The clock started ticking as soon as Microsoft announced, back in 2009, that there would be no further development of FRx Financial Reporter and that complete retirement of the product was imminent. Many of our customers have switched over to Sage Intelligence ("Intelligence"), while others are holding off and evaluating options. If you haven't decided yet, here are 5 things you should know about Intelligence.
1. REACHES BEYOND THE GENERAL LEDGER
Sage Intelligence looks across your entire Sage 500 ERP (formerly Sage ERP MAS 500) database to report on information in any module. For example, a single report can display information from multiple companies and across operational areas like sales, accounting, payroll, manufacturing and inventory.
2. A FAMILIAR FACE... MICROSOFT EXCEL
Intelligence is Excel-based. Assuming you're already familiar with this indispensible spreadsheet software and business tool, your learning curve will be short and a world of analytical tools will be at your finger tips using Excel formulas, pivot tables, and charting tools. In fact, one of the reasons FRx originally became so popular was its Excel-like Row and Column structure.
3. GO AHEAD AND DRILL DOWN, ITS INTEGRATED
Since Intelligence is an integrated part of your Sage 500 system, it automatically picks up your chart of accounts, fiscal periods, transaction details, and leverages native security functions. Plus, the reports are linked to your Sage 500 database so you can drill down to the transaction level and extract live data as you slice, dice, and analyze company performance.
4. PRE-DEFINED REPORTS RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX
Intelligence comes with a suite of pre-defined standard reports - you know, the common stuff that every business needs like an income statement and balance sheet - which means you're up and running quickly. Standard reports can also be reformatted to meet your specific needs.
5. ITS SEXY
Intelligence converts all that raw data in Sage 500 into graphs, charts, and dashboards that make it easy to spot trends and identify emerging opportunity. Perhaps more important, underneath that pretty face lies a powerful business intelligence engine that's fast and easy to use.
6. ITS FREE
All current on-plan customers receive 4 Report Manager licenses for free as a replacement for FRx. That means you can get your hands dirty and give it a try before deciding whether Intelligence is the right reporting platform for you.
Need Help Deciding? As your technology partner, we're here to help you evaluate your Sage 500 ERP reporting options and develop a transition plan. Contact Us if you’d like assistance.
