Join the Sage ERP Accpac 6.0
Controlled Release Program

We are now recruiting partners to participate in the Controlled Release program for Sage ERP Accpac Version 6.0 and we would like you and some of your customers to join today. The scheduled Controlled Release start date is mid-October 2010. With your help, we are sure to ship a high quality product

Note: To ensure we provide an excellent customer experience, we are limiting the number of applicants that will be selected.

What is the
Controlled Release Program
Discover the Details,
Benefits & Requirements

What is the Controlled Release Program?

Sage ERP Accpac version 6.0 is well on its way towards General Availability. We have completed Alpha and Beta testing cycles. Controlled Release is the next step in our endeavor to continue the successful tradition of launching a high quality release on time. Controlled Release software is ready for "real world" environments as it has gone through the rigors of internal and external testing. The ideal candidates for Controlled Release are customers that can leverage the new features and will be excited to put them to work in their business.

Participating in the Controlled Release program gives you the opportunity to get up to speed on the new release, and assist your customers who will benefit from early adoption of the new features and enhancements. It will also give you the chance to provide feedback directly to Sage, building strong relationships and sharing your expertise. You will also gain comprehensive insight into how to introduce new functionality to your customers and prospects resulting in higher upgrade and new revenue sales.

Program Details, Benefits, and Requirements

Benefits |
Enhancements |
Partner Requirements |
Key Milestones and Dates |
Customer Profile |
Sage Commitments

Benefits

Be the first in your industry to upgrade to the new Sage ERP Accpac 6.0 program. Participating in the Controlled Release program provides you with early access to the newest Sage ERP Accpac product. We have validated the effectiveness of this product through rigorous rounds of testing internally and externally. Sage is committed to ensuring that the Participants in the Controlled Release program have a smooth, and as seamless as possible, experience converting to the new Sage ERP Accpac 6.0 Version.

For Customers:

For Partners:

Customers participating in the Controlled Release Program will receive:*

Dedicated Support Analysts for Controlled Release calls
Exclusive phone number for Support
Calls to Support will be routed to a Senior or higher level Support Analyst
Controlled Release Project Manager dedicated to the program
Upon successful completion of the Controlled Release program, you have your choice of:
- 5 support cases used within 3 months starting at the end of the Controlled Release program, including phone, chat, and e-mail support
- Free Real-time class registration for Sage Accpac Intelligence courses for 3 people from your organization (offer valid for Intermediate and Advances courses).**

Participants in

Beta OR Controlled Release

1.5 Tier Credit on the first 3 New Customer Sales within 3 months of the product release *

Beta & Controlled Release

Double Tier Credit on the first 3 New Customer Sales within 3 months of the product release *

Exclusive phone number for Support
Calls to Support will be routed to a Senior or higher level Support Analyst
Free Real-time class registration for Sage Accpac Intelligence courses for 3 people from your organization (offer valid for Intermediate and Advances courses).**

* Tier credit incentives are valid for North American Partners only.

** Real Time courses offer expires 3 months after Controlled Release ends

Enhancements

Sage ERP Accpac Version 6.0 Enhancements

Portal

Simplified navigation helping you achieve more in less time
Access any Sage ERP Accpac screen using an Internet Explorer Browser
New tools help you retrieve information from Sage ERP Accpac in a faster and more efficiently way so you can focus your time managing your business rather than focusing on designing or modifying Crystal Reports
Easier to learn, especially for new users. It takes less steps to access any Sage ERP Accpac screen
Be better informed and become more productive by personalizing your Portal Home Page layout and Shortcut bar
Multi-tab functionality inside of Sage ERP Accpac allows you to switch back and forth between screens or documents to simply validate or enter data simultaneously
Learn any new Sage ERP Accpac feature faster than ever using the Getting Started snapshot

Snapshots

Run your business better by using fully configurable and interactive Financial Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
Open any report from your Home Page using the Snapshot drill down capabilities for Aged Receivables, Aged Payables, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Days Sales Outstanding and Days Payables Outstanding.
Change the configuration of any snapshot to fit the needs of your department or company
Add more snapshots with different configurations to your Home Page to do side-by-side analysis or comparison
Change your Home Page layout by simply dragging and dropping snapshots
Remove snapshots from your Home Page to gain screen real estate
Print any snapshot to share or analyze certain results
Find help and answers by accessing any User Assistance link right on your Home Page

Inquiry

Expand your reporting possibilities by easily creating public or private queries in AR, AP and GL
Narrow your search results by using unlimited filters
Export query results to Excel for further analysis
Save, Load, Edit or refresh existent queries
Create PDF, .rpt, CSV or Excel reports immediately
Sort results to facilitate analysis and locate a record by clicking the header column
Group records by field before exporting
Show summary measures like min, max, average and total summary for all queries
Use the Sage ERP Accpac predefined templates to help you get started
With the action buttons, add and remove fields from your query to customize the query view to fit your needs

Locking Fiscal Periods

Most requested enhancement request by our customers

Lock each Fiscal Period per module for any given Fiscal Year
Leave all fiscal periods and modules open for posting
Close all fiscal periods and modules for posting

Grid Control set by row, per column or entire Fiscal Period can be locked down with one click
Flow through of transactions to other module. (New Behavior)

Example: GL is locked but AP is not. Posting will be allowed in AP, and a batch will be able to be generated to GL. It will error out when attempting to post in GL when that module is still locked.

Reduce your TCO by avoiding getting many unwanted postings that need additional work to reverse.

SageCRM Integration

Enhanced SageCRM Quote-to-Order workflow for SageCRM Users

Orders can be created from a Quote or from the Company or Order summary page

Easy to use quotes and orders entry forms to increase user productivity
Save time by creating new quotes or orders in one simple step without having to create an Opportunity first
Reduce your TCO by eliminating the use of Sage ERP Accpac user licenses when creating a quote or order from SageCRM
Promote multiple quotes to an Order within the same Opportunity
Create a quote or order for any A/R Customer or non-existent Customer
Review the Quote Summary which displays a listing of all Quotes for an Opportunity
Choose which Quotes should be included in the Opportunity Total
Review in one screen how much has been ordered, shipped and invoiced

Partner Requirements

All Sage Accpac Partners are eligible to apply. Each partner must commit to bringing one customer into the controlled release program. Space is limited. Sage will review all applications and determine which partners and customers will be accepted into the program. We need participants from a variety of industries to take the software through real-world testing with unique and larger data structures. All associated partner fees must be negotiated with your customer.

Requirements for participation include:

Complete and return the controlled release application
If accepted, sign and return the non-disclosure agreement, attend the controlled release kick-off webcast, attend Anytime Learning Training prior to the controlled release start date
Advise Sage controlled release contact, Raji Dhillon at raji.dhillon@sage.com of the scheduled installation date, and when the installation has been completed
Complete installation at the customer's site by October 28, 2010
Customer site is running live on controlled release build by October 29, 2010
Open controlled release customer support cases by phone when issues occur, and provide as much detail as possible in the case (i.e., specific steps to duplicate)
Support your customer in setup and issues that arise during the controlled release program, with assistance from Sage's Support team

Key Milestones & Dates

Dates

September 24, 2010
Controlled Release Applications forms due to Sage

October 1, 2010
Sage notifies partners & customers that they have been accepted or rejected

October 8, 2010
Non-disclosure agreements due

Week of October 11, 2010
Controlled release kick-off webcast - partners & customers invited

Week of October 18, 2010
Begin controlled release (download or DVD installation)

October 28, 2010
Complete Customer installations

Week of November 29, 2010
End of controlled release program (certificates will be sent to participants)

Customer Profile

We are looking for customers with a variety of system scenarios to participate in this program. Ideal candidates will meet one or more of the following system test requirements:

Currently on a valid Software Assurance plan
Work heavily in the areas that been modified in the Sage ERP Accpac 6.0 Release
Willing to submit a copy of their data so that Sage can perform a test conversion ahead of time, to minimize risk when the Partner performs the live upgrade of the data. The converted data is to be used for the sole purpose of testing by Sage, not as a replacement for the live conversion.

Sage Commitments

Sage values your support in our controlled release program. Our goal is to provide you with a positive controlled release experience. We commit to the following to make this controlled release program a success:

Commitments

All Participants will receive at least one "check-in" call from Sage
Priority Support will be provided by a Senior Support Analyst

Issues that are not resolved by Support will automatically be escalated to Sage ERP Accpac's development team for review
A dedicated phone number will be set up for Support issues for controlled release participants
Controlled Release software has successfully completed a full alpha and beta testing cycle

Note: We need to know all Sage Accpac Developer Partner Products, 3rd party add-ons and customizations to determine eligibility. If a customer has other Sage North America Integrated Solutions or extensive customizations they are NOT immediately disqualified from the program.

Controlled Release Application

Please answer all of the questions. The more information you provide, the better your chances are of being selected as a Controlled Release Participant.

* indicates required field.

Partner Information

Partner ID:*
Contact Name:*
E-mail Address:*
Company:*
Country:*
Phone Number:*

Customer Information

Client ID:*
Contact Name:*
E-mail Address:*
Company:*
Country:*
Province/State:*
Phone Number:*
Number of Users?
Current version of Sage Accpac:*
How long has your business utilized Sage Accpac?
Are you willing to submit a copy of your data to Sage in order to facilitate a quicker review and turn-around of issues that may be encountered?*

Systems and Environment

Which Windows® operating system will your client be using:
Which database engine will your client be using?
Do your clients use Workgroup or Server?
What are your clients Server specifications?
At what speed does your client connect to the Internet?
How much memory (RAM) do your clients computers have?
Is your client on a network?
Do you have remote users from different locations connecting over the Internet?
What type of printer does your client use?
Internet Explorer is required for Sage ERP Accpac 6.0. What version of Internet Explorer is your client using?
What e-mail program does your client use?
What version of Microsoft® Excel® is your client using?

How You Use Sage Accpac

How many companies do you run in Sage Accpac?*
What is the size of your largest database?*

What Modules do you Utilize in you Business

Does your client use Bank Reconciliation*
Does your client use Payroll*
Does your client use Accounts Receivable*
Does your client use Accounts Payable*
Does your client use Optional Fields*
Does your client use Purchase Orders*
Does your client use Inventory*
Does your client use Serial Number Tracking*
Does your client use Lot Tracking*
Does your client use Project Job Costing*
Does your client use RMA*
Does your client use Sage Accpac HRMS*
Does your client use Order Entry*
Does your client use Multicurrency*
Does your client use General Ledger*
Does your client use General Ledger Consolidations*
Does your client use Intercompany*
Does your client use FAS*
Does your client use Alerts & Alerts Server*
Does your client use SageCRM*
Which version of SageCRM does your client have installed?
Does your client use CRM Solo*
Does your client use Unidev AR Inquiry*
Does your client have any Report Customizations?*
Does your client have any Form/Screen Customizations?*

Third Party Products

Does your client use any Sage Accpac Third Party products?*

If you answered No, you are finished. Please click Submit at the bottom of this page.

If you use Sage third-party products created by the following companies,
please provide a list of the products used.

Accellos
Altec
AutoSimply Manufacturing
Greytrix
Iciniti Corporation
MISys
Norming Software International Ltd.
Orchid Business Systems
Pacific Technology Solutions Ltd.
Stonefield Software
Systronics
Technisoft Pty Ltd.
True Commerce EDI
Warehouse Management
Wellspring
Please list any other Sage Accpac Third Party products here:

Testimonials

Here's what our Sage ERP Accpac 5.6 Controlled Release participants had to say about the program:

AXIS Integrated Solutions

The 5.6 deployment has been a huge success for our control release client. We were able to cut implementation time in half. Any issues that came up were resolved in a expedited manner and the client did not experience any interruption in service. This has been the easiest upgrade implementation experience we have experienced. I recommend that clients take advantage of the new features and adopt this implementation as soon as possible.

Kelly Hummel

CER Consultants

The Controlled Release is a great way to actually work with new features and functionalities before the general release of the product. Good way to get a head start.

Collington Rowe

Forepoint LLC

This program makes so much sense on a lot of levels: the product is used by "real" users on "real" data so any issues or problems are discovered before it's rolled out to the masses; the controlled release team was able to monitor on a more intimate basis what was good or bad; it has provided a more solid product that will be released.

Shirley Crocker

Join the Sage ERP Accpac 6.0 Controlled Release Program