Volume Number: 26
Issue Number: 07
Column Tag: Kool Tools

Kool Tools: Acclivity AccountEdge

by Dennis Sellers

Acclivity's AccountEdge 2010 (http://accountedge.com/mac/), the latest version of their small business accounting software for the Mac, is a solid update--especially if you need web store integration. Among the new features are integration with Sofa's web store Enstore, more detailed tracking of item information, profitability of a sale analysis, and bank deposit slip printing.

EnStore is the new web store developed by Acclivity's Checkout partner, Sofa. This feature should appeal to anyone that wants to offer their customers a simple, elegant online shopping experience.

EnStore is a pay-as-you-go web store that integrates with AccountEdge. Products, images, pricing and other details are managed in AccountEdge and synced up to EnStore. AccountEdge pulls down new orders, customers, payments and taxes.

EnStore comes with the flexibility to customize your store, automatic shipping and tax rate lookup, hassle-free payment processing through major payment providers and a set of designed templates. EnStore comes with free setup, hosting and unlimited bandwidth and storage. Several store templates come with EnStore; you can add your own pictures and descriptions.

Also, AccountEdge 2010 comes with more robust tracking of item information, including item weight, tagging functionality, brand association, Internet price, and the ability to attach up to three images to an item for multiple viewpoints. You can learn the profitability of a sale with the Show Profit Analysis button. It shows gross profit, margin, and cost of each item you're selling and for the entire invoice. You can change the price per unit to see how it affects margin and profitability. You can show profit analysis from an order, quote, or an invoice.

You can now print out your bank deposit slips, while taking into consideration cash back on deposits, total cash, total checks, and number of items deposited. You can purchase accompanying deposit slips that come pre-printed with your account information, and take your deposit slips right to the bank.

AccountEdge 2010 offers search improvements. In lists, you can search by first name, last name, company name, phone number and more. The new "Search By" feature works for vendors and items, too.

The User Guide and Getting Started Guide are installed and accessible from the Help menu. Of course, you can always seek help from the support section of the AccountEdge web site. The Help menu gives you the choice of going to the website for help or searching the help files included in AccountEdge. Most windows in AccountEdge also include the Help icon, which displays information related to whatever section of the software you currently inhabit.

AccountEdge's Auto Update feature automatically checks for any new software and payroll updates. Plus, you can back-up your file in .zip format, which also allows you to share your file with Windows users.

The software is available through the AccountEdge website and other online outlets, mail order catalogs, and select retailers. AccountEdge is priced at US$299 for new users, and $159 for upgrades ($249 for Network Edition upgrades).

Dennis Sellers is a long time journalist. He started in the newspaper business, but has been in the online journalism business for the past 15 years. He's the editor/publisher of Macsimum News (http://www.macsimumnews.com)