I am often asked what is so difficult about upgrading MAS 90 to a new version. If you remember back in the DOS days, when Windows came out (MAS 90 for Windows and at one point it was called MAS 90G), that was a significant ugprade. Upgrading to the new verion of MAS 90 Level 4 (from level 3) is the same thing, because the technology behind the program has changed (as well as, of course, many new features have been added). MAS 90 is now Object Oriented Programming (OOP). In the end, the new technology allows for MAS 90 to do a lot that it could not do before. I personally recommend having a certified consultant do it. It is well worth the money and peace of mind, as there are many, many steps to a successful ugprade. The final cost will depend on the number of users, number of companies, enhancements, third party integtration, financial statements, forms, and reports. Any report that runs from G/L, A/R, S/O, B/R, eB, RMA, and A/P (at 4.20) essentially has to be rewritten.

One of the more common questions I am asked is “what is the difference between MAS 90 and MAS 200?”. The only difference is that MAS 200 is a Client Server product. What this means is that the data is processed at the server - not the workstation. This logic provides several benefits - a) less chance of data corruption, since data is not being transferred to the clients; b) faster processing; c) bettr handling for remote clients; and c) faster printing. In general, if you have 10 or more users, I recommend getting MAS 200 - the price difference is not dramatic, and the performance over the long run will be much better.

Many clients come to me asking about bar coding, but I often have to explain how it works. So, here goes what I believe is a concise explanation. A bar code is a bunch of lines and spaces. Bar code symbiology is what makes up a bar code. Some common ones are Code 139 and Code 28 and UPC. Each symbiology is common in certain areas (for example, UPC is common in the retail industry). To have a bar coding solution, you first have to ask what you want to do. In a distribution environment, bar coding can be used to receive product, ship product, transfer product, do physical counts, and inventory issues. In a manufacturing environment, you can use bar coding for capturing movement of production jobs from work center to work center, as well as capture labor time. In a retail environment, you can use bar coding to scan sales and receive returns. To have a “bar code solution”, you most likely will need a reader (wireless allows the most flexibility) to scan bar codes a printer to print bar codes. Often, larger companies need multiple readers or printers. Another type of a bar code solution is simply to replace the keyboard strokes by reading a bar code. In this situation, a bar code reader is tethered to a computer, and the user can either use the keyboard or scan a bar code (which of course is usually much faster).

You may not be aware, but AvaTax (from Avalara) is a web based interface that virtually takes care of all of your sales taxes. It is completely integrated with Sage MAS 90, 200, and 500 ERP. You can post only taxable, only non-taxable, or all invoices to the program, and all sales tax rates are handled outside of your accounting software. For a small additional fee, the company will even file sales tax returns. It is completely worth looking at.

The new ACT Link works great and is very streamlined. The data that the user sees from MAS 90 includes very important accounting data and sales history, which previously could not be viewed. The only downside is that it is very quirky with the installation. The link gets installed on each workstation (only at the server if you want to use ACT from the server).