Sage Software — Simply Accounting By Sage

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From the June/July 2006 Review of Small Business Accounting Systems

Simply Accounting by Sage for Microsoft Office Users provides an entry-level SMB accounting application that can handle multiple currencies and is available in English and Spanish in the United States, as well as in versions for the UK, Canada, French Canadian, South Africa and Asia. The system was formerly offered by ACCPAC, which was acquired by Sage, the makers of Peachtree and the MAS lines. The program is offered in Basic and Pro editions. The Basic Edition reviewed here is a single-user-only application that includes GL, AP and AR capabilities, along with payroll, inventory, purchasing and job costing, and supports cash and accrual-basis methods. The more advanced Pro Edition includes time-based billing, EFT capabilities and other features. Simply Accounting Basic costs $49.99 for a single user. The Pro version costs $299 for a two-user system. Tax rates and program updates are available for $149 per year.

Ease of Use/Basic Functionality -- 5 Stars
Simply Accounting sports a redesigned home page that provides more simplified access to the system’s primary features. Instead of traditional accounting terms such as AP and AR, the system offers large icons for these features with titles that should be a little friendlier to users with non-accounting backgrounds, such as Receipts, Purchase Invoices, Sales Invoices and Pay Vendor Invoices. Additionally, the system groups general tasks into categories that are also accessible via a row of tabs across the top of the screen that change the function icons in the page. These include General, Vendors & Purchases, Customers & Sales, Payroll, Inventory & Services, and Project.

Simply Business includes wizards that assist in setup of GL accounts, which can be done by following industry-specific templates or manually. It also allows customization of terminology, which lets different types of entities use terms appropriate for their business, such as customers, clients, guests or visitors. Additional user-preference customization is also available. The system’s integration with MS Word and Excel for form letters and reporting is a friendly factor, since users are likely to be experienced with those programs and won’t have to learn a new system.

Data-entry forms appear in subwindows that include multiple tabs for accessing related information, and offer automatically populated lists for selecting account numbers, customers, vendors, inventory items, tax rates, cities and other information, easing the input process. Defaults can also be set to automatically fill in specific field information. Customer and vendor selection screens provide information such as balances, credit limits and YTD sales data, while full information lists can be generated on-screen or printed showing information selected by the user.

Modules/Customization/Expandability -- 4.5 Stars
As an all-inclusive system, the core functions such as payroll, GL, AP, AR, inventory and project tracking are included with Simply Accounting with no need to add additional modules. The basic functions are divided among several module-like areas, including General (GL), Vendors & Purchases (AP and PO), Customers & Sales (AR, estimates and sales orders), Payroll, Inventory & Services, and Project. Within the project management function, businesses can establish independent cost centers for specific projects, allowing more
accurate distribution of costs and revenue related to that project.

The program offers several customization features, including multiple languages, optional industry-specific terminology or accounting terms, various user checklists, color coding options for different tasks, and the My Business tab on the home page, which users can organize to show the data most important to their daily use of the system. When the time comes to move up to a more robust accounting system, companies can easily transfer data into the Simply Accounting Pro edition, which offers the same core functionality along with expanded reporting, analysis and business management tools.