Sage Pastel Community

At Gartner's annual Business Intelligence Summit, in Las Vegas,in April, the white flag was waved on using Excel for BI. Gartner analysts and BI managers said that efforts to stop Excel BI use were bound to fail and the use of Excel as a BI tool is inevitable.

This is what BI vendor Alchemex has been saying for the last eight years: for SMEs especially, BI in Excel is the route to go.

Not only does the adoption of a 'BI in Excel' product like Alchemex leverage existing technology and keep costs down (integrating with the existing accounting application and presenting the data in the familiar face of Excel), but it offers a rapid return on investment due to pre-built Excel report templates for most major accounting packages to get users up and running immediately. It also gets rid of spreadsheet chaos by automating the creation of reports, drawing trusted data upon request from the ERP database into the predefined report format, eliminating repetitive manual cutting and pasting.

Gartner's acknowledgement that BI in Excel is here to stay affirms Alchemex's vision of not only providing easy and accessible BI in Excel for small to medium enterprises worldwide, but of being the global BI partner of choice for ERP, accounting and payroll vendors.

Alchemex's longstanding and very successful partnerships with Softline Pastel and Softline VIP have entrenched the use of 'BI in Excel' in South Africa via Pastel's Business Intelligence Centre and VIP Payroll's Business Intelligence Manager. Now the OEM agreement with Sage North America is set to proliferate the use of Alchemex software globally via the recently launched Sage Accpac Intelligence, as well as integrated BI products in the pipeline for Simply Accounting, MAS 90/200 and MAS 500, all innovative 'BI in Excel' software powered by Alchemex.

Almost two years ago, Alchemex CEO Gary Boddington had this to say: “Microsoft Excel is here to stay. Ask anyone who has worked with Excel for many years, and talk to people in companies that have created BI technology that integrates with Excel to provide BI solutions for mid-sized organisations, and you will get a good appreciation for how relevant and critical Excel is to so many companies globally. Excel is unlikely to lose its position of dominance in the world of BI and spreadsheets in a hurry. There are already, and will no doubt be many more, pretenders to the throne, but Excel is pervasive, it is easy and will get easier to use, it is immensely powerful and will get more powerful (despite everybody still only using a fraction of its functionality). With this anticipated growth in functionality and usability, it is easy to wager that Excel will remain a great BI base for the mid-sized market for a long time to come, and including it as part of your total BI solution would be a wise investment in technology and skills.”

Now Gartner is speaking the same language!

See full Gartner BI Summit article here:
http://searchbusinessanalytics.techtarget.com/news/2240018042/Gartner-BI-Summit-Wave-the-white-flag-on-using-Excel-for-business-intelligence

For over 20 years we have worked together with partners, resellers and suppliers to provide a high level of service and support to both regional and international businesses in Europe, North America and Australia.

Aspin is made up of three companies:

    * Aspin Management Systems Ltd
    * Aspin Interactive Ltd
    * AMSolve Software Pty Ltd

Aspin Management Systems Ltd was formed in 1984 as a software and computer supplier with the principle objective of providing complete business information solutions.

Initially specialising in the development of the AMSolve accounting and supply chain management application, Aspin has built up a large customer base of import, export and distribution companies that have come to trust and rely upon the services that we provide.

Identifying opportunities in the growing handheld computer sector, Aspin has also developed software which is specifically aimed at facilitating the role of mobile sales workers. The MiniSell suite was designed by both managers and field representatives who understand the ever-increasing demands that are placed upon the sales function. As a result, MiniSell has become the tool of choice for sales teams around the globe.

The most recent addition to the group’s UK operations was formed in 2002. Aspin Interactive Ltd designs, develops and implements web-enabled applications in both Europe and the US and has been responsive in meeting the needs of a variety of organisations and industry sectors.

AMSolve Software Pty, based in Melbourne, forms the base for the group’s activities in Australasia and the Pacific Rim and provides product development and support for our customers in the region.

In the USA, Aspin has developed a cohesive network of partners who help support our customers throughout North America.

MiniSell will allow your field sales reps and merchandisers to become more effective in their daily tasks, and from this promote profitability and reduce business costs.

MiniSell provides the mobile worker with regularly updated information whilst away from their administrative office.

Orders can be collected at customer sites or exhibitions and sent to your central database via any Internet connections. Data can be captured via barcode scanner, data listings or manual input.

MiniSell is modular, allowing you to choose which processes are relevant to your business; allowing for scalability and a strategic deployment

The application platform is any handheld PC (PDA) utilising Pocket PC 2003 or Windows Mobile (e.g.HP iPAQ 210,Symbol MC50,02 XDA, or HTC device).

The update and down date of information is handled via the Internet, directly connecting to the handheld device, providing low cost and reliable communication. The Internet connection can be made by a variety of options: GPRS, GSM, Wi-Fi, ADSL and CF/SD modem.

MiniSell can print to any Pocket PC compatible printer via Infra Red or Blue Tooth (e.g. Brother M-Print, Canon BJ90). This enables the mobile rep to leave account and order information with the customer if required.

For over 20 years we have worked together with partners, resellers and suppliers to provide a high level of service and support to both regional and international businesses in Europe, North America and Australia.

Aspin is made up of three companies:

    * Aspin Management Systems Ltd
    * Aspin Interactive Ltd
    * AMSolve Software Pty Ltd

Aspin Management Systems Ltd was formed in 1984 as a software and computer supplier with the principle objective of providing complete business information solutions.

Initially specialising in the development of the AMSolve accounting and supply chain management application, Aspin has built up a large customer base of import, export and distribution companies that have come to trust and rely upon the services that we provide.

Identifying opportunities in the growing handheld computer sector, Aspin has also developed software which is specifically aimed at facilitating the role of mobile sales workers. The MiniSell suite was designed by both managers and field representatives who understand the ever-increasing demands that are placed upon the sales function. As a result, MiniSell has become the tool of choice for sales teams around the globe.

The most recent addition to the group’s UK operations was formed in 2002. Aspin Interactive Ltd designs, develops and implements web-enabled applications in both Europe and the US and has been responsive in meeting the needs of a variety of organisations and industry sectors.

AMSolve Software Pty, based in Melbourne, forms the base for the group’s activities in Australasia and the Pacific Rim and provides product development and support for our customers in the region.

In the USA, Aspin has developed a cohesive network of partners who help support our customers throughout North America.

For more information visit www.sage50software.com.au

Sage 50 Accounts 2009 is packed with features to help keep your business truly organised and ensure you get paid on time
As well as improving cash flow, it also helps to manage your other day-to-day finances - everything from GST returns to year-end accounts. So you'll be more in control of your finances and be able to free-up time for other areas of your business.

There are also features that allow you to manage your customers and suppliers more professionally, while our flexible management reports give you a greater insight into your business.

For more information visit www.sagepastelxpress.com.au

Sage Pastel Xpress is an affordable accounting solution for smaller businesses, or for larger businesses with basic accounting needs. This intuitive, user friendly accounting solution enables you to manage numbers with ease and confidence.
Sage Pastel Xpress’ automation of common business processes makes the product easy to learn and easy to use. As your business grows, upgrade and access greater functionality at the click of a button without having to transfer data.

For more information visit www.sagepastelevolution.com

Sage Pastel Evolution brings all aspects of your operating environment together, providing an integrated, holistic view of your business. The comprehensive range of features, functionality, and a number of add-on modules, provide a scalable, flexible and robust management tool for large businesses.
In the past, accounting systems stored a wealth of information relating to your customers, suppliers and inventory. This information was often limited to accounting data, i.e. the numbers. Sage Pastel Evolution takes accounting to the next level by allowing you to not only capture numbers, but also to perform what we refer to as business activities. This gives you the ability to control your financial situation as well as your relationships with your customers, suppliers and employees.

In addition to the comprehensive range of features in Sage Pastel Evolution, are a number of add-on modules that make Sage Pastel Evolution the perfect management tool for your growing business.

There are three new exciting add-on modules in Sage Pastel Evolution.
Information Alerts allows you to streamline key processes within your business. You can send and receive notifications to relevant users based on a set of predefined criteria.

Procurement allows you to precisely manage the numerous purchase orders in your business and keep control of purchases.

Bank Statement Manager allows for the cash book to be electronically populated when a bank statement is imported where large volumes of transactions are processed.

With My Business you will always know who owes you money.
My Business is a simple and easy to use business software solution designed for start-up businesses that require the ability to track item quantities, costs and purchases. It also enables you to manage your bank accounts, credit cards and general company expenses. And, with My Business’ user friendly “Dashboard” you will always have a bird’s eye view of what is happening in your business.
In addition to the features found in My Invoicing, My Business will allow you to do the following:

•Manage your Customer Invoices, Payments, Outstanding Balances, Bad Debts and Customer Statements
•Manage your Supplier Invoices, Returns, Orders and Payments Due
•Manage items purchased, sold and returned, as well as the costs and quantities
•Report on your top selling items, as well as most purchased items
•Enter bank account transactions and track the company expense payments
•Reconcile your cashbooks and report on total cash received and cash paid out
•Use the Profit and Loss Report to show profitability
•Use the GST Report for your GST submissions
•Record all assets in your business and view an Asset Register Report
•Your accountant can use the Accountants Area to prepare a Statement of Assets and Liabilities using the journal entries

For more information visit www.sagepastelmybusiness.com.au

Sage Pastel Partner provides the ideal combination of power, innovation, flexibility, rapid processing and ease-of-use for small to medium sized businesses. It is feature rich and robust in a multi-user environment, with multi-currency capability and a highly intuitive interface.
Sage Pastel Partner allows you to add modules to your core accounting application as your business grows. This means that you can tailor Sage Pastel Partner according to your specific business needs.

For more information visit www.sagepastelpartner.com.au

This functionality is handy when Time-out errors occur at runtime as a result of a large and sluggish Alchemex.svd file.
Compacting the Alchemex.svd file will reduce the size of the file as it removes any unnecessary unassociated connections that were recorded, as well as any other background files.

Method

1. Select File
2. Then select Compact Metadata
3. A message that Alchemex must shut down will appear
4. Select Yes
5. The following will then open
6. Select Compact SVD
7. A Confirm message box will open
8. Select Yes
9. The Alchemex Maintenance Utility window will be populated with commands as it gets executed
10. When it has completed, the following message will appear, asking you to delete the backup file after verifying that Alchemex is working correctly
11. Select OK
12. The backup file can either be deleted or kept as an additional backup