5-Star, PERFECT SCORE Review of Sage Accpac 500 ERP 5.4

Sage Accpac 500 ERP 5.4 is, at core, a sophisticated, robust accounting, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and operations business management system designed for small and mid-sized businesses. With this system, users can create a strong, lasting fit for their business by implementing only the modules needed today and then building out the financial system over time by adding more modules and options. Sage Accpac ERP is scalable with three Sage Accpac editions from which to choose (100, 200 and 500). Users don’t have to worry about outgrowing their ERP system in the future. With Accounting and Operations, plus integrated Business Intelligence and Reporting, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), E-Commerce, Fixed Asset Management, Human Resources Management System (HRMS), Point-of-Sale (POS), and Warehouse Management System (WMS) application options, to name a few, most of the bases are covered with this end-to-end business management system.

Not a lot has changed in the product for 2007, although the vendor released a number of key updates to complement Version 5.4, such as a new Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) module. Much of 2007 has been in research and development in preparation for Version 5.5, which is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2008. Version 5.5 promises to offer some exciting upgrades including digital dashboards, and more.

Modules/Scalability - 5 Stars
Sage Accpac 500 ERP has a full line of core accounting and distribution modules. Accounting modules include GL, GL Security, GL Consolidations, Multicurrency, Transaction Analysis/Optional Field Creator, AP, AR, Intercompany Transactions, National Accounts Management, Project and Job Costing, and U.S. and Canadian Payroll. Bank and Tax services are built in to the System Manager module. The distribution suite includes Purchase Order, Order Entry, Return Merchandise Authorization, and Inventory Control that offers integration with the Warehouse Management System, which includes integrated advanced radio-frequency and bar-coding technology through Sage Accpac WMS. Serial and lot tracking functionality continue to be sold separately from the Inventory Control module as additional enhancements. Although potential buyers may see this as a drawback, the serial and lot tracking modules are treated as add-ons intentionally as most users in the target market would not use this functionality, and Sage Accpac is committed to helping clients maintain simplicity.

Sage Accpac 500 ERP seems to be strongest in the distribution and retail areas. Version 5.4 allows companies doing assembly work to set up multi-level bills of materials (BOM) in Inventory along with support for sales kits. For the manufacturer, third-party add-on modules are written using the Sage Accpac Solution Developer Kit (SDK).

The Sage Accpac architecture supports multitier environments, which enhance performance and scalability. Sage Accpac ERP’s scalability is further enhanced as it comes in three different editions: Sage Accpac 100 ERP, which is limited to five concurrent users; Sage Accpac 200 ERP, which scales to 10 concurrent users; and Sage Accpac 500 ERP, supporting unlimited users. This provides significant advantages to the end user. The value of not having to change the look and feel of your software as your business grows is a benefit that is measurable in dollars and cents, but the piece of mind knowing that your investment will grow with you is immeasurable. Essentially all you have to do is purchase the additional user support to move from Sage Accpac 100 ERP to 200 to 500 with no data conversion or end-user retraining. And all three editions are compatible with the complementary web-based applications. The bottom line is that a very small company can begin with Sage Accpac 100 ERP and grow all the way to a small enterprise without having to undergo the pain and suffering of a single software conversion, relearning the product or losing any customizations or enhancements that have been developed and put in place along the way. Talk about customer protection!

Usability/User Experience/Security - 5 Stars
Sage Accpac 500 ERP has a Windows Explorer look and feel. The modules are listed down the left-hand side, with specific tasks and icons located on the right-hand side of the screen. A graphic interface that’s consistent from screen to screen makes for easy data entry and reporting. Learning Sage Accpac ERP seems to be quick and easy. All the modules have the same look and feel, so once you learn how to move through one module, the learning curve is short for the others. Screens are designed to enable users that are tasked with more traditional heads-down data entry to enter all required data from a single screen. Additional flexibility is available by enabling users two options for data entry: “spreadsheet” style or “pop-up” style.

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