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WHY UPGRADE SAGE ERP ACCPAC

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PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY

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All Sage products and brands referred to herein are acknowledged as the property of Sage.


CONTENTS

WHY UPGRADE SAGE ERP ACCPAC ............................................................................................ 1

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY .............................................................. 2

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 4

WHY UPGRADES ARE IMPORTANT ............................................................................................... 5

AT A GLANCE VERSION ENHANCEMENTS ................................................................................... 7

RISK OF TECHNICAL OBSOLESCENCE ........................................................................................ 8

Version 5.6 Compatibility ................................................................................................................ 8

Version 5.5 Compatibility .............................................................................................................. 10

Version 5.4 Compatibility .............................................................................................................. 10

DATABASE PLATFORMS AND OPERATING SYSTEMS .............................................................. 11

Server Operating Systems ........................................................................................................... 11

Application Server Operating Systems ......................................................................................... 11

Workstation Operating Systems ................................................................................................... 12


INTRODUCTION

Earlier this year, Sage notified all Accpac users that after April 2011, Sage ERP Accpac Version 5.4

(including Version 5.3, Version 5.2 or earlier) will no longer be supported.

This change is particularly important because it means no additional updates will be made available

and the risk of technological obsolescence increases.

It is important to be aware that Sage ERP Accpac Version 5.4, or earlier, will not be compatible to run

on Windows 2008 R2. In the event of server changes, which would use this version of Windows, you

would need to install the current version of Accpac to be able to continue operating.

Maintaining your business management software is no longer a technical decision that can be made

by the IT department, as your system is not just a key part of your IT strategy, but one of your most

important and sensitive corporate assets.

It is vital to develop a corporate wide strategy for how often the software and underlying technology

will be updated so that the entire organisation can plan and budget for the inevitable costs and

disruptions.

Your systems should have at least a five- to ten-year useful life, but over that time they will need to be

maintained and enhanced to protect their value and serve the changing needs of your business. The

key to minimising the challenge of upgrades is to have both a long-term software lifecycle strategy

and a comprehensive tactical plan for the actual upgrade project.

Your business success depends on fully functioning solutions, and product upgrades are important

enough that senior management needs to fully understand both the timing and project plan. You need

to strike the right balance between regularly updating your software and minimising cost and

disruption to your business.

This document will cover why keeping up to date with upgrades is important, the enhancements these

versions provide as well as technical and compatibility issues with the operating system and

databases.

Please discuss this with your Enabling consultant so we can map out the most suitable approach for

you. It is in both our interests for your system to be working optimally with minimal risk of disruption

and the potential difficulties to your operations that would ensue.


WHY UPGRADES ARE IMPORTANT

BOOST PROFITABILITY

1. Maximizing visibility into your business and improving processing efficiencies through centralized

access to information. Your finance department will save hours resolving issues with the front office

staff, automate time consuming processes, and effectively manage collections – improving cash flow.

2. Consistently delivering exceptional and personalized service to take better care of your customers.

3. Increasing customer revenue share through highly focused business development programs.

4. Extending the reach and effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

5. Achieving significant cost savings and ongoing productivity improvements by enabling real time

corporate performance management, improving collaboration and eliminating process bottlenecks.

With improved visibility into real-time information comes the ability to manage exceptions better and

adjust quickly to meeting changing customer needs.

ENSURE OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE

By staying current and installing all service packs, you’re helping to ensure that your software is

running at optimal performance, while reducing downtime, user questions, and workarounds.

SAVE TIME AND MAXIMIZE PRODUCTIVITY

You need to get more done with fewer people! Improved company performance comes from saving money and

ensuring employees spend their time in more productive activities.

BETTER MANAGE YOUR BUSINESS

This functionality enables your employees and partners to adapt successfully to changes in today’s markets and

make better, faster business decisions.

ENHANCE COLLABORATION

This new technology is focused on getting the right information to the right people, when they need it

LOWER TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP

Upgrades are an excellent time for you to evaluate your IT portfolios and look for opportunities to eliminate

custom software, unneeded modifications, and even third party or legacy systems in order to simplify your

systems and lower costs of ownership.

DIMINISH USER INTERRUPTION

Provide this document to your staff along with key resources, such as an implementation strategy document, and

access to additional training to ensure you are maximizing your investment.

COMPLIANCE WITH GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

Your software can assist you with compliance and save you significant resources, ease your certification process,

as well as save you from paying the heavy penalty fees.


KEEP UP WITH TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS

Upgrades are necessary to support the latest servers, operating systems, hardware, and database technologies,

ensuring that your system is supported and running at peak performance.

FURTHER STREAMLINE OPERATIONS

Business management systems that are tailored to your unique business can help you be more efficient,

productive, and profitable

GET THE ANSWERS YOU NEED, WHEN YOU NEED THEM

Access to services, experts, and latest software updates means your staff have the tools they need to get the job

done! Support and services, such as maintenance plans, payroll updates, priority support plans, professional

services, and online training are not available for legacy systems. Staying on current version means that you

save time resolving issues, leaving more time to achieve your business objectives. Your maintenance and

support subscriptions subscription helps you get the most out of your investment—so you and your teams can do

your best work, every day.



RISK OF TECHNICAL OBSOLESCENCE

VERSION 5.6 COMPATIBILITY

ALL ENVIRONMENTS

The following are points of note for all configurations with Version 5.6:

Support for IBM DB2, Windows 2000, and SQL 2000 have been discontinued as of Sage

Accpac 5.6

Support for Novell Netware was discontinued as of Sage Accpac 5.5

Windows 2003 and 2008 Small Business server are supported but remain untested. Due to

the number of features included in Windows Small Business servers, it is recommended that

for optimal performance, Sage Accpac be installed on a separate machine.

There is a known compatibility issue with the Sage Accpac Intelligence Analysis Module

running with Microsoft Excel 2003. To customize the Dashboard, a copy of the Customisation

Kit for Sage Accpac 5.6 is required.

Sage is committed to supporting future Microsoft and Linux operating systems as they are

released to market for all Sage Accpac applications. However, this does not include release

candidates, beta or pre-beta-level operating systems. As new operating systems are

scheduled for final general release, Sage will evaluate their compatibility and this document

will be updated based on the findings of those evaluations. If the Sage Accpac shared data is

hosted on a Linux server, please refer to our knowledgebase for more details on

configuration.

Pervasive released Pervasive PSQL Summit v10 SP3 for Windows and Linux (Server, Workgroup

and Client Editions) in November 2009. Sage Accpac Customer Support now supporting for this

version. Please note that this product is available as a download only. Full installation files from can

be downloaded from here. This version will address a number of product issues that are detailed in the

SP3 Read me most notably compatibility with Windows 7. The download provides trial access that is

set to expire after 30 days. You will be required to enter the key code that they received from Sage at

time of purchase for P.SQL v10.2 to enable a permanent license for P.SQL v10.3. New customers

will be issued key codes at time of purchase from Sage.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Sage Accpac is now supported in a VMWare ESX Environment as of Version 5.6. Performance

issues in a VMWare environment will not be addressed by our support teams. Only application

related issues which can be replicated in a physical environment will be addressed. (Please note that

Sage CRM is not supported in any Virtual environment).

Due to the complexity involved in implementing a virtual server environment, we recommend

to always consult with a vendor certified virtual server agent. The key is to have them commit

to matching or mirroring performance requirements detailed in our hardware requirements

section. A certified virtual server agent should be able to provide you with a performance

baseline report that would include expected maximum processing throughput per active

instance, and expected performance trends as more and more virtual instances are allowed

to come online. This document should also include the expected margin of errors during peak

business operating hours.

Sage Accpac is not supported in non-VMWare environments including, but not limited to:

Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer.

When running in a VMWare environment, avoid over committing VM Application Pools.

Allocating more resources than the hardware can support can cause performance problems.

Each VMWare image should have sufficient resources based on the Operating System and

installed applications.

A virtual environment may be a single point of failure if not properly implemented. A single

point of failure should be avoided at all costs; the virtual server community always

recommends deploying at least two virtual servers along with a failover strategy.

http://www.pervasivedb.com/Database/Trials/Pages/PSQLSummitv10TrialDownloads.aspx

http://www.pervasivedb.com/Database/Trials/Documents/readme_v10_SP3.htm


There is never enough memory to share amongst virtual devices running on a virtual server. It

is recommend that server RAM be configured to the maximum of what the server hardware

can support. Most server hardware that is certified by the virtual server vendor can support at

least 32 GB of RAM.

The virtual server vendor always support a list of compatible server hardware devices, make

sure the virtual server your firm is considering is on the hardware compatibility list.

Each virtual server vendor implements vastly differing memory allocation strategies, please

be sure to be familiar with the specific strategy. For example, VMWare allocates memory to

an active virtual image dynamically allowing the administrator to set a maximum memory limit

but only allocate that maximum memory limit on a need to basis.

Network bandwidth may become a bottleneck in virtual network environments, be prepared to

add more than four network interface cards into virtual server. Ask your virtual server platform

expert to investigate the ability of these network interface devices having the ability to team

up. When network bandwidth becomes the bottleneck, network interface teaming may be the

easiest way out without resorting to the more complicated strategy of breaking up your

network into smaller segments.

At the time of writing, both VMWare vSphere endorses running database servers as a virtual

instance. Sage Accpac has not been benchmarked to run the database server on a virtual

instance in VMware, despite the vendor allowing this configuration.

CITRIX ENVIRONMENTS

Citrix servers should be dedicated for applications and database engines should be separate from the

Citrix server. You will need to optimise Citrix sessions for performance, performance will issues in a

Citrix environment will not be addressed by our support teams. Only application related issues which

can be replicated in a standard client/server environment will be addressed. You will need to ensure

printers are Citrix Compatible.



ALL ENVIRONMENTS

The following are points of note for all configurations:

Support for Novell Netware has been discontinued

Windows 2000 and 2003 Small Business server are supported but remain untested. Due to

the number of features included in Windows Small Business servers, it is recommended that

for optimal performance, Sage Accpac ERP be installed on a separate machine.


Version 5.5 is not currently supported in a virtual environment. This includes but is not limited to the

following environments: VMWare ESX Server, Microsoft Virtual PC and Citrix XenServer

CITRIX ENVIRONMENTS







ALL ENVIRONMENTS

The following are points of note for all configurations:

Support for Windows 95, 98 and 98 SE, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 3.x, and DOS platforms

has been discontinued.

Support for Windows NT 4.0 servers and workstations were discontinued on 12/31/03.

Support for Novell Netware 5.x has been discontinued.

Windows 2000 and 2003 Small Business server is supported but remains untested.

Nitix for Sage Accpac ERP system comes preconfigured with compatible hardware. For more

information, refer to http://www.nitix.com/accpac.

Install the FTF fix pack for Pervasive 8.7 and 9.1 respectively as it’s included on each version’s

installation CD.


Version 5.4 is not currently supported in a virtual environment. This includes but is not limited to the

following environments: VMWare ESX Server, Microsoft Virtual PC and Citrix XenServer.

CITRIX ENVIRONMENTS







DATABASE PLATFORMS AND OPERATING SYSTEMS

Support for Sage ERP Accpac will not be provided on operating systems and database engines which

are no longer supported by their respective vendors.

SERVER OPERATING SYSTEMS

Pervasive.SQL Microsoft SQL Oracle*

Version 9.7 10.2 10.3 2005 (SP3) 2008 10g (R2) 11g

OS Architecture 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64

Microsoft Windows

2008 Server o o ● ● ● ● ● ● o

2003 Server (SP2) o o ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Linux

RedHat Enterprise 4 or 5

* The compatibility requirements are for the full install of the database engine.

o Supported and tested. ● Supported. Blank = unsupported configuration.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise, Standard, Workgroup, and Express Editions are supported.

Oracle Enterprise, Standard, and Standard Edition One are supported.

Refer to the respective database vendor’s websites for limitations of the various database

editions.

Only the WE8MSWIN1252 codeset is supported in an Oracle based environment.

APPLICATION SERVER OPERATING SYSTEMS


Version 9.7 10.2 10.3 2005 (SP3) 2008 10g (R2) 11g

OS Architecture 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64

Microsoft Windows

2008 Server (SP1)* o o ● ● ● ● ● ● o

2003 Server (SP2) o o ● ● ● ● ● ●

●

2008 Server (SP1), Terminal

Services

o o o o o o o o o

2003 Server (SP2), Terminal

Services

o o o o o o o o o

XenApp Server 5.0 for Windows

2003 and 2008

o o o o o o o o o o




ADDITIONAL NOTES

Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise, Standard, Workgroup, and Express Editions are supported.

Oracle Enterprise, Standard, and Standard Edition One are supported. Refer to the

respective database vendor’s websites for limitations of the various database editions.

Printing in web deployment requires Sage Accpac Web Reporting by Crystal. Previous

versions of Crystal Enterprise are not compatible with System Manager 5.6. Sage Accpac

Web Reporting by Crystal is not supported on Windows Server 2008. *Currently web

deployment ships with Crystal RAS XI R1, while the regular deployment uses Crystal RAS XI

R2.

The Dashboard requires installation of IIS before System Manager is installed, and

Macromedia Flash Player (available at www.macromedia.com).

WORKSTATION OPERATING SYSTEMS


Version 9.7 10.2 10.3 2005 (SP3) 2008 10g (R2) 11g

OS Architecture 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64 32 64

Microsoft Windows

Windows 7** O O ● ● ● O ● O

Windows Vista O O ● ● ● ● ● ●

O

Windows XP (SP3) O O ● ● ● ● ● ●

O



ADDITIONAL NOTES

Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, and Home Premium; Windows Vista

Enterprise, Ultimate, Business, and Home Premium; Windows XP Professional and Media

Center Edition are supported.

Microsoft Excel 2003 or higher is required on each workstation running Financial Reporter.

Microsoft Outlook 2003 or higher is required on each workstation to use the email function.

Web deployed workstations require Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.

*Preliminary testing with the Windows 7 RTM has been done with the marked database

engines.

*As of October 2009, Crystal Reports 2008 with Service Pack 2 is the only version of Crystal

Report Designer which is supported on Windows 7. You can get the latest updates from

within the Crystal Reports 2008 “Help – Get Update” menu item or check our support website

for the Crystal Reports Service Packs that we have tested.

*Printing with Windows 7 as the web deployment server is not currently supported.

**Pervasive will release Pervasive SQL 10.3 to make this database engine compatible with

Windows 7. It is expected to be released in January 2010. 10.3 is required for deployment of

Sage Accpac ERP on Windows 7 with Pervasive.

http://www.macromedia.com/


WHITE PAPER AUTHORS

Alex Lamprecht – Enabling Sydney

With material kindly supplied by Sage Business Solutions

For more information on how Enabling are able to assist you, please visit our website

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