Sage 50 to 200 migration – Is it your time?

As Sage 50 is the most well known and publicised Sage software product, many users don’t even realise that there is an upgrade path available to them for when they require more from their system. We like to refer to this path as ‘Life beyond Sage 50’ because despite its longevity of use, there is an option in Sage 200 migration that fulfils the demands of growing SMEs. Take our quiz to find out if you’ve outgrown your accounting software.

The reasons to consider a change for the better

In our experience of working with businesses utilising Sage 50, we have identified five key requirements that could spark the desire to migrate to a more capable platform.

1. Connected Users

As Sage 50 is provided on a named user basis, and the fact that it relies upon record locking within its database architecture, some users commonly encounter speed degradation and copious amounts of messages stating ‘record locked – please wait’.

2. Volume of Transactional Data

Many users of Sage 50 have never had any formal training outside of their employer. As such, it is common to find Sage 50 users that, despite upgrading their software version each year, always seem to use the software in the same way that they always have. In many cases failing to realise that they have house-keeping procedures to follow in order to get the most from the software.

Sage 50 does have a realistic limit to how much its database can handle. Therefore, if you have a naturally high volume of transactions it may be time to migrate upwards.

3. Financial Period Control

Sage 50, despite being the country’s leading financial accounting software application, is (under the covers) no more than a database. As such, all of its enquiries and reports are invoked by criteria ranges. Typically, this means the range of ‘from a date to a date’. Therefore, should transactions be entered with incorrect dates then they will fall outside the range being used for reports. Have you ever found transactions at the bottom of your list dated 2028?

If so, one way to combat this is migrate upwards and take advantage of Financial Period Control.

4. Stock Control and Integrated Cost of Sales Analysis

Sage 50 Accounts Plus and Accounts Professional both have features to control the movement of stock through their Products area of the software. However, this is independent to the financial ledgers (valuation, cost of sales, etc.).

Many companies have the need for stock in multiple locations, different units of measure and serial and/or batch traceability, all of which aren’t possible with Sage 50.

5. Foreign Currency

Sure, Sage 50 has the ability to setup both customers and suppliers using a foreign currency. However, in doing so, it also assumes that you will transact with these accounts in the same currency. For example, receive a supplier invoice in Euros but then you want to pay them in Sterling. Sage 50 forces you to manually calculate the exchange and process the transaction as if it had happened in Euros.

If this affects you, then there is yet another reason to consider an upgrade to the next level of software.

The solution – Sage 200 migration

Sage 200 has been developed to ensure that your people and departments can work at maximum efficiency by streamlining your processes, reporting quickly and with ease – giving you one view of your business and its customers. Find out more about Sage 200cloud  or take our quiz to see if you’re ready to migrate to a collaborative ERP platform.