ASYST International SA, the sole distributor for Access Accounts in southern Africa, today announced details of two forthcoming enhancements to its SQL Server solutions: in-built business alerts and the closest-ever integration with Microsoft Office.
Both enhancements provide new ways of viewing and interacting with information held in the accounts, while maintaining the security and integrity of the accounts database; and both are delivered by Access as part of its standard software suite.
Executive desktop business alerts
The first enhancement is an extension of the company`s business intelligence system, Executive Desktop. This was first released in 2002 and makes pre-formatted, real-time business reports available to every authorised member of staff.
Traditionally, these reports have either been accessed from within the accounts application itself, or via a simple desktop menu. They are now being combined with e-mail messaging to provide a fully automated business alert system. Alert e-mails containing relevant Executive Desktop reports are sent to staff whenever significant events occur, such as customers exceeding their credit limits or items going out of stock.
The user is free to decide which types of event trigger the alerts and precisely who receives them. This makes them ideal for improving and prioritising workflow, and helps to facilitate management by exception.
The closest-ever Microsoft Office integration
Many business systems allow data to be exchanged with Microsoft Office applications, but there are normally severe restrictions and integration of this kind is generally used for routine maintenance of static (non-auditable) data. Access now offers a much greater level of integration, making far better use of the additional facilities and functionality that Microsoft Office provides. Two aspects are particularly innovative: Outlook Today and Excel Templates.
Outlook Today
Integration with Outlook Today is completely new. It has long been possible to customise Outlook Today to display items such as e-mail folders or calendars. This same screen can now be used to view and interact (in real-time) with data held in the accounts. The options available include:
* Authorising purchase orders for issue.
* Approving invoice register items for posting.
* Confirming payments to suppliers.
* Processing recurring journals.
* Putting customers on or off stop.
* Progressing the status of sales orders.
Clicking on an activity reveals details of the task, along with all the functionality needed to complete it. For example, PIR Authorisation gives the user a personalised list of their unauthorised invoices and the option of approving or rejecting them, all within a pop-up window in Outlook Today.
Excel templates
Access has also introduced a number of configurable Excel templates. These can be used to post new transactions into the accounts, making them ideal for companies that wish to build their own transaction forms. Templates are available for different transaction types, including timesheets and nominal journals.
This level of integration is ideal for staff that need access to accounts information and functionality but are not full-time accounts users. Additionally, and most important, is that by enabling these staff to operate outside the accounts, through Microsoft Office, licensing costs are reduced significantly.
"These enhancements reflect Access Accounting`s continuing commitment to making high-quality information available to accounts and non-accounts staff alike, in whichever format is most intuitive, cost-effective and productive for the individual user," commented Paul Marketos, Managing Director of ASYST International. "Access continues to develop solutions that drive efficiency in the organisation, continually demonstrating how IT can improve profitability."
For further information, please contact Justine Morgan, marketing manager, ASYST International SA (Pty) Ltd: tel (011) 622 0112, fax (011) 622 0124, e-mail jmm@asyst.co.za
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