Peachtree automatically assigns sequential invoice numbers at the time the invoices are printed. For this reason, there is typically no need to manually enter a number into the “Invoice No.” field on the Sales/Invoicing screen. One exception is in an event  where you have to manually create an invoice outside of Peachtree and need to record the transaction without printing the invoice.

To change your invoice number format:

Go to Reports & Forms > Invoices and Packing Slips…

Click Preview and Print then enter your newly-formatted invoice number into the field labeled “Number the first invoice“:

For example, let’s say Peachtree assigned invoice numbers 100, 101, 102 to our last three invoices. We want to change the format to ABC###, where “ABC001” is the next invoice number. We simply enter “ABC001” into the “Number the first invoice” field. Peachtree will now number our next three invoices with ABC001, ABC002, ABC003.

Peachtree will continue to use your format to number invoices sequentially, so unless you change your invoice number format, you will not need to manually enter a number again.

Customize Your Customer Management

There are enough new features in the 2010 Peachtree line to warrant an upgrade, especially if you’re a version or two behind. One of these is the new Customer Management Center, available in Peachtree Complete and higher. This screen offers an easy way to manage all of your customer information in one place.To get there, click on Customers & Sales in the Navigation Bar, and then click on the Customer Management tab. Four mini-spreadsheets open, displaying, for example, Sales Invoices, Receipts, and Credit Memos (a fourth lists totals). To see it in action, click the arrow next to Customer ID, and select a customer from the drop-down list. You can change the date range to get another view by clicking the arrow in the box next to Date Range.

Click Customize this page in the narrow horizontal gray band near the top of the screen. This window opens:

Customizing the Customer Management Center is easy. You simply select entries from the left side and click Add, or choose from the list on the left and click Remove to delete.

To add items from the left to your customer display, you simply select them and click Add. If you want to remove any of them, highlight them and click Remove. Then click OK. When you return to the main screen, you’ll find your newly configured layout in place.

Complete Customization

You’ll find additional customization all through Peachtree, things like custom fields and customizable forms and reports. But to get the most out of Peachtree’s modification tools, it’s a good idea to have us help you. We can help you implement the changes that make the most sense to your business, and make Peachtree your own, saving you a lot of time and effort.

An Illuminating Page

If you’re using Peachtree Complete or higher, Business Status page becomes a great asset to your company. This page lays out the key numbers related to your business, in graph and report form, like Customers Who Owe Money and Aged Payables. This maybe where you want to start every business day, as it allows you to easily see changes and progress.

Like the Shortcuts pane, this feature is customizable. Simply click the Business Status button in the Navigation Bar. Then click the Customize this page link, which is located in the thin gray horizontal bar at the top right of the screen.

You’ll see a window like this:

Peachtree’s Business Status page displays key financial data that the program tracks. You can modify the layout and content of this page to better meet your needs.

There are eight blocks of data that can be displayed on the Business Status page. You can add and delete these by checking and unchecking boxes, and change their order by clicking Move Up and Move Down. (Displaying the maximum number of reports and graphs may cause the page to display more slowly.)

You can also customize the critical Account Balances report, as shown here:

You can customize the Account Balances report on the Business Status page to include or exclude specific accounts, and to alter other elements on the display.

Now that you have suffered through winter, you know that March signals the beginning of spring cleaning. Peachtree’s interface has always been understandable and easily applied, but a little tweaking can make your daily accounting tasks easier and faster. Read part one of the series…

Savvy Shortcuts

Peachtree software uses a standard Windows menu system that can get you where you’re going quickly. There are better options, though. For example, the Navigation Bar, located on the left side of the screen, divides the program’s tasks by category, like Customers & Sales.

But you may want to break it down further by individual tasks themselves. That’s where Shortcuts, located directly below the category links, come in. Peachtree installs a default set, but they are highly customizable.

To get started, click the Customize link next to Shortcuts. This window opens:

To add a Shortcut, click Add a Shortcut. A menu opens outlining the primary functions in the program, like Reports and Inventory & Services. Scroll over one, and a sub-menu pops out containing a list of tasks in that area, like Bills – Enter Bill. Click on the one(s) you want, and you’ll be returned to the main window.

Here, you can modify your list in a number of ways, by clicking on icons to rename or delete your Shortcuts, move them up or down, and insert spaces between them. When you’re done, click OK and choose to save the new configuration if you’ve changed it.

Check out Part II and Part III of this three-part series.

As part of the purging process that often occurs around this time of year you make a backup in case you later need to access detailed records. Of course this presents some challenges. Backups take several steps to restore and you have to be careful where you place them on your network. Also, you can mistakenly modify data in a restored backup or make new entries that should be made in your live company file.

Peachtree Premium Accounting and Peachtree Quantum offer an option that simplifies this process and eliminates the potential for mistakes: Archive Company. This function allows you to easily access and review data in an archived company by selecting File > Open Archived Company. The archive allows you to run reports, see detailed transactions, and get Financial Statements all based on the data as it was when you made the archive. What’s more, you won’t have to worry about erroneously modifying archive company data because archives can’t be edited. To create an archive, select File > Archive Company or use the Archive option in the Year End Wizard.

The start of a new year is one of the best times to purge data from your Peachtree company. More specifically, the best time to purge is after you close the fiscal and/or payroll tax year. This is a healthy practice that reduces the size of files that make up your Peachtree company, and generally makes it easier to work with.

The Purge Wizard will guide you through the purge process, letting you decide the type and age of records to be purged. During the Purge wizard, you will be required to make a backup before you begin purging. In fact, Peachtree recommends that you make two backups, one for current reference and one to be stored in a secure location for emergency needs.

To begin the purge process, select Tasks from the Peachtree menu bar, then System > Purge Wizard. The Purge Wizard Welcome Screen will display and you will be guided through each step of the process.

Note: The purge process gives you the ability to stop the purge at any time and to resume at the same point when time permits. However, if the process is stopped, some remaining transactions or maintenance records may not have been purged.

When the purge process has been completed, you can click the Log button to verify what was purged.

So what are these business advantages being promoted? I will outline these advantages tagging them as being financial, technical or operational.

1. Low Initial Investment (Financial): – The biggest complaint with Traditional-On-The-Premise software is the upfront cost. This usually is the total cost of the software, annual maintenance and support, and the cost to implement the software. For small and mid-sized companies this can be the deal breaker. With the SaaS model, companies rent the use of the software usually in the form of a monthly per user. Annual maintenance and support included.
2. Decrease time to deployment (Technical): – Traditional-On-The-Premise software requires quite a bit of resources ( hardware, software, security, technical personnel) that may not be readily available to small and mid-size businesses. With the SaaS model this is all left to the SaaS provider who since this is their business will have your solution deployed in hours rather than days or weeks. An underlying benefit of this advantage is that small or mid-size businesses can focus more on their business process rather than the technology side.
3. Accessibility (Operational): – Unlike Traditional-On-The-Premise software, which requires that a user to be on site or use such technologies as Terminal Services to access the software, SaaS is accessed and delivered via the internet thus making it use anytime and anywhere.
4. Reduced Technical Resources (Financial):- Let’s face it one of the biggest expenses facing small to mid-size companies is that of maintaining their technical resources which supports their Traditional-On- The-Premise software. SaaS solves this since the applications are housed in a state-of-the-art data center maintained by qualified personnel and to which their services are covered in the monthly subscriptions.
5. Access to the latest innovations (Operational):- With Traditional-On-The-Premise software, you typically have to wait for the next release to benefit from the latest innovations. Given the cost and complexity of moving to a new version, it may not even be practical to upgrade each time a new release becomes available. With a SaaS subscription, on the other hand, you benefit from innovations on an on-going basis. As soon as a new or improved feature appears in the application, you can begin using it.
6. Platform Independence (Technical):- SaaS based solutions are hosted centrally with the service provider. No software to be installed at the customer’s premises. The software can be accessed via the Internet. On Demand applications can be used by Windows, Linux or Mac users, providing true platform independence.
7. Focus IT initiatives (Financial/Operational):- With an outsourced IT resource SaaS substantially takes the burden off your IT staff in managing upgrades, troubleshooting problems for third party software applications. This help companies to direct their limited in-house IT resources towards more focused business oriented initiatives. It also means that this cost savings from using SaaS applications can be flat out saved, or reallocated to boost productivity through other services.

Backing up your data is not something that is at the top of your list, but it should be.  It’s something you know you should do but you may pass it off as an optional task that can always be done later. Here are five reasons why you should start backing up your files and what you can do to start backing up your data in minutes.

1. Recreating what you’ve lost

   Without a backup system you may have to re-enter all of the data because your files have gone corrupt. Having a backup solution means less headaches and the potential to be ready for that next opportunity.

2. Viruses and Trojans are on the rise

   With roughly 10-25 new computer viruses discovered per month, it becomes almost impossible to protect data with an antivirus alone. It is always great to have a plan B (your backup solution) so in the event of data loss, you’re not faced with a catastrophe.

3. Data recovery is expensive

   If your hard drive fails (it happens more often than we’d like to think), data recovery services can run in the hundreds of thousands. By having a backup solution, you lessen your expenses by having your own means of recovering your data.

4. Storage is cheap

   If you opt for on-site backup (on your premises), there are external drives that cost a few cents per GB. However, on-site backups shouldn’t be your only solution as they do not protect your data in the event of a flood or fire (which brings me to reason number 5).

5. There are free or low cost online backup services

   Sometimes having an on-site backup is the first step but it may not be enough. Fires, floods and even theft can thwart your efforts to backup your data. By having your data stored at a secure, online backup service, you can give yourself some confidence that you have another option in the unfortunate event that either of the above occurs.

Having a backup solution is critical for survival in a technology era. Computers failing, hitting that delete button accidentally and nature’s unpredictability are all reasons to consider a backup, and with viruses on the rise and the decrease in the cost to backup your data, why not start now?

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