Jim Woodhead

Attention Starship Users of 7.1b or prior!

Important Note for 7.1b Users: The UPSLink for Windows used in version 7.1b (and lower) is no longer supported by UPS. This means that with 7.1b you can no longer commission with UPS and after June 30, 2003, you will no longer be able to upload to UPS.

If you are running 7.1b or higher, a 7.3b CD and a letter containing your new registration key will be automatically shipped to you during 1st Qtr. 2003. For more details, please contact Stephanie Smith at DSD Business Systems (800-627-9032).

Important Note: Starship 7.3b is not compatible with Windows 98. The workstation must be a Windows 2000 or Windows XP workstation.

For more information, contact Jim Woodhead at 619-683-9900 or JimW@dsdinc.com.

The Freebie: Area Code Changer

DSD has decided to offer the Area Code Change Utility (LMAC) for free download this month. This utility allows the user to create or import a list of area codes and affected prefixes. Using this list, LMAC will change every occurrence of the old area code to the new area code, in every file and field in MAS 90 that contains a telephone number. This process is possible via the new D/DScan technology built into LMAC. Click on the following link to download this enhancement:

LMAC Area Code Changer Page

MAS 500

MAS 500 Promotions for June

Family Upgrade Program

Receive 20% Off SLP or 0% Financing on MAS 500 Migrations*

Customers using a variety of Sage Software products can upgrade to MAS 500. Receive a 20% discount off the MAS 500 list price, or receive 0% financing on product purchases through the American Express Business Finance Program.

Existing Customers

Save up to 15% on SLP with Purchase of MAS 500 Add-on Modules*

Receive a 10% discount with the purchase of any two MAS 500 add-on modules. Or receive a 15% discount with the purchase of any three MAS 500 add-on modules.

Receive 20% Off Any FRx Add-On Component*

*Some restrictions may apply, please contact your account manager for promotion details and expiration dates.

For more information, contact April Holman at 619-683-9900 or AprilH@dsdinc.com.

Enhancements

MAS 90 and MAS 200 Enhancements

Product of the Month: California Magnetic Media Unemployment Reporting

MRCA California DE6 Quarterly Unemployment Magnetic Media allows the generation of magnetic media (diskettes) compliant with the California Quarterly DE6 Wage Information as required by the State of California Employment Development Department

"Beginning with tax year 1995, employers are required to make their report of contributions and wages (section 1088 (a) (1) of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC) by magnetic media if the employer is required to report W-2 data to the federal government by magnetic media. Currently, the federal government requires employers with 250 or more W-2s to file by magnetic media. The magnetic media filing threshold of 250 or more employees applies only to California employees. Multi-state filers who have less than 250 California employees will not be required to report on magnetic media, however, they are encouraged to do so."

For more information, contact Lisa Buchner at 619-683-9900 or LisaB@dsdinc.com.

CRM

CRM Promotions

$150 Rebate on ACT! – 5-Users*

Receive a $150 Rebate on a 5-user or more version of ACT!. Discount is based on SLP.

For more information, contact Stephanie Smith at 619-683-9900 or StephanieS@dsdinc.com.

* Some restrictions may apply, please contact Stephanie Smith for promotion details and expiration dates.

SalesLogix v6.1 Released!

SalesLogix, a division of Sage Software, has announced the much anticipated release of version 6.1 of SalesLogix. This release fixes over 500 defects identified in version 6.0 and 6.0.1, and also offers the following:

Support for Oracle Databases.
VBScripting now available in the support client, in addition to the sales client.
A faster, improved web client.

Don't forget about the new features added to version 6.0:

One-button export of the current group to Microsoft Excel.
Tight integration to Microsoft Outlook with inbound e-mail, outbound e-mail, calendar, and contacts.
HTML-based mail-merged e-mails, including the ability to send the "form" e-mail to a very large group of contacts.
VBScripting in the sales client, not just Cyprus Basic.
True ADO control on screen forms. You can even make your own controls!
A much easier Workgroup Administrator.
Re-designed mail merge capabilities to make it easier for users.
Ability to automatically synchronize remote clients when a connection to the LAN or Internet is present.
One button click to bring up a MapQuest map of the contact or account address.

Customers who are current on their SalesLogix maintenance can request the upgrade for no charge. Please contact Mike Mahoney (MikeM@dsdinc.com) or Stephanie Smith (StephanieS@dsdinc.com) for assistance in requesting your upgrade. Customers whose maintenance has expired should contact Stephanie Smith to renew so that you can get this upgrade.

Please contact Mike Mahoney (MikeM@dsdinc.com or 619-683-9900) for an analysis of your current TeleMagic software and in making the best recommendation about which CRM product is right for you.

To find out more general information on ACT or SalesLogix, please contact Stephanie Smith (StephanieS@dsdinc.com or 619-683-9900).

Don't Repeat Others' CRM Mistakes!

In some circles, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) has become a dirty acronym. This is because many large companies sunk vast amounts of money into a CRM initiative, just to see it fail. Some analyst reports indicate that up to 80% of all CRM initiatives fail. There seem to be 10 common mistakes that companies make when initiating a CRM project. We will be focusing on a couple of these mistakes in each upcoming newsletter.

Mistake #1: "Failure to factor in strategy."

You may see an article in the company newsletter or in the annual report announcing their new "customer focus". In order for a CRM initiative (which means more than a software program) to succeed, the focus of the company should be on the long term aspects of their CRM initiative. I can't tell you how many times a company tries to justify CRM with a short-term business problem. Sure, it's easier to implement and will make some people happy, but a short-term solution to a problem is a legacy system in the making. CRM needs to be rooted in the company's long-term strategy. Serving the customer well now, and in the future will only make your company more profitable. Remember, CRM initiatives are more than just software. The entire organization, from the CEO down to the shipping clerk needs to be involved.

Mistake #2: "Customers don't want to be managed."

Many executive and sales managers see CRM as a way to better manage the customer channel. By looking at the available reports concerning sales opportunities, marketing initiatives and the like, managers see CRM as a management tool. The plain and simple fact is that customers don't want to be managed. Customers want a relationship. By focusing on the relationship aspects (the "R" in CRM) in addition to the management aspects (the "M" in CRM), you will be better able to keep your customers (the "C" in CRM.) Give your customers the tools to communicate with you however they wish: phone, e-mail, web site, or fax. You should be able to service them the same way through any of those methods.

Please contact Mike Mahoney (MikeM@dsdinc.com or 619-683-9900) for more information.

SalesLogix TechTip: What's Wrong With This Field Name?

If you are creating a new table, or new fields in the Workgroup Administrator (or additionally in the Architect in v6), and you get errors when saving the changes, even though the changes appear to have been saved, it is probably because you are using a reserved word in your field or table name. Here's a list of words you CANNOT use when creating new tables or fields:

Click Here for the List

TeleMagic TechTip: Looking For a Date - Anyone Will Do!

If you ever need a filter that looks to see if a date field has any date in it, use the following syntax in the standard filter builder:

My Date {contact1.mydate} Not Equal .EMPTY

The ".EMPTY" is a directive that tells TeleMagic to look at a field and see if there is any text what-so-ever in there. When a field is not equal to .EMPTY, it means that there has to be something in the field - it could be anything, but it's not blank.

You can also use the .EMPTY directive in character and memo fields as well. However, it doesn't work for number fields, because an empty number field actually holds the number zero.

Please contact Mike Mahoney (MikeM@dsdinc.com or 619-683-9900) for more information.

ACT! TechTip: Faster Groups

by Mike Mahoney

If you have thousands of records in an ACT! database, and have clicked on the group button, only to see your computer freeze for up to a minute, you are not alone. Here's some facts and a tip to make the group screen come up very fast...

Facts:

ACT! sorts groups alphabetically.
ACT! always loads all the records in the first group, alphabetically speaking, when you click on the group (or F10) button.

So if the first group in your list of groups contains 1000's of records, that is what's slowing things down. To remedy the situation, create a new group called "AAAAAAAA" and don't assign anyone to that group. Then when you click on the groups button, the first group will immediately pop up because there's no record to "fetch". Then in the left hand pane, you can switch to the group you really want to work with.

Please contact Mike Mahoney (MikeM@dsdinc.com or 619-683-9900) for more information.

The IT Guys

The Windows Key

by Bill Herde

The "Windows" key (between the Ctrl and Alt keys on the lower left side of your keyboard - show in this article as <Windows>) is on most modern keyboards but most people simply do not know how to use it. You might want to save this item or pass it along to other windows users and enlighten them!

Beyond just clicking on it to open the Start menu, you can use it for many and far more useful things.

Minimize all Windows	<Windows>+ D
Show all the Windows	<Windows>+<Shift>+M
Open Explorer	<Windows>+ E
Cycle Across the Taskbar	<Windows>+ <Tab> (Alt + Tab will does the same thing except the program icons are shown in a pop-up window.)
Search	<Windows>+ F (Is it Search or is it Find? It's called Search on the menu but the shortcut harks back to the days when it was called Find.)
Run a Program	<Windows>+ R (Some people never use the Run command but others do it all the time.)
System Properties	<Windows>+ <Break> (This is the equivalent of clicking the System icon in Control Panel or the Properties option under the My Computer desktop icon.)

This monthly newsletter is sent to DSD Business Systems customers and partners. If you do not wish to receive this publication, please reply with the Subject "Remove" and we'll exclude you from receiving it.