Run the Program
- The program runs by clicking the "Subs" button on the Sage Line 50 Invoice module tool bar, as shown below.
- Alternatively you can select "Adept Tools" and then "Subsciptions" from the Windows Start Button / Programs Menu.
How the Sage 50 Subscriptions Addon works:
The window can be resized by dragging the corners or edges. The status bar at the bottom of the window will display a progress bar when the program is busy. When the program is idle, the number of Customers, Subscribers and Invoices to be created is displayed.
Colours
Subscribers are coloured blue and Subscibers that the program is about to create an Invoice for are coloured pink.
Sorting the List
When the widow is first displayed the list will be sorted by Renewal Date. To sort the list by any othe column click the column heading. A second click on a column heading will reverse the direction of the sort.
Searching for a Customer
- Type in 3 characters from the Customers Name or Account Reference and a list of matches will appear.
- You can refine the list by typing in more characters.
- Select the required Customer on the entry in the list or by scrolling up and down with the cursor keys and hitting Enter when the required Customer is highlighted.
- If there is only one customer in the list you can just hit enter to select it.
- N.B. the search is not case sensitive and spaces are ignored.
The following screenshot shows the effect of typing in DES
Customer Box
- The Account Reference and Name of the currently selected Customer is displayed here.
A/C Status, Sub Type or Department Box
- The current customer's Subscription Type is displayed here.
- N.B. The title of this box will change according to which Subscription Type Field was selected in the Options dialog (see below)
- When the Update button is pressed, this box will turn white and a drop down arrow will appear to allow you to select a new Subscription Type.
Start Date
- This box will display the Subscription Start Date for the current Customer.
- When the Update button is pressed, this box will turn white and a drop down arrow will appear to allow you to select a new date.
Update Button
- Click this button to update the Subscription details for the currently selected Customer.
- The two fields that can be updated will turn white and the captions of the Update and Menu buttons will change to Cancel and Save.
- When you have made the appropriate changes click the Save button to save them or the Cancel button to abandon them.
- When you have pressed either the Cancel or Save button their captions and usage will revert to Update and Menu.
Menu Button
- Press this button to display the program's Menu (this is discussed in more detail below)
Run Button
- Click this button to run the Invoice Creation Routine
Exit Button
- Click this button to close the program down.
The Customer List
The main part of the window displays a list of all your Customers.
| The columns in the Customer list are: |
| A/C Ref |
The Customer's sales ledger Account Reference. |
| Name |
The Customer's Name |
| Type |
The Subscription Type Code |
| Start |
The Subscription Start Date. |
| Renew |
The Subscription Renewal Date. |
| Invoice |
The Invoice Number of the last Invoice created by the program for this Customer |
Program Menu
To show the Subscriptions program's menu click the "Menu" button
- Refresh
- Run
- Types
- Options
- Data Path
- User Name
- Licence
- About
- Help
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Refresh Menu Option
- Select this option to refresh the Customer list.
- All the drop down lists used by the program will also be refreshed.
Options Menu Option
- Select this to display the Program's Options dialog.
(Discussed in the 'Subscription Program's Option' section below)
Run Menu Option
- Select this option to run the Invoice Creation Routine.
(Discussed in the 'Invoice Creation Routine' section below)
Types Menu Option
- Select this option to display the Subscription Types maintenance dialog. (Discussed in the 'Subscription Types' section below).
Data Path Menu Option
- Select this option to display the Data Path dialog. (See Installation section below)
User Name Menu Option
- Select this option to display the User Name and Password dialog. (See Installation section below).
Licence Menu Option
- Select this option to display the Licence dialog. (See Installation section below)
About Menu Option
- Select this option to display information about the program.
Help Menu Option
- Select this option to display this help document.
- The document viewer window may be resized by dragging it's edges or corners with the mouse.
- To print the document click on the Print button which is located in the top left hand corner of the viewer window.
Set the Subscription Program's Options
To show the Program Options dialog click the "Menu" button and select "Options" from the pop up menu
Last Run Date
- The Last Run Date box is maintained by the program and shows the date that the Invoice Creation routine was last run.
- The Invoice Creation routine can be run by selecting "Run" from the menu.
- It can also be run at regular intervals if the program is set up as a scheduled job using Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
- The procedure for doing this is described later on in this document
Subscription Type Field
The Subscription Type Field defines the field in the Line 50 Customer record that holds the Subscription Type Code. Select which of the fields you want to use by clicking the down arrow at the right hand end of the "Subsciptions Type Field" box.
The available options are:
ACCOUNT_STATUS
This option links the Subscription Type to Line 50's Account Status field. Subscription Type Codes must be a two digit number from 01 to 99. You can still use the Account Status field for it's intended purpose as well. However, the downside is that if you change a customer's status to e.g. Exceeded Credit Limit (On Hold) you will effectively cease the customer's subscription until they are switched back to the status that matches their Subscription Type code.
DEPT_NUMBER
This option links the Subscription Type to Line 50's Department Number field. Subscription Type Codes must be a three digit number from 001 to 999. You would use this option if you have already grouped your customers into Departments using the Line 50 Department Number and each department has a single Subscription Type that should be applied to it's members.
CREDIT_BUREAU
This option uses the Credit Bureau field to hold the Subscription Type Code. Codes must be a two digit number from 02 to 99. Code 01 is reserved for "No Subscription". You should only use this field if you are not using the field for real Credit Bureaus. It is designed to be used in conjunction with Subscription Start Field LAST_CREDIT_REV and Last Invoice Field CREDIT_REFERENCE although this is not mandatory. When you create a subscription type the program will add the type to the Credit Bureau dropdown list for you. This makes it easy to select a subscription type when you are updating a customer record in Line 50.
ANALYSIS_1
This option uses the spare Customer field Analysis_1 to hold the Subscription Type Code. Type Codes must be 3 upper case alpha numeric (A-Z or 0-9) characters long. Although you can maintain this field from within Line 50, you will find it easier to use the Update facility built into the Subscriptions program. N.B. The same Analysis field can be used for the Subscription Type, Subscription Start and Last Invoice fields which will leave you with two Analysis fileds that can be used for other purposes.
ANALYSIS_2
See the notes for Analysis_1 above.
ANALYSIS_3
See the notes for Analysis_1 above.
Subscription Start Field
The Subscription Start Field defines the field in the Line 50 Customer record that holds the Subscription Start Date. Select which of the fields you want to use by clicking the down arrow at the right hand end of the "Subsciptions Start Field" box.
The available options are:
ACCOUNT_OPENED
This option causes the program to refer to the Account Opened field to find the Subscription Start Date. This field is not automatically updated by the program when it creates an Invoice for this Customer as it is likely that you will want to retain the date that the account was actually opened on. If necessary the program will work out the current period's Start and Renewal dates based on the anniverary of the Account Opened date. N.B. If you change the Start date using the Update feature of this program the new Start Date will be held in whichever Analysis field you have selected for the Last Invoice Date. In this case the Account Opened date for this Customer will be ignored by the program.
LAST_CREDIT_REV
This option uses the Last Credit Review field to hold the Subscription Start Date. This field will be automatically updated by the program when it creates an Invoice for this Customer. It is designed to be used in conjunction with Subscription Type Field CREDIT_BUREAU and Last Invoice Field CREDIT_REFERENCE although this is not mandatory.
ANALYSIS_1
This option uses the spare Customer field Analysis_1 to hold the Subscription Start Date. The Date is held in DD/MM/YYYY format. This field will be automatically updated by the program when it creates an Invoice for this Customer. N.B. The same Analysis field can be used for the Subscription Type, Subscription Start and Last Invoice fields which will leave you with two Analysis fields that can be used for other purposes.
ANALYSIS_2
See the notes for Analysis_1 above.
ANALYSIS_3
See the notes for Analysis_1 above.
Last Invoice Field
The Last Invoice Field defines the field in the Line 50 Customer record that holds the Last Subscription Invoice Number for the Customer. Select which of the fields you want to use by clicking the down arrow at the right hand end of the "Last Invoice Field" box.
The available options are:
CREDIT_REFERENCE
This option uses the Credit Reference field to hold the Last Subscription Invoice Number. This field will be automatically updated by the program when it creates an Invoice for this Customer. It is designed to be used in conjunction with Subscription Type Field CREDIT_BUREAU and Subscription Start Field LAST_CREDIT_REV although this is not mandatory.
ANALYSIS_1
This option uses the spare Customer field Analysis_1 to hold the Last Subscription Invoice Number for the Customer. This field will be automatically updated by the program when it creates an Invoice for this Customer. N.B. The same Analysis field can be used for the Subscription Type, Subscription Start and Last Invoice fields which will leave you with two Analysis fields that can be used for other purposes.
ANALYSIS_2
See the notes for Analysis_1 above.
ANALYSIS_3
See the notes for Analysis_1 above.
Search Customer Name
- Tick the Search Customer Name box to enable the program's high speed search facilities.
- If this box is not ticked, you will need to type in the Customer's Account Reference to find their record.
- Alternatively, you could just scroll up and down in the list till you find them.
Min Search Length
- The Minimum Search Length is the number of characters from a Customer's Name or Account Reference that you need to type before the program will display a list of matches.
- If you have a large number of customers, you may need to increase this in order to decrease the number of matches found when the list is first displayed.
- The list is refined as you type additional characters. However, if the first list is very large it may take some time to display.
- The default value is 3.
Invoice Date is
- Select whether you want to use the invoice creation date or the start date of the new subscription period as the invoice date.
Subcription Types
To show the Subscription Types dialog click the "Menu" button and select "Types" from the pop up menu
Any Subscription Types that you have already set up are listed at the top of the dialog. To select a Subscription Type you can click on it or scroll up and down with the cursor keys. When you have selected a Subscription Type all it's details are displayed in the section below the list.
The dialog can be enlarged by dragging the edges or corners.
Add Button
- Press the Add button to add a new Subscription Type.
- All the fields will turn white to indicate that they can be updated.
- The Save button will be enabled and the Exit button will turn into a Cancel button.
- Enter the Subscription Type and its details and then press the Save button to save the record or the Cancel button to abandon it.
Update Button
- Click the Update button to update the selected Subscription Type.
- All the fields except for the Subscrion Type Code will turn white to indicate that they can be updated.
- The Save button will be enabled and the Exit button will turn into a Cancel button.
- Amend the Subscription Type's details as required and then press the Save button to save the record or the Cancel button to abandon your changes.
Delete Button
- Press the Delete button to delete the selected Subscription Type. You will be asked to confirm the deletion before it is carried out.
Exit Button
- Press the Exit button to close down the Subscription types dialog.
A/C Status, Sub Type or Department Box
- Select or enter the Subscription Type Code here.
- N.B. The title of this box will change according to which Subscription Type Field was selected in the Options dialog.
Months Box
- The length of time between renewals in months is entered here by pressing the up and down spinner arrows.
Description Box
- Enter a description of the Subscription Type.
Net Amount Box
- Enter the amount to be charged for this Subscription Type excluding any VAT.
T Box
- Select the Tax Code here by pressing the up and down spinner arrows.
Tax Amount Box
- Enter the amount of VAT to be charged for this Subscription Type.
Details Box
- Enter the description that should be posted to the Sales Ledger here.
Nominal Code Box
- Select the Nominal Code that the Invoice should be posted to from the drop down list.
- If you select "Customer Default" the Customer's default Nominal Code will be used.
Department Box
- Select the Department Number that the Invoice should be posted to from the drop down list.
- If you select "Customer Default" the Customer's default Department Number will be used.
- N.B. if you are using the Department Number as the Subscription Type Code this box will not appear.
Invoice Type Box
Select the type of invoice that you want the program to create from the drop down list. The available options are:
- Service Invoice
- Service Proforma
- Service Quote
- Product Invoice
- Product Proforma
- Product Quote
Days in Advance Box
- If you want the Invoice to be created before the renewal date is reached select the number of days in advance by pressing the up and down spinner arrows.
- If you select zero the invoice will not be created until the actual renewal date
Product Code Box
- This box will only appear if you have selected Product Invoice, Product Quote or Product Proforma in the Invoice Type box.
- Enter the Product Code that you have setup for this Subscription Type.
Product Name Box
- This box will only appear if you have selected Product Invoice, Product Quote or Product Proforma in the Invoice Type box.
- When you have entered a valid product code the Product Description will appear here.
- N.B. if the product description contains %F or %T the program will replace them with the Subscription From and To dates when the invoice is created. The To date is calculated to be the day before the next renewal date.
Invoice Text Box
- This box will only appear if you have selected Service Invoice, Service Quote or Service Proforma in the Invoice Type box.
- Enter the text to be used in the Invoice.
- N.B. if the text contains %F or %T the program will replace them with the Subscription From and To dates when the invoice is created.
- The To date is calculated to be the day before the next renewal date.
Invoice Creation Routine
- Run the Invoice Creation Routine by clicking the Run button or selecting the Run option from the Menu.
- Invoices will be created for all Customers whose renewal date falls within the number of days specified in the "Days in Advance" field for the Customer's Subscription Type.
- To allow for the Invoice Creation Routine not being run every day the Program will back date it's decision to the date that the Invoice Creation Routine was last run (as held in the Options dialog) and then include all invoice that fall due for creation from the Last Run date to the current date (inclusive).
- You can tell which customer's will have an invoice created before you run the routine because they will be coloured pink in the customer list.
Setting the program up to run at regular Intervals
The program can be run at regular intervals using the scheduler that is built into Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
- Go to Windows Control Panel / Scheduled Tasks / Add Scheduled Task
- The Add Scheduled Task Wizard will start. Click Next to continue.
- Select "Subscriptions (Auto Run)" in the list and click Next.
- Select frequency e.g. Daily and click Next.
- Select the time of day to run the program and click Next.
- Select a Windows Username and Password to run the program under and click Finish.
N.B. The Subscriptions (Auto Run) shortcut adds the -A switch to Line50su.exe in the command line. This switch causes the program to automatically run the Invoice Creation Routine and then shut down. All messages are routed to the Windows Application Events Log.The program will also create a log entry for every Invoice that it creates.
N.B. To use the Windows Scheduler your computer must be set up to use passwords. (Video Tutorials - coming soon!)
Simple and Straightforward
Installation of the Subscriptions add on for Sage Line 50 / Sage 50 is simple and straightforward and should take no more than a few minutes. Comprehensive step-by-step instructions are provided.
Prior to installation you will need to:
- Ensure that you have installed all the appropriate patches and updates from the Sage update site for your version of Sage (comprehensive notes are provided with the download)
- Obtain from Sage a Serial and Activation key to enable '3rd Party Integration'.
Notes and telephone numbers are provided with the download but Sage will want to know the main serial number for your copy of Sage and the version number - found by going to Sage 50,'s HELP / ABOUT menu option.
N.B. The same 3rd Party Integration keys can be used for all addons that require them
- A fully functional 30 day free trial of Sage 50 Subscriptions is available
- The trial can be unlocked by purchasing a full licence - you will not loose any settings
- Still got questions? Checkout the FAQ section
| Ref: S50-011 |
Sage 50
Subscriptions Addon |
£69.00
(£79.35 inc VAT) |
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