Overview

Sage 50 Accounts Professional

Sage 50 Accounts 2012 is the market-leading accounts software that makes managing your customers, suppliers and day-to-day finances as easy as possible.

From invoicing customers and paying suppliers, to managing VAT returns and year-end accounts, it helps you manage all the different areas of your business. By keeping things simple, it frees you up to focus on your customers and your business.

Managing your Customers and Suppliers

Keeping track of your finances isn't just about adding up the numbers every day. It's data that can tell you a lot about your business.

For example, who are your best customers? Or who buys what and when and how often?

From the suppliers who always deliver when they say they will to the effect of offering a discount on a line or item, Sage 50 Accounts helps you make sense of your business.

As you record the information you need to keep your accounts straight you can build up a better picture of your customers and suppliers. How you use that information is up to you. Sage 50 puts it at your fingertips.

Managing your Accounts and Finances

It's easy to stay on top of your everyday business finances, keeping track of everything from VAT to budgets with Sage 50 Accounts.

Are you covering your costs? What payments are due? Who do you need to chase for payment?

Sage 50 Accounts helps you keep your cash flow moving.

You'll find the information you need to prepare, generate and submit your VAT returns online all in one place, making it easy to deal with HM Revenue & Customs. And with things like profit and loss and balance sheet reports available at the touch of a button, you're always in control of your business.

Easier business on the go with Sage 50 Accounts Mobile

Sage 50 Accounts Mobile gives you live access to your Sage 50 Accounts information on your mobile device so you can keep up to date with your finances when you're out and about.

It's a free mobile application that's simple to use and set up with your desktop software, even if you don't have an in-depth knowledge of accounts.

Use it to get a quick overview of customer, supplier and financial details.

Or get more in depth information about individual accounts and create things like sales orders, quotes and invoices - ideal for those of you who do business on the go.

Currently available for Apple iPhone /iPod Touch at Apple App Store and Blackberry at Blackberry World.

Why Sage?

Sage have been delivering software, services and support to help businesses with their day-to-day challenges for 30 years. More than 80,000 UK businesses choose Sage to help them. And hundreds of thousands use Sage 50 Accounts, making it the market leading accounts software.

Sages' support teams talk to their customers every day. So they get to learn what's going on in their business, what their concerns and challenges are.

The business world is always changing. So Sage are adapting their software and services - whether that's to keep up with the latest legislation, or introduce new technology, like Sage 50 Accounts Mobile.

By listening to their customers and adapting to changing business needs, Sage aim to help you meet your challenges now and in the future.

What's the difference between Sage 50 Accounts, Sage 50 Accounts Plus & Sage 50 Accounts Professional?

Sage 50 Accounts will help you to:

• Manage cash and stock
• Invoice customers, pay suppliers
• Submit VAT returns, prepare year-end accounts.

Sage 50 Accounts Plus also includes the following extra features:

• Price Management - features like individual customer price lists removes the need to rely on memory or manual systems and reduces the risk of error.
• Batch Processes - and batch conversions of quotes will increase efficiency and flexibility of customer management processes.
• Stock Management - Increasing the volume of business can cause problems with increased stock holding - holding back further growth because of the financial impact. The advanced stock management and Bill of Materials capabilities in Accounts Plus can help reduce stock holding, whilst maintaining flow.
• Projects/Jobs - For many businesses that need to manage projects - either for customers or internally - then the Project Costing feature in Accounts Plus is a great benefit. This is a very strong feature for all businesses that need to control budgets and costs of their projects.
• Asset Management - Management of assets ensuring accurate postings and up to date accounts. Automate journal processes for depreciation and write off saving time and reducing the risk of error.

Sage 50 Accounts Professional includes all the features of Plus as well as the following:

• Customer Order Management - allows users to manage stock allocations, preferred customers and keep tighter control of what is to be despatched, invoiced and also returns.
• Supplier Order Management - allows a more profitable relationship with their suppliers and also tighter control over stock. Businesses can easily identify what is on order, what is due for delivery and needs to be reordered. It automates the process of reconciling invoices against purchase orders.
• More Users - As businesses increase the sophistication of their computerisation, they need to process more and more transactions. Sage 50 Accounts Professional allows up to 10 concurrent users - dramatically increasing the scope of their business improvement.
• Dealing with Business outside the UK - Foreign trading is becoming increasingly necessary for businesses to expand - the full foreign trading capability of Sage 50 Accounts Professional allows complete control of foreign currency transactions - with improved functionality and easier management of adjustments with improved error corrections.
• Advanced Budget Management - gives businesses a much tighter control over their performance and the ability to spot issues more easily allowing them to take the necessary corrective action.
• Multi Companies - whilst all variants of Sage 50 Accounts have multi company capability, only Accounts Professional has the Consolidation feature. This is especially useful where businesses have to produce consolidated accounts for all or some of their subsidiaries. With the new advanced budget management feature, the businesses have a much tighter control of their business performance across multiple companies and departments.

What's new

What's New in Sage 50 Accounts 2012

Sage 50 Accounts is designed to help small and growing businesses manage their finances (accounts, customers and suppliers) and is an important part of the Sage 50 Suite.

Sage 50 Accounts 2012 continues the development of the market leading business software offering considerably; helping towards increased efficiency/effectiveness and reduction of errors. This release has been driven by feedback from our customers and stakeholders.

Getting up and Running - improvements include:

Installation - The ability to install and setup the software simply via a simple ‘Active Set-up wizard', simplified network install via automated network share, discovery & net-setup and a simple quick install.

Registration - The ability to register the software simply via online registration.

Activation - The ability to activate the software simply via online activation.

Data Conversion - The ability to convert data simply.

Daily Usability - functionality, performance and integration improvements including:

Lock Date - The user now has the option to use the lock a date, providing increased financial control.

Chart of Accounts - Increased flexibility in the chart of accounts via pre-canned COA structures for more business types and updated nominal codes, support for the needs of different business types and not just sole traders, presenting the user with a quick view in the COA to see their progress rather than having to run a financial management report and making it easier for users to understand and create floating nominal ranges.

Quick Search to increase efficiency on locating Customers, their Orders and Invoices & Suppliers  

Quick Print - Increased efficiency via the ability to set a default layout and conduct a quick print.

Support Home Page - Increased efficiency for both the user and Sage via the Support Home Page.

Accountant Dataset Manager (Client Manager) - Improving collaboration between the accountant and client.

Sage 50 Mobile - Allowing anytime/anywhere access via Sage 50 Mobile.

Performance - Increased investment in the development of the Sage 50 Accounts infrastructure to improve performance in the following areas:

• All list searches and sorts
• Bank activity
• Bank reconciliation
• Check data
• Clear audit trail
• Concurrency fault finding
• Customer activity
• Dept. Activity
• Fund ledger
• Project Costing activity
• Nominal activity
• Stock activity
• Supplier activity
• Quotes
• ODBC - use a snapshot
• VAT Return
• Year End
• Open file patterns
• Display accurate progress bars/indicators to feedback what is happening during a process.

Features

 Get up and running

• Easy to set up and use
• View video demonstrations
• Learn in practice mode
• Easily correct mistakes

• Sales Order Management 
• Create quotations and invoices
• See how much profit you will make on each quote or invoice before you commit
• Apply flexible discounts to win business
• See who owes you money and when it's due
• Find customer contact details quickly and easily
• Customer Price Lists

Manage your suppliers

• Purchase Order Management 
• Record purchase invoices in batches
• See who you owe money and when it's due
• Easily view your supplier activity

Manage your finances

• Foreign Trading capability 
• Share information electronically with your accountant
• Keep track of money going in and out of your business
• Prepare VAT returns
• Manage Flat Rate VAT
• See Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet Reports
• Advanced Budget Management
• Manage electronic VAT submissions - accredited by HMRC
• Bank reconciliation for up-to-date figures
• Asset Management

Manage your business

• Manage reports to suit the needs of your business
• Keep track of your products and services
• Barcode generation to control your stock
• Advanced Stock Management and Bill of Materials
• Manage your time with the integrated diary
• Support for charities
• Integrate with your Webstore (using Sage Pay)
• Manage Projects / Jobs
• Sage 50 Mobile (new) 
• Up to 10 concurrent users (additonal cost) 
• Unlimited companies (additional cost)
• Multi-company Consolidation

Requirements

Licence Information

• Sage 50 Accounts single user licence permits one installation of the software on a single workstation. If you would like to install the software on additional workstations you will need to purchase additional installation licences.
• To use Sage 50 Accounts over a network you will need a minimum of a two user licence. If installed over a network there is no restriction to the number of workstations Sage 50 Accounts can be accessed from, but access will be limited to ten concurrent users. Please note Sage 50 Accounts may not be used over multiple networks.
• Unfortunately licences for multiple locations or premises are not available. If you need to use Sage 50 Accounts at multiple locations you will need a Wide Area Network. If a WAN is not in place, you will need a separate software licence for each location.

Performance is improved with higher specification PCs and networks. A Netbook PC, running an entry level operating system, will require less advanced hardware.

Processor 2Ghz processor or higher

Memory (RAM)
1Gb RAM - Windows XP
2Gb RAM - Windows Vista, 7, Server 2003, Server 2008, Small Business Server 2011
4Gb RAM - For all PCs running a 64-bit operating system

Hard Disk Space 10Gb of free disk space

Network 1Gbps network (100 Mbps minimum)

Operating System
All 32 or 64-bit variants of the following operating systems:

Note: Please ensure all the latest Microsoft Service Packs and Updates are installed.

Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Windows Server 2003 *
Windows Server 2008 *
Windows Small Business Server 2011 *

* Running software like Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SQL Server on a Small Business Server will reduce the performance of Sage 50 Accounts

Office Integration
Office 2003
Office 2007
Office 2010 32-bit edition

Internet Connectivity
A broadband Internet connection with a minimum download speed of 2Mbps is essential to keep your copy of Sage 50 Accounts up to date, and to take full advantage of its features.

Display Screen Resolution of 1024 x 768

Anti-Virus
To optimise performance your Anti-Virus software should be configured to exclude Sage files from its checking routines.