QuickBooks Premier Edition 2007 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Don't Upgrade....
Besides everything being on one screen it seems not much has changed since 2004 version, which we where forced to upgrade out of if we wanted to keep using payroll.
One major problem is we have 2 companies and now- with the new edition -our server has to have Quickbooks open for multiple users to access the file (which also takes one of the licenses). If 2 users want to work in the other file they cannot.
Trying to talk with a Quickbooks represenative about this issue is like hitting your head against the wall, although they are nice. One will have you install it one way and the other the next way and neither way gets you to a better solution.
Anyway, overall Quickbooks is a good value for the money if this is your first software package, but I don't think it is worth an upgrade even from QB 2004 .


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QuickBooks Premier 2007 is the all-in-one accounting tool that puts your company on the path to better financial management. Plan for success with easy-to-use tools that help you monitor business performance, build forecasts, and create a business plan. Work flexibly with specialized tools for tracking inventory assemblies, creating purchase orders, setting multiple price levels, and accessing your data via the Web. Pay bills, print checks, track expenses, create customized estimates, invoices, purchase orders and reports - track time & job costs more easily than ever. Make sure your business is on track with financial management tools that take the work out of planning, budgeting, forecasting, and analyzing performance. QuickBooks Premier 2007 makes it all happen -- and best of all, it makes it all happen more easily. View customer, vendor, employee and payroll information exactly the way you need it -with contact information, transaction histories, and balances, all visible in a single screen See the complete transaction history for any customer -- Initiate new estimates, invoices, and other transactions, with customer information already in place Interactive Customer Center lets you select any vendor to see purchase orders, bills, and payments See contact information for any employee and a complete list of checks paid The improved Payroll Center now has a review, confirm, and submit process that provides full confirmation of payroll scheduling Start marketing and advertising your business and products on the Internet in just a few easy steps, with Google Marketing Tools

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Peachtree By Sage Complete Accounting 2009 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I gave the 2008 version a pretty scathing review, however, (after a couple days mind you) this version seems to reach all the promise of 2008 that was unfullfilled. I guess the biggest new feature is the ability to look at more than 2 years of data but to me the improvements are in the stability and speed. Things actually open fast, like they were suppose to in 2008. I had various bugs in 2008(backups freezing, front screen not showing any data etc..) that have miraculously disappeared with 2009. I have been using this single user version but also have a network version I will install soon. I never installed 2008 on the network after being so disappointed with it in the single environment.
I will update the rating if things change and will likely post under the multi-user version once I get that installed but after reading what they improved they seem to have focused on improving the network abilities of Peachtree so I'm hopeful the speed and stability carries over to the multi-version as well.
The install was flawless and recognized the anti-virus and firewall by name and gave detailed instructions on dealing with both during install.
I am running on Vista and also on a pretty updated machine with max memory so I can't vouch for slower machines until I do the network install. If you are familiar with Peachtree pre-2008 you likely agree it had been the best program for the money bar none. Early returns suggest it is back to that position. Also note they have a quantum version if you run a larger network and need to keep the speed up as I imagine the regular versions will slow down past 3-4 people on a network.
I trashed them in the 2008 review so I have to give them early props for 2009.

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Myob Accountedge 2008 for Mac Also Includes Network Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been a regular user of AccountEdge since September of 1999, having switched when intuit could not guarantee a Y2K patch for QuickBooks Pro. Since MYOB has a new version of the software, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at what other accounting programs for Macintosh were being offered. I was surprised to see three other robust programs available. Reading the specs though I could see they were designed for smaller businesses such as sole proprietorships, or specific types of businesses (i.e., retail), or individuals. The two big players on the market for small to medium businesses are still QuickBooks Pro and MYOB AccountEdge (or Peachtree, if you are running an Intel Mac.) I know that MYOB maintains a commitment to continue to develop for the Macintosh platform. This is not necessarily so for Intuit and definitely not for Peachtree. And, Intuit recently had some major issues with user data being lost. http://db.tidbits.com/article/9378.
It's not my intention to review MYOB AccountEdge by using QuickBooks Pro as their foil. The truth is that there are very few Accounting programs that are supported on a Macintosh. And even though I always give kudos to MYOB for their support of the Macintosh platform, there are always features that can be improved upon. Most notably for me was the length of time it took MYOB to be up and running for the OS 10.5 Panther release. At this point in time, MYOB has the following statement on the website:
AccountEdge and AccountEdge Network Edition 2008 are certified compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Make sure you are on the latest version by opening the Help menu from the top menu bar and choosing Check for Product Updates from the Help menu. Following is a list of known issues.
Payroll forms - In order to run any payroll forms - including W-2s - at the end of the year, you will need to download an updated Payroll Forms Viewer. This update can be accessed by opening AccountEdge, navigating to the Help menu, and then selecting Check For Updates.
Upgrading files - When opening a file from a previous version, you may receive an "Upgrade Assistant is unable to process the company file" error message. You must first upgrade the file using the Upgrade Assistant found in your MYOB AccountEdge 2008 applications directory.
New Features in MYOB AccountEdge 2008
Backup to .mac. is by far one the best new feature for my money. This offsite backup capability for .mac account holders is useful for businesses that do not have any other offsite backup in place. When the backup command is selected, there is an option to back up to disk, or to .mac. The user also has the option to back up only the company file which saves on storage space. I have to say that I am having problems with this new feature, and had hoped to have it solved before posting this review. My workaround right now is to back my company file up to disc, then open .mac and upload the file from there. My past experience with this company on issues like this is that they are eventually taken care of. It could be that there is a conflict on my end as well. I've yet to sign up for a support plan, but will be doing so.
iCal integration is a great tool for people who use iCal on a regular basis. One advantage I can see to this is if the user has a customer that is historically late with payments. Publishing the invoice to iCal will bring up a reminder to contact the customer when the invoice is due. Other reminders such as bill payments and recording recurring transactions can also be sent to iCal just by selecting the checkbox in the open window.
New Payroll features include better sick leave and vacation tracking, and auto calculating the same. This is a great feature both the payroll clerk and employee will benefit from.
Statements have been updates to be more customizable. This is a great new feature, as in prior versions the statements could be confusing to some customers who did not pay their entire invoice in full.
The Command Center has a new look. It's OK, not really necessary but nice to see. Also added to the command center is a feature called Task Drawer. It is a slide out window controlled by a button on the bottom right edge of the Command Center. The Task Drawer holds a list of the most common functions the user can customize to his or her specific tasks.
The W-2 and W-3 function in AccountEdge 2008 is greatly improved from earlier versions of the software. Using Forms Viewer, the user can now print plain paper copies of these forms, eliminating the need to purchase costly pre-printed forms from third party vendors.
There are other new features in AccountEdge 2008 that can improve productivity once the user becomes familiar with them. Command +N now bring up new, accounts, jobs, invoices, depending on the window the user is working in. Previously this command would only bring up a new window. If you are using direct deposit for payroll, you can now email pay-stubs to the employees, saving on printing.
MYOB offers it's Accounting 101 tutorial for people who are just starting out, or need a refresher course in Accounting. I would recommend that anyone who is considering this software be somewhat familiar with standard accounting practices, however.
New customers can take advantage of an online training webinar. For a fee, MYOB offers Full Service Payroll, Credit Card Processing, Direct Deposit, eFiling, and Vendor Payment services. I've not tried any of these, but I can see how they would make sense for a small business that doesn't want to spend a lot of time taking care of these types of tasks.
If you are running Leopard (OS 10.5) make sure all your software updates have been downloaded and installed., including 10.5.1. Also helpful is the latest version of stuffit expander 12.0.1 Once MYOB AccountEdge is installed, choose check for updates from your MYOB products under the help menu, download and install. Ancillary programs such as Forms Viewer need to be updated the same way, by looking under the help menu. Make sure the most current tax tables are loaded by choosing that feature once the program is fully installed and updated.
I hear a lot of complaining about paid support plans, and read about problems with them on the message boards. I'd like to speak up in defense of paid support plans. In one sense it is no different from purchasing AppleCare for hardware products. It's there if you need it, and hopefully you don't. Also, the company has to have staff on hand for those who do need help with the software. I imagine there are a percentage of users who know little about accounting and use the support plans for reasons other than software glitches. That said, when comparing cost of ownership including the support plan over a three year period, between QuickBooks and MYOB, MYOB offers the best value for money.
There is a user discussion board accessible through the MYOB site. I have found it useful to read through some of the discussions. One thread recently reported that networked machines on Leopard using file-connect have noticed an improvement is speed. Speed has been an issue since the introduction of the Networked version of AccountEdge, so I'm glad to see that has been improved upon.
A trial version of this software is available for 30 days, and support is free for the first 30 days.
MYOB offers a free Accountant's Version of the software to qualified users.
MYOB AccountEdge and AccountEdge Network Edition 2008 version 8 System Requirements
Minimum requirements for full installation:
'Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later
'PowerMac G3 or later with at least 128 MB RAM
'100MB of available Hard Disk space for program installation. 245MB for full installation
'Average of 35 MB additional HD space for each company file maintained with MYOB AccountEdge
'1024x768 screen resolution running thousands of colors
Help System, Payroll Updates and Business Services:
'Internet access required for payroll updates and forms, as well as Internet-based Business Services
'Safari or Firefox
'QuickTime 5.0 or higher
Networking Requirements:
'AccountEdge Network Edition recommended for multi-user networking
'G5 processor or better with at least 1 GB RAM
'100BaseT or faster Ethernet network
Microsoft Office connection requires:
'Microsoft Word® X and 2004
'Microsoft Excel® X and 2004
Intel-Based Mac Compatibility:
'AccountEdge v7 and above will run natively on both Intel-based and PowerPC Macs.
1. Mac OS X 10.4 or later is required for syncing with Mac Address Book. 2. (UNIX File System) formatted hard drives are not supported
MyMac rating on this product is 4.5 out of 5.

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