He invoked the fact that Epicor 9 was doing well selling to new accounts – frequently.

I’m not entirely sure why – but the press didn’t follow up on this theme  - instead mostly asking currency conversion and sales commission type questions.

Epicor didn’t  have much to say about their retail software which apparently has undergone some management changes. At one point in the call they quickly mentioned a reorganization around retail.

They mostly mumbled through any discussion of the retail portions of the call. I had the impression that retail is definitely lagging. They also seem to sell hardware as there was discussion of ($8 million I think) or hardware sales. If I remember correctly the margin was fairly tiny.

They did talk quite a bit about on a 94% maintenance renewal rate — which somewhat puzzled me because the quarterly comparative maintenance revenue seemed pretty flat. One analyst asked about this (about the only good question asked) to which there was a very long Epicor pause. No real answer from Klaus or the panel on this (which I believe included CFO Michael Pietrini) .

They claim well over 100 Epicor 9 are out “on evaluation” but Klaus quips – “don’t quote” him (funny thing to say at an analyst press conference)….

Earnings report said over 140 Epicor 9 are ready to go live this year (as opposed to about 200 already installed).

Early on Epicor hit on three things that they thought were driving sales:

1. More prospects (I took this to mean people looking for niche software)
2. More industries served with Epicor 9
3. More localization – they apparently are able to utilize Epicor 9 in another 20 languages/locales (unsure on this number exactly as I was connecting via cell to the call and not near a computer)

The company made a clear point that sales to existing customers — upgrades, new modules — were relatively flat or down. This is another area they spent little time on –  when questioned by an analyst of course the company expects to convert many of their install base to Epicor 9.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to ask any questions as it seemed to be softball analyst day.

Here’s The Relevant Epicor Questions None Of The Analysts Thought To Ask

A. What percent of sales are channel versus direct (I hear it’s 85% direct with a goal of 60% – which sounds like being a little pregnant. Epicor has a mixed track record here so caveat emptor)

In the past several years Epicor has toyed with a channel, then not using a channel, then going back to using a channel.

My .02 is that companies start going through a channel when they feel they’ve pulled all the low hanging fruit. Channels are expensive because you not only have to cut them in on compensation but you need to manage them, create rules and ultimately deal with infighting that occurs when your market matures.

Epicor touted about 1,000 channel partners on the call. How many of these are castoffs onboarded in the last year?  The ramp up for new partners is slow and tedious. Especially in niche markets with more complex products.

B. Who are your three biggest competitors (because I believe Epicor is probably benefiting from a market shift to niche software)

C. What effect will the new emphasis by Microsoft and Oracle on specialization for their channel have on Epicor’s sales into market niches. (My guess is not a lot immediately but probably in 2 years quite a bit).

That’s all I remember — I was connected by cell while out of the office so some of the specific numbers I’m stating from memory could be a little off but in general this was the tone of the call.

Marketwatch

If you spend more time on Facebook than Google then this is a great way to learn about new product updates, version releases, technical tips and more.

Joining is free — just “like” 90 Minds Consulting Group on Facebook and you’ll receive updates in Facebook whenever we have important news.

The major new items were relatively minor. The Q4 product update for 2010 will now be a payroll only update. The MAS 200 SQL product is announced as being on track for end of year release and has just started a beta in early July.

What’s perhaps the most interesting about this version of the roadmap is the detail that Sage includes on their FRX replacement plans.

Of course Sage has announced previously that Alchemex – rebranded Sage ERP MAS Intelligence – is their Microsoft Excel based business reporting tool that’s slated to replace FRX.

There’s more information in the MAS 90 Roadmap which you can view in full here.

All users on the system were receiving a message:

“The directory in P/L Journal and Register Maintenance is invalid”

The solution?

Usually this is simply an indication that a user does not have sufficient rights to a folder. In this case it was a little more complex. Users could clearly see and write to the paperless storage folder. What they could not do is write to it through MAS 200.

It turns out the cause was the service account that MAS 200 (a new setup on a new server) had been configured to use.

As Alnoor wisely explains:

Try running MAS in MAS90 style then use SERVER1 for the path in PL Jrnl and Reg Maint. If it works, it may be MAS 200 is executing the path to SERVER1 from the server’s perspective. IOW, the Windows account running the MAS Application Server cannot see SERVER1 for whatever reason such as:

* Service is running using LocalSystem account which doesn’t work with UNCs and mapped drives
* A domain acct isn’t being used for the App Server.

Problem solved. Posted in case anyone else is running into the same issue.

via Alnoor Cassim

One situation with Sage MAS 90/200 where this could be extremely useful is for Visual Integrator (VI) importing.  For example, lets say you receive an Excel file from your Vendor, and it contains 25 Sheets/Workbooks which represent 25 different invoices.  To properly import you’d need to manually create 25 individual Excel files.  Kind of a pain.  But this $50 program helps to really automate the process.  And don’t worry if the master Excel file contains a reference or VLOOKUP worksheet that all the other worksheets feed off of.  The data in all the newly created Excel files stays in tact.

Posted by Brett A. Zimmerman - www.brettzimmerman.com.

Sage’s new Business Intelligence product, MAS Intelligence, will begin shipping to partners later this month (July) and to end users next month.  “Shipping” actually consists of a download.

The product is made up of several modules, including the Report Manager, Report Designer, Security Manager, Report Viewer, and Connector modules.  Each end user will receive the Report Manager free of charge.

The Report Manager allows users to run the standard reports that ship with it, copy these reports and modify the copies, and create new reports, as long as these reports use the “Containers” that are already setup.  Containers are similar to the Views that come with Business Insights Reports – pre-defined links to certain MAS90/MAS200 files.  Shipping with the standard version are containers for financial statements, multi-company financial statements, GL transactions,  sales history, PO information, and inventory information.  To access any container but the multi-company consolidation container, you login to the ODBC connection, much like logging into FRx or Crystal Reports (if run outside of MAS90/MAS200) and the company you have logged into will be the company used for any reporting during that session.

Resellers will also receive the Report Designer and the Connector modules.  The Report Designer allows users to create financial reports using a “drag and drop” feature.  The Connector module allows users to create connections to new files in MAS90/MAS200, or to other software packages, such as Sage CRM, etc.

As a reseller, you may create a report using a new container and export it for a client, who can then import it.  HOWEVER, the client must either own the Connector module OR a second license of the Report Manager module.  You may also create reports using the standard containers and export those, as well, but again, the end user must own a second license of the Report Manager module.

The Security Manager allows for an extra level of security by report.  A more likely route for security, though, will be the use of ODBC Security in Role Maintenance (which the end user will not have to purchase additionally).

The Report Viewer is much like the FRx Viewer, allowing users to run reports but not modify them.

All reports in Sage MAS Intelligence are actually created in Excel (not EXPORTED to Excel, actually CREATED in Excel).  Several Add-Ins allow users to more easily make changes to reports, including a Quick Pivot Table option, etc.  Reports can be emailed and scheduled, as well.

Sage hopes to have training classes for Sage Certified Trainers available in September, with classes for end users starting after that.

via: Beth Bowers – Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 Consultant – Michigan

A few consultants have been noticing that  clients on older (and even 4.x)  versions of MAS 90 have odd numbered license counts.
Some users are showing as 2 MAS90 licenses. Some have 6 licenses. After applying an upgrade we’ve heard from a few people that the license count mysteriously drops by one.

This is fine if the client was only using one license – but for clients using two licenses they suddenly are faced with both the expense of an upgrade and a surprise bill to purchase another user license.

Only Sage no longer sells single licenses – so the client’s are urged to buy bundles of licenses at over $2,000 just to get the extra license back.

Sage’s explanation?

It seems to vary depending upon who you talk to though I keep hearing that Sage denies ever selling single licenses — so that any user with 2 or 6 licensed users on the system just has to be a mistake.

Or is it a mistake?

Take a look at this press release which seems to explain at least one scenario where a user could have an extra license on their system. As part of a Year 2000 settlement Sage granted certain qualified users the option of a free additional user license.

I cannot say definitively that if you have an older installation of MAS 90 dating back to 3.x and suddenly notice 1 user subtracted that the following issue will get your single user license back – it’s sure worth a try.

And as noted on the settlement information – the client had to be on maintenance during the proper timeframe in order to qualify for the free user license.

Update: The post was changed slightly to remove quotes from Sage consultants concerned about retaliation from the publisher from providing their experiences.

Kudos to 90Minds member Mark Chinsky for digging through the email archives for the following information.

Y2K LITIGATION: Sage Settles Action Over MAS 90 Software For Up To $8.5M

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sage Inc. has agreed to provide an estimated $ 5.6 million to $ 8.5 million
in product credits to settle a class action over Y2K compliancy of its MAS
90 accounting software (DBN, Inc. t/a Y-PERS v. Sage Software, Inc., et
al., No. 799983, Calif. Super., Orange Co.).(Preliminary Approval Order in Section A. Document # 36-000928-101)

Plaintiff DBN Inc. (t/a "Y-PERS") and Sage have also agreed to a payment to
plaintiffs' counsel of $ 700,000 in fees and costs under a pact
preliminarily approved by Orange County (Calif.) Superior Court Judge
William F. McDonald on Aug. 23.

Pennsylvania-based DBN sued in 1998 on behalf of an estimated 44,000 users
of MAS 90, complaining that the copy it licensed in May 1996 for $ 5,904.20
would not recognize four-digit years. The product was advertised as
software which would take users 'through the 90s and beyond," DBN said.

Judge McDonald overruled Sage's demurrer on Jan. 8, 1999, and on May 27,
1999, certified a nationwide class of users pursuant to the parties'
stipulation.

The notice of proposed settlement attached to the order granting
preliminarily approval notes that Sage contests the allegations and was
prepared to seek summary judgment. Sage maintains that the Year
2000-compliant version contains numerous enhancements and the cost of the
date recognition upgrades was minimal.

                         Settlement Terms

The proposed settlement would give licensees credit toward new or upgraded
services:

Those who licensed MAS 90 after June 1, 1995, purchased upgrades, and are
on a maintenance program would have their choice of a "bank reconciliation"
module, one additional user license, three months of telephone support or a
single user license for Sage's DAC Easy accounting software.* 1995 and
beyond licensees who purchased upgrades and are not on a maintenance
program could opt for one additional user license for MAS 90, a $ 200
coupon toward the purchase of a maintenance program, three months of
telephone support or a single user license for DAC Easy software.* Pre-1995
licensees would be entitled to coupons for MAS 90 software or user licenses
ranging from $ 50 to $ 175, depending on when they acquired the product.

The settlement release will not affect users who ceased using the product
between Oct. 31, 1997, and March 31, 2000. The settlement excludes recovery
for users who received upgrades at no charge.

MAS 90 users have until Nov. 8 to submit a proof of claim. Judge McDonald
scheduled a hearing for that date on final approval.

Co-lead counsel for the settlement class are Jeffrey A. Klafter of
Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann in New York and Harris L. Pogust of
Sherman, Silverstein, Kohl, Rose & Podolsky in Pennsauken, N.J. Plaintiffs'
counsel also includes Jonathan Shub of Sheller, Ludwig & Badey in
Philadelphia, Marc H. Edelson of Hoffman & Edelson in Doylestown, Pa., and
William M. Hensley of the Law Offices of Mark A. Kompa in Newport Beach,
Calif. Sage is represented by Melody Williams Dapp of Pillsbury Madison &
Sutro in Costa Mesa, Calif. (Mealey's Year 2000 Report, September, 2000)

http://www.s-consult.com/2010/06/24/whats-new-in-mas-90-4-4-product-update-2/

Posted by Brett Zimmerman.

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Breakfast and lunch was served while attendees learned about the following topics:

• What’s new in MAS90 and MAS200 4.4
• Product update 4.4.1
• Custom Office and Customizer Scripting
• Synergistic Software’s Purchase Agent add-on
• Valogix Inventory Replenishment Solution
• The Clients First hosted backup solution.

The entire user group was recorded and edited for brevity below. I have indicated the time markets so you can jump to the section of interest. Please keep in mind, the video will start playing immediately, but you can’t jump to a section that hasn’t downloaded yet. If you want to be able to scroll through the whole video, start playing it, hit the pause button and wait for the progress bar to fully download the video.

If it is downloading too slowly (this is a high-definition video) due to a slow internet connection, we have a lower resolution version available here: watch now