Technical Documents – Page 3 – Schulz Consulting

MAS 90 & MAS 200 Virtualization Guide Published

July 29, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

Virtualization allows you to allocate hardware resources among multiple virtual environments running on the same machine. Application virtualization is the use of software to allow multiple application images (such as Sage MAS) to run on the same hardware at the same time.

Sage has just issued their officially supported Virtualization configurations. This one page document (copy below for your convenience – be sure to check for updates as they become available) outlines the various virtualization platforms that may now be used to run both MAS 90 and MAS 200.

Benefits of Server Virtualization:

•Provision additional servers without investing in new hardware
•Run multiple operating systems and applications on the same physical server
•Increase the CPU utilization of an underutilized physical server by running multiple virtual environments
•Move virtual machines from one physical server to another without re-configuration
•Capture the entire state of a virtual machine and roll back to that configuration easily

Benefits of Workstation virtualization:

•Run multiple virtual machines on a single PC
•Quickly provision, deploy and reconfigure physical machines
•Run multiple operating systems and applications on a single PC
•Eliminate risk by creating isolated testing environment
•Built-in Snapshots and easy Restore capabilities

MAS90 Version 3.71 Discontinued June 30, 2010

March 19, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

UPDATE 9-2-2009:

Although the Sage official supported platform matrix dated 2-11-09 continues to say that MAS 90 and MAS 200 v3.71 is headed for the retirement on June 30, 2009 we have uncovered another Sage document that seems to say that those on a MAS90 Value Support plan will be able to obtain support through 9/30/2010. If you are making a decision on whether to upgrade/migrate from a 3.71 installation please consult with a competent Sage Business Partner for the latest information prior to making any final determination.

MAS90 and MAS200 version 3.71 appear headed toward “end of life” as of June 30, 2010. (see note at top of this post for updated information)

Whether Sage meant to disclose this tidbit quite yet (or not) – the latest Supported Platform Matrix dated February 11, 2009 contains this tidbit of information.

Of course the older Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 versions were no longer actively sold but Sage had been offering a value plan which for $1,000 per year gave users of the 3.71 version the capability of buying additional users and modules under what was termed their Value Plan.

Update: Link to MAS 90 and MAS 200 Value Plan offer as of September 2009

Recently Sage have been making noise about an upcoming retirement schedule for their product line.

As of now, the following versions of Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 are still supported:

3.71
3.71-3.74 (MAS 200 SQL)
4.00
4.05
4.10
4.20
4.30

Although each of these levels is officially supported – Sage offers varying levels of response and support for them. For example version 4.2 and earlier no longer receive service update bundles. Versions 4.05 and earlier no longer have fixes listed in Sage’s knowledgebase. (For a complete list of the support differences see our earlier story here)

MAS90 and MAS200 supported versions list

March 18, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 version 3.71 and higher are presently supported by Sage. This means that in most instances you can obtain the current release levels, service updates (if any) as well as tax table updates.

There are some restrictions on what older versions of MAS 90 and MAS 200 are entitled to.

For example, versions 4.20 and earlier no longer receive service updates. Instead if you find an error you’ll have to beg and plead ask for an individual program fix. Also, version 4.05 and lower no longer have the knowledgebase kept up to date – so if you’re looking for a problem report on a version 4.0 issue you’ll probably not have much luck.

Curious what the restrictions are on the supported levels of Sage MAS 90, MAS 200 (and MAS 500 is even thrown in for good luck)?

Here’s the PDF showing all versions starting with 4.30 and their appropriate level of support.

Supported Versions Policy MAS90 MAS200 MAS500

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Brochures & Catalogs version MAS200

IRS updated withholding tax schedules released 2-21-09

February 26, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

The Internal Revenue Service today released new withholding tables that will result in more take-home pay this spring for millions of American workers.

The new tables incorporate the new Making Work Pay credit, one of the key tax provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that became law earlier this week.

UPDATE: 12/24/09 – The 2010 IRS Withholding Tax Tables have been released and we have a copy at this link.

“For most taxpayers, the additional credit will automatically start showing up in their paychecks this spring,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “Since employers and payroll companies will handle this change, people typically won’t need to take any additional action. The IRS will continue working to implement this and other provisions of the new law as quickly as possible.”

The new withholding tables, along with other instructions related to the new tax law, will be incorporated in new Publication 15-T. This publication will be posted to this Web site next week and mailed to more than 9 million employers in mid-March. The IRS asks that employers start using these new tables as soon as possible but not later than April 1. Most workers will see a boost in their take-home pay soon thereafter.

Eligible workers will get the benefit of this change without any action on their part. This means that workers don’t need to fill out a new W-4 withholding form to get the Making Work Pay credit reflected in their take-home pay. A Form W-4 will not need to be submitted for the automatic withholding change. Individuals and couples with multiple jobs may want to submit revised Form W-4 forms to ensure enough withholding is held to cover the tax for the combined income. Publication 919 provides additional guidance for tax withholding.

Available for tax years 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay credit is 6.2 percent of a taxpayer’s earned income with a maximum credit of $800 for a married couple filing a joint return and $400 for other taxpayers, but it is phased out for higher income taxpayers. Most workers will qualify for the maximum credit. Because the credit is refundable (people can get it even if they owe no tax), most low-income workers will also qualify for the full credit.

Though all eligible taxpayers will need to claim the credit when they file their 2009 income tax return next year, the benefit will generally be spread out over the paychecks they receive beginning this spring and continue until the end of the year.

Many higher-income taxpayers will see little or no change in their take-home pay. That’s because the Making Work Pay credit is phased out for a married couple filing a joint return whose modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is between $150,000 and $190,000 and other taxpayers whose modified AGI is between $75,000 and $95,000

Taxpayers will not get a separate, special check mailed to them from the IRS like last year’s economic stimulus payment.

New IRS Tax Tables February 2009

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Business & Legal 2009 irs publication 15t

Publication 15-T tax tables for 02-2009 released by IRS [preliminary]

February 26, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

Tax table updates for Sage MAS90 and MAS200 have yet to be released by Sage. When they are released, those users who are active on a basic maintenance plan can download them from the Sage Online web site.

Payroll tax table updates will be available for MAS 90 and MAS 200 payroll from version 3.71 to 4.30.

The lack of updates from Sage (as of 2-26-09) doesn’t mean you cannot update your tax tables manually with information released by the IRS.

Important Disclaimer: The IRS site states that the table they’ve published are preliminary. Be sure to check back at irs.gov to see whether any updates are released. We strive to update our site with the latest news of interest to MAS90 and MAS200 users – however we cannot be responsible for use of an outdated tax table. Always check tax calculations closely after making any changes to your payroll tax tables.

To manually update your MAS90 payroll tax tables

Obtain the latest IRS tax tables from Irs.gov site (Publication 15-T)

Using the Table 7 ANNUAL Payroll Period table, navigate to MAS90/MAS200 – Payroll – Setup – Tax Table Maintenance and update the FED table for each filing status (single, married, head of household).

Important: It is crucial that you verify the accuracy of all tax computations on the first payroll runs. Be sure to verify that you are running the latest and most accurate tax tables by checking irs.gov for any future tax table updates.

To manually update your MAS90 payroll tax tables

Contact Us