Accounting applications provide the indispensable service of monitoring the flow of money through an enterprise. For IBM Power System users, third-party software options abound.
"Show me the money," if not the most often-echoed movie quote in corporate settings today, is at least at the top of most companies' concern lists. For users of the IBM Power Systems platform, still often called the IBM i, there is a rich assortment of financial applications available to track the bucks.
After the financial debacles of the early 21st Century, a number of international, U.S. federal, and state laws and regulations have made accurate accounting and maintenance of enterprise financial records more important than ever. Besides merely keeping track of the bottom line, financial software today is necessary for providing audit trails of many kinds of financial activities.
Cashing In
Traditionally, accounting software helps enterprises control and manage money they take in and money they owe, generate invoices to entities owing them money, track profitability (or lack thereof), and usually quantify the value of assets and inventory. While there are possibly thousands of applications for the PC, most companies using the IBM i prefer to use the platform for accounting functions also, due to its database and related strengths.
The bulk of choices in IBM i accounting applications consists of either built-in options that handle other areas related to accounting or products that tie in to software for managing other corporate activities, such as customer relationship management, e-commerce and electronic payment processing, and human resources and payroll. Generally, the size of an enterprise and the kinds of corporate functions management wants to see controlled by software systems set the basic parameters for selecting accounting solutions.
What follows is a summary overview of business-accounting software that runs under i5/OS, although some products support other operating systems as well. We'll focus on full-featured accounting applications, which we'll define as products that provide a minimum of functions supporting accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR), and general ledger (GL). Although there are applications that focus primarily on only one or a few aspects of accounting (e.g., fixed assets, spreadsheet generation, document management, payroll, check printing), this article will cover only general-purpose applications.
We'll also be leaving out business intelligence, report-generation, and financial-planning applications that, while they can be used in financial contexts, don't incorporate at least the minimum support for AR, AP, and GL functions. Also omitted are accounting applications aimed solely at a specific industry segment (e.g., distribution, retail), in favor of focusing on applications that can potentially be used by any kind of business.
There are currently more than 20 accounting software solutions for the IBM i that fit all these criteria. Hopefully, if you’re in the market for an accounting package, one of the following solutions will provide the combination of functions and features that best meets your needs.
Shared Attributes
What we can take as a given for all products mentioned here is that they share certain baseline features. These include report generation, spreadsheet support, tax tracking, and various means of generating executive-level screen-based summaries.
To provide some at-a-glance summary information about the available products, the products are listed below with a "functions" field that uses the following function abbreviations: Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), Check Printing (CP), Electronic Tax Filing (ET), Fixed Assets (FA), Financial Performance (FP), General Ledger (GL), Human Resources (HR), Inventory Control (IC), Order Management (OM), Project Accounting (PA), Payroll (PR), and Sales Analysis (SA). In addition, you'll see listed under "Extras" additional functions of potential interest that are cited by the vendors for each product on the vendors' Web sites.
It's possible that there are additional features offered by particular products that may be useful in your enterprise's setting, but only those attested by vendor Web materials will be listed here. Obviously, for a more complete picture of the capabilities of each product, you should consult the links provided for each product and contact the associated vendors for a more complete idea of what each product's capabilities include.
And as always when looking for products or services, be sure to check the MC Press Online Buyer's Guide.
IBM i Accounting Applications
American Software
Functions: AP, AR, GL
Extras: Interfaces to logistics, planning, manufacturing, and e-commerce suite members
Chouinard & Myhre
Functions: AP, AR, GL, PR
Extras: Intercompany accounting, statistical tracking
UNIT4
Functions: AP, AR, GL, FA, PA
Extras: Process and control automation, budgeting and forecasting, cash management, and spending controls
Xperia
Functions: AP, AR, GL, HR, PR
Extras: Financial management, letter-of-credit generation, statistical tracking, credit management, incentive pay tracking, multiple-bank audit trails
Kobelt Development
Functions: AP, AR, FA, GL, IC, OM
Extras: Incident tracking, contact and membership management, purchase-order generation
(CIS-LAMP is a version of CIS with a Web interface.)
DAPREX
Functions: AP, AR, FA, GL, IC, OM, PR
Extras: Sales analysis, fund accounting, time and attendance, vacation scheduling tied to payroll
(Suite members are also available standalone.)
EZ PayManager/400 Payment Management
ACOM Solutions
Functions: CP, PR
Extras: Electronic payment automation, check templates and printing controls, Web-based training
Financial Portrait Software System (FPS)
Information Consultants
Functions: AP, AR, GL
Extras: Multiple-company database, menu and session tailoring, open accounting periods, automatic payment term calculations
Butler Commerce Solutions
Functions: AP, AR, FP, GL, HR, IC, OM, PR, SA
Extras: Sales commission calculation, integrated EDI and fax, demand planning and forecasting, customer relationship management
(This product is also available as a hosted SaaS offering.)
Gamma Software
Functions: AP, AR, GL, HR, IC, PR
Extras: Customer relationship management, maintenance scheduling, forestry industry option, bank reconciliation
Global Software
Functions: AP, AR, FA, GL, OM, PA
Extras: Cash management, project and lease accounting, purchase-order generation
HarrisData Financial Management Systems
HarrisData
Functions: AP, AR, FA, GL
Extras: Multicurrency support
Infor Financial Management System (FMS)
Infor
Functions: AP, AR, FA, GL, IC
Professional Support Group Pty. Ltd.
Functions: AP, AR, GL, HR, IC, PR
Extras: Job and project costing, estimating, subcontractor accounting
JD Edwards World Financial Management
Oracle
Functions: AP, AR, FA, GL
Extras: Multicurrency support, purchase-card management, planning and budgeting
Lawson Software
Functions: AP, AR, FA, GL
Lawson offers applications tailored for manufacturing and service industries.
Mosaic21 Financial Accounting Software
Mosaic Data Solutions
Functions: AP, AR, GL, HR, PR
Extras: Automatic data conversion for selected third-party applications
NGS Concert Series Financial Software
New Generation Software (NGS)
Functions: AP, AR, GL, HR, PR
Extras: Multicurrency and not-for-profit organization support
Advanced Logic Solutions
Functions: AP, AR, GL
Extras: Support for up to 9,999 companies, check-writing and reconciliation, user-defined aging criteria for AR
Sage Software
Functions: AP, AR, FA, GL, HR, IC, PA, PR
Extras: Multicurrency support, transaction analysis, electronic funds transfer, returned-materials authorization, document management, marketing automation, manufacturing support
Diversified Computer Services
Functions: AP, AR, GL, IC, OM, PR
Extras: E-commerce, sales analysis
as/400, os/400, iseries, system i, i5/os, ibm i, power systems, 6.1, 7.1, V7,
More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now! Request Now.
Forms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.
Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online