INSTALL/UPGRADE GUIDE: Amicus Small Firm Accounting

Transcription

1 INSTALL/UPGRADE GUIDE: Amicus Small Firm Accounting Contents Basics...2 Single-User Install...4 Multi-User Network Install...5 Getting Started (first time install)...7 Updating Templates (if upgrading)...9 Please read this document carefully before installing Amicus Small Firm Accounting. It contains important information for those who are: Installing Amicus Small Firm Accounting for the first time Upgrading from Amicus Small Firm Accounting 2008 or later, or Please contact Technical Support at (800) or (416) if you need assistance. Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 1

2 Basics Amicus Small Firm Accounting is a powerful time, billing, and accounting application developed for law firms. Amicus Small Firm Accounting can be used as a standalone tool or partnered with Amicus Attorney to integrate your front and back offices in one all-inclusive practice management solution. Installation Options Use the Amicus Small Firm Accounting CD (or downloaded CD image) for both new and upgrade installations. It can be run for 30 days in evaluation mode before requiring licensing. Single or Multi-User Installation You may choose to install Amicus Small Firm Accounting in either of the following configurations: Single-User Install the application, database, and workstation components entirely on a single, standalone computer. This computer is referred to as the Amicus Server. See Single-User Install on page 4. Multi-User (Network) Install the application, database, and workstation components on a single computer called the Amicus Server. The workstation components must then be installed on each of the other computers on the network that are using Amicus Small Firm Accounting these other computers are referred to as Amicus Workstations. See Multi-User Network Install on page 5. Evaluation and Licensing You may use all functions and features during the evaluation period. In order to use Amicus Small Firm Accounting beyond the evaluation period, you must have performed an Install, and then request and apply the number of licenses purchased for your firm. For details, see Setup D in Getting Started on page 8. IF UPGRADING: You will need to re-license Amicus Small Firm Accounting after upgrading, before the end of the evaluation period. Important Things to Consider System requirements Ensure that your computer(s) meet requirements as detailed in the Hardware & Software Requirements document available from the Support > Technical Resource Guides > Amicus Small Firm Accounting section of our website ( Integration with Amicus Attorney (optional) Integrating Amicus Small Firm Accounting with Amicus Attorney provides a powerful front and back office practice management solution. Initializing the integration will populate Amicus Small Firm Accounting with your existing Amicus Attorney Matter Files and Client Contact information, as well as common lists (including Timekeepers, File Types, Activity Codes, Expense Codes, and Task-Based Biling Codes). Thereafter, Matter File and Client Contact data will be individually exchanged in both directions. Posted Time Entries will go directly to Amicus Small Firm Accounting without the need for a separate exchange process. For full details see the appropriate Integration Guide available in PDF format from either application. Note: Some integration features may vary depending on your version of Amicus Attorney. WARNING: If you wish to experiment with the Integration, do so in an isolated environment with test data. Data will be exchanged in both directions and, if your firm is set for automatic Client Matter numbering, existing Client IDs and Matter IDs will be replaced with new IDs in Amicus Attorney. Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 2

3 Ensure that you have a compatible version of Amicus Attorney, as specified in the Hardware & Software Requirements document. It must be installed and configured appropriately for your firm prior to initialization. Note that the Amicus Small Firm Accounting Server (or standalone computer) does not need to be the same computer as the Amicus Attorney Server(s). Amicus Small Firm Accounting workstation components must be installed on every Amicus Attorney workstation. IF UPGRADING: If you have an earlier version of Amicus Attorney, note that you must upgrade Amicus Attorney prior to using the integration. Transitioning from another accounting system To ensure that Amicus Small Firm Accounting continues where your existing accounting system left off, decide on a suitable date to transition to Amicus Small Firm Accounting. Then balance your existing accounting records and print a Trial Balance, a listing of your client trust balances, a detailed Accounts Receivable and Payable Listing, your last bank reconciliation, and list of outstanding checks as of this transition date. You will refer to these reports after entering and reconciling your data to verify that it has been entered into Amicus Small Firm Accounting accurately. Determine your firm s accounting method You will need to specify your firm s accounting method in the System Setup wizard that appears when you first start an Install of Amicus Small Firm Accounting at the firm: Cash Accounting Revenue is recorded when payment is received and expenses are recorded when they are paid. Modified Cash Accounting Revenue is recorded when it is received, expenses are recorded when they are paid, and recoverable client expenses are treated as assets. Accrual Accounting Revenue is recorded when it is earned and expenses are recorded when they are incurred. Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 3

4 Single-User Install This section guides you through the installation of Amicus Small Firm Accounting on a standalone computer for use by a single user. 1 Log onto your computer as a user with Windows Administrators Group rights. IF UPGRADING: Ensure that you log on with the same user credentials as used when Amicus Small Firm Accounting was first installed. 2 IF UPGRADING: Ensure that you have a current backup in a location outside of \AmicusAccounting. Also ensure that you have about 1 GB of free space. 3 If integrated with Amicus Attorney, ensure that all users are logged out of that application. 4 Shut down all running programs. 5 Insert the appropriate Amicus Small Firm Accounting CD into the CD drive of your computer. The Installer should start automatically. If it doesn t, click the Windows Start button, choose Run, and enter: D:\Setup.exe, where D represents your CD drive letter. Or, if you downloaded the CD image, double-click setup.exe in the contents extracted from the download file. 6 In the Install Options dialog, click the Install button. 7 If dialogs for installing Windows.NET Framework appear, complete that process first. 8 The InstallShield Wizard will now guide you through the installation process. Follow the onscreen prompts to complete the installation. IF A FIRST TIME INSTALL: If you change the default Destination Folder, ensure that the new path does not contain any spaces. 9 When you click Finish to complete the installation, you might be prompted to restart your computer. The installation of Amicus Small Firm Accounting on your computer is now complete! What to do next: IF A FIRST TIME INSTALL: Further setup is necessary proceed to Setup A in Getting Started on page 7 and subsequent sections. IF UPGRADING: Further steps might be necessary if upgrading from Version 2009 or earlier proceed to Updating Templates (if upgrading) on page 9. After completing that procedure, you will be finished. NOTE: If also upgrading Amicus Attorney at this time, log in to Amicus Small Firm Accounting at least once before starting the Amicus Attorney Server install. NOTE: After you have completed your initial installation and licensed Amicus Small Firm Accounting, we recommend that you check for Updates. To do this, log in to Amicus Small Firm Accounting and, go to the Maintenance > Check for Updates function. (Your workstation must have a connection to the Internet.) Only Updates applicable to your site s current installation will be available to you. If an Update is available, carefully follow the instructions provided for downloading and applying the Update. After applying an Update, check again to see if there are any further sequential Updates applicable to your installation. Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 4

5 Multi-User Network Install This section guides you through the installation of Amicus Small Firm Accounting for use by multiple users. Three basic steps are required: Install the database and application components on the Amicus Small Firm Accounting Server. Define users and complete some basic setup. Install workstation components on each user s computer. Step A File Server Install 1 Log on directly at the Server, as a user with Windows Administrators Group rights. IF UPGRADING: Ensure that you log on with the same user credentials as used when Amicus Small Firm Accounting was first installed. 2 IF UPGRADING: Ensure that you have a current backup in a location outside of \AmicusAccounting, and ensure that all other users are out of Amicus Small Firm Accounting. Also ensure that you have about 1 GB of free space. 3 If integrated with Amicus Attorney, ensure that all users are logged out of that application. 4 Shut down all running programs. 5 Insert the appropriate Amicus Small Firm Accounting CD into the CD drive. The Installer should start automatically. If it doesn t, click the Windows Start button, choose Run, and enter: D:\Setup.exe, where D represents your CD drive letter. Or, if you downloaded the CD image, double-click setup.exe in the contents extracted from the download file. 6 In the Install Options dialog, click the Install button. 7 If dialogs for installing Windows.NET Framework appear, complete that process first. 8 The InstallShield Wizard will now guide you through the installation process. Follow the onscreen prompts. IF A FIRST TIME INSTALL: If you change the default Destination Folder, ensure that the new path does not contain any spaces. 9 When you click Finish to complete the installation, you might be prompted to restart your Server. 10 IF A FIRST TIME INSTALL: If running under Windows 7, Vista, Server 2008 (or later), or SBS 2008 (or later), ensure that network discovery, file sharing, and public folder sharing is are turned on from the Network and Sharing Center in the Control Panel. 11 IF A FIRST TIME INSTALL: Set the \AmicusAccounting folder properties to make it a shared folder. If using a network domain (rather than a workgroup), also set the folder s (and subfolders ) sharing permissions for Amicus users to Full Control or Co-owner, and change its security properties to grant all Amicus users Full Control. The installation of Amicus Small Firm Accounting on your Server is now complete! What to do next: IF A FIRST TIME INSTALL: Proceed to add users and complete some basic setup see below. IF UPGRADING: Proceed to installing workstations see below. Step B Adding Users and Basic Setup (if a first time install) Add users and, if performing an Install, complete the System Setup wizard proceed to Setup A in Getting Started on page 7. Afterward, proceed to installing workstations see below. Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 5

6 Step C Workstation Installs Workstation components for Amicus Small Firm Accounting must be installed on every user s workstation. The Amicus Small Firm Accounting CD (or CD image) is not required for this step. Complete the following at each workstation, as appropriate, when you are ready to allow other users access to Amicus Small Firm Accounting. DO NOT PERFORM THESE STEPS ON THE AMICUS SERVER. 1 Log onto the computer as the user who will be running Amicus Small Firm Accounting there. If running under Windows 7 or Vista, ensure that the user, at least temporarily, has Windows Administrators Group rights. If NOT running under Windows 7 or Vista, ensure that the user has Windows Administrators or Power Users Group rights. 2 IF A FIRST TIME INSTALL: Map a network drive to the \AmicusAccounting shared folder on the Server. 3 IF UPGRADING: Uninstall Amicus Small Firm Accounting (from Windows Add/Remove Programs, or Programs and Features). 4 Shut down all running programs. 5 In Windows Explorer, go to the mapped network drive, open the \AmicusAccounting\Install folder, and double-click on setup.exe. Follow the onscreen instructions. 6 At the end of the installation, click Finish. Depending on your operating system, you might need to restart your computer. What to do next: IF A FIRST TIME INSTALL: Further setup is necessary proceed to Setup B in Getting Started on page 8 and then on to subsequent sections. IF UPGRADING: Further steps might be necessary if upgrading from Version 2009 or earlier proceed to Updating Templates (if upgrading) on page 9. After completing that procedure, you will be finished. NOTE: If also upgrading Amicus Attorney at this time, log in to Amicus Small Firm Accounting at least once before starting the Amicus Attorney Server install. NOTE: After you have completed your initial installation and licensed Amicus Small Firm Accounting, we recommend that you check for Updates. To do this, log in to Amicus Small Firm Accounting and, go to the Maintenance > Check for Updates function. (Your workstation must have a connection to the Internet.) Only Updates applicable to your site s current installation will be available to you. If an Update is available, carefully follow the instructions provided for downloading and applying the Update. After applying an Update, check again to see if there are any further sequential Updates applicable to your installation. Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 6

7 Getting Started (first time install) TIP: We recommend that you perform backups of your Amicus database(s) at key points in the setup process. Setup A - Preliminary Setup in Amicus Small Firm Accounting 1 Start Amicus Small Firm Accounting by double-clicking its icon on your desktop. 2 When you start Amicus Small Firm Accounting for the first time at the firm, no login dialog will appear. You will be prompted to enter basic information in the System Setup wizard. (These settings may be changed later from Start Up > Firm Settings.) Firm Information: - Firm Name and State. - Accounting Method See Determine your firm s accounting method on page 3. Tax Information: - Tax Vendor Name (Registered Tax Name) Unless your vendor name for tax purposes differs from your firm name, enter your firm name. - Tax Vendor Number (Registered Tax ID) Enter your tax or business registration number, if any. - Tax 1 Rate and Tax 2 Rate Enter Tax 1 (state) and Tax 2 (federal) percentage rates, as applicable (e.g. enter 7 if a tax rate is 7%). Indicate whether Tax 2 is charged on Tax 1. General Information: - Start and end dates for your current accounting year. - Current Posting Month To specify the month for which you will begin entering transactions, enter a calendar month number (e.g. 3 =March). This is typically the month after the last month end performed. - Automatic Client Numbering To assign Client Matter ID numbers automatically. - Next Client Number If you set Amicus Small Firm Accounting to assign Client Matter ID numbers automatically, enter the number that you would like to begin numbering from. This number will be automatically incremented. Consecutive Matter ID numbers (e.g. 001, 002, etc.) will be automatically assigned to the matters for each client. When finished, click Save. NOTE: Once the firm starts entering transactions in Amicus Small Firm Accounting, we recommend that you do not change the Accounting Method. 3 The licensing dialog appears. Click OK. 4 The Automatic Backup dialog appears. Click OK to perform a backup. 5 You must create security Groups before adding users. Create one or more Groups: Click Start Up > Users. Click New Group. Enter a Group name (e.g. ADMINISTRATOR, ACCOUNTANT, etc.) and description. Configure the Group access rights by adding functions from the Available Functions list. Users who are assigned to the Group will have access to the Amicus Small Firm Accounting functions in the Selected Functions list. NOTE: We strongly recommend that you set up a Group that contains all of the features of the application and then assign this group to the person(s) who will be responsible for administration of the application. Click Save. 6 Add users: Click New. Enter the User Name. User Names must be uppercase and unique. Enter the First and Last names. NOTE: If integrating with Amicus Attorney, User First and Last names must exactly match those in Amicus Attorney. Assign the user to a Group. Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 7

8 Enter a password for the user. Passwords can be up to eight characters long, made up of letters, numbers, and symbols, and must be uppercase. Re-enter the password in the space provided. Click Save. Repeat the preceding steps until you have added all the required users. At this point, you may proceed to install the workstation components or, alternatively, complete the following setup steps first. Setup B Integrating with Amicus Attorney (Optional) If you are ready to integrate with Amicus Attorney at this time, carefully follow the steps detailed in the appropriate Integration Guide available from the Help menu or Help Center. Doing this now has some advantages. Initialization will populate your Amicus Small Firm Accounting common lists, including Timekeepers, and add existing Amicus Attorney Client Matter Files. WARNING: If you wish to experiment with the integration, do so in an isolated environment with test data. Do not integrate with live data until you are ready to permit general use by the firm. If Amicus Small Firm Accounting is set to assign Client Matter ID numbers automatically, Initialization will REPLACE all existing Client IDs and Matter IDs in Amicus Attorney with new IDs from Amicus Small Firm Accounting. Setup C Further Setup in Amicus Small Firm Accounting Proceed to complete the remaining setup items before allowing users access to Amicus Small Firm Accounting. Below is a list of setup items, their location in the application, and the relevant Help topics. Item Module Help Topic Timekeepers Originating Lawyers Lists Lists > Timekeepers Timekeeper Rate values Lists Lists > Timekeepers Chart of Accounts Add Vendors (if using Accounts Payable) Expense Codes settings (tax rates, default G/L Account, etc.) General Ledger Start Up Accounts Payable Lists QuickStart > Post-intialization setup > Preparing your Chart of Accounts General Ledger > Account and Budget Maintenance Start Up > Firm Settings > Control accounts Accounts Payable > Vendor Maintenance Lists > Expense codes Bring Forward Balances Start Up QuickStart > Post-intialization setup > Bringing forward existing balances Start Up > Posting balance forward entries Reconciliation of Balances Forward Reports QuickStart > Where to go from here Firm Settings Start Up Start Up > Firm Settings Setup D - User Access and Licensing 1 Advise those who will use Amicus Small Firm Accounting of their individual User Name and Password. 2 In order to use Amicus Small Firm Accounting beyond the evaluation period, you must have performed an Install, and then request and apply the number of licenses purchased for your firm. To obtain a License Key, send us an by clicking Request License Key in the prompt that appears at login, or by choosing Request License Key from the Help menu. After you receive your License Key, click Apply License Key in the prompt that appears at login, or choose Apply License Key from the Help menu. Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 8

9 Updating Templates (if upgrading) All of your earlier data and settings will be converted upon upgrading Amicus. However, if you are upgrading from Version 2009 or earlier, this release provides some updated report and label templates. To activate the revised templates and replace your currently active ones, complete the following steps. 1 Bills If upgrading from Version 2009: Slightly updated billing templates now display blank hours and blank lawyer s initials for Courtesy Discount items. If upgrading from Version 2008: Updated billing templates utilize uniform (Arial) fonts. If upgrading from Version 2008 lower than SP1 (build ): Updated templates accommodate general retainers and payment details. If upgrading from Version 2006: Updated templates include new interest entries and memos on bills. To implement any of these improvements, update the templates. a WARNING: If you have customized any bill templates, ensure that they have been renamed. Otherwise they will be overwritten. b At the Amicus Server, copy the following files from \AmicusAccounting\bills\templates2010 to \AmicusAccounting\bills\template, replacing the current versions: Consolidatedbill.FRT Consolidatedbill.FRX StandardBill.FRT StandardBill.FRX TaskBasedConsolidated.FRT TaskBasedConsolidated.FRX TaskBasedStandard.FRT TaskBasedStandard.FRX 2 Checks If upgrading from Version 2008 lower than SP1: The check template location was changed to ensure the template s inclusion in backups. If you have modified your check layout, copy esicheks.frt and esicheks.frx (or esicheques.frt and esicheques.frx) from \AmicusAccounting to \AmicusAccounting\Templates, replacing the current version. 3 A/R Reminder Statements If upgrading from Version 2006: In order to run these statements successfully, they must be updated. Go to Reports > Billing Reports > A/R Reminder Statements > Created Statements, and click Restore Default. Then click Yes and click Close. You will then need to recustomize these, if desired. 4 Client Labels If upgrading from Version 2006: If you wish to avoid the truncation of long Client Matter IDs, update these labels. Go to Reports > Client Reports> Client Labels, select a type of label, and click Reset to Default. Click Yes. Repeat for each label type: Standard Mailing, Rotary, Matter, File, and Standard Mailing with Contact. Then click Close. If upgrading from Version 2008, note that 2 additional Billing Templates are now provided: Consolidated Total and Flat Fee. For details, see the What s New in Amicus Small Firm Accounting 2010 document available from our website. For further information, contact Gavel & Gown Software Inc. Phone: Fax: info@amicusaccounting.com Copyright 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. All rights reserved. AMICUS and AMICUS ATTORNEY are registered trademarks, and AMICUS SMALL FIRM ACCOUNTING,AMICUS MOBILE, AMICUS MOBILE SERVER, and DO are trademarks of Gavel & Gown Software Inc. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owner. Gavel & Gown Software Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks other than its own. January 2012 Amicus Small Firm Accounting: Install/Upgrade Guide (January 2012) 2012 Gavel & Gown Software Inc. 9