16 April Computers and Accessories Chips

International software company Sage Enterprise has released onto the local market a new version of Sage Line 500, which is the accounting software package most commonly used among companies listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.

The latest upgrade, Sage Line 500 Version 7.1, provides customers with enhanced finance, distribution, manufacturing and service functionality.

Also newly released are Sage 1000 and Sage Line 500 Multicurrency. The release of all three products has been announced by the Sage Division of Chips Computing Services, which holds the Sage franchise in Zimbabwe.

Sage Line 500 Version 7.1 enhances the functions of Version 7, which is widely used by big companies and has the capacity to provide real-time information on stocks and account balances, capture orders, reconcile orders with the payments office, create an invoice and, once payment has been made, dispatch the order.

General Manager for Chips Sage Division Charles Kuyayama said the latest version is designed to maximise customer satisfaction by providing significant incremental functionality applicable to a wide range of customers. It also incorporates features that make it even easier to use.

“It provides a strong upgrade path for our Line 500 customers, while maintaining a solid base for creating an integrated product set to their needs and those of their customers,” he said.

Among the latest version’s features is a general ledger transaction archiving selection option that allows the entering of a cut-off year and period rather than the number of periods to be saved.

There are new purchase order summary enquiry sequencing options that allow sequencing by alpha code, supplier code or product code, while the accounts payable and purchase order processing checks for duplicate invoice numbers.

Version 7.1 also allows one to print SOP picking lists and dispatch notes in customer sequence. It makes it possible to move orders to dispatch note sent status without producing a dispatch note, if one is not required.

A new selection option for the aged creditors report is available to make it a closer match to the aged debtors report.

Mr Kuyayama said a key consideration in Sage’s development of its products was changes in the market and their impact on business processes. The focus with Sage Line 500 V7.1 was on improving the supply chain processes.

He said the SOP line insert allowed the insertion of an additional order, invoice or credit note.  The supply chain allocations function allowed the warehouse from which the customer could receive stock to be specified in telesales so that as much stock as possible was taken from each of the warehouses in turn until the order was fulfilled.