Datafile Software

  • Selecting a Business and Accounting System in Bristol

    With so many software vendors all claiming superiority, selecting the most appropriate accounting and business administration system for your company in Bristol can become a major headache. Many buyers have had their fingers burnt in the past by small software houses who promise the earth but can't always deliver. Another common complaint is that bespoke software vendors can hold businesses to ransom over service and support charges.

    System selection can depend upon many important factors including:

    •  Budget

    •  Number of Users Required

    •  Complexity of Business Processes

    •  Technological Requirements

    •  Scalability

    •  Support in Bristol

    There are also considerations as to which areas of a business the system needs to manage. Some common areas include the following:

    Accounting

    This is usually at the core of any business system and includes Sales and Purchase Ledgers to manage Customer debt collection and Supplier Payments and Cashbook and Nominal Ledger which handle Bank Reconciliation and analysis of Revenue and Costs for determining profitability

    Project Accounting / Job Costing

    This type of system helps project-oriented businesses maximize job profitability and efficiency by tracking detailed project / job costs. Businesses can report on prior job costs and use this as a tool for estimating future jobs in order assess whether adequate profit returns will be made. It can track by project or phase factors such as Labour and Material Costs, Stock Issues and Committed Costs from Purchase Orders to improve decision-making.

    Stock Management

    This type of solution helps businesses maintain the correct stock levels to maximize cashflow and profit, avoid overspending, and minimize the costs associated with stock depreciation. The system should keep stock information up to date by tracking product levels as well as movements in Sales Orders, Purchase Orders and Works Orders. Normal accounting principles stipulate specific ways to account for stock to ensure proper reporting of value valuations

    Order Processing

    A streamlined order processing system can provide competitive advantage and keep back office costs to a minimum. It gives a powerful platform to manage the critical resources involved in Order Taking, Delivery and Returns Management and Procurement. Many businesses have specific functional requirements in this area depending on their levels of unique business process.

    Manufacturing

    Manufacturing software controls material, labour and manufacturing processes to help increase efficiency, increase production and reduce waste. This is normally achieved by the software assisting with production planning and resource management.

    Billing and Invoicing

    These systems automate the collection of payments from customers to enable timely and consistent collection with minimal human error. There are many different types of billing and invoice systems designed to support a wide range of industries, business models, payment methods, and scale of operations.

    Payroll and Human Resources

    Payroll systems help businesses track and process employee payrolls. They also ensure compliance for the calculation of Income Tax and National Insurance or any other statutory deduction, payment or reporting and submission requirement. Often a payroll provides a starting point for integration of human resources software to track items such as staff absence, training, disciplinary and skills matrices.

    Software Suppleir Selection

    When choosing your supplier and implementation partner the following considerations need to be made:

    •  Does the product have robust code and is relatively bug free?

    •  Does the product have good underlying technology?

    •  Does the product have strong financial reporting capabilities?

    •  Does the product have a sizable customer base?

    •  Does the product have strong customization capabilities?

    •  Does the product have a well-developed and knowledgeable partner and support channel?

    •  Does the product have a wide selection of modules?

    •  Does the product have a well-developed offering of third party add-on products?

     

    There are many UK Accounting Software packages such as Sage Line 50, Sage Line 200, Datafile Premier, Pegasus Opera, Access Dimensions, Iris Exchequer, and SAP Business One. A summary is shown below:

    Vendor

    Sage

    Sage

    Datafile

    Pegasus

    Access Group

    Iris

    SAP

    Product

    Line 50

    Line 200

    Premier

    Opera 3

    Dimensions

    Exchequer

    B1

    Target Market

    Small Businesses

    *

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Medium Businesses

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Maximum Number of Users

    2

    50

    100

    50

    50

    50

    50

    Availability

    Direct from Author

    *

     

    *

     

    *

     

     

    Through Partner Channel

    *

    *

    *

    *

     

    *

    *

    Customisation Tools

    Author

    N/A

     

    *

     

    *

     

     

    Partner

    N/A

    *

    *

    *

     

    *

    *

    User

    N/A

     

    *

     

     

     

    *

    Customisation Ability

    Source Code

     

     

    via Author

     

    via Author

     

     

    Tables

     

    *

    *

    *

    *

     

    *

    Forms

     

    *

    *

    *

    *

     

    *

    Reports

     

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    System Type

    Fixed

    Modular

    Modular

    Modular

    Modular

    Modular

    Modular

    Partner Add Ons Available

    *

    *

    *

    *

    N/A

    *

    *

    Solutions Available

    Financials

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Order Processing

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Stock Control

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Payroll

    *

     

    *

    *

    *

    *

    TP Add On

    Project Accounting / Costing

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Production

    TP Add On

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Manufacturing

    TP Add On

    *

    TP Add On

    *

    TP Add On

    TP Add On

    *

    Construction

    TP Add On

    *

    TP Add On

    *

    *

    TP Add On

    TP Add On

    CRM

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Expenses Management

    TP Add On

    *

    *

     

    *

    TP Add On

    TP Add On

    Requisitions and Authorisations

     

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Retail

     

    *

    TP Add On

    TP Add On

    TP Add On

    *

    TP Add On

    *(TP=Third party)

    For more information for your requirements in Bristol please visit the accounting software authors websites:

Bristol Accounts Software,Bristol Accounting Software,Bristol Sage,Bristol Sage line 50,Bristol Sage Line 200,Bristol Pegasus Accounts,Bristol Access Accounts