Simply Accounting

You cannot insure your data

Brent Corner — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:03:00 GMT

Have you ever accidentally deleted a file or overwritten one in error. Have you ever lost a hard drive on a computer? Hopefully when this happens you can go to your backup media and retrieve the original.

Your data is one of your most important assets. Without your files, your business cannot run, period. Unfortunately, there is not an insurance company out there that can rebuild your files if they are destroyed.

I cannot say enough about backing up your critical files. Not doing so could cost you immensely and even ruin your business. Unlike a machine or a building, you cannot just go and get a new part or rebuild the damage. The Graziadio Business Review has a very well researched paper titled The Cost of Lost Data that discusses the risks and the real cost of losing your data.

Our office performs regular daily backups of all databases, spreadsheets and documents. These backups are made to external portable drives and subsequently removed from site on a regular basis. From time to time, these portable drives have been known to fail which gives one's heart reason to speed up and skip a beat or two. What if the other drives have failed? What if the server goes down today? Supposedly these kinds of double failures never happen but I have personally witnessed this many years ago - that should be rephrased as 'actually experienced it'. Happily, other backups meant that we only lost a few days work.

Ultimately, the best backup strategy should include offsite remote storage. There are many of these services available. Until recently I have always been concerned about the financial viability of such services as well as whether the backup servers are on Canadian soil. Not to say that any one of the providers out there are not excellent choices, I just needed to find one with which I could be comfortable.

Bell Canada (I have to declare that I own shares) is now offering a service called Data Protect that provides remote backup. Files are stored on Canadian soil, encrypted before they leave your premises and multiple versions can be kept to name a few of the options available. The whole process from setup to using has been painless.

Most important, I am fairly surely certain that we are 'insured' that the backups will be there for the day that they are needed in the future.

Errors and Omissions

Brent Corner — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:13:00 GMT

Most of you reading this must perform some type of function in the realm of accounting. Do you ever make errors?

If you have a bookkeeping practice then this post may be of particular interest to you. Have you ever made an error? Overlooked or ommitted an important piece of information? Ever deliver a report to a client and later find that one row of numbers didn't get added into the 'sum' formula on your spreadsheet? Let's face it, we all make errors from time to time and usually it is without consequences. We quickly fix the mistake and inform the client before any harm is done.

If I am working on a complex and complicated report, I'll put it aside for a day and revisit it later with a fresh set of eyes before final completion. If I'm unsure of an item, I will run it by a colleague for their analysis.

Peace of mind, though, ultimately comes from having liability insurance and namely a policy that covers the liability of errors & omissions. This doesn't mean that just because you have insurance, you can be any less diligent. It does however provide you with the assurance that should you make an error that causes another party financial harm, your assets and livelihood will be protected. It lets you sleep at night.

Recently I joined The Institute of Professional Bookkeepers of Canada (IPBC) and found that they have a very competitive E & O package for their members.

If you don't have E & O insurance, I urge you to look into it, now!

Simply Accounting 2012 - Release C update required on domain servers

Brent Corner — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:16:00 GMT

Just a heads up to anyone with Simply 2012 on a domain server -

Release C has an update for the Transaction Manager that has to be installed on the server if you are using the TM.

Make some people happy - issue T4s now

Brent Corner — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:06:00 GMT

Accolades all around are coming this week. The reason why, is that our clients' employees get their T4s this week. They think this is great because there is no waiting until the last day of February to start filing their taxes.

However, the real reason that these T4s get produced this week is mostly self serving on our part. Completing the T4s this week allows us to reconcile the T4 Summary with the payments made for the year-to-date plus the last payment for December that is due on or before January 15th.

In order to reconcile the T4 Summary, the summary needs to be generated from Simply and printed out (or at least displayed on the screen).

The next step is to calculate how much the total remittance for the year should be. Next, take the amount paid to date from the most recent Statement of Account for Current Source Deductions form (PD7A) and add any amounts that are not included in the Amount paid for the year box. The difference will be the amount of the final remittance that should be remitted for the year.

This will save you questions at a later date from your client or employer and most importantly CRA.

You'll make some people happy too.

Simply 2012 Payroll features = Productivity gains

Brent Corner — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:36:00 GMT

Over the past couple of years, I have had the opportunity from time to time to view and comment on the new payroll features that are now found in Simply 2012. It is nice to see most, if not all of the features proposed, implemented in 2012.

Here are a few of the items that could save you some time, especially if you upgrade to 2012 before completing any payroll functions for 2012.

Update Employee WSIB Rate - in one screen under the Maintenance menu, you can now update all or some the rates, by province, rate and job category (this is my number one favourite and I think Sage got it right through and through!).

Update Employee Claims - screen has a nicer feel and you can see all of the employees and their existing claims in one place.

Paycheques - the entry screen now shows the hourly rate and looks and feels like the sales and purchase journals.

Payroll Cheque Run - this screen is great to work with. We can now unselect all employees at once - a very necessary feature for businesses that use part timers that do not work every pay period (I've been wishing for this for a few years). You are also able to see all of the hours being paid to all employees on one screen - an excellent way to double check hours against the time sheets before hitting the print and post buttons.

The payroll features in Simply 2012 really do save time and increase productivity, especially for large payrolls.

Downloading Simply 2012 and updates

Brent Corner — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:26:00 GMT

This is a partial reblog from 2009 but I thought that a timely reminder would be in order.

Most software is delivered via downloads from the internet these days. Often these downloads want to place the installation files on your desktop. The best place to store program downloads and updates is in a folder that is easy to find and that gets backed up on a regular basis. If you have a server, that is an even better location.

After you have established a folder for Simply 2012, you can download the program and any updates to that location. It is equally important to save a copy of the email you receive from Sage that contains the serial number and the activation code in the same folder. You can just copy and paste the contents of the email into a Word or Excel file and save it in the same forlder.

All of these steps save lots of time (and misery) if and when your computer stops functioning at some point in the future.

Original blog posted March 02 2009 - Downloading Updates from Simply Accounting

Avoid the dreaded PIER now

Brent Corner — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:23:00 GMT

Occasionally received in April of each year is the dreaded PIER statement from CRA. The Pensionable and Insurable Earnings Review is generated by CRA when CPP and EI differences have been detected. This occurs after you have submitted the T4s and T4 Summary for the previous calendar year.

Unfortunately this creates a bit of an issue especially when the employee is no longer in your employ. You cannot recover any deficiencies if they no longer work for you. CRA also generates an amended T4 for the employee so this causes confusion on the employee's part and leaves you trying to explain the whole scenario. You are allowed to recover underdeducted amount for up to 12 months from an employee through payroll deductions. However, this tends to make you less popular for a period of time.

The best solution for this is to conduct your own PIER before the final payroll of the year is processed. If you do this, you can then make the adjustments before the T4s are generated. If you take the time now to double check these deductions, you never see a PIER.

Simply Accounting has a PIER feature that is found under Reports > Payroll > Year end Review (PIER). This report is quite helpful although is does not always determine why the discrepancies are happening - ie - employee turned 18, received an extra paycheque, etc..

In our office, we take it a step further and do the calculations for each and every employee using an Excel spreadsheet that mimics the CRA forms found in the links below.

Links to CRA pages are as follows: for the Calculation of CPP contributions use this link and for EI go to this link. Please note that at this writing CRA has not updated the 2011 amounts in these links.

If you would like a live Excel spreadsheet that has all the calculations working, feel free to email me at jbcorner@jordem.com at any time and request a 'PIER' calculations worksheet.

Running the forum in Compatibility Mode

Harry C. — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:48:00 GMT

The Sage Simply Accounting community forum will not load properly on some new internet browsers. We have encountered users posting blank posts when using internet explorer 8.0 and above. To get around this issue, run the forum in ‘Compatibility Mode’.

To run the forum in Compatibility Mode, click on the button in your address bar that looks like a torn piece of paper.

To read more about this issue, go to this Microsoft link about IE 9.0 and compatibility mode.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/why-do-some-webpages-look-incorrect-in-internet-explorer-9.

Until next time, happy accounting.

Need help with installing

Harry C. — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:40:00 GMT

Check out our installation page for helpful videos walking you through installing and converting your data file. Find the page at http://www.simplyaccounting.com/supportTraining/support_resources/howtovideos.

Until next time, happy accounting!

Simply Accounting 2012 is here, beat the rush!

Alec B — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:45:00 GMT

Hello and happy friday to the Simply Accounting community.

The 2012 program is now here and includes some great new features such as a completely new payroll module. As usual, our busy season is not far behind the new program release.. Many users think that they must wait until the 2012 calendar year starts in order to install the new 2012 program, but this is not the case. As a result, our office becomes extremely busy around the year-end and start of the new year. It's highly advised that users who have received their 2012 program email take the opportunity if possible to install and use the new program now and avoid the rush if there are any installation issues or questions about the new program's functionality.

Additionally it's not necessary to wait until your company has closed it's 2011 fiscal year cycle to install the new 2012 program. Your data file will be converted up to the new program format once opened in the new 2012 install, but your data file will remain in the date it's been left at. Starting the new fiscal year is an entirely separate process (from the Maintenance menu, Start New Year). You can visit our special website for year-end help here.

Take care and happy accouting to all!

-Alec B.

The new payroll function in Sage Simply Accounting 2012

Harry C. — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:49:00 GMT

Sage Simply Accounting 2012 has changed the way the Payroll Cheque Run runs. View Sage Simply Accounting 2012 payroll cheque run on Youtube for a video explaining all the changes.

Until next time, happy accounting!

Another successful Partnership Conference

Alec B — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:08:00 GMT

Happy Friday to the Simply Accounting Community!

Another Partnership conference has come.. and gone. Thanks to all the partners who came out to participate! Simply Accounting leadership always enjoys meeting all the partners and new faces, and this year was no exception.

We also enjoyed welcoming the new product vendors to the fold with great additions to the Simply-related family. As a cap to the conference, 'Prom night' was a great and fun success!

The Simply team is now gearing up for the 2012 product launch to hit the public release, and look forward to all the excitement which will surely result now that users can void or adjust remittance payments (along with some other great new features..)!

Take care and enjoy your weekend,

Alec B.

Simply Accounting 2012 is on the way!

Alec B — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:11:00 GMT

Hello and happy friday to our Simply Accounting users and community!

Today we'll be closing the support office a few hours earlier than normal at 2PM Pacific time so that we can spend a little time together as a team in celebration and anticipation of the impending 2012 program release. Every year the 'launch' is a little different, but this year will include 'cosmic' bowling and some fun contests with all ranges of Simply Accounting staff.

Look for exciting new features in the 2012 program including completely revamped Payroll and Payroll Cheque Run windows as well as an updated Remittance function which now includes the ability to adjust or reverse a remittance payment.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

-Alec B.

Sage Simply Accounting 2012 Limited Early Release Program Has Finished

Alistair Ellis — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:11:00 GMT

The program was very popular this year with almost 100 applications. We were only able to accept 50 into the program due to the support commitments we promise to our participants. I would like to thank all of you who did apply and hope we will have the same level of interest next year.

The participants have been using the new version since the end of July and we have received great feedback on how fast the installations were and how everyone liked the improvements to payroll and remittances. They also liked the little tweaks we did to improve their day to day usage of the product. We are confident that you will feel the same.

We truly value the time and effort our participants take to be the early adopters of the new release. For those of you who will be receiving the new release starting in October, I hope you will try to take advantage of the improvements sooner rather than later.

With Sage Simply Accounting 2012 out the door, we can now fully focus on Sage Simply Accounting 2013 for next year.

Programme de la version anticipée limitée de Sage Simple Comptable 2012 est terminée

Alistair Ellis — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:08:00 GMT

Le programme a été très prisé cette année, car nous avons reçu presque 100 demandes. Malheureusement, nous ne pouvions qu'en accepter 50 en raison de notre engagement à fournir notre aide aux participants(es). À cet effet, nous remercions tous ceux et celles qui ont soumis leurs demandes et nous espérons que vous montrerez autant d'intérêt l'an prochain.

Les participants(es) ont utilisé la nouvelle version depuis la fin de juillet et nous avons reçu d'agréables commentaires sur la rapidité avec laquelle les installations sont effectuées, ainsi que leur appréciation sur les améliorations apportées à la paie et aux paiements. Ils ont également aimé les petites mises au point que nous avons effectuées pour améliorer l'usage quotidien du produit. Et nous sommes persuadés que vous les aimerez également.

Nous apprécions grandement le temps et l'effort que nos participants(es) ont consacré à la nouvelle version. Pour ceux et celles qui recevront la nouvelle version en octobre, nous espérons que vous tirerez le maximum des améliorations dès maintenant plutôt que plus tard.

Maintenant que la version Sage Simple Comptable 2012 est terminée, nous pouvons donc nous concentrer pleinement sur Sage Simple Comptable 2013.

Sage Simply Accounting 2012 Installation tips

Harry C. — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:32:00 GMT

As the season changes and summer ends and autumn begins, here at Sage we only think of one thing; new product release. Installations can cause customers headaches but we at Sage are always ready to give you a hand and we have a plethora of options where you can get all the help you need to smooth your installation process.

For help downloading, installing, registering, activating and converting your data, we have a series of videos set up for you. Go to our 'Sage Simply Accounting How To Videos' page to watch the videos. You can find these videos at the SageSimplyAccounting Youtube channel at this link.

You can also find tips on installation in our installation FAQ. Our installation FAQ should be able to answer most of the issues you may encounter during installation.

The knowledgebase article '260-25572 - How do I install Sage Simply Accounting?' will also give a step by step walkthrough on how to install the 2012 program.

And if you run into any issues, our support department is able to help you at any point in your installation.

Until next time, happy accounting!

Storing and using Simply data files from a USB key or a 'dropbox'

Alec B — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:17:00 GMT

Hola,

Good day and happy friday to our Simply Accounting community.

Since we've had a few calls recently with clients leaving their data files on USB keys or a 'dropbox' while making their postings, I thought it would be a good idea to briefly discuss the implications of doing so. Generally, this is not recommended.

We advise opening a Simply Accounting data file from your own computers hard-drive, or from a network stored location. Simply Accounting needs to have fast and free access to the data file storing the information on the company you're working with/on. There is no 'save' before you close a file, as with Word or other programs. Postings and updates to the data occur in real-time as the user moves through the program entering data and 'posting'.

Communication to a USB key or especially to an online 'dropbox' can be interrupted by other computer processes or internet service hiccups. For this reason it's best to have the file opened locally or on a local network, make entries as needed, then transfer to USB or online storage. Backups should also be made in the same way.

Here's hoping that the rest of the Country and our foreign users have the same fantastic weather we're having in the Vancouver area this weekend!

Take care and happy accounting! - Alec B.

Breakdown of our Support Plans

Alec B — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:27:00 GMT

Hello and happy friday to our Simply community!

Today i'd like to clear up any confusion regarding our Technical Support plan options. The options are now fairly varied and tailored to fit the different needs of different groups, whether that be purely Payroll auto-calculations, someone who just needs technical help and is happy using online 'chat' service only, or those who need all the bells and whistles with Payroll and full phone-in support.

As always, product updates (corrections to the program) are free for all users of current versions (2010 and 2011 at the moment), Payroll tax table updates are included only in the plans that include Payroll.

All support plan options also come with a copy of next years program included in the price.

Bronze - Unlimited Chat Support, Unlimited Online Tickets (processed through our Customer Portal), $50 e-coupon for Sage University as well as 30 days access to the 'Essentials' online course.

Silver - All Bronze benefits as well as 12-month access to the 'Essentials' online course, unlimited Telephone Support sessions, Remote-Access help option when using the phone support (an agent can remote-connect to your machine to make troubleshooting and correction easier and quicker), Sage HR Manager, 25% off when ordering cheques/forms.

Payroll Support - Payroll tax table updates and unlocks the payroll Auto-Calculation option in the program, unlocks the T4/RL-1/ROE reports in the program for paper or electronic filing, 12-month access to 'Essentials' online course, $50 e-coupon for Sage University.

Gold - All Silver benefits, all Payroll Support benefits, $100 e-coupon for Sage U. in place of the $50 coupon, 15% off Sage Simply Accounting Intelligence (reporting add-on), EFT included free in this plan, waived setup fee for Sage Direct Payments or Credit Card processing options.

I hope that this information makes the support plan options a bit clearer for our users. Feel free to discuss pricing and signup with any Support Agent over phone or chat during your next contact, or reach the sales team directly when calling in.

Take care and enjoy the long weekend for those that have it!

The benefits of the Tiering system

Harry C. — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:20:00 GMT

Sage Simply Accounting has changed the way it handles your phone calls to help eliminate wait time during busy times. We understand how you, a business person, hate waiting on hold for what normally is a quick question. We have recently implented a phone tiering system that has allowed us to cut down our hold times significantly.

The basis of the system is that most questions about Sage Simply Accounting can be answered quickly by our trained technicians. However some issues do require a significantly larger time commitment to solve. If the answer to your question is quick, you get your issue solved quickly.

If your issue is more lenghty, you will get transferred to an agent with experience and expertise in issues of that type. This does lead to more transfers from one agent to another but most of the time you'll get your issue solved quickly or you'll reach someone with the tools to fix your issue.

The users with common issues with quick solutions are helped quickly while more time intensive issues are handled by experts in our call center. This insures both speed and quality of care and support.

Until next time, happy accounting.

Simply Accounting Partnership Conference almost here!

Alec B — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:04:00 GMT

Good day to the Simply Community!

As I mentioned in a recent blog, this years Simply Partnership Conference is getting closer. The main conference running from Sept. 22-24th (with pre-conference 20-21st) will start off with a welcome session and breakfast, then head right to the first keynote speaker, followed by improved 'Breakout Sessions' and other great content. Take a look at the special 2011 Simply Partnership website here.

Touching-base on another ongoing project, Harry C. and myself have been working to get more YouTube instructional videos put together and uploaded for our users soon. Recently a 'how to install the Simply Accounting program update' video was put online for the benefit and ease of use of all our users, and we will be following this up with another video on different backups options and how to properly restore them in the program and further content soon. Watch for new content on our YouTube channel here.

Happy monday all! -Alec B.

First Step tips and Tricks

Harry C. — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:11:00 GMT

General Journal

Need to post a journal entry into Sage Simply Accounting first step? Click on Tools > for my accountant > general journal to post a manual journal entry into your books.

History Mode

Sage Simply Accounting First Step does not allow you to set the opening balances for your chart of account. To enter in an opening balance, simply do a journal entry in the general journal.

Until next time, happy accounting.

Don't miss our Simply Partnership event next month! ('Early Bird' price extension instructions)

Alec B — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:14:00 GMT

Hello to our Simply Accounting community!

Many of you already know that our Simply Partnership 2011 event is next month, but did you know that you can still get the 'Early Bird' price of $349/person? Email Emilia.iacob@sage.com to sign up for the Partnership Conference at the extended, lower price. The price includes attendance at the conference, plus 3 meals/day for Thur and Fri, with Breakfast and Lunch on Saturday (price does not include hotel stay). This year the conference is being held in Las Vegas, so there is much opportunity for cheap or discounted travel and accomodations to the location as always with Las Vegas.

Some of the event highlights include: 'Deep-Diving Sessions', Networking Events, a 'Support Centre' onsite, Ideascope for product feedback, 'Trade Show' for our many talented 'add-on' vendors, as well as an Awards Luncheon and others.. Take a look at the Simply Partnership Website for more details on the conference.

This will be final 'stand-alone' Simply Partnership conference, so don't miss this opportunity to get a great deal on it!

Happy Friday to all, and to those in B.C., enjoy your long weekend!

Yours, Alec B.

New Forum coming soon!

Alec B — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:03:00 GMT

Hello and happy Friday to our Simply community!

Today i'd like to announce that we are currently putting the finishing touches on our new Forum/Community site! Have no fear, the new site will be much like the old and so should be easy to navigate and use. All existing login information, forum postings, blogs etc. will remain the same and will be 'imported' into the new setup.

Some new features will make the Community site easier to use and more stable. I have noticed that some users are also having issues with posting 'blank' forum questions, if so please take a look at this link for help with running Internet Explorer in 'compatibility mode'.

We'll be updating the Forum/Community to the new format in the next few months, so stay tuned for the changes!

Have a happy weekend, and if you're in an area experience a 'heat wave', stay cool or come visit B.C. for awhile..

Alec B.

Display Issue tips

Harry C. — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:05:00 GMT

Two tips for display issues

A common issue for users of Sage Simply Accounting to call into the support line is because their transaction windows are displaying incorrectly. These three easy fixes will fix the vast majority of your display issues.

1) You do not see columns in your entry windows

If you run into a case where you cannot see the columns in your transaction windows, click on View > restore window to make the columns appear. The 'Restore Window' function will set the window back to it's default settings.

2) Your transaction window is off the screen:

If the transaction window is off the the screen, try to move the window back into view manually. Right click the window in your task bar and click on move. Your mouse arrow will become a compass arrow. Press the up key on your keyboard to bring the window back into view.

Hopefully these two easy fixes will save you time and save you a call to our support line.

Until next time, happy accounting!

Happy Birthday Sage!

Alec B — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:34:00 GMT

Hello to our Simply Accounting Community!

I hope that most of us are now enjoying some proper summer weather as the season is finally here. Yesterday at our Richmond, B.C. campus and across North American offices, we celebrated another annual Sage day marking Sages 30th Birthday. Although it was raining outdoors, we celebrated with many fun contests, a great catered lunch and some healthy desserts, as well as a message from our top executives.

This year Sage will continue and intensify efforts to unify branding across its many product lines. You'll see the effects of this in products for the 2013 market and possibly sooner, with names enhanced to remind users that the programs are now made by Sage. Efforts towards ensuring a high-quality, 'extraordinary customer experience' will also continue, especially at our customer-contact levels.

The many effects of instituting a company wide platform for managing our own internal information is still being felt and correcting any negative ramifications of this will remain a high priority this year. There are many positive benefits to the 'Atlas' system and we will work to make sure that these benefits are felt above all.

Wishing everyone a happy and warm Friday!

-Alec B.