What's New in Sage ERP MAS 500
Version 7.4?

What's New in Sage MAS 500 Version 7.4?

Top Reasons to Adopt Sage MAS 500 7.4

Why Your Accounting Team Wants 7.4

Sage ERP MAS 500 Version 7.4 provides value for every part of your business, leveraging the latest in Microsoft® SQL Server and .Net technology, reducing total cost of ownership, and improving usability. From Core Financials, insights, and analytics to Replenishment, Distribution, and Manufacturing, Version 7.4 is loaded with new features and improvements.

Intelligence, Analytics, and Web Capabilities

Sage ERP MAS Intelligence

Sage ERP MAS Intelligence, originally a replacement for the retiring Microsoft® FRx financial reporter, offers a powerful and easy-to-use graphical interface to create custom financial and management reports.

Get up and running sooner with out-of-the-box reports. Use automation capabilities to deliver reports and sophisticated, customizable dashboards when you need them—without user interaction. You can even access data from outside Sage ERP MAS 500 for complete, up-to-the-minute insight into every part of your business.

Business Insights Explorer

Version 7.4 delivers improved functionality and new standard views to help you access and analyze your data more efficiently:

• New Top “N” capabilities and improved performance using the Maximum Rows parameter to display top customers, vendors, or items.
• New export options - export only the data displayed in the grid or all data to either Microsoft® Excel or PDF.
• New Landed Costs Transactions view in Receipt of Goods provides detailed allocation and costing info to improve the accuracy and flexibility of total cost of goods received.
• New Unit of Measure view in Inventory Transactions provides visibility to conversion calculations.

eBusiness Suite for Sage ERP MAS 500

eBusiness Suite's web capabilities replace the retired eCustomer, eSalesforce, and eOrder modules. This intuitive extension serves as a B2B and B2C interface as well as a sales team, CSR, and remote location alternative interface to Sage ERP MAS 500. It's also browser-based to empower customers, salespeople, and customer service representatives to increase their efficiency and productivity and boost sales.

• Customers, salespeople, and CSRs can place orders in your online store and get accurate, up-to-the-minute information on items, prices, inventory, account status, and expected delivery dates.
• Fully compliant Credit Card processing capabilities enable payment processing through MAS 500 Credit Card module integration.
• Conduct internet transactions that best fit your business need.
• When used as a remote MAS 500 interface, eBusiness Suite lets users view customer orders, shipments, invoices, payments, and back-orders. This is ideal for salespeople or CSRs who require a comprehensive overview of customer accounts to respond quickly to requests and follow up on orders or payments due.
• Advanced filtering capabilities limit access so a salesperson or customer service representative views only their own accounts, items, or product lines.
• Streamlined RMA entry and Autoship functionality.

Accounts Receivable Improvements

Tracking overpayments and customer refunds present special challenges. Overpayments need to be clearly identified and included in customer inquiries, statements, and receivables reports. And when a refund check needs to be issued, it should be as painless as possible. NOW IT IS!

Overpaid Invoices

Version 7.4 lets you record a customer’s overpaid invoice in Cash Receipts or Apply Payments and Memos, then track and apply the negative balance just as you would a credit memo. The overpayment is tracked using the original invoice number for easier identification, and you can view the overpayment from Print / Re-Print Invoices, the Ledger tab in Customer Status, on customer statements, and on the AR Aged Receivables and AR Trial Balance Reports.

Customer Refunds from Cash Receipts

Customer Refunds are as easy as 1, 2, 3! That's because in 7.4, it's all done in Enter Cash Receipts.

1. Designate the type of refund.


2. Select the invoices, debit memos, overpayments, and credit memos.


3. Print the refund check directly from the Process Cash Receipts panel.

It's as simple as that. Enter a check number to record a handwritten check or leave the check number blank for a system-generated check. A check register is included in the posting reports for audit purposes.

Sales Order Improvements

If you need to include a negative line item on a sales order to track coupons, rebates, purchasing incentives, or other non-inventory items, version 7.4 introduces the ability to include those line items. Just select the non-inventory item, enter the quantity ordered as a negative value, and Sage ERP MAS 500 takes care of the rest.

Replenish Improvements

Inventory Replenishment – whether you use Replenish Inventory or Material Requirements Planning (MRP), you need flexibility and accuracy to balance the quantity on hand to meet demand without overstocking.

Sage ERP MAS 500 Version 7.4 includes key enhancements to replenishment and procurement tasks for greater flexibility and to improve costing capabilities, ensuring you can take advantage of the best cost available and capitalize all the costs associated with just-in-time stock management.

Buyer and Vendor Override Capabilities

Before Version 7.4, buyer and primary vendor selection as required fields in Warehouse Replenishment determined the buyer and vendor selection on Suggested Orders in Process Replenishment Orders or MRP. Many companies either didn't utilize the replenishment capabilities available, or artificially created purchase product lines for each buyer and vendor rather than by logical product grouping.

With the improved functionality in Version 7.4, the buyer and primary vendor are no longer required fields in Warehouse Replenishment. You can now determine Buyer and Primary Vendor selection by:

• Selecting in Set Up Warehouse Replenishment by Purchase Product Line and Warehouse
• Overriding or selecting in Maintain Inventory for individual items
• Overriding or selecting on an individual Suggested Order in Inventory Replenishment or MRP

After implementation, Version 7.4 allows you to shop for the best price and delivery, and auto-generate Purchase Orders for the vendor that best meet your demands.

Landed Cost Improvements

Bringing stock into your warehouse often includes additional costs not invoiced by the vendor. It's often preferable to include the freight costs billed by the vendor in the item cost rather than absorb them as a direct expense. MAS 500 Version 7.4 adds options and tasks to improve the accuracy of those costs while adding flexibility and making it easier to create, apply, and override costs during Receipt of Goods.

• New option to apply freight to items in Set Up AP Options and Set Up PO Options
• New flexibility to establish landed costs independent of a vendor or item
• New options in Set Up Landed Costs to establish the type of landed cost, whether to apply to an individual line or an entire receipt, and the allocation method
• New allocation methods for costs applied to an entire receipt by percentage of total cost, quantity, weight, volume, or manual
• New Enter Landed Cost task in Enter Receipt of Goods to create, apply, or override the Landed Cost code, allocation method, or cost

Unit of Measure Improvements

In version 7.4, MAS 500 has a new approach to how unit of measure (UOM) conversions are calculated, stored, and displayed:

• New optimized SQL data type with expanded decimal precision in data storage minimizes rounding errors
• New user-defined rounding methods for base units of measure add flexibility and improve accuracy
• Improved conversion factor assignment to avoid infinite decimal precision calculations
• New retention of conversion factors with transaction records improve tracking
• New "Auto adjustments" to prevent "invisible" quantities
• Improved physical count transactions store quantities in both expanded and displayed decimal precisions to improve accuracy
• New option to choose an alternate unit of measure beyond the Standard increases flexibility on various reports
• New ability to perform transfers in any unit of measure makes workflow easier
• New Unit of Measure Business Insights View provides visibility to conversion calculations

Manufacturing Improvements

Manufacturers and distributors need flexibility and reliability in the procurement process, and accurate quantities based on reliable unit of measure conversions. Manufacturers need even more features specific to their process so their production operations run smoothly. Minimum down time at maximum efficiency helps manage costs and deliver finished goods on schedule. New features and tasks in Version 7.4 address these unique requirements.

Manufacturing Preferred Bins

When the staging area is empty, the production line comes to a screeching halt! Sage ERP MAS 500 Version 7.4 helps avoid downtime from inefficient materials staging with the ability to define manufacturing specific bin preference. In prior versions, bin preferences were defined that applied to both distribution and manufacturing picking. For many, a single preference is sufficient. However, for manufacturers whose parts are also distributed as replacement parts or stand-alone stock, a single preference may not be enough.

Version 7.4 adds the ability to choose. You can continue to use the same bin preference for both distribution and manufacturing, or establish distinct preferences based on usage. You can even maintain distinct bins just for materials demand so your production floor never runs out of raw materials, and maintain a separate supply just for distribution.

Work Order Step Complete Flag

The replenishment calculation for manufacturers must account for materials committed to work orders in progress. What happens when plans change? Sometimes manufacturers don't use all the planned materials on a step. This happens when there's a cancellation or change in the ordered quantity for the finished good or through improved usage during the manufacturing process.

In other instances, it may be more expedient to include various options on a single routing, and only issue materials based on the configuration of the specific order. To clear those outstanding material quantities from the replenishment calculation, 7.4 adds the Step Complete flag in Work Order Maintenance. This marks the step complete, and relieves any outstanding quantities associated with the line from the replenishment quantity required for a work order.

Now, replenishment calculations are accurate, and the right materials are on hand without costly overstocking.

Backflush from Bin Tracked Warehouses

The ability to backflush material issues is the preferred method for many manufacturers because it's simple and saves time, especially in production environments with short turnaround times. Being able to track materials in a warehouse with bin tracking enables picking options to streamline the staging process. The challenge has been how to implement material backflush in bin tracked warehouses.

Version 7.4 addresses that challenge in conjunction with the ability to assign manufacturing bin precedence. Manufacturers can now backflush materials from bin tracked warehouses once at least one preferred bin is identified, as long as the item is neither lot nor serial tracked. Enjoy the time savings and simplicity of backflush AND the picking efficiencies of bin tracking.

Production Entry and Progress Entry Returns

Mistakes are a reality in any business. However, the ability to quickly recover from mistakes is crucial to maintain productivity and minimize down time in a production environment. That's why Version 7.4 introduces two new tasks that make recovery less time consuming and more accurate.

Production Entry Returns – Uses the familiar Production Entry interface to reverse the quantities produced out of inventory and return materials issued back to inventory, all in one task. Simple and accurate.

Progress Entry Returns – Also uses a familiar interface to reverse the finished goods quantity out of stock, reverse backflush transactions, and reopen steps completed during the Progress Entry task. This simplifies the process and reduces the effort. Now you can adjust for the incorrect entry while re-entering the correct information quickly and seamlessly.

Manufacturing Posting Improvements

Post MF Transactions addresses confusion and complications with the manufacturing posting processes:

• Arranges all the disparate Transaction Types onto a single consolidated panel
• Includes filtering criteria to narrow the selection to the transactions you want to post
• Automatically creates posting batches grouped by date to ensure they tie out to the General Ledger journal date
• Provides a review panel so you can verify your selection prior to posting

You'll delight your production staff and your back office!

Get More Info

For more information about upgrading to Sage ERP MAS 500 Version 7.4, contact us at 800-562-5456, Information Request Form.