Does Sage have plans to stop supporting TLS 1.0 & 1.1 for Sage 100?

September 6, 2023 by Wayne Schulz

Sage’s policy on supporting TLS 1.0 and 1.1 for Sage 100 is the following.

Sage will end support of Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0 and 1.1 for online communications by October 1, 2023. TLS is a security protocol that creates encryption paths over computer networks to help ensure that online communications and information cannot be intercepted. Regulatory standards have increasingly required the adoption of TLS 1.2 and the subsequent depreciation of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 due to known security risks.

Sage servers will stop accepting communication from products using TLS 1.0 and 1.1 on October 1, 2023. If you are using versions of Sage 100 that do not utilize TLS 1.2, an update or upgrade will be required to prevent a disruption in the use of your software. Sage 100 versions 2018 PU10, 2019 PU4, 2020 PU1, and newer versions support TLS 1.2. Sage 100 2015.5 users who own the payroll module must also upgrade or update their software.

If you do not update or upgrade your software, you will begin receiving warning messages when accessing Sage 100 due to the inability to communicate with Sage servers. Your software will revert to read-only mode and restrict access after a grace period of approximately 45 days.

If you are on the following releases – or higher – then you are compatible with TLS 1.2 to reach the Sage Licensing Server.

2023.x
2022.x
2021.x
2020.1 ( PU1 )
2019.4 ( PU4 )
2018.10 (PU10)

Please contact your Sage partner for more information on upgrading your Sage 100 system.

DataSelf ETL+ v2023.07 for Sage 100 Announced

July 30, 2023 by Wayne Schulz

DataSelf Analytics is a business intelligence (BI) solution that helps businesses get more value from their Sage 100 data. It provides a wide range of features, including:

Self-service reporting: Users can create their reports without IT assistance.
Natural language query: Users can ask questions in plain English to get answers to their business questions.
Data visualization: Data is presented clearly and efficiently through charts, graphs, and dashboards.
Advanced analytics: Users can analyze complex data to identify trends and patterns.
Data warehousing: Data is stored in a central repository for easy access and analysis.

DataSelf Analytics can be used by businesses of all sizes, and it is compatible with both on-premises and cloud-based deployments of Sage 100.

Here are some specific examples of how DataSelf Analytics can be used for Sage 100:

Sales analysis: Businesses can use DataSelf Analytics to track sales trends, identify top-performing products and customers, and measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
Inventory management: Businesses can use DataSelf Analytics to track inventory levels, identify stockouts, and forecast demand.
Financial analysis: Businesses can use DataSelf Analytics to track financial performance, identify areas of cost savings, and make better investment decisions.
Compliance reporting: Businesses can use DataSelf Analytics to generate reports that comply with industry regulations.

DataSelf Analytics is a robust BI solution that can help businesses get more value from their Sage 100 data. It is a cost-effective way to improve decision-making, increase efficiency, and boost profitability.

Additional benefits of DataSelf Analytics for Sage 100:

Increased visibility into your business: DataSelf Analytics provides a single view of your data, so you can see how your different departments and processes are performing. This helps you to identify areas for improvement and make better decisions.
Improved decision-making: DataSelf Analytics makes it easy to ask questions about your data and get answers quickly. This helps you make informed decisions based on facts, not gut instinct.
Increased efficiency: DataSelf Analytics can help you to automate tasks and streamline your reporting process. This frees up your time so you can focus on other important activities.
Boosted profitability: DataSelf Analytics can help you to identify areas where you can save money or increase sales. This can lead to a significant increase in your bottom line.

What Is DataSelf ETL?

From the DataSelf website:

DataSelf ETL+ allows users to securely and centrally manage data extraction, transformation, and loading processes from all of their data silos – being on-premises, private and/or public clouds into MS SQL Server databases or data warehouses. This centralized administration capability dramatically reduces the configuration and maintenance of tasks such as data refreshes, changes to data mapping, and schedule changes.

DataSelf ETL+ (ETL Plus) is a modern and proprietary engine that powers self-service, secured, simplified, and customizable data consolidation leveraging modern and industry-standard technologies. Connects to data sources and populates data warehouses.

What’s New In DataSelf ETL v2023.07?

According to the DataSelf website:

Overall, the July 2023 release of DataSelf ETL+ is designed to make it easier for users to manage and customize their reporting solution. The new features focus on cloud data modeling, collaboration, troubleshooting, and intra-firewall configuration. Additionally, over 200 other enhancements have been made to improve the overall user experience.

Cloud data modeling: This allows clients to add or change their reporting data model without the inconvenience of logging into their data source or to the DataSelf data warehouse.
Improved collaboration: ETL+ now tracks user changes, including who, what, and when changes have been made. A new “multi-user mode” prevents users from accidentally overwriting someone else’s work in real time.
New troubleshooting features: The “ETL Watchdog” component proactively notifies users of jobs that failed to run as expected. Expanded error handling includes an auto-adaption capability specifically designed to address changes to a source database column’s “data type”.
Support for intra-firewall configuration: This allows clients to deploy ETL+ in an environment where the data warehouse is entirely behind their firewall.
Over 200 other enhancements: These include faster data extractions, an improved user experience, enhanced handling of legacy and live data blending, expanded search capabilities, easier installation & upgrade processes, Azure AD authentication for MS SQL, and data extraction refinements from various sources.

For more information visit the DataSelf website.

Version History of Sage 100 Accounting Software

July 27, 2023 by Wayne Schulz

Sage 100 – formerly MAS 90 – has been used by thousands of companies over 30+ years. While initially marketed to a broad marketplace of small businesses, more recently, the accounting system is used primarily by mid-sized ( $5 to $50 million ) sized businesses in the wholesale distribution or light manufacturing industries.

Below is a list of Sage 100 versions including when the version was released and when Sage officially ceased support ( retired ) the version.

The underlying data tables are very similar which means that users on ancient versions of MAS90/Sage 100 can still update to the latest version ( Sage 100 2023 at the time of this writing in July 2023).

Sage 100 is sold on a subscription-based with a separate charge for each concurrent user.

History of Sage 100 ( MAS 90 ) Retired Versions

Description	Release Date	Retirement Date	Last Product Update	Additional Notes
Sage 100 2020 (6.20)	March, 2020	April, 2023	September, 2022	Updates: 1-6
Sage 100 2019 (6.10)	September, 2019	April, 2022	April, 2021	Updates: 1-5
Sage 100 2018 (6.00)	October, 2017	April 22, 2021	September, 2020	Updates: 1-10; Without updates: 6.00.0.04; With update 1: 6.00.1.0; With update 10: 6.00.10.0
Sage 100 2017 (5.40)	October, 2016	September 30, 2020	September, 2018	Updates: 1-6
Sage 100 2016 (5.30)	October, 2015	September 30, 2019	June, 2017	Updates: 1-5
Sage 100 2015 (5.20)	October, 2014	September 30, 2018	N/A	Updates: 1-5; Support for Windows 10 began with this version
Sage 100 2014 (5.10)	December, 2013	September 30, 2017	November, 2015	Updates: 1-7
Sage 100 2013 (5.00)	October, 2012	September 30, 2016	N/A	Updates: 1-9
Sage 100 ERP (formerly Sage MAS 90/200) version 4.50	August, 2011	September 30, 2015	N/A	Updates: 1-8
Sage ERP MAS 200 SQL version 4.45	November, 2010	September 30, 2012	N/A	No updates mentioned
Sage 100 ERP (formerly Sage MAS 90/200) version 4.40	February, 2010	September 30, 2014	N/A	Includes the Extended Enterprise Suite (EES) version 1.4
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 version 4.30	June, 2008	September 30, 2013	N/A	Includes the Extended Enterprise Suite (EES) version 1.3
Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 version 4.20	October, 2007	September 30, 2012	N/A	Not supported with any 64-bit operating systems
Sage (or formerly Best Software) MAS 90 and 200 versions 4.10, 4.05, and 4.00	October, 2005; November, 2004; April, 2004	September 30, 2011	N/A	No updates mentioned
Sage (or formerly Best Software) MAS 200 SQL versions 3.74, 3.73, and 3.72	July, 2007; December, 2005; November, 2004	September 30, 2011	N/A	No updates mentioned
Sage (formerly Best Software) MAS 90 and 200 version 3.71	November, 2002	September 30, 2010	N/A	No updates mentioned
Sage (formerly Best Software) MAS 90 and 200 version 3.70	February, 2002	October, 2005	N/A	No updates mentioned
Sage Extended Solutions (custom enhancements to the MAS 90 or 200 software)	N/A	November 1, 2010	N/A	Selected enhancements incorporated into the product over the course of versions 4.40 through 2013
Earlier versions of Sage (or Best Software) MAS 90 and 200 (3.61, 3.60, 3.51, 3.50, 3.41, 3.40, etc.)	N/A	By 2005	N/A	No updates mentioned

What Happens if Sage 100 Goes Read-Only?

July 11, 2023 by Wayne Schulz

Sage 100 accounting software can go into read-only mode if, for some reason, it cannot obtain an updated license from the Sage Licensing Server ( aka SLS ).

This may occur if the user has not renewed their Sage 100 subscription or if a Sage 100 subscription license ( perpetual licenses are not impacted ) cannot contact the SLS to obtain a renewal. These renewal check-ins happen at the end of a subscription term, meaning monthly subscribers will have Sage 100 checking monthly, and annual subscribers will have Sage 100 checking annually.

What Versions of Sage 100 Are TLS 1.2 Compliant

Beginning October 1, 2023, Sage will require all subscription versions of Sage 100 to be TLS 1.2 compliant to connect to the Sage Licensing Server and renew their Sage license.

The following versions of Sage 100 ( subscription ) are TLS 1.2 compatible and do not require any further action to perform licensing renewals.

2023.x
2022.x
2021.x
2020.1 ( PU1 )
2019.4 ( PU4 )
2018.10 (PU10)

What If Sage 100 Goes Read-Only

According to the Sage Knowledgebase, expect the following capabilities if your Sage 100 system goes into read-only mode:

45-day grace period
After the grace period, Sage 100 still runs but in read-only mode
Reports still run
Maintenance screens are accessible -but display-only
Visual Integrator jobs can be reviewed but not executed

The easiest solution to avoid having Sage 100 go into read-only is to always stay current with the latest version of Sage 100 and renew subscription fees timely.

For more details on read-only mode, please see Will Sage 100 data be accessible after a Sage 100 subscription expires?

Please review this post on the Sage City community to learn more about the SageLicensing Server TLS 1.2 requirements. To verify the TLS version used by your Sage 100, see – How to verify the version of TLS (Transport Layer Security) Sage 100 is using to communicate with the Sage License Server.

Other Reasons For License Server Issues

Some other reasons why you might see a message like:

Error: “Could not contact the license and subscription service in the allowed time. If the problem continues, please contact Sage Support”

Sage 100 program updates may be missing
Firewall is blocking the subscription server
AmazonAWS.com is blocked in the firewall
Firewall blocking websites outside of the US
TLS version in use is less than TLS 1.2

For a complete list of reasons why Sage 100 might not be able to contact the Sage Licensing Server, please visit this Sage KB.

The Wayfair Ruling at Five: Why 72% of Businesses Still Struggle with Economic Nexus

June 26, 2023 by Wayne Schulz

Economic nexus is a tax law concept that has become increasingly important in the United States, particularly concerning sales tax collection. Before the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in the 2018 case of South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., states could only require businesses to collect sales tax if they had a physical presence, or “nexus”, in that state. However, the Wayfair decision changed this longstanding principle, introducing the concept of economic nexus. Under this new approach, a business can be required to collect sales tax based on its economic activity within a state, such as reaching a certain threshold of sales or transactions, even if it doesn’t have a physical presence there.

Sage 100 and Sales Tax

Sage 100 has basic sales tax collection capabilities though it requires maintaining an everchanging set of tax tables by state and jurisdiction. This can be a time-consuming task for almost any business. Fortunately, automated tools maintain, compute, and file sales tax returns on your behalf. One such tool is Avalara which integrates entirely with Sage 100 and can compute sales tax on every transaction.

Automating your Sales Tax Computations

The specific thresholds for establishing an economic nexus vary by state, but generally, they include gross sales or transaction volume. For example, many states have adopted South Dakota’s threshold, which requires out-of-state sellers to collect and remit sales tax if they have more than $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions in the state in a year. These laws aim to level the playing field between online and physical retailers and to ensure that states receive the sales tax revenue to which they’re entitled, even from online and out-of-state transactions.

However, implementing economic nexus laws across the U.S. has presented significant challenges for businesses, tiny businesses, and those that sell online. Businesses are now required to track their sales and transactions in every state and collect and remit sales tax in those states exceeding the economic nexus threshold. This can be complex and burdensome, particularly given the wide variation in state sales tax rates and rules. To assist with this, many businesses are turning to tax automation software and consulting services to help them navigate the complexities of economic nexus.

During July, one provider of sales tax automation is hosting a free webinar to review the current state of economic nexus five years after the Wayfair decision.

Learn more about economic nexus at Avalara’s free July 6, 2023 webinar – register here