Sage Timberline Office

Software Alert 10-S

9.7.0 Accounting Update 2

June 28, 2010

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Release Notes

Download instructions

Audience

This issues may affect you if you use Sage Timberline Office Accounting 9.7.0 and your computer was recently updated with the latest Microsoft updates.

Notes:

  • 9.7.0 Accounting Update 2 is cumulative. It includes the fix for the issues listed below plus all enhancements and fixes from the previous update. If you have not installed Update 1, you can install Update 2 to receive all the fixes in Update 1. If you have installed Update 1, you can install Update 2 now.
  • If you use 9.5.0 or 9.6.0, please refer to Software Alert 10-Q which contains the resolution to this issue for your version. Software Alert 10-Q was sent on Friday, June 25, 2010.

Issue 1

Recent Microsoft updates may cause an error to display after closing Sage Timberline Office Accounting or Estimating 9.7.0 applications and tasks.

Notes:

  • No loss of data has been associated with the errors.
  • Sage Timberline Office 9.4.1 is not affected by these issues.
  • Work-arounds for this issue were described in Software Alert 10-P, sent on June 23, 2010. For a permanent solution, follow the instructions below to install Accounting Update 2 and Estimating Hot Fix 1.
  • For more information, log in to the Customer Portal and refer to Knowledgebase article KB1229.
  • If this issue applies to your company, but you are not the person who downloads and updates Sage Timberline Office updates, please forward this notice to the correct person in your company.

Issue 2

After upgrading to 9.7.0 Accounting Update 1, you may be uUnable to open eFile and reporting tasks in Payroll.

Issue 3

Some binocular and other icons display the word "false" next to icon. 

To determine your software version:

  1. Start a Sage Timberline Office application.
  2. Select Help > About application.
  3. The software version is listed in the window.

Solution

Use Sage Installation Manager to install 9.7.0 Accounting Update 2.

Turn on Automatic Updates

If you turned off automatic updates to work around Issue 1, you can now turn this feature back on:

  1. From the Start menu, select Run, type sysdm.cpl and the press Enter.
  2. On the Automatic Updates tab, select the option Turn on Automatic Updates.
  3. Click OK.

Install an Update with Sage Installation Manager

Beginning with 9.7.0, you can use Sage Installation Manager to streamline the installation of updates on your Accounting server and workstations, or download and install the update manually. Sage Installation Manager enables you to install software updates on numerous workstations from your Accounting server. Learn more

Free Sage University demo of Sage Installation Manager

Things to know before you begin:

  • All workstations and servers must be on the same domain.

  • The account logon you use for Sage Installation Manager must have administrator privilege on the Accounting server and all workstations which will receive updates from it.

  • All servers and workstations on your system must have the same version of Sage Timberline Office (including updates). If you install an update on your server, workstations will not be able to connect to Sage Timberline Office until they have installed the same update.

  • We recommend that you restart your workstations before you install updates on them. You can use Sage Installation Manager to restart workstations from the server.

  • You can use the notification feature to let workstation users know that an update is pending.

  • Typical installations may take several minutes.

  • If an update does not install on a particular workstation, Sage Installation Manager sends a notice to subscribers of Installation Error and logs the error on the Check workstation status pane. The system will then attempt to install the update on the next workstation.

  • You can review a detailed log for each workstation installation on the Check Workstation Status pane.

  • You can learn about the content of an update by clicking it in Manage updates, then clicking [Details]. The Description lists the items and features that are included in the update.

Download the Update to the Server

Updates will be automatically downloaded to your server if you enabled automatic downloads in Change Settings > Downloads.

If you have not enabled automatic downloads, you can manually download an update to your server:

  1. From the Start menu, click Programs > Sage > Installation Manager.
  2. In the Manage Updates window, select the new update and click [Download].
  3. The system sends a message on completion of the download if you set up email notification in Change settings > Email Notifications tab > [Settings].

Notify Workstation Users

After an update has been installed on the server, workstation use is not permitted until the same update has also been installed to the workstations. Send a message to workstation users notifying them that an update is pending, and that they should restart their workstations at a scheduled time.

  1. Click Manage updates > [Send Message]. [Send Message] becomes available when you have selected an update or a workstation.
  2. Type a message; for example, “A new update will be installed on your workstation tonight. Please close all Sage Timberline Office applications before leaving for the day.”

    3. Note: Messages have a 100 character limit.

  3. Select the workstations that you want to receive the message. All available workstations are selected by default.
  4. Click [Send].

Install an Update on the Server

  1. In the Manage updates pane, select the update.
  2. Click [Install Server].
  3. Follow the prompts to install the update.
  4. View the status of the installation in the Updates pane. Select Show Completed to view the status of updates that have been installed on the server and all workstations.
  5. The system sends a message to subscribers of Installation Successful when the update has been installed on the server and workstations.

Restart a Workstation

You can restart a workstation remotely using Sage Installation Manager. We recommend that you communicate with the workstation user prior to restarting their computer.

  1. Select a workstation in the Manage updates pane.
  2. Click [Restart].
  3. Click [OK] when prompted to restart the workstation.
  4. A message is displayed on the selected workstation advising the user to save their work.
  5. After a 30-second delay, the workstation is restarted.

Install an Update on Workstations

We recommend that you check the status of all workstations before installing an update. Open Check workstation status to verify that all available workstations are online.

  1. In the Manage updates pane, select the update.
  2. Click [Install Workstations].
  3. View the status of the installation in the Updates pane.Select Show Completed to view the status of updates that have been installed on the server and all workstations.
  4. The system sends a message to subscribers of Installation Successful when the update has been installed on all available workstations.
Upgrade Data

For optimal performance, Sage recommends that you upgrade your data from the server. Perform the Upgrade Files process only after the update has already been applied at the server. If you prefer to upgrade your data from a workstation instead, you must apply the update at both the server and the workstation before starting the Upgrade Files process.

  1. In TS-Main, select Tools > Upgrade Files.
  2. At the Do you have a current backup of your data folders window, click [Yes].
  3. Select to upgrade the current data folder or all data folders.
    • Select Current data folder to upgrade files in the data folder in which you currently work.
    • Select All data folders to upgrade files in all data folders that display in the Open Data Folder window. This may include data folders on other drives. With this option, the upgrade process can take a long time if you have many data folders.
  4. From the Files list, select all files. Do not select the Force file upgrade check box. This ensures only files requiring an upgrade are upgraded.
  5. Click [Start]. The Print File Selection window opens.
  6. In the File name box, type a name for the upgrade report file and click [Save]. The upgrade process begins in the background.
  7. Review the report when the process is complete.

Release Notes

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Update 2

Fixes

  • Downloading recent Microsoft updates may cause an error to display after closing Sage Timberline Office Accounting 9.7.0 applications and tasks. Update 2 fixes this issue.
  • After upgrading to 9.7.0 Accounting Update 1, you may be uUnable to open eFile and reporting tasks in Payroll.
  • Some binocular and other icons display the word "false" next to icon. 

Update 1

Enhancement

Job Cost - Import as an approved estimate change
You can now import an estimate as an approved change. Select the Import as an Approved Estimate Change check box on Tools > Import > Estimates to create an approved estimate change transaction. The Approved Estimate Change and Total Estimate fields are updated.

Note: Production unit estimate amounts are always imported as original estimate amounts.

Fixes

Billing - Entering lines on a quickbill for a closed job
If you select not to continue adding lines to a quickbill on a closed job, items above the line are now included in the total, producing correct billing invoices.

General Ledger - Closing current period on selected prefixes
When running Tasks > Close Current Period > Prefixes, you can now use the date filter to select specific prefixes to close.

Job Cost - Non-costed tax in JC Reports
The following Job Cost reports now subtract the non-costed tax from the amount:

  • JC Category Summary as of Specific Date
  • JC Cost Code Summary as of Specific Date
  • JC Cost Spreadsheet with Date Range
  • JC Job Cost Summary as of Specific Date
  • JC Profit as of Specific Date

Printing - Document Properties on 64-bit workstation OS
The Document Properties window can now be closed or canceled. 

Printing - Document Properties and 64-Bit Windows 7
When you print a document or report from Sage Timberline Office, the Document Properties window no longer appears behind other windows.

Project Management - Estimating Interface
An error message no longer appears when you select a new estimate in PJ: Contract Control > Change Request > Price/Cost Estimate tab > [Estimate Change Request].

Payroll (Australia)

System log indicates missing information
 In order to create valid ETP Payment Summaries, the Employee record must contain the date of payment and the taxable and tax free amounts. The system log and summary page now indicate if this information is missing.

ETP errors logged only for employees receiving an ETP payment summary
 The system log and summary page now indicate errors in employee records when the employee is receiving ETP rather than when they receive an INB payment summary.

Payroll (United States)

Florida - XML file specification changes, effective Q1 2010 March 31, 2010.

Iowa - Quarterly Magnetic Media format change effective for Q2 filings July 1, 2010.

Louisiana - The Participates in EFT of quarterly UI taxes check box on the Magnetic Media Report Options window is now selected by default.

North Carolina - Magnetic media file fixed. The file will no longer be rejected by the state.

Federal

Form 941 changes for Q2 2010 filings
The Internal Revenue Service has released revised Form 941 (Rev. April 2010). The revised form is required beginning the second quarter of 2010.

Note: Form 941 Schedule B has not been changed; the 2009 Form 941 Schedule B is still acceptable for filing.

Form 941 changes in the knowledgebase
If you require the updated Form 941, but do not require the other changes included in 9.7.0 Accounting Update 1, you can download the updated Form 941 from the knowledgebase.
To access the report, log on to the Sage Customer Portal. Click Knowledgebase Search, then enter KB230029 in the Search box.

Setup employee changes to support 2010 W-2 form changes
A HIRE Act Qualified checkbox has been added to the Misc Info tab (PR > Setup > Employees Misc Info tab). Select this checkbox for employees who qualify for tax credits in the HIRE Act. This new checkbox will be used when printing the 2010 W-2s.

HIRE Act report available in the knowledgebase
A report on employees who may meet the requirements of the HIRE act is now available in the knowledgebase.
The HIRE act allows employers to take a tax credit if an employee was hired after February 2nd, 2010, is employed for 52 weeks, and as long as in the last 26 weeks of employment the wages are 80% of what they earned in the first 26 weeks the company receives another tax break in 2011.

The report is not designed to accommodate the wage comparison. It includes Weeks, Taxable, Subject-to and Tax amounts for employees with the HIRE Act Qualified checkbox selected in the employee setup and for checks from 03-18-2010 and 12-31-2010.

To access the report, log on to the log on to the Sage Customer Portal. Click Knowledgebase Search and enter KB273 in the Search box.

Project Management - Transmittals
You can now save your selection on the Transmittals For Approval and Attached check boxes.

Purchasing - Viewing data folders information
You can now view the correct data folder information in Items when you switch data folders and then open File > Company Settings.

Security - Saving Record Level Security in Desktop
You can now save record level security settings while Desktop is open.

Additional Support

Online Support Request

If you would like assistance with a solution and your service plan provides online customer support:

  1. Log on to https://customers.sagenorthamerica.com/irj/portal/anonymous/login.

  2. Click Support > Self Service.
    This sends your request directly to Customer Support.

  3. On the My Requests tab under “Create,” click Customer Support Ticket.

  4. Complete the form to submit a support ticket directly to Customer Support.

Phone Support

If you prefer to speak to Customer Support and your Service Plan provides telephone support assistance, call Customer Support at 800-551-8307. Hours are Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT (Pacific Time).

Upgrading Your Service Plan

If your service plan does not provide online or telephone customer support and you would like to add or upgrade a service plan:

  1. Call 800-858-7098, or log on to https://customers.sagenorthamerica.com/irj/portal/anonymous/login.

  2. Select Anonymous Portal Access on right.

  3. Click Support > Self Service.

  4. On the My Requests tab under “Create,” click Customer Service Request.

  5. Complete the form to submit a service request.

 

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