BusinessVision Overview

Sage BusinessVision Version 2013 Overview Guide
Sage BusinessVision Contact Information

Sales: 1-866-725-0724 Customer Care: 1-800-642-7693 http://na.sage.com/Sage-BusinessVision/
Copyright Notice
2012 Sage Software, Inc. and its affiliated entities. All rights reserved. Microsoft SQL Server, Windows Vista and the Windows logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or in other countries. The names of all other products and services are property of their respective owners.
General
Should you have any questions concerning this License, you may contact Sage Software, Inc. by writing to Sage BusinessVision, 50 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Suite 600, Mississauga Ontario, L5B 3C2.
Manual Version
Version 2013/October 2012
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Welcome ...................................................................................... 1
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 2 Module Overview ................................................................................................ 3
Standard Modules ................................................................................................... 3 Add-on Modules ...................................................................................................... 6
The BusinessVision Range ................................................................................... 8 Documentation Structure .................................................................................. 8 Using the On-line Help ........................................................................................ 9
Chapter 2 Installing BusinessVision ............................................................ 11

Installing BusinessVision ..................................................................................... 12 Installing the Pervasive Engine on the Database Server ............................. 18
Chapter 3 Working in BusinessVision ......................................................... 19

Starting BusinessVision / Logging On .............................................................. 20 Backing Up Your Data ...................................................................................... 22 The BusinessVision Desktop .............................................................................. 23 Entering Data ..................................................................................................... 24 Tabular Data Entry............................................................................................. 27 Maintaining Data Records ............................................................................... 28 Navigating to Functions ................................................................................... 29
Menus ...................................................................................................................... 29 Modules ................................................................................................................... 30
Notepad ............................................................................................................. 32 Find Function ...................................................................................................... 33 Printing Reports .................................................................................................. 34

Printer Setup ........................................................................................................... 35 The Reports Module .............................................................................................. 36
Customizing Reports ............................................................................................. 37
Business Intelligence ......................................................................................... 38

Module pane ......................................................................................................... 39 Selection criteria .................................................................................................... 39 Field List.................................................................................................................... 40 Business Intelligence Toolbar ............................................................................... 40 Working with report data ..................................................................................... 41
Chapter 4 - Setting Up Your System ............................................................. 44

System Setup Overview .................................................................................... 45 Fiscal Periods ...................................................................................................... 46 AutoPost ............................................................................................................. 47 System Setup ...................................................................................................... 48 Special Accounts .............................................................................................. 49 User Details ......................................................................................................... 50
Chapter 5 - General Ledger .......................................................................... 51

General Ledger Overview ............................................................................... 52
General Ledger Structure .................................................................................... 52 General Ledger Processing ................................................................................. 56 Budgets ................................................................................................................... 56 Multi-Currency ....................................................................................................... 57
General Ledger Setup and Maintenance .................................................... 58

System Setup .......................................................................................................... 58 Special Accounts .................................................................................................. 58 User Details.............................................................................................................. 59 General Ledger Account Details ....................................................................... 59 Account Groups .................................................................................................... 60 Allocation Accounts ............................................................................................. 61 Segments ................................................................................................................ 61 Divisions ................................................................................................................... 62
Budgets and Forecast Module ........................................................................... 63
General Ledger Processing ............................................................................. 64

General Ledger Journal Entry ............................................................................. 65 Search and Reverse.............................................................................................. 66 Recurring Journals ................................................................................................. 66 Account Reconciliation ....................................................................................... 67 General Ledger Full Screen Browse ................................................................... 69
General Ledger Reports ................................................................................... 70
Chapter 6 - Accounts Receivable ................................................................ 73

Accounts Receivable Overview ..................................................................... 74
Open Item and Balance Forward...................................................................... 74 Accounts Receivable and User Setup .............................................................. 74 Accounts Receivable Elements ......................................................................... 75 Accounts Receivable Processing ...................................................................... 76 Creative Use of Territory Codes .......................................................................... 76 Multi-Currency........................................................................................................ 77 Working with Contact Managers ....................................................................... 77
Accounts Receivable Setup and Maintenance .......................................... 78

System Setup .......................................................................................................... 78 Sales Taxes .............................................................................................................. 79 Terms Details ........................................................................................................... 79 Territory Details ....................................................................................................... 80 Salesperson Details................................................................................................ 80 Ship Via Details....................................................................................................... 81 Customer Details ................................................................................................... 82 Contact Manager Link ......................................................................................... 84
Accounts Receivable Processing ................................................................... 86

A/R Quick Payment Application Utility ............................................................. 90 Inquiry ...................................................................................................................... 90
Accounts Receivable Reports ......................................................................... 92
Chapter 7 - Accounts Payable ..................................................................... 93

Accounts Payable Overview .......................................................................... 94
Open Item and Balance Forward...................................................................... 94 Accounts Payable and User Setup .................................................................... 95 Accounts Payable Elements ............................................................................... 95 Accounts Payable Processing ............................................................................ 96 A/R Quick Payment Application Utility ............................................................. 96 Multi-Currency ....................................................................................................... 97
Accounts Payable Setup and Maintenance ................................................ 99

System Setup .......................................................................................................... 99 Terms Details ......................................................................................................... 100 Ship Via Details .................................................................................................... 100 Vendor Details ..................................................................................................... 101
Accounts Payable Processing ....................................................................... 102

Inquiry .................................................................................................................... 105 Batch Payables .................................................................................................... 106
Offsetting Customer/Vendor Balances........................................................ 107 Accounts Payable Reports ............................................................................ 109
Chapter 8 - Inventory................................................................................... 111

Inventory Overview ......................................................................................... 112
Inventory Analysis Elements............................................................................... 112 Costing Methods ................................................................................................. 114 Selling Prices ......................................................................................................... 114 Inventory Fields .................................................................................................... 116 Multiple Warehouse Inventory .......................................................................... 116 Serialized Inventory ............................................................................................. 117 Non-Physical Items .............................................................................................. 118 Manufacturing Items .......................................................................................... 118 Inventory Processing Summary ......................................................................... 118
Inventory Setup and Maintenance .............................................................. 119
System Setup ........................................................................................................ 119 Warehouse Details .............................................................................................. 119 Sales Department Details .................................................................................. 120 Product Code Details ......................................................................................... 120 Specific Pricing..................................................................................................... 121 Inventory Details .................................................................................................. 122
Inventory Processing ....................................................................................... 125

Receive Inventory ............................................................................................... 125 Physical Inventory ................................................................................................ 126 Serial Number Processing .................................................................................. 127
Inventory Reports............................................................................................. 129
Chapter 9 - Bill of Material ........................................................................... 131

Bill of Material Overview ................................................................................. 132
The Bill of Material................................................................................................ 133 Working with Scrap and Yield ........................................................................... 133 Bill of Material Tools ............................................................................................. 134 Bill of Material Processing ................................................................................... 135
Bill of Material Setup and Maintenance ...................................................... 136 Bill of Material Processing ............................................................................... 140 Bill of Material Reports .................................................................................... 141
Chapter 10 - Order Entry.............................................................................. 143

Order Entry Overview...................................................................................... 144 Order Entry Setup ............................................................................................ 147
System Setup ........................................................................................................ 147 User Access ........................................................................................................... 148 Comment Details ................................................................................................ 148
Order Entry Processing .................................................................................... 149

Using the Order Entry Module ........................................................................... 149 Generating Purchase Orders from Backordered Items ............................... 152
Processing Layaway Sales ................................................................................. 153
Order Entry Reports ......................................................................................... 155
Chapter 11 - Point of Sale ............................................................................ 157

Point of Sale Overview ................................................................................... 158 Point of Sale Setup .......................................................................................... 161
System Setup ........................................................................................................ 161 User Details............................................................................................................ 161 Special Accounts ................................................................................................ 162
Point of Sale Processing.................................................................................. 163

Opening Float ...................................................................................................... 163 Processing Sales ................................................................................................... 164
Chapter 12 - Sales Analysis ......................................................................... 167

Working in Sales Analysis ................................................................................ 168
Chapter 13 - Purchase Order ...................................................................... 171

Purchase Order Overview.............................................................................. 172
Processing Workflow ........................................................................................... 172 Order Status .......................................................................................................... 173
Purchase Order Setup .................................................................................... 174

System Setup ........................................................................................................ 174 User Access........................................................................................................... 174
Purchase Order Processing ............................................................................ 175

Using the Order Entry Module ........................................................................... 175 Receiving Inventory ............................................................................................ 177
Purchase Order Reports ................................................................................. 178
Chapter 14 - Purchase Analysis .................................................................. 179

Working in Purchase Analysis ......................................................................... 180
Chapter 15 - Job Cost .................................................................................. 183

Job Cost Overview.......................................................................................... 184 Working in Job Cost ........................................................................................ 185
Job Cost Details ................................................................................................... 185 Entering Job Transactions .................................................................................. 186
Chapter 16 - Payroll ..................................................................................... 189

Payroll Overview .............................................................................................. 190
Payroll Concepts ................................................................................................. 191 Payroll Accounting.............................................................................................. 192
Payroll Setup and Maintenance ................................................................... 193

Payroll Departments ........................................................................................... 193 Payroll Deductions .............................................................................................. 193 Payroll Benefits ..................................................................................................... 194 User Details............................................................................................................ 194 Pay Schedule ....................................................................................................... 195 Direct Deposit....................................................................................................... 195 Employee Details ................................................................................................. 196
Payroll Processing ............................................................................................ 198

Timecards .............................................................................................................. 198 Direct Deposit....................................................................................................... 200 Batch Payroll ........................................................................................................ 200 Voiding a Paycheque ........................................................................................ 201 T4 and T4 Summary ............................................................................................. 201 Record of Employment ...................................................................................... 202
Payroll Reports ................................................................................................. 203
Chapter 17 - Multi-Currency ....................................................................... 205

Multi-Currency Overview ............................................................................... 206 Multi-Currency Setup and Maintenance ..................................................... 208
System Setup ........................................................................................................ 208
User Details............................................................................................................ 208 Special Accounts ................................................................................................ 209 Currency Manager ............................................................................................. 210
Multi-Currency Processing.............................................................................. 211

Changes in Other Modules ............................................................................... 211 Currency Revaluation / Revaluation Roll-up ................................................. 214
Multi-Currency Reports ................................................................................... 215
Chapter 18 - CustomPack ........................................................................... 217

CustomPack Overview................................................................................... 218 Document Linking ........................................................................................... 220 Mail Merge ....................................................................................................... 221 SuperTicker ....................................................................................................... 223 WorkBook.......................................................................................................... 225
Chapter 19 - e-BusinessVision..................................................................... 228

E-BusinessVision Overview .............................................................................. 229
Setting up e-BusinessVision ................................................................................ 229 Security Features ................................................................................................. 230
Setting up e-BusinessVision............................................................................. 231

Setting up Your Web-Store ................................................................................ 231 Setting Up e-BusinessVision in Your Company ............................................... 232 Linking BusinessVision and e-BusinessVision .................................................... 233
Using e-BusinessVision ..................................................................................... 235
Chapter 1 Welcome
In this chapter, we look at the BusinessVision product range. We discuss the documentation structure, and we show you how to use the on-line help.
Introduction Module Overview The BusinessVision Range Documentation Structure Using the On-line Help
2 Introduction
Chapter 1 Welcome
Introduction
Welcome to the world of BusinessVision! You have chosen a business management system that is easy to learn, easy to use, and yet provides you with powerful and sophisticated processing and management functions. BusinessVision helps you to manage your receivables, payables, orders, sales, purchases, inventory, manufacturing, jobs, general ledger, budgets, and payroll (Canadian editions only). You can use all of the functions of the system, or selectively use only those that are of value to your business. If you use the full set of BusinessVision functions, it will manage most of your daily accounting requirements automatically. For example, when the system processes an invoice, it automatically adjusts stock levels, sales statistics, sales and cost accounts, accounts receivable, etc. The operators who work on BusinessVision do not need any accounting or bookkeeping knowledge. With BusinessVision, you can view up-to-the-minute information at any time. Customers, vendors, orders, inventory, receivables, payables, payroll (Canadian editions only), sales analysis, purchase analysis, budgeting or general ledger information is available to view on screen for the time period you desire provided you have the appropriate access authority. The system provides full security features. Access codes and passwords prevent unauthorized access to sensitive business records, and authorization levels allow users limited or full access to business records. Month-end-closes do not exist. BusinessVision eliminates the need to close one month before starting the next. The system posts transactions to the applicable period based on the date of the transaction or activity. Year-end processing is automatic, and you can continue to apply backdated transactions to last year, even after the year-end. You can customize BusinessVision in a number of ways. For example, you can print onto common business forms. You can also adjust terminology. If, for example, you call a part number a stock code, or a supplier account number a vendor code, you can adjust the terminology once and it then takes effect globally.
Chapter 1 Welcome
Module Overview 3
Module Overview
BusinessVision functions via modules. Each module deals with an area of your business activity, such as general ledger, accounts receivable, inventory, and so on.
Standard Modules
System Manager
You use the System Manager module to customize BusinessVision to suit your business environment. You also create users and specify which modules and functions they can access.
General Ledger
This module is the core of your financial accounting system. Most other modules feed balances into the general ledger, from where you produce financial statements. You can: Segment the general ledger into divisions, and you can consolidate across multiple companies. Create, maintain, and report on accounts in foreign currencies, including bank accounts.
The system accurately reflects the financial position of your business at all times, taking into account variations caused by currency fluctuations. Balance sheets and financial statements are a true reflection of your companys position.
Budgets & Forecasts

This module simplifies the creation of budgets and forecasts. It allows extensive manipulation of existing financial data, including previous and current year trend, budget, forecast, and actual values. You can copy, move, and massage data in an on-line, interactive environment.
Accounts Receivable / Customer Details

You use the Accounts Receivable and Customer Details modules to create customer records and process customer journals and payments. If you wish to sell inventory to customers, you use the Order Entry module. You can: Create territories and sales codes to analyze sales. Charge finance charges on overdue amounts.
4 Module Overview
Chapter 1 Welcome
Accounts Payable / Vendor Details

You use the Accounts Payable and Vendor Details modules to create vendor records and process vendor journals and payments. You can: Prepare a list of invoices to pay across a range of vendors. The system calculates and applies early payment discounts. Produce checks (cheques) for individual vendors and one-off persons.
Inventory
The Inventory module lets you manage the inventory process. This includes creating inventory items and their associated analysis codes and selling prices. The system lets you manage selling prices using multiple strategies, beginning with up to 20 separate prices per inventory item. You can: Choose between three costing methods. Process in multiple warehouses and you can serialize inventory items.
Although you can use this module to move quantities in and out of inventory, you cannot process purchases from vendors or sales to customers in this module. Instead, you purchase and sell inventory via the Order Entry and Purchase Order modules.
Bill of Material
This module lets you manufacture or assemble items based on a recipe or menu. The menu ingredients are other inventory items, which are the raw materials of the bill of material. You can use this module to assemble kits such as computers, or to manufacture items such as glue from raw materials. When you manufacture, the system draws the appropriate quantities of raw material items and creates the new item. The system caters for wastage. The system can assemble kit type products on the fly as the operator invoices the item.
Order Entry
You use the Order Entry module to process quotations, sales orders, and invoices, for customers. You can: Print up to four documents for a single sale: a quote, an order, a packing slip, and an invoice. Invoice a customer partially from an order, and you can track backorders. Sell inventory and non-inventory items. Process layaway sales where the customer first pays an invoice in full over time. There is a batch billing function that lets you process and print orders on a bulk basis.
Chapter 1 Welcome
Module Overview 5
Point-of-Sale
You use the Point of Sale function to process cash and account sales in a retail-type environment. The system presents a very simple and easy to use interface that lets clerks sell to customers without their having to understand the details of the rest of the BusinessVision modules. As the sales clerk performs the sales function, the system handles all accounting activity seamlessly in the background. You can use the system as a full point of sale application, interfacing to cash drawers, barcode readers (wands or laser scanners), invoice printers, or roll-feed receipt printers.
Sales Analysis
You use the Sales Analysis module in conjunction with the Order Entry and Point-of-Sale modules. It provides you with a powerful and dynamic management information sub-system. You can enquire on sales on screen, and filter sales by many variables. There is a full suite of sales analysis reports.
Purchase Order
You use the Purchase Order module to process purchases of inventory from vendors. You can receive inventory on a partial basis. If you do so, you can choose to accrue the inventory in the general ledger until you close the order and then create a single vendor invoice. Alternatively, you can create a vendor invoice for each partial shipment you receive. You have different methods of accounting for freight and landed costs.
Purchases Analysis
You use the Purchases Analysis module in conjunction with the Purchase Order module. It provides you with a powerful and dynamic management information sub-system. You can enquire on purchases on screen, and filter purchases by many variables. There is a full suite of purchase analysis reports.
Job Cost
You use the Job Cost module to track income and expenses for jobs. Job Cost does not affect your general ledger or other modules in any way. Jobs are therefore ideal ways to track projects in a flexible, non-financial manner, without regard for fiscal periods or fiscal years. For example, you may wish to track expenses against a large project you are undertaking. Once you create a job, you then divide it into sub-categories called accounts. This lets you manage jobs in logical components. You get values into jobs either by direct positing within the module, or by integrating with other modules. If you do the latter, then each time you post a transaction the system gives you the option of assigning the transaction to a job.
6 Module Overview
Chapter 1 Welcome
Payroll
In Canada, the integrated payroll module manages your payroll function in total. It calculates all required values according to legislation, produces paychecks, (or pay advices if you pay employees by electronic funds transfer), and produces all required legislative output. The system maintains information on past earnings, benefits and withholdings in order to facilitate any discussions with the employee. You can define different pay frequencies such as monthly, fortnightly, and two-weekly. As we will see in the next section, some of the above modules are not available in every BusinessVision product configuration.
Add-on Modules
In addition to the above modules, you can purchase three BusinessVision add-on modules. Once again, these modules are not available for purchase with every product configuration.
Multi-currency Manager
This lets you work with bank accounts, customers, and vendors in their own currencies. The system translates all values back into your base currency, and keeps the base currencies accurate in terms of currency fluctuations, handles all conversions and translations within the AutoPost feature automatically, and calculates foreign currency gains and losses automatically. You can revalue unrealized gains and losses of assets and liabilities on demand, at any time, retroactively and currently, permitting the backdating and adjusting of balance sheets and financial statements after the fact. The system displays the appropriate currency and date formats for each currency on invoices, checks, and other output.
e-BusinessVision
e-BusinessVision is a unique e-commerce solution that gives you the ability to expand your operations to the Internet. e-BusinessVision provides you with a fully integrated web-store linked to your existing website. It allows your customers to learn more about your company, place new orders, view the status of their existing orders, and research their account information. It also enables anyone with an Internet connection to visit your website, find out more about your company, view your products, and order items.
Chapter 1 Welcome
Module Overview 7
CustomPack
The CustomPack comprises five components:
Component
Customer Specific Pricing Document Linking
What it Does
This gives you selling prices per customer per inventory item. This lets you link Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, text files, images and virtually any other available document type to individual customers, vendors, and inventory items. You can use data elements of the customer, vendor, and employee files in Microsoft Word documents and write custom letters. This gives you management access to information via a Marquee window built into the BusinessVision desktop or via an e-mail address. This lets you add additional fields into many BusinessVision records such as customer, vendor, and inventory, which you can make compulsory if you need to.
Mail Merge SuperTicker
WorkBook
8 The BusinessVision Range
Chapter 1 Welcome
The BusinessVision Range

Sage BusinessVision is available in five configurations: Retail Edition, Limited Edition, Small Business Edition, Standard Edition, and Client-Server Edition. Product Number of Modules 14* 16** 16** 18 18 Number of Users 1 1 3 5 10 Additional Users Up to 10 None None Up to 10 Up to 100 Can Add e-BusinessVision? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Can Add MultiCurrency? No No Yes Yes Yes Can Add Custom Pack? No No Yes Yes Yes
Retail Edition Limited Edition Small Business Standard ClientServer
*Excludes Payroll, Job Cost, Bill of Materials, and the Budgets and Forecasts modules *Excludes the Bill of Materials and Budgets and Forecasts modules Note that you can upgrade from a lower edition to a higher one at any time with no loss of data or conversion required.
Documentation Structure
The BusinessVision documentation consists of the following:
Element
Description
This on-line and printed guide introduces you to the features of BusinessVision using annotated screen shots. You can print this guide yourself if you wish to, or you can order printed copies from BusinessVision. The on-line help gives you detailed field-by-field explanations. Each topic features extensive links to related items. For example, in processing screens, there are links to related setup and maintenance functions.
BusinessVision Overview
On-line Help
Chapter 1 Welcome
Using the On-line Help 9
Using the On-line Help

To access the on-line help press the F1 key anytime you are working in the system. You can also use the Help menu option to access the help. Here is a typical help screen:
Use the Back and Forward buttons to navigate between topics you visit in this session.
The help content shows in the right hand pane.
On the Contents tab, there is a hierarchy of topics. The highest-level topic displays as a book. Click a book to open and close it, or click the plus and minus signs.
Click the highlighted words to move to another topic. You can then use the Back button to return to the original topic.
The Index tab lets you enter keywords, and shows topics that contain a key word:
Enter one or more keywords here. As you type, the system displays the index entries that match your typing. Note, as in this example, that indexes have two levels of detail.
The system displays all topics that have the keyword or phrase you enter. Click the most suitable topic.
Click this button to display the topic you select. The topic displays in the right-hand pane. To select a different topic, click the Index tab again.
10 Using the On-line Help
Chapter 1 Welcome
In the Search tab, you enter a word or phrase:
Use the Options menu if you wish to turn off highlighting of the search word or phrase in the topic content. Enter a word or phrase here. To find a topic that has the exact phrase you enter, enclose the keywords in quotes.
Click List Topics, and the system shows topics that contain the text you enter.
Click Display to show the topic in the content pane.
Use the Favorites tab to store links to topics you access frequently:
This list box shows the topics you add into the Favorites list.
To remove a topic from the Favorites list, select it and then click Remove.
Once you select a topic, click Display to show its contents. Click Add to add the current topic to the Favorites list.
Chapter 2 Installing BusinessVision

In this chapter, we look at how you install BusinessVision.
Installing BusinessVision Installing the Pervasive Engine on the Database Server
12 Installing BusinessVision
Installing BusinessVision
The installation of this software requires the services of a certified Sage BusinessVision 50 Accounting business partner. Installing the program will require a Product ID/Serial number, and Activation code for each product or add-on for which you currently have a license. If you do not this information, please call your certified Business Partner or call Customer Care at 800-642-7693. To install the software, load the BusinessVision CD and select the Install Sage BusinessVision option. The install procedure takes you through a number of dialog boxes. BusinessVision uses the Pervasive Workgroup Engine as its database. If this is not yet on the workstation, the install will ask you to confirm its installation. If you do not install this database software, you cannot use BusinessVision. Once you install Pervasive, the installation continues
To install BusinessVision:
1. 2. Click Next when the Welcome screen appears. Select one of the two licensing types and click Next.
3. 4.
Agree to the terms of the End User License Agreement and click Next. Accept the default location for the license file, or specify a new location and click Next. If you are operating in a multi-user environment, choose a location accessible to all users.
Installing BusinessVision 13
5.
Choose either to enter the activation code now or within 30 days.
If you choose to enter now, provide the following information and click Next. If you choose to register later, provide the Name, Company and Business Partner then click Next.
6.
If you do not have the Pervasive software installed you are prompted to do so.
7.
The Setup Type screen appears.
Select the type of installation you require. If you are installing BusinessVision for the first time, you should select Typical to install all of the BusinessVision components.
Note:
8.
You can use the Back and Next buttons to scroll between the installation screens. You can change the settings on any of the screens at any time.
The Choose Destination Directory screen appears.
Select the folder into which you wish to install BusinessVision. The default destination folder is C:\BusinessVision, and we recommend that you do not change it.
Note:
You must install program files locally on each workstation on which you use BusinessVision.
Once you select a folder, click the Next button to continue. The Choose Data Directory screen appears.
Specify the destination folder for in which your company's records will reside. The default location is C:\BusinessVision\DATA. Unlike the program files, the data folder does not have to reside on the same workstation as the one you are working on. For multi-user installations, you can specify a network drive for the data file location. Once you choose the data folder, click the Next button to continue. 9. The Chart of Accounts Option screen appears.
Select whether you would like to install a predefined Chart of Accounts, or whether you would like to custom design your own Chart of Accounts using the New Company G/L Setup Wizard. The predefined charts of accounts have a one-segment, five-digit, general ledger account number. If you select the New Company G/L Setup Wizard in order to create your own custom Chart of Accounts, the Wizard starts when you first logon to the company.
If you choose to use a predefined chart of accounts, the system presents you with the following choices:
Choose the chart of accounts you require, and click the Next button to continue.
Note:
You can make any adjustments you require to the default charts of accounts.
10. The Start Copying Files screen appears.
You should review the settings carefully. If necessary, click the Back button and make any changes you require. To continue the installation, click the Next button.
11. The Select Folder screen appears.
Use the default new folder, choose an existing program folder in the list box, or enter a different folder name. Click the Next button, and the install begins. 12. Once the install is completed, you should restart the workstation prior to using BusinessVision.
Click the Finish button and the workstation restarts.
18 Installing the Pervasive Engine on the Database Server
Installing the Pervasive Engine on the Database Server

In a multi-user environment, your data resides on a server so that workstations can access it. You need to install the database engine on that Server, as well as the Pervasive license.
To install the Pervasive server software on your server

1. Load the BusinessVision CD and select the Install Database Engine option:
Select Server as the setup type. You use the Workstation option if you are upgrading or reinstalling a workstation's database engine. 2. 3. 4. Follow the prompts for the installation of the Pervasive Database Engine. We recommend that you select the defaults in the installation dialogs. For more information on Installing BusinessVision LAN Packs, please see the LAN Pack instructions on the Sage BusinessVision CD. We recommend you use the Pervasive Gateway Locator Utility to establish the server as a permanent gateway.
Chapter 3 Working in BusinessVision

In this chapter, we look at how you work in BusinessVision.
Starting BusinessVision / Logging On Backing Up Your Data The BusinessVision Desktop Entering Data Tabular Data Entry Maintaining Data Records Navigating to Functions Notepad Find Function Printing Reports
20 Starting BusinessVision / Logging On
Starting BusinessVision / Logging On

BusinessVision allows you to work in multiple companies if you need to. When you install BusinessVision, the system creates a company for you to work in, as well as a demonstration company you can use for training purposes. In the Windows Start menu, choose the BusinessVision group and then choose the BusinessVision program. You may also have the icon on your desktop. If you do, you can double click the icon. The BusinessVision logo appears, and remains on-screen until BusinessVision loads. The Company Selection window displays:
This area displays the names of all the companies on your system.
Select the company to work in and then click this button.
When you work in a BusinessVision company, you have to log-on as a user. You assign a user ID to each user who works in a company. Once you select a company to work in, the system asks for your user information:
When you create a company, the system creates a user for you. This allows you to log-on and create more users. This user's User I.D. is BUSINESS and their password is VISION (you do not have to enter these in capital letters.) Once you enter the user ID and password, click the OK button to log-on.
Starting BusinessVision / Logging On 21
The system then asks you to enter the date:
Entering the date correctly is a critical part of the logon process. The system uses this date as the default processing date throughout your session. The date in turn determines the fiscal period into which the system writes general ledger and other values. BusinessVision displays the date and day of week for confirmation:
Once you click OK, the BusinessVision desktop loads.
22 Backing Up Your Data
Backing Up Your Data

Making security copies of your data is essential. The database is stored on your hard disk, and the hard disk is subject to hardware failure, physical damage from natural events, and theft. The information you store in your database is worth thousands of times as much as the physical hardware. Your business may fail if you lose this data. You are obliged to make regular copies of your company information. You should 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 yesterdays backup with todays backup. Using the 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.
There are single user, multi-user, and client/server versions of BusinessVision, each of which requires different backup procedures and tools. BusinessVision does not provide these backup tools. Windows contains its own backup function, and there are third party products that provide their own software. For example, if you backup onto a tape drive, the tape drive manufacturer usually provides you with the appropriate software to make your backups. The software usually contains some form of scheduling, so that the system can perform the backups at night or after normal working hours. You should spend some time ensuring that your backup routines are in place, that they are in fact carried out, and that the data you are backing up can be restored should the need arise. You should check the latter point regularly. You need to ensure that there are no users logged onto a company while you are backing it up. Some backup software simply skips files that are in use. Other software may backup successfully, but if users are working on the company, the data you back up may not balance or may even be corrupt.
The BusinessVision Desktop 23
The BusinessVision Desktop

Once you log-on to the company, the BusinessVision desktop displays:
The menu system lets you access functions grouped by type. For example, the Edit menu lets you select database records and maintain them. The toolbar contains icons that let you access functions by module.
The work area is where functions display when you select them.
The status bar shows information such as the user's initials and the system date.
You can resize the desktop in the same way as any other screen in Windows. The system allows you to open multiple functions at the same time:
You can move each window and size it using standard Windows functions. You can also minimize windows to move them out the way.
24 Entering Data
Entering Data
In this section, we look how you enter information into BusinessVision. BusinessVision data entry rules follow the standard Windows data entry rules. These include: The Insert button to switch between insert and overtype modes The cursor keys to move through fields The Home and End keys to move to the start / end of the field The standard selection keys to select, copy, and paste data
Database Fields
Database fields are fields in which you select a record such as a customer record:
With many database fields, the system works in auto-complete mode. As you type characters, the system finds the closest record that matches your input and displays the remaining characters for you. In the above example, after the user typed "EE", the system completed remaining part of the code because there are no other records that began with "EE". Instead of entering the code, you can use the Browse icon that displays to the right of each database field. The Browse function displays a list of records and lets you select the record you require:
You can specify a starting point and the system displays records from then on. The triangle in the customer name header shows that the list is sorting by that field. To sort by another field, click its header. You can adjust the widths of each column, and you can re-arrange the column sequence. Use these icons to scroll through the records in the sort sequence. You can also sue standard navigation keys.
To select a record to use, click the record and press Enter, or double click the record.
This screen is a Mini Browse window. There is also a Full Screen Browse, which shows more fields and which lets you choose groups of fields to display.
Entering Data 25
Date Fields
You enter dates in MM/DD/YY format. You do not enter the date separators. There are two date field formats. The first one, which will eventually be the only format, looks like this:
You can select a date by clicking the triangle to the right of the date field. This displays the Calendar window:
To change months, use the left and right arrows to move one month at a time. You can also click the month name and select the month from a popup menu. Click a day to select the date. The current date highlights.
The second date entry field looks like this:
When you click the icon, the calendar looks like this:
Select type of date, fiscal or calendar.
Select the fiscal date and then Select button. If Input Date is chosen, enter or select the desired date and then the Select button.
Numeric Fields
You enter numbers in the usual manner. BusinessVision features a calculator. To use it, press Ctrl + K or click the Calculator icon on the toolbar. The calculator window displays:
The system places any existing field value in the calculator. You can type numbers or click the buttons to perform calculations (press C to clear all, and E to clear entry) When you are complete, click PE or press P to transfer the result back into the numeric field
26 Entering Data
Formatted Telephone and Fax Fields

BusinessVision sometime uses formatted fields such as telephone numbers. In these cases, the format displays in the field:
In these cases, you enter the numeric values only - the system skips the formatting characters. This lets you enter these types of fields quickly, and at the same time see the fields in a more readable format. The system allows for multiple formats of telephone and fax fields, which you can set yourself. You can open the list box to see the various formats and then choose one you require.
E-mail Fields
You can enter e-mail addresses in various places. You can click the E-mail icon to the right of the field to send an e-mail directly.
Tabular Data Entry 27
Tabular Data Entry

Most high volume processing work involves entering transactions such as order lines and journal lines. The system lets you enter transaction lines in tables. Each line of the table is a single record. Each column in the table is a data entry field. The field can be any one of the fields we have looked at up to now. The system is currently in a transitional phase between two methods of data entry: In the newer methodology, you enter data directly into the table lines. To edit a field in the table, simply click on it with the mouse, or navigate to it with the keyboard:
You can resize the column widths. You can have many lines in the data table. The system lets you scroll up and down if you fill the screen. You enter data directly into these fields. Here you can see a database entry field with its Browse icon.
In the older methodology, you enter data into a set of fields below the table. When you complete a line, the system copies the data into the table. To edit an existing line, you select the line in the table and the system copies the data back into the data entry fields so you can edit them:
You enter each transaction's fields here...
...and the system copies each transaction into the table.
28 Maintaining Data Records
Maintaining Data Records

Every time you work in a BusinessVision company, you create, modify, or delete a record in the database. The database contains many types of records, such as customer, vendor, and inventory records. Each transaction is a record, and so is each user's profile. You maintain these types of records using standard techniques in BusinessVision. Once you know how to create, edit, and delete records of one type, you can do the same for any other record type. There are two types of maintenance screens: Standard maintenance screens Older Browse-based screens that will convert to the standard format over time
Here is a typical standard maintenance screen:

You use these icons to navigate through the records in sequence. You can click any underlined field name to set the sequence to that field. You can access records by their code or name, or you click the icon to Browse. Each tab contains related data. Often, tabs contain Browse windows or reports showing related transactions. In this screen, for example, the Customers tab shows all customers who default to the terms you are editing.
Use these icons or their hot keys to: * Create a new record from scratch * Save the record you are working on * Create a new record as a copy of another record * Delete a record
Use this icon or its hot key to print a listing of all the records in this file.
Note:
Users need access rights to add, maintain, and delete each type of record. You set these up in the User Details function, which we look at later.
You cannot delete records while they are in use, and /or have balances or transactions associated with them. You can usually put records such as customer, vendor, and inventory items on hold, which prevents users using them until you can delete them.
Navigating to Functions 29
Navigating to Functions
When you are ready to start working in BusinessVision, you have to find your way round the system. In this section, we look at how you can familiarize yourself with BusinessVision's menu, toolbar, and module structure. BusinessVision has many functions, and when you start using the system the sheer number of functions and how you access them can be intimidating. Like any skill, once you know your way around you will see and appreciate the logical sequencing that exists in the system. You should be aware of the following: You can access some functions via both the menu and the toolbar. The menus do not display every available function. You access many functions via icons in a module window. You can access the module via a menu, but the individual functions are not always on the menu. The reverse is also true. There are functions you can only access via the menus. One easy way to learn where everything is very quickly is to use the on-line help. We have structured the table of contents in module sequence. Within each module, we group setup, maintenance, processing, and reporting functions. At the start of each function's help topic, you will find a table with a yellow background that tells you in detail how to access the function.
Menus
Menu
File Edit View Utilities Options Window Help
Contents
This menu deals with company-wide issues, imports and exports, and printer settings. This menu gives you access to maintenance functions and modules. This menu gives you access to enquiry modules and functions. This menu gives you access to setup functions as well as some more complex / less frequent functions. You use this function to configure your personal user settings. You use this menu to control multiple open windows. This gives you access to the on-line help, the BusinessVision Overview, Internet links to relevant pages, and product registration.
30 Navigating to Functions
Modules
BusinessVision divides work activity into modules. There are different types of modules. Some modules, such as the Customer and Vendor module, consist of only a maintenance function. The module work the same way as the data maintenance window we looked at in the previous section. Sometimes, besides the maintenance function, there are additional icons at the top of the module window that you can use to invoke the transaction processing screens for that module. This lets you edit master file records and process the transactions for the module, all in one window:
These icons take you into general ledger processing functions.
Modules such as Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable do not have master file maintenance capabilities. However, they have all the processing functions for the module, which you also access via icons at the top of the module window:
The main processing function for AR displays here. All these icons relate to the function on the screen or invoke other AR processing functions.
Navigating to Functions 31
There are specific modules that allow one major type of processing only, such as the Order Entry and Purchase Order modules:
Finally, there are modules that work uniquely, such as the Reports module.
32 Notepad
Notepad
The Notepad function allows you to enter free-form notes and attach the notes to records. You can attach notes to customer, vendor, inventory item, and employee master file records as well as transactions, to orders, jobs, warehouses and so on. You access the Notepad in two ways: For master file records such as customers, inventory, general ledger, and so on, the system displays a Notes tab on the record's maintenance window:
You use these last four icons or their shortcut keys to cut, copy, and paste text, and to undo errors. Notes display in a Browse table. You can sort, move, and resize the columns. Right click on this border to split the table and text vertically instead of horizontally. You can enter up to 1600 characters of text in each note.
You use these icons or their shortcut keys to create, save, and delete notes.
Notes are text-based. However, if you purchase the CustomPack module, you can create a note that contains documents, graphics, and any other file as an attachment.
The system displays the Notepad icon in various places. There are two icons, one for when there are no notes for the record, and the other for when there are notes. For example, most Browse windows have a notes icon that you can select when you select a record in the Browse window:
This is the Notepad icon. Click it to show and/or edit notes for the selected record.
Find Function 33
Find Function
The Find function lets you search for major items such as customers, inventory items, and orders, using complex search criteria you can store for re-use. You access this function via the Utilities > Find menu option or by clicking the Find button found on the top of the screen:
You can save the search and re-use it any time.
You can specify two search criteria. You can export the results into Microsoft Excel.
The fields you search by display in the Browse window.
34 Printing Reports
Printing Reports
The BusinessVision reporting function allows you to print a suite of reports for each module you use. The report printing function has some powerful and sophisticated features: You can print reports, display them on the screen, or e-mail them You have a number of report filters and choices on each report You can export any report into standard document formats such as PDF, DOC, HTML, and Crystal Reports The system contains standard layout choices for invoices, statements, and other forms You can direct specific reports to specific particular printers on the network
You access and control report processing via three functions: Printer Setup The Reports Module Forms Designer
Note:
You can control user access to reports via the User Details function.
Printing Reports 35
Printer Setup
In this function, you set up report options such as default destinations, printers, and which versions of forms to use. You access this function via the File > Printer Setup > Print Properties menu option:
Choose the default output that can be changed when you print the report. This determines which additional fields are available. If you select Printer in the Print to field, this frame is enabled. You can set default settings here that you can override when you produce each report. If you select Export in the Print to field, this frame is enabled. You can set default settings here that you can override when you produce each report.
You choose which type of report you are setting options for here. You also have special setup options for forms such as invoices. You can customize some standard literals directly, and link custom versions if you create them.
You set most of these options per user. For example, you can set invoice data entry users to always use a printer that contains invoice stationery.
The Printer Setup window allows you to set the default printer for a form, each supplementary form has its own individual printer settings. Also size and source are used when the form prints.
36 Printing Reports
The Reports Module

You access the Reports module via the File > Print Reports menu or via the toolbar. You can view reports on screen, print to a printer, or email or save to disk as attachments:
You can view reports in module, category, or user defined groups. You can create customized reports by copying existing ones and then modifying them, or by creating new reports from scratch.
Choose a particular category, group, or function here. Choose the report you require here.
Each report has its own set of options and filters:

For transaction-based reports, you choose a period or date range. You can usually range on one or more master file items. Other fields let you customize the output to suit different requirements.
When you view reports on screen, you can print, email, or save the report:
You can set the on-screen size, which does not affect print size.
This lets you email the report or save it to disk in many formats. You can print the report from here. These buttons and their keyboard equivalents let you scroll through the report. You can preview the report in the exact print format.
Printing Reports 37
Customizing Reports
BusinessVision utilizes Crystal Reports as its reporting engine. We have licensed a version of Crystal Reports that installs with BusinessVision. We give you access to the source of all reports, and we publish the data dictionary so that you can access all your company data. You or a consultant can customize existing reports and/or create additional reports. Since Crystal Reports is a read-only software package, your data will not change in any way. You are not obliged to learn or make use of Crystal Reports. It is an optional extension to your software. The standard BusinessVision reports provide all the reports most standard businesses require. The run-time version of Crystal Reports ships with its own documentation. BusinessVision does NOT provide any support on this product. On the other hand, there are many third-party consultants, training courses, and books, that you can make use of in order to learn Crystal Reports. You have a number of ways in which you can create or customize reports: You can replace an existing BusinessVision report or form with your own version. You can develop new forms and independent external reports. You can develop up to 99 reports in each module, using report options from existing reports.
38 Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
Sage BusinessVision provides several reporting tools to help you monitor the status of your business. In addition to the over 200 pre-defined reports, the Sales Analysis module and the Purchase Analysis module, Sage BusinessVision includes Business Intelligence. Business Intelligence goes beyond basic static reporting to help you answer deeper questions about your company's performance. With Business Intelligence, you can easily and quickly analyze performance data, identify trends, and find answers needed to make better business decisions. Business Intelligence provides the tools you need to: Generate summary reports using drop and drag controls Insert pivot tables and charts based on report data Drill into data for additional detail Save reports for future use
In addition, you can export reports to PDF for sharing with stakeholders within your business or in Microsoft Excel format for distribution to stakeholders or to apply additional calculations for what if scenarios. To access Business Intelligence, click the Business Intelligence toolbar button or select Utilities > Business Intelligence.
The Business Intelligence utility displays a list of modules in the left hand pane, selection criteria in the top pane, the pivot table in the centre pane, and the pivot chart in the right pane. The module, selection criteria and pivot chart panes are collapsible.
Business Intelligence 39
Module pane
Allows you to select the module from which you want to create a summary report to analyze data. When you select a module within this pane, Business Intelligence provides a list of available data fields that you can include on a summary report. As reports are based upon the module for which you design them, any custom report layouts that you save will display below the module for which you created them.
Selection criteria
Allows you to define parameters for what data is included on the custom report layout: Start Date - Enter the start date for the data included on the summary report template. Business Intelligence will only include data with a date on or after this date. End Date - Enter the end date for the data included on the summary report template. Business Intelligence will only include data with a date on or before this date. Include details - Allows you to define the fields available for inclusion on a custom report layout. Unmark this check box to limit the available fields to only those included in the header or footer of an invoice or order. Mark this check box to include all fields (header and detail) from orders and invoices in the list of fields available for inclusion on a custom report template. Include address - Allows you to define if address fields are available for inclusion on the custom report layout. Mark the check box to include address fields as an option for the custom report layout. After marking this check box, you can choose which address you want Business Intelligence to include on the report.
Show top - Allows you to limit the pivot table to only the most frequent records that meet the selection criteria. If you mark this check box, you can then select the size of your top group. For example, if you enter 10 in the corresponding field, the custom report layout is limited to the 10 largest search results. Alternatively, you can also mark Show Others if you want all other records after your top ten summarized into an additional group called Others.
Field List
Displays a list of fields that you can include on the custom report layout. Business Intelligence lists the fields within this list based upon the selection criteria defined for the report.
Business Intelligence Toolbar

The Business Intelligence toolbar has the following buttons:
New layout Opens a new custom report layout in which you can report on the data associated with the selected module. You can also access this command by pressing Ctrl+N. Save layout Saves the new custom layout so you can recall the report in the future. You can also access this command by pressing Ctrl+S. Delete layout Deletes the custom layout selected within the Module list. You can also access this command by pressing Ctrl+D. Refresh Updates the data that displays on the on the selected custom layout. You can also access this command by pressing F5. Abort search Stops the current data retrieval process used to populate the custom layout. You can also access this command by pressing Ctrl+A. Export data Allows you to export the contents of the pivot table to PDF, XLX, XLSX, or CSV format, and the associated pivot chart to PDF. You can also access this command using the Ctrl+E command. After using this command, the Save As dialog box will open where you can select where you want to save the report and the format in which you want to save it. Chart Wizard Opens the Chart Wizard where you can define the properties of the pivot chart you want to generate from the report data. You can also access this wizard using the Ctrl+W command.
Working with report data

There are several functions that you can perform with the fields listed:
To add a field to the report, drag the field header from the field list to the position where you want it to display on the report and drop it. Conversely, if you want to remove a field from a report, drag the field header from the report header to the field list. To sort a report by a specific field, click the triangle to the right of the field header. If the triangle is pointed up Business Intelligence will sort the data on the report by the selected field in ascending order, and if the triangle is pointed down Business Intelligence will sort the data on the report by the selected field in descending order.
To filter the data on the report, click the filter button to the right of the sort triangle (not available on all fields) within a field header. A pop up dialog box will open where you can choose to include/exclude specific records on the report.
The data that displays on the report is a summary of all data that meets the report criteria. Any particular value may represent one or more records from the Sage BusinessVision database. For example, you might see the total value of all sales to a specific client in a given month on the report. This value might represent 4 different sales invoices. Business Intelligence allows you to double click any value on a report to display the individual records that it is summarizing in a pop up window.
Chapter 4 - Setting Up Your System

In this chapter, we look at system up, and we look at some key system-wide features.
System Setup Overview Fiscal Periods AutoPost System Setup Special Accounts User Details
System Setup Overview 45
System Setup Overview

BusinessVision has powerful and sophisticated setup options. These allow you to: Configure the system to suit your requirements Embed business rules into the structure of the system Simplify workflow for data entry
When you create a company, the system creates a ready-to-use system that you can start using immediately. This includes the full and automatic setup of a general ledger along with all the elements you need to integrate your sub-ledgers. However, there are many choices and options available to you that the initial company creation mechanism cannot cater for. It is critical that you understand these options in details, AND that you make decisions on which options to use, before you start working in the system. In this overview, we will not look at these options in detail. You need to look at each accounting area methodically, module by module, and choose the options that optimize your use of BusinessVision. What we do in this section is to show you where these setup tools are and what they look like. You access almost all these functions via the Utilities > System Manager menu:
46 Fiscal Periods
Fiscal Periods
You use this function to tell the system about your accounting periods. The system needs to know when each accounting period begins and ends. BusinessVision keeps track of up to three financial years - the current, previous, and next year. You can work in any or all of these periods at any time. The system automatically posts transactions to periods depending on their dates. To permit correct reporting, it is vital that the dates reflect your period and year-end dates exactly. Usually you only use this function when you first install BusinessVision. The Year End function updates fiscal periods automatically. Nevertheless, you should review these fiscal periods after the year-end processing completes. You would use this function, for example, if your company changes its year-end date. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > Fiscal Periods menu:
You can setup periods for this year, last year, and next year.
Enter the period end dates for each period.
Each year can have 12 or 13 periods.
AutoPost 47
AutoPost
AutoPost is a very powerful feature that controls integration of postings from the sub-ledgers into the general ledger. On the one hand, it allows you to forget about general ledger postings for most of your everyday business transactions. The system calculates the effect of a sub ledger transaction on the general ledger and uses accounts you set up beforehand to make the postings automatically. To give you an idea of the complexity of this feature, AutoPost can automatically create and post transactions into dozens of sales, cost-of-goods, inventory-on-hand, and general accounts simultaneously. In the Payroll module, AutoPost can create and post even more entries. AutoPost On means that transaction postings occur automatically and update the general ledger invisibly in the background. You usually work in this state. On the other hand, to handle special circumstances you have the ability to turn AutoPost Off. You can control this ability on a per user basis. If you turn AutoPost Off, the following happens: The system generates the general ledger journal in the same way as when AutoPost is On. Instead of posting the journal, the system displays the journal entry. You can adjust the accounts the journal uses. You cannot make material value changes. However, you can split a value between one or more accounts. Once you complete your adjustments, the system posts the journal.
Since you usually only use AutoPost Off to handle special circumstances, it is unlikely that you will work with AutoPost Off permanently. You can therefore turn the feature on and off at will if you have the requisite user access.
48 System Setup
System Setup
The System Setup function lets you specify your business rules for each module and working environment. We cannot over-emphasize the importance of System Setup. Before you begin your day-to-day processing, you must set up these options correctly. Failure to do so can significantly reduce the value of the system to you. On the other hand, setting these parameters correctly will ensure correct and efficient processing as well as valuable management reporting. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup menu:
You choose a section and a subsection here. Click the minus sign to close a section, and click the plus sign to open it. Each section represents a system or accounting area that you can deal with as a whole.
The panel on the right side contains the fields for each subsection.
The on-line help takes you through each individual field of every subsection.
Special Accounts 49
Special Accounts
The purpose of the Special Accounts function is to tell the system which general ledger accounts to use when integrating from the sub-ledgers into the general ledger. The system defaults the vast majority of these settings. You should only modify these if you have a thorough understanding of accounting principles. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > Special Accounts menu:
While each section has its own set of accounts, you enter most accounts under Special Accounts, which then appear in the other sections.
You can edit fields that have a white background. Fields with a grey background come from the Special Accounts section.
50 User Details
User Details
Each person who uses BusinessVision has his or her unique user name and password. Each company has separate users. You set user details up in this function. You have to spend some time understanding the detailed settings in this function. They let you fully control user access down to the function level. They also let you specify many processing options, such as whether users can change selling prices when invoicing. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > User Details menu:
Click this icon to set the user's password. You have more options on other tabs. Each accounting section has options. You can check or uncheck an option in this area to enable or disable all settings for the section. Here you enable and disable individual settings. This table shows order entry options. Note how detailed the order entry permissions are - they give you full control of what the user can and cannot do.
Note the option to make a user inactive. If you have a large number of users, you can use this field to simplify your user setup: Create a user and mark that user as inactive. Set up that user as a template, for example as a sales order clerk, and give that user the permissions you would like to give all sales order clerks. When you need to create a new user for a sales order clerk, use the copy facility to copy the template record to a new record, enter the user's details such as their name, and you are done.
Chapter 5 - General Ledger

The general ledger is the central point around which all other modules revolve.
General Ledger Overview General Ledger Setup and Maintenance General Ledger Processing General Ledger Reports
52 General Ledger Overview
General Ledger Overview

The BusinessVision general ledger is always in balance. You can add new accounts or change existing accounts whenever you wish. The General Ledger module permits you to make journal entries between accounts, and to print reports for any of the fiscal periods you have set up. BusinessVision numbers transactions sequentially to provide you with an audit trail. You can view a transaction and reconstruct all the elements of a transaction via this transaction number. You can view general ledger balances and transactions at multiple levels: The first level provides you with an on-screen overview of accounts and their balances The second level shows the net change and closing balances for each month in the system, as well as any monthly and cumulative budgets for the current year The third level shows every transaction in the general ledger, starting at the period you select The fourth and fifth levels show source documents, showing the originating journal entry or invoice respectively
BusinessVision allows you set up fiscal periods for the current, previous, and next year. You can process in all of these years at any time.
General Ledger Structure

In this section, we look at the elements that you have at your disposal to create your chart of accounts. You should understand the contents of this section thoroughly before you attempt to design your chart of accounts. BusinessVision has extremely powerful and flexible options for structuring accounts. It is unlikely, however, that you require all of these at once. You need to find the balance between convenience and reporting power. If you make the structure too simple, you will not be able to retrieve sufficient information. If you make it too complex, you will get lost in the reporting details. In addition, you may complicate and slow down your data entry process.
Account Types, Groups, and Sub-groups

The chart of accounts is a list of the descriptions and account numbers you assign to areas you need to track. Transactions always affect two or more accounts on the general ledger. For example, if you purchase inventory, you are exchanging inventory for money. The Chart of Accounts has four major account types: Assets Liabilities & Equity Revenue Expenses
General Ledger Overview 53
These account types are the minimum divisions you need in order to produce financial statements. When you create a company, you choose a default chart of accounts from a list of standard ones we provide. You can add, change, or delete these accounts as best suit your needs. Ideally, you have at least the same level of detail as your most recent Balance Sheet and Income Statement. There is another important advantage of the system creating a default chart of accounts. The system also sets up integration accounts between modules automatically. This saves you a lot of time and effort. The default setup requires few, if any, modifications for the majority of companies. Financial statements you produce using the account types alone, however, are not practical. They do not break down your business activities into sufficient areas that enable you to manage your activities, compare your performance against earlier periods, and detect problem areas. BusinessVision further breaks account types into fixed groups. These groups will indeed allow you to produce detailed and useful financial reports. Here is part of the groups list:
You may find that in one or more areas standard groups are not sufficient for your requirements. You therefore have the option of creating sub-groups beneath groups. You can create and reorganize subgroups at will, without affecting the integrity of your data. This is very powerful, as you can restructure your financial reporting without affecting anything, or anyone, else.
Allocation Accounts
An allocation account is a mechanism that automatically distributes a single transaction you enter across a number of general ledger accounts on a percentage basis. For example, you may wish to distribute rental costs across a number of departments. You can use allocation accounts in vendors, payroll departments, customers, and inventory sales departments. You can also use them directly in general ledger journal postings. An allocation account has its own unique account number. You should create these numbers in such a way as to easily identify the account as an allocation account and not a general ledger account. In the allocation account, you specify multiple general ledger accounts, each with a percentage. The overall allocation must total 100%. When you post to an allocation account, the system creates a transaction for each general ledger account in the allocation account, and gives it the percentage value you specify. Allocation accounts can sometimes alleviate the effort required to create a more complex general ledger structure. The next level of complexity and power is to use general ledger segments.
Segments
You use segments to manage areas of your business. You accomplish this by extending the general ledger account number. You can do this in practically any way you like. You should consider your needs carefully when you design your segments. If you segment badly, you will end up with little or no benefit. Segments work as follows: You can create up to four segments. You specify the length of each segment. The maximum length of all segments is 24. You specify whether a segment is numeric, alphabetic, or alphanumeric.
As an example, assume you wish to produce reports by region. We do this as follows: We retain the five digit account numbers in the default charts of accounts as the first segment. We create a second segment of nine characters to indicate the region. Thus, for example, account number 12345/SOUTHWEST represents an account in your southwest region. Account 12345/NORTHEAST represents the same account in your northeast region.
You do not need to replicate every segment structure throughout the chart of accounts. For example, you may use two segments for your sales accounts and three segments for your expense accounts. You can leave unused segment blank (if character) or zero (If numeric). You could add a third and a fourth segment as well. For example: Another segment can represent a cost center or job code. A triple segment account code might look like SALES/SOUTHWEST/56789, where code 56789 refers to a job code or budget center that you use in your business. With this structure, you can report on: All sales Sales by region Sales by region that relate to job code 56789
The reporting order does not need to be from left to right. You may wish to report on all activity in a region or all activity by job code. You can use an additional segment to indicate departments within your company, such as UTILITIES/SOUTHWEST/ADMIN or UTILITIES/NORTHWEST/MKTNG. In this example, each segment is alphabetic rather than numeric. You may prefer this, as it makes accounts easier to identify. Using this example: You can filter on the first segment to see a total cost for utilities You could view an income statement filtered on the first and second segments to see the costs of utilities in each region You could view an income statement filtered on the first, second, and third segments to see expenses for each organizational department within each region
If you filter on the third segment alone, you produce financial reports irrespective of region. This lets you see expenses for each organizational unit (sales, marketing, and so on) on a national basis
Your accountant can help you decide what level of segmentation, if any, suits your business. Keep in mind that when you use segments, you have extra work to configure, maintain, and use accounts, especially when posting journal entries. To report at a segment level, you have to break down amounts and post transactions to the appropriate segments. For example, when you post a telephone bill, a single segment posting would require two journal entry lines. If you use segments to track expenses, you would need to break down the costs into many journal entry lines, one for each segment. You can use allocation accounts to alleviate some of this work.
Divisions
Divisional processing lets you have separate business units within a single company. You can produce complete Income Statements and Balance Sheets for each business unit. They also allow automatic consolidations into a single reporting unit. When you use divisions, you have to set up a separate chart of accounts for each division. (Do not confuse divisions with setting up a new company). The system makes this task easy by allowing you to copy an existing chart of accounts. You can create up to 999 divisions, numbered from 001-999. The system also creates and reserves division 000 to represent the total company. This does not mean that division 000 represents your head office or headquarters! On the contrary, you should create a division for your head office. Division 000 represents the sum total of all of the other divisions. The system duplicates any transaction entry to any division in division 000 automatically. You cannot post transactions directly into division 000. The major disadvantage of using divisions is that it adds an additional layer of complexity to your accounting procedures. Before you embark on a divisional structure, we strongly recommend that you discuss the implications with a qualified accounting professional. Should you decide to use divisions, we suggest you proceed as follows: Ensure your chart of accounts suits your organizations needs prior to copying it to any new divisions. This includes any segment structure you may wish to use. Once you create divisions, the system creates division 000 out of your existing chart of accounts. Choose the best time to put divisions into effect - ideally at the start of a new accounting year.
Also, BusinessVision has a general ledger consolidation feature that merges charts of accounts from different companies into a single entity for reporting purposes only. If you are considering using divisions only to consolidate financial statements, look at this feature first.
General Ledger Processing

Before you can process, you have to ensure that your chart of accounts is correct. When you create a new company, the system creates a default chart of accounts for you. You should use this chart of accounts as a basis. You enter general ledger transactions individually. Each transaction must balance before the system allows you to post it. Once you post a transaction, you cannot update it in any way, so if there is an error, you have to process an adjusting journal entry. Alternatively, the system contains a reverse function that automatically reverses a journal entry for you, after which you can enter the correct transactions. You can enter recurring journals to post regularly recurring general ledger, customer, and vendor journaltype entries. Typically, you use this function when you have identical transactions that recur on a scheduled basis, such as rent, insurance, property taxes, and lease payments. Another use of this function is for pre-authorized payments for recurring charges, such as weekly or monthly maintenance agreements, subscriptions, membership fees, and so on. You can reconcile any account in the general ledger. Usually, you reconcile general ledger bank accounts to your bank statement. You use transactions you post from the Accounts Payable, Payroll and General Ledger modules (via journal entries), reflecting checks, bank deposits, bank fees, and so on. The use of this function is optional. In addition, using this function does not affect your balances in any way. If you process in discrete companies, you can use the Multiple Company Consolidation function to consolidate general ledger financial information from two or more companies. The system produces the full range or required financial reports such as a trial balance, income statement, and balance sheet. There is also a comprehensive set of budget reports.
Budgets
BusinessVision allows you to enter budgets and forecasts for your accounts. It allows extensive manipulation of existing financial data, including previous and current year trend, budget, forecast, and actual values. You can copy, move, and massage data in an on-line, interactive environment. You can: Manually enter budgets figures for each general ledger account Increase/decrease existing budgets on a percentage basis Take the total annual budget and distribute it into periods using seasonal factors Copy budget, actual or forecast values from one period to another, increasing or decreasing the values by a percentage Automatically create new and revised forecasts based on year-to-date actual values
In conjunction with the general ledger, budgets and forecasts provide a comprehensive analysis of how your company is performing.
Multi-Currency
If you purchase the optional Multi-Currency Manager, you can create, maintain, and report on accounts in foreign currencies, including bank accounts. The system accurately reflects the financial position of your business at all times, taking into account variations caused by currency fluctuations. Balance sheets and financial statements are a true reflection of your companys position. The system identifies foreign currency accounts by appending the currency code to the account code. The system maintains these accounts in both base and foreign currencies. For each foreign currency account, you specify whether to revalue it. The revaluation calculates any profit or loss on the account due to exchange rate fluctuations. You usually revalue asset and liability accounts. Besides the foreign currency account you create, the system can create its own accounts per foreign currency account for revaluation purposes. When the system revalues an account, it posts any unrealized gains or losses to an account with the same account number as the foreign currency account, but with an "R" as a suffix. You can view this account, but not use it. This lets you see the revaluation postings easily. At any point in time, you can run a revaluation roll-up process that folds these results back into the main local currency account.
58 General Ledger Setup and Maintenance
General Ledger Setup and Maintenance

In this section, we look at how you setup and maintain general ledger accounts and its subsidiary files.
System Setup
In the System Setup function, you set up rules for general ledger processing. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup menu option:
You can lock earlier periods to prevent users processing into them.
Here you choose different general ledger setup sections.
You can enable the processing of divisions, which we look at later.
Set the number of years that data is retained in General Ledger history.
Special Accounts
In the Utilities > System Manager > Special Accounts menu option, you enter general ledger accounts the system uses for integration purposes. When you create a company, the system sets these up for you automatically:
General Ledger Setup and Maintenance 59
User Details
In the Utilities > System Manager > User Details option, you enable or disable access to for each user:
General Ledger Account Details

To maintain general ledger accounts, use the Edit > General Ledger > Details menu option:
Enter account number and description fields here. You can also mark an account inactive when no longer in use to ensure entries are not posted against it. Use the additional tabs to see balances in numeric or graphic format.
Specify whether the account is usually a debit or credit. If the account balance is the opposite, the system places the amount in brackets.
Account Groups
You can view the chart of accounts in account type, group, and sub-group sequence. You do this via the Utilities > G/L Account Group Maintenance menu option:
This panel displays the account type hierarchy.
Use these icons to print an income statement and balance sheet.
The groups and sub-groups display here. You do not have to use sub-groups.
Allocation Accounts
Allocation accounts let you post a single entry, which the system then splits on a percentage basis between general ledger accounts. You can use allocation accounts in many places where you would usually use a general ledger account. The use of allocation accounts is optional. You maintain allocation accounts in the Edit > General Ledger > Allocation Details menu option:
You enter allocation accounts in the same way as general ledger accounts.
You link as many general ledger accounts as you require, and you specify a percentage for each.
Segments
You optionally use segments to analyze your general ledger in groupings that are relevant to your company. You first set up the segment structure in the G/L Segments Setup subsection of the System Setup function:
Here you specify how many segments you have.
For each segment, you specify a length and a name. You also specify whether the segment code contains numeric or alphanumeric characters.
Once you specify the segment structure, you can create individual segment values in the Edit > General Ledger > Segment Details menu option:
When you create general ledger accounts, you can add segments values to the account number. This is an option - you can also have general ledger accounts that do not have segment values:
These accounts do not have segments values.
These accounts have segment values.
Divisions
If you use divisional processing, you create a chart of accounts for each division. You can then produce a full set of financial statements per division. You maintain divisions in the Edit > General Ledger > Division details menu option. Once you do so, you have to attach each general ledger account to a division:
Most users usually work in a single division. Since divisions have the same chart of accounts, it is very easy for users to access an incorrect division. You can therefore set, per user, in the User Details function, whether they can switch divisions or not.
Budgets and Forecast Module

You use this module to create and track budgets, forecasts, and trends. You access this module via the Edit > Budgets and Forecasts menu option:
Enter individual period values here.
You can enter an annual amount and the system spreads it using these percentages.
Here you see last year values.
These icons give you access to other budget functions.
The above window shows how you edit individual accounts. You can also copy whole budgets, adjusting them by a percentage at the same time:
Specify whether you are creating this or next year's budget, and where you are copying values from.
You can adjust by a fixed percentage or by a percentage per period.
Choose the account types for which you are creating budgets. This lets you use different percentages for different types.
64 General Ledger Processing
General Ledger Processing

In this section, we look at some key general ledger processing functions.
Function
General Ledger Journal Entry Search and Reverse Recurring Journals Account Reconciliation General Ledger Full Screen Browse
What it Does
You use this function to enter transactions. You can reverse a transaction with this function. You can enter general ledger, customer, and vendor transaction that occur on a regular basis. You use this function to reconcile general ledger accounts, usually bank accounts. The general ledger Browse window allows you to see data in various levels of detail.
You access many of these functions via the General Ledger Details function that you use to maintain general ledger accounts:
Search and Reverse
Journal Entry
Full Screen Browse
General Ledger Processing 65
General Ledger Journal Entry

You use this function to post entries directly into the general ledger. You enter transactions in single entries. The entry must balance before you can post it. You can access this function via the Edit > General Ledger > Journal Entry menu option:
Each journal has a unique number. Click this icon to post the entry.
Enter the transaction date.
You enter and edit entries in the table. Use the icons to add, insert, and delete lines.
Search and Reverse

The Search and Reverse function allows you to look at a journal's lines in detail. You can also optionally reverse the journal. To access this function, click the Search and Reverse icon on the General Ledger Account Details window:
Enter the transaction number and click the Refresh button. The transaction displays in the table.
Click the Reverse button to reverse the whole journal. Click Reverse Accrual to reverse the journal in another period. Use this to process regular accruals.
Recurring Journals
You use this function to post regularly recurring general ledger, customer, and vendor journal-type entries. You set up a recurring posting of journal entries at specified periods. You do this by linking a transaction that already exists in the ledger, and giving it a recurring interval. This creates a template, which the system then executes. Typically, you use this function when you have identical transactions that recur on a scheduled basis, such as rent, insurance, property taxes, and lease payments. Another use of this function is for preauthorized payments for recurring charges, such as weekly or monthly maintenance agreements, subscriptions, membership fees, and so on. To access this function, choose the Utilities > Recurring Journal Entries menu option. When you access this function, the system displays a Browse window with any existing records:
To create a new recurring journal, click the New icon.
Existing recurring journals display in the table. You can suspend and re-activate these.
Here is the window that displays when you create a new recurring journal:
Enter the transaction number or click the Browse icon to find the transaction you wish to use as the base for this recurrence.
Choose how frequently the transaction has to recur.
Account Reconciliation
You use this function to reconcile general ledger accounts, usually bank accounts. The use of this function is optional. The reconciliation process is similar to manually reconciling your own personal checkbook. Ensure you agree with the opening balance on the bank statement - it should be the same as the closing balance on your previous bank statement. The system shows unmarked transactions, in other words transactions that have not yet appeared on the bank statement. Mark those that now appear on the bank statement. Make adjusting journal entries to the account to reflect items that appear on the bank statement and not in the general ledger account. This would include bank charges, fees, interest payments, credit memos, debit memos and so on. Ensure you enter all items on the bank statement and mark them. The total of the amounts you marked should be the difference between the opening and the closing bank statement balances.
To access this function, choose the Utilities > Account Reconciliation menu option. You first choose an account and enter its information:
Enter the opening and closing bank statement values.
You can download information from you bank in QFX/OFX format and perform an electronic reconciliation.
Once you enter this information, the reconciliation processing window displays:
The unreconciled items display in the table. Check the check box if the line appears on the bank statement.
When this value is zero, the reconciliation is complete.
You do not have to complete your reconciliation in one session. The system keeps this table for you in a temporary file. Once you are satisfied that your reconciliation is correct, you commit the results to the general ledger. You can also throw the temporary file away and start again.
General Ledger Full Screen Browse

The general ledger Browse window allows you to see data in various levels of detail. To access this function, access the General Ledger Details module and then click the Full Screen Browse icon:
The left panel displays account groups, and the right panel displays accounts in that group.
Select an account and click the Explode icon. The system displays the account's balances and budgets.
70 General Ledger Reports
General Ledger Reports

In this section, we look at general ledger reports. You produce general ledger reports using standard reporting methods. Here is a summary of the major general ledge reports:
Report
Activity by Account Activity by Account Active Accounts Only Allocation List Balance Sheet Cash Flow Worksheet Chart of Accounts Comparative Performance Financial Ratios Financial Statement by Fiscal Period Financial Statement Summary Group List Income Statement Projected Cash Balances Segment List Sub-Group List
Summary
This report displays active accounts only. It looks like the Activity by Account report, however only accounts with activity in the selected period are included on the report. This shows detailed transactions for each account in date sequence. It is an essential report for your auditors. You choose the start and end dates. You choose whether to show month-end totals. This prints a list of the allocation accounts and the account percentages. You can view the balance sheet as at the end of any period. This report shows cash flow changes per account arising from your current business state. This shows the chart of account numbers and names. You choose whether to show balances. This shows your business' performance this year compared to last year, as at the end of any period this year. The system suppresses zero balance lines. This report shows key financial ratios in graphic format for the current and previous month. This report shows balance sheet and income statement information per fiscal period. You can choose the level of detail you require. This report summarizes your income statement and balance sheet on a single page. This prints a list of the groups and their settings. You can view the income statement as at the end of any period. The system suppresses zero balance lines. You specify a time-scale over which to project, and you specify average days for payments to vendors and receipts from customers. The system then projects your cash movements and balances. This prints a list of segments and their settings. This prints a list of the sub-groups and their settings.
General Ledger Reports 71
Report
Summary
This shows transactions in transaction number sequence. It is an essential report for your auditors. You can print this report at any time. However, we strongly suggest that you print them on a monthly basis, for all divisions and the consolidated company, covering the month's transactions. You select a range of transactions. This report is the same as the Transaction Journal report except the transactions sort by date. You can also specify a date range instead of a range of transactions. You can view the trial balance as at the end of any period. The system suppresses lines with a balance of zero and no activity.
Transaction Journal
Transaction Journal by Date Trial Balance
Here is a summary of the budget and forecast reports:
Report
Budget by Fiscal Period Budget Detail Budget Summary Comparative Performance Forecast Summary Performance vs. Plan Performance vs. Plan Summary Planning Worksheet This shows budgets per period.
Summary
This shows budgets per account and per period. This shows annual budgets. This shows this year and last year values and variances between them. This shows actual, plan, and forecast values. This shows actual, plan and forecast values per account and per period, up until the current period. This shows actual and plan values, and variances between them. This is a working document that shows the current actual and last year actual values, and leaves space for you write in the budget values.
Chapter 6 - Accounts Receivable

You use the Accounts Receivable and Customer Details modules to create customer records, and to process customer journals and payments.
Accounts Receivable Overview Accounts Receivable Setup and Maintenance Accounts Receivable Processing Accounts Receivable Reports
74 Accounts Receivable Overview
Accounts Receivable Overview

You use the Accounts Receivable and Customer Details modules to create customer records and process customer journals and payments. To sell inventory to customers, you use the Order Entry module. The Accounts Receivable and Customer Details modules do not allow any processing of inventory items.
Open Item and Balance Forward

Traditional manual bookkeeping uses the balance forward method of accounting. This works as follows: Each time you sell to a customer, you make an entry in the accounts receivable ledger. The balance owing, or balance forward, increases by the amount of the sale. When the customer makes a payment, you make another entry in the ledger that reduces the balance forward, which becomes the total due on the account. You usually assume that the customer pays the oldest invoices first.
BusinessVision uses open item bookkeeping, which is a more comprehensive way of managing accounts. However, it is difficult to use in a manual system. With open item, the system tracks each invoice individually and keeps it open until it fully paid. Once it is paid, the system then closes the invoice. For example, you send a customer three separate invoices: Each invoice becomes an open item transaction in the accounts receivable ledger. The balance forward is still the sum of the three open items, but you deal with each item separately. When the customer pays, you apply the payment to specific invoice(s). The result will be the same reduction in the total balance as with balance forward accounting. However, you can see to which invoices you applied the payment. Furthermore, it becomes easy to see if the customer has overlooked specific items. You can print detailed reports showing the aging of specific unpaid items for each customer.
Accounts Receivable and User Setup

Before you can work in Accounts Receivable, you have to set it up. You use the following System Manager functions to do so:
Function
Customer Subsection of System Setup User Details
What it Does
You set up important processing rules in the System Setup function, such as your aging periods. You also set up many default settings. You can control which users can use this module. If they have access to this module, you can control what they can and cannot do. In the Special Accounts function, you specify general ledger integration information. The system sets this up for you by default, and you do not have to make changes unless you have special circumstances.
Special Accounts
Accounts Receivable Overview 75
Accounts Receivable Elements

Customer records contain a number of database elements that you maintain separately:
Element
Sales Taxes
What it Does
You create sales taxes for your customers. These can differ between states/provinces. The system allows you to link two separate sales tax rates to each customer, so that you can process federal and state/provincial taxes simultaneously. You can create territory codes to analyze your sales. You can use wild card characters in territory filters for reporting. You can create salespersons to analyze your sales. You can create early payment terms, for example 2% if paid within 10 days. The system will calculate and process these terms for you, and check whether a transaction is overdue for the discount. You can create shipping codes that you set per customer and which you can override per invoice. You configure shipping charges for each code.
Territory Salesperson Terms
Ship Via
You use all these elements when you create customer records. The customer record contains the following fields, among others: The customer code is a unique code you use to identify the customer. It can be up to 20 characters long. You can specify three contact persons and their titles. You can link up to two sales tax rates. You can create multiple ship-to addresses, which lets you have head office/branch hierarchies. Each customer has an optional credit limit. If the customer exceeds their limit, you can choose which users, if any, can still process invoices for the customer. You can make various selling price choices for the customer. We look at these in detail in the Inventory module. You can analyze your accounts receivable on the general ledger by specifying general ledger accounts for each customer or group of customers. Alternatively, you can use the default general ledger accounts for all customers. If you enter an e-mail address for the customer, you can choose whether to e-mail invoices and statements. You can e-mail and create printed forms simultaneously. You can determine if the Average Days to Pay are calculated and if so, the number of months and number of invoices you want to include in this calculation.
76 Accounts Receivable Overview
Accounts Receivable Processing

Once you create customers, you can enter transactions. Usually, you begin by entering opening balances. If you are not invoicing customers in BusinessVision, you can enter invoices as journals. You use the same function to enter payments and match them to invoices. You can enter others types of transactions such as credit and debit memos. If you process regular non-inventory charges to customers, such as maintenance charges, you can create recurring journals. When you process customer payments, the system checks for any terms you offered to the customer. The system calculates the value of the discount and the expiry date automatically, and informs you if the customer is within twice the length of the days you offered them. You can: Bring forward transactions for a range of customers. This consolidates open item transactions into a single transaction. Use older (matched) transactions to print statements at earlier dates. From time to time, you purge these transactions. Process finance charges for customers. You can exempt individual customers from finance charges, and charge the rest of the customers based on their overdue transactions.
Processing Credit Card Payments

Sage Payment Solutions integrates with Sage BusinessVision, making it easy for you to authorize credit card payments directly from Sales Order Details, Point of Sale and Accounts Receivable with or without the actual credit card being present. Refer to online help for additional information.
Creative Use of Territory Codes

You should spend some time analyzing the present and future requirements of your management reporting system. Every accounts receivable report, mailing label, data export, and sales analysis can filter data by territory code. Most people think of "territory" as a geographic code only. Although that may be its primary purpose, you can use territory codes for other types of classification. Combinations of geographic and specialized schemes can provide you with very useful results. You should bear in mind that the system allows you to use wildcard characters when ranging on territories. The wildcard character is the question mark. For example: "AB?" Selects all territory codes beginning with "AB" "?BC" Selects all territory codes ending in "BC"
Accounts Receivable Overview 77
Multi-Currency
If you use the optional Multi-Currency Manager, you can create foreign currency customers. The system maintains foreign customer accounts in their own currency. When you invoice the customer, the system produces an invoice in the customer's currency, and updates the customer account in their currency, with a translation to base currency at applicable exchange rates. When you process a customer payment, the system determines the exchange rate by default. You can override the default exchange rate for a transaction. The value of an open item in local currency can change due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates from the time you invoice the customer until the time they pay you and you close the item. The system calculates any realized gains or losses, and if they exceed the threshold amount you set up for each currency, the system posts the gain or loss to the appropriate general ledger account. When you post a credit memo, debit memo or write-off to an existing open item, the system uses the same rate as on the original open item, and there is no currency gain or loss.
Working with Contact Managers

BusinessVision provides links to external contact manager software such as Outlook. These links let you synchronize customer information in these packages. The links can update in different directions, from and/or to BusinessVision and the contact manager. You can make the update work on a one-way basis only - in other words, you do not have to enable updating from both BusinessVision and the contact manager. You can make the link happen on a dynamic basis, so that as you work in one of the packages the information updates simultaneously in the other one. On the other hand, you can synchronize the customer databases on a batch basis.
78 Accounts Receivable Setup and Maintenance
Accounts Receivable Setup and Maintenance

In this section, we look at some of the accounts receivable elements as well as the customer master file.
System Setup
In the System Setup function, you set up rules and defaults for customers. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup menu option:
Other pages let you set up default address fields, aging periods, and so on. In the Financials frame and the Terms and Shipping frame, you set defaults for new customer accounts.
Here you activate a link to a third party contact manager.
Accounts Receivable Setup and Maintenance 79
Sales Taxes
You use this function to create the tax rates and rules for your company. To access this function, choose the Edit > Sales Taxes menu option:
Terms Details
Payment terms let you specify when you expect customers to pay you. The system uses these terms to determine if the account is overdue, and to calculate early payments discounts when you pay accounts payable bills or process accounts receivable receipts. To access this function, choose the Edit > Terms menu option:
The tabs let you view customers, vendors, and even individual transactions that use this terms code.
Payments made within this range qualify for discount. Payments not made within this period are overdue.
Territory Details
You use territories to analyze sales. You can range on the individual character positions in territory codes when reporting. You should therefore spend some time designing your codes. To access this function, choose the Edit > Territory Details menu option:
You can see current and historical sales orders for this territory.
You can see which customer are in this territory and their last sale details.
Salesperson Details
You use sales codes along with territories to analyze sales. You link a salesperson code to a customer. You can also link salesperson codes to territory codes. To access this function, choose the Edit > Salespeople menu option:
You can view all open orders as well as order history for each salesperson code.
Ship Via Details

You can create shipping methods that the system uses in the Order Entry and Purchase Order modules. To access this function, choose the Edit > Ship Via menu option:
You can specify custom freight charges per ship via code. You can charge fixed rates or percentages, and you can specify maximum and minimum charges.
You can see which items are using a particular shipper. This lets you query all shipments with a shipper from a single point in BusinessVision.
Customer Details
You use this function to maintain customers. You can access this function via the Edit > Customer Details menu option, or via the Customer icon on the main toolbar:
You choose whether to print and / or e-mail statements, invoices, quotes, or order confirmations.
The customer code can be up to 20 characters.
You can set a credit limit for each customer.
You can assign Active customers to transactions. Assign customers no longer in use the Inactive status to hide them from browse lists and to ensure they are not used on entries. Customers on Hold are temporarily unavailable.
You can create multiple ship-to addresses. One good use of this feature is for head office / branch processing:
Each ship-to address has its own address, contacts, taxes, shipping, and prices. You can create as many ship-to addresses as you like. You specify which address is the default one to use.
The Accounts Receivable tab shows an age analysis of the customer's status as well as unpaid invoices:
The Sales Information tab shows two years of sales information in graphic and numeric format:
Contact Manager Link

BusinessVision provides links to external contact manager software. These links let you synchronize customer information in these packages. The links can update in different directions, from and/or to BusinessVision and the contact manager. You can make the update work on a one-way basis only - in other words, you do not have to enable updating from both BusinessVision and the contact manager. You can make the link happen on a dynamic basis, so that as you work in one of the packages the information updates simultaneously in the other one. On the other hand, you can synchronize the customer databases on a batch basis. You set up detailed field links between BusinessVision and the contact manger in the Utilities > Contact Manager Link > Setup menu option:
You link BusinessVision fields to the contact manager fields. You can link information in either direction, or both. The link can occur dynamically or in batch (synchronize) mode.
86 Accounts Receivable Processing
Accounts Receivable Processing

In the Accounts Receivable module, you enter and process non-inventory transactions for customers. You process inventory transactions in the Sales Order module and the Point of Sale module. To access this function, choose the Edit > Accounts Receivable menu option or click the Accounts Receivable icon on the main toolbar:
Select a customer record here, and the system shows open transactions for the customer. The Status field displays when a customer has overdue items or is over their credit limit.
You access accounts receivable functions via the icons.
You can link unlimited transactions by checking their check boxes. Linked transactions display indented under the parent item.
Average days to pay displays, based on values entered in System Setup.
Flagging (linking) payments to invoices is simple. To accomplish this, you link transactions by checking their check boxes and then select the Link Items button.
Accounts Receivable Processing 87
The icons at the top of the window give you access to the following functions:
Function
Finance Charges
What it Does
This calculates finance charges for a range of customers. This function purges older closed (paid) open item transactions for a range of customers. This lets you erase open item transactions and leaves you with a single balance transaction. This invokes the customer full screen browse. This button gives quick access to a report that prints contact details and a list of open items for the current customer.
Purge Paid Items Bring Balance Forward Browse Print
The icons found on the tabular section of the AR screen allow you to do the following additional AR functions.
Function
New Item (Ctrl+N)
What it Does
Click this to enter a new transaction. This allows you to enter a new transaction that is automatically applied/linked to the highlighted transaction. Opens the Quick Payment Application Utility where you can record a payment received from a customer against one or more invoices. Posts flagged items.
Apply (Ctrl+A) Record Payment (Ctrl+M) Post Flagged Items (Ctrl+P) Cancel Flagged Items (Ctrl+C) Select All (CTRL+E) Deselect All (CTRL+Z) Link (Ctrl+L)
Cancels flagged items. This allows you to select all unselected transactions. You are prompted with options on how you want to handle any discounts that may apply to the transactions being flagged. This allows you to deselect all selected transactions. This button allows you to link transactions together, i.e. invoices and payments.
Function
Unlink (Ctrl+U) View Journal Entry (Ctrl+J) View Invoice (Ctrl+I) Void Payment (Ctrl+D) Hold (Ctrl+H)
What it Does
This unlinks any transactions that are linked together.
Click this to view the journal entry for a transaction line.
Click this to view the original invoice for a transaction line. This button voids previously entered payments. This can be used to reverse payments that are unapplied. You can put any transaction on hold.
Transaction Entry allows the entry of all types of transaction detail in one place. The New Item window looks like this:
Each transaction can have its own notes. You choose the type of transaction, such as invoice, payment, debit, or credit memo. When entering total amount, taxes are calculated automatically.
With payments, you can choose to flag (link) the payment to one or more invoices. Payment options allows you to determine the payment type, check or credit cards. An additional screen displays. Print payment receipt allows you to print a receipt when you process the payment
A 60-character memo can be entered for a transaction.
When Payment Options is selected, this screen displays. You can select the type of payment tendered by the customer.
If you choose a credit card method of payment, the card number, expiry, and authorization fields can be entered.
A/R Quick Payment Application Utility

This feature provides an alternative method for applying payments received from customers to one or more open invoices. Because Sage BusinessVision allows you to enter the amount of the payment you want to apply to an invoice, you can choose to apply a payment to an entire invoice or to apply only a portion of the payment (short pay) an invoice. The resulting transaction will record a single payment from the customer that is applied to one or more invoices, making it easier to reconcile your bank account. To access this feature, press Ctrl+M or click the Record Payments button on the Open Items Tab of the Accounts Receivable dialog box.
Once the utility is open, you can enter the specific ammounts that you want to apply against one or more open items in the Amount received column.
Once you have entered the specifics of the payment received, you can post the payment.
Inquiry
The Open Items tab displays Open items while the Inquiry tab displays all transactions, those that are open and even the transactions that are closed. The Open Items tab displays open transactions that require linking. Once we process a payment, it does not appear on the Open Item tab, since we are fully paying the invoice amount. The linked transactions are moved to the Inquiry tab. The Inquiry tab looks like the following:
The invoice and the payment we just processed display here, linked to each other.
92 Accounts Receivable Reports
Accounts Receivable Reports

In this section, we look at a summary of the customer and accounts receivable reports. You produce these reports using standard reporting methods.
Report
Account Statements Address Labels Aged A/R Summary Cash Receipts Journal
Summary
This prints customer statements on plain or pre-printed stationery. These reports print customer labels in name or account number sequence. These print customer details and their aging balances. You can produce this report in name or account number sequence. This prints customer receipts. You select a starting date, which lets you use the report as a daily cash receipts listing. These reports show customer details, including sales and GP values for this year and last year. You can produce a summary or details listing, and you can produce each of these in name or account number sequence. These show customer specific prices for customers. You can produce this report in name or account number sequence. These list customers on hold. You can produce this report in name or account number sequence. These list customers with overdue balances. You can produce this report in name or account number sequence. These show all customer transactions, including fully paid invoices and their payments. You can produce this report in name or account number sequence. These show customer details, their aging balances, and the transactions that make up the balances. You can produce this report in name or account number sequence. These show open items for customers. Fully paid invoices and their payments do not show on this report. You can produce this report in name or account number sequence. This report allows you to specify the number of customers to include. You can choose to include all customers or just customers that may be over their credit limit. This report allows you to enter the number of top customers to include. You can run this report for the current year or the prior year.
Customer List Customer Specific Prices by Customer Customers on Hold Customers with Overdue Balances Detailed A/R Activity
Detailed Aged A/R
Detailed Open Items
Top Customers by Balance Owing Top Customer by Sales
Chapter 7 - Accounts Payable

You use the Accounts Payable and Vendor Details modules to create vendor records, to process vendor journals, and to pay vendors.
Accounts Payable Overview Accounts Payable Setup and Maintenance Accounts Payable Processing Accounts Payable Reports
94 Accounts Payable Overview
Accounts Payable Overview

You use the Accounts Payable and Vendor Details modules to create vendor records and process vendor journals and payments. If you wish to purchase inventory from vendors, you use the Purchase Order module. These modules here do not allow any processing of inventory items.
Open Item and Balance Forward

Traditional manual bookkeeping systems use the balance forward method of accounting. This works as follows: Each time you purchase from a vendor, you make an entry in the accounts payable ledger. The balance owing, or balance forward, increases by the amount of the purchase. When you pay your vendor, you make another entry in the ledger that reduces the balance forward, which becomes the total due on the account. You usually pay the oldest invoices first.
Open item bookkeeping is a more comprehensive way of managing accounts. However, it is difficult to use in a manual system. With open item, the system tracks each invoice individually and keeps it open until it fully paid. Once it is paid, the system then closes the invoice. For example, a vendor sends you three separate invoices: Each invoice becomes an open item transaction in the accounts payable ledger. The balance forward is still the sum of the three open items, but you deal with each item separately. When you pay the vendor, you apply the payment to specific invoice(s). The result will be the same reduction in the total balance as with balance forward accounting. However, you can see which invoices you paid. Furthermore, you have the ability to put a particular invoice "on-hold", in other words to prevent anyone paying it. You do this if there is a problem with the items you received on that invoice.
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Accounts Payable and User Setup

Before you can work in Accounts Payable, you have to set it up. You use the following System Manager functions to do so:
Function
Vendor Subsection of System Setup function User Details
What it Does
You set up important processing rules in the System Setup function, such as your aging periods. You also set up many default settings. You can control which users can use this module. If they have access to this module, you can control what they can and cannot do. In the Special Accounts function, you specify general ledger integration information. The system sets this up for you by default, and you do not have to make changes unless you have special circumstances.
Special Accounts
Accounts Payable Elements

Vendor records contain a number of database elements that you maintain separately:
Element
Terms
What it Does
You can create early payment terms, for example 2% if paid within 10 days. The system will calculate and process these terms for you, and check whether a transaction is overdue for the discount. You can create shipping codes that you set per vendor and which you can override per invoice.
Ship Via
You use these elements when you create vendor records. The vendor record contains the following fields, among others: The vendor code is a unique code you use to identify the vendor. It can be up to 20 characters long. You can create early payment terms, for example 2% if paid within 10 days. The system will calculate and process these terms for you, and check whether a transaction is overdue for the discount. You can specify three contact persons and their details, including titles. You can analyze your accounts payable on the general ledger by specifying general ledger accounts for each vendor. Alternatively, you can use the default general ledger accounts for all vendors. You can enter form 1099 information (USA), or form T5018 information (Canada).
Accounts Payable Processing

Once you create vendors, you can enter transactions. Usually, you begin by entering opening balances. If you are not receiving inventory in BusinessVision, you can enter invoices as journals. You use the same function to enter payments and match them to invoices. You can enter others types of transactions such as credit and debit memos. If a vendor levies regular non-inventory charges, such as maintenance charges, you can create recurring journals. You have a number of options as regards payments to vendors: When you make individual payments to vendors, the system checks for payment terms the vendor offered you. The system calculates the value of the discount and the expiry date automatically, and allows you to take the discount for up to twice the length of the days the vendor offered. You can place invoices on hold, so that no one can pay the invoice. You can pay vendors from multiple bank accounts. Instead of entering individual payments, you can use the Batch Payables function to prepare a list of invoices to pay across a range of vendors. Once you check, modify, and approve the list, the system makes the payments automatically.
You can bring forward transactions for a range of vendors. This consolidates open item transactions into a single transaction. Older (matched) transactions remain on your system for historical purposes. From time to time, you purge these transactions.
A/R Quick Payment Application Utility

This feature provides an alternative method for making payments to a vendor for one or more open invoices. When you open this feature, Sage BusinessVision allows you to click each invoice that you want to pay and creates a single A/P cheque to pay the selected invoices. You can also modify the amounts being paid per invoice, which allows you to make a partial payment (short pay) against one or more of the invoices. The resulting transaction will create a single A/P cheque that is listed once in your account reconciliation, making easier to reconcile your bank account. To access this feature, press Ctrl+M or click the Record Payments button on the Open Items Tab of the Accounts Payable dialog box.
Accounts Payable Overview 97
Once the utility is open, you can enter the specific ammounts that you want to apply against one or more open items in the Amount paid column.
Once you have entered the specifics of the payment received, you can post the payment.
Multi-Currency
If you use the optional Multi-Currency Manager, you can create foreign currency vendors. The system maintains foreign vendor accounts in their foreign currency. When you purchase from the vendor, you process in their currency. The system converts values to base currency at applicable exchange rates. The A/P Post to Open Items window indicates the account's currency. All entries occur in the vendor's currency. When you process a vendor payment, the system determines the exchange rate by default. You can enter an exchange rate for a transaction directly. The value of an open item in local currency can change due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates from the time you receive a vendor invoice until the time you pay them and close the item. The system calculates any realized gains or losses, and if they exceed the threshold amount you set up for each currency, the system posts the gain or loss to the appropriate general ledger account. When you post a credit memo or a debit memo, the system uses the same rate as on the original open item, and there is no gain or loss.
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Accounts Payable Setup and Maintenance

In this section, we look at some of the accounts payable elements as well as the vendor master file.
System Setup
In the System Setup function, you set up rules and defaults for vendors. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup menu option:
In the Financials frame, you set defaults for new vendor accounts.
You can setup default contact titles for 3 different contacts.
100 Accounts Payable Setup and Maintenance
Terms Details
Payment terms let you specify when your vendors expect you to pay them. The system uses these terms to determine if the account is overdue, and to calculate early payments discounts. To access this function, choose the Edit > Terms menu option:
The tabs let you view customers, vendors, and even individual transactions that use this terms code.
Payments made within this range qualify for discount. Payments not made within this period are overdue.
Ship Via Details

You can create shipping methods that the system uses in the Order Entry and Purchase Order modules. To access this function, choose the Edit > Ship Via menu option:
You can specify custom freight charges per ship via code. You can charge fixed rates or percentages, and you can specify maximum and minimum charges.
You can see which items are using a particular shipper. This lets you query all shipments with a shipper from a single point in BusinessVision.
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Vendor Details
You use this function to maintain vendors. You can access this function via the Edit > Vendor Details menu option, or via the Vendor icon on the main toolbar:
Vendors with an active status are those from whom you purchase inventory. Inactive vendors are those whom you no longer purchase inventory and want to ensure they are no longer used on transactions. You can also place vendors on hold so that you cannot purchase from them temporarily.
The vendor code can be up to 20 characters.
The Accounts Payable tab shows an age analysis as well as unpaid invoices.
The Remit to Address tab allows you to enter a remittance address for each vendor. If Use remit to address is checked, when cheques are printed for this vendor the remit to name and address information is used. When Use remit to address is unchecked, then cheques print the main vendor name and address as the payee. In the Specific Pricing tab, you can enter prices per supplier and inventory item. Prices can have a date range. In addition, you can enter quantity based pricing:
102 Accounts Payable Processing
Accounts Payable Processing

In the Accounts Payable module, you enter and process non-inventory transactions for vendors. You process inventory transactions in the Purchase Order module. To access this function, choose the Edit > Accounts Payable menu option or click the Accounts Payable icon on the main toolbar:
Select a vendor record here, and the system shows open transactions for the vendor. You access accounts payable functions via the icons.
You link transactions by checking their check boxes. Linked transactions display indented under the parent item.
The Status field displays when a vendor is over their credit limit.
You can decide if you want to print a cheque.
The icons at the top of the window give you access to the following functions:
Function
Purge Paid Items
What it Does
This function purges older closed (paid) open item transactions for a range of vendors. This lets you erase open item transactions and leaves you with a single balance transaction. Invokes the Vendor Full Screen browse. This button prints the contact details and a list of open items for the selected vendor.
Bring Balance Forward Browse Print
Accounts Payable Processing 103
The icons found on the tabular section of the AP screen allow you to do the following additional AP functions.
Function
New Item (Ctrl+N)
What it Does
Click this to enter a new transaction. This allows you to enter a new transaction that is automatically applied/linked to the highlighted transaction. Opens the Quick Payment Application Utility where you can record a payment that you want to make to a vendor against one or more invoices. Posts flagged items.
Apply (Ctrl+A) Record Payment (Ctrl+M) Post Flagged Items (Ctrl+P) Cancel Flagged Items (Ctrl+C) Select All (CTRL+E)
Cancels flagged items. This allows you to select all unselected transactions. You are prompted with options on how you want to handle any discounts that may apply to transactions being flagged. This allows you to deselect all selected transactions. This button allows you to link transactions together, i.e. invoices and payments. This unlinks any transactions that are linked together.
Deselect All (CTRL+Z)
Link (Ctrl+L)
Unlink (Ctrl+U) View Journal Entry (Ctrl+J) View Purchase Order (Ctrl+O) Print Cheque (Ctrl+R)
Click this to view the journal entry for a transaction line
Click this to view the original invoice for a transaction line.
Click this button to print a cheque.
Void Payment (Ctrl+D)
This button voids previously entered payments.
Hold (Ctrl+H)
You can put any transaction on hold.
The New Item window looks like this:
Each transaction can have its own notes. You choose the type of transaction, such as invoice, payment, debit, or credit memo. When entering total amount, taxes are calculated automatically.
You can select the bank account from which the cheque will be written.
You can enter a 60-character memo for the transaction you are entering.
If there is a discount available according to the payment terms on the invoice, you can choose to take the discount or not:
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Inquiry
The Open Item tab displays all open and unlinked transactions, this would include open payments that are not linked to any invoice. The Inquiry tab displays all transactions, those that are open and even the transactions that are closed. The Open Items tab displays open transactions that require linking. Once we process a payment, it does not appear on the Open Item tab, since we are fully paying the invoice amount. The linked transactions are moved to the Inquiry tab. The Inquiry tab looks like the following:
The invoice and the payment we just processed display here, linked to each other.
Batch Payables
You use this function to prepare a list of invoices to pay across a range of vendors. Once you check, modify, and approve the list, the system makes the payments automatically. To access this function, choose the Utilities > Batch Payables menu option. You first set some selection rules:
You choose a payment date, and you can range on vendors.
You can set the maximum amount to pay, as well as a maximum per vendor.
You can take discounts that vendors offer you even if they have expired.
Once you choose your criteria, the system displays all the potential transactions, checking the invoices that are due for payment.
Once you click the Pay icon, the system pays all checked vendors and prints checks. You can see the total amount the system will pay. This updates as you process in the table.
Check the check box to pay the invoice. Uncheck the check box if you do not wish to pay the invoice.
Offsetting Customer/Vendor Balances 107
Offsetting Customer/Vendor Balances

Sage BusinessVision provides a simple method to offset all or part of an accounts payable balance that your company owes to a vendor with all or part of the accounts receivable balance that is owed to your company by the same vendor in one step. With this utility, you can simply select the invoices that you owe to the vendor and the invoices that the vendor owes to you, and Sage BusinessVision will create the necessary accounting entries to offset the balances as well as a cheque for any funds still owed to the vendor. To access this function, select Utilities > Offset customer/vendor balances from the main menu.
After selecting the appropriate customer and vendor accounts, you can select the invoices that you want to offset by marking the corresponding check boxes. When you post the transaction, Sage BusinessVision will display the Transaction Entry dialog box.
108 Offsetting Customer/Vendor Balances
This dialog box will outline the specifics of the entry that Sage BusinessVision will create to offset the selected invoices. Click Post to save the transaction and to offset the invoices.
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Accounts Payable Reports

In this section, we look at a summary of the vendor and accounts payable reports. You produce these reports using standard reporting methods.
Report
Address Labels Aged A/P Summary
Summary
This prints vendor labels. You can print the report in account name or in account number sequence. This prints vendor details and their aging balances. You can print the report in account name or in account number sequence. This shows all vendor transactions, including fully paid invoices and their payments. You can print the report in account name or in account number sequence. This shows vendor details, their aging balances, and the transactions that make up the balances. You can print the report in account name or in account number sequence. This prints vendor payments. This shows payments due to vendors in date sequence, taking terms and early payment discounts into account. This report allows you to specify the number of top vendors to include. You can report on either the current year or the prior year. This report shows vendor details, including purchases values for this year and last year. You can print the report in account name or in account number sequence. This report shows fewer vendor details. You can print the report in account name or in account number sequence. This shows cost prices per inventory item that you have agreed with vendors. It prints in vendor sequence. This shows the information required by the Canadian tax authorities for this report. This shows the information required by the USA tax authorities for this report.
Detailed A/P Activity
Detailed Aged A/P Disbursement Journal Payables by Due Date Top Vendor by Purchases Vendor List - Detailed
Vendor List - Summary Vendor Specific Costs T5018 Forms 1099 Forms
Chapter 8 - Inventory
In this chapter, we look at the Inventory module. You use this module to maintain inventory items and their associated databases, and to enter inventory journals.
Inventory Overview Inventory Setup and Maintenance Inventory Processing Inventory Reports
112 Inventory Overview
Inventory Overview
The Inventory module lets you manage the inventory process. This includes creating inventory items and their associated analysis codes and selling prices. Although you can use this module to move quantities in and out of inventory, you cannot process purchases from vendors or sales to customers in this module. Instead, you purchase and sell inventory via the Order Entry and Purchase Order modules. In this topic, we cover the following key features and concepts that apply to this module: Inventory Analysis Elements Costing Methods Selling Prices Inventory Master Fields Multiple Warehouse Inventory Serialized Inventory Non-Physical Items Manufacturing Items Inventory Processing Summary
Inventory Analysis Elements

It is important that you understand up front how you need to analyze your products, so that you design the correct system. You use two main elements to analyze inventory: Product Codes Sales Departments
Product Codes
You can categorize your inventory by product code. This lets you group items of the same type. As we will see later, you can also price items on a product code basis. In addition to this, if you are using the optional e-BusinessVision add-on module, you use product codes to group products in your web-store. You can also limit an inventory count (stock-take) to a product code. Spend some time analyzing the present and future requirements of your management reporting system. Most inventory reports can filter data by product code. The system allows you to use wildcards when ranging on product codes. The wildcard character is the question mark. For example, "AB?" selects all product codes beginning with "AB", while "?BC" Selects all product codes ending in "BC".
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Example A A specialty food store requires a method of tracking inventory based on the special handling requirements for the items in stock. They used seven product codes: PER - perishable FRZ - frozen goods BAK - baked goods CAN - canned goods FRI - requiring refrigeration DRY - packaged and dry goods OTH - all other items
Frozen goods (FRZ) and those requiring refrigeration (FRI) need a different type of adhesive label stationery than the other product codes. When you print labels, select these groups together by specifying "FR?" Example B A large specialty paint store needs to classify paints by type and manufacturer. They use the first character of the product code to indicate the type of paint, the second to indicate the manufacturer, and the last to signify the usage: The first character of the code is L, O, A, V, or P (Latex, Oil, Acrylic, Varnish, Plastic base). The second character is B, C, D, G, S, I, or P (Benjamin Moore, Color Your World, Dulux, Glidden, Sears, Imported, or Para Paints) The third character is I, O, G, M, or C (Indoor, Outdoor, General Purpose, Marine, or Concrete)
With these product codes, the company can produce reports for certain types of products in specialty categories. For example, some customers insist on using only Benjamin Moore varnish on their boat decks. The store can quickly determine how many products they have by looking up product code VBM Varnishes from Benjamin Moore for Marine use.
Sales Departments
In the Special Accounts function, you set up general ledger accounts for inventory, sales, and cost of sales. The system uses these accounts to integrate inventory into the general ledger whenever you process sales and purchases. You create sales departments if you wish to analyze your inventory into different general ledger accounts. Each sales department can have its own set of general ledger accounts. You then link each item code to a sales department.
Costing Methods
There are three methods of costing inventory in BusinessVision: Average FIFO (first in, first out) LIFO (last in, first out)
Note:
LIFO is not available in the Canadian version of BusinessVision.
Average costing is the most widely used method. It is the default and recommended method. The system uses an average cost to price all items on hand. Each time you receive items, the system recalculates the average cost as follows: New Average Cost = (on-hand quantity x old average cost) + (received quantity x new received cost) / (on-hand quantity + received quantity) If you receive inventory for an item that has no existing on-hand quantity, the cost price of the received items becomes the average cost regardless of any pre-existing values. If you ever need to reset your average prices, you can therefore do so by reducing the on-hand quantity to zero and then receiving stock at the proper average cost. There are some circumstances where tracking the cost of an item based on date of receipt is important. For example, when you manufacture items, you sometimes want to calculate the cost of the item based on how much you actually paid for the raw materials. To use the earliest item costs first, use FIFO. To use the latest item costs first, use FIFO. LIFO and FIFO costing produces a more accurate calculation of margins on an invoice-by-invoice basis, since cost will vary based on the age of the item. However, since costs generally tend to rise, it is more advantageous from a corporate tax perspective to deplete inventory based on the average costing method. LIFO is the least desirable and least used costing method. Some jurisdictions do not permit the use of LIFO costing. To track FIFO and LIFO costs, BusinessVision maintains an inventory receipts file. This file contains historical records of the date, quantity, and cost of each item. The receipt record tracks how many items it uses for sales. When transferring inventory from one warehouse to another, the system calculates the financial impact of the transfer based on the costing method in use, generates "receipts" for the item being transferred, and negates existing receipts for the source warehouse.
Selling Prices
The system contains different methods you can use to maintain selling prices. You would almost never use all the available methods, as this would create maintenance difficulties. You should therefore understand each method and then decide which one(s) to use. The selling price structure starts with various selling prices, which you can then modify by various discounts. You have the following selling prices available:
You can have up to 20 separate prices for each inventory item. You link each customer to one of these prices, and that becomes the customer's default price list. For example, you can have "Retail", "Wholesale", and "Other" price lists. If you use the optional Multi-Currency Manager, you can use one or more price lists to enter inventory prices in other currencies. Alternatively, the system can calculate prices in other currencies using the standard prices and an exchange rate. In addition to these 20 prices, you can enter quantity break prices per inventory item. You can have up to nine quantity breaks. For each quantity break, you enter a quantity and a price. You have to sell the required number of items in a single sales order line in order for the system to consider using it. You can enter a promotional price with a date range for each inventory item. If you purchase the optional CustomPack module, you can create prices per customer and per inventory item. These also have a date range. In addition, customers have a standard feature of multiple shipping addresses per customer, and you can create prices per customer shipping address and per inventory item.
How does the system determine which of these prices to use? The rules are as follows: The system looks at each applicable option at the time of sale, and usually uses the lowest available selling price. There are only two exceptions to this, which we look at next. The first exception concerns customer-and-inventory specific prices. You specify per price whether the system should use the lowest price or not. If you choose not to use the lowest price, the system always uses the customer specific price if there is one. The second exception is for the promotional price. When you enter a promotional price for an item, you can specify that the system should always use the promotional price, irrespective of whether it is higher or lower than other prices. This setting is stronger than the first exception. If you choose to use the promotional price always, the system uses it irrespective of any other setting.
Once the basic selling price is in place, you can further modify the price by offering percentage discounts. These discounts are on the selling price the system chooses according to the above rules. The discount methods and rules are as follows: The system never applies discount matrix discounts to promotional prices. You specify per inventory item whether it is discountable or not. If it is not, the system never applies a discount for that particular item. You can enter a discount per customer. This discount applies at the overall invoice level. In other words, it discounts all items equally at the end of the invoice, except for nondiscountable items. You can create a price discount matrix via the product code. You link each inventory item to a product code. Within each product code, you can create up to 26 separate discount codes. You then link each customer to a discount code. Each discount code has a discount percentage. You are therefore able to group products by product code, and offer percentage discounts per product code and per discount code.
The system will apply both the customer discount and the price discount matrix if they are applicable. For customer specific prices, the system will use line and overall discounts. You specify per customer price whether the system should apply the discount matrix percentage.
Inventory Fields
Besides some main fields that we have already covered, and others we will still cover, here are some important inventory fields: Inventory items can have part numbers up to 34 characters long. You link each inventory item to a product code and/or sales department if you use these elements. You specify the item's tax status. If an item is exempt from one or more taxes, the system does not apply that tax. If you sell an inventory item to a tax-free customer or a foreign currency vendor, the system does not apply taxes even if you specify them on the inventory record. You can specify an alternate item to use if this item has insufficient quantity on hand. You can link multiple items to each other using this feature. You can specify vendor prices for items the same way as you can specify customer prices. This includes a date range and quantity breaks. You can also specify the vendor's part number. You can therefore see at a glance where to purchase items. If you use the optional Multi-Currency Manager, you can see foreign vendor prices in their currency. You specify re-order information. You can produce re-order reports.
Multiple Warehouse Inventory

You can manage inventory separately for each inventory warehouse. The system treats each warehouse as distinct and separate from each other. In order to use warehouses, you have to enable their use in the Inventory Setup subsection of the System Setup function. Once you do so, you identify an inventory item by means of its warehouse code and item code each time you access an inventory item. The system reserves warehouse 00. You use this warehouse, for example, if you enable warehouse processing after you create inventory items. In this case, the system assigns each existing inventory item to warehouse 00. A warehouse need not be a fixed location. For example, you can use warehouses to manage a service van or parts truck, depot or a storage locker. Each of these can be a warehouse. If you wish to operate from a warehouse, you must create inventory items in the warehouse first. You can of course create each inventory item in each warehouse manually. Usually, however, warehouses share inventory items with other warehouses.
When you create a new warehouse, the system offers to copy all inventory items from an existing warehouse into the new one. You can use this facility in two ways: You can copy items from another warehouse and then delete items you do not need, and add others that you do need. You can create one or more default or template warehouses that you do not ever use, and copy these into working warehouses. For example, if you use warehouses for service vehicles, you can have a default warehouse you use to copy into a new warehouse whenever you purchase an additional vehicle.
When multiple warehouses are in use, and a new inventory item is added, the system can optionally add the new item to all warehouses. The system may do so automatically, or it may prompt the user for input, or may add the item only to the current warehouse, depending on the value chosen for the Add new items to all warehouses option in User Details. To speed up data entry when you use warehouses, you have two facilities: You can specify a default warehouse per user. The system will use that warehouse number each time, as a default, whenever that user accesses an inventory item. You can also specify, per user, that they cannot change this default. In other words, the user operates out of a fixed warehouse. A user can specify another default warehouse for the session by choosing the Options > Current Warehouse menu option, and then selecting a different warehouse.
Each inventory item in each warehouse is independent. You can have items with the same part number in each warehouse, each with their own descriptions, cost and selling prices, and so on.
Serialized Inventory
If you wish to track individual items for warranty purposes, you can make an inventory item a serialized item. Once you do so, you have to supply a serial number when you sell the item. There are several ways to manage serial number items. The most common are: You do not record the serial numbers of items when you receive them. When you sell items, you then allocate serial numbers. When you receive items into inventory, you record their serial numbers. When you sell items, you manually allocate which serial numbers you are selling. When you receive items into inventory, you record their serial numbers. When you sell items, the system automatically allocates serial numbers.
You choose your methodology, which applies to the whole company, in the Serialized Inventory subsection of the System Setup function. In that function, you also choose when you allocate serial numbers at time of sale. You can do so when you process the sales order or the invoice. Besides purchasing and selling inventory, you also allocate or unallocate serial numbers in the following circumstances: When customers return serialized goods that you put back into inventory When you modify quantities on existing orders
When you transfer quantities between serialized items in warehouses When you return serialized items to vendors
You do not have to serialize every inventory item. Most of the time, you only serialize a small portion of your inventory.
Non-Physical Items
A non-physical inventory item is one that is not warehoused or shipped like regular, tangible items. A service that you provide for an hourly cost can be considered a non-physical inventory item. Unlike normal inventory items, quantities for non-physical items are not tracked in the Inventory module.
Manufacturing Items
You can manufacture and/or assemble inventory items. You do this in the Bill of Material module. In that module, you specify component inventory items and their quantities that you require to produce this item. We look at this process in detail in the next chapter.
Inventory Processing Summary

Processing in the Inventory module excludes purchasing from vendors and selling to customers. You can do the following: You use the Receive Inventory function to move inventory in and out of an inventory item. Typical uses are: Entering opening balances Making adjustments Transferring quantities of the same inventory item between warehouses Manufacturing or assembling items via a bill of material
You use the Physical Inventory function to count your inventory from time to time, and adjust the system's theoretical quantities if they differ from the physical, counted, quantities.
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Inventory Setup and Maintenance

In this section, we look at important setup options, inventory elements, and the inventory master file.
System Setup
In the System Setup function, you set up rules and defaults for inventory processing. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup menu option:
In this subsection, you enable or disable these inventory features.
In this subsection, you enable and configure serialized inventory processing.
In this subsection, you choose the costing method.
Warehouse Details
You use this function to maintain warehouses. You access this function via the Edit > Inventory > Warehouses menu option:
The tabs let you see the items, orders, and receipts for the warehouse.
120 Inventory Setup and Maintenance
Sales Department Details

You optionally use sales departments to analyze sales in your general ledger. In the Special Accounts function, you set up default sales, cost-of-sales, and inventory general ledger accounts. The system uses these when you sell inventory. If you are happy to show all sales in one set of general ledger accounts, you do not need to use departments. If you do wish to analyze sales further in the general ledger, you use departments. A department code is a set of the above general ledger accounts. Once you link an inventory item to a sales department, the system uses the sales department general ledger codes instead of the default one. To access this function, first choose the Edit > Inventory > Details menu option or click the Inventory icon. Then, click the Sales Departments icon:
The default accounts display as department 000. You can create additional departments that have their own accounts. You then link an item to the department.
Product Code Details

Product codes have many uses: You use product codes to categorize inventory into groups that are meaningful to your business. We showed in the overview how you use wildcard characters when ranging on the product code. You also use product codes to create a discount matrix per product code and customer type. If you are using the optional e-BusinessVision add-on module, you use product codes to group products in your web-store. In addition, you can limit an inventory count to a product code.
You access this function via the Edit > Product Codes menu option:
You link a group (A, B, C, and so on) to a customer, and a product code to an inventory item. If the customer buys an item linked to this group, he gets the discount percentage indicated in the table.
Specific Pricing
You can create specific prices per customer / vendor and per inventory item. This feature lets you agree prices with key customers for specific items, and store and use prices your vendor offers you. On the vendor side, you can see per inventory item what prices vendors are offering, which allows you to choose the cheapest price. Customer pricing is part of the CustomPack add-on module. For details about this module, see the CustomPack chapter elsewhere in this document. Vendor pricing is part of the standard inventory module. You access these functions in three ways: To work on prices for a specific customer or vendor, click the Customer Details / Vendor Details icon on the main toolbar, select the record, and then click the Specific Pricing tab. To work on prices for a specific inventory item, click the Inventory Details icon on the main toolbar, select an inventory item, and then click the Specific Pricing tab. To work by vendor or inventory item, choose the Utilities > Customer / Vendor Specific Pricing menu option.
Here is the Utilities > Customer Specific Pricing function:
You can switch between viewing items per customer or customers per item.
Each line represents a customer price.
When you double click a line, you can enter its fields:
You can enter a single price or a series of quantity-based prices. You can specify how this price interacts with other pricing elements. Enter an optional date range for this price.
Inventory Details
You use this function to maintain inventory items. You can access this function via the Edit > Inventory > Details menu option, or by clicking the Inventory icon on the main toolbar:
The tabs let you enter or view a wide variety of information for this item. The Details tab shows quantity and cost information. You link a product code to this item on this tab.
In the Pricing tab, you set base prices for this item:
You can set 20 base prices, and you can allocate one or more prices to one or more currencies. You can also set quantity-based prices, which override the base prices if they apply. In addition, you can set a promotional price with a date range. In the Info tab, you set important processing rules for the item:
You specify whether the item is discountable, and whether it is a serialized item. You can specify an alternate item for the system to use if there are insufficient quantities on hand of this item.
There are other tabs as well:
The summary tab graphs quantity sales over the last three years. You can: Link an image in the Image tab. See current and older sales orders, purchase orders, and receipts. Create specific customer price, and you can store and use prices per vendor. See a list of the serial numbers for serial number items.
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Inventory Processing
Processing in the Inventory module itself does not involve customer and vendor processing. You use the Order Entry and Purchase Order modules for these activities. Here, we look at how you adjust inventory quantities and/or costs by means of transactions.
Receive Inventory
You use this function for the following purposes: To enter opening balances if you do not enter the opening cost and quantity values when you create inventory items To perform other cost and/or quantity adjustments To manufacture items if you use the Bill of Material module
You access this function in two ways. Choose the Edit > Inventory > Receive menu option, or click the Receive Inventory icon in the Inventory details function:
Select the inventory item you are processing.
Enter the information here.
The Receive button processes.
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Physical Inventory
The Physical Inventory function offers complete physical inventory count, reconciliation, and inventory and accounting adjustment capabilities. You access this function via the Utilities > Physical Inventory menu option. When you first start a physical count, the system displays the Count Sheets window so that you can initiate the process:
In this window, you choose a range of products to work on. You also set the sequence. The system uses this for count sheets. You can choose the method that best suits your warehouse arrangement. Once you select the inventory items, the system prints the count sheets, and the processing window displays:
If you enter quantities, you can set the system to display each page of the count sheet on the screen, one page at a time. You can therefore use multiple operators to enter the count quantities simultaneously, each using a batch of count sheets. Alternatively, you can import the quantities from hand-held devices. Once you have all the quantities on the system, you print a variance report and resolve any data capture errors. The final step to complete the procedure is to instruct the system to update any quantity differences.
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Serial Number Processing

There are several ways to manage serial number items. The most common are: You do not record the serial numbers of items when you receive them. When you sell items, you then allocate serial numbers. You can allocate the serial number When you receive items into inventory, you record their serial numbers. When you sell items, you manually allocate which serial numbers you are selling. When you receive items into inventory, you record their serial numbers. When you sell items, the system automatically allocates serial numbers.
You choose your methodology, which applies to the whole company, in the Serialized Inventory subsection of the System Setup function:
Besides purchasing and selling inventory, you also allocate or unallocate serial numbers in the following circumstances: When customers return serialized goods for repair or credit When you modify quantities on existing orders When you return serialized items to vendors When you move inventory between two warehouses and both items are serial number items
Serial numbers can be up to 40 characters in length. They are unique per part number. The system permits any combination of letters, numbers, dashes, spaces, and special symbols in serial numbers.
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You create new serial numbers as follows:
To enter individual serial numbers, enter each number in the Serial No. field and click OK. The system updates the quantity of serial numbers you enter in the Quantity field. If the serial numbers you are entering are all consecutive, the system can add them for you automatically. Enter the starting serial number in the Serial No. field, and check the Consecutive Serial Numbers check box as we have done above. The system displays the proposed last serial number in the Last Serial No. field. If the serial numbers increment elsewhere within the serial number, edit the last serial number appropriately. Click the OK button to create all 10 serial numbers automatically. You choose existing serial numbers, when you sell items for example, like this:
You simply pick each serial number you require.
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Inventory Reports
In this section, we look at a summary of inventory reports. You produce these reports using standard reporting methods.
Report
Available Serialized Inventory Committed and Backordered Inventory Customer Specific Prices by Item Historical Inventory Value Inventory Activity Log Inventory by Vendor
Summary
This shows serial number items available to sell. For each item, this shows the quantity committed and on backorder. It details each order. This shows customer specific prices in item sequence. This shows the historical value of your inventory based on the date you enter. You can enter any date, previous, current, or future (up to the present date). This shows inventory activity details for the dates you select. This shows inventory records per vendor. The report includes quantity totals and the vendor's price for the item. You can print inventory labels in various formats. You can choose whether to print the selling price (selling price 1) on the label. This report shows extended values per sales department. You can choose to see the extended selling price, or the extended cost price using either current or last cost. This shows a list of items on hold. This shows a list of items with promotional prices. This shows items that have had no quantity movements for the number of months you specify. This prints items that have a non-physical type. This prints count sheets for the physical inventory process. This report shows the 20 selling prices and the quantity break prices for each part number you select. This shows a list of raw material items and the bill of materials in which you use them. This prints all inventory receipts for the date range you select. This prints receipts sorted by purchase order number for the date range you select. This prints all receipts on file for the part numbers you select.
Inventory Labels
Inventory Values by Sales Department Items on Hold Items on Promotion Non-Moving Stock List Non-Physical Items List Physical Inventory Price List Raw Materials List Receipts by Date Receipts by Date & P.O. Receipts by Part Number
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Report
Receipts by Receipt Number Receipts by Vendor Re-order by Vendor Re-order Listing Serialized Inventory Purchase History Serialized Inventory Sales History Stock Status
Summary
This prints receipts sorted by receipt number for the receipt number range you select. This prints receipts sorted by vendor for the vendor range you select. You select a range of vendors, and this report prints items for those vendors that need re-ordering. This prints items that need reordering, along with the vendors that supply this item and their prices. This report shows purchase history for serial number items. This report shows sales history for serial number items. These reports show information per part number in varying degrees of detail, which you select when you run the reports. There is a detail and a summary version. This report shows the top selling inventory items. You can specify the number of items to include and for which year you want to reference, this year or last year. This report shows the top inventory items based on units sold. You can specify the number of items to include and for which year you want to reference, this year or last year. This report shows the top value inventory items. You can specify the number of items to include on the report. This shows sales quantities either for the current period or for the year. This report prints vendors with specific cost prices.
Top Inventory Items by Sales Amount
Top Inventory Items by Unit of Sales
Top Inventory Items by Value Unit Sales by Period Vendor Specific Costs by Item
Chapter 9 - Bill of Material

In this chapter, we look at the how you can manufacture items from other component items.
Bill of Material Overview Bill of Material Setup and Maintenance Bill of Material Processing Bill of Material Reports
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Bill of Material Overview

A Bill of Material is very similar to a recipe you might use in your kitchen: Both contain a list of the ingredients (or parts) required for the finished product Both provide the amounts (or quantities) of the component parts Both may contain instructions for completing the finished product
The Bill of Material module lets you create finished products by extracting the relevant component items. This module integrates with the Inventory, Order Entry, and Point of Sale modules to provide the following capabilities: You create bills of material (recipes) for inventory items that you manufacture or assemble You can include scrap and yield factors in the bill of material to compensate for losses / wastage in the manufacturing process You can provide for on-line costing and resource inquiries on the bill of material The system automatically updates all inventory quantities and general ledger accounts when you manufacture or sell a bill of material item
The Bill of Material module cannot function on a stand-alone basis: Manufactured items as well as their components (ingredients) are inventory items You manufacture or assemble item in the Inventory and Order Entry modules
In order to use the Bill of Material module, you first enable its use in the Inventory subsection of the System setup function. Once you do so, you can create different types of inventory items:
Type
Normal
What it Does
This is a regular inventory item. You cannot manufacture regular items. You can use regular items for non-physical items such as labor. This item usually has a bill of material associated with it. The bill of material consists of other items on the inventory file. The item may also be a sub-assembly that other bills of material use to manufacture higher level or top-level assemblies. We sometimes call a manufactured item a top-assembly item. This item also has a bill of material. The major difference between kitted and manufactured items is that the kit item does not require a manufacturing process or assembly. It therefore does not allow for scrap or yield elements. When you sell a kit, the system draws all the items that comprise the kit in its bill of material out of inventory at time of sale. With a manufactured item, you have to assemble the manufactured item first before you can sell it. All item types up to now are items you usually sell. A raw material item is one that you do not normally sell, but you rather use as a component in a bill of material.
Manufactured
Kitted
Raw Material
Bill of Material Overview 133
It is important to understand the differences between manufactured and kitted items: Good examples of manufactured items are glue, pizzas, and CDs. You take various components and manufacture it into a brand new substance. A good example of a kitted item is a computer. It contains a hard disk, memory, computer case, power supply, motherboard, and so on. One way to look at the difference is that you can return a kitted item into its components, whereas you cannot return a manufactured item back into its ingredients. Another major difference between manufactured items and kitted items is how you bring the inventory in. The only way to bring manufactured items into inventory is to use the Receive Inventory function in the Inventory module. Once you do so, the item functions in the same way as a normal item from the sales point of view. For kitted items, the system can assemble the items automatically in the Order Entry module as well. You cannot use alternate items when assembling kitted items.
A bill of material links to an inventory item in a specific warehouse. If you use multiple warehouses, you can create one bill of material in one warehouse, manufacture into that warehouse, and then do a warehouse transfer to transfer the item to other warehouses.
The Bill of Material

Once you create your manufactured inventory items and the component inventory items, you create the bill of material. This contains the quantity of components required to produce a single manufactured or kitted item. You can enter non-inventory lines in the bill of material. You could use these, for example, to enter labor costs. You can categorize bills of material. Since each bill of material, as well as each bill of material component line, must have a category code, you have to create at least one category code. A component item can in turn be a manufactured item - we call these sub-assemblies. You may manufacture sub-assemblies and then use the sub assembly as a component of a manufactured item. You can have up to nine levels of sub-assemblies in a bill of material.
Working with Scrap and Yield

If you are manufacturing as opposed to kitting, you can specify scrap and yield values: The scrap value is the percentage loss of a bill of material component during manufacturing. For example, in a chemical plant, 3lbs out of every 100lb bag of a powder ends up on the floor. The scrap is therefore 3%. You specify scrap separately for each component line of a bill of material. Yield applies to a bill of materials as a whole. It also applies when you have sub-assemblies. The yield is the number of usable or acceptable items you expect to obtain from the manufacture of 100 items. For example, if ten out of every 100 transistors do not pass quality control, the yield is 90.
134 Bill of Material Overview
You should use scrap and yield with care, especially the scrap factor associated with raw material components. You can only use scrap percentages for components that you can logically divide. For example, when you are mixing chemicals you may lose some to spillage. If you lose, say, 2% of the chemicals on average, the 2% is the scrap value. If, however, you have items that you cannot divide logically, such as light bulbs, door handles, and batteries, you cannot use the scrap value. For example, you are assembling table lamps from component parts. You know that on average one bulb in every 100 is a defective. If you use the bulb as a component with a scrap factor of 1%, then, when you build a single table lamp, the system would use 1.01 bulbs. If you build 50 table lamps, the system would use 50.5 bulbs. These operations leave you with fractional onhand values for light bulbs, which is nonsensical. To avoid this, set up an inventory item for light bulbs as a manufactured item. Once you specify a manufactured item in a bill of material, you then specify its yield rather than its scrap value. If one light bulb in every 100 is defective, then 99 are not. You specify the yield as 99. When you manufacture the table lamps, the system then works as follows: If you manufacture 1-99 lamps, the system uses as many globes as you manufacture plus one additional globe. If you manufacture 100-199 lamps, the system uses as many globes as you manufacture plus two additional globes. If you manufacture 200-299 lamps, the system uses as many globes as you manufacture plus three additional globes. No fractions of light bulbs will appear in your inventory.
Bill of Material Tools

Once you create your bills of material, you have the following functions available to you:
Function
Indented Browse Cost Roll-up Where Used
What it Does
You use this function to view a bill of material and all its sub-assemblies. You can also enter the quantity to manufacture to see quantity requirements. This function lets you calculate the cost of building or assembling various quantities of a bill of material item. You use this function to determine if, and where, an inventory item is in use in a bill of material. This function lets you see if you have sufficient inventory to build or assemble a given quantity of a bill of material. You can see how many items you could build based on existing inventory levels. You can also see which items have insufficient quantities.
Trial Build
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Bill of Material Processing

Once you set up your bill of material, processing consists of manufacturing or kitting the item. To initiate a kitting or manufacturing process, you simply use the Receive Inventory function in the Inventory module. The system links to the bill of material, removes the component items, and then adds the quantity into the manufactured or kitted item. If you wish to disassemble items you assembled previously, enter a negative quantity into the Receive Inventory function. Once you complete the process, you can sell the item as a normal inventory item. You can also receive or purchase a manufactured or kitted item as if it is a normal inventory item. You may do this, for example, if you need to supplement your own manufacturing or assembly process. For kitted items, you have additional functionality in the Order Entry module. The system automatically assembles items as you process an order if there are insufficient quantities on hand.
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Bill of Material Setup and Maintenance

Before you can start using the bill of materials features, you have to enable them in the Inventory Setup subsection of the System Setup module:
You activate bill of material processing here. You then further specify whether to keep track of revision levels when you modify a bill of materials
Once you activate the feature, you create different inventory item types in the Inventory Details function:
Manufactured items are items that you manufacture prior to selling them. Kitted items are items the system assembles when you sell the items, if there are insufficient quantities on hand. Raw Material items are components of a bill of material, which you do not usually sell. Before you can create a bill of materials, you need to create bill of material categories. The category field is a compulsory analysis field. If you do not need to use this field, you must create at least one category and apply it everywhere:
Bill of Material Setup and Maintenance 137
Manufactured and kitted items have a bill of materials. The bill of materials is a recipe that tells the system how to manufacture one manufactured or kitted item. It contains a list of component items and the quantities required. Here is a typical bill of materials:
The bill of materials has the same code as its associated inventory item. For each component line, you specify how many of the components you use to create one manufactured item. You can also specify the scrap percentage, which we discussed in the overview.
138 Bill of Material Setup and Maintenance
Component items can themselves be manufactured items. You can have up to nine levels of manufacturing in a bill of materials. The icons at the top right of the Bill of Material window give you access to other manufacturing functions. One of these, the Indented Browse function, shows these levels:
The level column on the left shows the level. In this screen, the FCB-250 cabinet is itself a manufactured item. The level two lines show the components of the FCB-250 - they are not components of the STS-02 bill of material. Another manufacturing tool you access via the icons at the top of the Bill of Material window is the cost roll-up function. This lets you calculate the cost of building or assembling various quantities of a bill of material item. The function allows you to track the results of multiple scenarios in a summary table, and to recall any given scenario.
Bill of Material Setup and Maintenance 139
You can enter the quantity you wish to manufacture in the Quantity field, and the system calculates the total cost of the process. You can include or exclude sub-assemblies, and you can choose whether to include scrap and yield percentages in the calculation. The Where Used function lets you see in which bills of material a component you specify is in use. The Trial Build function determines whether you have sufficient quantities of components on hand to manufacture a specified number of items:
In this case, the system is showing that I cannot manufacture 25 systems, as I requested, because I have only 8 TV-5200s on hand. You can use this same function when you actually initiate a manufacturing process, which we look at next.
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Bill of Material Processing

Once you set up your bills of material, there is almost no additional work to do: The system manufactures when you use the Receive Inventory function and select a manufactured item. You can receive manufactured and kitted items. Once you do so, you sell the items as if they are normal inventory items (which they are). For kitted items, the system can also assemble these automatically when you process a sales order.
We have already seen the Receive Inventory function. Here we use it to manufacture:
The Trial Build button enables when you receive a manufactured or kitted item. If you click the Trial Build button, the system checks whether you can manufacture the quantity you entered:
If there are insufficient quantities of sub-assemblies, you can manufacture the sub-assemblies you require at the same time. The system then checks for the availability of quantities for the sub-assemblies as well. Once you confirm the process, the system removes the relevant number of items from the components, and adds to the manufactured or kitted item. In summary, all of the work is in the bill of material. If this is correct, processing is automatic and requires no special expertise.
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Bill of Material Reports

In this section, we look at a summary of the bill of material reports. You produce these reports using standard reporting methods.
Report
Bill of Material Detail Category List Costed Bill of Material Indented Bill of Material Trial Build Where Used
Summary
This shows bills of material along with their component lines. This lists the category codes in code or name sequence. This shows bills of material along with their component lines and their current costs. You can use the average or the current cost. This shows bills of material along with their component lines. The report explodes sub-assemblies and shows their levels. This prints out a trial build, which shows any quantity shortages. You enter the same parameters as you do in the screen version. This prints a report of those bills of material that use a component you specify.
Chapter 10 - Order Entry

In this chapter, we look at order entry processing. This is where you process sales, which makes it one of the most important aspects of BusinessVision.
Order Entry Overview Order Entry Setup Order Entry Processing Order Entry Reports
144 Order Entry Overview
Order Entry Overview

You use the Order Entry module to process quotations, sales orders, and invoices, for customers. You can also use the Point of Sale module to process sales in a retail environment. You purchase inventory via the Purchase Order module, and you then use the Order Entry and Point of Sale modules to sell the inventory to customers. You can also manufacture inventory via the Bill of Material module, and then sell manufactured items to customers. In this section, we look at how you process sales orders and invoices.
Typical sales order workflow

1. You can print up to five documents for a single sale: Quote Order Confirmation Packing Slip Shipping Label
Invoice For the order confirmation, packing slip, and shipping label, you set per user whether to offer to print these documents or not. 2. 3. 4. First, you can enter a quote. Quotes do not affect inventory quantities. You do not have to prepare quotes - their use is optional. You can modify the quote if necessary and save it as an order. Alternatively, you can enter an order from scratch. When you save the order, the system commits the quantities that are available, and will not use these quantities elsewhere. The next stage is to invoice the customer. You can restrict users from invoicing under specified conditions: 5. You can specify per user that the user cannot invoice a customer when the customer is over their credit limit. The user can still enter orders, but they cannot produce a final invoice. You can specify per user that the user can never invoice a customer. Use this setting for sales order personnel who do not invoice customers and only take orders.
When you invoice the customer, the system can ask you whether to put the invoice on the customer's account: If you do, the invoice prints, and the processing completes. If you do not put the invoice on the customer's account, it becomes a cash sale, and you then specify how the customer is paying you. You can have a combination of payment methods, such as cash and credit card. Once you complete the payment specification, the system prints a point of sale type invoice. This functionality is identical to Point of Sale payment handling. You can specify per user that the system should always put the invoice on account. The system then completes the invoice without asking the user anything.
Order Entry Overview 145
6.
Once you complete an invoice, the history file updates. The Sales Analysis module uses this file. The history file contains a complete copy of the invoice. You can view and reprint the invoice at any time from within the Sales Analysis, General Ledger, or Accounts Receivable modules. The system then deletes the sales order, unless there are unfilled quantities (backorders). The backorder feature works as follows: When insufficient inventory exists, only the available inventory is committed to the order. You can then create a backorder if you need to. When you invoice orders that are already on file, the system first re-checks the status of any backordered items. If quantities are now available, the system fills them on the order. Standing orders remain in the order file once you process the invoice. The system attempts to re-fill the quantities immediately. If there is insufficient stock on hand, the system re-fills as much as possible.
7. 8.
The system does not delete the order if you make it a standing order. In this case, once the invoice completes, the system refills the order ready for the next time. You can create layaway orders. With layaways, the system commits the inventory quantities on the order. The customer can then pay deposits on the order at any time. Once the customer pays the full amount, you invoice the customer. If your customer returns items to you, you enter a negative quantity on an order line. You can do this on an open sales order, or you can create a new sales order for this purpose.
9.
The above procedure is for customer sales. However, you can also process non-account cash sales. These always produce invoices, never orders. You need the appropriate user access to be able to process in this manner. If you save orders without invoicing them, or if you partially invoice orders and you have backorders, you need to be able to access existing unfilled orders in order to invoice them. You have a number of ways to access open orders. If you have many orders, you may wish to use the Batch Billing function. This lets you process and print orders on a bulk basis. You can choose the type of order to process, and you can process on a territory basis.
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Order Status Summary

Here is a summary the order status settings:
Order Status
Okay Quotations Layaways Standing Orders Hold
What it Does
This is a normal order that you will invoice normally. This does not draw down any inventory. Once a customer accepts all or part of the quotation, you can turn it into a sales order. A layaway will commit the inventory you enter. The customer pays regular amounts against the layaway. Once the customer pays the full amount, you invoice the layaway. Some customers purchase the same inventory on a regular basis. Standing orders allow you to invoice the order, but then keep the order in place for future use. You can enter an order and put it on hold for invoicing later. For example, your customer may require you to bill them on the fifteenth and at the end of each month.
Form Layouts
The system ships with many different layouts for each form such as the order entry invoice. You can print on plain or preprinted stationery, and there are different layouts for dot matrix and inkjet/laser printers. You choose the layouts you require in the Printer Setup function. You can also customize the standard layouts.
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Order Entry Setup

System Setup
In the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup menu, you set up sales order processing options:
To use manual numbers, set these at zero. We recommend using system numbering.
Choose how much sales history to retain in the system.
148 Order Entry Setup
User Access
In the User Details function, you set up important access control for each user. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > User Details function:
Comment Details
When you process customer sales and vendor purchases in the Order Entry module, the Point of Sale module, and the Purchase Order module, you may need to enter additional, non-inventory text lines. You do this via the option to use comments in these processing windows. In those processing functions, you can enter up to 512 characters of text per comment. If you have comments that you use on a frequent basis, you use this function to create a library of these comments, which you can then access in the processing functions and copy directly into the order lines. This saves a lot of time, and it lets you standardize messages. You maintain comments in the Comment Details function, which you access via the Edit > Comments menu option:
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Order Entry Processing

Using the Order Entry Module
You can access the Order Entry module in two ways: 1. 2. Choose the Edit > Order Entry > Details menu option. Click the Order Entry icon on the main toolbar.
To create a new sales order, click the New icon or press Ctrl + N. You can also create other documents. To do so, click the arrow to the right of the New icon and choose the document:
You can print a packing slip from the print buttons drop down list. This option is enabled when the user has Prompt for packing slip enabled in User Details, for orders that have not had their packing slip printed.
150 Order Entry Processing
You then enter header information such as the customer code and order number. There are tabs that let you enter additional header-type information. Here is the Order Details tab:
Each customer can have multiple ship-to addresses. These addresses include many other fields such as taxes, the selling price level, territory and salesperson codes, and a default warehouse. In addition, you can create your own ship-to address, and thereby adjust any of this information, just for this order. You do this in the Ship-to tab:
You enter order lines in the Item Details tab. You use the following icons or their short-cut keys to work with the order lines:
Insert comment line
View alternate parts that can be potential replacements for the item on the current line.
Insert new line at end of table
Delete current line
Insert new line above current line.
Show information about the inventory item on the current line.
View purchase history about the item on the current line
Invoke the Notepad for the current line
For serialized items, this button opens the window for serial entry
You can enter up to 999 lines in the table. As you complete each line, the system updates inventory quantity values. If you delete a line, the system returns the inventory quantities into stock. To invoice all or part of an order, click the Print and Post Invoice icon.
Note:
In the Order Entry access settings, you set per user whether they can process invoices. If they cannot, they can still create, amend, and delete quotes and orders.
In Order Details, the copy button in the module toolbar has a drop down list that allows the currently loaded order to be copied as a quote. When you invoice, you can print one or more items such as a packing slip and a shipping label in addition to the document itself. Click the arrow to the right of the Print and Post Invoice icon to choose an individual document to print.
Note:
If necessary, you can use the arrow next to the print button to reprint a single packing slip when necessary.
Instead of processing invoices manually, you can use the Batch Billing function to process and print the invoices in unattended mode. You can range on territories, order number, and order type when you process.
You can process cash sales for customers and non-customers. The Payment Details window displays:
For each payment type, check the check box to use it, and then enter the amount in the amount field.
Generating Purchase Orders from Backordered Items

Sage BusinessVision includes tools that make it easier for companies to work in just in time (JIT) environments or when companies work with minimal inventory on hand. When a sales order includes one or more out of stock items (back ordered items), Sage BusinessVision includes tools to create purchase orders for the back ordered items, provides the option to drop ship these items, and the tools to ensure the appropriate sales tax settings are applied to the drop ship order.
Creating purchase orders for back ordered items included on a sales order
To create a purchase order for back ordered items included on a sales order, the:
Inventory item must have a preferred vendor assigned on the Info Tab of the Inventory Details dialog box. Sage BusinessVision uses this preferred vendor on the purchase order, and when no preferred vendor is assigned the Generate purchase order function on the Order Details dialog box will be disabled even when there is a back order situation. User must have rights to Generate purchase orders within User Details.
When these conditions have been met, Sage BusinessVision will enable the Generate purchase orders function on the Order Details dialog whenever you enter a sales order that includes one or more item on back order. Clicking this button will allow you to generate one or more purchase orders needed to buy the inventory items sold to the customer.
Note: When you generate a purchase order for back ordered items, Sage BusinessVision will enter the purchase order number on the back ordered line item for cross reference purposes. This purchase order number will display in the P.O number column. Additionally, the purchase order that is generated will include the order number from which it was generated listed in the Order Number field. Please note that these are reference values only, and there is no link/relationship between the sales order and purchase order. Note: When using the Generate purchase orders function, Sage BusinessVision creates a single purchase order for all items assigned the same preferred vendor. If you need to create a single purchase order for all back ordered items entered on the same day, you must use the Purchase Order > Auto generate purchase order function.
Drop shipping purchase order items

For some companies, the items included on the purchase order need to be drop shipped from the preferred vendor directly to the customer. For users who also have the Generate purchase order right set to Yes, prompt for ship-to address, Sage BusinessVision will prompt them when creating the purchase order for the appropriate ship to address. If you select not to drop ship the purchase order, Sage BusinessVision assigns the address for the default warehouse to the purchase order. If you select to drop ship the purchase order, Sage BusinessVision assigns the address defined for the customer to the purchase order. In addition, if the customer's address is in a different province then the default warehouse, Sage BusinessVision will apply the appropriate sales tax settings to the purchase order.
Issuing generated purchase orders

Sage BusinessVision assigns an Okay status to each purchase order created using the Generate purchase orders function within Order Entry. You must review each of the purchase orders generated using this function and choose to print and issue them before Sage BusinessVision will print the purchase order and assign the Issued status.
Processing Layaway Sales

Layaway orders allow you to reserve inventory and accept periodic payments against the order. You can process these deposits via the Order Entry or Point of Sale module:
The system commits, but does not release, inventory. Once the customer pays the full amount, you can invoice the sale. There are layaway reports showing layaway totals, deposit records, and total deposits.
Order Entry Reports 155
Order Entry Reports

In this section, we look at a summary of the order entry reports. You produce these reports using standard reporting methods.
Report
Backorders by Customer Backorders by Item Layaway Deposit Report Layaway Detail Report Order List - Detailed
Summary
This report shows backorder details in customer sequence. This report shows backorder details in part number sequence. You can choose to see all items or only available items. This lets you print the status of a single order you select, in summary or detail, in a point of sale receipt format. This shows the status and values of open layaway orders. This shows all details of open orders. You can print each order on its own page so you can give it to your customer. You can print in customer, invoice date, order date, order number, salesperson, ship via, or territory sequence. This gives you a one-line summary of each order, along with totals such as taxes, margins, and net values. You can print in customer, invoice date, order date, order number, salesperson, ship via, or territory sequence. This prints the list of serial numbers for the order or invoice you select. This lets you print packing slips in batch mode. You can choose whether to include regular and/or standing orders. This lets you print a pick list so that your warehouse staff can pack an order and specify how many items are in the order. You can print this for all orders or for orders for which you did not print packing slips. This lets you view quotes.
Order List - Summary Order/Invoice Serial Numbers Packing Slips
Pick/Ship List Quotes
Chapter 11 - Point of Sale

In this chapter, we look at point of sale processing
Point of Sale Overview Point of Sale Setup Point of Sale Processing
158 Point of Sale Overview
Point of Sale Overview

You use Point of Sale to process cash and account sales in a retail environment. The system presents a very simple and easy to use interface. Sales clerks sell to customers without having to understand the rest of the system. The system handles all accounting activity seamlessly in the background. You can use the system as a full point of sale application, interfacing to cash drawers, barcode readers (wands or laser scanners), invoice printers, or roll-feed receipt printers. Additionally, you can enable touch-screen keyboard capabilities in the Point of Sale section of the Access tab of User Details. This allows employees to display a touch-screen keyboard by tapping (or clicking) data-entry fields on the Point of Sale window.
Setting up Point of Sale

Before you can start processing in Point of Sale, you have to setup your processing rules. You set up the following: You choose whether to use cash drawer balancing. This allows or forces a clerk to balance their cash drawer against an opening float and end-of-day cash drawer totals. You specify whether you are using pole displays, and if so, you configure them. You specify whether to lock the workstation after each sale, so that a clerk has to log in each time they process a sale. In a high volume situation, with a dedicated person at the workstation, you usually do not lock the workstation. You choose a default entry mode. In scanner mode, the system assumes a sale quantity of one and processes each line item using default values. In normal mode, the system requires the clerk to enter the quantity for each line item. This is a default setting - the clerk can switch modes at any time. You set up the payment types (cash, credit cards, debit cards and so on) and their general ledger accounts in the Point of Sale section of the Special Accounts function. You need to do this setup before you can process cash sales.
You also have to set up users in two places in the User Details function: If a clerk cannot reconcile their cash at the end of a session, a point of sale supervisor must enter their user ID to override the system and allow the user to finalize the session. You have to specify who the supervisors are. You can enter a tolerance amount that the system accepts for the reconciliation. You can also disable the tolerance option, in which case the clerk does not have to complete the reconciliation. You specify permissions for actions such as being able to change selling prices.
Note: You can use Sage BusinessVision in conjunction with Point of Sale hardware, such as cash drawers, bar code scanners, receipt printers, display poles, and touch screen monitors. For a list of hardware Sage has tested with Sage BusinessVision, please visit our web site at http://www.sagebusinessvision.com for more information.
Point of Sale Overview 159
The Point of Sale Process

Here is a short summary of a typical session: If you are using cash drawer balancing, you enter your opening float when you access the Point of Sale module. The processing window then displays. To enter a sale: The system assumes a cash sale. If you are selling to a customer, click the Customer button and select a customer. You enter a part number. If you are using scanner mode, the system enters a quantity of one for you. Otherwise, you enter the quantity. You may or may not have the ability to override the selling price, tax settings, and line item discount. Note: You do not need to enter an item if you are processing a payment to a customers A/R account. You can enter one or more comment lines in the sale. The system displays completed lines in the grid area, and updates totals continuously to show the value of items processed so far, including taxes, and allowing for any applicable discounts. You continue to enter all items in the same way. If you make an error, you can use the arrow buttons on the right-hand side to select an earlier item then edit or delete it. Alternatively, you can enter the same item with a negative quantity to reverse it, and then enter another line to process the correct values. To complete the sale, click the Tender button or press Alt + T. The system displays the Payment Method window. Enter the amounts per payment method. If you are selling to a customer, you can put the amount due on the customer's account. The system calculates and displays change due (if any). The system prints a sales ticket (receipt or sales slip).
At the end of the shift, if cash drawer balancing is active, you have to balance the cash values. There are several stages to cash drawer reconciliation. This process also includes a number of reports. You cannot produce these reports at any other time, as they originate in daily sales and shifts. If you wish to have these reports, you must produce them as you perform the reconciliation.
Processing Credit Card Payments

Sage Payment Solutions integrates with Sage BusinessVision, making it easy for you to authorize credit card payments directly from Sales Order Details, Point of Sale and Accounts Receivable with or without the actual credit card being present. Refer to online help for additional information.
160 Point of Sale Overview
Multi-Currency
If you are using the optional Multi-Currency Manager, you can accept payments in foreign currencies. Point of sale does not require much multi-currency capability. The system provides you with a calculator to allow clerks to receive cash in different currencies. If the exchange rates for the currencies are accurate, the clerk does not need to have any knowledge at all to process. The system provides additional fields on the Cash Drawer Reconciliation report to let you add foreign currencies. To reconcile correctly, you convert these to the base currency using the same exchange rates you used when accepting the foreign cash. The system disables the on-account option if you are processing a foreign customer. Account transactions have to take place in local currency.
Point of Sale Setup 161
Point of Sale Setup

System Setup
In the System Setup function, you set up various processing options. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup function:
You can activate prompts for line discounts, confirmation zero order quantities, or zero selling prices.
In this section, you specify whether and how cash drawer balancing works.
You set up a pole display here.
User Details
You access the User Details function via the Utilities > System Manager > User Details menu option. In this option, you set access permissions, supervisor functions, and cash drawer parameters:
In the Access tab, you enable or disable processing functions such as whether the user can adjust selling prices. Specify whether this user is a supervisor. Supervisors can close shifts even if there is an imbalance in the daily reconciliation.
You can specify the commands needed to drive a cash drawer for each user.
162 Point of Sale Setup
Special Accounts
In the Point of Sale section of the Special Accounts function, you set up payment methods. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > Special Accounts function:
Point of Sale Processing 163
Point of Sale Processing

Opening Float
You access Point of Sale processing via the toolbar or via the Edit > Point of Sale menu option. If you use opening floats and daily reconciliations, you enter the opening float values:
Once you enter the float details, the system prints a float report.
164 Point of Sale Processing
Processing Sales
Once you do so, the Point of Sale window displays. Here is a screen shot while processing a sale:
If the on-screen keyboard is enabled in your user access rights, Sage BusinessVision displays an onscreen keyboard when you tap or click applicable fields on this window. Additionally, some fields or buttons may not display if you do not have rights to those features. The Point of Sale window has several distinct areas. Some of these are only display areas, where they show details and totals as processing progresses: In the data entry area, you enter sales data, starting optionally with a customer code. The grid area shows a list of items as you process, including the item description and unit price. Use the buttons on the right-hand side of the window to work with the list of items. The First, Previous, Next, and Last arrow buttons allow you to move through the list of items. The Edit Item button allows you to edit the currently selected item. Use the buttons on the bottom left-hand side of the window to manage the sale. For example, you can use the Hold Sale button to hold the current sale while processing another sale or click Change Mode to cycle through the three processing modes; Normal, Scanner, or Scanner Edit Prices. The totals area shows the discount and taxes when applicable and a running total of the sale.
Point of Sale Processing 165
When you complete entering the sale, click the Tender button, or press Alt + T to process the payment:
For each payment type, check the check box to use it, and then enter the amount in the amount field.
If the customer pays more, the change to hand the customer displays here.
If you are using cash drawer balancing, then once you complete the day's processing, you enter a closing float balance in the same way as the opening float balance. You then enter deposit values for the day:
The system then prints various reports. You cannot reproduce these reports in the future. The system therefore lets you reprint each report in case it does not print correctly. As you can see, point of sale processing happens with minimum work.
Chapter 12 - Sales Analysis

In this chapter, we look at the Sales Analysis module.
Working in Sales Analysis
168 Working in Sales Analysis
Working in Sales Analysis

You use the Sales Analysis module in conjunction with the Order Entry and Point-of-Sale modules. It provides you with a powerful and dynamic management information sub-system. Whenever you process invoices or point-of-sale sales, the system records the information in a sales history file. The Sales Analysis module works with this file. In the Sales Order History subsection of the System Setup module, you specify how many months of data you wish to keep. We suggest you keep at least twenty-four months of data on file. The Sales Analysis module contains two separate aspects: In the Sales Analysis Browse, you can enquire on sales on screen, and filter sales by many variables. There is a full suite of sales analysis reports.
The Sales Analysis Browse window lets you access sales history on screen. It is a powerful management tool. To access this function, click the Sales Analysis icon on the main toolbar:
You can browse through your customers.
You can save queries and re-use them at any time.
You can specify up to two criteria and range on dates.
Use these to view the order, invoice, or journal details.
The system displays all orders that match the criteria.
You can sort by any column, the Gross Total in this example.
Working in Sales Analysis 169
When working in the Sales Analysis module, you can re-use sales invoices to create new orders. New orders created this way can be used as a reversing order or quote, and can be further edited using the Order Entry module. You produce sales analysis reports using standard methods:
Report
Daily Sales Detail Daily Sales Summary
Summary
These reports show each invoice and each invoice line for a particular date. You can view the reports in the following sequences: customer/item, invoice number/item, item/amount, item/customer, and profit margin. These reports show invoice totals for a particular date. You can view the reports in the following sequences: customer, invoice number, payment method, profit margin, salesperson, and total amount. These reports show each invoice and each invoice line for a range of dates. You can view the reports in the following sequences: customer/item, invoice number/item, item/amount, item/customer, item/date, and profit margin. These reports show invoice totals for a range of dates. You can view the reports in the following sequences: customer/gross profit, customer/invoice number, invoice number, profit margin, salesperson/invoice date, territory/invoice date, and total amount.
Sales Detail
Sales Summary
Chapter 13 - Purchase Order

In this chapter, we look at purchase order processing. You use purchase orders to buy goods from vendors.
Purchase Order Overview Purchase Order Setup Purchase Order Processing Purchase Order Reports
172 Purchase Order Overview
Purchase Order Overview

You use the Purchase Order module to process purchases of inventory from vendors. You can use the Purchase Order module on a stand-alone basis. Usually, however, you use it in conjunction with several other modules for a complete purchase order, order processing, inventory management, accounting, sales history, and billing system. You purchase inventory via this module. You can also manufacture inventory via the Bill of Material module. You then use the Sales Order and Point of Sale modules to sell the inventory to customers.
Processing Workflow
We first look at the general workflow of processing. You create a purchase order for a vendor. On the purchase order, you enter the item(s) you are purchasing from the vendor. You can save the purchase order without processing it in any way. Once you are ready, you issue the purchase order and print it for the vendor. The next stage is to receive the inventory from the vendor. You can receive inventory on a partial basis, since your vendor may fill your purchase order in parts. The system allows you to receive inventory for a purchase order as many times as you require. Once you receive all the goods on the purchase order, you close it. From the accounting point of view, the system can work with receiving inventory in two ways: When you receive items against an open purchase order, the system posts an accrual to the general ledger. Once you close the purchase order, usually when you receive the vendor invoice, the system reverses the accrual and updates the vendor account. You use this option if you receive items before you receive the vendor's invoice. If you use the optional Multi-Currency Manager, the system posts and reverses accruals at the same exchange rate as the initial purchase order. There are therefore no currency fluctuation implications in these postings. If you want to post vendors invoices for inventory items separately from purchase order processing, you can receive against a purchase order, and close it without affecting the general ledger or accounts payable. If you use this method, only the inventory item reflects the quantities received and the costs applied. If you use the optional Multi-Currency Manager and receive goods partially from foreign vendors, the system posts all vendor invoices at the exchange rate in effect when you processed the initial receipt.
There may be a discrepancy between the order price and the vendor invoice. You can change the price on each inventory line, or on the invoice total. If you adjust the inventory line(s), the system posts the adjusted values to the vendor account. If you adjust the invoice total, the system posts the difference between the purchase order value and the vendor invoice value to a purchase variance general ledger account. If there are significant cost discrepancies, and you wish to use accurate inventory costs, you may wish to reverse the items out at their original cost and then re-enter them at the correct cost.
Purchase Order Overview 173
You also have different methods of accounting for freight costs, or landed costs, you may incur on the vendor invoice: If your vendor charges you freight costs directly, you can add these to the vendor invoice. You choose whether to add these costs to your item costs or not. Usually, you would do so. The system then pro-rates freight charges against the inventory items you receive. Alternatively, you can expense freight costs to a freight expense account in the general ledger. If you wish to pro-rate freight and landing costs against inventory costs, but the vendor does not charge you directly, you can estimate these costs and add them to the item costs. These additional costs do not affect the vendor. The system assigns these charges to general ledger accrual accounts. Once the vendor invoices for these costs arrive, you can reverse these accruals.
Once you receive the full purchase order quantities, or close the purchase order when you do not expect to receive any more items on the order, the system removes the purchase order and updates the purchase history file. You can access these via reports. You can make an order into a standing order. Once you close a standing order, the system creates a new purchase order with the same items in it. You use this feature when you purchase the same items repeatedly from the same vendor. To return inventory to your vendor, you enter a negative quantity on an order line. You can do this on an open purchase order, or you can create a new purchase order for this purpose.
Order Status
Orders have a status field. Here is a list of them:
Order Status
Okay Issued Received Standing
What it Does
This is an order you have entered but not issued to the vendor. This indicates that you have issued the order to the vendor, but you have not received any inventory. This indicates that you have received at least part of the order. Sometimes you purchase the same inventory on a regular basis. Standing orders allow you to process a purchase order in the normal way, but then create a new order when you issue this one. You can enter an order, put it on hold, and issue it later. You usually use this when you have account issues with the vendor, or when the vendor backorders items.
Hold
174 Purchase Order Setup
Purchase Order Setup

System Setup
In the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup menu, you set up purchase order processing options:
Here you choose whether to update vendor records as soon as you receive goods, or whether to update only when you close the purchase order. You also determine whether the Item Required Date displays during entry and the next P.O. Number assigned.
Choose how much sales history to retain in the system.
User Access
In the User Details function, you set up important access control for each user. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > User Details function:
Purchase Order Processing 175
Purchase Order Processing

Using the Order Entry Module
You can access the Order Entry module in two ways: 1. 2. Choose the Edit > Purchase Order menu option. Click the Purchase Order icon on the main toolbar.
To create a new purchase order, click the New icon or press Ctrl + N.
NOTE: You also can use the Auto-generate Purchase Order feature by selecting Edit > Purchase Order > Auto-generate Purchase Orders on the menu bar. You then choose to use either inventory or open-order data to create your purchase orders. You then enter header information such as the vendor code and order number. There are tabs that let you enter additional header-type information. Here is the Order Details tab:
176 Purchase Order Processing
In the Ship-To tab, you specify where the vendor must deliver the goods icons:
These icons let you clear the address details, copy the company address details, and copy a customer's address details if the vendor is shipping directly to the customer. If you are using multiple warehouses, you can also copy the address of one of your other warehouses.
You can enter or change existing details directly.
You enter order lines in the Item Details tab. You use the following icons or their short-cut keys to work with the order lines:
Insert comment line
View purchase history about the item on the current line .
Insert new line at end of table
Delete current line
Insert new line above current line.
Show information about the inventory item on the current line.
For serialized items, this button opens the window for serial entry
Invoke the Notepad for the current line
When you enter the purchase order, you specify the quantity you are ordering per line. Note: After a purchase order is issued, you cannot edit it unless you change the status from Issued to Okay. Do so by clicking the Unissue button on the toolbar while working with the issued P.O. in the Purchase Order module.
Purchase Order Processing 177
Receiving Inventory
When you save a purchase order, you do not have to receive any inventory at the same time. Usually, you issue the purchase order, print it, and send it to the supplier. When you receive goods, you open the purchase order again, and you work on the quantity fields:
The Order Qty field is the quantity you initially ordered from the vendor. The To-Date Qty field is the number of items you received previously on the order. The Received Qty field is where you enter the quantity you are receiving from the vendor. This adds to the To-date Qty field. In the example above, the To-Date Qty field for the first item was 10 prior to receiving the current 12 items.
Once you enter the received items and save the purchase order, the system may or may not create a vendor invoice. We discussed this in the overview section, and we saw the option to close purchase orders in the System Setup function: If you close purchase orders each time you receive inventory, the system creates a vendor invoice and updates the vendor balances each time you receive. Otherwise, the system accrues the values, and creates a single vendor invoice when you close the purchase order.
178 Purchase Order Reports
Purchase Order Reports

In this section, we look at a summary of the purchase order reports. You produce these reports using standard reporting methods.
Report
Accrued Payables List On-order by Item On-order by Vendor Purchase Order List Detailed Purchase Order List Summary
Summary
This lets you see all accruals for which you have not yet received invoices. This report shows order details in part number sequence. This report shows order details in vendor (vendor) sequence. This shows all details of open purchase orders. You can print each order on its own page so you can give it to your vendor. This gives you a one-line summary of each order, along with details such as shipping, due date, and net values.
Chapter 14 - Purchase Analysis
Purchase Order Reports 179

In this chapter, we look at the Purchase Analysis module.
Working in Purchase Analysis
180 Working in Purchase Analysis
Working in Purchase Analysis

You use the Purchase Analysis module in conjunction with the Purchase Order module. It provides you with a powerful and dynamic management information sub-system. Whenever you process a vendor invoice, the system records the information in a purchases history file. The Purchase Analysis module works with this file. In the Purchase Order History subsection of the System Setup module, you specify how many months of data you wish to keep. We suggest you keep at least twenty-four months of data on file. Once you have more data than you specify on file, the system notifies you about this when you log on. You can then use the Reorganize Files function to purge older data. The Purchase Analysis module contains two separate aspects: In the Purchase Analysis Browse, you can enquire on purchases on screen, and filter purchases by many variables. There is a full suite of purchases analysis reports.
The Purchase Analysis Browse window lets you access purchase history on screen. It is a powerful management tool. To access this function, click the Purchases Analysis icon on the main toolbar:
You can browse through your vendors
You can save queries and re-use them at any time.
You can specify up to two criteria and range on dates.
The system displays all orders that match the criteria.
Use these to view the order, invoice, or journal details.
You can sort by any column, the P.O. Number in this example.
Working in Purchase Analysis 181
When working in the Purchase Analysis module, you can re-use closed purchase orders to create new purchase orders. New purchase orders created this way can be used as a reversing order, and can be further edited using the Purchase Order module. The following are the purchase analysis reports you can produce:
Report
Daily Purchase Detail Daily Purchase Summary Purchase Detail Purchase Summary
Summary
These reports show each purchase order and each order line for a particular date. You can view the reports in the following sequences: vendor/item, purchase order number/item, item/amount, and item/vendor. These reports show purchase order totals for a particular date. You can view the reports in the following sequences: vendor, purchase order number, buyer, and total amount. These reports show each purchase order and each line for a range of dates. You can view the reports in the following sequences: vendor/item, purchase order/item, item/amount, item/vendor, and item/date. These reports show purchase order totals for a range of dates. You can view the reports in the following sequences: vendor/gross purchases, vendor/purchase order number, purchase order number, purchase order date, and total amount.
Chapter 15 - Job Cost

In this chapter, we look at the Job Cost module.
Job Cost Overview Working in Job Cost
184 Job Cost Overview
Job Cost Overview

You use the Job Cost module to track income and expenses for jobs. Job Cost does not affect the general ledger or other modules in any way. Jobs are therefore ideal ways to track projects in a flexible, non-financial manner, without regard for fiscal periods or fiscal years. For example, you may wish to track expenses against a large project you are undertaking. You can create as many jobs (projects, dockets, etc.) within the Job Cost module as you require. Once you create a job, you divide it into sub-categories called accounts. This lets you manage jobs in logical components. Both jobs and accounts have a 10-character code. Some companies have many similar jobs. You can use the standard copy function to create a job as a copy of another one, thereby simplifying the initial creation process considerably. The system writes the full job number and account as "Job code/Account code", for example "BRIDGE/PLAN". Once you create a job, you want to get values into them. You can do this using either or both of the following methods: You can post transactions directly within the Job Cost module. When BusinessVision posts general ledger integrating entries via AutoPost, it can give you the option of assigning the transaction to a job. This includes transactions from the General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Order Entry, Purchase Order, and Payroll modules.
Since jobs are non-financial entities, they are unaffected by financial year-ends or any other accounting processes. Jobs remain on file as long as you keep them there, and you delete them whenever you wish to. You have various enquiry and reporting facilities available.
Working in Job Cost 185
Working in Job Cost

Job Cost Details
You create, edit, and delete jobs via the Job Details function. To access this function, choose the Edit > Job Cost menu option:
Click this icon to enter job transactions.
You can create accounts to divide jobs into different areas.
You can enter estimates per account and the system tracks variances from actual values.
You can have notes at both the job and the account level.
186 Working in Job Cost
Entering Job Transactions

Once you create jobs, you can enter job transactions in two ways: You can enter transactions directly by clicking the Transaction Entry icon in the above screen. If you make extensive use of the Job Cost module, enable job cost integration. The system stops at income or expense transactions and lets you enter job cost transactions.
Here is the direct transaction entry screen:
The Job Cost window displays when you integrate Job Cost and the general ledger account is set to prompt for job cost. In GL Journal Entry this window invokes whenever the system posts an income or expense account via AutoPost. This includes any internal posting to accounts you set up in the Special Accounts function:
This is the GL account we posted to in another module.
Enter the job number and account number.
You can enter a single job transaction, or you can use multiple jobs and/or accounts. You can split the values by amount or percent.
Working in Job Cost 187
You produce job cost reports using standard methods:
Report
Job Cost Detail Job Cost Summary Job Cost Transaction Journal
Summary
This shows jobs and transactions in job number and account sequence. This shows actual and estimated job totals, gross profit, and variances. You can sequence by rank or by job. This shows job cost transactions in transaction number sequence.
Chapter 16 - Payroll
In this chapter, we look at the Payroll function.
Payroll Overview Payroll Setup and Maintenance Payroll Processing Payroll Reports
190 Payroll Overview
Payroll Overview
In order for Canadian edition customers to use the Payroll module effectively, it is necessary to have an understanding of the payroll process, even though the system handles the most complex elements of payroll automatically. The payroll legislation requires you, as an employer, to do the following: Keep accurate employee records with respect to tax status, pay rates, earnings, salary, vacation, and so on. Maintain information on past earnings, benefits and withholdings in order to facilitate any discussions with the employee. Maintain information to keep information available for audit if necessary. Keep track of your employees work time, sick time, overtime, commission and vacation time, so that you can calculate their earnings. Calculate the value of each employees benefits, deductions, and amounts the employer must pay to various authorities and agencies. Produce paycheques, payslips, or direct deposit forms reflecting the earnings and deductions for each employee in accordance with the respective laws and regulations set out by the various authorities, regulatory bodies, and government departments. Produce annual documentation for each employee and for governmental authorities, to confirm and verify the summary details of each employees pay, insurable earnings and source deductions, e.g. T4 (Revenue Canada) and Relev 1 (Revenue Qubec). Maintain bookkeeping records that reflect the many elements associated with payroll, so that your own financial records will accurately incorporate this information, and will provide you with a meaningful and valuable business tool for making informed business decisions.
Important From time to time, the provincial and federal governments change methods, rates, and/or formulae for calculating deductions and employer contributions. Sometimes, these changes are retroactive. The employer has a legal obligation to process your payroll in accordance with the rules and regulations in force. It is therefore vital that the formulae used by the system reflect the most up-to-date legislation. BusinessVision provides a number of maintenance plans that include a payroll update service, which entitles you to receive updates automatically to the formulas and rates as they change. You must subscribe to a maintenance plan if you wish to receive the payroll updates. If you do not subscribe, your Payroll module will use formulae and rules that were in force at time of shipment of the software. This could put you in the unenviable situation of violating the law. To subscribe to a maintenance plan, call the sales team at 1-866-725-0724.
Payroll Overview 191
Payroll Concepts
You process payroll in pay frequencies. You can create up to eight separate pay frequencies in each company. For example, you may have monthly and biweekly paid employees. Each of these is a pay frequency. You can create up to 10 benefits and 10 deductions. Benefits are non-monetary benefits you give to employees. For example, your company may provide parking or meals to an employee. Deductions are non-statutory deductions you make from an employee's gross earnings. For example, you may deduct funds for health insurance, social club benefits, and so on. You can have up to 99 departments. You use departments if you wish to analyze employee costs in separate general ledger accounts on a departmental, geographic, or any other basis. Once your setup is complete, you create employee records. You store different types of information on these records: Each employee has a unique, permanent, six-digit employee code. You can optionally enter personal information such the employee's address, telephone number, e-mail address, and so on. You specify which province's tax tables apply to the employee. You enter the employee's salary and / or hourly rates, including regular, overtime, and premium rates. You also enter values for any of the benefits and deductions that apply to the employee. You specify any special tax exemptions, as well standard rates for various statutory deductions. You specify whether to accrue vacation pay or whether to add it to each paycheque. You can link an image of the employee to their record.
You enter regular pay information such as hours by means of timecards. You can print individual pay cheques as you process timecards, or you can batch them. If you batch timecards, the system creates timecards for salaried employees automatically. Of course, if there are one-time changes for a salaried employee, you will need to enter a timecard for them. However, you can still batch the processing. You can pay employees by cheque or by direct deposit into their bank accounts. If you use direct deposits, you need to set up direct deposit processing with your bank. You also need to obtain banking details from your employees.
Note:
Direct deposits only operate in batch mode.
If an employee loses a cheque, you can void the cheque. This reverses all values on the employee file and the general ledger, allowing you to pay the employee again. If you make an error on a timecard, you can issue a supplemental one in the same period to correct the error. Alternatively, you can void the timecard, correct the error, and re-process. You cannot batch supplemental timecards. You therefore always pay these by cheque, and never by direct deposits. The system allows you to produce all the necessary statutory outputs. You can submit T4 reports electronically.
192 Payroll Overview
At the end of the payroll year, you run the year-end procedure to reset balances and prepare the system for the next year.
Payroll Accounting
If you integrate general ledger, the system creates journal entries automatically, regardless of the status of AutoPost. Postings take place when you print paycheques. Payroll journal entries are complex. Each deduction from the employees pay requires a transaction entry. In some cases, the employer must also make payments to various governmental bodies based on employees' payments (e.g. E.I. and C.P.P.). It is quite common for a payroll journal entry to contain as many as 15-20 transactions. The system can post an entry with over 100 transaction lines.
Note:
Journal entry uses the paycheque date as the transaction date, and automatically creates the memo portion of the transaction to show the employee number.
The system shows the actual paycheque number on the payroll clearing or bank account transaction entry. The transaction number on the timecard and the general ledger is the same, providing an audit trail between the Payroll and General Ledger modules.
Note:
BusinessVision provides you with an understanding of its payroll procedures and functions. You should not regard any information we specify here as a source book or reference for general or specific payroll issues. You should consult government-approved publications, or government authorities, for answers with respect to taxation, source deductions, or other regulations regarding your legal obligations.
Payroll Setup and Maintenance 193
Payroll Setup and Maintenance

In this section, we look at the elements you need to setup before you can begin payroll processing.
Payroll Departments
In the Payroll Departments function, you set up general ledger accounts per department. The system uses these accounts to update the correct balances on the general ledger. You access this function via the Utilities > Payroll Setup > Payroll Departments menu option:
Payroll Deductions
Deductions are non-statutory deductions you take from an employee's gross earnings. For example, you may deduct funds for health insurance, social club benefits, and so on. You can enter up to 10 deductions. To access this function, choose the Utilities > Payroll Setup > Payroll Departments > Deductions:
The Short Name field prints on the payslip.
194 Payroll Setup and Maintenance
Payroll Benefits
Benefits are non-monetary benefits you give to employees. For example, your company may provide parking or meals to an employee. Benefit entries do not require general ledger integration. You give the benefit to the employee by non-monetary means. Payroll processing takes care of the tax on the benefit automatically. To access this function, choose the Utilities > Payroll Setup > Payroll Departments > Benefits:
User Details
In the User Details function, you assign access rights for payroll to each user. This is important, and only authorized personnel should be able to view and/or access payroll information. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > User Details menu option:
Enable or disable the particular functions for this user in this table.
Uncheck this check box to deny any access to the payroll module for this user.
Pay Schedule
In this function, you set up different pay frequencies, the current payroll processing date, and direct deposit information. You access this function via the Utilities > Payroll Setup > Pay Schedule menu option:
The pay date determines the financial period into which the system updates values. This is the next cheque number if you print paycheques.
You can create up to eight separate pay frequencies in each company.
Direct Deposit
Use this function to activate and to set up payroll direct deposit. You access this function via the Utilities > Payroll Setup > Direct Deposit menu option:
196 Payroll Setup and Maintenance
Employee Details
You use this function to create, edit, and delete employee records. You access this function via the Edit > Payroll > Details menu option, or via the Payroll icon on the main toolbar:
Employees have a unique six-digit number.
This can be set to active, on leave, or terminated. You usually terminate employees rather than deleting them.
This group of icons gives you access to payroll processing functions.
In the Details tab, you enter static information such as the employee's date of birth, bank account, Social Insurance Number, and so on.
In the Amounts tab, you enter salary and other amounts for the employee:
In the Deductions and Benefits tabs, you enter any applicable deductions and benefits as amounts or percentages. You also specify whether they are subject to tax and other statutory items:
In the Timecard tab, you can view older timecards for the employee. You can use standard sorting, arranging, and navigating techniques associated with Browse windows to customize your view of the fields on this tab:
This lets you void or reverse a timecard, for example if an employee loses their cheque. This lets you view the timecard details. This lets you view the general ledger entries for the timecard.
Use the Earnings tab to view earnings information about each employee:
198 Payroll Processing
Payroll Processing
Here is a general procedure that you would use to process payroll.
To process a normal payroll

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Ensure that you have the latest version of the legislative rules. You need to subscribe to a maintenance agreement to ensure you receive updates as they occur. Add any new employees for the period into the system. Edit any changes to existing employees. Ensure the pay period and payroll dates are correct. You set these up in the Pay Schedule function. Enter any timecards you require for employees. If you are going to use the Batch Payroll function, you do not have to enter timecards for salaried employees unless their details change. If you process employees manually via timecards, you can print their paycheques individually at the same time. If you are using direct deposits and/or you wish to print paycheques in batch, use the Batch payroll function to calculate and process. If there are any errors, produce a supplementary timecard for affected employees and print their paycheques. Produce any reports you need before working in the next pay period.
Timecards
In the Timecard function, you record employee time and earnings for a pay period. You can print paycheques using timecard input, which in turn produces payroll journal entries in the general ledger. If you use the Batch Payroll function to process paycheques in batch mode, you do not need to enter timecards for salaried employees. The system creates these automatically. Of course, if you need to amend a salaried employee's timecard, you have to process the timecard manually first.
Payroll Processing 199
You access the Timecard function via the Edit > Payroll > Timecards menu option, or via the Employee Details function:
The pay period displays here. Ensure it is correct. If you process a supplemental timecard, a number appears in the grey box. You can have up to nine supplemental timecards per pay period.
You enter lines via these fields, and the system transfers the lines to the table.
The type can be normal, overtime, vacation, etc.
For salaried employees, the system creates a timecard automatically. In this example, we are processing a timecard to enter the overtime for the employee.
If you are going to process the timecards in batch mode, then click the Save button to save the timecard. If you wish to print individual paycheques, click the Total button:
The system displays the paycheque values for you to check.
Double click a line to go back to the data entry display.
Click the Save button to save the timecard for later processing, or click the Print button to print the paycheque.
Direct Deposit
The direct deposit feature allows you to pay wages directly into your employees' bank accounts instead of printing paycheques. There is no specific processing required to use this feature. However, you have to set it up correctly in order for it to work. Use the Payroll Direct Deposit Setup window to activate direct deposit processing (select the check box) and enter your company's bank account settings (defined in the setup window). Set up each employee's bank account details in the Bank Account field on the Details tab of the Employee Details window. For direct deposit employees, the system prints a pay slip instead of a pay cheque. Enter the starting sequence for pay slip numbers in the Next Direct Deposit No. field (located in the Payroll Direct Deposit Setup window).
Note that you cannot process direct deposits from the Timecard function we have just looked at. Instead, you use the Batch Payroll function.
Batch Payroll
Batch paycheque printing performs almost exactly the same processing and posting as the one-at-a-time method of printing paycheques in the Timecards function. There are, however, some important differences: This batch function creates timecards automatically for salaried employees. If all your employees are salaried, and there are no changes from the previous payslip, you can process for a period without doing any work. Note that if an employee's salary changes, you specify this on the employee's profile. You do not process a timecard for a salary change, unless it is a once-off change, which is highly unusual. Paying employees by direct deposits only works via this batch option. If you process a timecard for a single employee, the system produces a paycheque irrespective of whether you usually pay the employee by direct deposit. You cannot process supplemental timecards in batch mode.
You access this function via the Edit > Payroll > Details menu option, from where you click the Batch Payroll icon:
If you are using the direct deposit feature to transfer funds to your employees electronically, you must ensure that you have set up your bank details correctly, as well as each employee.
Payroll Processing 201
Voiding a Paycheque
Situations may occur where you print a paycheque in error. Although you physically destroy the cheque, the system has updated the general ledger accounts. Alternatively, an employee may lose their cheque, and you need to give the employee another one. Since you cannot reprint paycheques, you must issue a second cheque. This will repost amounts to the general ledger. You therefore need to reverse the original paycheque in the system.
To void a paycheque
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Choose the Edit > Payroll > Details menu option or click the Payroll icon on the main toolbar. Select the employee. Click the Timecard tab. Select the timecard to reverse. Click the Void Cheque icon. The system asks for confirmation, and then reverses the timecard.
T4 and T4 Summary
Use the T4 and T4 Summary window to generate a T4 or T4 Summary report for employees. You can also use this window to adjust the T4 data then file electronically. To access this function, select Edit > Payroll > T4 and T4 Summary:
Record of Employment
Use the Record of Employment function to create records of employment for terminated employees. This function lets you enter the required details and then prints the details on the required serialized form. To access this function, select Edit > Payroll > Record of Employment:
Payroll Reports 203
Payroll Reports
In this section, we look at a summary of the payroll reports. You produce these reports using standard reporting methods.
Report
Address Labels Cheque Register Earnings and Deductions Employees Advances Receivable and Vacation Owed Employee List Pay Journal and Receiver General Report RL-1 Slip
Summary
This prints labels for employee files. You can choose the label size and some field options. This prints a list of the net pay for each employee, with one line per employee. This prints the full payslip details for each employee.
This report prints vacation and advances details per employee. This prints employee profile information. You can print a detailed or a summary version. You should print this report after every payroll run. It optionally produces a list of the paycheques, along with their cheque numbers. The report then prints a receiver general summary page. This prints RL-1 slips on paper or to a file. If you print on paper, you need to use Canada Customs and Revenue stationery. Consult the help file for details of how to go about filing electronically. This prints detailed pay advices on plain paper for your own records. Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) permit the filing of T4s on magnetic media. If you generate more than 500 slips, you have to file in this manner. Consult the help file for details of how to go about filing electronically.
Timecard Register
Chapter 17 - Multi-Currency
In this chapter, we look at the Multi-Currency add-on module.
Multi-Currency Overview Multi-Currency Setup and Maintenance Multi-Currency Processing Multi-Currency Reports
206 Multi-Currency Overview
Multi-Currency Overview
The Multi-Currency Manager lets you work with bank accounts, customers, and vendors in their own currencies. The system translates all values back into your base currency, and keeps the base currencies accurate in terms of currency fluctuations. The Multiple Currency Manager achieves the following: It deals with every day foreign currency transactions automatically in all of the core modules. This includes the automatic creation of foreign currency general ledger accounts. It handles all conversions and translations within the AutoPost feature automatically. It allows you to produce reports that reflect the appropriate values and exchange rates, both currently and retroactively, irrespective of the date on which you produce the report. It calculates foreign currency gains and losses automatically. It revalues unrealized gains and losses of assets and liabilities on demand, at any time, retroactively and currently, permitting the backdating and adjusting of balance sheets and financial statements after the fact. It reflects every journal entry that involves a foreign currency on the general ledger in both base and foreign currencies. It displays the appropriate currency and date formats for each currency on invoices, checks, and other output. It allows you to consolidate the general ledger of multiple companies using differing base currencies.
The core of the Multi-Currency Manager is the Currency Manager. This lets you create and maintain an unlimited number of foreign currencies. For each currency, you enter information such as the currency name, country, international symbol, language, pricing, monetary rounding rules and exchanges rates. You specify per currency whether to use a single exchange rate, or whether to use separate buy and sell rates. You can enter exchange rates per period. The Currency Manager maintains an activity log that tracks any changes made to exchange rates or currency details. Once you set your currencies up, you create one or more foreign currency customers, vendors, and bank accounts. When you process in these accounts, you enter values in the foreign currency.
Multi-Currency Overview 207
The system determines the exchange rate to use as follows: In the Currency Manager function, where you set up exchange rates, you specify for each currency whether the system should use fixed rates or separate buy and sell rates. The system looks for an exchange rate for the currency in the period in which you are working, which is determined by the order date. If there is an exchange rate for the period, the system uses it. If there is no exchange rate in that period, the system uses the current exchange rate. You can enter an exchange rate for a transaction directly.
The system updates the foreign currency accounts, such as customers and vendors, in their own currency. For general ledger accounts, the system creates parallel base currency and foreign currency accounts. The foreign currency account has the same account number as the base currency account, but with the currency code as a suffix. In this way, you can have a single general ledger account that exists for multiple currencies. The system creates these accounts automatically as and when required. When a foreign customer pays you, or you pay a foreign vendor, the system generates a realized profit or loss if there is a change to the exchange rate from the time of invoice until the time of payment. Foreign currency customer and vendor balances may generate unrealized losses and gains due to exchange rate fluctuations. You use the Currency Revaluation to adjust base currency values accordingly. The Currency Revaluation function looks at the foreign values in foreign currency accounts. It calculates the base currency values in terms of the current exchange rates, and compares them to the existing base currency values. Any differences are due solely to fluctuations in the currency rate. The system then posts these differences to the general ledger as an unrealized gain or loss. The way the system does this is to reverse the effects of any previous revaluations and then post the new values in total. You can set a limit per currency beneath which the system does not revalue, since the adjustments would be small. The revaluation process creates additional general ledger accounts so that you can see the effect of the revaluation. Revaluation accounts have the same number as the general ledger account, but with an "R" as the suffix. You can roll-up the values in the "R" accounts into the local currency accounts at any time. It is vital to ensure that you keep exchange rates on the system up to date.
208 Multi-Currency Setup and Maintenance
Multi-Currency Setup and Maintenance

In this section, we look at the elements you need to setup before you can begin multi-currency processing.
System Setup
Once you install the Multi-Currency Manager into a company, you still need to enable it in the System Setup function. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup function:
User Details
In the User Details function, you assign access rights for multi-currency processing to each user. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > User Details menu option:
Enable or disable the particular functions for this user in this table.
Uncheck this check box to deny any access to multi-currency for this user.
Multi-Currency Setup and Maintenance 209
Special Accounts
In the Special Accounts function, you set up a general ledger account for foreign currency gains or losses. You access this function via the Utilities > System Manager > Special Account menu option:
210 Multi-Currency Setup and Maintenance
Currency Manager
You use the Currency Manager function to set up and maintain your currencies, and to enter exchange rates on a regular basis. You access this function via the Utilities > Multi-Currency Tools > Currency Manager menu option:
In the Conventions frame, you format the currency. The Conversion Defaults frame is important, as it affects your selling prices. There are two mutually exclusive options: The system can convert inventory prices via exchange rates at the time of sale. The system first derives the selling prices in the same way as for a local customer, and then converts the price using the relevant exchange rate. The exception to this is customer specific prices, which are in the customer's currency. This method is far less work, but it means your prices are subject to exchange rate volatility. You can link one or more of the system's 20 standard prices to this currency. You then enter prices in that currency for each inventory item in the Inventory Details function. If you do this, the system cannot use quantity break prices for inventory items, nor can it use Price Discount Matrix pricing that specifies amounts rather than percentages. You can use customer specific prices as in the previous option. This method is more work, but it gives you complete control of prices independent of exchange rate volatility.
In the Exchange Rates frame, you specify the default exchange rate. You specify whether to use separate buy and sell rates. You also specify which way you are defining the exchange rate - how much of the base currency is equal to one unit of foreign currency, or how much of the foreign currency is equal to one unit of the base currency. You can enter rates per period by clicking the Monthly Rates button. You can specify a threshold, beneath which the system will not create transactions for foreign currency gains and losses.
Multi-Currency Processing 211
Multi-Currency Processing
Changes in Other Modules
In this section, we list briefly how multi-currency processing affects each module.
General Ledger
You can create, maintain, and report on accounts in foreign currencies, including bank accounts. The system accurately reflects the financial position of your business at all times, taking into account variations caused by currency fluctuations. Balance sheets and financial statements are a true reflection of your companys position. The system identifies foreign currency accounts by appending the currency code to end of the account code. The system maintains these accounts in both base and foreign currencies. For each foreign currency account, you specify whether to revalue it. The revaluation calculates any gain or loss on the account to due exchange rate fluctuations. You revalue asset and liability accounts. Besides the foreign currency accounts you create, the system can create its own account per foreign currency account for revaluation purposes. When the system revalues an account, it posts any unrealized gains or losses to an account with the same account number as the foreign currency account, but with an "R" as a suffix. You can view this account, but not use it. This lets you see the revaluation postings easily. At any point in time, you can run a revaluation roll-up process that folds these results back into the main local currency account.
General Ledger Journals

You can enter transactions for multi-currency transactions in either the base or the foreign currency.
Multiple Company General Ledger Consolidation

The system consolidates local currency values only. You must therefore revalue and roll-up in each company prior to consolidation. You can consolidate one or more companies that have different base currencies. To do this, you set up the other companies' currencies in the company in which you are consolidating. The system uses the exchange rate in the company in which you are consolidating to convert the values.
Recurring Journals
You can post recurring journals for foreign currency accounts. The system uses the currency rate in effect at the time you post the journals.
Full Screen Browse

Foreign accounts have a three-character suffix. You can view balances in either foreign or base currency. When you view in foreign currency mode, only the foreign amounts appear on-screen. Where applicable, you can drill down to a specific transaction entry and then view its journal entry in either base currency or foreign currency. When the transaction is a result of an invoice, you can view the invoice in its currency.
212 Multi-Currency Processing
Accounts Receivable
The system maintains foreign customer accounts in their foreign currency. When you invoice the customer, the system produces an invoice in the customer's currency, and updates the customer account in their currency, with a translation to base currency at applicable exchange rates. The Post to Open Items window indicates the account's currency. All entries occur in the customer's currency. The value of an open item in local currency can change due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates from the time you invoice the customer until the time they pay you and you close the item. The system calculates any realized gains or losses and if they exceed the threshold amount you set up for each currency, the system posts the gain or loss to the appropriate general ledger account. When you post a credit memo, debit memo or write-off to an existing open item, the system uses the same rate as on the original open item, and there is no gain or loss.
Sales Order Entry

In the order entry module, the system processes in the currency of the customer. All amounts are in the foreign currency. The currency name displays in the window. When you setup currencies in the Currency Manager, you choose for each currency how the system should obtain inventory prices for this currency. These methods are mutually exclusive, and each has implications for using all the possible selling price mechanisms the system provides. Your choices are: The system can convert inventory prices via exchange rates at the time of sale. The system first derives the selling prices in the same way as for a local customer, and then converts the price using the relevant exchange rate. The exception to this is customer specific prices, which are in the customer's currency. This method is far less work, but it means your prices are subject to exchange rate volatility. You can link one or more of the system's 20 standard prices to this currency. You then enter prices in that currency for each inventory item in the Inventory Details function. If you do this, the system cannot use quantity break prices for inventory items, nor can it use Price Discount Matrix pricing that specifies amounts rather than percentages. You can use customer specific prices as in the previous option. This method is more work, but it gives you complete control of prices independent of exchange rate volatility.
When you invoice an order in a foreign currency, system posts general ledger and accounts receivable journals using the following rules: The system posts foreign currency amounts to foreign currency accounts. In this way, the AR balances for each currency to the general ledger. If the general ledger account does not yet have a foreign currency equivalent, (one with the currency code as a suffix), the system creates the account. Note that the cost-of-goods-sold and inventory on-hand accounts are in base currency only. The system may adjust the journal entry in order to deal with rounding issues. These adjustments only affect amounts in base currency, and are negligible. Accounts Receivable journal entries are in the foreign currency, since future reporting to the client (e.g. statements), and future postings against the open item, will be in the foreign currency.
Multi-Currency Processing 213
Point-of-Sale
Point of sale does not require much multi-currency capability. The system provides you with a calculator to allow clerks to receive cash in different currencies. If the exchange rates for the currencies are accurate, the clerk does not need to have any knowledge at all to process. The system provides additional fields on the Cash Drawer Reconciliation report to let you add foreign currencies. To reconcile correctly, you convert these to the base currency using the same exchange rates you used when accepting the foreign cash. The system disables the on-account option if you are processing a foreign customer. On- account transactions have to take place in local currency.
Accounts Payable
The system maintains foreign vendor accounts in their foreign currency. When you place a purchase order from a foreign currency vendor, the price you enter is the price in their currency. When you receive the inventory, the price is once again in their currency. The system converts the price to base currency at applicable exchange rates. The Post to Open Items window indicates the account's currency. All entries occur in the vendor's currency. The value of an open item in local currency can change due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates from the time you receive the vendor invoice until the time you pay the vendor and close the item. The system calculates any realized gains or losses and if they exceed the threshold amount you set up for each currency, the system posts the gain or loss to the appropriate general ledger account. When you post a credit memo or a debit memo to an existing open item, the system uses the same rate as on the original open item, and there is no gain or loss.
Purchase Order Entry

In the Purchase Order module, you enter and process purchase orders, receive inventory, and create vendor invoices in either base or foreign currency. The system processes in the currency of the vendor. All amounts are in the foreign currency. The currency name displays in the window. If you set up vendor prices on the inventory item, they are in the vendor's currency. The system defaults to the relevant price. When you receive a foreign currency order, system posts general ledger and accounts payable journals using the following rules: The system posts foreign currency amounts to foreign currency accounts. In this way, the AP balances for each currency to the general ledger. If the general ledger account does not yet have a foreign currency equivalent, (one with the currency code as a suffix), the system creates the account. Note that the inventory-related accounts are in base currency only. The system may adjust the journal entry in order to deal with rounding issues. These adjustments only affect amounts in base currency, and are negligible. Accounts Payable journal entries are in the foreign currency, since future reporting to the client and future postings against the open item, will be in the foreign currency.
214 Multi-Currency Processing
Reports
You can select whether to process for all currencies, or for a single currency. You can also choose which currency to report in.
Modules Not Affected

The following modules do not use multi-currency processing: Budgets and Forecasts Payroll Job Cost Bill of Material
Currency Revaluation / Revaluation Roll-up

You use the Currency Revaluation function to account for changes in currency rates in your financial statements. The Revaluation function looks at the foreign balances in foreign currency accounts. It calculates the base currency values in terms of the current exchange rates, and compares them to the existing base currency values. Any differences are due solely to fluctuations in the currency rate. The system then posts these differences to the general ledger as an unrealized gain or loss. You access this function via the Utilities > Multi-Currency Tools > Currency Revaluation menu option:
You must ensure that the exchange rates for the period in which you are running are correct. You do this in the Currency Manager function. The local currency general ledger account consists only of the account number. The foreign currency account consists of the account number with the currency code as a suffix. In order to isolate the revaluation transactions and values, the system creates an additional general ledger account, which is the account number with an "R" as a suffix. The Revaluation function posts all adjustments to this account. You cannot modify or post to these "R" accounts. You use a separate function, the Revaluation Roll-up function, to move the system's revaluation postings from the general ledger "R" accounts into the main local currency accounts.
Multi-Currency Reports 215
Multi-Currency Reports
You can view many financial, sales and purchase history reports within other modules in both base and foreign currencies. In these reports, you select whether to process for all currencies, or for a single currency. You can also choose which currency to report in. In this section, we look at the reports specific to the Multi-Currency Manager itself.
Report
Currency Details Selling Price Table
Summary
This shows the currency rates and methods of each currency. This shows which price lists you use for which currencies.
Chapter 18 - CustomPack
In this chapter, we look at the CustomPack add-on module. You purchase this module separate from the main BusinessVision application.
CustomPack Overview Document Linking Mail Merge SuperTicker WorkBook
218 CustomPack Overview
CustomPack Overview
CustomPack is an optional add-on module to the Small Business, Standard, and Client-Server SQL Editions of BusinessVision. CustomPack comprises five components: Customer Specific Pricing Document Linking Mail Merge SuperTicker WorkBook
Customer Specific Pricing

This feature works together with the system's standard selling price structure. It allows you to specify the most detailed level of pricing, which is specific pricing per customer per inventory item. Customer specific prices have a date range. You can create quantity break prices per customer and inventory item. Customer Specific Pricing becomes available automatically once you install CustomPack.
Document Linking
The Document Linking function enhances the existing Notepad functionality. It allows you to link Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, text files, images and virtually any other available document type, as a notepad line. Document Linking allows you to create documents from the Notepad tab. You can also use existing templates you create via another CustomPack function, Mail Merge, as the basis for a new document. Finally, you can create a new template at the same time as you create and link a document.
Mail Merge
You can use data elements of the customer, vendor, and employee files in Microsoft Word documents. You do this by creating templates. In the templates, you put placeholders for data such as the customer name, address, balance, and so on. Once you do so, you can create letters from the templates. You can do this in two ways: You can use Mail Merge to produce letters for a range of customers, vendors, and employees. You can use the CustomPack Document Linking feature to create individual letters for a customer, vendor, or employee, and link the letter to that record's notepad.
CustomPack Overview 219
SuperTicker
The SuperTicker gives you management access to information via a Marquee window built into the BusinessVision desktop. Information displayed in the Marquee style window consists of descriptive text followed by data that refreshes dynamically. We call the text and data collectively "tokens". As changes to the underlying BusinessVision data occur, the SuperTicker periodically updates the data in the tokens. All settings and tokens are user specific. Typically, you could track your bank account and report when it is over or under a certain value. Alternatively, you can track whether a critical inventory item falls below its re-order level. You can show these values continuously, or you can show them only when they reach specific levels. In addition, you can e-mail alerts based on the same tracking conditions.
WorkBook
The WorkBook lets you add additional fields into many BusinessVision records. You can validate this information, ensure that users actually enter the information, and you can create custom reports that use a combination of standard BusinessVision fields and your WorkBook fields. For example, you may wish to add compulsory credit rating fields to every customer record. Alternatively, you could add technical specification fields to inventory records. These latter would not be compulsory because not all inventory items require these fields. The WorkBook structure is as follows: Each module has its own WorkBook structure. A Workbook contains at least one worksheet (tab). You can have up to five worksheets in the WorkBook. Each worksheet has a name that you specify. Within a worksheet, you create fields. You can have up to 50 fields in total per WorkBook. There are different field types such as numeric, date, list boxes, and check boxes. You can make data entry mandatory on a field-by-field basis, you can format fields, and you can specify validation rules.
There are two WorkBook functions: You use the WorkBook Details function to enter information for individual records. For example, you can add a WorkBook record to a specific customer or inventory item. You would do this in the maintenance (details) function for that record. You can also add workbook fields to transactions such as orders. You use the WorkBook Browser function to enter data for multiple records, to review data, and to navigate through the WorkBooks looking for specific data.
You can access the WorkBook design system via either of these functions. You can enable and disable design capabilities per user. Whenever you maintain WorkBook fields, the system dynamically generates data dictionary files (DDFs). Report creation therefore works along the same lines as customizing existing reports or creating new reports in other modules.
220 Document Linking
Document Linking
The Document Linking function enhances the existing Notepad functionality. It allows you to link Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, text files, images and virtually any other available document type, as a notepad item. Document Linking allows you to create documents from the Notepad tab. You can also use existing templates you create via another CustomPack function, Mail Merge, to create a specific document for a record. Finally, you can create a new template at the same time as you create and link a document. To access this function, select the record in which you are interested. Then, access the Notepad tab for that record:
Use this icon to edit an existing document you created earlier.
You can create a standard note or a linked document at any time.
When you choose the new attachment option, the following window displays:
You can create a new document, attach an existing document, or use a template to create a document. We look at templates in the next section on Mail Merge. You can link documents, spreadsheets, plain text, or graphics.
If you are creating the document, BusinessVision starts the application program such as Microsoft Word. Once you save the document, it displays in the Notes table:
You then have a permanent link to the external document on the customer record.
Mail Merge 221
Mail Merge
The Mail Merge function provides the ability to pass information from BusinessVision to a Microsoft Word document. You can use data elements of the customer, vendor, and employee files. You create documents that contain these elements as Word templates. Once you do so, you can use them to write custom letters in two ways: You can use this BusinessVision function to produce letters for a range of customers, vendors, and employees. You can use the Document Linking function to create individual letters for a customer, vendor, or employee, and link the letter to that record's Notepad.
To use the Mail Merge function, you must create one or more templates. Templates are special Microsoft Word documents that contain placeholders. Each placeholder represents a specific BusinessVision master file field, such as a customer name. Here is an example fragment of a template document: CompanyName Address1 Address2 Address3 Province PostalCode/ZipCode Dear ContactName We would like to inform you that you have exceeded your credit limit of CreditLimit. Your current account balance is CurrentBalance. In this example, the fields between the double brackets are BusinessVision placeholders for the customer master fields. If you merge this letter for a customer, the system will retrieve the customer details and replace the placeholders with actual customer information. The resulting letter will look like any normal letter you write to your customer. For example: ABC Company Building 10 123 High Street Sometown NY 10952 Dear Mr. Jones We would like to inform you that you have exceeded your credit limit of $3000. Your current account balance is $5765.32.
222 Mail Merge
To access this function, select the Utilities > Mail Merge menu option:
Specify powerful filters in this tab. Choose for whom you are creating the mail merge.
Depending on the type of entity, you are creating the mail merge for, you can filter by various fields. Choose where to output the results. You can email the output to each individual entity.
Here is how you get the fields into a template:
The Mail Merge Fields window is a BusinessVision construct that appears in Word, and lets you pick the fields you want. It is worth emphasizing the difference between using the mail merge feature and using the document linking feature to create a document from a template. In mail merge, the system creates multiple letters, one each for the range of customers, vendors, or employees you select. In the Document Linking procedure via the Notepad, the system creates a single letter, for the account you are accessing only. In addition, the system links the document on the customer record.
SuperTicker 223
SuperTicker
The SuperTicker gives you management access to information via a marquee display on the BusinessVision desktop. Information displayed in the marquee consists of descriptive text followed by data that refreshes dynamically. We call the text and data collectively "tokens":
As changes to the BusinessVision data occur, the SuperTicker periodically updates the marquee. All settings and tokens are user specific. For example, you can track your bank account and report when it is over or under a certain value. Alternatively, you can track whether a critical inventory item falls below its re-order level. You can show these values continuously, or you can show them only when they reach specific levels. In addition, you can e-mail alerts based on the same tracking conditions. To access the token setup function, use the Utilities > SuperTicker menu option:
You use the Styles tab to set up to six font styles. In the Colors tab, you choose the foreground and background colors.
In the General tab, you set the marquee speed and direction.
In the Content tab, you create the tokens. You can arrange the tokens in the order you require. There is a single token here, but you can add as many as you require.
When you create a new token, you first choose what it is that you wish to monitor:
224 SuperTicker
Once you do so, you then specify the exact account you require, and other properties:
Here you choose the account you are monitoring.
Specify how frequently to refresh the display.
Here you choose text and style options.
You can make this item display only under a condition you specify. You can optionally email the token, also optionally on a conditional basis.
WorkBook 225
WorkBook
The WorkBook lets you add additional fields into many of the BusinessVision records. You can validate this information, ensure that users actually enter the information, and you can create custom reports that use a combination of standard BusinessVision fields and your WorkBook fields. For example, you may wish to add compulsory credit rating fields to every customer record. Alternatively, you could add technical specification fields to inventory records. These latter would not be compulsory because not all inventory items require these fields. The WorkBook structure is as follows: Each module has its own WorkBook structure. A Workbook contains at least one worksheet (tab). You can have up to five worksheets in the WorkBook. Each worksheet has a name that you specify. Within a worksheet, you create fields. You can have up to 50 fields in total per WorkBook. There are different field types such as numeric, date, list boxes, and check boxes. You can make data entry mandatory on a field-by-field basis, you can format fields, and you can specify validation rules.
You can make WorkBook processing mandatory for each module individually. If you do, you cannot save a master record in that module unless you add WorkBook information first. Since you can also make fields mandatory, this means you can ensure that users enter information you require. There are two WorkBook functions: You use the WorkBook Details function to enter information for individual items. For example, you can add a WorkBook record to a specific customer or inventory item. You use the WorkBook Browser function to enter data for multiple records, to review data, and to navigate through the WorkBooks looking for specific data.
You can access the WorkBook design system via either of these functions. You can enable and disable design capabilities per user. Whenever you maintain WorkBook fields, the system dynamically generates data dictionary files (DDFs). Report creation therefore works in the same manner as standard report customization. The WorkBook applies special rules in an intelligent and intuitive manner. For example, if you implement the WorkBook in Order Entry and Purchase Order, the system automatically moves WorkBook details when an order becomes an invoice, or you close a purchase order. This provides continuity of information as it changes from current to historical.
226 WorkBook
You access workbook functions as follows:
Click this icon to invoke the Workbook Browser. Click this icon to invoke the Workbook Details function for this record.
The WorkBook Details function lets you work on the particular account's fields. The WorkBook Browser function lets you browse through records in sequence. You can access the design features from either of these functions. Here is a typical WorkBook for a customer:
You use these icons to design worksheets and WorkBook fields.
You design these fields. You can have up to 50 fields per type of record.
Fields display on worksheets. You can have up to five of these per type of record.
This area displays information about the record you are working on.
You control worksheets and fields from the Worksheet Properties window:
Here you name and order worksheets.
Here you create, modify, and delete fields on the worksheet.
WorkBook 227
You define how fields work, including their type and validation, in the Field Properties window:
The WorkBook Browser lets you browse a file's WorkBook fields:
Use these icons to navigate through all records in the file (in this case the customer file) that contain WorkBook records. To find a record that contains a specific value in a field, enter the value and click the Search icon. The system stops at the first matching record.
You create your own WorkBook report using standard report customization techniques. You can incorporate WorkBook fields in standard reports, or write custom reports that use standard fields and WorkBook fields.
228 WorkBook
Chapter 19 - e-BusinessVision
In this chapter, we look at the e-BusinessVision add-on module.
E-BusinessVision Overview Setting up e-BusinessVision Using e-BusinessVision
E-BusinessVision Overview 229
E-BusinessVision Overview
e-BusinessVision is a unique e-commerce solution that gives you the ability to expand your operations to the Internet. e-BusinessVision provides you with a fully integrated web-store. It allows customers to place new orders, view the status of their existing orders, and research their account information. e-BusinessVision works on an automatic basis: Customer and inventory information flows automatically from BusinessVision to the website. Orders come right back into BusinessVision. There is no website maintenance - no modifying catalog, pricing, or customer information, and no re-keying of data. If you change something in BusinessVision, it reflects automatically on your website.
You have to contact BusinessVision to sign up for e-BusinessVision. There is an initial setup fee and a monthly subscription fee.
Setting up e-BusinessVision
You have to follow a number of steps to set up e-BusinessVision. Once you do so, the system integrates seamlessly into your BusinessVision modules. The first thing to do is to enable e-BusinessVision and configure it within BusinessVision.
To enable and setup e-BusinessVision within BusinessVision

1. 2. You do the initial enabling and setup in the System Setup function. You also specify whether customers can receive shipment notifications, past due notices, and automated monthly statements. You choose which customers can place orders and access their account information via your website. The system offers to enable all customers. If you do not do this, you enable customers individually. You choose which inventory items you wish to have in your web-store. You can create additional special prices and extended descriptions for each inventory item. The system also transfers images you set up for each item to display on the web-store. Once everything is set up correctly, you prepare the link between your company files and your website. You do this via the Data Agent. This program is in your BusinessVision program directory. The Data Agent is the workhorse of e-BusinessVision. It does the following: You specify the days and times at which the Data Agent automatically links to the website. You can also upload and download data manually at any time. When the Data Agent links to your website, it uploads any changed or new information from BusinessVision onto the website. BusinessVision informs the Data Agent automatically when data changes. This includes your first time upload of customer and/or inventory information. At the same time, the Data Agent downloads any orders that customers placed on the website, and creates these as orders in the Sales Order module.
3.
4.
230 E-BusinessVision Overview
All you have to do from then on is to ensure that the Data Agent is running. At the times you specify, it will update the web-store with new or modified information, and it will download orders.
Once everything is prepared, you set up your web-store.
To set up your web-store

1. As part of the setup package you receive when you sign up for e-BusinessVision, you receive a web address and a password that gives you the ability to customize your web-store. You can do the following: You select display styles and colors for the web-store. You enter company and contact information. If you are going to allow guest shoppers, i.e. non-customer shoppers, you configure what taxes to charge. You can do this by state or province if necessary. In order for e-BusinessVision to apply shipping charges, you set up rates for locations (countries, states, provinces). You can base the rate on criteria such as weight or number of units.
2.
You now enable the Data Agent, which links to your website and uploads customer and inventory information. Note that your web-store is not yet open for business. You open the web-store only when you are ready to. You then review and preview your web-store and settings, and make any adjustments you require. If you have your own company website, you can establish various links between your eBusinessVision web-store and your website. You can link to the web-store home page to product categories, products, and so on. Once you are ready, you open the web-store. All you have to do from then on is to ensure that the Data Agent is running. At the times you specify, it will update the web-store with new or modified information, and it will download orders.
3. 4.
5. 6.
Security Features
All access to account information is through an SSL (secured socket layer) server. This server fully encrypts all login information, account information, and all administrative function processing from the servers to the browser. SSL is the recognized secure method for ensuring data privacy over the Internet. The e-BusinessVision Data Agent transfers only a portion of your accounting information. As an example, you can choose not to upload customer address and contact information. By limiting the amount of information, you further enhance security. Information only passes between servers and users when an authorized conversation initiates. This conversation cannot take place without a valid server user log on and password. At no point is information left in an unsecured state prior to, during, or after this conversation.
Setting up e-BusinessVision 231
Setting up e-BusinessVision
Setting up Your Web-Store
Once BusinessVision creates your e-BusinessVision site, you can start setting it up, uploading information, and allowing your customers and other to access the web-store. To access your administration site, you log in with the password BusinessVision provides you. The administration site looks like this:
Each option has its own page of settings.
You fill in the settings here.
You can retrieve statistics that monitor information such as the number of separate user sessions on any given day, a ranking of the most popular items that shoppers viewed and/or purchased, and a list of the most searched for items and the searches' success rates.
232 Setting up e-BusinessVision
Setting Up e-BusinessVision in Your Company

You enable e-BusinessVision in the Utilities > System Manager > System Setup function:
When you enable, the system offers to flag every customer and every inventory item for upload into eBusinessVision. If you are going to upload all or most of the items, you should use this option. You can specify per customer and per inventory item whether to upload:
Setting up e-BusinessVision 233
For inventory items, you can add an additional description:
Linking BusinessVision and e-BusinessVision

Once your elements in the company are ready, you need to copy, or upload these, into the web-store. Initially, this is a large upload. Afterwards, you still need to upload on a regular basis as you change pricing, customer, and inventory information, introduce new inventory items, and add new customers. You also need to be able to retrieve, or download, orders that customers or guest shoppers place in the web-store, on a regular basis. The Data Agent accomplishes all this automatically. The system tracks any changes you make in BusinessVision once you upload information, and only uploads new or changed items. The Data Agent runs as a separate program from the main BusinessVision application:
These two icons let you initiate uploads or downloads manually.
The system displays upload or download status information here.
234 Setting up e-BusinessVision
In the Setup option within the Data Agent, you schedule regular uploads and downloads:
Once your setup is complete, all you have to do to make the web-store work is to ensure the Data Agent is running.
Using e-BusinessVision 235
Using e-BusinessVision
Once you have completed all your setup in BusinessVision and in e-BusinessVision, you have uploaded your customer and inventory information, and you have customized your web-store, you can then open your store and begin doing business. On-line shopping provides customers and guests with the ability to view and purchase items in your webstore 24 hours a day:
You can customize just about every element and graphic in the web-store. Customers select the items they wish to purchase by adding them to their shopping cart, and proceed to checkout when their purchase is complete. Existing customers have the option to place their purchase on account. Guest shoppers enter their name and address details, credit card information, and so on. The system saves all orders in the web-store until the Data Agent retrieves the orders. You schedule how frequently this should happen, and you can initiate a download of orders at any time. When the Data Agent retrieves the orders, it either imports them automatically into BusinessVision, or saves the orders in an import file for you to import manually. You set up which method the System Agent uses in the System Setup function. Once the orders arrive in BusinessVision, you can process them in the normal manner. When you process a payment, you process the customer's credit card payment in the usual way.

BusinessVision Overview

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BusinessVision Overview

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Sage BusinessVision Version 2013 Overview Guide

Sage BusinessVision Contact Information

Chapter 2 Installing BusinessVision ............................................................ 11

Chapter 3 Working in BusinessVision ......................................................... 19

Customizing Reports ............................................................................................. 37

Business Intelligence ......................................................................................... 38

Chapter 4 - Setting Up Your System ............................................................. 44

Chapter 5 - General Ledger .......................................................................... 51

General Ledger Setup and Maintenance .................................................... 58

Budgets and Forecast Module ........................................................................... 63

General Ledger Processing ............................................................................. 64

General Ledger Reports ................................................................................... 70

Chapter 6 - Accounts Receivable ................................................................ 73

Accounts Receivable Setup and Maintenance .......................................... 78

Accounts Receivable Processing ................................................................... 86

Accounts Receivable Reports ......................................................................... 92

Chapter 7 - Accounts Payable ..................................................................... 93

Accounts Payable Setup and Maintenance ................................................ 99

Accounts Payable Processing ....................................................................... 102

Offsetting Customer/Vendor Balances........................................................ 107 Accounts Payable Reports ............................................................................ 109

Chapter 8 - Inventory................................................................................... 111

Inventory Setup and Maintenance .............................................................. 119

Inventory Processing ....................................................................................... 125

Inventory Reports............................................................................................. 129

Chapter 9 - Bill of Material ........................................................................... 131

Chapter 10 - Order Entry.............................................................................. 143

Order Entry Processing .................................................................................... 149

Processing Layaway Sales ................................................................................. 153

Order Entry Reports ......................................................................................... 155

Chapter 11 - Point of Sale ............................................................................ 157

Point of Sale Processing.................................................................................. 163

Chapter 12 - Sales Analysis ......................................................................... 167

Chapter 13 - Purchase Order ...................................................................... 171

Purchase Order Setup .................................................................................... 174

Purchase Order Processing ............................................................................ 175

Purchase Order Reports ................................................................................. 178

Chapter 14 - Purchase Analysis .................................................................. 179

Chapter 15 - Job Cost .................................................................................. 183

Chapter 16 - Payroll ..................................................................................... 189

Payroll Setup and Maintenance ................................................................... 193

Payroll Processing ............................................................................................ 198

Payroll Reports ................................................................................................. 203

Chapter 17 - Multi-Currency ....................................................................... 205

Multi-Currency Processing.............................................................................. 211

Multi-Currency Reports ................................................................................... 215

Chapter 18 - CustomPack ........................................................................... 217

Chapter 19 - e-BusinessVision..................................................................... 228

Setting up e-BusinessVision............................................................................. 231

Using e-BusinessVision ..................................................................................... 235

Budgets & Forecasts

Accounts Receivable / Customer Details

Accounts Payable / Vendor Details

Mail Merge SuperTicker

8 The BusinessVision Range

The BusinessVision Range

Retail Edition Limited Edition Small Business Standard ClientServer

Using the On-line Help 9

Using the On-line Help

The help content shows in the right hand pane.

10 Using the On-line Help

In the Search tab, you enter a word or phrase:

Click Display to show the topic in the content pane.

Chapter 2 Installing BusinessVision

Installing BusinessVision Installing the Pervasive Engine on the Database Server