Review: Accounting Grows Up

The standard picking process (non-drop ship) has been enhanced to enable users to automatically generate shipments from picking, allow product substitutions and place orders on hold based on a credit check. Comprehensive allocation rules permit users to optionally fill sales orders before transfers, prioritize back orders, fill by order date and order by priority.

Users also have enhanced options, including the ability to specify picking by lot expiration date, exhaust preferred bins first or take oldest inventory first—just several examples of the new methods included in the latest version of the Sage MAS 500 package.

The shipping and packing process has been enhanced to include more bill of lading and packing information, providing tighter integration with the StarShip manifest program. This includes integration of multiple tracking numbers and full package and carton tracking including lot and serial numbers. For existing users on subscription, Sage MAS 500 7.0x will be shipped with the new warehouse management module, whose core capabilities include zones in warehouses, wave and zone picking ability to track quantity by bin and three-step transfers. This module is offered as a free add-on to existing inventory management customers.

The new warehouse automation module provides companies with a wireless solution for tasks such as order picking and cycle counts with direct interaction and validation with Sage MAS 500. The module supports radio frequency communication and uses handheld devices to scan bar codes during standard data entry. It also has a user interface for reconciliation. In addition, it allows users to work offline; the system is automatically updated when the connection goes live. The warehouse automation module enables users to print bar code labels and supports any Windows Mobile 2003 or CE.NET device with a wireless connection.

The package's added features— from new analytics tools to enhanced warehouse automation—combined with the already strong functionality of the base product, make Sage MAS 500 version 7.0x a significant upgrade and a solid fit for medium to large ERP implementations.

Debra Ellis is manager of consulting services at Net@Work, a Sage partner and New York-based provider of technology consulting, applications and hardware.