Intense Master Builder

2011 Year End Items for Master Builder Users

2011-11-30T13:47:30.437-05:00

IMPORTANT UPDATE! We just spoke with Sage Support regarding the email from them dated 11/29/11. We have confirmed that the entire year end processing can be done in version 16.

2011 is coming to an end – Many of you have already started planning for the 2011 Year End. Several clients have scheduled their Payroll and/or Fiscal year end closing with Larry, Cathy, or Michelle. All clients need to be on Sage Master Builder version 16.x or 17.x to have support during the year end closing process. If you have anything older than version 16, please call the office to arrange the upgrade before the Year End close.

Closing the Payroll and/or Fiscal Year – For the majority of our clients, Master Builder is used for payroll. The payroll has to be closed after the last check dated in 2011, and before the first payroll check dated January of 2012. Take a look at when you will run the last payroll of the year, including any owner checks for Personal use of Company Vehicle, Health benefits for S-Chapter Corporations, and/or final Retirement contributions for the 2011 calendar year. The closing has to be after all of these are done for 2011, and before you create any payroll records for any check dated January of 2012. If you have any questions, please call our office for clarification.

Upgrade to Sage Master Builder version 17 – The 2012 Federal tax tables will only be available from Sage for version 17. This is similar to what was done last year, so many of you have gone through this before. The 2011 Fiscal and Payroll years can be closed with version 16. Sometime in January 2012, Sage Master Builder will have to be upgraded to 17 in order to have the new tax tables available.

Payroll Tax Forms at Year End – This year will be similar to last year. The W-2’s will be four-up on blank, perforated paper which can be purchased with or without the pre-printed instructions on the back. (These instructions can be printed on blank paper and included with the W-2.) Vendor 1099 forms can be printed from the software but will need the red-ink forms. For more details, check our recent email (http://syscon-inc.com/blog/intense-master-builder/default.aspx). Forms can be purchased through Sage or various Office Supply stores.

To Schedule, call the office at 630-850-9039 or email CustomerSupport@syscon-inc.com:

Closing the Payroll and/or Fiscal year with Larry, Cathy, or Michelle
Upgrade of Sage Master Builder from any version older than 16 prior to Closing

Closing the Year in SMB 16 or 17 - W2 Tips

2011-10-29T08:50:02.569-04:00

We have been watching the most recent updates from Sage regarding the 2011 closing, specifically the payroll. The announcement seems to indicate that the payroll year cannot be closed in Sage Master Builder version 16.

You can close the year in Sage Master Builder 16! Many clients closed last year in version 16, so there is no problem from the software perspective. Sage is supporting the two most recent versions of Master Builder – 16 and 17. Version 16 is supported, and closing the accounting and payroll year works very well. The Aatrix reports are available for both versions 16 and 17, so all Payroll reports are available. (See our October 10^th article regarding the version of 16 required to extend Aatrix registration.)

In January 2012, we expect new Federal Tax Tables, and perhaps some new State Tables. When these are ready, they will only be available for version 17. So, if you choose to close your year in version 16, and print W-2’s, etc., you will need to upgrade to version 17 in late January or so in order to have the most recent Federal Tax Tables.

The following table is provided by Sage listing the required tax forms for 2011 year end.

Form	Paper/Form Required
Federal W-2	Blank Paper
State and Payer W-2	Blank Perforated Paper
Employee W-2	Blank Perforated 4-up W-2 Paper*
Federal 1099 -Misc or -Int	Pre-Printed Red Ink Form
Federal 1096	Pre-Printed Red Ink Form
Recipient 1099 -Misc or -Int	Blank Perforated 1099 Form*

The Federal W-2 copy does not require the Red Ink paper, see KB9464.

You have the option to purchase the W-2 and 1099 paper with or without the pre-printed instructions on the back. If you choose the blank perforated paper without the instructions, you will need to print the instructions on a separate page (available in Aatrix), make copies, and send it with the recipient’s form.

Watch for our next update highlighting some of the changes in Sage Master Builder version 17. The change you’ll notice right away is that the familiar column icon is gone and there is a new logo.

The Committed Cost Report - Getting it Right!

2011-10-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Last Tested with SMB Version 17

The committed cost report (6-1-12) in Master Builder is often reviewed in more detail at the end of the accounting year. This is a great report that is full of important information – but if you are not careful, it can mislead you!

The committed cost report indicates the total open dollar amount on purchase orders by job and cost code. However, even if a purchase order is marked as closed (status = 4), an individual line item will show up on the committed cost report if the line item has not been completely fulfilled. This actually happens fairly often in real-life situations where purchase orders are manually closed for any number of reasons.

This issue can lead to a substantial overstatement of committed costs.

To avoid this problem, do an audit of your closed purchase orders prior to printing your committed cost report.

To create a simple query to audit your purchase order line items, follow these steps:

1) From the 6-6-1 screen, select 'File | Find'

2) Click <New> to create a new query

3) Give the query a title 'Closed PO Audit' and click <Next>

4) Select the fields to include in the query

Purchase Order: Record#
Purchase Order: Order Date
Purchase Order: Vendor
Purchase Order: Status
Purchase Order Lines: Line #
Purchase Order Lines: Description
Purchase Order Lines: Quantity
Purchase Order Lines: To Date
Purchase Order Lines: Cancelled

Then click <Next>

5) Define the selection fields

Purchase Order: Status
Purchase Order: Order Date
Purchase Order Lines: Quantity

Set the defaults for the status to be 'Equal' to 4 (Closed) and the quantity to be 'Greater or =' to 1.

Then click <Finish>.

Run the new query. For each line of all closed purchase orders, the quantity must be greater than or equal to the quantity received to date or cancelled.

Quantity <= ToDate + Cancelled

If you have a large number of closed purchase orders, you can make the comparison process much easier by transferring the results to Excel. See our post A Method to Generate Complex Reports for a detailed explanation of using Excel with SMB queries.

In each closed purchase order that has unfulfilled line items, edit either the 'To Date' (quantity received to date on the line item) or the 'Cancelled' (quantity cancelled on the line item) column to equal the ordered quantity.

With this audit completed, you can be assured the amount reported in your committed cost report will be accurate and informative for your year-end reporting.

Note: The audit process can be simplified further by using a SMB report that shows only the open lines on closed purchase orders. This report can be downloaded from our subscription library "Intense Master Builder – More".

Aatrix Registration Expiration Notification

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

When the Aatrix payroll forms were introduced in Sage Master Builder, the goal was to tie the expiration of the updates to the expiration date of the client's annual SMB renewal. Since this was a significant change, the default expiration was set as September 2011. Earlier this year, Sage decided to extend the expiration for all customers through 2012. This extension was built into the updates for version 16.2.45 and higher, as well as the newly released version 17.

If you receive an expiration warning when printing the Third Quarter reports, check the Sage Master Builder version (see below). If the version number is lower than 16.2.45, you have two choices – upgrade to version 16.2.45 or higher, or upgrade to version 17. If you are not ready to move to version 17, you can stay on version 16 through the year end closing process, then move to SMB version 17 early next year to receive the newest tax tables.

To Upgrade Your Aatrix Payroll Forms in Version 16

1) To check what version of Sage Master Builder you have installed, open the main screen and select menu item "Help | About Sage Master Builder." Make a note of the first line in the dialog box that comes up. It should say "Sage Master Builder version ...".

2) If necessary, upgrade to at least version 16.2.45. Upgrades can be downloaded from the Sage Customer Portal. The correct download page, once you are on the Sage Customer Portal is here.

3) If you upgrade, re-register the Aatrix Software. After your upgrade, start Master Builder and select 5-4-1. Select "Options | Aatrix Software Registration."

4) Upgrade your payroll forms. Again from the 5-4-1 menu, select "Options | Update Forms". This should be an automatic process.

If you need assistance upgrading Sage Master Builder, contact the Syscon office at 800-545-2012.

Counting Active Employees in a Payroll Year

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

At the end of the year, there are a variety of reasons to get a list of employees that have been active throughout the payroll year. You can use a list of employees with activity to get a count of how many W2 forms you will need, sending a request to the employees to update demographic information, or as a checklist for human resource compliance.

A list of employees that have any activity in the current payroll year can be a bit tricky. By using one of the advanced features of SMB's query tool, this list can be created.

To create a list of employees that have had activity in the current payroll year:

1) From the "5-2-1 Employees" screen, select the query tool with "File | Find".

2) Create a new query by clicking the <New> button.

3) Name the query "Employees with Activity"

4) Double-click on the fields you want to include. I usually include the basic demographic information of employee name, address, and phone number. This way the list can be used as a merge mail list. When finished, click <Next>.

5) You are now on the selection criteria screen. This is where the advanced trick comes into play. First, select a field that will only be populated if the employee has activity. My usual field for this is the Quarter Medicare Wages. There are four of these – Qtr1 Med Wage, Qtr2 Med Wage, Qtr3 Med Wage, and Qtr4 Med Wage. Double-click on each one so they are all included in the selection fields.

What we want is to list every employee that has some quarterly Medicare wages. Set the field logic from the default of "Between" to "<> Zero" for each field.

We also want to list the employee if they have activity in any of our selected quarters, not just if they have activity in all four, which would be the default behavior of the query. To do this, click the check box at the bottom of the dialog box called "Enable 'Or' Logic (Advanced Option)." On each selection field where it shows "And", change it to "Or." When complete, click <Finish>.

Your selection criteria screen should look like this:

Run the query without changing any of the selection criteria defaults and you will get a list of employees that have been active in the current payroll year.

Changes in Federal Unemployment (FUTA)

2011-07-05T11:39:54.266-04:00

The new FUTA rate effective July 1^st, 2011, will require changes to payroll for all companies. If you use an outside payroll service, the first check of July should reflect this reduced rate. For our Clients who process payroll in house, changes will need to be made prior to the first paycheck dated July to meet the new guidelines. For our Sage Master Builder customers, the calc rate, default Max, and Calc Type will need to be reviewed and adjusted (steps included below). Remember that this is an Employer cost.

Beginning with checks dated July 1^st, 2011, the FUTA rate will change from 0.8% to 0.6%. Since this change is in the middle of the year, the total cost per person in 2011 will no longer be a flat $56 per person, but will vary depending on the hire date and at what point in the year they reach the wage maximum limit.

For Sage Master Builder customers, begin in the 5-3-1 screen. Call up the Pay Calc for the FUTA calculation. We recommend making a note in the Note Pad that includes the change in rate, the date the change is effective, and any other information such as who has updated the information – Save and return to the Pay Calc.

The Calc Type should already show method 2- % Total Taxable Wages
In the Default Rate, change from 0.8 to 0.6
The Default Max field should be changed to 7,000, the maximum wages on which this calculation is determined for 2011.
For the Max Type, many of our clients have 8-Dollars/Year which avoids the penny rounding error. However, with the mid-year change, this should be changed to 4-Wages per Year.

Next, select Options from across the top of the screen. From the Menu, select Update Employees, the Update Default Rate and Maximum, then All Employees (menu breakdowns taken from Sage Master Builder version 16). When the update has completed, a screen will show how many Employee records have been updated.

Running Multiple Versions of Master Builder Simultaneously

2011-02-08T10:48:19.207-05:00

Sometimes, it is advantageous to run multiple versions of Master Builder simultaneously on the same computer. For instance, if you wish to test custom reports in the next release of Master Builder prior to installing the new release into production. Note that these instructions are specific to Microsoft Windows 7. Prior versions of Windows will also work, but the details of the steps may be slightly different.

First, create a shared folder on your local (typically C:) drive. In Microsoft Windows 7, this is done by:

Using Windows Explorer, create a folder on the C: drive with a logical name. For instance, if you are upgrading from MB 15 to MB 16, create a folder called "MB15 Share".
Right-click on the new folder and select "Properties" from the menu
Select the "Sharing" tab
Click "Share". By default, the share will include your current user name. You can add users if you have multiple people logging into the computer to use Master Builder.
Click "Share" again, and then "Done"

Next, set up your computer so when you log in, the new share will be assigned a drive letter such as "Y:".

Using Windows Explorer, right click on "Computer"
Select "Map Network Drive"
Specify a drive letter that is not currently in use with a network connection or another local share. In this example, we will choose Y:
Browse to the shared folder that you created above and click "OK"
Make sure the "Reconnect at logon" check box is checked
Click "Finish"

Copy (don't cut and paste) the folder "C:\mb7" and all the subdirectories and contents to the shared drive (Y:) as Y:\MB7.

Run the Master Builder upgrade following the instructions to install to the C: drive. If your local machine is the license server, you can upgrade that as well. When you are finished, your desktop icon to Master Builder will now point to the current version of Master Builder.

Create a desktop shortcut to the older version of Master Builder. The file you would link the short-cut to may be different depending on the version of Master Builder that you are running. For version 14 to 16, the short-cut should be linked to:

Y:\MB7\PROGRAMS\SageMasterBuilder.exe

where Y: is the drive letter you assigned to your shared drive.

You can now run both versions of Master Builder simultaneously. Be careful when testing a Master Builder database with your new version of Master Builder. Be sure to make a copy of it with a different folder name. Once you have upgraded the company database to the new version of Master Builder, it cannot be reversed to an earlier version easily.

Custom Reports and Upgrading to Master Builder 16

2011-02-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Sage Master Builder version 16 was released late last Fall. This release included changes to the database structure to allow more contacts for Jobs, Clients, and Employees. Significant changes were made to the Report Writer impacting custom reports within Master Builder (reports that end in a two-digit number less than 21) and reports in the 13-4 screen. Another important change was to the Query functionality and structure.

In January 2011, Sage released the revised Federal Tax Tables in version 16 only. Just last week, another updated tax table for the IL Income tax change was made available (version 16.2.42, Payroll tax table 2011.2), but again, only in version 16.

These two most recent changes make it pressing to upgrade to SMB version 16, but making this change may cause critical reports to be unusable in their current form. So how do you know what reports are at risk?

Prior to the upgrade:

Print all critical reports for the week/month. This should include SMB reports numbered 20 or less, as well as any custom integrations that are run through a separate icon.
Run any queries used on a regular basis, so you have current reports.
Look through the various SMB reports for information that originates from the Job Contact field, or one of the three Client Contact fields. This would include name, title, phone numbers, etc. These reports may or may not have issues following the upgrade.
Having just run the week’s/month’s critical reports, plan the day of the upgrade as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for any required adjustments before the reports will be needed again. Leave sufficient time to test following the upgrade, since adjustments and/or changes may be needed in order for these reports to work under the new version.

Following the upgrade:

Go back to the reports and queries that were run prior to the upgrade and regenerate them.
Make a list of any that fail to run or have garbled or missing data.
Run the custom reports from the icons. If the report fails, note the name of the report.
If you are familiar with the SMB Report Writer, modifications can be made to any reports that are not working correctly. Remember to use a different number to avoid over-writing the original in case the changes are not successful.
For any Custom Syscon icon reports that are failing, contact Syscon with the name of the report, the version if available, and when you anticipate needing the report again.

Testing all of these reports prior to the update would be ideal, but unrealistic given the need to have the updated tax tables installed as soon as possible. Given this limitation, it is possible that some reports or custom programs may not work properly and will need changes. Sharing this information with your staff and talking through the key information and reporting prior to the upgrade will provide some structure with a fairly clear order of priority for any reports that may fail.

Year End Payroll Forms in Master Builder

2010-12-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

There has been some confusion about the W-2 and W-3 report requirements and forms when using the new Aatrix Payroll reports. After discussion with Sage Customer Service, review of the IRS compliance requirements, and a call to Aatrix support, this is the result:

W-2 Forms delivered to Employees – these are to be printed on the perforated, 4-part, blank forms which are available from Sage, Quill, Office supply stores, etc.

One page for each employee with four quarter-page forms (the # of pages is the # of employees)

Copy B for their Federal Tax Return
Copy 2 to file with their State
Copy C for Employee’s records
A second Copy C for their State, City, Local tax return

If you file electronically, skip to the next section.

Change the paper stock before printing the next reports!

The two-on-a-page form that is submitted with the W-3 is next. These are printed on plain paper (no perforations), in black ink. These are confirmed to meet the IRS Publication 1141 guidelines. This means they do not have to be on the red-ink forms. They can be printed with black ink on to plain paper for submission with the W-3 summary page.

Next, the W-3 form. The form is completely filled out and ready to print on plain paper in black ink. Again, this print out is confirmed to meet the IRS Publication 1141 guidelines for submission. It does not have to be printed in red ink.

Back to the perforated, 4-part, blank forms.

The next group in the printing process is Copy 1 for State/City/Local tax returns. This prints four separate employees on one page, requiring the forms to be separated for mailing. For states that have all three taxing bodies, this group should be printed and collated to be added to the first group of employee forms (four-on-a-page). For Illinois, this group does not need to be printed.

Next is a one-page Notice to Employees. The form includes a variety of information that may be helpful, including explanations of various boxes on the W-2’s and other topics. This can be printed (and copied) to plain paper and included in each employee’s envelope along with the W-2 forms.

Last group of forms to print – The last section prints the Employer’s copy of the W-2’s. These are 4-part with four employees on a page. Some may choose to print to plain paper and file, while others may print to perforated stock for storage.

Recap

Four-part perforated stock for Employee forms
Plain Paper and black ink to print the W-2 form that is sent with the W-3
W-3 can be printed in black ink and is filled in (no need to pull out the typewriter this year)
Extra four-part form for states requiring State, City, and Local tax forms
Special one-page explanation for the Employee
Four-on-a-page Employer’s Copy of W-2

NOTE: 1099 and 1096 forms still need to be submitted on the RED forms.

Closing the Year in MB15 and 16 - W2 Tips

2010-12-21T10:14:53.212-05:00

Last week, we received Sage’s most recent update regarding the 2010 closing, specifically the payroll – thank you Susan J! The announcement seems to indicate that the payroll year cannot be closed in Sage Master Builder version 15, and announces they will use a four-part W-2 form (had been two-part in the past).

You can close the year in Sage Master Builder 15! We confirmed this with Sage support back in August and re-confirmed last week;. Sage is supporting the two most recent versions of Master Builder – 15 and 16. Version 15 is supported, and closing the accounting and payroll year works very well. The Aatrix reports are available for both versions 15 and 16, so all Payroll reports are available.

Biggest Change – after many years of printing W-2’s to the two-up forms, Sage Master Builder is moving to W-2 forms that are four on a page. These can be purchased from Sage or a local office supply store. Several companies have picked up their W-2 forms from an IRS office in the past, which may be an option, but call them to confirm.

If you upgraded more than a few weeks ago, you might want to update the Aatrix payroll reports. From the 5-4-1 screen, select Options, then Update Forms, then Automatic Update, and follow the prompts. As of 12/20/10, the W2 form for 2010 is not included in the most recent downloads, so we cannot ‘see’ the changed format. In the past, the W-2 updates have been available in early January.

So,

The Fiscal and Payroll years can be closed in Sage Master Builder version 15 and 16
When ordering W-2 forms, look for the four part perforated W-2 paper per Sage’s most recent update
Do a test run! Choose the 2009 W-2 Form, and the Year 2010. Follow the prompts to see the various steps and menus that will be presented, using the Trial Drive option. The four-part print outs will say 2010, the two-part Federal copies (red ink) will also print and say 2010, followed by the W-3 with the totals. Then a Notice to Employees, followed by the Employer’s copy of the W-2 form (back to four-part).

Closing the Year - MB 15 or MB 16?

2010-09-24T12:24:25.776-04:00

We have received many calls regarding a recent e-mail from Sage Master Builder. The e-mail implies that to close the year, you must be running version 16. We remember similar communications in prior years, so we contacted Sage to clear up a few things.

Closing the Year can be done in any version of Sage Master Builder

Whether you are running versions 13, 14, 15, or 16, Closing the Year works. However, Sage Master Builder support will only be available for the two most recent versions, 15 and 16.

Syscon is ready and available to assist our clients in the year end process, as we have done since the beginning of our relationship with this product in 1995.

Sage continues to support two versions – SBM version 15 and 16 at this time

Sage has confirmed that they will support the two most recent version of Master Builder, versions 15 and 16 at this time. Many Syscon clients have custom reports, applications, integration tools, or other specific software that integrates with Sage Master Builder. Since version 16 was just released a few weeks ago, Syscon is just beginning the process of becoming familiar with the changes to determine which software, if any, will need a minor adjustment for compatibility with this new release.

When/If new Payroll Tax Tables are issued, they will be available for version 16

In the past few years, Sage has released updated tax tables for only the most recent version of Master Builder, rather than both supported versions. They will do the same thing this year. With the introduction of the Aatrix Payroll Reports for quarterly/annual Federal and State filing, all these reports will be up-to-date for either version of SMB. By the time the new tax tables (if any) are released sometime in January, companies will have had a chance to request compatibility testing with custom software/reports and can upgrade during the slower months.

End Result – Many of you are busy bidding, and some are back in the field trying to stay ahead of the weather with the work you have. Based on the information above, if you are running third-party or custom software, upgrading to version 16 can be done at a convenient time for your office and staff after testing. We strongly recommend moving to Sage Master Builder version 15, at a minimum. We have sent four (4) in a series of informational updates about the SMB 15 upgrade, since there are quite a few user-related changes. Please let us know if you have questions about any of these.

What's New in MB 15 - Payroll Navigation

2010-09-09T10:40:43.325-04:00

Payroll Changes – What has been moved

Sage has stepped up the frequency of product upgrades. Many Master Builder users are running version 14. With the release of version 15 at the beginning of 2010, there were several significant changes to various modules and quarterly payroll reports.

Any upgrade from Sage Master Builder version 14 will include a variety of changes for the users, including Accounts Payable, the Job screen, and Payroll. This is the third installment in a short series of updates that highlight some of these changes. The next installment will discuss Quarterly/Year End reports and changes in accessing the forms.

Payroll Module Navigation Changes

Yearly/Quarterly Reports, 5-4

This section has been renamed and several reports have been moved to the Payroll Management section. It is now called Federal and State Tax Filing and includes 1-Federal Forms, 2-State Forms, 3-Magnetic Media-Quarterlies, 4-Magnetic Media-W-2s.

The Payroll Audit, 5-4-4

The Audit should be run after each payroll, preferably before the checks are sent out. It checks for a variety of potential audit errors. As of version 15, this has been moved to 5-3-7 under Payroll, Payroll Management, Payroll Audit.

Close Payroll Year, 5-4-5

The payroll close is performed after the last check dated December, prior to the first check dated in the New Year, regardless of the company’s fiscal year end. This has also been moved. It can be found in Payroll, Payroll Management, Close Payroll Year, 5-3-8.

Magnetic Media-Quarterlies, 5-4-6 – Magnetic Media-W-2’s, 5-4-7

The file creation for these reports has been renumbered. They are now 5-4-3 and 5-4-4.

What's New in MB 15 - Accounts Payable Payment Options

2010-09-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Sage Master Builder version 15 – What’s Changed?

As of late August, Sage has released Master Builder version 16. In keeping with their support policy, only two versions are supported at any time. This means that Master Builder versions 15 and 16 will be supported. Companies running version 14 will need to upgrade in the near future. Master Builder can be upgraded from version 14 to version 15. The software can also be upgraded from version 14 to version 16, which has just been shipped. Any upgrade from Sage Master Builder version 14 will include a variety of changes for the users, including Accounts Payable, the Job screen, and Payroll. This is the second in a short series of updates that highlight some of these changes.

Accounts Payable – Credit Card Payment Option (4-7)

This is an entirely new function in Master Builder. The module is designed for more convenient processing credit card statements, including partial payments of a statement and multiple cards on one statement.

Screen 4-7-1, Add/Edit Issuer Account, allows a credit card to be entered and linked to a specific liability account, rather than the 4-2 screen which posts to the control account for Accounts Payable. This is also the proper screen to enter the remit to address for a credit card issuer. For example if your company has multiple American Express Corporate Cards, American Express is set up as the card issuer with a liability account for American Express. Subsequent steps allow setup of individually issued cards.

Screen 4-7-2, Add/Edit Credit Card, is where the individual credit cards can be referenced to the card issuer account. If you have three employees that have your American Express Corporate Card, then set up three credit cards all linked to the American Express account set up in the 4-7-1 screen.

Screen 4-7-3, Enter Credit Card Receipts, is used when entering credit card charges from the receipts turned in by employees. If a vendor is selected when entering the receipt, then both a paid invoice and a journal transaction are created. If no vendor is selected in this screen, then only a journal transaction is created.

Screen 4-7-4, Enter Recurring Charges, is used to set up transactions that are automatically charged to your credit cards.

Screen 4-7-5, Reconcile Credit Card Statements – This screen is almost identical to the Bank Reconciliation Screen (1-5). If while reconciling your statement, a credit card receipt is missing when compared to the statement, then select Add Transaction to open the 4-7-3 screen and enter.

Screen 4-7-6, Pay Credit Cards After selecting the credit card issuer, the balances for each card will be displayed. Enter the amount to pay, then save the transaction. If you want to print the check, then enter 0000 in the check number field. Next select print and the Checks/Bank Charges screen will open.

What's New in SMB 15? - Accounts Payable

2010-08-27T00:30:42.221-04:00

An Overview of Accounts Payable Changes

Any upgrade from Sage Master Builder version 14 will include a variety of changes for the users, including Accounts Payable, the Job screen, and Payroll. This is the first in a short series of updates that highlight some of these changes. We begin with Accounts Payable, Payments.

Accounts Payable

Payments

Previously in order to select A/P invoices to be paid, a user would go to the Vendor Payments screen (4-3) to select invoices for payment and print checks. In MB 15, Vendor payments have been broken down into two separate screens.

Screen 4-3-1, Select Invoices to Pay, automatically opens the Invoice Selection screen. Choose the Selection Criteria and click the OK button. The invoices will populate the grid on the 4-3-1 screen. Select invoices to pay as usual. Click on the Printer icon to access the Set to Pay reports.
Screen 4-3-2, Pay Vendors. After selecting and saving invoices in 4-3-1, go to the 4-3-2 screen. This screen lists all vendors with invoices that have been set to pay. Click in the check box to select which vendors are to be paid. In the lower right corner, accept the default of Pay By Check, or click on the pull down arrow to select Vouchers or Credit Card payment methods.

This enhancement separates the Invoice selection to pay from the process of printing the checks or vouchers. The 4-3-2 Pay Vendors also incorporates the new Credit Card Processing option.

The Impact of Voiding Payroll Records Across Periods

2010-07-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Applies to: Master Builder 11.x and earlier, 12.x, 13.x, 14.x, 15.x

Some of our clients have a hard accounting period close. That is, once an accounting period has been closed, there are no additional corrections or transactions allowed to that period.

In the case of payroll, a hard close means that a payroll record posted in a prior accounting period must be voided in the current period. Master Builder does allow for this. When the user selects to void a payroll record, Master Builder prompts the user to select one of two options:

Ledger transaction found for this payroll record. Do you want to have the existing transaction altered to "Void"? (Answer 'No' to post a new, reversing transaction.)

If the user selected the option 'No', Master Builder does not void the original payroll record. Instead, there is a series of transactions that are completed to create a reversing entry in the current accounting period.

How Does Master Builder Reverse/Void a Payroll Check?

When a payroll check is reversed in a period other than when it was posted, a second GL entry is made in the current period reversing the original entry, however the job costs are handled a little differently. When the user completes a payroll reversal - including the posting of the payroll record after reversing, the related records look like this:

Payroll Record

The original payroll record is marked as "Void"

General Ledger Records

The original general ledger record is unlinked from the original payroll record
There is another general ledger record created in the reversing period that is then linked to the original payroll record (This will be the record you see when you drill down to the transaction from the payroll record.)
NOTE: This can be confusing for the user. After a void like this, there are actually two general ledger entries related to the payroll record now, but the only way to find the original entry is to look it up by check number (transaction number) in the general ledger transaction (1-3) screen.

Job Cost Entries - The original job cost entries (6-3 screen records) linked to the original payroll record are modified:

The posting period is changed from the original posting period to the posting period of the reversing entry
The link to the GL transaction is changed from the original link number to the new (reverse entry) GL link number
The original job cost entry is voided

What is the Impact of the Reversal Process?

The consequences of the process that Master Builder uses is that the job costs are reduced in the original accounting period but the direct costs posted to GL are the same – creating a reconciliation difference between the GL and job costing. The same is true for the reversal period, there is a GL entry with a credit to the direct costs, but no matching job costs (as the job costs associated with the GL entry are voided, not reversed).

There is also an impact to union reporting where hours originally reporting in one period would no longer be linked, so if the report is re-printed it would no longer match the original report.

Recommendation to Master Builder Developers

The Master Builder developers should consider modifying the reversal process so that the original job costs are reversed in the voiding period just like the GL entry is done. This would solve all of these issues described in this article.

Making a Quick Backup of Master Builder Data

2010-06-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Applies to: Master Builder 11.x and earlier, 12.x, 13.x, 14.x, 15.x

Sometimes it is useful to have a backup of a Master Builder data set that is independent of the system backups. For instance, when we close the books for a company, we make a backup of the data set just before we close and then immediately after we close. That way, if there is a disaster along the way, we can quickly restore back to the point before we began the close and try again.

The company data for any Master Builder company is completely contained in a single directory (with all the associated sub-directories) that has the same name as the company you access in Master Builder. All that is needed for a backup is to copy the entire company directory to another location.

For instance, if you access your MB data from the F: drive (your network drive) and the company name is “ABC Constructors”, the data directory you need to copy is:

F:\MB7\ABC Constructors

Backup of a Company Directory

For backups, our standard procedure that we use in-house and at most of our clients is to create a directory in the MB7 directory called “Backups”. Each copied data set is set up as a subdirectory in the backups directory with a file naming convention of:

YYYY-MM-DD Company Name

For example, to make a June 3^rd backup of “ABC Construction”:

Copy the directory "F:\MB7\ABC Constructors" to the "F:\MB7\Backups" directory
Rename the directory F:\MB7\Backups\ABC Constructors to "F:\MB7\Backups\2010-06-03 ABC Constructors"

This naming convention will allow easy identification of the most current backups for each company directory.

Restore of a Company Directory

To restore a Master Builder data directory completely, copy the contents of the desired backup to the original location. For example, copy the contents (including subdirectories) of:

F:\MB7\Backups\2010-06-03 ABC Constructors\*.*

F:\MB7\ABC Constructors

This will revert the entire ABC Constructors data set back to the state it was in when the backup was completed.

Other Notes

Often we will use a compression utility such as WinZip to then compress the backup directories. This will conserve space on the network. There is an older version available at no cost at www.oldversion.com.

Alternatively, you can use the Windows Folder Compression utility, but it is much slower and more cumbersome than WinZip.

SMB Behavior - A Quick Primer on Security

2009-09-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Applies to: Master Builder 11.x, 12.x, 13.x

The security in Master Builder is a little bit atypical from the usual. Here is a quick primer on the key points of the basics. These basic points proabably cover about 80% of the questions we receive regarding Master Builder security.

Mini-Primer on User Rights in Sage Master Builder

The supervisor account is dedicated and the associated rights cannot be assigned to any other account. Only the supervisor account can be used for certain things including assigning access rights to each screen.
In the 7-3 screen, there are groups and users. Users are provided with a password and assigned a group. Security rights are provided through the groups. Note that there is no way for a user to change their own password, it has to be done by someone with access to the 7-3 screen.
Basic security rights such as the ability to void or save save a transaction and printing checks are then assigned to the group. This is global security right that applies to every screen the group has access to.
Access to a specific or menu item screen is given by going to the menu item as the supervisor, accessing the rights to that menu item by clicking F7. Click on the check box for each group you would like to have access to that screen and all the sub screens. Important: If no check boxes have been checked – everyone has access to that screen.
In each data entry screen, access can also be set by group to specific fields – say the salary field in the 5-2-1 screen in payroll. To set security, click on the field as supervisor, hit F7 and indicate the groups that should have access. The behavior is the same as menu items. If a user does not have access to a field, that will be maintained throughout the program. So, if a report has the salary field on it and the user does not have rights to see the salary field, they will not be able to print the report.

SMB Performance - Intermittent Slow Response

2009-08-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

In a network environment, Master Builder can exhibit very slow performance at intermittent times. In some cases, the slow performance can affect other applications running on the server. One of the common causes for this issue is the Sage Service Host.

The Sage License Server

The Sage License Server is the program that provides a user a license when they log in to Master Builder. This program must run on at least one computer on a network that is running Master Builder. Typically, it is installed on the server that has the shared Master Builder data files. The program runs as a Microsoft Windows service.

To access the Sage Service Host:
1) Login to the computer that is running the Sage License server with an administrator account
2) Click Start Run and enter "services.msc" then hit ENTER
3) Scroll to the service named "Sage Service Host"

The Issue

When working normally, the Sage Service Host is only accessed when a user starts up Master Builder and is assigned a license. This takes a very small amount of resources for the server to execute.

Periodically, the Sage Service Host can begin to "chatter" and start to use large portions of the computer CPU capacity continuously - as much as 50% or even more of the CPU can be dedicated to this service. When this much of the server CPU resources are used by a single program (or "process"), the server does not have enough resources for other programs. In addition to very slow response from Master Builder, there are other strange results that can happen. For instance, users trying to log into the server may be denied access (because the login process cannot be performed), or they may not be able to connect to printers, or they may apparently "lose" a their network drive connections. These are all a result of the server working too hard for the Sage Service Host.

When this type of behavior is exhibited, confirm that the Sage Service Host is chattering:
1) Login to the computer that is running the Sage License server with an administrator account
2) Click Start Run and enter "taskmgr" then hit Enter
3) Click on the "Processes" tab of the Windows Task Manager
4) Scroll down to the "Sage.ServiceHost.Host.exe"
5) Check the CPU usage. This is the percentage of the CPU that the service is currently using.

Typically, the CPU usage for the Sage ServiceHost.Host.exe process should be zero with infrequent peaks of a few percent. If the program is chattering, it will peak at 50% or more and hold the CPU usage continuously.

More Information and Resolution

Tip - Creating a secure signed check form

2008-02-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last Tested with Sage Master Builder Version 13.2.0.3

With our larger clients, there can be hundreds of checks generated at a time for both payroll and accounts payable. Naturally, people want to create a digitally signed check form to avoid having to physically sign the checks, but there are a few technical challenges to overcome to create a signed check form that is reasonably secure. Like physical signature stamps, your signed check form can be “locked” away to help protect it from unauthorized use. With a little bit of set up, it is easy to add a signature to a check format that only the appropriate people can print.

Creating the Check Form

First, to get a good digital image of a signature, create the signature with a black felt tipped pen – a fine point Sharpie is perfect for this – on plain white paper. Sign a little larger than would be normal. A digital signature will maintain its quality much better if it is reduced from its original size when used on a form than if it is expanded from its original size. Scan the signature page with any reasonable scanner. Using a simple graphics software tool – Microsoft Paint works perfectly well – open the scanned image and crop it so that there no extra white space around the signature. Save in “Monochrome Bitmap (*.bmp; *.dib) format.

Now create your SMB check forms. To use the signature bit map (signature.bmp in this example) in your check forms, you will need to copy the file to four locations:

X:\MB7\Report Forms
X:\MB7\BMP
C:\MB7\Report Forms
C:\MB7\BMP

where X:\ is the network drive where your Master Builder data resides. (See tip on Image Files in Report Designer.)

Modify or create the new check forms using the signature file as normal in Master Builder’s form designer. Make sure to force the signature image to be proportional with the “proportion” icon in the form designer.

To Secure the Check Form

With Master Builder, the only thing we need to secure is the actual digital image of the signature. This is done using the workstation and network level file security. Have your network administrator set rights on the specific “signature.bmp” file so that only the people that should be able to print checks can see or access the file in the following locations on the network.

X:\MB7\Report Forms\signature.bmp
X:\MB7\BMP\signature.bmp

Secondly, set up local users for the people that should be able to print checks on the workstations where the checks will be printed and set the security on the file “signature.bmp” again so only those that should be able to print the signed checks can see or access the files.

C:\MB7\Report Forms\signature.bmp
C:\MB7\BMP\signature.bmp

If a user that does not have access to these files tries to print the signed check form from Master Builder, the form will print, but the signature will not appear.

Important Things to Note

Using this method to secure a check form, there are a few things to remember.

- The secure check forms can only be edited on workstations (computers) that have the digital signature copied to their local drives.
- Only someone that has network and local workstation rights to see the digital signature will be able to edit the check forms.
- Only someone that has network and local workstation rights to see the digital signature will be able to print signed checks.

(law)

Tip - Printing Large Quantities of W2 Forms

2008-01-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

We have quite a few clients that print hundreds of W2’s for their employees. Using Adobe to print the W2’s makes the process work better and avoids the hassle of collating hundreds of forms.

1) Purchase your W2’s in sets. Typically, we use the 2 up, 6 part sets. A quick search on google will reveal many sources for these forms. Here is a link to one that I found easily, although we purchase the forms from many places – GreatlandProducts.com.

2) Print the W2’s to the screen and tie-out the totals page with your 941’s.

3) When ready, print the W2’s to a PDF file. You can use the Master Builder PDF printer, but I like the full Adobe Acrobat product better. Check the final page and make sure it matches the values you used in step 2.

4) Print the W2’s from Adobe Acrobat or the Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free download from Adobe). When you print, print six copies (the number of parts in each set of W2’s) without collating. The result you want is page 1 (the first two employees) to be printed six times, then page 2 printed six times (employees three and four). Be careful here as some printers have their own collating capabilities. Check the printer properties and turn this feature off if it exists before you print.

This process has the advantage of retaining a complete exact electronic copy of the forms you sent out. Also, it is much easier to re-print a single or group of employees from this document should you need to do so by selecting specific pages to print. (law)

Bug - Accounts Receivable Invoice Listing Fails

2008-01-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Bug: Last tested with Master Builder version 13.0.2.3

Here is one to file under bizarre and cool. We ran into this one yesterday at a client that just upgraded to Master Builder version 13. This bug seems to have been introduced with version 13 of Master Builder and, believe me, it was not easy to find!

In some circumstances, the accounts receivable reports 3-1-2-21, 22, etc. will not print a complete list of invoices for a job or a group of jobs. If you print the report for just a single job, you can get the error message “The page number you entered to print does not exist for this report.”

When we encountered this situation where an AR invoice listing mysteriously stopped without completing, we did all of our standard testing. We reindexed the files (7-4); we replaced all of the .cdx files and reindexed again; we rebuilt the data tables; we ran our own program that can test for many other issues we know can exist in a Master Builder data set. We checked for the know issues with special characters (Sage KB1725) and damaged report files. Nothing worked. Finally, we discovered that the problem was related to the long name of the job as defined in the job screen (3-5).

Out testing revealed that the AR list would stop on the page just prior to the page that a specific job would have printed on. If we printed just the identified problem job, we got the “The page number you entered to print does not exist…” error. Once we identified the problem was a specific job, we could narrow our search for the problem. It turned out that the problem was in the name.

By changing the long name of the job in the job set up screen (3-5), we found we could get the report to print. This effect was repeatable. Use the original name – the report fails. Use a different name – the report works. This is the kind of problem that drives users (and consultants) batty. Once we discovered the source of the problem, we fixed it for the client and went on with our business. Still – we had to know!

What about the job name caused the problem? So, we experimented (later) and we found the pattern. If the characters “IF (“ appear (without the quotes) in the long name of the job, we can crash the report. Why would that be you might ask. Well, we cannot say for sure, but we can speculate. The Master Builder report writer has the ability to interpret formulas. One of the allowed formulas is an “IF” statement which appears like this “IF (a=b) THEN (c).” The characters “IF (“ must be literally entered into the formula. It is possible that the SMB report writer is trying to treat a portion of the job name as a formula. The contents of the formula will not be valid as a job name, so the report writer tries to read an invalid formula and fails. Thus, the report fails.

Try it yourself. It’s fun! Just put the characters “IF (“ in the long name of a job and try to print a list of invoices (3-1-2-21 ) associated with the job you modified. If you are using version 13, you are likely to get a failed report. Remove the characters “IF (“ and the report will work. (law)

A Method to Generate Complex Reports

2008-01-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Do you – as a Master Builder user - have to spend a lot of money to automate very complex reports such as certified payroll reports? Well, the answer is “maybe not.” Here is an alternative to expensive custom reporting that your organization may be able to do with in-house talent.

Report Writers
There are, basically, three ways to generate reports from data in Sage Master Builder (SMB). The first and easiest option is to use a report writer. SMB has a built-in report writer (linked to the form designer) that is reasonably serviceable and is used to generate most of the pre-created reports in SMB. While not terribly sophisticated in formatting capabilities, the built-in SMB report writer has the very strong advantage of having many of the data relationships pre-defined. For example, if you are printing a list of accounts payable invoices, you don’t have to know which table (actpay.dbf) has the vendor names and which table has the detail lines of the invoice (acpinv.dbf). You can just point and click through the linked tables in the report writer wizard or calculation builder and you are set.

The drawbacks to the SMB report writer are primarily two. First, it is a fussy bit of software prone to crashing inexplicitly and the deeper functions of the report writer are not well documented. I have experienced what I call the dreaded “crash and corrupt” where a report with a minor modification will simply shut down never to run again – often requiring a complete rebuild of the report.

Secondly - and much more limiting for complex reporting - is that the SMB report writer can only report on a single level of detail. A report cannot be created based on a query on a subset of data. For example, the SMB report writer will not allow the user to query the accounts receivable database for all open invoices with a balance greater than 10% of the invoice total and then give a detail report of those invoices. This functionality can be simulated by using filters and queries, but this method is limited to simple reporting problems and it is very slow on large data sets.

A more comprehensive report writer such as Crystal Reports (http://www.businessobjects.com/) can be used as well. Crystal is another report writer that you purchase and install on your computer as an independent program. It can then be set up to read SMB files through the ODBC drivers in Windows. (Note – If I lost you in that last sentence, you are not likely to enjoy learning how to use Crystal.) Crystal has terrific formatting capabilities, reporting on sub-queries, and great speed. We use it extensively for reporting ourselves. The downside of Crystal is that it has a much greater learning curve and there are no predefined relationships for Sage Master Builder data. The user must know which of the 400+ tables in a Master Builder database are linked together, how they are linked, and with which key fields to write reports effectively. This is essentially programmer level knowledge that the average user will not and probably doesn’t want to know.

Custom Reports
Custom reports that use more of a programming language such as Microsoft Access, Microsoft Visual Fox Pro (currently our favorite tool for this type of work), Visual Basic, and many others can be used to build complex reports. There is really no limit to what can be done with these tools because they have complete access to the SMB data and can manipulate it in any imaginable method. The only limit is time and money. Custom reports tend to be quite time consuming and expensive. Sometimes a custom report is justified - we actually write many of them. However, it is usually a report that is used frequently and is critical to business success to be economically justified.

Using Queries to Populate Spreadsheets
There is a third way to create reports that is not fully automated, but has several advantages over report writers without the investment of custom reports. This is the method of using the SMB queries to populate pre-built Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The concept is very easy and can be explained in a few steps.

- Create one or more queries in Master Builder to extract the data you want. For a few tips on how to use the SMB queries, see our recent blog entry on this issue.
- Create a pre-formatted spreadsheet with worksheets dedicated to pasting the data from the queries. The data should be in one or more dedicated worksheets and all of the analysis should be in worksheets other than the data. This will make it easy to keep the data that is updated isolated from the rest of the formatted report.
- Create a process to move the data from the query to the spreadsheet. If the results of the queries are typically small (say less than 1000 lines), a simple cut and paste is fine. If the data is very large, then it may be necessary to save the query results to an intermediate file and then import into the Excel spreadsheet.

While this is not a perfect method or 100% automated, with a well-designed spreadsheet and a little practice it can be remarkably efficient. The other advantage is that the formatting of an Excel spreadsheet can be very flexible allowing for small adjustments as needed.

Attached is a simple example of this technique with a few of my favorite Excel tricks included and functions included. The analyzed data can be filtered with the Excel auto-filter as well as sorted by any of the analysis columns. This is a simple and useful report as it is, but if you care to, there are many other opportunities to analyze just these two simple queries extended the work that has already been completed.

As an example of taking this technique to the extreme – I have attached a replica of a certified payroll report required by state of Connecticut created using this method. There are only two queries required from Master Builder to generate the data needed. This would be a very challenging report to create in any report writer. Because of the complexity of this spreadsheet, I have chosen only to show the results. (law)

Example Report from Simple Excel Spreadsheet
Simple Excel Spreadsheet Integrated with Queries
Example Complex Certified Payroll Report

Bug - When posting SR Invoices - Insufficient Stock Errors

2007-12-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

December 19, 2007
Updated 2/17/08
Bug: Last tested with Master Builder version 13.1.0.2

Update Note: This bug was documented in the Sage Knowledgebase on 2/6/08 with KB13441.

The Service Receivables module (screen 11-2) is designed to handle the sale of parts from an inventory. Here is an interesting little bug that could drive you crazy if you didn't know how to deal with it.

With a Service Receivable invoice, a part entered in the invoice details can be charged to the control inventory account. In this case, the part quantity on hand is reduced by the amount sold on the invoice. Master Builder checks the quantity in stock and will only allow the invoice to post if there is sufficient quantity to cover all of the parts listed on the invoice. If the invoice calls for more parts than are currently in inventory, an error indicating "insufficient stock" is presented to the user and the invoice is not posted.

However, we have encountered a case where we get the "insufficient stock" error and we were not taking the parts from the inventory. This was a perplexing problem to say the least.

It turned out that if the same part number is listed multiple times on the invoice - even if the items are not being taken from stock - the "insufficient stock" error comes up. Note in this example rows 1 and 4 both have the same part number listed.

When there is an attempt to post this record as an invoice, Master Builder will return the error "insufficient stock."

We determined two solutions to this issue. The quick solution is to delete all of the part numbers from invoice details tab and then post. This works if you are not doing any reporting of sales by part number. Even then, you can use the alpha part number for reporting.

The second solution is more tedious and takes more time if there are a lot of invoice lines, but it conserves the part numbers in the invoice. First, sort the invoice details tab by the part number (This is a great little trick that can be done in a number of Master Builder grids. To sort by a column, left-click on the Part # column heading to highlight the column, then right-click in the highlighted area. Select on "Sort by Part # Column) Next combine quantities of lines with the same part number into a single line. Delete the duplicate lines. Post without an error!

(law)

Tip - Quirky Queries

2007-12-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Queries are one of the best features of Master Builder. In case you don't know, queries are found on most screens under either "File | Find" or - alternatively - by clicking on the binoculars icon. Queries are a way to get a list of records according to criteria you select - for example a list of AP invoices from the 4-2 screen. This information is then presented in a grid which can be drilled into for details or copied and pasted to a spreadsheet for further analysis. However, there are a couple of quirks with this process. Fortunately, these are easy to fix.

Beginner:
To create a query, go to a data entry screen such as 4-2 (AP Invoices) and click on "File | Find". Enter a new name (the name of a new query) in the blank field, and click [New]. This screen will take you through a series of five screens that allow you to identify the information you want to display. The screens - in order of appearance - are:

Fields To Display - these are the fields that will appear on the grid after the search.

Fields to Group By - these are the fields that will provide the first level of sort for the results. Each group has a subtotal. You are allowed a total of 3 fields for grouping.

Fields to Sort By - these are the fields that provide the second level of sorting of the results (after the groupings).

Fields to Select By - these are the fields with which you can control the search. For instance, if you want to be able to select AP invoices with an invoice date of 12/31/07, you would need to include the field "acpinv.invdte" in the Fields to Select By list.

Selection Criteria - for each field in your Fields to Select list, you can pre-define your default values. A good example of this is to filter out all void AP invoices when you search for invoices. To do this, you would need to include "acpinv.status" in your Fields to Select list, and then in the Selection Criteria you would select "Between" for the comparison, and then put a default of 1 to 4 (Open, Review, Disputed, Paid invoices).

The Issue - Intermediate:
So here is the rub. You may be irritated by fact that after you spend the time to enter your default selection criteria in a new query, when you run the query - the defaults don't appear. Bummer. To fix this, immediately after you create a new query - before you run it - single click the new query name in the query list and click [Edit]. Then click [Next] through each of the five set up screens. Don't change anything. Viola! Next time you use the query, the selection criteria defaults will be where they belong.

Related to this problem is the issue where queries that used to work suddenly and inexplicity crash. This takes you out of Master Builder in a particularly inelegant way. Usually, this condition is caused by someone starting to edit a query, deciding they don't want to, and cancelling out of the edit screen.

Some people curse the system and try to re-create the query. No need. Just like above, single click the crashing query in the query list, click [Edit] and click [Next] through each of the five set up screens. This will fix the problem.

Advanced:
Queries are stored in the table "Qrylst.dbf" under each specific company directory. This means that if you have a set of really cool and useful queries that you have built up over the years and you start a brand new company (or get a new client) you must laboriously re-create each query manually.

A simple solution is to copy the files qrylst.dbf, qrylst.cdx, qrylst.fpt from the company data directory that has the queries you want to the new company data directory. All of the queries you had in the original company will now be in the new company. Beware - if you already created any queries in your new company, they will be overwritten.

It is also possible with a good tool such as Microsoft Visual Fox Pro to copy individual queries from one company to another in a selective way. Each record in qrylst.dbf represents a single query. The field "tblnme" will indicate which data screen the query will appear in. To move a specific query, copy the record in qrylst.dbf from the source company data directory to qrylst.dbf in the target company data directory. (law)

Tip - Those Pesky Image Files in Report Designer

2007-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Certain problems occur in using Master Builder where I don't have time or the interest in finding out why the problem exists or the most elegant solution, I just find a way to work around it. This is one of those problems.

Anyone who had done any extensive work with the form designer probably has experienced the problem where a picture (image file) they use in a form design either doesn't appear in the form designer when imported into a form or, alternatively, does appear in the form designer but does not print. Worse yet, it will print on some user machines, but not others. A search of the Sage knowledge base (http://www.sagemasterbuilder.com/support/index.asp) provides an article, KB13027, but this article only deals with one potential cause of this issue and does not resolve the erratic behavior of the form designer with respect to image files.

I haven't taken the time to figure out why this happens, but here is a simple way to consistently avoid the problem. This works regardless of the type of image file used - .bmp, .jpg, or .gif files. For any image file you use in a Master Builder form design or report form, copy the exact same file into the following four directories:

X:\MB7\Report Forms
X:\MB7\BMP
C:\MB7\Report Forms
C:\MB7\BMP

where X:\ is the network drive where your Master Builder data resides.

Yes, this does mean that sometimes you will need to copy the picture files to multiple user local machines and is a little bit of a pain to maintain, but it always works. (law)

Tip - Open Checks from a Prior Year

2007-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Prior Year Items to be reviewed before Closing a Year

During the Closing Process at the end of the company's year, any entries to the Cash Accounts that have not been cleared during the Bank Reconciliation process are rolled over to the new year as open items. These items has a capital letter P in front of them with the original Journal Record number, the date, the Payee (if available) and the dollar amount.

The closing process makes these checks available to be cleared on a future bank reconciliation, usually sometime within the next month or two. This is true for AP checks, Payroll checks, Fees, Deposits, and any other item that has been posted to the Cash account.

At the close of the next company year, if these items from the prior year (with the letter P in front of them) have not cleared the bank, they must be adjusted prior to the next year end closing. If the item is a check, contact the Vendor or Employee to re-issue the funds that are due to them. If they cannot be contacted, please review the rules and guidelines for each state regarding Unclaimed Property (Illinois rules available at http://treasurer.il.gov/programs/cash-dash/pdf/act-rules.pdf). If the item is a duplicate payment - perhaps made on-line and with a check - an adjustment is required prior to the closing.

If your company is on a calendar year, this can be reviewed after the November bank reconciliation is complete prior to the year end close. For non-calendar Fiscal Year ends, review the open items after performing the bank reconciliation for the eleventh month of the Fiscal Year. Check all open items to see if any have the letter P in front of them indicating they are from the Prior Year. Review each item to determine if they should be re-issued or an adjusting entry should be made.

After all the adjustments have been made, return to the Bank Reconciliation screen (1-5), enter the Cash Account GL number and the Statement Ending Date for the last day of the eleventh month of the year. Clear the original item from the prior year against the adjusting entry for a net of zero. Confirm that the Statement Beginning Balance and Statement Ending Balance are the same. Trial Save and Print. After a successful print out has been made and the balances are confirmed, Final Save to clear these items from the Bank Reconciliation. The Beginning and Ending Balance must be the same and should match the Eleventh Month ending bank statement.

In general, Master Builder will allow an open item to roll forward only one year. The item becomes a Prior Year record. If the item is still open at the end of the next year, it will not roll over again as a Prior-Prior Year. Instead, it drops off the bank reconciliation requiring additional effort prior to completing the next Bank Reconciliation. Make appropriate adjustments prior to the year end close to avoid the items 'dropping off' the list. (cmw)

The History of Master Builder Software

2007-12-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Sage Master Builder (SMB) software has an interesting history. Like many software products that serve specific industries, Master Builder was conceived by someone in the industry who was just trying to run their business better.

Dan Smith - the founder of Master Builder - is a great story teller and I have heard him tell the story of Master Builder's origins several times. I cannot give it justice here and I won't try, but the basic start of Master Builder was around 1980, give or take a couple of years. Dan was a general contractor based in the San Francisco area and he wanted a way to run his business better. He thought that the new emerging personal computers were potentially a good solution, so he went out an bought an Apple II computer and tried to find software to run his business on it.

Finding that there was little or no software appropriate for running a construction business, Dan did what any good entrepreneur would do and set out to write his own. He wrote the original Master Builder with great knowledge of contracting and self-taught knowledge of computer programming. The software he ended up with was very consistent in applying construction logic to a computer program.

Soon, Master Builder was moved from the Apple platform to the IBM PC platform and Dan started selling the software to other contractors as "Master Builder by Omware." His primary sales method was training local bookkeepers and accountants on the software and then letting them apply their business and construction knowledge at their clients to use the software effectively. This group of advisers was the key to Master Builder success around the country and Dan was very good about developing the knowledge base of the advisers and supporting them in their own businesses. However, the catch twenty-two issue was that an advisor would sell a few copies of Master Builder and then start working closely with the clients that bought them. Soon, the advisor became too busy to add more clients and no longer sold the software. This would make the client happy, the advisor successful, but was very limiting the income of Master Builder.

Dan struggled with this issue the entire time I knew him as the owner of Master Builder. However, Dan had great integrity and never wavered in his support of the advisers even when it cost him money. What it did do was build a team of advisers across the country with knowledge of the construction business and his software unlike anyone else in the software industry.

In 1994, Dan made the decision to convert Master Builder to Microsoft Windows. Software vendors were all looking at this possibility. Some thought that MS Windows was an inferior operating system for business software (and it was at the time) - but they underestimated the demand for the GUI (graphical user interface) by users. Dan saw that this was the future and made the determination early to move from the PC DOS system to Windows. The interesting thing about his decision was that he decided to completely rewrite Master Builder rather than just "move" the DOS software.

The move to Windows was a struggle and lasted several years before a complete and stable product was released. I started working with Master Builder in February of 1995 and my training class was on the first Windows release of the software. Dan Smith taught the class himself because no one else knew much about the software.
I installed the very first production installation of Master Builder 6 - the first Windows version - at a Naperville, Illinois contractor in September of 1995. The official release of the software was in March of 1996.

The Windows version of Master Builder was the first on the market in the construction industry, but Omware still struggled with the sales process. They had a good product but there were many other products in the market and the king of the hill at the time was Timberline. Timberline was perceived as a more sophisticated and bigger product although they had not yet made a complete transition to the Windows operating system. At this time, Dan brought in some investors and made a real effort to get a larger market share. True to Dan's character and dedication to his advisor channel, he gave every advisor $1,000 in stock in Omware when he began the big push to grow the company.

In 2001, Master Builder was purchased by Intuit. The deal brokered by Dan Smith was incredible for all of the investors. The purchase price by Intuit was 6 or 7 times the current revenue of Master Builder. One of the key factors - according to the key note address by Scott Cook, the founder of Intuit - was the expert advisor network that Master Builder had built around the country. Unfortunately, Intuit's actions over the following years did not match their rhetoric.

The attractive element of Master Builder for Intuit was the possibility of moving contractors up from Intuit's flagship product, Quickbooks, to a more sophisticated tool for contractors, Master Builder. Intuit was tossing around numbers of 25, 50, or 100 Million in sales of Master Builder within five years. At the time they purchased the software, Master Builder had sales was in the 6 to 7 million range. Dan Smith stayed on for a couple of years as vice president of the Intuit construction division that held Master Builder, but he was then replaced by Carol Novello.

With the replacement of Dan Smith came a total abandonment of integrity and support of the expert advisor network that was originally developed by Omware. The message was "sell at all costs" and the politics were brutal. It was sad to see a weak and inept management team at Intuit dismantle the expert advisor network that had built up over the years. Many of the people I worked with personally ended up taking jobs at clients or moving to other positions or other products. A few advisers survived and some thrived, but not many.

Significant development on Master Builder virtually halted on the product during the five years that Intuit owned it. They did release an enterprise version of the product which was simply the same software with a client/server database instead of a file server database structure, and the product did not do well. Intuit did, however, get their new licensing in place right away which shifted the traditional model of concurrent licenses that Master Builder had been using for 20 years to a per seat model. This caused tremendous angst in the user community as Intuit tried to force users to buy a software license for every computer in their office, field, and home so two people could use it conveniently. I spent hours dealing with this with my own client base. Ultimately, Intuit shifted back to the concurrent seat model, but the damage was done.

In May of 2006, Sage Software purchased Master Builder from Intuit*. Interestingly, this took place not long after Sage had purchased one of Master Builder's primary competitors, Timberline. Sage is much more savvy about how to sell to vertical markets and has made some significant and much needed improvements to the product. For instance, the licensing is less intrusive on the system, they have added drill down to the reporting, and fixed many of the bugs that had been plaguing Master Builder for the years that Intuit owned it. Also important to the long-term viability of Master Builder, Sage is beginning to develop a true knowledge base for users accessible through the Sage web site.

Personally, I am encouraged by the steps Sage has taken so far. In 2005, I was guessing that Master Builder had only a few more years of life left and Syscon was actively looking for a product to move their clients to. That fear has gone away and Sage Master Builder Release 13 is one of the best products on the market for a contractor. (law)

References:
* Sage Purchase of Master Builder