March 2013News and Information for Users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating

The 2013 TUG National Users Conference, May 14-17, in Grapevine, Texas, is THE place to be to gain exceptional information and knowledge about your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (CRE) and Sage Estimating products. But, did you know that the TUG

tradeshow will provide you with outstanding opportunities to meet with exhibitors anxious to introduce you to their products and services?

Multiple third-party solution providers, many of whom have provided outstanding content for this issue of TUG Pulse, will be showcasing their innovative products designed to work with your Sage 300 CRE and Sage Estimating software while providing one-on-one demonstrations. Make your plans now to explore new solutions with the following companies:

Attend any of the 21 sessions hosted by solution providers on topics ranging from cloud technology and electronic payroll filing to streamlined document management and the paperless office solution. Sage representatives will also be on hand to make sure you get

the most out of your Sage 300 CRE and Sage Estimating software while helping you navigate Sage’s roadmap for the future of the products.

Whichever way you go, one-on-one demos or attending a session, the TUG tradeshow and the annual conference has everything you need to build a better user.

For additional information, including conference registration and multiple attendee discounts, session details, hotel accommodations and much more, visit the 2013 TUG National Users Conference website at www.tugconference.com.

• AboutTimeTechnologies• AnterraTechnology• CICPAC• Compsee• ComputerFormsInc.• Comdata• CRMforContractors• eRiskConsulting/PaperlessEnvironments• EosGroup

• Event1• hh2WebServices• IntegratedFieldSolutionsLLC• Piracle• Sage• Textura• TimberScan• WellspringSoftware• WinningTechnologies

Explore New Solutions at the 2013TUG National Users Conference

Explore New Solutions at the2013 TUG Tradeshow ...................................1

Grapevine, Texas – Home of the2013 TUG National Users Conference ...........2

Improve Your Reporting withPre-Built Dashboards....................................3

WebEx Training and Open Forums ...............4

Your Business Relationships Are YourKey to Success – What System Are You Using? .............................................5

Are You Ready for theNew Sage Estimating? .................................6

Register Now for the CCIFP®

Exam in Dallas ..............................................7

Importing Data from Excel (Part 1 of 4) –Creating and Using Excel-BasedEntry Grids ....................................................8

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate –MyAssistant (12.1 Enhancements) .............10

The Liability of Fraudulent Checks .............11

2013 TUG National Users ConferenceMay 14-17, 2013

Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention CenterGrapevine, Texas

Visit tugconference.com to register!

REGISTER TODAY!

THIRD-PARTYSOLUTIONS ISSUE

March 2013 News and Information for Users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating

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the TUG Pulse

Board of DirectorsTimCooke,President

ScottBishop,VicePresident

Sharon Hessong, Treasurer

Jon Banse, Secretary

MattWeaver,PastPresident

Donald Bannister

Alan Cusson

Mary Jo Hamik

Barbara Morse

Michael Suhovecky

Marlene Williams

LenniM.Witt

Publications CommitteeNatalie Allen

Jon Banse

Sharon Hessong

TomLove

LizPerez-Lavin

Val Steffen

Eire Stewart

Barbara Morse

TUG3525PiedmontRoad

Building Five, Suite 300

Atlanta, GA 30305

e-mail: me@tugweb.com

Phone:404.760.8171

Fax: 404.240.0998Toll Free: 866.846.0999

e-mailme@TUGweb.com

Websitewww.TUGweb.com

Published by TUG, The Users Group for Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating,

and sent to all members.

Historic Grapevine, Texas, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, is a go-to

destination when planning a trip to North Texas. Step back in time in historic downtown Grapevine with its collection of shops, restaurants and art galleries. Enjoy fabulous shopping opportunities, outstanding dining at over 200 restaurants, winery tasting rooms, a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities, award-winning festivals and events, and much more. Grapevine has something for everyone!

The Main Street Days Festival just happens to be the same week as the TUG annual conference. The festival is May 17-19, 2013, and is Grapevine’s official kick-off to summertime. When you’re not busy in sessions at the conference, exploring the many solutions in the tradeshow or networking with other users, head over to the festival to taste the international wines, craft beers and pizza, dance to non-stopentertainment, seek out your favorite food, and shop the day away.

The Grapevine shuttle stops at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center and can take you to this wonderful little town. Check out the official Grapevine visitor website at www.grapevinetexasusa.com to experience all the town has to offer!

Editor’s Note: Be sure to visit the 2013 TUG National Users Conference website at www.tugconference.com to learn more about the conference and to register online.

Grapevine, Texas – Home of the 2013 TUG National Users Conference

by: Linda WhitenerAlliance Solutions Group LLC

March 2013News and Information for Users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating

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Improve Your Reporting with Pre-Built Dashboards

Each dashboard can drill down to transactions so you see where the information comes from.

Trend analysis is very important. Being busy, your monthly review of black and white columnar reports doesn’t let you see where youhavebeen.UsingourSQLanddashboardtechnology we trend all of your important metrics.

We have two business intelligence products: anterraBI in a Box™ is for companies without complex financial consolidation needs. This cost-effective product delivers drill through financial statements and provides trend graphs for all your key business metrics. Trend graphs include work backlog, job margin erosion, cash, AR aging and many more metrics. Typical set up is less than two days consulting. Here’s a screen shot of our financial overview dashboard – click on it to viewitinfullsizeonourwebsite:

anterraBI™ is for construction companies with multiple entities or for real estate owners or developers, as it has the ability to handle unlimited companies, divisions, bank accounts and properties. We can even combine information from multiple accounting systems into one drill through financial statement. Implementation of anterraBI™ is easy – weautomatically hook up your data and present it

We have the privilege of working with many TUG members as clients. When we first meet companies and introduce

our company as specialists in dashboards andSQLtheyalwayssaythatimprovingtheirreporting is one of their top priorities.

Reporting has many components:

1. Pre-builtreportsinfinancialand construction systems modules (both stock and Crystal reports for Timberline, ViewPoint,Yardi,MRI,etc.)2. Custom Crystal Reports3. Spreadsheets you prepare monthly: • Managementfinancialstatements • Boardandbankfinancialstatements • WorkinProgressReport(WIP)4. Ad-hoc inquiries

Each report represents the combination of data collection, processing and output. The challenge is that all of these reports are black and white and are independent of each other.Youmisskeyinformation,liketrendsover time and drill through to transactions.

Improving ReportingYou have transactional reports that servetheir purpose well, yet your staff and managers still build their own spreadsheets and you spend a lot of time at month end reviewing reports for accuracy before presenting them as complete.

There are three areas where we help clients improve reporting:

1. Make the format of information easier to understand and take action using dashboards – show trends and drill through to transactions2. Improvereportingwherethereporting process is time consuming or error prone, likemonthlyWIPreporting.3. Reporting technology

Deliver Information in an Easy-to-Read Format – DASHBOARDS and DRILL THROUGHS!Dashboards are popular, as you can immediately see what is going off plan. We’ve built 200 dashboards and reports for construction and real estate to show you where you stand over time on items like job by job margin erosion:

Work backlog:

And for real estate your occupancy trend over time:

by: Bruce VanderzydeAnterra Technology

March 2013 News and Information for Users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating

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tool takes 30 to 45 minutes to install and synchronizes your Pervasive data from allof your data folders into one SQL databaseas often as you want. You can even attachExcel to all of your data folders through one connection for ad-hoc reporting!

ConclusionImprovingyourreportingisoneofthehighestreturns on investment you can make in technology. It aligns your staff to the samelanguage and measures, eliminates time consuming spreadsheet preparation with the inherent risks of errors, and frees up financial staff to work more closely with the construction team.

Further InformationFurther information on SQL and businessintelligence is available at anterratech.com or bycontactingSharonDoddsat832.342.1579or sdodds@anterratech.com.

to you in your dashboards. We work with you to build out your financial statement formats, including Statement of Cash Flow, and group your jobs into divisions or groups to give you and your staff the information to succeed.

Eliminating Time Consuming Reporting ProcessesExcel can be the most expensive reporting technology you own. If you or yourstaff spend time typing in numbers into spreadsheets you must consider the salary cost of time and the opportunity cost of lost analysis time to see how expensive it is to build spreadsheet reports.

We’ve helped many clients automate time consuming manual reporting processes like financial consolidations and WIP reporting.With a combination of process and technology we’ve saved days of staff time per month.

Our clients say the biggest benefit of the time saved by eliminating manual reporting is the breakdown of the wall that often exists between the finance and construction teams. Pleaseseeourwebpageforcustomersuccessstories describing how we’ve helped bring construction and finance teams together.

Improve Your Reporting TechnologyInconstructionyouneedtherighttoolforthejobathand.Yourreportingtechnologyneedstoempower your access to timely and accurate information.Formid-tolarge-sizedclientsthefirststepisMicrosoftSQL.Gettingallofyourdata into one database format empowers you to report across multiple data folders, integrate Timberline data with other systems and speed up Crystal reports dramatically.

Many of Timberline’s mid- and large-sized clients have implemented ouranterraDataCenter™ product. This server

APRIL 2013

Tuesday 4.2.13 1:00p.m.ET PJOVERVIEW+INTERFACETOACCOUNTING+JOBSETUPWORKFLOW

Friday 4.5.13 2:00p.m.ET PUBLICATIONSCOMMITTEEMEETING

Tuesday 4.9.13 1:00p.m.ET PJ:USINGADDRESSBOOKWITHPJ+JOBCONTACTLIST

Wednesday 4.10.13 2:00p.m.ET CONSTRUCTIONACCOUNTINGCOMMITTEE&FORUM

Tuesday 4.16.13 11:00a.m.ET SERVICEMANAGEMENTCOMMITTEE&FORUM

Tuesday 4.16.13 1:00p.m.ET PJJOBOVERVIEW:REPORTS&INQUIRIES

Tuesday 4.23.13 1:00p.m.ET PJSETTINGS,CUSTOMDESCRIPTIONS,CUSTOMFIELDS&DEFAULTS

Wednesday 4.24.13 11:00a.m.ET ESTIMATINGCOMMITTEE&FORUM

Tuesday 4.30.13 1:00p.m.ET PJOPENFORUM:PJPROJECTMANAGEMENTTIPS&TRICKS

Toattendanonlineevent,pleasee-mailattendee(s)nameande-mailaddresstome@tugweb.com.Youwillreceiveane-mailconfirmationalong with connection instructions once you are registered. These classes are free of charge and open to members only – one more benefit of belonging to TUG!Weareaddingmoresessionseveryday.ChecktheOnlineEventCalendaratTUGweb.comforanupdatedlist.Ifyou

have any suggestions on sessions you would like to see, please e-mail me@tugweb.com.

TUG Online WebEx Training and Open Forums

March 2013News and Information for Users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating

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Construction companies are beginning to look at the possibility of putting a “process around their business development efforts,” and by doing so giving themselves a competitive edge, but this

“process”needstobecentralizedsotheeffortscanbemeasuredandmanaged. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is basicallyadatabasethateasilyorganizesandautomatesprocesses.

This definition goes to the core of how a CRM system changes an organization:

The decision to implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is not an implementation or an event; it is a process sponsored at the highest levels of the company, embedded into the company culture and pervasive throughout the organization. CRM is not a destination; it is a journey of continuous learning, process improvement and customer relationship evolution.

A good CRM system for a construction company equips business development, marketing and the operations teams with the tools they need to develop new business opportunities, find and close more projects, and build lasting, more profitable relationships with customers, suppliers and subcontractors.

We turned the table on the traditional way of implementing a CRM system. The traditional way just wasn’t working for our construction customers. Most contractors found it very difficult to define exactly what they wanted the system to do for them, and then hire a CRM developer to create the CRM system of their dreams.

Successful contractors generally improved upon a process currently in place. Our approach was to design CRM 4 Contractors and build into the product the features that every contractor needs. This gave our customers a good starting point and within weeks of using the software they began to find changes that needed to be made. These changes

were easy to understand by everyone in business development, marketing and operations, and easy to financially justify.

Itwasamazingtoseethetypesofchangesthatourcustomersdecidedto make because no two CRM systems are the same. With CRM 4 Contractors as the foundation, the sky is the limit because Sage CRM is aSQLdatabaseandanythingispossible.

Giving yourself a good starting point – isn’t that what industry-specific software has always done for construction companies?

Join CRM 4 Contractors at our booth during the 2013 TUG National Users Conference or during our Friday morning presentation session to learn more about the Sage 300 CRE address book and Outlook import, tracking current and future projects, and the bid calendar.

Further information is available www.crm444contractors.com or by contacting Linda King at Linda.King@CRM444Contractors.com or877.444.1721.

Your Business Relationships Are Your Key to Success –What System Are You Using?

by: Linda KingCRM 4 Contractors by CRM Titans

March 2013 News and Information for Users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating

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Sage has released a new version of Sage Estimating v13.2. The new version offers a number of enhancements, including an Undo feature for spreadsheet changes similar to the Undo available in Microsoft

Excel. It also provides some very nice user interface improvements,such as a new ribbon, dockable windows and more. Overall, the user experience is similar to what you’re used to and the new version looks and operates like the old one. But, looks can be deceiving.

The major change in v13.2 is the switch from the Pervasive SQLdatabase to the Microsoft SQL database. Now, youmaybe thinkingSQLisSQL,butit’snot.MicrosoftSQLchangesthewayyoumanageyourestimates.Youwillno longerstoreestimatesonadriveor inafolder.Instead,allyourestimates(anddatabases,addressbooks,etc.)willresideintheMicrosoftSQLdatabase,whichmeansyoucan’tuseWindows Explorer to find your estimates. So, you will need to consider how you and your team will organize estimates in Sage Estimatingv13.2.

Shared EstimatesIfyouareaone-personestimatingteamorpartofasmallteamthatdoesn’t share estimates, you can continue to store your estimates on your local laptop or workstation. However, if you share estimates onadataserver,youwillneedtodeveloprulesfororganizingyourestimate collection. Some companies will decide to clean up their estimates and develop better folder structures while others will take the time to improve efficiencies for teams that collaborate within an office or across offices. This upgrade cycle provides Sage Estimating customers a great opportunity to “get it right” and put some controls in place to develop consistent, predictable data and work processes.

Project-Centric ManagementIfyou’relikemostcontractors,engineersandowners,yourestimatesrelate to a project. A project is what drives the need for an estimate, whether it’s large or small. A project will often have a lifecycle or multiple stages, such as conceptual, schematic and so on. Each stage may have multiple estimates and multiple revisions of those estimates. A project will have multiple characteristics, such as contract type (negotiated versus hard bid) or physical characteristics (frametype,skintype,HVAC).Projectsalsoneedtobeidentifiedbyfacility type (school versus hospital versus office) to facilitate monthly sales reporting or developing bid schedules.

Taking a project-centric approach to initiating, organizing andmanaging estimates is a sound strategy and a best practice we see across all markets.

Getting OrganizedEos Group offers two solutions to help you get organized. Bothsolutions offer a project-centric approach and deep integration with Sage Estimating.

For those who know that their migration to the new version of Sage Estimating (MSSQL)will takea long time,weofferEosExplorer,anestimatemanagementsystemfortheSageEstimatingPervasiveSQL estimating system (v12.1 or earlier). Many clients will useEosExplorer toorganize theirexistingdata, includingdeletingolddata, entering characteristics (for example, Job Classifications) that improve their data quality or archiving data that they don’t plan to migratetoSageEstimatingMicrosoftSQL.Improvingtheconditionof your legacy estimates will make for a smoother and less risky migration process. The migration won’t happen overnight, so give yourself some time to plan and execute the work effort.

Others who are ready to make the move to Sage Estimating Microsoft SQL (v13.2 or later) can use Eos Navigator to initiate,organizeandmanagetheirestimatingdata.EosNavigator is thefirst module in the Eos Cortex platform, a preconstruction project controls solution. Eos Navigator is a brand new, 100-percent ground-up development effort that leverages the latest Microsoft technologies,includingActiveDirectoryandSQLServerReportingServices. It introduces advanced concepts for organizing yourproject estimates into simple or complex classifications. Navigator

Are You Ready for the New Sage Estimating?by: Nick Papadopoulos

Eos Group, Inc.

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enables clients to develop intelligent attributes thatimprovedataquality.Italsoprovidesaccessto supporting documents (for example, Microsoft Excel,MicrosoftWord,AdobePDF)thatrelatetoa project.

Every so often there comes a point in the life of a software solution that causes you to stop and find a better way to make the most of your investment. This is one of those moments. With some planning and effort, the transition can improve the way you leverage your preconstruction estimating data.

For more information, visit www.eosgroup.com, or contact Debbie Purcell at 540.937.2762 orDebbiep@eosgroup.com

Monday, May 13, 2013 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. CTGaylord Texan Resort & Convention CenterGrapevine, Texas

What is a Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP®)?Theonly industry-recognizedcertificationcoveringeightareasof specializedknowledge demanded of today’s construction financialprofessional.TheCCIFP®istheonlycredentialthatrecognizesacceptedlevelsofexpertiseintheprofession,withthegoal of improving professional standards in construction financial management.

Why Should You Become a CCIFP®?• Demonstratescommitmenttoexcellenceinconstructionindustryfinancialmanagement,anddedicationtocontinuing education and quality improvement.• Establishesourprofessionashaving,valuingandmaintainingthehighestpossiblestandardsofknowledge,competence and ethical behavior – as high as any other profession on which business and the public rely.• Setsourprofessionapartasonewithitsownuniqueskillsetandbodyofknowledge,alevelofattainmentoverandabove that of financial generalists.• Promotesthespreadofbestpracticesthroughoutfinancialmanagerswithintheconstructionindustry.• Betterpreparesbothfirmsandindividualsformeetingthechallengesaheadasinformationmovesmorequicklyand construction industry financial management becomes more complex.• Givescertifiedpersonsapowerfuledgeinanincreasinglycompetitiveindustryandmarketplace.

For more information on the exam, eligibility requirements, application and examination fees, please visit www.iccifp.org, or contactLauraNewcombat609.945.2420orlnewcomb@iccifp.org.

REGISTER NOW FOR THE CCIFP® EXAM IN DALLAS, TEXAS

March 2013 News and Information for Users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating

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What do you do when you have a bunch of data in Excel that you need to enter into your accounting system? Do you enter it by hand? Hopefully not! Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate

offers a variety of different import file formats allowing you to import things like journal entries, invoices, estimates, commitments and more. So, the opportunity exists to take your Excel data, put it into the proper format and then import it. That can save you a lot of time, which is why this series of articles is devoted to teaching you how to leverage this capability.

Inthisfour-partseries,we’llcoverthefollowingobjectives:

1. Creating and Using Excel-Based Entry Grids – This Issue2. Adding Data Validation to Excel Worksheets3. ImportEnablingExistingExcelWorksheets4. ImportingDatafromExcelwithParent/ChildRecords

Inthispart,we’llfocusonhowtoquicklyandeasilycreateanentrygridforGeneralLedgertransactions,entersomedata,createanimportfileandthenimportitintoGeneralLedger.Todothis,we’llbeusingOfficeConnectorImport,whichisanapplicationthatisavailablefromSageasa part of the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate suite of applications.

We’ll divide this up into two objectives: (1) creating a reusable entry grid; and (2) using the entry grid and importing data.

Tofollowtheexercises,you’llneedtohaveOfficeConnectorImportinstalled with either an evaluation or full license of Office Connector Import Designer and Office Connector Import for GL Entries. If youneed to obtain an evaluation license, just contact your Sage Business PartneroryourcustomeraccountmanageratSage.

Youcanalsowatchavideooftheexercisesbeingperformed:

http://www.event1software.com/wp-content/movies/ocimport-entrygrids/

Create an Entry GridWe’llaccomplishthispartbyusingtheImportWizardthat’spartofOffice Connector Import. When Office Connector Import has beeninstalled, you’ll see a toolbar in Excel (ontheAdd-InstabwithExcel2007andhigher) that looks like this:

1. Start a new Excel workbook.2. Click in cell A1 of Sheet1 (although the actual placement doesn’t really matter).3. Click Import Wizard to display the Office Connector Import Wizard window.4. You’llbepresentedwithalistofthedifferenttypesofimport files that can be created. Click GL Transaction Import File and click Next.

5. Check the box for the following columns and then click Next: x Account x Accounting Date x Journal x Reference 1 x Description x Debit x CreditNote:Youdon’tneedtoselectthemall,justtheonesyou’reusing.6. Clickontheoptiontitled“Create an entry grid for the selected columns” and then click Finish.7. Select columns F and G, click the Home tab on the ribbon and then in the Number group, click , to automatically format the values with two decimals and with commas. Yes, that’s right, format using commas!ThepointisthatOfficeConnectorImport will reformat the values as they are placed into the import file. This concept applies to all of the other fields also, so dates can be formatted however you like, you can type commas, quote marks and other symbols, and it won’t mess up your import file.

Importing Data from Excel (Part 1 of 4) –Creating and Using Excel-Based Entry Grids

by: Michael NewlandEvent 1 Software

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At this point, you have an entry grid where you can record General Ledgertransactionsandit is already setup to allow you to create an import file and import that data!

This grid was created as an Excel Table, which gives it some special abilities. Specifically, as you enter data on a given row and then press Tab on the last column, it will automatically insert and append a new row to the table. So, the table grows automatically based on thenumberoftransactionsyouenter.Inaddition,ifyouweretousea formula in any of the columns, your formula can automatically copy down to all rows (including new rows that are added).

Notice that column H contains a “TSImport Function.” This is aninstructionforOfficeConnectorImportsothatitknowswhichcolumnsinyourworksheetmaptowhichcolumnsinthe import file. It’snotnecessary to have this column displayed, so feel free to hide it. Just don’t delete it!

Entering and Importing Data1. Entersomevaluesintothegrid.Inthisexample,we’llusethe Construction Sample Data and so the following account numbers will work. Depending on the version you have installed, you might need to use a different accounting date though.

2. Click Save Import FileontheOfficeConnectorImporttoolbar.3. The default options in the Save Import File window are fine for this example. Notice though that you can specify the location and name of the import file, and the next action to be taken after the file is created.

4. Click OK to have the file created and then launch the Import TransactionswindowfromGeneralLedger(itmaytakeafew seconds for this window to come up).5. Once the Import Transactions – Print Selection window appears, click the […] ellipses button next to the Import file box, select the GLTransaction.TXT file and click Open.6. Optionally–ClickPrinter Setup and change where the report will be sent.7. Click Start to import the data.8. ReviewtheGeneral Ledger Import Transactions report when the import has finished.

Ifyouneedhelpwiththeexerciseorhavequestions,youcancontactofficeconnector@event1software.com.

Plans are well underway to bring you a rip-roaring goodtime, so saddle up and join us for four days of

non-stop educational sessions, hands-on labs, roundtable discussions, third-party exhibits and lots of networking,

not to mention the down-home feel of Texas.

2013 TUG National Users ConferenceMay 14-17, 2013

Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention CenterGrapevine, Texas

REGISTER TODAY!

March 2013 News and Information for Users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate & Sage Estimating

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As part of the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 2013 release, there were a number of significant enhancements made to MyAssistant, thus extending the value of this powerful

product. One of the enhancements now offers the ability to generate and send Report Designer reports using MyAssistant. This means you can e-mail literally hundreds of reports provided with Sage 300, as well as your own custom report designs. The process is simple! Just follow these three easy steps.

Step 1 – From within MyAssistant Task, click [Attach] and [Sage 300 CRE Report].

Step 2 – Select a report from the report list you already use in Sage300. Ifyoudon’t remember thenameof thereport,use thenew MyAssistant search feature for a dynamic filtered list that’s presented as you type.

Step 3 – MyAssistant generates a separate report for each e-mail message. In doing so, individual report prompts can be used tofilter the content of the report for each recipient. For example, send each project manager JUST their information by completing a report promptbypersonalizingwiththeirname.

It’sthatsimple!OtherMyAssistant12.1enhancementsinclude:

• 35 New MyAssistant Tasks – To help you further automate Sage 300 processes, MyAssistant 12.1 includes 35 new tasks inthefollowingareas:Vendor/SubcontractorCompliance,Lien WaiverControl,VendorManagement,Payroll,Change Management and more.• New Search Capabilities – New search capabilities allow you tosearchand“zero-in”oninformationinSage300databases, as well as MyAssistant conditions and formulas.• Prebuilt E-mail Directories – With Sage 300 12.1, you can nowrecorde-mailaddressesforAPvendors,employees, project managers and other contacts. Using this Sage 300 capability, along with the new prebuilt E-mail Directories in MyAssistant, you can easily automate the following processes and more: send pay statements to employees using direct deposit; send a letter regarding insurance or contract issues to APvendors;ore-mailtenantstheirmonthlystatements.• Enhanced Notification Reporting – MyAssistant will now automatically subtotal your Notifications based upon your groupings. Additionally, a list of recipients is generated and storedforfuturereference.Inotherwords,youmaysend vendors with expiring insurance a letter and keep the list of all that received the letter in MyAssistant.• Include Sage Data in an E-mail Subject Line – When using MyAssistant E-mail Directories to send each recipient their information,youcannowcustomizethee-mailsubject line using Sage 300 data fields or dates. For example, Monthly Statementfor<TenantName>,YourPayrollStatementfor weekending<PRPeriodEndingDate>orYourInsurance Expiring for Job <Job Name>.• And more…

To learn more about these and other MyAssistant or Sage 300 enhancements as they relate to the 2013 release, please contact your business partner or your customer account manager at 800.858.7095.

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate –MyAssistant (12.1 Enhancements)

by: Jeff AdamsSage 300 Construction and Real Estate

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Checks remain the most vulnerable payment mechanism targeted by fraudsters. This type of fraud is on the rise even though check volume is declining. The reality is that without preventive

measures in place to deter criminals from defrauding your company, your firm is extremely susceptible to check fraud. The Association of CertifiedFraudExaminersestimatesthatorganizationsintheUnitedStates lose about seven percent of their revenue due to fraud. The following graph represents a breakdown, provided by the American BankersAssociationand theFBI, of themostprevalent techniquesused to defraud checks.

Why should you care? Historically, you did not have to. Financial institutions were on the hook when criminals took advantage of an unsuspecting business. That is not the case any more. Changes in the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) have placed the burden on the party who is most negligent in the process. This could be you.

Three of the most prevalent ways criminals are able to obtain and use checks fraudulently are:

1. Lost,stolenorcounterfeitemployeepaychecks.2. Counterfeitchecksshowingcompany’sMICRlinewithanother companies name.3. Payeenameisalteredontheissuedchecks.

TheAmericanBankersAssociationandFBIhaveestimatedbetween5.5 and 13 billion dollars are lost yearly due to check fraud. Defrauding checks is relatively simple. Prevention, thankfully, isequally effortless.

Implementing preventative measures will significantly reduce yourfirm’s liability related to these crimes. Here are some safeguards you put in place to limit your exposure:

1. Eliminate preprinted check stock. Having several different checks with preprinted information lying around is hard to keep track of. This makes it easy for criminals to take checks with outnotice.Youcanpurchaseblankcheckstockanduse software applications to print checks from your computer for eachtransactionindividually.Youcanalsousethissoftware to print checks from several different bank accounts on behalf of multiple clients, so you only need a single type of check stock.2. Add security features to your checks. Added security features empower the payee to verify that their check has not been tampered with. Here are some of the most effective measures: a. Heat sensitive ink that when you rub between two fingers a symbol will fade then reappear. b. A microprint border that, when photocopied, will appear as an obvious broken line. c. Chemical reactive paper that will appear to be stained if a chemical alteration is attempted. d. Watermarks that cannot be photocopied.3. Close the payment loop. Standard Positive Pay and the new Payee Positive Pay is a closed-loop process that sends electronic information to your bank informing them of the materialthatshouldbeonthecheckthattheyarecashing.If anyone attempts to change the dollar amount, payee name, date, check number or routing code, the bank cashing the check will deny him or her.4. Implement the proper internal controls.Youshouldsetupthe appropriateapprovalstructureinyourorganizationtoensure that when payments are made the correct people in firm have approved them.

Implementingthesemeasuresseemslikeadauntingtaskatfirst,butwhenyourealizewhatisatstakeitbecomesanecessity.Luckilythereare solutions that address all of these issues.

PiracleprovidesSTOuserswiththesecurepaymenttoolsnecessarytocomplywiththeUCC.WeofferthissolutionbyprovidingasecureMICRcheck printing and ACH program known as Create-A-Check. The process isassimpleasprintingfromSTOandselectingPiracleasyourprinteroption. The Create-A-Check solution will then complete the payment process to provide you with the secure bank negotiable documents or ACH files necessary to help reduce your risk of fraud.

For more information, visit www.piracle.com, or contact Corey Benson at 800.621.5720x356orCoreyB@Piracle.com.

The Liability of Fraudulent Checksby: Dan Parker

Piracle