This documentation will guide users through the information required in order to successfully go through the Year End procedure within Sage Line 50.

SCOPE:

The year-end procedure itself is fully automated, and prepares your company for processing in the new financial year. During this procedure the relevant account balances for the current financial year for your profit and loss accounts are transferred to the Retained Earnings account so they are ready to accept transactions for the new financial year.

The balances of your balance sheet accounts are carried forward into the new financial year to give you an accurate picture of your ongoing financial position.

Any future dated transactions are transferred to the relevant monthly field on each nominal account record.
Your nominal and product budget figures can be set automatically for the new financial year, with a percentage increase if required and actual values are transferred to prior year so you can produce comparison reports in the new financial year.

Before performing the year end procedure, please take the time to read all the instructions below so that the year end process can go through as smoothly as possible.

CRITICAL NOTES:

Before the Year End Procedure, you need to be aware of the following:

• Backup – Before performing the Year End procedure please ensure you have made at least 2 working backups of your company data.
• Check Data - Perform a Check Data (data integrity check) prior to running year end by going into File...Maintenance
• System Date - Make sure your system date is the same as your year-end date.

IMPORTANT NOTE - It is very difficult to predict how long the year process may take to completed as a number of variables such as, size of the data, PC hardware specifications as well as available system resources will impact on the duration of the process. It is absolutely vital that you are patient during this process as shutting Sage Line 50 down forcefully (i.e. by using ctrl-alt-del) will almost certainly corrupt your company data files.

PREPARING FOR YEAR END CHECKLIST:

It is absolutely imperative that you prepare thoroughly before you process the year-end. The following checklist will help to ensure that your Year End is processed correctly, and that you have done all the necessary preparatory work.

Task	Details
Backup your company data	We cannot overstate the importance of this step. You should keep this backup and never overwrite it. As a precautionary measure, make at least two sets of backups and store them in different physical locations. If the year-end procedure does not complete for any reason you will have to restore from backup and reinitiate the year-end procedure. It is also recommended that you run a data integrity check (File…Maintenance…Check) before making this backup.
Verify Financial Year start date	Check the Financial Year start date in the Settings menu, to ensure it is correct.

WHAT RUNNING THE YEAR END DOES:

The year-end procedure automatically sets up the company for processing in the next year. During this procedure the following processing is done:

Process	Explanation
Updates profit and loss balance	Balances for the year just ended on your Profit and Loss nominal accounts are transferred to the Retained Earnings nominal account. The balance in this account represents the net surplus (or deficit) for the year of Income over Expenditure. This leaves the P & L accounts ready to accept transactions for the new financial year.
Updates nominal account balances	The Balance Sheet nominal account balances are carried forward into the new financial year. These balances are transferred to the brought forward field on the nominal account record and will be included in the Year To Date values in the Balance Sheet in the new financial year.
Transfers future dated transaction	Any future dated transactions are transferred to the relevant monthly field in each nominal account. An updated Audit Trail report is produced showing transactions made automatically to Retained Earnings account by the Year End option.
Actual balances made prior year balances	The Actual monthly balances are transferred to Prior Year for each nominal account record; this enables you to print comparison reports in the new financial year.
Actual balances to budget values	The Actual monthly balances are transferred to Budget values for the new financial year for your Profit and Loss nominal account records and for your stock records, (with a percentage increase if required). This is an optional feature of year-end.
Actual Sales / quantity sold values transferred	The Actual Sales and Quantity Sold values on each product record are transferred to Prior Year.
Updates product record	Any future dated transactions are transferred to the relevant monthly field in each product record.
Updates Year to Date Field	The value in the YTD field (Year To Date turnover) on all Customer and Suppliers records is transferred to the Prior YTD field.
Updates start date	The financial year start date is incremented.

PROCEDURE:

To run the Year End Procedure simply follow the instructions below:

• In Sage Line 50 open the Tools menu from the Sage Line 50 menu bar, then choose the 'Period End' option, then 'Year End'.
  
• The Year End Window will display providing you with a number of options. The window again advises you to make 2 backups if you have not already done so. (Please see screen shot below and what you can choose from thereafter).
  
  Nominal Budgets Area:
  If you want to update your budget figures for each nominal ledger profit and loss account and each product record with the actual values from the year just ending, select the 'Transfer Actuals to Budgets' check box.If you selected this check box and want to increase the budget values for the current year, enter the percentage increase you require in the Percentage Increase box. Any percentage you enter here will increase the budgets for your nominal accounts or product records, as selected. Leave this as zero if you do not want any increase in your budget figures.
  Postings: Area:
  In the Year End Journals Date box, enter the date you want on your year end journals. Your financial year-end date appears here automatically but you can change this if you want to. Use the Calendar to select the date you require.
  Output To Area:
  A Year A Year End updated Audit Trail report is produced for the year end postings. Select from the Output area the type of output you require;  Printer, or File. If you want to archive the closing year's data, select the 'Archive Company Data before Year End' check box.

• If you have already made your backups and are ready to proceed click on the 'OK' option. To exit without running the year end procedure, click on the 'Cancel' button. Please Note: when running this procedure, Sage Line 50 automatically resets to zero the balances of all your profit and loss nominal accounts for your new financial year.
• Before the system begins to process your Year End a confirmation message will appears. To continue with your year-end click 'Yes', or to cancel click 'No'.
  
• As a security measure you will again be prompted with a confirmation message, warning you that the year end will be performed using the existing chart of accounts. To continue please click 'Yes' again.
• Next you will be prompted with a Print screen providing you with the option to print out your year end postings. At this point specify the required printer and options and then click on 'OK' to proceed
  
• Lastly the system will prompt you to check whether your Program Date is correct before you begin processing transaction for your new financial year. If the date is correct simply click on 'OK' and if it is incorrect make the required changes and then click on the 'OK' button.
  

If you require further assistance or information, please contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact sales@sagepastelsoftware.com.au
 

This article will go through the Sage ePayDay year end procedure that clients can use to run this process accordingly.

SCOPE:

It is essential that the year end process is run before updating to the new tax scales and processing your  first payrun in the new financial year. Please ensure you print out and read through the attached document accordingly. You should tick off each step in sequence before commencing to the next phase and the EOY processing worksheet will assist you in ensuring this is done and no steps are missed.

PLEASE ENSURE: That you are using Series 22.00 of e-PayDay for Sage Pastel. If you are using a previous version, you MUST update BEFORE processing your year end. You should also ensure that you have two working backups before you proceed to the year end procedure and before you upgrade to Version 22.

Only after you have completed the year end procedure, can you proceed to then upgrade to Version 23 in order to upgrade to the new tax scales and process your first payrun for the new financial year.

PROCEDURE:

In order to view the year end procedure, click on the attached document to open.

Please contact our support department for further assistance with this on support@sagepastelsoftware.com.au or sales@sagepastelsoftware.com.au if you do not have a support contract.

The purpose of this technical bulletin is to assist users of Sage Pastel Evolution to run through the financial year end as smoothly as possible.

SCOPE:

Sage Pastel Evolution software keeps up to five financial years of data. You only need to purge the first year data when all years have been used up, so that you can use this additional year in the system. Through out this documentation we will go through the four crucial steps in performing the year end for Sage Pastel Evolution data bases. These four steps are as followed:

STEP 1:  Print the Relevant Reports (Ensure that all the reports for Year 1 have been printed according to your auditor or company's requirements).
STEP 2:  BACKUP the company folder
STEP 3:  Purging of other accounts/items (General Ledger accounts / Receivable and Payable accounts)
STEP 4:  Purge first year procedure

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Why is purging the year end required?

Pastel Evolution has the capacity to accommodate up to five financial years of General Ledger information. Upon completion of the 5th financial year, you will be required to purge the 1st year information contained in the system. By completing the First Year Purge Procedure, you are able to add an additional year to the system. In order to establish which financial year you are currently working in, go to the menu option: Maintenance.. Common.. Company Details  then click on the Accounting Periods option.

Purging can also be done to reduce the size of your company database and increase working speed.

When should i perform my financial year end procedures?

This can be performed at any point when working in Year 4 or Year 5, but note that Year 1, 2, 3 must have been audited and cleared by your accountants. It is therefore not necessary to wait until the last day of your Year 5 financial period - it can be done right now!

Note: The only report that should be completed on the last day of your financial year is the Inventory Valuation Report (i.e. Reports, Inventory, Valuation). This report is required by your accountant/auditor in order to calculate the value of stock at that point in time. This report cannot be backdated or run in advance as it works on the current stock value.

STEP 1: PRINTING REPORTS REQUIRED PRIOR TO STARTING THE YEAR END PURGE:

Ensure that all the following reports for Year 1 have been printed according to your auditor or company's requirements:

• Trial Balance
• Income Statement
• Balance Sheet
• Ledger Accounts (if required)
• Account Balances (if required)
• Project Profit & Loss (if required)
• Inventory Management (if required)
• Any additional reports you may require

Note: Ensure that reports balance for Year 1. In the event that this is not the case, do the following:

• A Backup
• Run a General Ledger Relink (Maintenance, General Ledger, General Ledger Relink). This will recalculate the balances in your General Ledger Balance table and make sure the data integrity is kept.
• Re-run the above reports. Should they still be out of balance, run an Audit Trail Report (i.e. Reports, General Ledger, Audit Trail) with the options "Margin of error" (set to 0.01) and "Periods" selected only. If you find that a transaction is out of balance, contact the Pastel Evolution Support Team for assistance (see contact details below).

STEP 2: BACKUP THE COMPANY FOLDER:

Refer to the technical documentation on How to Backup / Restore Sage Pastel Evolution data - Click Here!

STEP 3: PURGING OF OTHER ACCOUNTS:

The following points should be taken under consideration when attempting to purge or delete any of the relevant account types:

General Ledger Accounts

• Once a transaction has been allocated against a ledger account, it cannot be deleted.
• Should the account be an expense or income account, it can only be deleted after the first year has been completed, as the system deletes all transactions for these accounts and brings forward a balance in the new year as an accumulated profit or loss.
• Should the above have taken place, go to the Maintenance, General Ledger, Accounts.
• Highlight the specific account and click on the Delete button.
• Balance sheet accounts have a balance brought forward only if an amount exists to be brought forward. Should a zero balance exist, this account can be deleted after purging.

Receivable and Payable Accounts

• No debtor or creditor account can be deleted if there are invoices outstanding or a balance exists.
• Ensure that the account has a zero balance and that all transactions have been fully allocated (i.e. Maintenance, Receivables/Payables, Allocation Utilities).

PROCEDURE for Purging Receivables/Payables Accounts:

1. Click on Accounts Receivables/Accounts Payables... Maintenance... Purge Transactions. Specify the account(s) and date range options.
2. Go to Accounts Receivables/Accounts Payables... Maintenance... Customers/Suppliers
3. Highlight the specific account and Delete. (See screen shot below):

STEP 4: PURGE FIRST YEAR PROCEDURE:

Upon completion of all the above steps, you are ready to perform the First Year Purge.

NOTE - Once this procedure has been started, it cannot be interrupted. Should an interruption occur, please restore your backup made previously.

1.) The Purge First Year Procedure is processed from General Ledger... Maintenance... Purge First Year.
2.) Select an Accumulated Profit type account. Should none be available, make use of the "Insert" key to create an account on the fly.

Alternatively cancel this screen:

1.) Go to Maintenance... General Ledger... Accounts and click on Add to create an account with the account type as Accumulated Profit.
2.) Select a transaction code (i.e. JNL) and click on start
3.) Once this has been completed, you will be provided with a confirmation screen and your company period table will have moved to create the New Year.

AFTER THE YEAR END:

After the Year End, it is essential to re-run all the necessary reports (e.g. - Trial Balance, Age Analysis etc). Refer to The Year End Procedure in Detail (Step 1). This step is vital, as this confirms that the data has been successfully carried over to the next year.

Once you have double checked the reports and are satisfied that the year end procedure ran smoothly, you can then begin processing current year's transactions.

If you require further assistance or information, please contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact: sales@sagepastelsoftware.com.au

PURPOSE:

This quick guide describes how to change the date format in Easyprojects.

SCOPE:

Change the Easyproject's date format. We cover the procedures on how to do this in Firefox and Internet explorer. 

This could be useful as not all countries use the same format (dd/mm/yy) and you might need to customize this according the time format of the region.. 

Select a date format and a week starting day in your browser's language settings.

Firefox:

Tools -> Options

Content -> Languages

Specify a preferable language (English Australia) that has dd/mm/yy format to the very top of the languaje list using "Move up" button.

Then Click "OK" twice to save the changes.

Click refresh for the changes to take effect and see the results.

Internet Explorer:

Tools -> Internet Options

On the general tab -> Appearance -> Languages

Click "Add"

Select preferable language (English Australia) that has dd/mm/yy format to the very top of the language list using "Move up" button.

Then Click "OK" twice to save the changes.

Refresh the page for the changes to take effect and see the results.

It is essential to complete certain tasks prior to running the Year End procedure, to ensure that everything runs smoothly thereafter.

SCOPE

In this Article we will cover the necessary tasks to run before the Year End procedure on your Sage Pastel Partner/Xpress.

PROCEDURE

Retained Income Account

If you are running a Year End on a particular company for the first time, you need to ensure that the retained income exists. To create this account, go to Edit | General Ledger Accounts and click on the  icon. Create this account with the details as below :

Completing a Stock Take

It is critical to do the stock take or inventory count before the Year End process occurs, to ensure that the correct amount is reflected on your balance sheet for Year End reporting.

By completing the stock take, you are ensuring that the theoretical count (stock count on the system) is the same as the physical count (the manual process of counting stock items on hand). Should there be differences, the system will make the necessary adjustments to reflect the quantities as you capture them. The Inventory Count Assistant will guide you through the process of counting inventory quantities, and then reconciling physical and theoretical quantity differences.

Foreign Currency Revaluation

Foreign currency transactions cannot be revalued for prior financial periods. It is therefore essential that the correct foreign exchange rates are entered as well as ensuring that the foreign currency revaluation is processed.

Deleted Users

There may have been cases where a particular user needed to be deleted off the system. When running the Year End process, you may receive an error that there are open batches for this user. To fix this, you need to re-create the deleted user by going into Setup |  Users/Passwords. You will be then able to see the open batches that were created under that deleted user. Update them and you will be able to process the Year End.

Bank Reconciliation

Since Pastel Partner and Xpress retains data for 2 years, it is very important to make sure that you have updated all your bank recons for the current financial year. The reason for this is that cheques or any transactions processed in the cashbook in the prior financial period will not reflect on the bank reconciliation once the Year End has been run. This is because when you run the Year End, the system takes the current year's transactions and puts them into last year and the last year's data will then be lost on that company.

Pastel Backup

You must save backups on removable media such as CDs or memory sticks. A backup on the same physical computer as the data is inadequate. You should also keep some of these copies in a separate geographical location to ensure their safety.

We recommend the following backup regime:

•  Daily backups made onto separate backup devices, one for each day of the week. In other words, do not overwrite the previous day's backup with a current one. Using this daily strategy, you can go back 5 working days if you need to.
•  Additional backups made at the end of every week, again on separate devices. This lets you go back a few weeks if you need to.
•  An additional backup made at the end of each month, which you keep for at least a financial year.
•  An additional backup made at the end of the financial year, which you keep forever.

In this article we bring you key pointers on how to solve common errors when running the Year End process. These tips will assist you and your clients during the busy Year End period and avoid time-wasting troubleshooting. We have also included a list of items to check for before beginning the process, to help you get off to a smooth start.

SCOPE

This Checklist is intended to cover the following topics in regards to the Sage Pastel Partner/Xpress year end procedure:

• What to check for prior to the Year End?
• Point of Sale System Date error
• How to turn off User Account Control Settings in Windows Version 7
• Open Batches when processing the Year End
• Running the Year End Procedure for Sage Pastel Partner/Xpress
  

PROCEDURE

What to check for prior to the Year End? 

It is essential to complete certain tasks prior to running the Year End procedure, to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Read more here.

Open Batches when processing the Year End

A common error received when processing the year end states “Open Batches Found. You cannot continue with the Year End.” Click here for instructions on how to resolve this.

Point of Sale System Date error

Sage Pastel Point of Sale uses the date on your computer system for all the processing that is done. Users may encounter an error when trying to access the processing screen. Click here to read more on this.

How to turn off User Account Control Settings in Windows Version 7

There may be instances when the User Account Control settings as set in Windows Version 7, need to be turned off.  Click here to find out how to do this.

CONTACT US

Support E-mail :  support@sagepastel.com.au

If you have any comments or suggestions on ways we can improve this article so that it is effective and useful to you, please e-mail us on support@sagepastel.com.au

Which Company ?

• Software Alliance Group
• Evolve Systems Consulting
• Telemarketing Call
• Call for Individual Person

Rounding issues in Interprise.

Problem arises when dealing with GST exclusive prices with 2 decimal places.

In Australia we use GST Inclusive pricing. Interprise only stores GST Ex prices and adds on GST. The rounding issue comes about when we divide the Inclusive price by 1.1 to get back to an exclusive price. This often results in a value with multiple decimal places. The system default for decimal places is set to use 2 decimal places, therefore this multiple decimal placed value is rounded to 2 decimal places, the system will use this rounded value as the Excl GST value in all calculations.

For example, assume GST Ex price of 99.99

GST = 99.99 * 0.1= 9.999

Inclusive = 99.99 * 1.1 = 109.989

Rounding these figures up to 2 decimals gives

GST = 10

Inclusive = 109.99

So far this looks ok.

But if we are talking about quantities larger than 1, the rounding ends up differently.

Assuming a quantity of 9

GST = 9.999 * 9 = 89.991

Inclusive = 109.989 * 9 = 989.901

Rounding to 2 decimals

GST = 89.99

Inclusive = 989.90

But on the order, the price is listed as 109.99 (GST Inclusive)

109.99 * 9 = 989.91

This is a 1c discrepancy. But this will grow larger on bigger orders with more item lines.

And customers could query those discrepancies on the order/invoice they are sent.

Solution

One way we could resolve this would be that all Exclusive Pricing would be entered into the system with only 1 decimal point.

All tax calculations would result in 2 decimal inclusive figures at most. So there would be no cent rounding required at all.

This document details how a user can simply retrieve a registration code for the Sage Pastel Partner package online, on their very own.

SCOPE

The online registration facility is available for the following products: (Sage Pastel Partner 2005, 2007, 2009 and Sage Pastel Xpress). 

You would need your login information/PIN number and Serial Number. You can then generate your own registration codes online (Click the blue text) = Online Registration Site or through the manual process by submitting the form to us using the Web Form option = Web Form. The "Online" option is recommended and the "Web Form" option should only be used to submit a form to our registration desk - should you have problems retrieving a registration code online.

Registrations are required on an "Annual basis" for the products above.

Please Note: That getting the registration from our site (online) is instant, otherwise submitting a web form to our registrations team can take up to 48 hours!

PROCEDURE:

Please follow the instructions below to use the Online facility:

• Access our online registration facility: Click the blue text > Online Registration Site
• You will then need to enter your Serial Number within the field highlighted in yellow below, then click the Next button

• Confirm your Company and Contact details within the next screen, then scroll to the very bottom of the form and click on the Next step button 
• The following screen will require you to add any modules (if applicable) or to also confirm your PIN number "Access Code" before proceeding. (The screenshot below hides serial numbers, due to privacy of information). Otherwise click on the Complete Re-Registration button at the bottom.
  

NOTE  = If your Access Code/PIN number being displayed is different. You will need to submit the Web Form instead so our registrations team can supply the registration for  you. Usually a PIN number should remain the same if you are using the same Server and Registered name as previous years. Click here to access the web form if required = Web Form

• The following screen will then display your Registration code (also known as Authorisation Code). This is the code you use to re-register or activate your software again for the next 12 month period. Your can also Print these details by scrolling to the bottom and clicking the Print button.
  

• This completes the procedure on how to retrieve a registration code on your own.

Please NOTE: That you still have to now enter the key above within your Server PC and Register all your Workstations thereafter. For details on the Registration Process, please click on the blue link to access the procedure on Registering Your Sage Pastel Partner/Xpress Package.

At times after running an Excel upgrade, the add-in Report Tools option on the Excel toolbar might be
missing in Excel.

To Retrieve:
1. Make sure the Excel is closed
2. From the Start menu, Navigate to Alchemex 60, then select Maintenance Utility

Maintenance utility

3. The following screen will appear:

4. Select Tools, select Register Alchemex Add-ins

Register Alchemex add-ins

5. Now re-launch Excel and the add-in Report Tools option will be available again.

This document have the main objective to take the client throughout the Sage Pastel Partner registration process.

SCOPE

The procedures on this article applies to the Sage Pastel Partner 2005, 2007, 2009 and Sage Pastel Xpress. 

There are two different types of registration for your software, first of all you have to register your copy on your server, and then go to each workstation and register it. To achieve this you are required to follow different steps outlined on each heading of this document.

Also this article explains how to retrieve a PIN number from your server for the registration process. With this PIN you can generate your registration code online on our registration site  or through the manual process by submitting the form to us using the webform on the same site.

Please Note: That getting the registration from our site is instant, otherwise submitting a web form to us can take up to 48 hours.

PROCEDURES ON SERVER

The following steps will occur after a successful installation process.

Please follow the instructions below to register your package.

•  Start Sage Pastel Partner on your server machine. Click Help > Register your package.

• Click Next on the Introduction page of the Registration wizard.
• To register your server or stand-alone Workstation, select Local/Server Registration.

• Click Next
  
• You will need to enter your Base Serial and Registered Company name.
• Your Base Serial Number can be found in your Invoice. (If the base serial number field is already filled, skip this step)
  
• Write Your Registered Company Name. (If the registration name field is already filled, skip this step)
  

• Click Next.
• On this screen, you can check your Access Code/Pin Code.
  

• Now, go to http://www.sagepastelsoftware.com.au/ and
  
• under the menu registrations, follow the instructions to get your own Registration Code.
• if you have trouble getting your own code, please go back and select the "web form" option, so you can send a request to us
   (All "web form" registrations can take up to 48 hours for manual processing returns)
  
• Once you get your registration, please enter the code and hit Next.

• Please review the Registration summary screen. Please let us know if you note any discrepancies.
• Click Next and then Finish. Your Sage Pastel Partner server is now registered.

PROCEDURE FOR WORKSTATION

To register your workstations, please follow the instructions below.

• Start Sage Pastel Partner on the workstation machine. Click Help > Register your package.
• Click Next on the Introduction page of the Registration wizard.
• To register your Workstation, select Workstation Registration.
• You will need to enter the path to the Custom\Registration folder that is located on your server.
  This is where the previous registration information is stored
  
•  Hit Next. Please review the Registration summary screen.
• Click Next and then Finish. Your Workstation is now registered. You will need to repeat this on each workstation.

• If you do not have the Pervasive System Analyser installed and available on your Start...Programs menu, you need to install this. Insert the Sage Pastel Partner CD and off the Autorun screen, select the Install Pervasive...Pervasive System Analyser option. (This is also available on Pervasive C/S CD's).

• Otherwise skip to the "Running the PSA to un-install previous Pervasive components" sub heading below.

• The Welcome screen should appear. Click on the Next option to continue and then click on the Next screen when prompted with the View Readme File  screen to continue with the installation.

• The following screen will be the "Start Copying Files" screen. This will supply a summary of the installation and system directory. Click Next to proceed with the installation of the PSA.

• A screen should pop up showing the progress of the installation thereafter.

• Once this has finished a "Setup Complete" screen should appear. If you wish to read the ReadMe file and/or Launch the PSA then simply click Finish or untick the relevant options.

Running the PSA to un-install previous Pervasive components

• Go to Start?All Programs? and browse through the list of items for the Pervasive System Analyzer icon. Click on this to run the PSA.

• Click Next on the "Welcome Screen" and then select the option to Delete Components or Archives.

• Click on the Next button and on the following screen select the Local option and then click Next to continue.

• On the following screen, tick both options to Delete Pervasive SQL components and registry settings & Delete Pervasive Archives. Then click on Next to continue.

• Click Yes on the following prompt to confirm deletion of selected components.

• In order to delete some of the Pervasive components the PC must be rebooted. When presented with the Completing the Pervasive System Analyzer Wizard screen, tick the ?Yes, I want to restart my computer now? option and then click on Finish to complete the uninstall process.

Now that all previous components of Pervasive have been removed. It is safe to install the new Pervasive Version 9.6 Client Server engine. Please run through Step 2 below.

Step 2 - Installing Pervasive V9.6 Client Server Engine on SERVER PC

• Insert the Pervasive CD into your CD ROM drive. The Autorun should appear with the Pervasive install options that are available. Select the "C/S Windows" option - which is the server install for Pervasive Client Server.

• When presented with the Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard screen click on Next to continue with the installation and then click on whether you agree to the terms of the Licence Agreement and then Next to continue with the installation.

• The following screen will prompt you to enter your Client Server License string. If you have this already, enter the string in the field then click on the Next button.

• If you do not - you will need to request one off the Registrations Department by submitting the required Registration form. You can use the temporary key which is available on the CD under a file named Temporary License Keys.txt. This wil last for 30 days though, so please ensure you give enough time for registrations to process your request way before hand you are not locked out of the system. Email registrations@sagepastel.com.au if you are unfamiliar with the process. 

• On the following screen, select the Complete Install option and then click Next to continue.

• The following screen is for information purposes advising user to continue, go back or cancel. Select the Install button to start the install. A progress bar should start incrementing through the installation cycle.

• Once this has completed, the Pervasive System Analyzer utility is automatically launched to determine whether the install was successful. When prompted with the Test Transaction Engine screen please leave all options as selected below and click on Next to Proceed.

• If transactional engine tests were successful, you should see ticks along each test. Click on Next and test the Relational Engine Tests. Please leave all options as selected below. Then click on the Next button.

• If on the other hand any transactional or relational engine tests fail, you may need to re-install the Pervasive engine again using the PSA. The two most common reasons for failed installations include:

                                         * Anti-virus software interfering with the install process
                                         * The user having insufficient rights to perform the install on that PC

              Please address these issues prior to running a reinstall of Pervasive. Otherwise, there could be network communication errors that are causing the problem.

• Once the installation process has completed please click on the Finish option to close the install wizard and before continuing with the work station installs, ensure that the Pastel07 and PVSW folders are fully shared with read / write access also on the server. By default, these folders are installed to the C: Drive.

• Then continue with the work station installs detailed below.

Step 3 - Installing Pervasive V9.6 Client Server Engine on WORK STATION PCs

• First ensure you have mapped drives to your servers Pastel07 and PVSW folders on the work stations.

• You need to then run through the exact same procedure as you did with the Client Install procedure above, but this time when placing the CD for Pervasive in the CD Rom drive on the work stations, please select the "Windows Client" option from the Autorun screen.

• The install shield and install instructions are exactly the same thereafter as advised in the On Server secton of this bulletin. Although, ignore the 2nd last point about sharing on the workstations.

• Once complete, if you were installing Pastel Partner as well, go to the Partner 2007 shorltcut icon on your desktop and right click on the file and select Properties.

• Ensure that the Start in Path, is the path as with the mapped drive you created earlier. This needs to read off the mapped Pastel07 folder on the server for it to work.

Step 4 - Checking the License Administrator for a Permanent Pervasive Applied Licence

You will also need to check the Licence Administrator after registering your Sage Pastel Partner 2007 software on the server. To do this:

• Go to Start...All Programs...Pervasive...Pervasive.SQL...Other Utilities... License Administrator

• This should open up the License Administrator. Under the "Applied Licences" area check that the "Licence Type" field states you have a Permanent License and that the "User Count" field has the correct number of users you are licensed for. The line should also be for the correct version.

Step 5 - Testing and what to do with Error 3012 if this occurs
 

• Now that you have completed the setup, you will need to test loggin into Sage Pastel Partner over the network. Open Sage Pastel Partner on the server first.

• Then open Sage Pastel Partner on the Work Stations. If you can log in fine, then you should be ok to proceed with using Sage Pastel Partner. Otherwise, if you get an Error 3012 referring to the Registration.dat file. Please do the following:

Error 3012:

• On the Server go to the Open a Company screen and select the Manage button.

• Remove any and all Servers from the next screen as these will need to be re-added. You do this by highlighting your server(s) and then clicking on the Remove Server button. (See following page for screen shot).

• You should remove all servers so that your Company Database screen is now blank.

• Then you need to locate the servers again by clicking on Locate Server button and selecting your Shared drive for Pastel07. You need to navigate to the Registration folder located under Custom...Registrations.

• Select the OK button, then you will need to Add all your companies and then Activate them all on the workstations also. Please refer to the technical documentation "Opening and Managing Companies in Sage Pastel Partner" for assistance with this.

• The error 3012 should stop appearing when you open the software or try to log into your companies next time.

• If you receive the Error 429, you need to run a Repair on Sage Pastel Partner. Insert the latest CD, select Partner, then select the Repair option.

If you encounter any problems or have any queries with the above information, please contact our Support Department or your local Certified Sage Pastel Consultant for further assistance.

Scope

Before any install is attempted, ensure that you are logged in with administrative rights and that any anti-virus software is disabled before hand. As this conflicts and in some cases causes problems or corrupts the installation.

There are a few steps to run through when trying to upgrade to Pervasive 9.6. You need to first:

Step 1: Use the Pervasive System Analyser (PSA) to completely remove Old Pervasive components.
Step 2: Installing Pervasive SQL 9.6 WorkGroup
Step 3: Checking the License Administrator for a Permanent Pervasive Applied Licence.

Step 1 - Use the Pervasive System Analyser (PSA)
Before installing / upgrading to Pervasive SQL V9.6, you need to run through archiving / deleting Pervasive components currently installed using the PSA. You do this by:

• If you do not have the Pervasive System Analyser installed and available on your Start...Programs menu, you need to install this. Insert the Sage Pastel Partner CD and off the Autorun screen, select the Install Pervasive...Pervasive System Analyser option. (This is also available on Pervasive C/S CD's)

• Otherwise skip to the "Running the PSA to un-install previous Pervasive components" sub heading below.

• The Welcome screen should appear. Click on the Next option to continue and then click on the Next screen when prompted with the View Readme File  screen to continue with the installation.

• The following screen will be the "Start Copying Files" screen. This will supply a summary of the installation and system directory. Click Next to proceed with the installation of the PSA.

• A screen should pop up showing the progress of the installation thereafter.

• Once this has finished a "Setup Complete" screen should appear. If you wish to read the ReadMe file and/or Launch the PSA then simply click Finish or untick the relevant options.

Running the PSA to un-install previous Pervasive components

• Go to Start...All Programs... and browse through the list of items for the Pervasive System Analyzer icon. Click on this to run the PSA.

• Click Next on the "Welcome Screen" and then select the option to Delete Components or Archives.

• Click on the Next button and on the following screen select the Local option and then click Next to continue.

• On the following screen, tick both options to Delete Pervasive SQL components and registry settings & Delete Pervasive Archives. Then click on Next to continue.

• Click Yes on the following prompt to confirm deletion of selected components.

• In order to delete some of the Pervasive components the PC must be rebooted. When presented with the Completing the Pervasive System Analyzer Wizard screen, tick the ?Yes, I want to restart my computer now? option and then click on Finish to complete the uninstall process.

Now that all previous components of Pervasive have been removed. It is safe to install the new Pervasive Version 9.6 Workgroup engine. Please run through Step 2 below.



Step 2 - Installing Pervasive V9.6 WorkGroup Engine

• Insert the Pastel Partner 2007 CD into your CD ROM drive. The Autorun should appear. Select the Install Pervasive...Pervasive SQL V9 WGE option.

• When presented with the Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard screen click on Next to continue with the installation and then click on whether you agree to the terms of the Licence Agreement and then Next to continue with the installation.

• On the following screen, select the Complete Install option and then click Next to continue.

• On the following screen, select the Install button to start Installing Pervasive V9.6 WorkGroup. You should then see a progress bar incrementing through the installation cycle.

• Once complete, test the Transactional Engine with all options as shown below. Then click on the Next button.

• If transactional engine tests were successful, you should see ticks along each test. Click on Next and test the Relational Engine Tests. Please leave all options as selected below. Then click on the Next button.

• If on the other hand any transactional or relational engine tests fail, you may need to re-install the Pervasive engine again using the PSA. The two most common reasons for failed installations include:

                                                  * Anti-virus software interfering with the install process
                                                  * The user having insufficient rights to perform the install on that PC

             Please address these issues prior to running a reinstall of Pervasive. Otherwise, there could be network communication errors that is causing the problem.

Please ensure you register Sage Pastel Partner 2007 before proceeding with Step 4 below. Refer to technical document Registering Sage Pastel Partner 2007.

Step 3 - Checking the License Administrator for a Permanent Pervasive Applied Licence

You will also need to check the Licence Administrator after registering your Sage Pastel Partner 2007 software. To do this:

• Go to Start...All Programs...Pervasive...Pervasive.SQL...Other Utilities... License Administrator

• This should open up the License Administrator. Under the "Applied Licences" area check that the "Licence Type" field states you have a Permanent License and that the "User Count" field has the correct number of users you are licensed for. The line should also be for the correct version.

Please contact our Support Department or your local Certified Sage Pastel Consultant should you encounter any problems during this process. 

PURPOSE:

• To have an accounting and physical control over the petty cash.

SCOPE:

• This procedure sets out the guidelines for accounting staff to explain how to use evolution system to process petty cash transactions and tally physical cash balance with system balance at the close of business hours.

PROCEDURE

• Management issues a cheque from ANZ bank account (Generally $100.00) to withdraw cash for office petty cash expenses.
• Cash is withdrawn and put in a tin box with accounts department.
• Accounting procedure to be as follows:
• Use the cash batch 98 to process the cheque payment as it appears on the bank statement.

• Cash is given to the staff as and when required by them to incurr petty expenses such as purchase of office supplies, postage and refreshments for guests / staff as directed by management. No transaction to be processed into evolution at this stage
• Employee provides the receipts for the expenses incurred and balance left cash.
• Process the expense receipts into evolution using cash batch - 131.

• It records the expenses out of petty cash balance. Ensure all the relevant GST amount has been claimed as mentioned in the receipt voucher.
• .
• Check petty cash book for the entries processed and tally the physical cash balance in tin. You will not find the above entries in petty cash account screenshot below as the above are not processed into evolution and have been shown as an example only.

All above steps above will ensure that book balance of petty cash account reconcilies with physical petty cash balance in hand.

NOTE: Any petty cash payments should capture GST as well.

ISSUE:

Error message showing "Operation must use an updateable query" when load / running Pastel Evolution.

CAUSE:

This error message occurs when Pastel Evolution cannot find or does not have access rights to Business Intelligence Centre (BIC) executable.

SOLUTION:

Few ways to resolve this issue and they are listed below:

1.) Adjust the location for Business Intelligence Centre (BIC)

1. Start Pastel Evolution on the machine where this error message occurs.
2. Click "OK" when error messages and let it run for a while till you are able to click on top menu items. (Generally takes about 10 - 15 minutes in this case)
3. Click on Utilities .. Explorer Options
   
   
   
4. Select "Business Intelligence Centre" tab and check the Application Path.
   
   
   Please Note: If you do not have "Business Intelligence Centre" tab, it is most likely that you have not installed Business Intelligence Centre (BIC) properly or you do not have access to use the module. Please try re-install the program on the problematic computer and make sure Business Intelligence Centre is selected during installation. Also, make sure you have Administrator rights and turned off anti-virus / firewalls when doing this process.
   
   
5. Double check the Application Path
1. Ensure Application Path is a valid Path
2. Ensure the BIC executable exists in the Application Path folder
   

2.) Ensure that the user have permission to access BIC

• Using Administrators

1. Log off Windows for current user and log on as System Administrator
   
2. Start and Log into Pastel Evolution with the user that was having the error
   

• If the error does come up:
• Please uninstall and reinstall Pastel Evolution on this computer.      
  
• If the error does not come up:
• Please ask your system administrator to double check the permission whether the user have full access rights to Pastel Evolution or not.

If the error still persist after checking the above, please do not hesitate to contact our support team at support@sagepastel.com.au for further assistance.

SCOPE:

Whether Sage Pastel 2009 can run on Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7.

DETAILS:

Sage Pastel 2009 was released long before both operating systems, information regarding the compatibility has been confirmed by Sage Pastel International. They have performed tests on both operating systems and have concluded that:

• For Windows 7:
  A new build (Build 10.2.4 update or later) is compatible with Windows 7.
  
  
• For Small Business Server 2008
  The package will need to upgrade to new Pervasive V10 release in order to run the program.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact our support department. You can also submit the support enquiry forms from our website. The new Pervasive codes for V10 are also now available.

When opening Pastel, Microsoft office applications such as Excel or Word will also start up by itself. Sometime Windows system error messages will also appear which will need to be closed manually.

CAUSE:

The cause of this issue is due to the linkage between Microsoft Office and Pastel has been corrupted.

A screen shot has been included below for showing the linkage between Microsoft Office and Pastel.

SOLUTION:

For Windows XP/2003 (not for Vista or Windows 7):

The linkage are done in driver files as well as in the Windows Registry, hence, the solution will need to remove both of these linkage first.

0.) Please uninstall Microsoft Office from add/remove programs in Control Centre

1.) Click on Start -> Run

2.) Type in regedit, click OK.

      (Please export the office registry before removing for backup purposes)

3.2) Find the location, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> Software -> Microsoft -> Office, right click and delete
       (Please export the office registry before removing for backup purposes)

3.3) Find the location, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> Software -> Softline -> Pastel Partner 2007, right click and delete

      (Please export the softline registry before removing for backup purposes)

4.) Uninstall Partner

5.) Uninstall Office

6.) Re-install Office

7.) Re-install Partner

If the issue still exist after following the above procedure, please do not hesitate to contact our support department at support@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

The document will guide you the steps on how to import a file into Pastel.

SCOPE:

This document should cover the all Pastel export/import files.

PROCEDURE:

The following are steps to modify and import files.

1.     Please export the company data from Partner

2.     Please open excel, then select to open the exported file.

3.     A window should appear, please select delimited then click next.

4.     Select Comma, click next.

5.     Select All columns by hilighting the first one, then moving along to the end horizontally and holding shift whilst clicking on the last column. Once you’ve done this, click Text.

6.     Click Finish.

7.     If it worked, all numbers shoul dhave a little green arrow in the top left hand corner.

8.     Do all the changes you need to do.

9.     Save the file as a Comma Delimited CSV.

10.   Don’t double click on that file again, use partner to import it using the Export/Import tool.

11.   Open a company, select export/import and then choose the import option that applies to what you’re doing.

PURPOSE:

To resolve errors caused by corruption of a specified file. In order to fix this problem, you will need to repair the corrupted file.

SCOPE:

The rebuild utility is a utility that comes with Pastel packages. To complete this process, you will need to be 100% sure of the file that you are going rebuild is the corrupted file.

If you are unsure of which file to rebuild, please contact our support department at support@sagepastel.com.au

Please note: A backup will need to be done before rebuilding any files in the system.

PROCEDURE:

1. Check data integrity and make a backup

0.) Run a data integrity check by going to the menu option File ... Data Integrity ... “Verify Data Only” option. Remember the result of this.

1.) Please make sure you have a current backup of your data.

2. Start Rebuild Utility

1.) Go to Start ... Programs ... Softline Pastel ... Pastel Partner ... Rebuild utility

     <Please select the version that your current database is working on>

2.) Select the path in the first field for your company data location.

3.) In the field below that, scroll down until you find the relevant file.
     Please not: If you are unsure of which file to rebuild, please contact our support department.

4.) Highlight the file by clicking on it and then select the Rebuild button

5.) Once the rebuild fininshes, check to see that all files have been repaired by clicking on the View button. Make sure the amount of records that were contained within the file were actually recovered. (e.g. 1052 out of 1052 files recovered).

6.) Once confirmed, log into your data and run the Data Integrity report again by going to the menu option File ... Data Integrity - Verify Data Only option. This is important and will ensure that no new errors occurred as a result of the Rebuild Utility.

7.) Final step is to check to see whether you can re-create the error within your data.

If there are no errors within the Data Integrity report and you cannot re-create the problem you were experiencing previously - then the problem should be rectified and it should be okay to continue processing.

Please Note: If anything goes wrong during the above process, please remember the details and supply the Data Integrity Report to us immediately (for any new errors afterwards). Also restore your backup whilst we confirm the next course of action for you.

If you initially had the data integrity errors to begin with, we highly advise that you send the report to us to check. We can then assess how critical these errors are for your business. Please contact our support department at support@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

Forms you create for invoices, statements, and all other customer and supplier documents use pre-defined form names. You need to know these names if you wish to customise invoices and statements. All other forms such as labels, cheques, and tax reports can have any name, and you select those names when you run the relevant options.

SCOPE:

We look at customer and supplier documents from two points of view:

• The file names you use
• Where to save the files

PROCEDURES:

1.) File Names

There are many possible different form file names. The format of these names is:

NNNNNNNPPPXYZ.ENG

where:

• NNNNN is the file name. The default names are:
• CSDOC for all customer and supplier documents
• CSMTH for customer statements and supplier remittances
• ISTRF for store transfer documents
• BOMSLIP for manufacturing pick lists
  
  

As you will see later, you can use different names to create separate layouts for each document type, such as quotations, sales orders, invoices, and so on.

• PPP can be "PDF" or nothing. You use this for forms that you email in PDF format. This lets you have a separate version of each form in PDF format.
• X is the paper type, and can be either C (continuous, for dot-matrix printers) or S (single sheet, for laser and inkjet printers).
• Y is the paper style, and is one of P (plain), R (pre-printed), or H (header pre-printed). It does not apply to store transfer documents:

• The plain option means the system prints on plain paper. It will print boxes, lines, and all headings.
• The Pre-printed option means the system prints on paper that usually has lines and boxes pre-printed.
• The Header pre-printed option means the paper has lines, boxes, and the company information pre-printed.

• Z is an optional identifier you can use if you wish to have separate layouts for tax exclusive and tax inclusive documents. If there is no character, the system uses the same layout for exclusive and inclusive layouts. If you wish to have separate layouts, use I for tax inclusive and E for tax exclusive. This character of the file format is optional, and it does not apply to store transfer documents.
• ENG is the language or country extension. The system runs in multiple languages. We assign a standard extension for each language. For example, if you are using an English version the form file names have an ENG extension. If you use a French version, the extension is FRE.

• For all the documents, there are more than one file per document, because the system caters for different combinations of plain, pre-printed, header pre-printed, single, and continuous, paper. For example:
  
  

As far as the first characters of the form file name (NNNNNNN above) which indicate what type of document (for example invoice, statement) is being printed, there are two groups:

• The ISTRF and BOMSLIP names are the complete names for those documents.
• For the CSDOC and CSMTH names, the file names can expand to more names in a hierarchy.

We look at the latter group in the next section.

3.) Expanding Document, Statement, and Remittance File Names

The system ships as standard with only two file names:

There are of course more than two files in total, because the system has to cater for combinations of plain, pre-printed, header pre-printed, single, and continuous, paper. For example:

However, you will invariably use only a single combination of paper style and paper type. Changing one single document therefore usually changes all the related layouts.

The CSDOC and CSMTH files are the most general file names available. The system uses these file names only when it cannot find any other file names. There are additional file names you can use, although they do not exist initially on your system. In fact, there are three levels of file names:

The lowest level, the one that ships as standard, uses one layout for customer and supplier documents, and one layout for customer statements and supplier remittances. This level uses the CSDOC and CSMTH names above.

The next level lets you split customer and supplier documents and have one layout for customer documents, another for supplier documents, another for statements, and another for remittances. The names are:

The most detailed level lets you have a layout for each customer and supplier document, such as a quote, sales order, purchase order, and so on:

The system looks for the most detailed name first, and then works backwards until it finds an existing name. Once it finds a name, it uses that file.

When you make a change to a file, or when you create a new file, you always save it in another file. You NEVER save a change in one of the system's standard files. If you do, and you install a program update or upgrade, you will lose your changes. What you do instead is that you retain the full file name, but adjust the file extension by making the third character "Z". For example, in English language versions, the extension is "ENZ" instead of "ENG" (we will use English files throughout as an example).

For example:

• Assume that you are using plain, single sheet paper, and you want to change the format of your quotations. You open CSDOCSP.ENG, make the modification, and then save the file as CQUOTSP.ENZ. When the system prints quotations, it finds the file CQUOTSP.ENZ and uses it. However, when the system prints invoices, the nearest file it finds to use is CSDOCSP.ENG, the standard file we ship, and it uses this file for all other documents.
• If you wish to create a customised form for single sheet pre-printed customer statements, open CSMTHSR.ENG, and save it as CSTATSR.ENZ.

What this means is that if you wish to customise one specific document, you do not have to customise others.

The supporting file name lets you customise the supporting document that you can print for each document. For example, you may print a delivery note as an invoice support document. If you do not create a supporting document name, the system uses the normal document layout to print the supporting document. If you use continuous, multi-part paper, then you would need to use the same layout in any event.

To repeat, although many different form file names are possible, the names are hierarchic. It is quite usual to use only two form files for all your customer and supplier documents.

4.) Where to Save the Files

Besides the name of the file, the system also searches for file names in specific locations. This gives you additional flexibility if you are using more than one company:

• The system first searches the folder in which the company data resides. It looks for a customised file, in other words a file with an extension ENZ (in the case of English). The system looks for all variations of file names as outlined above. If you wish to make a customisation for one company only, you should save the file in the company data folder.
• If the file is not there, the system searches the CUSTOM\FORMS folder in the program directory for files with the extension ENZ. If you wish to use a customisation for every company in the system, except those companies that have their own ENZ files, you should save the file in this folder.
• If this file is also not there, the system uses its own ENG file in the CUSTOM\FORMS directory.

Once again, the system searches for all possible combinations of forms in each folder. You only have to customise the exact form(s) you require.

Encountering error 6 overflow messages when trying to import files or updating batches

CAUSE:

This error occurs genearlly due to the large size of data file being processed. When the size of the data gets too large, the system will not be able to store all the information into the temporary buffer area and cause the program to terminate.

SOLUTION:

1.)  Error occurred when trying to copy a company

• Make a backup of live data or the data you would like to copy. (backup name: COMPANY01.zip)
  

• Rename the zip file to the new company name. (ie. NEWCOMP01.zip)
  

• Go into Pastel
• Create a new company (File .. New)
• Set the New Company Name to NEWCOMP01 and select Use Setup Assistant for Method
• Follow through the Setup Assistant and log into the new company
  

• Restore (File .. Restore) the company from the zip file (ie. NEWCOMP01.zip)
  

2.) Error occurred when trying to import data files

• Please open the importing file with Notepad
  
• Double check the number of lines within the files
• If the lines are more than 1000 lines, please crop them into 1000 line per file and import the files separately.
• If the lines are less than 1000 lines, please check your registration details as your package may have been registered as DEMO instead of a proper version.

If the issue still persists, there might be a data issue and a data fix may be required. Please feel free to contact our consultants for further assistance at support@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

This technical bulletin will run through how to import Master File Information and Transactional information into Sage Pastel Evolution.

SCOPE:

The Data Distribution Services (DDS) in Pastel Evolution provides you with the ability to import data directly into a company database. You will need to ensure that you have a reliable BACKUP of your data before doing any data import, as this procedure can NOT be reversed.

The Pastel Evolution Data Distribution Services (DDS) allows you to import:

1. Master File Information
2. Transactional information

The DDS works on a Publisher and Subscriber relationship. The Publisher is the Data Source (e.g. Data exported in a CSV format from your existing accounting package) and the Subscriber in this case will be Pastel Evolution.

The import process takes place in three stages which are detailed in the Procedure section of this bulletin.

PROCEDURE:

1.) EXPORTING THE DATA FROM YOUR EXISTING ACCOUNTING PACKAGE INTO A .CSVFILE

• The first step would be to export the data from your existing accounting package to a comma delimited .CSV file (also known as an ASCII files. CSV files are also a common format used in Excel).

• After exporting the file, you will need to ensure that only the information you want to import is included in this file.

• Any unnecessary information can cause the file to not be imported correctly.

• Do this by opening the file in Excel and deleting any columns which contain information that you do not wish to import.

2.) CREATE A NEW PUBLISHER / SUBSCRIBER SETUP

• Go to Start | Programs | Pastel Evolution.
• Select the Evolution Data Distribution Services option from the list.
• The Evolution Data Distribution Services will open
• Click on Add to create a new setup
• On the first screen you are asked to select a Data Publisher
  
• Click on Browse and select ASCII as your publisher
  
• Click on Next to continue and Select the type of information you want to import (e.g. Customers, General Ledger accounts, Inventory transactions, etc.);
• Click on Next and then select Evolution as the Subscriber;
• Then click on the Finish button.

Please Note: This stage completes the initial setup.

3.) SETUP THE PLUG IN PROPERTIES

Here we need to specify how the data should be imported and into which database the import should occur.

• Enter a description for the import on the General tab
  
  
  

• On the left hand side of the Properties bar click on the Publisher icon

• Click on Browse and select the file you want to import

• If the import file has column headings, check the option 'Header Record'

• Choose a ?,? (comma) as the separator;

• Set the date format to ?Windows Format?.

3.1) GO TO THE PUBLISHER 2/2 TAB

On this tab, you need to specify which data you want to import, as well as the order in which they are in, in the import file. We need to make sure that the order is correct to ensure the DDS imports the correct data to the correct location in your database.

If your import file does not have all the mandatory fields, you will need to create them in your import file before importing.

• Tick all the check boxes alongside the fields you wish to import.

• The fields that are grayed out are compulsory.

• Make sure that the field layout on the Publisher 2/2 Tab matches the same position of that in the import file (e.g. When importing customers, if the Code is the first option in the DDS then the customer code must be the first column in the corresponding import file. Likewise if the Name is the fifth from the top in DDS, verify that the customer name column is the fifth column in the import file
  
  
  
• On the left-hand side of the Properties click on Subscriber.
• Here you need to specify which database you are importing into, as well as how the data will be imported (whether existing data will be overwritten or updated, etc).
• Firstly you need to specify which database you want to import into and how to connect to it.
  

• Do this by selecting the name of your server in the SQL Server drop down.

• Select whether you are using SQL or Windows authentications.

• Normally Windows Authentication is used as this will use your windows username and password to access the database.

• Select the database you wish to import into.

3.2) SELECT THE SUBSCRIBER 2/2 TAB

On this tab you need to specify how the data will be imported. The following three options are available:

1. Update all records

• This option will update all existing records (e.g. Inventory Items) with the information in your import file as well as create new items if they do not already exist in the database.

2. Append new records

• Selecting this option will only create records if they do not already exist in the database. Any existing records will be ignored during the import and not be changed.

3. Edit existing records

• This will only make changes to records that already exist in the database. No new records will be created

• Click on OK to save the import you have created.

4.) RUNNING THE IMPORT

Now that the setup is complete, you can begin the import.

• Right-Click on the import that you have just created and select Import Now (this import will be the last line on the Data Distribution screen).

• The import procedure will begin.

• While the import is in progress a green arrow will appear in the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

• This  arrow will disappear as soon as the import is complete.

• Click on the View Log button at the top of the Data Distribution screen to see if the data imported successfully.

• This will give you a detailed log of the import and will also indicate where a problem occurred if the import failed.

• If the import did not go through successfully, please review the log file and make changes to the import file as indicated by the error message.  

If you require further assistance or information on any of the above topics, please contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact sales@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

This documentation will guide users through how to Backup their Sage Pastel Evolution database.

SCOPE:

Data loss is an unforeseen but very real danger. Backups are therefore vital to retain the integrity of the data. Multiple backup sets will enable you to restore your data as recent or long ago as you require. Typically you should use three sets of backup disks. These disks should be rotated (i.e. an odd and even set of disks for different days of the week). With this method, previous backups could be used, should the backup set be damaged and this would require only minimal data recapture.

When making the backup, the complete company is backed up. You should not choose to backup only specific files, even though your backup program might allow for this type of operation. The reason is that it would be very easy to miss one file and find that that specific file was crucial to the restoration process.

1.) BACKUP DEVICES AVAILABLE

• CD/DVD - Fast and reliable. Ideal for larger, long-term backups. Requires a CD/DVD writer.
• Optical Drive - Fast and reliable. Ideal for larger, long-term backups.
• Zip Drive - Fast and reliable. Ideal for larger, daily backups.

2.) PUT TOGETHER A BACKUP PLAN

Before developing your backup strategy, you need to develop a plan of action. Evaluate your company and ask, ?What is the maximum amount of downtime we can live with?? Once this is established, you can decide on the appropriate course of action by matching your company's needs to the appropriate level of database backup.

3.) FULL BACKUPS

A full backup is the easiest type of backup to implement in SQL Server. It takes a complete picture of your database that includes backing up users and permissions. In addition, this backup can occur while transactions are still occurring in your system although it is not advised. When the backup begins, the date is recorded, the data pages are backed up, and all transactions that occur while the backup runs are appended to the backup.

PROCEDURE:

1.) BACKING UP USING ENTERPRISE MANAGER

• To implement a full backup using Enterprise Manager, expand the SQL Server to display your databases. Right-click on the database and select All Tasks | Backup Database to access the options shown in the figure below:
  
• Under Backup, choose Database - Complete. Then, select a destination (tape or disk). If this is the first backup of your database, you will have to create a backup device or file. A backup device is simply a location that stores your backups. A backup file can also hold multiple “backups.” To create a backup device or file, start by clicking Add. Next, select either File Name or Backup Device. Then, just define the appropriate path and click OK. Once you've created the device or file, you can select it from the Destination list box.
• The SQL Server Backup dialog box also includes options to append to a backup or overwrite it. This means that you can add multiple backups to your file or device or overwrite previous backups with the most current one. If you want to schedule your backups, select the Schedule check box and then click the button that has three dots on it. In the Edit Schedule dialog box, make your scheduling specifications. Scheduling of Backups is however only available on full SQL and not on the Standard MSDE installation. In addition to scheduling the Enterprise Manager also allows you to set a variety of other options via the SQL Server Backup dialog box that is not available on MSDE. If you click on the Options tab, you can choose the following:
• Verify Backup Upon Completion
• Eject Tape After Backup
• Remove Inactive Entries From Transaction Log
• Check Media Set Name And Backup Set Expiration
• Backup Set Will Expire (You supply an expiration date.)
• Initialize And Label Media

2.) BACKING UP USING THE PASTEL EVOLUTION DATABASE MANAGER

Because of the fact that the MSDE is a free version of SQL server it does not include all the tools and options discussed above. In any business however it is imperative to make backups, and thus Pastel included the Pastel Evolution Database Manager. With this tool users will be able to access all the crucial SQL functions through a graphical user interface without having to buy a full MSSQL license.

• If you open the EDM, expand local you will be able to see all your company databases.
• When the user right clicks on a specific database they will see the Backup Database option.
  
• After Clicking on the backup database option you will see the following box. On that screen you must enter the options pertaining to your own backup needs. The backup options screen is broken up into the following areas.

• Database Options: In this part the user must specify the name of the database to backup as well as the name of the backup, and a description for the backup. The Database name will always default to the database you right clicked on, but you can specify another database at this stage. The other two options pertains to information that will be added to the backup file, and you will be able to see this when you restore.

• Backup type: Complete or Differential. The difference between a complete and differential backup is that a complete backup will take all the data in the database and write it to disk, while the differential backup will append new data to an old backup. Although the differential backup is faster to execute in theory it is not advised since there have been noted problems when restoring such backups

• Truncate Log: The truncate log file will ?reset? your log file and curb database growth. If you do not truncate the log that file will grow indefinitely although all the data within is replicated in the Master Data file already. 

• Overwrite: When you overwrite you create a new backup file if you append you will add to an existing backup file.

• Destination: Where the backup file will be created. If you do not backup on the server you must make sure that the path that you specify here does exist on the server
  

• Click on the OK button when you have finsihed with your selections. The Backup will then proceed and create a .bak file type within the destination specified.

If you require further assistance or information, please contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact sales@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

In order to access Sage Pastel Evolution data, the company data needs to be located in order for it to be accessed from the work station. This technical bulletin will assist you in locating your data.

Alternatively, if you need to demo the software - you can restore the Demo Data that is available on the CD by following the restore procedure under the "Read Me First" folder. 

PROCEDURE:

1. Open Evolution using the Shortcut that was created after installation.
   
2. Select the Locate option in order to browse the to the location of the data that you wish to access.
• If the data is located on the Server, then type in the name of your Server in the SQL Server Name field, otherwise if the data is located on your workstation, then select (local) in the drop down menu.
• From the Database Name drop down field is were it will display all the data sets that you are able to connect to. Please select the data that you wish to use and hit next to continue.
3. The final Step is selecting a Common Database on the following screen. The common database is  what holds your registration details. When selecting your Common Database, please make sure you are selecting the correct registered Common Database, otherwise you will be prompted to register or work in demo mode.
4. Press finish to complete the location of you database. The located data will now appear on the initial log on screen for you to use.

Please contact our Support Department provided you have a current Technical Support contract or your local Certified Sage Pastel Consultant should you encounter any problems during this process. If you do not have a support contract, please email sales@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

When you install the system it is not yet registered, you can use the software in demonstration mode though which expires after 15 days. Demonstration mode gives you access to all application modules and up to five simultaneous users. Any data you enter while working in demonstration mode is available to you after you register.

Also, you will be required to register your product on an annual basis. Registrations are done through our Sage Pastel Australia Registrations department.

This documentation will detail how to get your Sage Pastel Evolution product properly registered.

SCOPE:

The registration procedure determines: The expiration date of the license, which of the application modules you have access to and the number of users that can work simultaneously.

Once you register and your license approaches expiration, the program starts warning you to renew the license. The program prompts you at 60, 30, 15, 7, 3, 2, and 1 day(s) prior to expiration.

Please Note: The registration procedure uses the common database. If you create multiple common databases, you may incur additional registration costs. If you really need multiple common databases, please discuss this with the sales or registration staff in advance.

PROCEDURE:

1.) NEW COMPANY DATABASE AND CREATE A COMMON DATABASE

• The Registration Wizard starts as you login to the company
  
• Click the Next button and enter your company name exactly as you provided it when you ordered the software. This is not the company database name, but the name in which you are registering the software. If you change this name, you invalidate the registration. This name appears on each page of any reports you print
  
• The PIN Number and Registration Code screen displays. Please make a note of the PIN number and go to the following website in order to complete the registration form:
  www.sagepastelsoftware.com.au (Click the Registration. Then the relevant options to register online or submit the form to our registrations department on the following screen
  
• If you submit the form to registrations, you will receive code within 24-48 hours and you will then need to enter it into the Registration Code field. (If you cannot obtain the authorisation code immediately, or if you are installing an evaluation version, leave the Registration Code field blank and check the Activate Demonstration check box as shown below)
  .
• Click Next and the details of your product activation show. This includes the modules you can use, the number of simultaneous users the system allows, and the expiry date of the license. You can also Print,  Save or Copy the registration details into a clipboard. (Screen shot is shown on the following page).
  
• Click Finish to complete the registration. The login procedure continues.

Please Note: The registration code is unique. If you make certain changes to your computer and attempt to re-register, this code may not work. If you move your database software to a new server or even re-install on the same network, you will have to re-register your system within 15 days also.

If you require further assistance or information on any of the above topics, please contact our registrations department at registrations@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

This document assists with the setup of Wine Equalisation Tax (WET)

PROCEDURE:

Example:

A tax Type of (say) 01 is defined as 10% GST in the Setup…tax…Percentages screen. A Tax Type of (say) 05 is then defined as 29% WET. Finally a multiple tax code of D1 is defined as being the application first of Tax Type 05, and then of Tax Type 01. This is done in Setup..Tax…Multiple Tax . See Above

The second tax type must be set up to be applied on the on the value of the sale Inclusive of the first tax. This is due to the fact that GST is levied on the WET itself.

1.) ITEM SETUP:

Items are coded as having GST (only) on Purchase but having both taxes (D1) when sold.

2.) INVOICE DOCUMENT CHANGES:

There need to be a few changes made to the invoice layout.

• The word Tax at the bottom of the invoice should be changed to “WET + GST”.
• The File…Page Setup option ,in the Forms Designer, should be chosen for the Tax Invoice form and the “Show Tax Breakdown on the document” option should be checked on, so that the breakdown of the sim above is shown in the lines area of the document, after the invoice lines.
• Wine Wholesalers need to be able to see the WET inclusive but GST Exclusive selling price on a line by line basis. You need to add the field ‘Unit Price including Multiple Tax 1 ‘ since this represents the ex- GST Price    ( ie the purchasers cost price ).
• Pastel now has the ability to show the tax description as well as the inclusive, exclusive and tax amount in the ‘Tax Breakdown’ that appears in the invoice description when you select double tax. See below
  
  

Please contact our Support Department provided you have a current Technical Support contract or your local Certified Sage Pastel Consultant should you encounter any problems during this process. If you do not have a support contract, please email sales@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

This document goes through the pre-fixes of what the multi-user modules are registered for.

SCOPE:

The multi user functionality of Pastel Accounting is determined from a module serial number that has to be linked to an existing registered base serial number.

Detailed below is information regarding what the prefix for the multi-user number should start with and for how many users and as well as what version of Partner and Pervasive are being used (including the type of engine).

PRE-FIXES FOR MULTI-USER MODULES:

If you require further assistance or information, please contact registrations@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

This documentation details how users can change their Tax Systems within the Sage Pastel Partner software.

SCOPE:

If a company registers for GST, there are two methods of paying GST i.e. Cash Based GST and NON Cash (Invoice/Accrual) Based GST.

If the company wants to change this method, they must apply to the Australian Tax Office (ATO), and only the ATO has the authority to change the method. If the ATO agrees that the company conforms to the prescribed regulations, they will inform the company on what day this change will take place.

THE DIFFERENCES OF BOTH TAX SYSTEMS:

1.) CASH BASED GST:

With cash Based GST you only pay GST to the ATO once you have received the payment from a customer or once you have paid a supplier. GST on Cash expenses is payable immediately. Cash based GST only has a cash flow effect on customer and supplier transactions.

With Cash Based GST there are two GST accounts applicable:

• The GST Provision account which contains all the GST for the outstanding accounts of customers and suppliers.
• The GST Control account which contains all the GST payable to the ATO. 

Once a payment has been made or received, the GST will be transferred from the GST Provision account to the GST Control account as part of cash base processing.

2.) NON CASH (INVOICE) BASED GST:

With invoice based GST, the GST is payable once the transaction has been completed. (E.g. a customer buying goods, buying from a supplier or a normal expense payable)

With Non Cash (invoice) based GST there is only a GST Control account; No Provision Account is Created.

Please Note: That it is essential that backups be made before proceeding with any of the steps below

CHANGING FROM CASH / PAYMENT BASED GST TO INVOICE BASED GST:

When you change from Cash/Payment Based GST to Invoice Based GST it means that all the GST from outstanding customers and suppliers accounts that was not paid to the ATO is now payable. You therefore need to transfer the value from the GST Provision account to the GST Control account- this will be done through a journal entry.

Please Note:

• The system needs to be changed from Cash/Payment Based GST to Invoice Based GST before any transactions for the new period are entered.
• If the period is already closed for financial figures that you were supposed to change to the new GST basis, you can do the adjustment in the current month.
• Make sure that you keep accurate record of all calculations in case the ATO needs it for a GST audit.

1.) TO CHANGE THE TAX SYSTEM, WE SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

• Change the Tax System to Invoice Based GST in the Setup…TAX / GST / Sales Tax menu.
• If you make use of the Tax Type Report and Tax Box Report to determine GST payable / claimed to / from the Receiver of Revenue, it is essential that all preceding transactions concerning customers and suppliers are reflected in these reports. We therefore recommend the procedure outlined in Step A.
• If you do not make use of the above mentioned reports to calculate the GST payable / claimed to / from the Receiver of Revenue, and you do not want the preceding transactions to reflect in the relevant Tax reports in Pastel, please proceed to Step B.

1.1) STEP A (All transactions will appear in Tax Reports)

When changing from Payment Based GST to Invoice Based GST, the GST in the GST Provision account is now payable to the ATO. Step A is therefore divided into two parts i.e. GST transactions relevant to the customers and GST transactions relevant to the suppliers.

Customers:

1. Before doing the journal entries to transfer the GST amount, the value must be obtained for the customers. To determine this value the following report must be run under View…Customers…Monthly / Periodic…Tax Age Analysis. This is a summary of the GST amounts on the outstanding balances of the customers. Ensure that the report is run for the correct period e.g. if the new method is applicable from October the report must be printed for September.
   
2. As explained in the above the GST amounts must be journalised. The entry type found under Setup…Customers…Documents…Invoice must be used for this. Before the journal entries are done, the following must be taken in consideration:
1. We would suggest that the option under Setup…Entry Types…Contra in Detail (select the entry type as explained in point c) must be selected before doing the journal entries.
2. To do the journal entries go to Process…Journals/Cash Book.
3. Select the relevant entry type to do the journal entries (please refer to point 2 to obtain the correct entry type)
4. In the selected entry type, set the Contra Account of the batch  to a Suspense Account e.g. 999/000 (The contra account is setup under Batch Options)
5. The following accounts will be affected:
• Debit the GST Provision account with the GST amount obtained in point 1. A 100% GST Adjustment code must be used. The amount will be transferred out of the GST Provision account to the GST Control account.

Suppliers:

Before doing the journal entries to transfer the GST amount, the value must be obtained for the suppliers. To determine this value run the View…Suppliers…Monthly / Periodic…Tax Age Analysis report. This is a summary of the GST amounts on the outstanding balances of the suppliers. Ensure that the report is run for the correct period e.g. if the new method is applicable from October the report must be printed for September.

1. As explained in the above the GST amounts must be journalised. The entry type found under Setup…Suppliers…Documents…Supplier Invoice must be used for this.
   
2. Before the journal entries are done, the following must be taken in consideration:
1. We would suggest that the option under Setup…Entry Types…Contra in Detail (select the entry type as explained in point c) must be selected before doing the journal entries.

2. To do the journal entries go to Process…Journals/Cash Book.
3. Select the relevant entry type to do the journal entries (please refer to point 2 to obtain the correct entry type)
4. In the selected entry type, set the Contra Account of the batch  to a Suspense Account e.g. 999/000 (The contra account is setup under Batch Options)
5. The following accounts will be affected:
• Credit the GST Provision account with the GST amount obtained in point 1. Use a 100% GST Adjustment code. The amount will be transferred out of the GST Provision account to the GST Control account.

1.2) STEP B (Transactions will not appear in Tax Reports)

When changing from Payment Based GST to Invoice Based GST, the GST in the GST Provision account is payable to the ATO. Step B is therefore divided into two parts i.e. TAX transactions relevant to the customers and TAX transactions relevant to the suppliers.

Customers:

1. Before doing the journal entries to transfer the GST amount, the value must be obtained for the customers. To determine this value run the View…Customers…Monthly / Periodic…Tax Age Analysis report. This is a summary of the GST amounts on the outstanding balances of the customers. Ensure that the report is run for the correct period e.g. if the new method is applicable from October the report must be printed for September.
2. Any entry type can be used to do the journal entries e.g. General Journal.
3. The following accounts will be affected:

• Debit the GST Provision account with the amount obtained in point 1.
• Credit the GST Control account with the same value.

Suppliers:

1. Before doing the journal entries to transfer the GST amount, the value must be obtained for the suppliers. To determine this value run the  View…Suppliers…Monthly / Periodic…Tax Age Analysis report. This is a summary of the GST amounts on the outstanding balances of the suppliers. Ensure that the report is run for the correct period e.g. if the new method is applicable from October the report must be printed for September.
2. Any entry type can be used to do the journal entries e.g. General Journal.
3. The following accounts will be affected:

• Credit the GST Provision account with the amount obtained in point 1.
• Debit the GST Control account with the same value.

CHANGING FROM INVOICE BASED GST TO PAYMENT BASED GST:

With the change from Invoice Based GST to Payment Based GST all the GST already paid to the ATO, on the outstanding balances from customers and suppliers needs to be transferred from the GST Control account to the GST Provision account- this will be done through a journal entry.

Please Note:

• If the period is already closed, for financial figures, that you were supposed to change to the new GST basis, you can do the adjustment in the current month.
• Make sure that you keep accurate record of all calculations in case the ATO needs this for a GST audit.

1.) TO CHANGE THE TAX SYSTEM, WE SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

1. Change the Tax System to Payments Based GST only after all the transactions has been posted (all the transactions for the period should be finished).
2. If you make use of the Tax Type Report and Tax Box Report to determine GST payable / claimed by / from the Receiver of Revenue, it is essential that all preceding transactions concerning customers and suppliers are reflected in these reports. We therefore recommend the procedure outlined in Step A.
3. If you do not make use of the above mentioned reports to calculate the GST payable / claimed by / from the ATO, and you do not want the preceding transactions to reflect in the relevant GST reports in Pastel, please proceed to Step B.

1.1) STEP A (All these transactions will appear in Tax Reports)

With the change from Invoice Based GST to Payment Based GST all the GST already paid to the ATO, on the outstanding balances from customers and suppliers needs to be transferred from the GST Control account to the GST Provision account. Step A is therefore divided into two parts i.e. GST transactions relevant to the customers and GST transactions relevant to the suppliers.

Customers:

1. Before doing the journal entries to transfer the GST amount, the value must be obtained for the customers. To determine this value run the  View…Customers…Monthly / Periodic…Tax Age Analysis report. This is a summary of the GST amounts on the outstanding balances of the customers. Ensure that the report is run for the correct period e.g. if the new method is applicable from October the report must be printed for September.
2. As explained in the above the GST amounts must be journalised. The entry type found under Setup…Customers…Documents…Invoice must be used for this. But before the journal entries are done, the following must be taken in consideration:
1. We would suggest that the option under        Setup…Entry Types…Contra in Detail (select the entry type as explained in point c) must be selected before doing the journal entries.
2. To do the journal entries go to Process…Journals/Cash Book.
3. Select the relevant entry type to do the journal entries (please refer to point 2 to obtain the correct entry type)
4. In the selected entry type, set the Contra Account of the batch  to a Suspense Account e.g. 999/000 (The contra account is setup under Batch Options)
5. The following accounts will be affected:
• Credit the Suspense account with the value obtained in point 1 and use a 100% GST Adjustment code. This entry will credit the Suspense account (999/000) and debit the GST Control Account.
• Credit the GST Provision account with the same value, but do not use any tax on this entry. This entry will credit the GST provision account and debit the Suspense account (999/000).

Suppliers:

1. Before doing the journal entries to transfer the GST amount, the value must be obtained for the suppliers. To determine this value run the View…Suppliers…Monthly / Periodic…Tax Age Analysis report. This is a summary of the GST amounts on the outstanding balances of the suppliers. Ensure that the report is run for the correct period e.g. if the new method is applicable from October the report must be printed for September.
2. As explained in the above the GST amounts must be journalised. The entry type found under Setup…Suppliers…Documents…Supplier Invoice must be used for this. But before the journal entries are done, the following must be taken in consideration:
1. We would suggest that the option under        Setup…Entry Types…Contra in Detail (select the entry type as explained in point c) must be selected before doing the journal entries.
2. To do the journal entries go to Process…Journals/Cash Book.
3. Select the relevant entry type to do the journal entries (please refer to point 2 to obtain the correct entry type)
4. In the selected entry type, set the Contra Account of the batch to a Suspense Account e.g. 999/000 (The contra account is setup under Batch Options)
5. The following accounts will be affected:
• Debit the Suspense account with the value obtained in point 1 and use a 100% GST Adjustment code. This entry will debit the Suspense account (999/000) and credit the GST Control Account.
• Debit the GST Provision account with the same value, but do not use any tax on this entry. This entry will debit the GST Provision account and credit the Suspense account (999/000).

Please Note: Change the TAX System to Payment/Cash Based GST under Setup…TAX / GST / Sales Tax

1.2) STEP B (Transactions will not appear in Tax Reports)

With the change from Invoice Based GST to Payment/Cash Based GST all the GST already paid to the Receiver of Revenue, on the outstanding balances from customers and suppliers, needs to be transferred from the GST Control account to the GST Provision account. Step A is therefore divided into two parts i.e. GST transactions relevant to the customers and GST transactions relevant to the suppliers.

Customers:

1. Before doing the journal entries to transfer the GST amount, the value must be obtained for the customers. To determine this value run the View…Customers…Monthly / Periodic…Tax Age Analysis report. This is a summary of the GST amounts on the outstanding balances of the customers. Ensure that the report is run for the correct period e.g. if the new method is applicable from October the report must be printed for September.
2. Any entry type can be used to do the journal entries e.g. General Journal.
3. The following accounts will be affected:
• Debit the GST Control account with the amount obtained in point 1.
• Credit the GST Provision account with the same value.

Suppliers:

1. Before doing the journal entries to transfer the GST amount, the value must be obtained for the suppliers. To determine this value run the View…Suppliers…Monthly / Periodic…Tax Age Analysis report. This is a summary of the GST amounts on the outstanding balances of the suppliers. Ensure that the report is run for the correct period e.g. if the new method is applicable from October the report must be printed for September.
2. Any entry type can be used to do the journal entries e.g. General Journal.
3. The following accounts will be affected:

• Credit the GST Control account with the amount obtained in point 1.
• Debit the GST Provision account with the same value.

Please Note: Change the Tax System to Payment Based GST under Setup…TAX / GST / Sales Tax.

If you require further assistance or information, please contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact sales@sagepastel.com.au

PURPOSE:

This documentation will guide users through the information required in order to successfully go through the Year End procedure for Sage Pastel Partner or Xpress software.

SCOPE:

The year-end procedure itself is fully automated, and prepares your company for processing in the new financial year. During the procedure relevant account balances, budgets and transactions are transferred, date parameters changed, and so on.

Unlike many other accounting systems, you can still post adjustments and accruals to the previous year once you have run the year-end procedure. In effect, running the year-end is therefore not time critical, in that you can still run your year-end without waiting for all financial transactions to be done.

However, you cannot process customer sales documents and supplier purchases documents to the previous financial year. You must therefore ensure that you have processed all customer and supplier documents for the current year before running the year-end procedure. Journal and cashbook transactions/adjustments can be left for after the year-end.

Before performing the year end procedure, please take the time to read all instructions below so that the year end process can go through as smoothly as possible.

CRITICAL NOTES:

IMPORTANT NOTE:

PREPARING FOR YEAR END CHECKLIST:

It is absolutely imperative that you prepare thoroughly before you process the year-end. The following checklist will help to ensure that you have done all the necessary preparatory work.

Task	Details
Update Open Batches	You cannot process the year-end if you have open batches in your company data. (To determine whether you have any open batches simply click on View….Open batches from within Partner). Note, however, that invoices on hold, outstanding sales orders, purchase orders and quotations will not prevent the year-end from running.
Backup Your Company	We cannot overstate the importance of this step. You should keep this backup and never overwrite it. As a precautionary measure, make at least two sets of backups and store them in different physical locations. If the year-end procedure does not complete for any reason you will have to restore from backup and reinitiate the year-end procedure. It is also recommended that you run a data integrity before making this backup.
Copy the Company to a New Company	This step is optional, but highly recommended. If you have enough disk space, you can create a new company as a copy of your company prior to the year-end. This is useful because you can continue to do queries on transactions and balances, which are more than two years old. If you decide to do this, we suggest that you change the password(s) on the copied company to prevent you from inadvertently posting entries into that company. Note that this procedure is not sufficient as a backup – if your hard disk fails you will loose the data of both companies. You can do this within the Year-end Assistant.
Make Printouts	We recommend that you make at least the following printouts before running the year end:      - Trial Balance for the year      - Balance Sheet for the year      - Detailed ledger for all accounts and all periods      - Customer and supplier age analysis reports      - Any other reports you deem necessary
Create a Retained Income Account	If this is the first time you are running a year end, ensure that you have created a retained income GL account. The system posts the profit or loss for the year to this account. Steps to ensure that the Retained Income account is created/setup correctly:      - Search for the Retained Income account.      - If it exists, ensure iis allocated to: B15 - Retained Income  Balance Sheet Financial Category      - If not, create the account and ensure its allocated to the Retained Income Financial Category      - Once you have finished creating the account, click save.
Foreign Currency Revaluation	If you use the Multi-Currency add-on module, you must run a foreign currency revaluation prior to running the year-end.
Disk Space and Memory	It is important to check that the available disk space is sufficient to run the year-end.  There should be at least disk space available equal to the size of your data directory.  Furthermore, please ensure that the available conventional memory (i.e. the “Largest Executable Program Size”) is 585K. How do I check on my computer what my free memory is?      - Go into your MS DOS prompt and simply type in MEM and press Enter.      - Locate the area Largest Executable Program Size (3rd line from bottom)      - Ensure this setting states at least 585k.      - If it is less, then you may experience problems such as memory errors or hanging problem
Processing Inventory Count	One of the routines you usually perform before the year-end procedure, is a stock count. It is not necessary to complete all the options in the inventory count assistant before running the year-end.  If you perform a snapshot before the year-end, you can always complete it after running the year-end. You can adjust stock quantities in the last period of last year via inventory journals.
Preserving Budgets at Year End	Budgets are transferred to the correct year automatically during the year-end procedure. Please refer to the section “what the year-end procedure does” for further details on exactly how the processing is done. If you want the current budget values before the year-end to remain as the current budgets after the year-end, copy the values for this year's budget to next year's before running the year-end procedure. This is done through the Edit…. Budgets menu.
Unmatched Payments	When you process to open item accounts you allocate payments and receipts to original invoices. After you have run the year-end you will be able to allocate payments/receipts to the previous year's outstanding invoices.

WHAT RUNNING THE YEAR END PROCEDURE DOES:

The year-end procedure automatically sets up the company for processing in the next year. During this procedure the following processing is done:

Process	Explanation
Updates General Ledger Balances	For income statement accounts, current year balances move to last year. For balance sheet accounts, last year balances consolidate as one total, and the current balances move to last year. Current year balances are set to zero. Current budgets move to last year budgets, future budgets move to current budgets, and next year budgets become zero. The system posts the profit or loss for the year into the retained income account.
Updates Customer and Supplier Balances	Last year balances are consolidated into one total, this year balances move to last year and last year's closing balances are transferred to this year as opening balances. This year balances and sales / purchases values become zero.
General Ledger, Customer, and Supplier Transactions	The system deletes last year transactions. This year transactions become last year transactions, and the system creates a new, empty transaction file for the current year. Invoices on hold have their period set to period one.
Updates Inventory Costs, Sales, and Quantity Values	Closing stock quantities become opening stock quantities in the New Year. The respective costs of these items are also carried forward.
Periods	The years are incremented by one year in the period table, and period end dates are adjusted if necessary, for example, for leap years. The current period for single period users is set to one.
Moves Period 13	If you set period 13 as the first period of the new year, the system transfers period 13 transactions and balances to period one of the new year.
Invoice History and Open Item History	Invoice history and open item history are not deleted by the year-end procedure. To delete these you must run the Delete History / Clear Files function.

PROCEDURE:

1.) Running the Year End Procedure:

• In Sage Pastel Partner click on the Change.. Year End menu option. When prompted for a password simply type in your supervisor password and click on 'OK'
  
• The Year End Assistant will display on screen providing you with the option to create a backup. If you have not already done so please click on the 'Backup' option to create a backup. Otherwise, click on the 'Next' option to continue if you already have a backup.
  
• The assistant will then prompt you to optionally copy your company to another company. As stated previously it is highly recommended that you use this function.
• Please be aware that this does NOT replace the need to do a backup.
• If you have chosen to copy the company, please specify a name for the new company and tick the option to 'Run the Year End in the new company' option
  
• If you have chosen the option to create a copy company you will be prompted to change the password of you original company so that you do not inadvertently post transactions to the incorrect company in future. After acknowledging the message click on 'OK' to continue.
  
• The Assistant reminds you of the minimum reports you should run. However, you cannot produce these reports here. If you still need to produce some reports, cancel the Assistant, run the relevant reports, and then return to the Assistant. After acknowledging the message click on 'Next' to continue.
  
• The assistant then reminds you what exactly the Year End procedure does. To proceed further click on the 'Next' option.
  
• Finally you are prompted with a confirmation message before the system performs the procedure. At this point click on the 'Process' option to run the Year End procedure.
  
• Once the system has completed the Year End process successfully, a "Year End Complete" message will appear. Simply click on 'Ok' to continue and then 'Finish' to close the Year End Assistant. If you do not receive confirmation that process has completed successfully, please restore from a backup and run the Year Procedure again.
  
• Once the Year End Assistant is closed, Partner will log you into you company data. To ensure your company data is setup for the current financial year, within Sage Pastel Partner click on Setup..Periods and verify that the period dates are correct.
• It is strongly recommended that at this time you run another data integrity check. To run a data integrity check you will need to be logged in as a Supervisor and have sole access to your data. To initiate this process simply:
• Click on File..Data Integrity.
• If you have not already made a backup please do so before proceeding. If you do have a current backup then please click on 'Next' to continue.
• Ensure the 'Verify Data Only' option is ticked and then click on the 'Process' button

• If errors are revealed by the Data Integrity, please report these to us by emailing support and attaching the error report to support@sagepastelsoftware.com.au or fax this to 1300 130 532      

2.) Processing Last Year Transactions After the Year End:

As mentioned earlier in this documentation, you will be able to create transaction or make adjustments for the previous year, but you will not be able to create Customer or Supplier documents for the previous year. To process a Journal entry for last year you'll need to do the following:

• Go to the relevant cashbook/journal.
• Click on Settings button (bottom right hand corner).
• By checking/un-checking the 'this year transaction' option you will be able to switch between this year and last year processing. Last year will be displayed in red at the bottom of screen. However this year and last year transactions cannot be posted in the same batch and the option to last year or this year will be grayed out if a batch already exists.

If you require further assistance or information, please contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact sales@sagepastelsoftware.com.au

Purpose:

This document will detail how users can change the average cost of a service item when processing on document lines.

Scope:

You can adjust the average cost of a service items for one line only when processing a customer document.

This is for the purpose of calculating the correct commission on sales analysis codes. It is also used for items of the same type but with different prices e.g. - stamps.

Procedure:

1.) PROCESSING CUSTOMER DOCUMENT

When processing a customer document you can change the average cost within the line by doing the following:

• Process through the lines of the document and select the service item
• Within the Exc / Incl Price column, click on the magnifying glass.
  
  
  
• On the Prices screen, click on the Show Cost Prices button.
  
  
  
• Edit the Average cost and Click on the Save button.
• Click on the Close button.

If you require further assistance or information, please contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact sales@sagepastel.com.au

Purpose:

This documentation will guide users through the Help menu within Sage Pastel Partner and introduce each topic of assistance available to users of the software.

Scope:

Many users disregard the Help menu as having anything to offer.

The Help menu gives you links to the system's on-line help and documentation. It also allows you to register your package and switch languages.

Each topic that is available is described briefly below.

Details:

Help menu areas explained

Within your software, the very last option within the menu bar is the Help menu. Each of the related Help topics will be explained briefly within the following areas.

• PASTEL HELP
  Choose this option to access the on-line help and browse to topics. If you press <F1> whilst you are in a screen, the system selects that screen's help automatically and displays it on the screen.
  
  
• What's New...
  To see new features relating to the specific version you are using, select the Help...What's New in Pastel Partner 2005. menu option.
  
  
• View Tip of the Day
  The system can display a tip or technique each time you start the program. You can disable this feature on the tip screen. To reinstate the feature, and/or to browse the tips, choose this menu option.
  
  
• Documentation...Manual (PDF)
  This option displays the printed user guide in PDF format. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file. You can download this free software at http://www.adobe.com
  
  
• Internet
  This gives you access to the product's Internet pages.
  
  
• Register Your Package
  To register your package for the first time, or to re-register when you add new features, use this option.
  
  
• Log a Support Incident
  If you are a registered Pastel Cover member, you can log a support query via this option. You will require your Product Serial Number as well as your Customer Number in order to do this.
  
  
• About
  This menu option shows you registration details. It also has links to other help menus, and to the operating system's System Info function.

This concludes the introduction to the Help menu. If you require further assistance or information, please contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact sales@sagepastel.com.au

Purpose:

There has been an increasing amount of users advising that they are unable to view the Help file from particular PC's. This document will provide more information on the reasons as to why this occurs and the possible resolutions to this problem.

Scope:

Security update 896358 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 include changes to the InfoTech protocol that block the ability to view remote content. These changes were introduced to reduce security vulnerabilities in HTML Help. After you install 896358 or Windows Server 2003 SP1, files in the Temporary Internet Files folder are treated as content from the Internet zone.

Therefore, files may be blocked when you click Open in the File Download dialog box. Additionally, after you install 896358 or Windows Server 2003 SP1, Attachment Manager may treat a downloaded .chm file as an un-trusted file. Therefore, you may not be able to open the file. These effects are expected and intended effects of installing the security update and of installing Windows Server 2003 SP1.

Please read the procedures for resolving this issue below.

Procedure:

Warning If you are prompted to open or to save a .chm file from a Web site, you should do so only if you need the file and if you trust the Web site that is providing the file.

In the File Download dialog box, click Save, and then choose where you want to save the .chm file. Then, use one of the following methods:

1.) METHODS FOR END-USERS

• Method 1

1. Double-click the .chm file.
2. In the Open File-Security Warning dialog box, click to clear the Always ask before opening this file check box.
3. Click Open.

• Method 2

1. Right-click the CHM file, and then click Properties.
2. Click Unblock.
3. Double-click the .chm file to open the file.

2.) RESOLUTION FOR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods.

Use UNC file paths and file shares to link to .chm files

If your intranet Web page uses the HTTP URL scheme to link to .chm files, security update 896358 may prevent users from seeing topics in the .chm file. Replacing an HTTP file path with a UNC file path can make it possible again to open .chm files from the Web page.

To use a UNC file path instead of an HTTP URL, follow these steps:

1. Put the .chm files on a file share server that can be addressed by using a UNC file path. A UNC file path looks similar to the following path:
   \\productmanuals\helpfiles
   
   
2. Use the ItssRestrictions\UrlAllowList value to enable the systems in your intranet to access the .chm files from that file share.
   
   For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 896054 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896054/) You cannot open remote content by using the InfoTech protocol after you install security update 896358, security update 840315, or Windows Server 2003 SP1.
   
   
3. Update the links on your intranet Web page to use UNC file paths in the URLs that link to the .chm files.
   
   Please Note: This method works only for pages that are served from the Intranet zone. This method does not work for pages that are served from the Internet zone

This document will explain what the Status 30 (Not a btrieve file) error means and will also look at ways in which the Status 30 error can be resolved.

Scope:

Status 30 on file 41 or file 46 indicates a batch with possible corrupt data. This simply means that data cannot be read by Sage Pastel Partner. Depending on which processing screen you were trying to access when you get this Status message, you may have to delete the batch and re-process it.

Generally, this Status message will be received when going into a Cashbook or Journal that contains an existing batch. The message may also be received when attempting to update a Cashbook or Journal batch.

Possible scenarios and resolutions to these are discussed more thoroughly under the Procedures area:

Procedure:

This technical bulletin will run through how to rectify a common error that is usually experienced when re-installing Pervasive. It has to do with Pervasive components not being registered correctly.

Scope:

Pervasive components need to be registered in order for Sage Pastel Partner to run correctly. In order to register Pervasive components, please view the Procedure below:

Procedure:

1.) REGISTERING PERVASIVE COMPONENTS:

• Click on the Start Button on the bottom left hand corner of your screen
• Click on the Start button on the bottom left hand corner of your screen
  Select Softline Pastel.
• Select Pastel Accounting Partner 2007.
• Select Components Utility.
  
  This utility will register all Pervasive components and you should then be able to access Partner without the error 429 appearing.

2.) REGISTERING PERVASIVE COMPONENTS MANUALLY:

• If the utility does not register the files correctly, you can register the required files manually. The files to register are listed below:
• V2005sec.dll
• ncscontrols.ocx
• ssa3d30.ocx

3.) HOW TO REGISTER A FILE

• Go to Start...Run
• Type in regsvr32 (& file name)
• Then press [Enter] or the OK button.
• Then register the next file required until all three have been registered.

If the problem is still occurring afterwards, then please try running a repair install on Sage Pastel Partner. This has been known to resolve the issue also.

For more information contact our support department. If you do not have a support contract, please contact sales@sagepastel.com.au

This Technical Bulletin will guide you through how to add open and manage companies within Sage Pastel Partner 2005 and later versions. This will include how to add companies to your company list to access.

SCOPE:

If you are in a multi-company and/or a multi-user environment, you need to manage which companies each workstation can access.

The Company Database list shows the registration servers and the companies registered via that server. In many cases, there is only a single registration server available. Note that the servers we are speaking of are not network servers but are installed copies of the product, each with their own serial number and registration.

Sometimes there is more than one server available. For example, you may own a single-user version registered on your laptop, and the company may have a multi-user version on their network. When you connect the laptop the network, you can see both servers.

The company data has the capabilities of the registration server to which it links. Using the above example, if you connect your laptop to the network & you wish to grant access to the company on your laptop, only one person can access the company folder at a time because the company links to the single user registration on your laptop.

You overcome this by adding the company to the registration server on the network. You then add the company to the company list to allow you to access the data on a multi-user basis. (See below for further instructions).

PROCEDURE:

1.) TO ADD A COMPANY DATA

• If the company data is not available under the 'Open a Company' screen (as shown below), you should run through the following procedure to add your company data.
  
  

• Click on the 'Manage' button, which will bring up the following screen:
  
  

• This will display all the companies that have been added to the registered server. If the company is not on this list you will need to add it. This can be done by clicking on the 'Add Company' button where a Browse for Companies screen should appear to allow you to select the location of your data to add.
  
  
  Please Note: If the company has a red cross alongside it and can be seen on the Company Databases screen, then it has been deactivated and will need to be activated again and not added.

• Click on the company and then click on the 'Activate Company' button or "Add Company" button for servers.
  
  

• When you close out of this screen, the company should become active and you will be able to select it in the 'Open Company' screen.
  
  
  Please Note:
• Some versions of the product limit the number of companies you can work with at once. You may therefore receive an error message when you attempt to add too many companies to a server.
• Companies you add to a server will show in the Open Company window on each workstation linked to the server. The Open Company window presents companies in alphabetic sequence, not registration server sequence. Note as well, that you can deactivate a company so that it does not show in the Open Company window for a particular workstation. You do this by clicking ont he company and selecting the 'De-Activate' company button
• You may use a large number of companies. For example, you may be an accounting organisation that processes many clients' data, each in their own company. On the one hand, you need to add all these companies to the registration server. On the other hand, you do not want to create a list of companies that is so long it takes users a long time to find the correct company.
  
• You can address this issue by adding all the companies to one or more servers, and then deactivating them on workstations on which they do not need to be visible. Activating and deactivating companies is an action you perform at the workstation rather than the server level
  

2.) TO ADD AND REMOVE REGISTRATION SERVERS:

• Click the 'Locate Server' button. The Browse for Servers window opens.
• Navigate to the Custom\Registration folder of the Pastel installation. When you do so, the system enables the OK button.
• Click the OK button to add the server.

3.) TO REMOVE REGISTRATION SERVERS:

Select server and click the 'Remove Server' button

• Confirm the removal
• You are not deleting any files by this process. You are simply removing the ability of this workstation to access any companies added to the server.
• You can set a default server. The system uses the default server as the server to use when adding new companies. To do this, select the server and click the Default Server button.
  
  Please Note:
• Please contact our Support Department provided you have a current Technical Support contract or your local Certified Sage Pastel Consultant should you encounter any problems during this process. If you do not have a support contract, please email sales@sagepastel.com.au

This document will run through how to export Customer Email addresses to Outlook. 

SCOPE:

Exporting Customer email addresses can prove to be a timely process which can be frustrating to the user. There is a simplified process which can be used within the Utility menu in Sage Pastel Partner.

Previous versions (before Partner 2005) do not have this added functionality.

PROCEDURE:

1. Start by activating the Outlook Export Activity under the menu option Utility... Microsoft Office Integration... MS Outlook - Export.
2. Click on "Next" button. 
3. Select the option to take the addresses of customers or supplier and also place them in outlook with the categories. This is so that you can look up for example a list of addresses for Wholesalers…Dealers…etc.
4. Click on "Next" button. 
5. On this screen, the method of exporting is required to be selected. Should you choose to overwrite and you have the addresses for the same client - it will overwrite the current addresses in Outlook with the ones from Pastel. Select the option you require and click on the "Next" button.
6. Click on the "Process" button.
   Please Note - It may take some time to run them over to Outlook and depends on the number of accounts you have
   
7. After this has completed, you can log into Outlook and you will find the addresses there. As can be seen in the screen shot below, they will be split into Categories if you have set it up to do this as we have.

The customer accounts information exported should be in sync with Sage Pastel Partner now!

ISSUE:

Unable to access Pastel Software with Error Message Status 116 showing.

CAUSE:

The error 116 is a network communication problem between a workstation and the server. These communication problems could be due to network hardware, cabling or the network user rights and pervasive settings. This error is thrown by pervasive because it cannot establish a connection to the server.

SOLUTION:

OPTION 1 - Engine and Loc file

1. First check that the Pervasive Pre-load icon is running in the bottom right hand corner of your screen (in your systray).
2. Log everyone out of Pastel.
3. Locate your company data folder and delete any `pvsw.loc files that may be within there.
4. Then log everyone back in and see whether the error occurs.
5. You will then need to assign the Gateway thereafter (please view option 3 below).

OPTION 2 - Pervasive Licence - Check if Pervasive License is Correct

1. Go to Start...Programs...Pervasive SQL ...Other Utilities...Licence Administrator
2. At the very bottom, please check to see whether there is a Permanent licence applied for Pervasive. If there are no Permanent Licenses, you will need to re-register your Pastel Program. Please contact our support staff at registrations@sagepastelsoftware.com.au to obtain a temporary pervasive license in order to get into Pastel for registration. Otherwise, move to option 3.

OPTION 3 - Assigning a Gateway

1. Log everyone out of Pastel.
2. Locate your company data file.
3. Delete any 'pvsw.loc' file that may be within your data file. We can then assign a Gateway.
4. To assign a Gateway, (PLEASE NOTE: THIS PROCEDURE MUST BE DONE IN THE SERVER AND THEN IN ALL WORKSTATIONS)
   
1. In Windows click on Start.....Programs.....Pervasive.SQL .... Other Utilities... Gateway Locator
2. click on Change button
3. select "Assign a Gateway"option and type/browse your server name and click ok
4. The UNC field will now be filled with a path for your server, something like this "\\YOUR_SERVER_NAME\C$\PVSW\Bin\~PVSW~.LOC"
5. Click in exit
   
5. Then log everyone back in and check to see if the error occurs again?

OPTION 4 - Pervasive Settings
       If the error continues to occur, then please run through the following Pervasive settings that need to be set on all PC's including the server:

1. In Windows click on Start.....Programs.....Pervasive.SQL ....Control Center
2. On the right panel double click on the 'Pervasive.SQL Engines' icon
3. Double click on the resulting computer name icon
4. Double click on the 'Configurations' icon
5. Double click on the 'Client' icon
6. Double click on the 'Communications Protocols' Folder
7. Double click on the 'Enable auto Reconnect' option and set it to 'ON'
8. Double click on the 'Supported Protocols' option and ensure that 'Microsoft TCP/IP' is the only selected protocol in the right panel.
9. On the left panel click on the 'Performance Tuning' folder
10. On the right panel click on the 'Use cache Engine' option and set it to 'OFF'
11. On the left panel click on the 'Configurations' icon
12. This time double click on the 'Server' icon
13. Double click on the 'Communications Protocols' Folder
14. Double click on the 'Enable auto Reconnect' option and set it to 'ON'
15. Double click on the 'Supported Protocols' option and ensure that 'Microsoft TCP/IP' is the only selected protocol in the right panel.
16. On the left hand panel click on the 'Memory Usage' folder
17. Double click on the 'System Cache' option and set it to off.
    Note: The above steps need to be performed on all PC's on the network (including the server) which runs Pervasive.

Error 20 message showing up and is preventing the users from getting into Sage Pastel Partner/Xpress program.

CAUSE:

There are a few cause of this error such as:

1. Pervasive Engine is not running - Pervasive Engine Icon appears with a red cross sign or does not exist on the task bar
2. Pervasive License has expired or does not exist
3. Connectivity between client and server.
   

SOLUTION:

1. Manually Start Pervasive
1. Go to Start Menu - All Programs - Pervasive - Pervasive.SQL - Engines - Start Workgroup Engine
2. Double check on the task bar to see if the Pervasive Engine Icon has appeared or has changed from red cross sign to green.
3. If the above has not worked, please continue below.
   
   
2. Check if you have the Correct Licenses
1. Please double click on the Pervasive Engine Icon on the task bar
2. Pervasive Engine details screen should appear. Please note down the engine detail. ie Database Service Manager for Workgroup Engine 9.60
   (If the icon does not exist, please find the details at  Start Menu - All Programs - Pervasive - Pervasive.SQL - Other Utilities - Monitor, and find on toolbar for Help - About screen)
   
3. Go to Start Menu - All Programs - Pervasive - Pervasive.SQL - Other Utilities - License Administrator
4. When License Administrator dialog has appeared, on the bottom half of the dialog, there are a list of Applied Licenses
5. Please make sure that there is a Permanent License Type that matches with your Pervasive workgroup or client/server engine as well as the correct version you are using.
   
   If there is a Permanent Licenses that has a different version to your Pervasive Engine Version, please reinstall pervasive with the correct version. (You will need to use the PSA to uninstall or please view our technical document on re-installing Pervasive)
   If there are no Permanent Licenses, you will need to re-register your Pastel Program. Please contact our support staff at registrations@sagepastelsoftware.com.au to obtain a temporary pervasive license in order to get into your Sage Pastel program for registration.
   
   
3.    Check Map Drive Connection (Workstation only)
   

Sometimes, when a workstation does not have access to the server, an "error 20" could show up. 

To check if your mapped network drive, go to My Computer, your mapped drives should appears right after your local drives (local hard disks and optical disks).


If you find it there, double click on the mapped drive, to make sure that the connection is up and running. In that case close windows and try to connect on Sage Pastel Partner/Xpress program again.

If you do not have a mapped drive for the Sage Pastel Partner/Xpress program folder in the server, please recreate the map network drive (right click on my computer, "Map Network Drive...", in the windows that shows, browse for the shared Sage Pastel Partner/Xpress program folder in your server and choose a letter for it, and click on OK)

System Explorer:

The Explorer gives you quick access to customer, supplier, inventory and general ledger records. From here, you can access common editing and processing functions used for these accounts. For example, you can create new accounts or process invoices. You can access this function in one of two ways:

• Manually show and hide Pastel Explorer by clicking the Pastel Explorer icon in the toolbar
• Set up Pastel Explorer to load automatically when there are no program functions open. You set this per user in the Users > Passwords function.

Placing documents on hold:

• Sage Pastel Partner & Xpress 2009 allows users to place both customer and supplier documents on hold. This useful feature allows you to postpone the updating of documents until the clerk is confident that the invoice is complete.
• This is particularly helpful when the year-end has to be run but not all documents are ready to be updated. Once year-end has been completed, the user has the ability to change the dates on those particular documents, to reflect the correct dates for the current financial year.

Grace Period:

Completing a year-end is a stressful task. Often, the final figures are not available from your accountant, which makes it difficult to complete the year-end while still continuing with day-to-day processing. More often than not, you need to process your transactions manually until the final figures are received.

This feature gives you more time to finalise accounts by issuing a grace period that allows work in the following year to continue while the current year is finalised. You can do this by:

• Clicking Setup > Periods.
• Changing the number of periods to 13 and selecting the option to Use Last Period as First Period of Next Year.
• When running the year-end procedure, the last period transactions and balances then become the transactions and balances in the first period of the following year.

Count Inventory:

Sage Pastel Partner / Xpress 2009 has a helpful feature that enables you to reconcile your theoretical stock with the physical items in your store. If there are differences, the system creates inventory journals to correct the theoretical quantities. You can access this feature by:

• Clicking on Process > Count Inventory.
• Press F1 within this menu, for step-by-step instructions on how to use this feature effectively.

User defined fields:

When processing customer and supplier documents, users sometimes require additional fields that can display on the invoice, for example, the delivery method used by the customer as shown in the example below.

• Activate this feature by ticking the Customer User Defined Fields on the document.
• Enter the information you wish to display on the invoice for the customer's account by selecting Edit > Customers > Accounts and select the User Defined Fields tab.

Supplier Categories:

You can group suppliers into different categories such as type of product or area. This makes reporting easier since you are able to view your supplier listing by the specific categories setup. Create categories by:

• Going into Edit > Suppliers > Categories.
• Thereafter, assign categories to suppliers by selecting the c