🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi Dave,

Looks like you are having fun with your accounting system -- NOT
Unfortunately, your situation is not uncommon.  I am working with a client
now who has spent nearly $150,000 on hardware and software for their
accounting system in the last 12 months and is now in a situation where they
have no application manuals, no tech support, and errors in their financials
that seem to be unrepairable. ... Yes, they are looking for a new system as
well.

Back to your questions.  I have a few questions/recommendations.

1.  Ask around your circle of business acquaintances and try to get
references of a reputable Accounting Software Advisor (Not necessarily a
software reseller).  This could be a CPA or Computer vendor with a lot of
software experience and a solid knowledge of accounting.  Ask them some
tough questions relating to support during and after the software selection
process.

2.  Take a look at www.excelco.com - there is a product called "The
Accounting Library"  which contains a survey of over 1800 questions relating
to your needs/desires for features in a software application.  It then
compares your needs to features available in various accounting applications
and rates them based on your survey.  (Hint: a useful Software Advisor will
already have this software).  Note that this shouldn't be the only basis
used to make  your software decision - only as a tool to separate the "wheat
from the chaff".

3.  Some applications that you may want to take a look at are:
        MYOB Accounting Plus
                Multi-user/ Multi-Currency/ strong inventory features/ easy
to use/
                multi-level pricing structure
                May be too small in some features

        Business Vision
                Fully integrated accounting application - may include some
modules that are not required                 e.g. - Point of sale.  good
Inventory module

        UA Corporate Accounting
                Mid range accounting package - very customizable, strong
inventory

        Macola
                Manufacturing/accounting software

These suggestions cover a large range of prices - but give an idea of where
to start looking.

Hope this helps!

David Spence
Accounting Technology Advisor
________________________

"Dave Typinski" <wingnut@fdt.net> wrote

>Hello all -
>
> This is long; for that I apologize.  However - if anyone out there can
> recommend a decent accounting system, or can tell us that we are
> simply experiencing what everyone else is experiencing, then, please,
> read on...
>
> On the other hand, we're also contemplating ditching Dynamics in favor
> of a different accounting package.  It'd sure be a shame to blow the
> (approx) $30K+ we've sunk into it; but it's way more software than we
> need.  What we *do* need is a package that:
>
> 0) Must have multi-user capability over a Windows network.
> 1) Will not experience database corruption as part of "normal" operation.
>
> 2) Can be operated efficiently by *one* full time employee doing the
> functions of inventory tracking, order entry and invoicing, payroll,
> purchase order processing, and check writing.  <snip> This
> employee will also be handling customer service calls from time to
> time; I'd say that 70% of their day could be devoted to accounting
> system related duties.
>
> 3) Can handle contract pricing efficiently.  <snip>.  We really require a
lot of flexibility in our
> pricing; each of 700+ inventory items may have a different price for
> each of 30 groups of customers.
>
> 4) Bill of materials.  (*Not* inventory kitting.)  We manufacture; we
> require only a rudimentary system that will tell us how much raw stock
> and finished product is on hand at order-entry time.
>
> 5) Has a report writer that is simple to use.  The report writer in
> Dynamics is... arcane.
>
> 6) The basics: GL, standard financial reports.
>
> We'd be willing to pay a fair sum for the right software.  We hesitate
> to sink any more money into the bottomless pit of Dynamics.  If anyone
> has any comments, please let me know.  I'm open to any and all
> suggestions at this point.  Thanks to all for your time.
> --
> Dave Typinski
> General Manager
> Tile Specialties, Inc.
> dave@tilepecialties.com
> http://www.tilespecialties.com

On Wed, 25 Oct 2000 11:30:13 GMT, "Spence & Company"
<spenceco@spamless.telusplanet.net> wrote:

>Hi Dave,
>
>Looks like you are having fun with your accounting system -- NOT
>Unfortunately, your situation is not uncommon.  I am working with a client
>now who has spent nearly $150,000 on hardware and software for their
>accounting system in the last 12 months and is now in a situation where they
>have no application manuals, no tech support, and errors in their financials
>that seem to be unrepairable. ... Yes, they are looking for a new system as
>well.

Wow.  What do you say to something like that?

We have looked at Macola and UA, plus a few others as well.

To be fair with Great Plains, our beef isn't with them, but rather
with the reseller who failed to disclose a lot of information prior to
our purchase.  Dynamics is a *very* powerful piece of software, and,
as it turns out, is also much more than we thought.  In other words,
we didn't know what we were getting into.  Well, we'll chalk it up as
a learning experience.  To Great Plains' credit, a customer service
rep called me after she saw this post.  She was very helpful in
getting the ball rolling on straightening out our problems.
--
Dave