A trial version of Sage 300 ERP, which we knew for years as ACCPAC, is now available for download from our web site. On the one hand, I’m not sure it’s a great idea to have end users trying to install software (you have to install a database, do some setup, and then install the software). All of this seems complex, but is pretty simple for anyone with basic database knowledge.

We’ve recorded a video with step by step instructions for anyone that would like to install it, and have had good feedback even from users that didn’t consider themselves “technical.” If you have trouble with the download, try the free FTP client WINscp, which you can download from winscp.net.

The request form is located on our website. You will also receive a link to a video that explains how to load the trial version of the product.

The new release of Sage 300 ERP (formerly ACCPAC) has a new feature in the classic interface called Visual Process flows. There are process flows for the major modules and features: Accounts Payable, Purchase Orders, Inventory, Order Entry, etc., as you can see in the screen capture below (click for a closer look).

The process flow for Sales Order entry looks like this (click to enlarge):

In and of themselves, these are interesting. They might help new users or inexperienced clerks find their way around the software. The more interesting thing about these is that they can be edited by users with the right security. Right clicking on one of the process flows brings up options to rearrange, add, remove, and modify the elements of the process flow. This might be an excellent tool for developing internal process flows for sales order entry or accounts receivable posting. Tailored to a particular company, this has some power and promise as a training tool.

Several years ago, we noticed that more and more clients needed ERP software that covered a broad business spectrum.  Ten years ago, we saw businesses that needed simple Order Entry and Inventory software. Lately, we’ve been seeing more and more businesses that combined this with warehouse management, manufacturing, service, and job cost. Our search involved looking at several software products. We ultimately found Microsoft Dynamics NAV (then Navision).

We are happy to host a download of the trial version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013. The request form is located on our website. You will also receive a link to a video that explains how to load the trial version and a booklet with information on evaluation of the product.