TIPS AND TRICKS for the CORE ACCOUNTING MODULES REMINDER:

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1 REMINDER: Please remember that this document is meant to be a guideline with some ideas of ways you can use MAS 90 / 200 core accounting modules more fully. However, your settings or process may not work exactly as outlined in this document. This document is provided for informational purposes only please direct specific questions to our support team by calling our office and selecting extension 1. The core accounting modules are Library Master, General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Payroll. This document is not a training manual and assumes that the person using the document has a base understanding of the MAS 90 / 200 core accounting modules already. Page 1 of 30 August 2005

2 KEYBOARD NAVIGATION Business Technology Solutions, Inc. For those of you who don t like to use your mouse: Key Function TAB Next field ENTER Next logical field SPACEBAR Clear/select a check box/radio button BACKSPACE Deletes the entry at a field ESC Closes the current window F1 Help text for the current field F2 Lookup window for the current field F4 Printer button F7 Explorer menu F8 Record count F9 or ALT+Q Special Options button CTRL+F5 First record CTRL+F6 Prior record CTRL+F7 Next record CTRL+F8 Last record ALT+A Accept button ALT+C Cancel button ALT+D Delete button ALT+P Print button ALT+V Preview button SHIFT+F1 Help button (help text for the window) ALT+O OK button for dialog boxes and line entry ALT+U Undo line changes CTRL+INSERT Inserts a line CTRL+DELETE Deletes the current line INSERT Inserts a line DELETE Deletes the current line ALT+N Insert a line ALT+E Delete a line ALT+1, 2, 3... Select the first tab, second tab, third tab... ALT+B Batch button ALT+E button ALT+I Text button ALT+K Credit Checking button ALT+M Memo button ALT+R Item Memo button ALT+M Memo button (when memos are on file) ALT+Q Map button ALT+S Image button ALT+S Documents Search button ALT+T Package Tracking button ALT+U Web button ALT+T Package Tracking button ALT+X Next Number icon ALT+Z Zoom button HOME First page in a list box END Last page in a list box PAGE UP Previous page in a list box PAGE DOWN Next page in a list box Page 2 of 30 August 2005

3 New Security Overview for 4.x The security for MAS 90 and MAS 200 has been overhauled starting with version 4.x. You will set up roles and then set up Users. You then assign users to one or more roles. Use Role Maintenance to define and maintain functional roles. Roles reflect functions within an organization, such as AP Clerk, AR Clerk, and Warehouse Staff. Permissions for all security events (such as one-sided journal entries) can also be assigned to roles. When defining roles, access to modules and tasks can be allowed or restricted. With version 4.0/4.05, the General Ledger, Library Master, and Customizer modules, security can be further refined by assigning Create, Modify, Remove, or View permissions to maintenance tasks, or by setting Update or Print Only permissions to update tasks. Additionally, some module options, such as allowing batches to be merged can be allowed or restricted. These additional permissions will be available for AR, SO, RMA with version 4.1 release. Then these additional permissions will be rolled out with each new release based on the modules being released to the 4.x standard. Note Subsidiary windows within a task inherit the permissions assigned to the primary task window. You will now use User Maintenance to create users and assign roles to users. One or more roles can be assigned to users. Security Precaution Be sure to set up ODBC security to prevent unauthorized users from accessing MAS 90 data through ODBC links to MAS 90 via Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel. You set this up using the Library Master; Setup menu items for ODBC security. Page 3 of 30 August 2005

4 Setting up User Preferences: Business Technology Solutions, Inc. In 4.x MAS 90, you can set up some User Preferences in the Library Master module. This used to be done by selecting the File menu and then selecting Preferences, but is now accessed in Company Maintenance in the Preferences Tab for the default settings for users in each company OR in Library Master, Main, User Maintenance for setting some other preferences for each user or role. In these screens, changes can be made to the MAS 90 system for each company. Some examples include being able to have all return city names entered in caps after the user enters the Zip Code, date preferences and more. To prevent users from posting to an accounting period in a subsidiary module more than one month into the future, turn on the Restrict Accounting Date To Current and One Future Period. This saves a considerable amount of time with subsidiary to general ledger reconciling difficulties when the user accidentally specifies a posting date far into the future. The option to prompt user for accounting date upon entering each module is also available and helps insure the user is posting in the proper period. User-specific preferences can also be set, such as, automatically logging off a user after a certain number of minutes of inactivity, setting the number of implied decimals allowed, and setting the lookup limit. User Maintenance can also be used to determine when a user account expires, or when a particular role for a user account expires. Page 4 of 30 August 2005

5 You must be logged on as the Administrator or have been given security permissions by an Administrator to access User Maintenance. Page 5 of 30 August 2005

6 Changing AP and AR Addresses to Upper Case A hidden utility is also available to convert address information to all uppercase. It provides the option to uppercase city names only or uppercase all address fields. This utility can be applied to customers, shipto addresses, vendors, and purchase addresses. It is important to exercise care before running this utility because changes are permanent and cannot be reversed. To run the SWUPCS utility program 1. All users must exit MAS 90. Create a backup of MAS 90 data files. 2. Log in to MAS 90 and select the desired company using the MAS 90 launcher. 3. Select File Run and type SWUPCS in the Program Name field and click OK. 4. The Uppercase Address Utility Window appears. 5. Uppercase City Only or Uppercase All Address Fields can be selected. 6. Any combination of the following can be selected: Customers (if company uses AR module). Ship-to Addresses (if company uses AR and SO modules). Vendors (if company uses AP module). Purchase Addresses (if company uses AP and PO modules). 7. After selections are made, click on the Proceed button. Note: This utility does not affect records in the PR or BR modules. Page 6 of 30 August 2005

7 Accessing Help To find help on infrequently performed tasks, use the How Do I? feature found on the Modules tab of the Detailed View of the MAS 90 Desktop. Simply type a question in the How Do I? field and a list of answers will appear in the column below that field. The most likely answer to the query will be at the top of the list. Double click on the selection from the list to go directly to the help text for that topic. Page 7 of 30 August 2005

8 Accessing Help (cont) Business Technology Solutions, Inc. The help files are awesome and you can access using F1 function key and also clicking on the? boxes at the bottom of a screen. Excellent search and you can also access the How do I? feature from the help screens. Plus there are excellent flowcharts that you can review and print as needed. Accessing Help by clicking this icon Page 8 of 30 August 2005

9 Copying Data from One Company to Another (Company Maintenance -- COPY): You may want to copy portions or all of your primary company s information into a new, backup company. For example, if you are planning to use the DELETE/RENUMBER/MERGE utility in any of the modules, you will want to use this copy feature as a backup incase you do something wrong. Otherwise, the only was to get your data back would be to restore from a tape backup. This feature is also go to use if you are a PAYROLL user with DIRECT DEPOSIT. If the direct deposit does not go through, you can always restore the payroll data and retry. To copy data from one company to another: Under the Library Master Menu, select MAIN, then select COMPANY MAINTENANCE. You should switch the company you want to copy the data INTO. Click on the COPY button. Select the SOURCE company using the lookup option (this is the company you want to copy FROM). You can enter one or multiple modules when selecting the information to be copied by clicking next to the appropriate modules in the DATA column. You can also copy the forms (if applicable) by clicking the FORMS option column next the module that you want the forms copied from. Click PROCEED button. You will be prompted whether you want to Copy all data files to the selected company?. Click YES if you do want to copy the DATA and the FORMS. Pay close attention to be sure you are copying to the correct company there is not an UNDO button. The system will copy the data from the Source Data information to the Destination Companies. Make sure you are in the copy you want to copy INTO. Then Click on COPY button. Page 9 of 30 August 2005

10 PERIOD END PROCESSING - WHY IT S IMPORTANT MAS90 holds data in two buckets, CURRENT PERIOD and FUTURE. By closing the Current Period on a regular, timely basis, you will be able to print meaningful Period to Date reports and prevent posting to prior periods. In the following example, our Current Period is May, with a fiscal year ending December 31 st. CURRENT FUTURE 5 6 5/1 5/1 5/6 5/15 5/6 CLOSED 5/31 6/1 6/1 6/12 6/12 6/20 6/20 Close Period 5 6/1 6/ /20 When Period 5 is closed, all Period 6 transactions move to the current bucket and Period 7 is open to post as future. MAS90 will let you post as far into the future as you would like, however, all future postings will be in the FUTURE bucket in Accounts Payable. Therefore, it is important to close the Current Period before the end of the next period. Your General Ledger reports will be fine, but your Accounts Payable Period to Date reports be incorrect as illustrated below: 6/1 6/ /20 CLOSED 6/27 7/1 7/10 7/15 8/1 7/30 8/5 Various transactions are entered for the months of June, July and August. Close Period 6 7/1 7/10 7/15 8/1 7/30 8/ /6 8/12 8/20 8/31 Transactions entered for the month of August before the 6 th Period was closed will be included on AP Period to Date reports for the Month of July and will not be included in Period to Date reports for the month of August. Page 10 of 30 August 2005

11 MAS90 ORDER OF CLOSING Business Technology Solutions, Inc. The following provides an outline of the processing order for MAS90 applications during Period End. The order logic assures that an application that writes to another application is processed first. 1. Payroll (Quarterly) 2. Purchase Order 3. Sales Order 4. Inventory (close SO & PO with IM is a good idea) 5. Material Requirements Planning (Yearly) 6. Accounts Receivable 7. Accounts Payable 8. Job Cost 9. General Ledger Modules that do not have a Period End process: RMA Bank Reconciliation Bill of Materials Work Order Processing Time Card The first step to take is to be sure that you have a good back up of your company data. Second, assign a team leader to oversee the progress and completion of the whole process. Be sure all reports have been printed and analyzed for accuracy. When ready to do the actual Period End process: Make sure all transactions have been updated. Get everyone is out of MAS90. Change the module date to the last day of the period. Proceed with Period End Processing. This is the last prompt you will get, answer YES. The actual processing will go very quickly. Period to Date information will shift to Year to Date and the Current Period in Setup Options will be advanced to the next Period. Page 11 of 30 August 2005

12 VENDOR REFERENCE Business Technology Solutions, Inc. The Vendor Reference field can be used to print the account number your vendors have assigned to you. This reference filed can be printed anywhere on your Accounts Payable check or stub: For Graphical forms, you just need to have the field added using Crystal. For Non-graphical forms, this is one of the fields that is available in the form setup. Page 12 of 30 August 2005

13 QUICK PRINT CHECKS Business Technology Solutions, Inc. To enter and print a check without first entering an invoice, in MANUAL CHECK ENTRY, select Quick Print after entering the bank code. The check will be printed after fully distributing the invoice on the Lines Tab. You can first elect to have a GL Distribution Only and expense directly to the GL account or create an Invoice on the fly by not checking this box and entering a new or existing invoice on the Lines Tab. Once distributed, you will Accept and be taken automatically to the Manual Check Printing window. Select Print and OK to proceed. Once the check is printed, you are returned to the Manual Check Entry window, ready to enter another transactions, or print and update the Manual Check Register. Page 13 of 30 August 2005

14 REUSING VOID CHECK NUMBERS If you want to reuse check numbers that have been voided (but not used or damaged), you may run the AP Purge Void Checks Utility: 1. From the File/Run prompt, enter: APWRVD and press ENTER. 2. At the bank code prompt, enter the desired bank code or range of bank codes. 3. At the check number prompt, enter the desired check number or range of check numbers. Be sure to use a 6-digit check number (enter leading zeroes as needed). 4. Click on Proceed. Note: When the utility is complete, the selected records will have been removed from the AP_15XXX.soa (Check History Header File) only. Void records will not be removed from the APBXXX.SOA (Check History) file by using APWRVD utility. If you get a message: "You are not authorized for this menu option", when running APWRVD 'A/P Purge Void Checks' utility. The User Code may be denied access to Hidden Options in Utilities/Menu Security Maintenance. If the user is authorized to use Hidden Options, either gives the User Code access to Hidden Options (or remove all of the other user codes). Page 14 of 30 August 2005

15 CHECK REVERSALS (Voiding Previously Issued/Updated Checks) At the Manual Check Entry screen, enter the correct bank code and check number of the check to be reversed. You will receive the following prompt: Answer YES. The next prompt will be: - If you don t intend to repay the invoice(s), answer NO and check the GL Distribution Only box - You want to select the invoice(s) to repay manually, answer NO - You intend to repay the invoice(s) originally paid, answer YES If the check was lost in the mail or something like that and you simply want to reissue the check and repay the invoice(s) after selecting YES, the LINES tab will list the original invoice(s) as negative amounts. Page 15 of 30 August 2005

16 Simply ACCEPT the entry, print the Manual Check Register and Update. The original check will be reversed and the invoice will be available for repayment. If the check was paid in error and you do not intend to pay the invoice, you will want to select NO at the Recall Original Invoices? prompt and check the GL Distribution Only box. On the Line Tab, enter the General Ledger account number you wish to credit (usually the same account number debited when the original invoice(s) was created), and enter the amount as a negative, equal to the check amount. Notice that the check amount is automatically entered for you as a negative. Page 16 of 30 August 2005

17 Accept the entry, print the Manual Check Register, and update. This will reverse the check, leave the invoice balance at zero, and credit the expense account. Page 17 of 30 August 2005

18 ADJUSTING INVOICES MAS90 allows you to adjust invoices that have already been updated (posted) but not yet paid. This may be necessary if: The invoice amount or discount amount was entered incorrectly You needed to delete an invoice after updating it to the permanent files You need to put an invoice on hold or issue a separate check To enter adjustments, in Accounts Payable, Main, Invoice Data Entry, Select the Vendor and enter the invoice number to adjust The following prompt will appear, if you do not want to place the invoice on hold or issue a separate check, select Adjust to adjust the amount and/or date of the invoice When you select Adjust, the invoice balance will display on the Header tab on the lower righthand corner. Enter the dollar amount of the adjustment; use a minus sign to decrease the amount. Confirm, change, or enter the account number to post the adjustment to and the amount to be assigned to each account number. This is helpful if you have miscoded the original invoice Update the Invoice and Daily Transaction Registers Page 18 of 30 August 2005

19 Credit Card Vendors In the Accounts Payable module of version 3.7x and higher, users can designate vendors who represent credit card companies. This feature helps reclassify individual expense lines to alternate vendors for purchase tracking or 1099 purposes. In AP, in Vendor Maintenance, Select the Credit Card Vendor check box to indicate that this vendor is a credit card vendor and to allow credit card transfers to and from this vendor in Invoice Data Entry and Manual Check Entry. For more information on credit card transfers, see Perform Credit Card Transfers. NOTE A credit card vendor is your credit card company, such as VISA or American Express. Why perform credit card transfers? When entering an invoice for a credit card vendor (for example, your Visa vendor) at the time of purchase or when processing your monthly credit card statement, you may encounter two scenarios: You want to apply/track a credit card purchase to another Accounts Payable vendor An outstanding invoice already posted to another Accounts Payable vendor exists for the credit card purchase and you want to mark in the system that this invoice has been paid by credit card To resolve these scenarios, you need to perform a credit card transfer. There are two types of credit card transfers, a purchase transfer and an invoice transfer. What is a purchase transfer? A purchase transfer allows you to apply/track a credit card purchase to another Accounts Payable vendor (also referred to as the purchase vendor) by transferring the purchase amount from the credit card vendor's invoice to the purchase vendor. Payment history will be recorded for both the credit card vendor and the purchase vendor. To record a purchase paid by credit card (assumes that an invoice was not entered for the purchase vendor) 1 On the Accounts Payable Main menu, click Invoice Data Entry. 2 In Invoice Data Entry, enter your credit card vendor at the Vendor No. field and enter an invoice number at the Invoice No. field. 3 On the Header tab, enter the invoice information. 4 On the Lines tab, click the Transfer button. 5 In the Update Purchase Vendor window: a. At the Vendor Number field, select the purchase vendor that you are transferring the purchase to. b. Do not select an invoice at the Invoice Number field; this field is used for another transfer procedure. Page 19 of 30 August 2005

20 c. At the G/L Account field, the purchase vendor s G/L account defaults from the vendor master file but can be changed. d. At the Transfer Amount field, enter the purchase amount to be applied to the purchase vendor. e. Maintain the 1099 Form and Box fields as necessary, and click OK. f. In the Invoice Data Entry window, click Accept. 6 In the Invoice Data Entry window, click Accept. What is an invoice transfer? An invoice transfer allows you to mark in the system that the outstanding invoice posted to another Accounts Payable vendor (also referred to as the purchase vendor) has been paid by credit card by transferring the invoice amount from the outstanding invoice to the credit card vendor's invoice. On occasion you enter an invoice for a vendor and after the invoice is posted to the general ledger, the invoice is paid using a credit card. After paying an invoice by credit card, record in the system that the invoice has been paid so that a check will not be created for it. To record that the invoice has been paid by credit card, you must enter an invoice for the credit card vendor and transfer the invoice from the original purchase vendor to the credit card vendor. Payment history is recorded for both the purchase vendor and the credit card vendor. To record the payment of an outstanding invoice by credit card : 1 On the Accounts Payable Main menu, click Invoice Data Entry. 2 In Invoice Data Entry, enter your credit card vendor at the Vendor No. field and enter an invoice number at the Invoice No. field. 3 On the Header tab, enter the invoice information. 4 On the Lines tab, click the Transfer button. 5 In the Update Purchase Vendor window: a) At the Vendor Number field, select the purchase vendor. b) At the Invoice Number field, select the purchase vendor's outstanding invoice. NOTE: The G/L Account field is not available because the outstanding invoice, itself, is being transferred (not the purchase). c) At the Transfer Amount field, the transfer amount defaults from the purchase vendor's invoice balance but can be changed (partial pay). NOTE: The transfer amount cannot exceed the purchase vendor's invoice balance. d) If necessary, enter the discount amount at the Discount Amount field. e) Maintain the 1099 Form and Box fields as necessary, and click OK. Page 20 of 30 August 2005

21 NOTE If you enter invoices for your credit card vendor at the time of purchase, when you are processing your monthly credit card statement, you can reconcile these invoices with the credit card statement by combining them onto the invoice for the credit card statement. For instructions, see Combine Invoices for the Credit Card Vendor Into One Invoice. 6 In the Invoice Data Entry window, click Accept Page 21 of 30 August 2005

22 BANK RECONCILIATION Business Technology Solutions, Inc. The Bank reconciliation Register shows the Calculated Book Balance and Adjusted Bank Balance. Calculated Book Balance This amount is calculated by taking the Current Balance from Bank Code Maintenance and subtracting or adding all transactions dated after the ending date on the Bank Reconciliation Register. Adjusted Bank Balance This amount is calculated by taking the Bank Statement Balance entered in Reconcile Bank, adding all outstanding deposits, subtracting all outstanding checks, and subtracting or adding all outstanding adjustments. Use the Reconcile Bank to clear checks, deposits, and adjustments appearing on you monthly statement. Verify the outstanding balance is zero and print the Bank Reconciliation Register. Be sure to select just one Bank Code at a time. Also, leave the Starting Transaction Date blank. You will be prompted to purge the CLEARED transactions after printing the Register. Page 22 of 30 August 2005

23 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE FINANCE CHARGE CALCULATION The Aged Invoice Report must be run prior to calculating finance charges. Running the Aged Invoice Report recalculates aging categories. Your Setup Options and Customer Maintenance provide information on how to calculate finance charges. The calculation is performed in Finance Charge Calculation on the Period End menu. Finance charges are calculated based on the date specified. When the calculations are completed, you can select another range of customers or print the Finance Charge Journal. Finance Charge Entry is used to manually apply finance charges to individual customers or adjust automatically calculated charges from Finance Charge Calculation before posting. Page 23 of 30 August 2005

24 CREDIT LIMIT CHECKING Business Technology Solutions, Inc. If Customer Credit Limit Checking in enabled in your Setup Options, during Invoice Data Entry, the system will automatically check the Customer s credit. Page 24 of 30 August 2005

25 CASH RECEIPTS Business Technology Solutions, Inc. Use Cash Receipts Entry on the Main menu to: Record payments against outstanding customer balances Apply debit and credit memos to open invoices Record prepayments Record the write-off of a bad debt (see example) Reverse returned checks Record miscellaneous cash receipts For example, A zero-dollar cash receipt is the easiest way to write off a bad debt. Be sure to enter the correct Bank Code and verify the date. This is the date that the write off will occur and post to the General Ledger. Select the Customer, and enter BAD DEBT for the check number. Select the invoice to written off in whole or in part. Enter the amount in Amount Posted. Enter the GL account for Bad Debt Expense. The Amount Posted will default to the to the distribution balance. Page 25 of 30 August 2005

26 RETAINING CASH RECEIPTS HISTORY Prior to version 3.7, information reported on the Monthly Cash Receipts Report was automatically purged during Period End Processing. Beginning with version 3.7, a new check box in Accounts Receivable Options allows users to maintain this functionality or retain cash receipts for a longer period of time. Users can purge cash receipts history at a later time from the Period End Processing window. Page 26 of 30 August 2005

27 POSTING TO A CLOSED FISCAL YEAR IN GL Overview If you retained detail history for a prior fiscal year, you can reopen the closed fiscal year and post to it. This method provides an audit trail. Closed fiscal years can only be reopened in the General Ledger module. Before You Begin If you have not retained detail history for a prior fiscal year, you cannot reopen it. To make sure that you retained detail history for a prior fiscal year, verify the setting at the Years to Retain General Ledger History field on the General Ledger Options Main tab. For more information, see Years to Retain General Ledger History. To post to a closed fiscal year Select General Ledger Setup menu > General Ledger Options. On the General Ledger Options Main tab, at the Current Fiscal Year field, select the past fiscal year to reopen. For more information, see General Ledger Options - Fields. At the Current Period field, select the accounting period to post to and click Accept. In General Journal Entry or Transaction Journal Entry, enter the journal entry to the reopened fiscal year and period, and update the journal entry. When you are finished, reprint year end reports. On the General Ledger Options Main tab, at the Current Fiscal Year field, select the current year, and at the Current Period field, select the current period. Click Accept. The closed fiscal year was reopened and posted to. Page 27 of 30 August 2005

28 MAKING AN ADJUSTMENT IN THE GL FOR A CLOSED PERIOD Overview There are two methods to make an adjustment for a closed period. You can either set the accounting period to a prior period or enter an adjustment to the current period for the prior period. To set the accounting period to a prior period Select General Ledger Setup menu > General Ledger Options. On the General Ledger Options Main tab, at the Current Period field select the past accounting period to post to and click Accept. For more information, see General Ledger Options - Fields. Enter and update a general journal entry to the selected period, or post a register from another module to the selected period. When you are finished, reset the Current Period field back to the current period on the General Ledger Options Main tab. The system automatically reflects the adjustments for the prior period. Page 28 of 30 August 2005

29 CLEARING PAYROLL DATA ENTRY & DEFINING TAB STOPS Up until the point of UPDATING the Check Register, you may clear the Payroll Data Entry files by simply clicking on the Clear button! By selecting the Tabs button, you can decide which fields you would like the curser to stop at during Payroll Data Entry. Page 29 of 30 August 2005

30 TRACKING HISTORY IN PAYROLL Be sure to set the option to retain perpetual history to track history across years in detail. This proves to be valuable down the road for inquiring into prior years of payroll history. RESTARTING CHECK PRINTING One of the most stressful days you have is the day you process Payroll! It s late in the day, you are in the middle of printing checks, and the printer jams what do you do? Enter the next Check Number in order to begin the reprint. Be sure to check the box marked Print checks already printed! Select the employee that the check jammed on. Verify that everything is correct. Print the check(s). Compare the printed checks with the check register prior to updating. Page 30 of 30 August 2005