Sage 200 Financials & Commercials:

Features

Explanation Benefits
Sage Payment Solutions Integration   Sage 200 is now integrated with Sage Payment Services, allowing the user to record credit card payments against transactions. All credit card details are held outside of Sage 200, therefore posing no security risk around storing these details. Users can now quickly and easily record credit card transactions against orders and invoices, from within Sage 200. This eliminates the need to do two separate transactions in separate applications, improving efficiency and reducing the margin for human error.
Workspace Designer A new concept of user workspaces has been introduced. Ten standard ‘out of the box’ workspaces are available along with a workspace designer tool that allows for configuration or creation of new workspaces. Workspaces have been designed to give the user business critical information ‘at a glance’ on their desktop. Their design makes it quicker and easier to access related information. The designer tool enables advanced users to configure user defined workspaces to meet the customer’s requirements, allowing each individual user to have a customised workspace to meet their individual requirements.
Deposit Handling   In previous versions when a payment was recorded against an order, this payment was not accounted for until the invoice was produced and posted to the sales ledger. The user now has the choice whether to account for the VAT on this payment and treat it as a deposit for VAT purposes, at the point of entering the payment against the order. Ensures compliance with the VAT regulations around deposit handling. Also reduces credit control error as the payment is apparent on the customer’s account when the payment is received.
Units of Measure Enhancements In previous versions some combinations of conversion units caused imbalances in stock and also problems when trying to complete sales and purchase orders. This area of the software has been re-designed to ensure that customer requirements are met and that units are defined correctly, upon setup. Allows users to configure Sage 200 to buy and sell stock in their required units, whilst offering guidelines on setting up units to get the best results for their business.
Create Purchase Order from Sales Order A single or multiple purchase orders can now be generated directly from the sales order entry screen. This functionality eliminates the need to use the ‘generate orders’ feature for users who wish to generate individual purchase orders for individual sales orders. Saves the user time as they no longer have to access a different menu to generate purchase orders.
Web-based help files The help files have been revamped and are now available through a new web-based interface. The new format provides more functionality and flexibility than the format supplied in previous releases.

Sage 200 Project Accounting:

Features Explanation Benefits
Multi-currency Expenses Expenses can now be entered in currencies other than the base currency, through the core Project Accounting module and also within WTE. Businesses can account for expenses in the currency which they are incurred, eliminating the need to convert back to base currency prior to entry.
New WTE Reports Previously when time or expenses were entered via WTE, no reports were available. New reports have been added to WTE to allow the user to print out timesheet and expense entries. Vastly improves the usability of this module, as the user can now print out timesheets and expenses remotely and post them into the office, eliminating the need to go back into the office to ensure that they are submitted.
One-sided adjustments to projects On the previous cost adjustment screen, a project and project item had to be selected. This meant that to add costs to one project they had to be removed from another. Customers have a requirement to be able to adjust an item on a project without impacting another project –i.e. A one-sided entry. Saves time and complex work-arounds, as users can now account for miss-postings or omissions quickly and easily.
Copy Project items When setting up project items, a number of tabs have to be completed. This can be a timely exercise; however it is now possible to copy the options chosen for one project item to another. Significantly reduces the amount of time taken when setting up new project items.
Adjustments to Posted Timesheets Previously, authorised and posted timesheets could not be adjusted; therefore it was very difficult to make amendments to reduce the amount of hours charged to a job/project. Negative timesheets can be entered to account for any mistakes made. Saves time and reduces margin for error, as incorrect timesheets can be immediately corrected.
Nominal Receipts as Revenue Nominal Receipts attached to a project were previously charged to the project as a negative cost, as assumptions were made that this type of transaction would be used to correct incorrect cost postings. The user now has control over whether these transactions are posted as revenue or negative costs. Reduces the margin for error and ensures accurate project accounting reports can be easily reconciled to the nominal ledger.
Disable Payroll Sync Option A ‘synchronise with Payroll’ message box used to appear every time a user accessed the enter timesheet screen. This was undesirable for some customers. The user has an option to enable or disable this synchronisation message, handing control over to them on when Payroll sync is performed.
Remove a Sub-project from a Project If a sub-project is included in a project in error, it was not possible in previous versions to remove this sub-project from the main project. A ‘delete’ option has been added to the amend project screen, significantly reducing the amount of time and effort required to correct errors made.
Copy billing Templates A new option to copy a previously created billing template has been added. If a new template is to be created that is similar to an existing one, a copy can be made and then subsequently adjusted. This saves the user having to create it from scratch.

 Sage 200 CRM:

Features Explanation Benefits
Web quotes and orders It is now possible to enter a quote or an order remotely using the CRM interface, without screen popping the back office commercials order forms. Provides greater flexibility within the CRM module, allowing orders to be entered remotely and synchronised to the sales order processing module.
CRM address enhancements in financial modules New address lines, sectioned contact details and a salutation field have been added to the existing fields within the core financial modules. Financial data is now aligned to the CRM module to ensure consistency in data entry and reporting across the suite. This also ensures that the modules can be synchronised without loss of data.
Prospect Orders Quotes can now be entered remotely for new customers who do not yet have a credit account in the Sage 200 sales ledger. Aligns the CRM order and quote functionality with the processes in the sales order processing modules, to ensure consistency across the suite. Prospect quotes can also be produced for potential foreign customer accounts, broadening the scope of this feature.
Real Time Data Views More real time financial and commercial module information is surfaced through the CRM interface. Allows CRM users to view financial and commercial information through the CRM interface. Users can therefore access this information remotely, saving the need for them to be in the office or have access to the back office system.
Improved installation, upgrade and integration Improvements have been made to the installation procedure. The AIS link previously used to synchronise the CRM system to the back office accounts system has been removed to enable a smoother integration between the two products. Saves time and money during installation and upgrades. The new tighter integration provides a seamless connection between the modules.
Multiple ERP databases linking to one CRM database Previously, it was only possible to link one ERP database to one CRM database. Under the new integration, multiple ERP customers and suppliers from different databases can link to one CRM account. Provides the user with a centralised view of contact and trading information with a single customer or supplier in CRM, whilst keeping the individual records for different legal entities separate in the ERP databases. This enables different types of users within an organisation to view data in the format required to meet the demands of their role.
Launching of 3rd party forms through the CRM interface Any form within ERP can now be launched through the CRM interface. Enables the user to utilise development work carried out in ERP, within the CRM user interface, providing a more streamlined and integrated solution for the customer.

New System Administrator:

Features Explanation Benefits
Replacement of the old system administration tool The old Sage 200 system administration tool has been replaced with a new application designed to control information on users, roles, menus etc. Similar in functionality to the existing tool ensures that the learning curve for users is not too steep. Taking the form of a snap-in to the Microsoft Management Console, the new tool provides a familiar environment to system administrators. New added features enhance its usability.
New password policy Criteria such as lifetime, length and complexity can be applied to user passwords. Provides greater levels of security.
Roles Roles can be created and act in a similar way to groups; however a user can belong to more than one role. A way of grouping similar roles together and determining how the user desktop will look.
Add-on Manager The new system administrator now offers the administrator a location in which to manage system add-ons. Add-ons packaged in this way can be checked for compatibility with new versions, meaning upgrades should be less time consuming and costly for the customer. Also they can easily be enabled and disabled within the system.

Sage 200 Wholesale & Retail:

Features

Explanation Benefits
Move items in merchandise hierarchy Previously items in the merchandise hierarchy could not be moved to another department, they would have to be deleted and re-entered. Drag and drop functionality has been introduced to enable this. Also the structure is more fluid, as all items do not have to have entries at all levels. An audit trail is included to reflect changes made. Enables the quick correction of errors, utilising common Windows functionality. A user no longer has to ensure that all levels within a hierarchy are populated, should they not be required. For auditing purposes a record of all changes made is maintained.
Move items in company hierarchy As with the merchandise hierarchy, items within the company hierarchy can be moved within the hierarchy using drag and drop functionality. An audit trail is included to reflect changes made. Enables the quick correction of errors and means that changes in the company structure can be easily reflected in the system. The audit trail ensures a complete auditable log of changes made.
Transfer between all stores and warehouses Stock can now freely be transferred between warehouses and stores. In previous versions it was possible to transfer stock from a warehouse to a store, however not in the other direction or between stores. A user can now quickly and easily transfer goods between all locations within a business. This ensures that stock levels are more accurate and up to date and also eases the common retail scenario where stock is transferred from another shop for a customer requesting an item that is out of stock in their local store.
Include the same dimension more than once in styles When setting up product groups for retail items requiring variants, it is now possible to duplicate a dimension type within a style. It is now less complex to configure product groups and dimensions to meet the needs of the user, as a dimension can be utilised more than once within the product group set up. For example; a user may want to use Size twice when setting up a product group, once for a set for waist size and again for leg length on trousers.

Sage 200 Manufacturing:

Features

Explanation Benefits
Multi Item Estimates Each item now effectively has its own estimate record, with the benefit of retaining all existing features like quantity breaks, stages etc. This provides maximum flexibility to manage which items are accepted, to be amended or invoiced. Provides users with the ability to automatically generate several blank estimates for a customer suffixing the estimate number. E.g. EST0001/1, EST0001/2, EST0001/3.The quotation print provides the facility to combine items from multiple estimates. Enables users to raise an invoice in Works Orders that covers several works orders.   Simplifies the estimating process where quotes for multiple items are required for the same prospect or customer. Users no longer have to process separate estimates for each item resulting in significant time saving and ease of use. This improved functionality ensures consistency with Sage 50 Manufacturing.
Estimates - change Margin % on Stage and Quantity Breaks. Currently Estimating calculates the “Margin %” based on the “Mark-up %” and the “Total Selling Price”. This new functionality enables users to enter and amend the “Margin %” forcing the “Mark-up %” and “Total Selling Price” to be re-calculated based on the figure entered. This provides the user with added flexibility in Estimate pricing.
Estimates – auto add stage templates Provides users with the ability to flag a stage template so that it is automatically added to any estimate that is created. Time saving during estimate creation.
Estimates – based on selling price Build estimate by selling price rather than cost and mark-up. Added flexibility in pricing.
MRP Tag view The MRP tag view is now collapsed by default Improved usability, and consistency with Sage 50 Manufacturing.
MRP Aggregation (Bucket optimisation) Currently an initial bucket is created due to demand with subsequent buckets auto created at each multiple of aggregation days. This may lead to empty buckets where there are no demands and subsequent demand being pulled forward to the start of the bucket. When aggregation days are set to a significant number, this can result in excessive stock holding and orders being placed well before they are required. The new algorithm only creates time buckets where there is a demand avoiding the pull forward effect. Optimises procurement and reduces stock holding.
MRP - Due Dates for netting off Sales against Forecasts Currently, Sales Orders are netted off against Sales Forecasts on an oldest first basis. Whilst MPS identifies excluded items, it sums together what all Sales Forecast and Sales Orders with a Due Date between Time Fence #1 and Time Fence #2. This revised algorithm now netts off Sales Forecasts and Sales Orders on a weekly basis. This new method will be parameterised (so that the existing method can still be used) and is switched on by default. Sales Forecasts and Sales Orders are now netted off in weekly demand time slots providing a more accurate view of demands.
MRP - Treatment of Overdue Purchase Orders When a demand exists and MRP identifies that a purchase order has a due date that is prior to the MRP run date, the order is recommended for cancellation and a new purchase order is recommended. This can potentially lead to over-ordering / over-stocking. An alert has now been added to notify the user that the original order is late. This gives the user the opportunity to retain the order which, on the next MRP run, will enable the due date to be extended where a delivery is still outstanding. Reduces the risk of costly over-ordering and over-stocking.
Enhanced Traceability tools Traceability enquiry and reporting is currently a single level function requiring the user to perform multiple searches to trace batches from source, through production to despatch. A new multi-level tree view enquiry has been added Complements existing traceability enquiries by providing an expandable tree view with multiple search options and multi-level capability.
Enable Works Order component issues from multiple warehouses When an order (Sales Order or Works Order) is created, the warehouse code is automatically added to the header record. This then limits the stock available for allocation and issue to batches and bins within that warehouse. This has function has been extended to allow selection of the same product from other valid warehouses. Improved stock management and flexibility.