Tips from our Technical Support Team

General Ledger Year End Procedures

Payroll Year End Procedures

Installing Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions on Windows 3.1x

Installing Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions on Windows 95

General Ledger Year End Procedures

1. Backup up all your data files and store them off-site or in a fireproof container for your security.
2. Run all your General Ledger reports, especially Audit Trail and file in a safe place for future reference.
3. If you are running your year end on a date different than the last date of the fiscal year, set the system date to the last day of the fiscal year and the period to 12 (or the last period of the year).
4. Under General Ledger Year End Processing, select Process Closing Entries.
5. Enter your Retained Earnings Account -- select the account that you want your retail earnings to roll into such as owner's equity, etc. It must be class code 5.
6. Then the software automatically processes the year end and prints out the processes as they occur:
   • Your closing entries will be generated: debit revenue accounting, credit expense accounts, and credit (or debit if loss) retained earnings.
   • The fiscal calendar will advance.
   • Previous year data will be purged from the audit trail
   • Periods 14 - 19 will be moved to periods 1 - 6
   • Periods 1 - 12 will move to prior year activity.
   • Prior year data is flagged as 2 years prior.
7. After you're done, you should run and review the following reports:
   • Trail Balance for Balance Forward through Balance Forward -- to confirm that your balance forwards are correct
   • Trial Balance for all periods that rolled forward. For example, run a Trail Balance for Period 1 and confirm that it matches the previous Period 14.

Top of Page

Payroll Year End Procedures

1. Backup up all your data files and store them off-site or in a fireproof container for your security.
2. Print the following reports and file in a secure area: History, Earnings, Department, Benefits/Deductions, and 941 form.
3. Print W-2 forms for all employees. First print a sample form for one employee to make sure that everything lines up correctly. After the W-2s are printed, double check the data for each employee.
4. If you are not processing on the last day of the year, change the system date to the last day of the year and the period to the last period of the year.
5. Under End of Period Processing, run year to date on:
   • Employee Master -- to update the benefit/deduction totals for each employee
   • Profile Files -- to update the "code" information (department, benefit/deduction, and shelters)
   • History Files -- to update each employee's MTD, QTD, and YTD totals. History Files also sets payroll up for the new year and rolls 5th quarter data forward.

Top of Page

Installing Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions on Windows 3.1x

Backup Original disk before installing

1. At the DOS prompt type C:\>DISKCOPY a: a:
   The command [a: a:] tells the computer to copy the data on the Source (original) disk in drive a to the Target (working) disk in drive a.
2. Put your Source disk in the diskette drive, and press <ENTER>.
3. When the prompt asks for the Target disk, remove the original disk, insert the working (backup) disk and press <ENTER>.
4. Follow the above steps for each disk to be copied.

Installing from Windows 3.1x

1. Insert the working copy of Disk 1 in the diskette drive.
2. Click on File from the Windows Program Manager, then select Run.
3. Type a:\setup in the Command box (or the drive the installation diskette is in).
4. Click on OK (or press <ENTER>). This starts the installation process. Please see your User Guide for more installation details.

Launching from Windows 3.1x

1. After installing CMS, return to the Windows Program Manager to create a path which will allow you to launch CMS from Windows.
2. Select the program group where you want your CMS icon to appear (example: select Applications group).
3. From the Program Manager select File, then New.
4. In the New Program Object box be sure the Program Item type is selected, and click OK. At the Program Item Properties box fill in the following fields:
   • Description (description of Software, i.e. ACTPLUS, CMS, etc.)
   • Command Line (path). If you don’t know the path select Browse.
   • From the Browse screen proceed as follows :
     1. Double click on the C:\ prompt located in the center column of screen, to see a list of directories.
     2. Next, double click on the CMS directory in the same column. This brings up a list of files associated to CMS under the column at the left of the screen.
     3. Highlight the file name CMS.PIF and click OK. This will return you to the Program Item Properties screen.
   • Working Directory (where your data resides, example: C:\CMS\COUGAR).

Selecting the Reporting to the MAX Icon in Windows 3.1x

1. While still in the Program Item Properties screen proceed as follows:
2. Select Change Icon. A message appears saying, "There are no icons available for the specified file." Click on OK.
3. Select Browse. This takes you back to the Browse screen.
4. Double click on the C:\ prompt to see a list of directories.
5. Next double click on the CMS directory in the same column. This brings up a list of files associated to CMS under the column at the left of the screen.
6. Highlight the file CMS.ICO and click OK. This will return you to the Icon Selection screen with the CMS icon showing.
7. Click on OK, which returns you to the Program Item Properties screen.
8. Click on OK to confirm the properties and exit back to the Program Manager.
9. Double click on the CMS icon to launch your CMS program.

Editing the PIF File

1. Select PIF file editor, from the Main program group.
2. While in the editor select File, and Open.
3. You can either type in the file name including the path (example: C:\CMS\CMS.PIF), or search for it following the instructions outlined under Launching CMS from Windows, step #3, Command Line, above.
4. Change the Memory Requirements as follows:
   • KB Required: Change from 512 (520) to -1
   • KB Desired: Change from 640 to -1
5. Click on File, then select Save.
6. Click on File again, and select Exit.

Top of Page

Installing Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions under Windows 95

1. Insert the working (backup) copy of Disk 1 in the diskette drive.
2. Click on the Start button on the menu bar at the bottom of screen, and select Run.
3. In the Open box type a:\setup (or the drive letter the installation diskette is in).
4. Click on OK (or press <ENTER>). This starts the installation.
5. When the installation is complete, you will need to close the DOS screen to return to the Windows 95 Desktop.

Adding Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions to a program group:

1. Select the Start button and click on Settings.
2. Select Task Bar which will take you to the Taskbar Properties window.
3. Select Start Menu Programs. Select Add, then click on Browse for a list of folders.
4. Find the CMS folder; double click on it, then double click on the CMS (executable) file. This will place the path required to execute the program in the Command line box.
5. Select Next>. This takes you to the Select Program Folder screen. Select the Program folder where you want CMS to reside.
6. Select Next>. Type the program name in the box (i.e., CMS Accounting), click on Finish, and then click on OK.

Putting Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions on the desktop, (create a shortcut):

1. Click the right mouse button, select New. Select Shortcut. This places a "Create Shortcut" screen on the desktop.
2. Select Browse. Double click on the CMS folder, double click on CMS (executable) file. This places the path required to execute the program in the Command line box.
3. Select Next>. Type the program name for the shortcut in the Select name box (i.e., CMS Accounting).
4. Select Finish. You can now launch the program directly from the shortcut name on the desktop.

Changing the default icon on the desktop to the Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions icon:

1. Highlight the desktop icon and click the right mouse button.
2. Click on Properties, then on Program.
3. Select Change Icon, then click on Browse which brings up a box containing the directory folders. Scroll up or down through the folders until you see the CMS folder.
4. Select the CMS folder and double click on it.
5. Double click on the CMS icon.
6. The CMS icon is displayed in the Current icon box, click on OK.
7. Click on OK in the Properties screen.

Top of Page

Copyright © 1997 Reporting to the MAX including Point of Sale and Non-profit Versions, Inc. [5991]