Aries Technology Group Blog

Sage has released Product Updates 3 and 4 for Version 4.4 of Sage MAS 90 and 200.  Any customers who are on a current plan with their Sage maintenance agreement are eligible to receive the update.

In an effort to provide additional features and benefits on a more timely basis than the traditional once-a-year upgrade, Sage is releasing Product Updates on a quarterly schedule.  Each of these Product Updates will include both customer-requested features and select additions from the Extended Solutions catalog.

The main enhancements in these two updates are to the Bank Reconciliation module.  Below are highlights of these new features:

• Adjustments, such as bank fees and interest earned, can be entered directly into the Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry screen and posted to General Ledger.
• Easily select Bank Reconciliation transactions to flow to General Ledger from the Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry Screen using a column titled ‘Select for General Ledger Posting.’
• Information added to the Comment Field in Bank Reconciliation will also flow through to General Ledger when transactions are posted.
• A new task added to the Bank Reconciliation Main menu — Transaction Register — provides the ability to post selected transactions from Bank Reconciliation to General Ledger.
• New security has been added to the Role Maintenance in Library Master to provide more detailed security for users in the Bank Reconciliation module.
• New Paperless Office features have been added to Bank Reconciliation, such as the ability to email and fax registers.

In addition, Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.4 is now compatible with Microsoft Office 2010.

For a complete list of enhancements in Sage MAS 90 and 200 Product Updates 3 and 4, please see What’s New in Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.4 Product Updates 3 and 4.   Please feel free to give us a call if you have any questions!

AccuForce Staffing Services, LLC, a staffing company in Kingsport, TN has been a Sage MAS 200 user for the past few years.  Although technically a customer of Aries, the management team at AccuForce had not used our services for quite some time, preferring to perform all of the accounting setup in MAS 200 themselves.  However, in December of 2010, their new CFO, Sarah Fleenor, contacted us inquiring how they might accomplish several goals with their MAS 200 system.  Though Sarah initially contacted us simply because she was told by Sage that Aries was their “MAS reseller”, it quickly became a closer, more positive and strategic relationship as it became evident that the Aries business model would be a good fit for their company.  They understood the value of Aries’ fixed, upfront, money-back guarantee pricing approach to projects.  “I like the fixed price model and am all about planning and testing before going live,” commented Sarah about the Aries model.

AccuForce and Aries team members worked collaboratively to scope the projects, breaking them into smaller projects to fit their budget and timeline.  Our first project was to redesign the General Ledger chart of accounts.  Due to many of the accounts being set up incorrectly from the start,  financial statements were not accurate.  We provided AccuForce with a fixed, budgetable price for the project and agreed on a timeline for completion of the project to coincide with their producing year-end financial statements.

Future projects include providing ongoing technical support, a MAS 200 upgrade which will allow them to take advantage of new features such as PositivePay for Bank Reconciliation, and eliminating manual entry of payroll transactions by using MAS 200’s Visual Integrator module to automatically import those transactions.  These projects will allow AccuForce to run their business more effectively and efficiently.

“AccuForce Staffing Services, LLC is a world-class, technology-forward staffing company committed to helping individuals find the careers they desire and assisting companies find the kind of employees to make their business a success by concentrating on talent and fit.”

This weekend we’re featuring a guest author, Porky LeSwine.  Mr. LeSwine is my favorite barbecue critic.  You can sample his fine reviews and barbecue insights on his blog, The BBQ Jew.

The blog’s theme is “What happens when the ‘Chosen People’ choose pork.  North Carolina pork barbecue to be specific.”  It is definitely the go-to reference for all things related to North Carolina ‘cue.

And when my favorite barbecue critic reviews my favorite ‘cue joint, I felt it was the right time to include him on our blog.

While working on a customer project in Goldsboro, NC the last few months, I’ve had the privilege of dining at Grady’s BBQ in Dudley, NC on many occasions.  After the first trip, I was hooked.

During my last visit, I met Steve Grady and was invited into the cathedral of Grady:  the smoke pit.  The sights and smells were incredible.  The room was filled with sweet oak wood smoke and slowly rendering pork fat.  At the time, he was cooking two 150-lb whole hogs.  The skin golden brown and crisp.  In the corner were cases of vinegar and boxes of crushed red pepper.  I could’ve stayed in there forever!

I went with the ‘cue plate but my friend opted for the combination fried chicken and ‘cue.  He described the fried chicken as some of the best he’s had.  And that’s saying something considering he grew up in Wayne County and is accustomed to eating his Mom’s chicken and greens.

Enough of my review, let’s get back to the expert.  Here is Mr. LeSwine’s review of Grady’s:

I thought about leaving my review at this:  go to Grady’s.  That would have been enough said, but the folks at Grady’s deserve a little more good (albeit virtual) ink.  As far as I am concerned, Grady’s is among an elite few of the best barbecue joints in the state.  Unfortunately, their off the beaten path location has kept them in relative obscurity, even though they’ve dished out terrific barbecue for more than 20 years and many well known joints can’t hold a pig’s wax candle to Grady’s pork.

To say Grady’s is unassuming at first glance is an understatement.  Let’s start with the location.  Grady’s is in the tiny town of Dudley, about 15 minutes south of downtown Goldsboro – a town featuring the well-known joints Wilber’s, Scott’s and McCall’s – and just a few hundred yards north of a road call Squirrel Ridge Drive.  The building itself (pictured above) could easily be missed were it not standing all by itself on a quite stretch of windy road, and were it not for the prominent woodpile and barbecue pit out back.  The hand-written menu features chicken and barbecue, with only a few other main courses available for those confused enough to not be contended with ‘cue.  And then there’s the name itself:  Grady is actually pronounced “Graddy” (rhymes with “daddy”). which is the last name of owners Steve and Gerri.  Oh, and Grady’s is closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, and only open until 3 p.m. Wednesday thru Friday (they’re open till 6 p.m. on Saturdays).  But all of these traits only add to Grady’s charm.  The joint of the real deal and its focus is where it should be:  on making outstanding barbecue.

Grady’s Eastern-style, whole hog barbecue is moist, rich, oh-so-smokey, flecked with outside brown and bits of skin, and hand chopped to perfection.  Divine swine for sure.  Jim Early of the NC BBQ Society sums it up by writing, “This ‘cue is so good you don’t want to swallow it.  It is only of the best eastern style ‘cues one will ever taste – pure ‘cue heaven on earth.”  I couldn’t agree more.  And the sauce, which one could do without given the quality of the port, is among the best I’ve ever tasted.  It’s a fiery hot vinegar and pepper concoction that has a surprising depth of flavor.

The sides I sampled were great too.  The slaw is a fairly sweet, moderately mayonaissed and coarsely chopped mixture that is flecked with sweet pickle and complements the ‘cue well.  The hush puppies were fluffy and fried just right.  The blackeyed peas I ordered to round out my barbecue plate were delicious (cabbage, rice, boiled potatoes and potato salad were the other vegetable options on the day I visited, so it was a tough choice).  My only regret about my lunchtime trip to Grady’s is that I was unable to return later that day for dinner.  Like I said at the beginning, go to Grady’s.

This week we are focusing the spotlight on a guest author, Ed Kless.  Ed is the Senior Director of Partner Development and Strategy for Sage North America.  He continues to be an invaluable mentor and friend.

Most business leaders are asking the wrong question when it comes to developing their business strategy.  Ed points out what we should really be asking ourselves.

Although the original audience for Ed’s article is the Sage partner community, I believe that every business can benefit from his insights into business strategy.

In my last workshop that I conducted for Sage partners on developing business strategy in small- and medium-sized businesses, I believe I have stumbled across the Mother of All Business Strategy Questions – MOASBQ.

Most strategy sessions begin with the following premise:  How much revenue do we need to make (in the time period for the plan) and how are we going to achieve it?

The MOASBQ shifts the question to:  How much value are we going to create for our customers (in the period) and how are we going to do that?

For the past 6 months I have been delivering these workshops all across the United States.  There is nothing like teaching a subject over a sustained period of time to help you clarify your thoughts.

I believe this is the case because of the number of times I have been challenged by the participants in these workshops.  So, to those of you who challenged me, thank you!

To read more of Ed’s articles, please visit his blog.

This past Christmas, Amy and Caroline gave me a fantastic new cookbook.  It’s a copy of the 2010 book by James Villas titled Pig:  King of the Southern Table.

Growing up in the Carolinas, I thought I pretty much knew everything about pork and barbecue.  Mr. Villas sure proved me wrong!

The book defines terms like fatback and streak o’lean, teaches you how to make South Carolina-style barbecue hash and explains in detail all of the various cuts of pig.

The recipes are divided into sections ranging from appetizers to casseroles, pies, barbecue, salads and breads.  Who knew there were so many different ways to cook pig.

Since Mr. Villas was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, the stories and opinions definitely take on a Southern viewpoint.  Any sensitive Yankees may want to have a shot of bacon-infused vodka before perusing the book.

I also enjoyed the historical porcine facts and pig-related quotes from celebrities that are scattered among the recipes.

The first pigs to enter the United States were 13 animals landed in 1539 near Tampa, Florida, by Hernando de Soto.

And a quote from Tom Wicker writing for the New York Times:

We North Carolinians, of course, know — we are not taught, we are born knowing — that barbecue consists of pork cooked over hickory coals and seasoned with vinegar and red pepper pods.

We decided to start with a straight-forward casserole on a Friday night.  Friday nights are traditionally casserole nights for our family since no one usually has the energy to cook up an elaborate meal.  Saturday nights are for the really involved meals.  We chose the Chicken, Sausage and Mushroom Supreme that Mr. Villas says was given to him by “an elegant lady in Macon, Georgia, known for the casseroles she serves routinely at fancy bridge parties, wedding receptions, weekend brunches and, of course, bereavement buffets”.

The recipe turned out great.  This cookbook will definitely occupy a prominent spot in our kitchen.

Chicken, Sausage and Mushroom Supreme:

Makes 4 to 6 Servings

One 3-pound chicken, cooked and meat diced

1 pound bulk pork sausage

One 6-ounce package Uncle Ben’s long grain and wild rice, cooked

One 10 3/4-ounce can cream of mushroom soup

One 6-ounce jar sliced mushrooms with juice

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Mix together the chicken meat, cooked sausage, cooked rice, cream of mushroom soup and mushrooms and their juice in a 2-quart backing dish or casserole and bake for 45 minutes.

3.  Serve hot directly from the casserole.

Sage began shipping the brand new MAS 200 SQL version 4.45 this past month.  By combining the flexibility and powerful customization capabilities of the MAS 200 Business Framework with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, Sage makes it even easier for a small- to medium-sized business to operate more effectively and efficiently.

Version 4.45 is optimized for SQL Server to offer scalability, easy integration with other applications and enhanced reporting services.  It takes advantage of SQL Server capabilities such as job scheduling, database maintenance plans and faster searches.  Integrations with other applications take place at the application level using Business Objects to ensure successful upgrades to new versions.

The Business Framework provides the ability, using standard scripting, to automatically change the available choices that are presented in MAS 200 or to automatically enter data.  For example, a script could automatically change the expiration date of a sales quote depending on the type of quote that is chosen for a particular customer.

For additional details, please click here for Sage’s Pre-Release Announcement for version 4.45.