FRX – Page 2 – Schulz Consulting

FRX 6.7 Service Pack 11 for MAS90 and MAS200 Available Now From Sage

April 11, 2010 by Wayne Schulz

FRX Service Pack 9 for MAS90 and MAS200.jpg

Sage just posted FRX Service Pack 9 (which had been available directly from Microsoft since December of last year).

The changes appears to be mostly bug fixes with tweaks for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 support. Another user reports that this service pack 11 for FRX also fixed a problem with Microsoft Excel 2007 compatibility.

Of course Microsoft is no longer supporting FRX after 12/31/2012 and the sales of the popular financial reporter will stop as of 12/31/2010.

Sage has announced that Alchemex (rebadged as Sage MAS Intelligence) will be their replacement product for most users. Within an as yet undetermined time Sage also has plans to introduce FR (owned by Sage and presently in use on the ACCPAC product line as the Sage Accpac Financial Reporter or FR) as a reporting tool for the Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 product.

In addition to providing MAS customers with one free user license of Sage MAS Intelligence, Sage will have a promotion for customers who have bought additional FRx licenses to obtain the equivalent Sage MAS Intelligence licenses.

In the long run Sage is looking into bundling more basic FR functionality with no restriction to number of users, but this is not planned for the 4.5 release. This will be basic Financial Reporting. Sage MAS Intelligence will provide more advanced features and capabilities, not just to replace FRx features, but to provide a lot more advanced reporting and analysis capabilities as well.MAS90 and MAS200 FRX SP 11 for FRX6.7

Sage MAS90 and MAS200 FRX 6.7 Service Pack 11 (March 2010) and FRX 6.7 service pack 11 release notes

FRX SP 11 for MAS 90 and MAS 200 Available For Download

January 20, 2010 by Wayne Schulz

Been looking for the FRX Service Pack 11 for MAS90 and MAS200?

Consultant Alan Niergarth found it right on Microsoft’s own site.

This 52.5 MB download patches FRX for numerous program issues. Although the “whats fixed” doesn’t mention any fixes for Windows 7 compatibility, at least one site claims that FRX Service Update 11 enables FRX to work with Windows 7. Check the What’s New for details.

While Microsoft has this patch available for MAS 90 and MAS 200 users we must point out that Sage has apparently not yet tested it. So install it at your own risk though at least one person says that “it didn’t blow my system up” when they installed it.

YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). Consult your Sage Business Partner prior to installing – that is unless you are a Sage Business Partner which in that case consult yourself.

Link: FRX Service Pack 11 for MAS 90 and MAS 200

FRX Not Being Updated for 64 Bit OS Compatibility in SP 11

December 29, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

I’m unsure whether the feedback on FRX Buzz indicates that FRX will never be updated for a 64 bit OS (that’s my guess) or whether that compatibility just won’t appear in service update 11.

According to a post on FRxBuzz.com the service pack 11 for FRX has been released with these highlights:

Windows 2008 and Windows 7 support

FRX WebPort support for Windows 2008 and Windows 7

NO Office 2010 support (this cycle) – however unofficial limited testing seems to indicate it works with FRX.

64-bit version of Windows will not be supported. Instead customers must make use of Virtual Machines (a kludgy workaround).

Read the full post at FRxBuzz

Via: Bottomline Software, Inc. – Jeff Schwenk

Sage issues statement on FRX support – RIP December 31, 2012?

November 3, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

Microsoft has previously announced that they are discontinuing support for their FRX Financial Report Writer which is used as the primary financial reporting tool for both Sage MAS 90 and 200.

Now Sage has confirmed that December 31, 2012 is the last date that FRX will be supported by Microsoft. While Sage’s announcement does not explicitly state that they will stop support for FRX as of that date, it’s likely that their policy will mirror Microsoft’s.

Here’s Sage’s FRX Announcement

Product Update: FRx Reporting Software Beyond Version 6.7

Sage has been advised that Microsoft has made a decision against further enhancement or development of their FRx reporting software beyond version 6.7. Microsoft agreed to continue supporting the current version of FRx through December 31, 2012, thereby enabling Sage adequate opportunity to evaluate suitable alternatives. As a part of the evaluation process, Sage will also assess Microsoft’s Management Reporter; Management Reporter has been described as the next generation FRx and is equipped with full migration capability.

Microsoft’s decision affects not only Sage, but also other competitive ERP solution providers. In response, Sage remains committed to supporting the integrity of our products and your customer’s Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, and Sage MAS 500 ERP, and Sage PFW ERP business software solutions. As a part of our go-forward strategy, we have actively initiated the process of determining what option(s) will provide the most effective solution regarding your customer’s financial report-writing needs. We will inform you of our progress as updates are available. A copy of this notification will be posted on the Partner File Center under the Product Information & Tools category.

[Sage]

FRX Support Plans – FAQ

May 28, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

Microsoft have announced that on 12/31/2010 their FRX Financial Report Writer will no longer be sold to those requiring a new license.

As of 12/31/2012 all Microsoft official support will terminate.

These are the latest dates that we have regarding the future of FRX support and availability. Since we expect some vendors to “self support” the report writer (including possibly Sage) you should check with your financial software supplier to see what their plans are for the product.

FRX Support Options – Post 2012

The question that we’ve been asked more frequently by both Sage and non-Sage users of FRX is what will happen after 2012. Will the FRX software stop working or are there alternate means by which users who are happy with their financial reporting can obtain support?

We provide support for FRX via our unlimited phone agreement (copy here). Other consultants will likely offer the same thing. When we spoke with Sage they were leaning toward (but not committing to supporting the FRX program beyond the 2012 end of life date).

You should consider that FRX (at least on the Sage MAS 90 level) has not been significantly upgraded since the last MAS 90 level service pack for FRX was issued dated December 2008 (Service Pack 10 for FRX v6.7).

Your Options

A. Self Support
Using internal resources, maintain your own help desk to answer user questions. If you’re already at this level then you probably are already also self-supporting. Remember that no new FRX modules/licenses will be sold after 2010.

B. Vendor Support
We think (though we’re not 100% sure yet) that you’ll see vendors like Sage (and others) offering to carry on the support for FRX during the period of time that they announce a transition to an as-yet unnamed financial report writer.

C. Use Third Party Support
Given that FRX has not had the need for a program patch since December 2008, you’re reasonably safe to continue using the program for at least the immediate future. Your main risk factor will likely be an incompatibility between FRX and a future operating system. However you’d likely know of such incompatibility months or years ahead of the time that you decided to upgrade operating systems.

Conclusion
Most consultants (including the ones you use to maintain your current financial software should be able to support you for the next few years. It would be prudent to begin the process of migrating your financial reporting to a new program just a soon as your vendor announces one.

Prior to 2010 you should plan to acquire any essential programs that you may need from FRX. If you need to acquire more licenses or remote you’ll need to do that before 12/2010.

Here’s Sage’s FRX Announcement

FRX Support Options – Post 2012

Your Options

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