Small Business Accounting 2006 integration

I am in the process of trying to decide if I should make the switch from Quickbooks POS to Retail Management. One of my problems is that Quickbooks POS and Quickbooks Pro accounting do not communicate very well. I was thinking of going with MS Small Business accounting and RMS but I needed to find out if anyone has had any experience with the connector software? is there somewhere I can find out exactly what information is shared? One issue I have with QB is that item information is not transfered between the programs.

My experience has not been good. I have tried to install the RMS connector, but it does not work. I called the company that created it and they told me two things: One the connector won't work with sql server 2005 and two they don't support it. They told me Microsoft bought it from them so you will have to call them, that they will do nothing to help you. I tried to call Microsoft who has been unable to reach anyone at Microsoft who can help me with this. Basically I gave up. I did try to install it on a computer that had Sql server 2000 on it and it still didn't work. My suggestion is to wait until Microsoft comes out with either a new release of SBA or the connector that will work.
You do not want to switch over without the connection.
"hitchhiker" wrote:
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This, in my opinion, is the biggest issue that all POS systems have... the lack of G/L integration. If RMS integrated ***FLAWLESSLY*** with Small Business Financials or GP, it would be AMAZING!!!.
But, RMS is still way better than Quickbooks POS.
Cheers/Eric
"Mark" wrote:
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Mark,
Neither SBA or RMS support SQL 2005, so why blame it on the connector?
SBA barely works with MSDE and the way the SBA design team requires it to be installed with all of their bogus MSDE setups.
MS bought their way out their way to providing the connector from EVT and without being privy to the arrangement, probably assumed all tech support.
I would be asking your questions either here or on the SBA newsgroup; microsoft.public.sba.general

SBA does work on SQL Server - there is a White Paper giving you step-by-step instructions. And specifically, the White Paper covers installing SBA on Small Business Server 2003 Premium which includes SQL Server.

Hitchhiker,
While just returning from the SBA forum creating a little hate and discontent, my recommendation is to stick with QBP instead of SBA. Screw the hype and stick with QBP!
SBA is a 1.0 product, less than 3 months old!! It was not even written by MS' accounting business group. It was written by the industry leading, MS Money product group! ;-0
Don't know what you are trying to transfer, but try creating a test QBP and RMS database and see if it works to your satisfaction.

Jeff, for the record I installed it on SQL Server 2000 and it didn't work either. I also have never been able to get the network setup to work either and by the looks of this bulletin board for SBA neither has anyone else.
"Jeff" wrote:
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Mark,
It _will_ work, you just have to screw around with SQL, Windows Firewall, BCM and the differences with SQL and MDSE ports Way too difficult!! Even for most experienced users.
MS forgot a basic thing. Small means different things to different people.
SBA is intended to run peer to peer, something that MS has riled against since the beginning. They forgot they had something called SBS that they have foisted on the small business community. I'm guessing that 50% of the businesses sold SBS, uses, at most, 50% of the product. The general public thinks small means small. They saw cheap with SBA and assuming it was meant for small businesses because they were told that they were a small business, remember they were sold SBS.
SBA, in its current format, is only for very small, very simple businesses.
It may grow to become more, but why should it? MS already has Small Business Financials, which is designed by their professional accounting group. Its only issue is the way MS decided to sell and market it.
You must purchase a 5 user version to start @ 995. At approx. $200 per user, its almost the same price as SBA, but has been designed to grow as their business grows and is _much_ more robust.
SBA, at this time, has no upgrade path at all.
The question is, Why is MS wasting millions by having 2 products to do the _exact_ same thing?

First, infrastructure and database administration is difficult, and that's why I post so often on the need for POS resellers to either partner with infrastructure experts, or hire on the expertise themselves instead of complaining about the awesome products that MSFT gives us to help our clients leverage their technolgoy to grow their business.
Second, we have been running SBA on SQL since the middle of the BETA and it isn't THAT difficult if you know infrastructure and netoworking and SQL. Again, if you don't know how the technology works, don't put it down. Find someone to contract this work out to, or hire it.
Third, if 50% of the business who have deployed SBS are only using 50% of it then it's the consultant/vendor who sold them SBS who screwed that deal up. We see this ALL the time. A consultant or company who sells point of sale software to a small retailer who thinks that they can just follow the wizards in SBS and call themselves an infrastructure expert. Why frown on an awesome product for the SMB space when the consultant deploying it doesn't know anything about infrastructure?

Amy,
I'm saying all of this because MS has positioned it this way.
Just like you, I too have been running it on SBS since Beta and all of us bitched to MS about getting it to run on SBS. They released try this's and that's and after a few attempts made it work and MS finally released a buggy whitepaper and has finally issued one that works, for SBS, in Nov. 2005, I think the same month SBA was released.
But, Mark hasn't mentioned that he has SBS, he has plain jane SQL 2K, its a different setup and NOT explained in any whitepaper per se. You CAN glean it from the SBS whitepaper though, again, ONLY if you know what you are doing!!
MS has positioned SBS as the end all for all SMBs, so the uninformed push it on SMBs. I walk into many small, 1-5 employee stores that have SBS sitting there. The don't need Exchange, Outlook , ISA and in most cases the hassle of a $3k dedicated server in the first place. Their needs are simple and yet MS and some resellers constantly push SBS down their throats.
Yes, I agree that SBS is an awesome product, but only for the right installations!

See in-line comments preceeded by AL...

Green, cuz I like $$$$!
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Jeff,
None of what I said was meant as a "slam."
SQL Server will not run on XP. So, it's a safe assumption that if someone is running SQL Server then they are running it on Windows 2000 Server or WIndows Server 2003. Maybe you meant MSDE on XP?
Re: R2 - I think that with SQL Express (MSDE), WE, Standard and Enterprise Microsoft is really causing themselves more problems. But, that is what they've given us. SQL WE is cheaper than SQL Standard, but the price of Standard has gone up with no addition in features or functionality. To me, this doesn't make sense at all. So, to keep the price of SBS the same, they drop the SQL piece down to WE. Welcome to the wonderful world of Microsoft marketing.
But, your price for SQL WE you note below does not include your cost for the Windows Server for SQL to run on. So, add $999 (retail for server and 5 CALs) to your $739 (retail for SQL WE with 5 CALs) and you have $1738 which is more than Small Business Premium which is $1500 (retail with 5 CALs). SBS Premium includes Windows Server, Exchange Server, SQL Server and ISA Server. If all you are looking at is price, SBS is still the better choice, even if you choose not to install Exchange or ISA. And, SQL WE CALs are $146 each which is 50% MORE than SBS ($99 per CAL).
As far as managing an SBS server, my time calculations come from the last six years of administering Small Business Server. I don't think that me or my technicians are that much faster than anybody else, but a properly configured SBS requires very little administrative time. Didn't mean to insult you there.
30 users is small. 5 users is what many call "Micro business." 50 users is getting into the Medium space (according to Microsoft now with the bundled MidMarket SKU).
You are correct in saying "you must supply the client with the best options available at the time" but even by your own arguement, SBS provides Windows Server & SQL WE at a better price point than the seperate servers. And yes, even "while trying to anticipate those needs for the next 3-5 years" you might want to consider SBS as the foundation from which your retailers can grow so that in a year or two from now when they add more staff and begin to ask you about Share Point and email and collaboration you can tell them they already have the tools in place.
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Still loving that $$$$$,
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>>>> >I am in the process of trying to decide if I should make the switch >>>> >from >>>> > Quickbooks POS to Retail Management. One of my problems is that >>>> > Quickbooks >>>> > POS and Quickbooks Pro accounting do not communicate very well. >>>> > I was thinking of going with MS Small Business accounting and RMS but >>>> > I >>>> > needed to find out if anyone has had any experience with the >>>> > connector >>>> > software? is there somewhere I can find out exactly what information >>>> > is >>>> > shared? One issue I have with QB is that item information is not >>>> > transfered >>>> > between the programs. >>>> >>>> >>>> >> >> > > >
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We use LPI to monitor our client's systems - no need to manually check on them. You don't need a 3rd party backup solution for SBS, but go ahead and spend on that if you'd like. We use Trend Micro C/S/M Suite and it retails for $30 per user and the renewal retails for $11 per user. Not even close to Symantec where good software goes to die. You're right most retailers don't have a dedicated computer for their employees, that's why you purchase the Device CAL instead of User CAL for those machines.
But, Jeff you've proven you are smarter. So, I will bow out. Nobody has the perfect answer, but I am glad to know that open discussion isn't something you like.
>>>> >I am in the process of trying to decide if I should make the switch >>>> >from >>>> > Quickbooks POS to Retail Management. One of my problems is that >>>> > Quickbooks >>>> > POS and Quickbooks Pro accounting do not communicate very well. >>>> > I was thinking of going with MS Small Business accounting and RMS but >>>> > I >>>> > needed to find out if anyone has had any experience with the >>>> > connector >>>> > software? is there somewhere I can find out exactly what information >>>> > is >>>> > shared? One issue I have with QB is that item information is not >>>> > transfered >>>> > between the programs. >>>> >>>> >>>> >> >> > > >
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Hello,
The next version of SBA and MSPOS will have deep integration. If you give us our email address, we will contact you offline for this issue.
Regards,
Kevin Pham

Just for the record I wasn't bashing Microsoft and their products most everything I have is Microsoft including my cell phone's operating system. I was just stating fact that I was unable to get the module to work and the company that wrote it was unable to help me. I am very excited to hear about the next version and it's deep integration. You have made my day.
"Kevin Pham [MSFT]" wrote:
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Kevin, thank you for the post about the next version of SBA and it's integration, being much deeper with RMS. That makes me very happy. Do you have any estimated time frame when it will be released, if you can't answer that I understand. I have given up on the current RMS connector, and will wait for the next version.
"Kevin Pham [MSFT]" wrote:
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Mark,
He said POS, not RMS! They are different, but similar products. Consider POS the seed of the next version of RMS, just as QuickSell 2k was the father of RMS.

Your right Jeff, I missed that. Kevin will RMS be tightly integrated
"Jeff" wrote:
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