NEW FEATURES ADDED FOR VERSION 2.88 - Released 12/8/03

IMPORTANT!!! There have been changes to the structure of a number of databases in this free upgrade. You can download (save on your hard drive) the required upgrade file. However, you must contact us prior to installing this upgrade so that we can walk you through a 10 minute set of procedures. Please call our technical support number (1-908-670-6839). Also, please have all users logged off of ArchAdministrator and the "Password for Databases" removed prior to calling tech support.

PLEASE NOTE: You must run the upgrade installation on a computer that has Approach Version 9.7 (or better) in order to take advantage of the upgrade installation procedure introduced in Upgrade 2.86. You can obtain Lotus SmartSuite 9.7 (w/Approach) via various software sales sites on the Internet or you can purchase it directly through PS Software Solutions. See System Pricing for current Lotus software pricing and availability. 

New Intuit QuickBooks Integration Feature!!
A new QuickBooks Integration Feature has been added to ArchAdministrator. This new feature allows users of ArchAdministrator's accounting module to export transaction records into an Intuit Import File (IIF) using just a few mouse clicks. ArchAdministrator simplifies the task of compiling previously entered accounting records into an IIF format that can be easily imported into any new or existing QuickBooks company file.

This powerful new feature eliminates the need for double-data-entry for those firms recording/tracking accounting transactions into both ArchAdministrator and QuickBooks. It also enables users, working solely in ArchAdministrator, to provide their accountants with detailed accounting transaction data. The ubiquitous "IIF" file format can be used by many accounts throughout North America to import and generate, tax returns, summary reports, balance sheets, etc. using their own in-house version QuickBooks or other QuickBooks compatible software.

The ArchAdministrator user has the ability to include/exclude the following types of transactions when generating an Intuit Import File (IIF):

  * Accounts Payable - Checks, Electronic Transfers, Etc. Disbursed by the Firm
  * Accounts Payable - Bills/Expenses Not Yet Paid by the Firm
  * Accounts Receivable - Payments Received From Clients
  * Accounts Receivable - Invoices Issued by the Firm and Sent To Clients
  * Account Adjustments - Balance Adjustments, Interest Income, Service Fees, etc.

The ArchAdministrator user has the additional ability to specify the following when generating an Intuit Import File (IIF):

  * Name of ArchAdministrator Bank Account to Export From
  * Name of QuickBooks Bank Account to Import To
  * Reporting Period - Start Date and End Date of Period To Include
  * Whether to Subcategorize Accounts Receivable by Project Phase
  * Whether to Subcategorize Reimbursable Receivables by Type (i.e. Prints, Travel, etc.)

All associated income/expense accounts, vendor names, customer names, job numbers, post dates, check numbers, etc. recorded in ArchAdministrator (and associated with accounting transactions being exported) are automatically included in the Intuit Import File. QuickBooks will automatically create new accounts, vendors, customers, etc. when imported ArchAdministrator records do not exactly match records existing in the QuickBooks company file. ArchAdministrator will also automatically create the required QuickBooks "Splits" for transactions with multiple expense/receipt account line items.

A (behind-the-scenes) data validation and confirmation routine has been added to the program that checks previously entered accounting transaction data prior to allowing access the new QuickBooks export feature. A warning dialog and list of invalid transactions will appear that have either missing or incorrectly entered data.

ArchAdministrator automatically logs the quantity and type of exported transactions and stores the reporting period for each export session. The ArchAdministrator also generates a "QuickBooks Export History" report that delineates the details of each export session and sorts the report by export file dates.

ArchAdministrator users can access the new QuickBooks Integration feature by selecting "Export Records To QuickBooks" from the "Tools" drop-down menu located at the top of the "Account Transactions" sub-menu view. Please review the following Export/Import instructions and additional notes:
 

EXPORTING ACCOUNTING RECORDS FROM ArchAdministrator

Step 1: Enter an ArchAdministrator bank account name from which transactions will be exported.
Step 2: Enter a QuickBooks bank account name to which exported transactions will be imported.
Step 3: Select the types of transactions you want to include in the export (checks, bills, invoices, etc).
Step 4: Enter reporting period start date and end date in ArchAdministrator's "Current Reporting Period".
Step 5: Select the "Export Data" button to extract records into the "ArchAdmn.iif" QuickBooks import file.

IMPORTING ArchAdministrator ACCOUNTING RECORDS INTO QUICKBOOKS

Step 1: Only a QuickBooks "Administrator" can and must open Quick books in Single-User mode.
Step 2: Select | File | Utilities | Import | Import iif Files...| from the QuickBooks drop-down menu.
Step 3: From the Import dialog box; navigate to the "C:" root directory on your computer's local hard drive.
Step 4: Select the "ArchAdmn.iif" file containing the exported ArchAdministrator data and select "Open".
Step 5: Verify that all transactions have been successfully imported into Quick books.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Confirm that all income/expense accounts, vendor names, customer names, job numbers, etc. recorded in ArchAdministrator exactly match records in QuickBooks prior to performing the export/import feature.  Please note that customer names exported out of ArchAdministrator are based on the "Invoices Paid By" data field appearing on the "Project Information" view located in the Project Management module. The customer name is followed by a colon ( : ) and the project's active job number. When imported into Quick books, this format allows QuickBooks to chart multiple job numbers as a subset of the customer's name. 

A link cannot be established between two transactions during export. For example, if one transaction is an invoice and another transaction is a payment for the invoice, the export file cannot indicate that the payment is to be applied to the invoice. To apply the payment, after transactions have been imported into QuickBooks, open the Receive Payments window (in QuickBooks) from the Customers menu, and apply the payment to the invoice.

The ArchAdministrator end user is solely responsible for confirming the accuracy of all data exported from ArchAdministrator and imported into QuickBooks.

Accounting Transactions
1. A new script has been written that provides for consistent behavior when switching between the Recurring Accounts Payable list and the Payment Breakdown view. Prior to this upgrade the user's focus would always be set to the first record in the list of Recurring Payables when returning from the Payment Breakdown view rather than the actual record being reviewed in the Payment Breakdown. The user's focus will now be returned to the actual record being reviewed in the Payment Breakdown view when returning to the Recurring Account Payables list.

2. The user can now sort the "Transaction List" by Post Date, Check/Rec. Date, Check Number and Payer/Payee fields in ascending or descending order.

3. A series of new (behind-the-scenes) data validation and confirmation routines have been added to the program that check various data entry fields for proper user input. Appropriate warning dialogs will now appear when required data is either missing or incorrectly entered by the user.

4. A (behind-the-scenes) data validation routine has been added to the program that checks previously entered accounting data prior to allowing the user access to the new QuickBooks Integration feature. A warning dialog and list of invalid transactions will appear if records are found that have either missing or incorrectly entered data.

5. The check canceling function has been revised to simplify the task of voiding a check. The user will now be allowed to void a check with less user input.

6. The user will now be immediately prompted to select an invoice number when the "Received From" name entered for an Account Receipt transaction matches the "Invoice Will Be Paid By" field of an invoice with an outstanding balance. This change will simplify the task of entering account receipts for outstanding invoices and eliminate the need for the user to manually select the "Auto-Fill-In" button.

7. The ArchAdministrator "Upgrd288.apr" file provided with this upgrade contains a procedure that replaces all hyphens (-) with a colon (:) for all posted and recurring accounting records that store expense category names. Please note that all expense account names appearing in the list used to create default drop-down lists will also be updated. Prior to this upgrade the hyphen had been used in various areas of the program to delineate subsets of a main category. For example: 

Old Designation                  New Designation
Consultants-Mechanical            Consultants:Mechanical
Consultants-Structural             Consultants:Structural

ArchAdministrator will no longer utilize a hyphen to delineate subsets of a main accounting category and will now use a colon for this function. The reason for this change is to allow ArchAdministrator to follow the same convention/standard used by other software programs that ArchAdministrator now Imports/Exports from/to.

8. Credits applied to outstanding invoices will now display on the "Invoice Preview" view. Prior to this upgrade credits would be incorporated into the "Total Received This Invoice" value. Credits will now display separately as "Total Credits This Invoice" on the "Invoice Preview" view.

Billing Invoices
1. Default data automatically entered into the "Invoice Will Be Paid By" field (when creating a new invoice) will now be based on data stored in the new "Invoices Paid By" field added to the Project Information view located in the Project Management module. (See Project Management Note #1 below for additional info.).

Employee Information
1. The user has the option of overwriting (or retaining) the value stored in the "Yrly Salary" field when modifying the "Actual Wage/Hr" field for the current promotion being viewed. The value used to overwrite the existing data is based on the following calculation: "Yrly Salary" = "Actual Wage/Hr" x "Hrs/Wk" x 52

2. The user has the option of overwriting (or retaining) the value stored in the "Actual Wage/Hr" field when modifying the "Yrly Salary" field for the current promotion being viewed. The value used to overwrite the existing data is based on the following calculation: "Actual Wage/Hr" = "Yrly Salary" / ("Hrs/Wk" x 52)

Project Management
1. A new "Invoices Paid By" field has been added to the Project Information view in the Project Management module. This field is limited to a size of 50 characters and is designed to store the name of the entity that will be making payments for outstanding invoices (typically the client's company name). Default data entered into the "Invoice Will Be Paid By" field (when creating a new invoice) will now be based on data stored in this field. (See Billing Invoices Note #1 above for additional info.).

2. The "Invoices Paid By" field has been added to the Search Criteria view so that the user can search for projects based on data stored in this field also.

Project Reference List (F5 function key)
1. A new "Condensed" two column Project Reference list is now available to view/print. This condensed list delineates less project information. However, the list doubles the number of projects delineated on each page. To view/print the Condensed Project Reference List simply select the "Print List" button located at the top of the Project Reference List view and select the "Condensed" button when prompted.

2. "Client Type" and "Invoices Paid By" fields have been added to the Search Criteria view so that the user can search for projects based on data stored in these fields also.

Project Scheduler
1. The user now has the option to automatically duplicate existing employee involvement data when creating/viewing a new project schedule. Employees' ID Numbers, Names, Titles, and Involvement Percentages will be duplicated when this option is requested by the user. However, please note that employees' scheduled hours will not be automatically duplicated and must be entered by the user manually. Prior to this upgrade the user would only be allowed to duplicate the Tasks delineated in an existing project schedule.

Time Sheet Weekly Logs
1. The "Phase" default drop-down list used to categorize time sheet data in a weekly time sheet record will now be based on (and limited to) the phases delineated in the Proposal/Contact module for the Active Job and/or the Proposal number specified. Prior to this upgrade the "Phase" default drop-down list would be limited to phases delineated in the Proposal/Contract for time sheet records that were being entered for an Active Job. However, the drop-down list would not be limited for time sheet records that were being entered for a Proposal (with no active job number). 

Various Modules
1. Various revisions to remove minor bugs and improve user interface.