Microsoft Accounting Professional 2008 - opinions

[Mrs Trackside]

I've just started working for a relatively new company and would like to get their accounts onto a computerised system. Someone sent me a link for MS Accounting Professional, which I've downloaded on a free trial for 60 days.

As well as all the usual general business accounts things, we'd also like to run a job costing system with stock control. MS Accounting does everything we want for £149!!

I'd like to know if anyone currently uses or has used this system and how they found it, i.e. would you recommend it? Also if any of the accountants could spare a minute to reply on what they think of the system for preparing year end accounts. I've used a number of systems and this is quite similar to Sage (except I don't think you can directly delete items from the database, and swizz the figures!) I've also heard from a number of sources that Sage is difficult to extract the information you need for Y/E from.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[smartie]

I actually think sage is quite easy to extract useful y/e info from, once you understand it. Much better than Quicken/Quick Books IME. Also good for following audit trails and seeing what has been deleted/changed.

Not seen the MS one, sorry.

[Mrs Trackside]

I like Sage. Ive often wondered what makes Sage so difficult to get Y/E info from. I'm only a book-keeper, and only studied AAT to intermediate, so don't know exactly what you accountant type peeople need to do your stuff!

Thanks anyway

[plasticpig]

Thats £149 per user. For multi user you need Windows 2003 running SQL Server. If you just need one user thats fine. You will also need Office 2007 to use all the features.

[Mrs Trackside]

plasticpig said:

Thats £149 per user. For multi user you need Windows 2003 running SQL Server. If you just need one user thats fine. You will also need Office 2007 to use all the features.

Thanks plasticpig.

It will only be me using it, so user cost isn't a problem. However, I may need to bring work home sometimes, so can I back up from the work machine and still it on my laptop (like you can with Sage?)

And any idea how I'll get the info to the accountants at Y/E if they haven't got MSA installed? Is it easy to export to Excel?

[smartie]

Mrs Trackside said:

I like Sage. Ive often wondered what makes Sage so difficult to get Y/E info from. I'm only a book-keeper, and only studied AAT to intermediate, so don't know exactly what you accountant type peeople need to do your stuff!

Thanks anyway

A full Nominal Activity printout is a good start!

[plasticpig]

Mrs Trackside said:

plasticpig said:

Thats £149 per user. For multi user you need Windows 2003 running SQL Server. If you just need one user thats fine. You will also need Office 2007 to use all the features.

Thanks plasticpig.

It will only be me using it, so user cost isn't a problem. However, I may need to bring work home sometimes, so can I back up from the work machine and still it on my laptop (like you can with Sage?)

And any idea how I'll get the info to the accountants at Y/E if they haven't got MSA installed? Is it easy to export to Excel?

I think all reports are exportable to Excel. Not sure how easy it is to move the data around.

[Mrs Trackside]

I've got it on 60 day trial, so I'll try inputting October's data over the Christmas period and see how I get on.