AccountMate 7.x for SQL/Express
Conversion from
AccountMate/LAN 7 or 6.5 or
Visual AccountMate Version 3 or 5
CONVERSION INSTRUCTIONS
As of January 15, 2010
Important!! Read this document first.
Do not run the AccountMate 7.x for SQL/Express (AM 7.x) conversion until you read and thoroughly understand all pages of this document. If you have any questions about the conversion process after reading this material, please contact our Product Support team at (707) 774-7599 or via e-mail at support@accountmate.com before you attempt the conversion.
What’s New?
This entire document has been designed to address your conversion needs. This document is made up of two parts:
· Checklist – step-by-step list of the procedures to be performed
· Installation & Conversion Details – detailed discussion of the procedures specified in the checklist
The following section has been updated:
· Post-Conversion Process: Access Maintenance Records
CHECKLIST
Note: Please refer to the Installation & Conversion Details section for a detailed discussion of the specific steps in the checklist below.
A. Pre-installation Steps
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1. Correct Version |
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2. Conversion Limitations |
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3. Do Modifications Exist? |
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4. Install SQL Server with Mixed Mode Authentication |
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5. Choose Computer |
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6. Check Disk Space |
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7. Run Reports |
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8. Payroll Module Preparations |
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9. Backup |
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10. Perform Data Validation Procedures |
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11. Close BR |
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12. Close PO/AP |
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13. Generate and Export Accrued Received Goods Report |
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14. Download Pre-Conversion Utility |
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15. Run Pre-Conversion Utility |
B. AccountMate 7 for SQL/Express Installation
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1. Run Setup.exe |
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2. Select Destination Location |
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3. Select the “Custom” Installation Option |
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4. AccountMate Product Key |
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5. Select Components to Install |
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6. Launch the Administrator Program |
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7. Back up AM 7 for SQL/Express |
C. Converting Data
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1. Verify Exclusive Access |
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2. Download and Extract Latest Conversion Utility |
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3. Verify Data Set Size |
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4. Run Amconvert.exe |
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5. Conversion Setup |
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6. Validation/Conversion Setup |
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7. Run the Conversion |
D. Post-Conversion Process
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1. Activate Modules |
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2. Install License File |
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3. Input PR Tax Subscription Key |
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4. Run Company Setup |
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5. Assign Group and User Access Rights |
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6. Initialize Modules and Install Latest PR Tax Update |
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7. Access Maintenance Records |
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8. Compare GL Transfer Report and GL Financial Statements |
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9. Review Converted Data (by running reports) |
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10. Perform “Typical” or “Compact” Installation on Workstations |
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11. Post AP Invoices for PO Receipts |
E. Troubleshooting Errors and Messages
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1. “Missing file/folder. Please verify that you have extracted the conversion files correctly.” |
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2. “Cannot detect the SQL Server instance. Be sure that the AccountMate application has already been run to create the amwsys and sample databases.” |
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3. “Server name should not contain [ln7/ln6].” |
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4. “Database name should not start with a number.” |
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5. “Database name should not contain space(s).” |
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6. “Target Build # is [xxx]. Converting [LN701] to AMSQL requires a minimum target build of [MD705/MS705].” |
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7. Foreign Key Violation Error |
--- Checklist Ends (Detailed Discussion Follows) ---
INSTALLATION & CONVERSION DETAILS
A. Pre-installation Steps
This data migration program is designed to convert:
o Databases on AccountMate/LAN Version 7 (LAN 7), Build LN701 or higher to any of the following:
§ AccountMate 7.5 for SQL (AM/SQL 7.5) or higher; or
§ AccountMate 7.5 for Express (AM/Express 7.5) or higher
o Databases on AccountMate/LAN Version 6.5 (LAN 6.5), Build LN601 or higher to any of the following:
§ AccountMate 7.4 for SQL (AM/SQL 7.4) or higher; or
§ AccountMate 7.4 for Express (AM/Express 7.4) or higher
o Databases on AccountMate/LAN Version 6.5 (LAN 6.5), Build LN603 or higher with Upgraded PR to any of the following:
§ AccountMate 7.4 for SQL (AM/SQL 7.4) or higher; or
§ AccountMate 7.4 for Express (AM/Express 7.4) or higher
o Databases on VAM/LAN Version 5, Build LN501 or higher to any of the following:
§ AccountMate 7.4 for SQL (AM/SQL 7.4) or higher; or
§ AccountMate 7.4 for Express (AM/Express 7.4) or higher
o Databases on VAM/LAN Version 3, Build LN315 to any of the following:
§ AccountMate 7.4 for SQL (AM/SQL 7.4) or higher; or
§ AccountMate 7.4 for Express (AM/Express 7.4) or higher
Check the build number of your current installation by accessing the “About AccountMate” or “About Visual AccountMate” function under the Help menu. You must update to one of the required builds before you can use this conversion program if your current installation is on a build lower than the ones listed above.
Verify that the version number on the new AccountMate CD is AM 7.4 or higher (AM 7.5 or higher if converting from LAN 7). Contact AccountMate Product Support at (707) 774-7599, support@accountmate.com or call Customer Service at 1-800-877-8896 ext 520 if you want to convert to any other version.
Please take note of these conversion limitations that affect the following modules and features:
a. Various Modules: The next computer and handwritten check #, transaction #, and deposit # fields in Bank Account Maintenance are configured differently in AccountMate LAN and AccountMate 7 SQL/Express. These fields are assigned a numeric data type in AM/LAN while they are integers in AM 7. The SQL integer data type has a maximum value of 2147483647 while the LAN numeric data type has a higher maximum value. If the next check, transaction or deposit number for any of your bank accounts in LAN is greater than the maximum SQL integer value, the conversion will fail; so be sure to change the field value before running this conversion.
b. BR Module: There are data structure differences between AM 7 and the older AccountMate versions. Therefore, if you are coming from LAN 6.5, VAM/LAN 5 or VAM/LAN 3 you must complete any bank reconciliation projects that are pending in your current AccountMate version and then close the period in the BR module before performing the conversion. Refer to step 11 of this section for more information.
Note: LAN 7 has a similar BR data structure as AM 7 SQL/Express; thus, users coming from LAN 7 do not have to close the period in BR before the conversion.
c. PO Module: Accrued received goods records are not converted. Refer to steps 12 through 15 of this section for more information.
d. SO Module: VAM/LAN 3 did not have SO shipment tables. In order to facilitate the conversion to AM 7, only the current SO shipment tables will be populated. There will be no historical shipment data (SOSHIPH, SOSPTRH, and SOSPSPH) for installations that come from VAM/LAN 3 builds.
e. SM Module:
o Any reports created using the Custom Reports feature are not converted. You must re-create the Custom Reports after the conversion.
o Some report enhancements involve changes in the report criteria options (e.g. sorting options, filter criteria, etc.). If you created report macros in your previous AccountMate version for reports that have been so enhanced, those report macros will become invalid after the conversion. You must recreate the report macros for the affected reports after converting to the new version.
3. Do Modifications Exist?
Your current AccountMate system and data structure must be unmodified for the generic conversion program to work. You must have a programmer apply your customizations into your new version if you still need them.
Please do not proceed if you modified the data structure or system. Instead, e-mail our Development Consulting Service, devconsulting@accountmate.com, to ask how you can modify the generic conversion program to work with your modified AccountMate data or system. Regular consulting charges will apply.
4. Install SQL Server with Mixed Mode Authentication
Verify that SQL Server or Express is properly installed and set up for use with AccountMate.
a. Make sure that SQL Server/Express is installed under Mixed Mode to support both SQL and NT Authentication.
b. Be sure to assign a non-blank password to the ‘sa’ SQL login ID. Take note of the password as you will need it to configure the SQL server connection.
c. Be sure not to use a SQL Sever/Express Instance name that contains ln7 or ln6 as this will cause problems during the conversion.
d. Take note of the SQL Server/Express Instance name as you will also need it to configure the SQL server connection and to create the AccountMate databases in the target database server.
Note: AccountMate does not sell SQL Server. For assistance on installing your SQL Server or Express, refer to your IT Professional.
5. Choose Computer
We recommend that you run the conversion at the computer that holds the SQL server. The SQL Client Tools must be installed in the computer where the conversion is to be performed if, for any reason, you cannot perform the conversion at the server.
6. Check Disk Space
The physical hard drive that houses your SQL server and data should have free disk space of at least 5 times the size of your current AccountMate data.
7. Run Reports
Run the GL Transfer Report from each of the non-GL modules that you use. Also generate the GL financial reports (e.g. Balance Sheet, Income Statement, GL Listing, etc.). If you encounter any error (e.g. Out of balance, Transfer date is not defined, etc.), resolve the data problem before proceeding with the conversion. It is advisable to keep a hard copy of the final, correct reports to compare against the same reports generated after the conversion.
8. Payroll Module Preparations
Note: Please skip this step if you do not have the Payroll module or if you are converting from LAN 7 or LN603/604 with Upgraded PR.
a. Please note that there are extensive data structure changes in version 7 Payroll. As such, we suggest that you generate these reports before the conversion so you can use them to validate your PR data after the conversion:
o Payroll Entry Reports
o PR Check Reports
o Management Reports
o Deduction Transactions Report
b. You must perform Period-End Closing in your PR module. PR must be closed through the period that has transactions that have yet to be posted to GL. For example, if you have recorded PR transactions dated up to November 30, 2009 you must close PR through November 2009. Closing the period in PR is necessary to post accounting entries in GL for payroll transactions recorded prior to the conversion.
Reminder: Be sure to back up your company data before performing the period-end closing. In case the closing fails, you can restore your database backup.
9. Backup
Back up all live company databases in preparation for performing Data Validation Procedures and Period-End Closing. In case of problems, you can restore the databases from your backup and try again. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
10. Perform Data Validation Procedures
Run the Validate Database and Rebuild Table Indexes functions for each company to be converted. If you encounter any error, correct the problem; then, make another backup of the affected database before proceeding with the conversion.
Note: Please skip this step if you are converting from LAN 7.
After completing all pending Reconcile Bank Account transaction records, you must close the period in the BR module. This is essential for the BR module’s data to be properly converted.
The BR period you are closing does not have to match the bank statement period you have reconciled. For example, if the most recent bank reconciliation you have completed is for the June statement period but your current period in BR is July you can still proceed with the Period-End Closing. It is also not necessary for all bank account records to be reconciled for the same statement period. For example, if some but not all your bank accounts have been reconciled for the June statement period you can still proceed with the Period-End Closing. The system only requires that there are no pending bank reconciliation projects in the databases that are to be converted.
12. Close PO/AP
You must perform Period-End Closing for your PO/AP modules; however, these modules must be closed through the period that has transactions that have yet to be posted to GL. For example, if you have recorded PO/AP transactions dated up to June 30, 2009 you must close PO/AP through June 2009. Closing the period in PO/AP is necessary to generate the correct information for the succeeding steps.
13. Generate and Export Accrued Received Goods Report
Run the Accrued Received Goods Report sorted by Vendor#. This must be performed in your current AccountMate installation as you will no longer be able to generate this report in AM 7 for PO receipts recorded prior to the conversion.
Be sure to keep a copy of the said report. You will need it after the conversion to identify which PO receipts have accrued liabilities. When you post an AP invoice for your PO receipts in AM 7, you can check the receipts against this report and charge the AP invoice against the Accrued Received Goods Liability, if applicable.
Note: You must keep a copy of this report for as long as accrued receipts recorded in your previous AccountMate version are not reversed in your AP invoices. Do not dispose of them after the conversion until all of the PO receipts in the report have been fully reversed in AP.
14. Download Pre-Conversion Utility
You can obtain the Pre-Conversion Utility (accrual_ln.zip) from the Download Center\Conversion and Upgrade Tools section of the AccountMate website. If you are an AccountMate End User, you must ask your AccountMate Solution Provider to download this file for you. You will need this file if you have Accrued Received Goods transactions in your PO module.
15. Run Pre-Conversion Utility
The Accrued Received Goods Report does not show which accruals have been posted to GL, which is why you need to run the Pre-Conversion Utility as an additional step. Follow the steps defined below:
a. Extract the content (accrual_ln.exe) of the Pre-Conversion Utility you downloaded in step 14 to the data directory of the AccountMate LAN company database you are converting.
b. Run the file extracted against the database that you are converting. This will generate a special report showing the accruals made for PO receipts that have been transferred to GL but have not yet been reversed or invoiced in AP. When used with the Accrued Received Goods Report, the special report will provide you with the information you need to facilitate the posting of AP invoices in AM 7 for the accruals recorded in your previous AccountMate version.
c. Click the close button (marked “X”). The system will automatically generate an Excel file showing the same information as the utility you just ran. This Excel file will be called ACCRUAL.XLS by default and will be stored in your company database directory. If you have previously run the utility and have kept the Excel file under its default name, the system will prompt you to overwrite the existing file with the new output.
Save the results from running this file into a directory that can only be accessed by authorized personnel to minimize the risk of deletion. You can print the Excel file for a hard copy that you can use when posting AP invoices for these accruals.
Caution: This must be performed on the correct database, for all databases that you need to convert. Moreover, you must not delete or dispose of these files/printouts for as long as the corresponding PO receipts are not yet invoiced / reversed in AM 7.
B. AccountMate 7 for SQL/Express Installation
Insert the AccountMate 7 for SQL/Express CD into a CD-ROM drive. Click on Setup.exe if the installer does not automatically run. You will be shown the AccountMate 7.x for SQL or the AccountMate 7.x for Express Setup screen.
2. Select Destination Location
On the Choose Destination Location screen, accept the default Destination Folder by clicking the Next> button; or click the Browse… button to change to the desired path. This should be the folder in which you will find it most convenient to run AM 7.
Note: You must install AM 7 in a different folder than the one that holds your current AccountMate installation. In case the conversion fails and you decide to postpone it for another time, you will be able to easily go back to your previous AccountMate version.
3. Select the “Custom” Installation Option
Click the Next button to proceed to the Setup Type screen. Since you are installing on the server where you will perform the conversion, make sure that you choose the Custom installation option.
4. AccountMate Product Key
In the Product Key window, enter the 25-character AccountMate Product Key that was given to you with your new AM 7 package. Should you encounter problems with your Product Key, contact AccountMate Customer Service at 1-800-877-8896 ext 520.
Note: The Product Key is version specific, which means that the product key for version AM 7.6 will not work for any other version and vice versa.
5. Select Components to Install
In the Select Components window, you will see three Components to install. These are:
o Program Files => these are the executable files, which will allow you to run the main AM 7 program and all its functions and reports.
o Administrator Programs => installs the Administrator program, which will allow you to activate modules, install your license file, create companies, and manage group and user access rights among other functions.
o Run-time Files => will install the Crystal Reports and Visual FoxPro run-time libraries (DLL’s) necessary for running various AM 7 functions and reports.
Be sure to select the Program Files and Run-time Files checkboxes in this window so that the executable program as well as the Crystal Reports and Visual FoxPro run-time libraries (DLL’s) will be installed.
For the server, the computer where the conversion will be performed (if other than the server), and those workstations that need to run the Administrator program be sure to mark all three checkboxes, including the one for the Administrator Programs. The Administrator program is required to complete the AM 7 installation.
Continue with the rest of the installation screens until you see the InstallShield Wizard Complete window.
6. Launch the Administrator Program
Run the AccountMate 7 Administrator program either from your desktop or the AccountMate program folder.
a. You should be prompted for the SQL Server or Express instance where your AccountMate 7 data will be stored (Figure 1). Enter in the SQL Server Name field the computer name and the SQL Server or Express instance name (e.g. COMP1\SQL1NSTC); then, press OK.
Figure 1. Select Server Dialogue Box
b. At this point, you will be asked for the Default Password; enter go.
c. In the Select Country Tax for Sample Company window, select from the list box the desired country tax for the sample company.
d. Specify the SQL Server data directory where you want to store the AccountMate 7 databases. Accept the default or select a different SQL Data Directory.
e. If the SQL server is installed in another computer, specify in the Mapped as Directory field the drive letter and the shared network folder to which you mapped the physical location on the database server where the AccountMate 7 databases will be stored. If you are physically running AccountMate at the same computer where the SQL server data directory is located, the Mapped as Directory should be the same as the SQL Data Directory.
f. Click the Install button; then, when you see a message asking you to confirm whether you are ready to proceed with the installation, click Yes to start the creation of the system and sample company databases for AccountMate 7.
g. When shown a message stating that the installation of the system and sample company databases is complete, click OK.
h. Click Exit to close the Administrator program.
7. Back up AM 7 for SQL/Express
Back up the AM 7 AMWSYS and sample databases. In case of failure, you can restore the backup and resume the conversion without having to reinstall the system. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
C. Converting Data
Check that no one accesses the source AccountMate LAN company you are converting and the AM 7 system while you perform the conversion. You can verify this by selecting the Current Login User List function; make sure you are the only user currently logged in. Exit the AccountMate LAN and AM 7 programs; then, continue with the conversion.
2. Download and Extract Latest Conversion Utility
Make sure you have the latest conversion utility (i.e. Conversion File for AM 7.4 or higher). The latest version of this file is available for download from the Download Center\Conversion & Upgrade Tools section of the AccountMate website. If you are an AccountMate End User, you must ask your AccountMate Solution Provider to download this file for you.
Extract the contents of the download file (AMCONVERT.zip) into a Convert folder that is accessible from the server where you will perform the conversion. When extracting the contents of the zip file, verify that the “use folder names” checkbox is marked. Make sure that the Convert folder is shared on your network.
By default, our conversion program is designed to handle AccountMate LAN Data sets with a maximum combined file size (i.e. combined size of the DBF + CDX + FPT) of 1.5 GB. If your AccountMate LAN Data folder contains files with a combined file size that exceeds 1.5 GB per data set, you must do the following:
a. Access the CVCNFG.DBF file from the Convert folder where you extracted the conversion files you downloaded from the AccountMate website.
b. Add a record containing the following values in these fields:
o CCONFIGID = enter the value MAXDBFSIZE
o CVALUE = enter any valid positive whole number with no commas, periods or any other separators. The value entered in this field is expressed in bytes and must be less than 1.5 GB.
o CKEY1 = leave this field blank
The conversion utility will use the file size you defined in CVCNFG.DBF to split the AccountMate LAN Data files to be used in the data migration. Using the file CVCNFG.DBF allows the conversion program to convert data sets with up to 145 GB combined file size.
Note: A data set is a combination of the DBF, CDX and FPT files that store a particular type of data in AccountMate LAN. For example, APVEND.DBF, APVEND.CDX and APVEND.FPT all store AP Vendor File information and constitute one data set. It is the combined size of the three APVEND.* files that is compared against the default 1.5 GB data set size limitation.
4. Run Amconvert.exe
Run Amconvert.exe from the Convert folder where you extracted the conversion files you downloaded from the AccountMate website. You should see the screen shown in Figure 2:
Figure 2. Conversion Profile and Application Directory Selection
a. Select Conversion Profile => choose <New> to create a new profile; otherwise, click the list box to choose one of the profiles you previously set up.
b. Source Application Directory => enter the path where your source AccountMate LAN application folder (i.e. previous build) is located. Alternatively, you can click the ellipsis button to browse for the correct location.
c. Target Application Directory => enter the path where your target AccountMate 7 application folder (i.e. new build) is located. Alternatively, you can click the ellipsis button to browse for the correct location.
After filling in the required information, click the Next button.
If you chose to create a new profile, you should see the following window:
Figure 3a. Save New Conversion Profile
Enter the name you want to assign to the new conversion profile; then, click the Save button.
If you selected an existing profile and made changes to the Source and/or Target Application Directory fields, you should see the following message:
Figure 3b. Update Existing Conversion Profile
5. Conversion Setup
At this point the utility will display the Conversion Setup screen (Figure 4).
Above the grid, the utility displays the source and target application directories. Click the Properties button beside each field to display the Installation Information window (Figure 5) where you can verify that you selected the correct application.
Figure 4. Conversion Setup
Figure 5. Source or Target Application Properties
In the Temporary SQL Database Location section above the grid, enter the path where you want the utility to store the temporary SQL database that will be created during the conversion.
a. SQL Data Dir => specify the folder on the server where Microsoft SQL Server is installed.
b. Mapped Data Dir => specify the path that represents the mapping you made to the SQL Data Directory on the computer from where you are running the conversion utility.
The grid displays the companies that are in your Source Application Directory (i.e. previous build) including the sample company:
a. Validate => mark this checkbox to validate the company data before performing the conversion. This checkbox is marked by default. This sets the utility to run various types of data validation; however, if any issues are found, no data fixing will be performed. You must fix the AccountMate LAN data using Visual FoxPro and then create another backup before proceeding with the conversion.
b. Convert => mark this checkbox to convert the company data. This checkbox is marked by default.
c. Last Status => this field displays the status from the last time you attempted to convert the company data. If this is the first time you convert the company, this field will be blank. For subsequent attempts to convert the company, you may find the following information:
o Started – validation or conversion has been started but was abnormally stopped by power outages or computer crashes thereby causing the conversion to improperly shut down.
o Validation Completed – the source company was selected for validation only and the validation completed without error.
o Validation Failed – errors were encountered during validation of the source company.
o Conversion Completed – the source company was selected for conversion which completed without error.
o Conversion Failed – errors were encountered during conversion of the source company.
o Cancelled – conversion was manually aborted by the user clicking the Cancel button while the conversion was in progress. The Cancel button is only enabled if the conversion process is not set to run automatically.
Notes:
§ You can double-click the Last Status field to display the Conversion History window (Figure 6a). This window shows a separate entry for each time you validate or convert a source company data.
§ Click the Cleanup button in the Conversion History window to delete the conversion log files. Be sure to do this only if you no longer need the conversion logs (i.e. conversion completed successfully and data has been reviewed) as there is no way to retrieve them.
§ Double click the Status field or click the View Log Files button in the Conversion History window to display the Summary window (Figure 6b). This window shows the status of each task that was performed as part of the validation and/or conversion process.
§ Double click the Status field in the Summary window to view the related conversion log (Figure 6c).
Figure 6a. Conversion History
Figure 6b. Summary
Figure 6c. Conversion Log
d. Src #, Src Company Name and Src Bld # => these fields are read-only. They display the company IDs, names and company database build # from the source AccountMate LAN application (i.e. previous build).
e. Trg #, Trg Company Name and Trg DB Name => these fields display what will be the company IDs, names and database names in the target AccountMate 7 application (i.e. new build).
All three fields are available for user input. The Trg # and Trg Company Name fields take their default values from the Src # and Src Company Name fields. To overwrite the default target database name, double click the Trg DB Name field. The utility displays the Overwrite Target Database Location window (Figure 7) where you can enter the location where you want to store the company data that will be created by the conversion process.
Notes:
§ You can double-click the Trg Company Name column caption to view a list of companies already set up in the target AccountMate 7 application.
§ The utility will not allow you to use a target company that already exists in the target AccountMate 7 application (i.e. new build). Instead, the utility will create the target company database for you during the conversion.
§ The target database name must not contain ln6 or ln7. It must not start with a number (e.g. 1COMP) and it must not contain spaces (e.g. COMP X). Also, it must not contain the system-generated LNTEMP database name (lntemp_+database name of source database, e.g. lntemp_sample).
Figure 7. Overwrite Target Database Location
Click Next to proceed. At this point, the utility will validate the target company ID and database names to make sure that they do not have duplicates. When this is done, the utility will display the following message in the upper right-hand section of the screen:
Figure 8a. Message
If you are converting from LAN 7 or LN603/604 with Upgraded PR, the utility will display the following screens:
Figure 8b. SQL Server Login
Enter the ‘sa’ password and click OK to continue.
During this time, the utility will create a dummy database in the temporary SQL database location you specified. If this is successful, the Validation/Conversion Setup screen will be displayed.
6. Validation/Conversion Setup
This is where you configure the settings that will determine what actions the utility will take during the data validation and/or conversion process:
a. Perform Process Steps Automatically => mark this checkbox to execute the validation and/or conversion processes automatically. This checkbox is marked by default.
b. On Validation Failure => this section defines the action that will be taken if errors are encountered during validation of the selected company data. The options are:
o Abort – choose this option if you want the validation to stop completely the moment errors are encountered. The remaining steps will not be performed for the company that fails the validation nor will they be performed for any of the other selected companies.
o Skip Current Company – choose this option if you want the process to stop just for the company that encounters the validation errors. The utility will stop validating a company’s data the moment the first error occurs but will proceed to validate the other selected companies.
o Continue With Current Company – choose this option if you want the utility to continue validating a company even if errors occur. This sets the utility to run through the entire validation process for each selected company and capture more than just the first error.
c. On Conversion Failure => this section defines the action that will be taken if errors are encountered during conversion of the selected company data. The options are:
o Abort – choose this option if you want the conversion to stop completely the moment errors are encountered. The remaining steps will not be performed for the company that fails during conversion nor will they be performed for any of the other selected companies.
o Skip Current Company – choose this option if you want the process to stop just for the company that encounters the conversion errors. The utility will stop converting a company’s data the moment the first error occurs but will proceed to convert the other selected companies.
o Continue With Current Company – choose this option if you want the utility to continue converting a company even if errors occur. This sets the utility to run through the entire conversion process for each selected company and capture more than just the first error.
Figure 9. Validation/Conversion Setup
d. Validation options => this section (Figure 9) lists the available validation steps you can choose to perform for the selected companies. Take note that the options are assigned Seq numbers. This means that you can also choose the order in which the validation steps are performed. The options are:
o Foreign Key Validation – select this option to check the GL Account ID fields for possible foreign key violation errors. This validation must be performed for all AccountMate LAN company databases, including the sample company. If any issues are found, the conversion program will NOT fix your data. If any issues are found during this step of the conversion process, use the Foreign Key Checker utility (AMFKCHKL.EXE) to fix the data. You will find this file in the Utilities\AMFKCHK_LAN subfolder in the Convert folder where you extracted the conversion files you downloaded from the website. The utility comes with a User Guide; be sure to read it thoroughly before using the utility to fix the data.
o Check DBFs – select this option to validate the structural integrity of the AccountMate LAN tables. The utility will access each table and verify whether its records can be read. This validation must be performed for all AccountMate LAN company databases, including the sample company.
o Check Data – select this option to check for possible primary key violations in the source AccountMate LAN data. This validation must be performed for all AccountMate LAN company databases, including the sample company.
o Check Case Sensitivity – select this option to check for duplicate primary key values in select tables (e.g. APCHCK). This step is especially important when the target SQL server is set to case-insensitive. This validation must be performed for all AccountMate LAN company databases, including the sample company.
o Check For Invalid SQL Dates – select this option to check for date values that are less than 01/01/1753. Such dates will result in an “invalid date format” error when the utility uploads the LAN data to the SQL server. This validation must be performed for all AccountMate LAN company databases, including the sample company.
o Check For Empty Non-nullable Dates – select this option to check for empty dates in the source AccountMate LAN data that are non-nullable in AccountMate 7 for SQL/Express. Such dates will become 01/01/1900 when the data is converted to AM 7. This validation must be performed for all AccountMate LAN company databases, including the sample company.
e. Conversion options => this section (Figure 9) lists the additional steps that you can choose to perform along with the main data conversion:
o Copy Groups and Users – when this checkbox is marked, the utility will copy group and/or user records from the source AccountMate LAN company that do not exist in the target AccountMate 7 company.
Notes: The utility will observe the following behavior if the Copy Groups and Users checkbox is marked:
§ If a group already exists in both the source and target companies but one of its users does not exist in the target company, the utility will copy the user into the same group in the target company.
§ If a user already exists in both the source and target companies but its group in the source company does not exist in the target company, the utility will copy the group. However, the utility will not reassign the existing user into the newly copied group.
§ The utility does not copy access rights to functions and features.
o Convert History Shipments – this option only appears if you are converting from LN315. When this checkbox is marked, the utility will convert historical SO shipment records. Take note that if you choose to run this option, the conversion may take considerably longer and may be more resource-intensive.
o Remove Target Company Database On Failure – when this checkbox is marked:
§ The utility will delete the target AccountMate 7 company database that was used in the failed conversion. Conversion logs will not be deleted until you perform the cleanup process.
§ If you cancel the process in the middle of the conversion, the utility will also delete the target AccountMate 7 company database used in the interrupted conversion.
o Restrict “Show Customer # in Booked Qty Drilldown” – when this checkbox is marked, all users will be restricted from viewing the Customer # in the Booked Qty Detail Analysis window. This is just a default setting that you can change when you configure user access rights after the data conversion.
o Restrict “Show Vendor # in On-Order Qty Drilldown” – when this checkbox is marked, all users will be restricted from viewing the Vendor # in the On-Order Qty Detail Analysis window. This is just a default setting that you can change when you configure user access rights after the data conversion.
7. Run the Conversion
When you have made your selections, click the Next button.
The following message will be displayed reminding you to back up the AMWSYS database of the target AccountMate 7 application folder before proceeding with the conversion:
Figure 10. Backup Reminder
Click Yes to proceed. At this point the system will display the Processing Data Validation and Conversion window (Figure 11a). This lists the steps that will be performed based on the selections you made in the Validation/Conversion Setup screen (Figure 9).
Figure 11a. Manual Conversion Process
Click the Run Next Step button to run the process one step at a time. If you want to run the steps one after the other, click the Run Through The Last Step button. Click Cancel to terminate the process.
Note: These buttons are disabled (Figure 11b) if you mark the Perform Process Steps Automatically checkbox in the Validation/Conversion Setup screen (Figure 9).
Figure 11b. Automatic Conversion Process
At this stage, you will note that the selected companies are being converted one database at a time. This can be a prolonged process depending on the number of companies to be converted and the size of each company’s data. Please be patient!
When all the selected databases have been converted, the utility will display the Summary screen (Figure 12). You can double-click the Status field to display the Summary window where you can view the status of each step in the conversion process and drill down to the conversion logs.
Click Next to proceed.
Figure 12. Summary Screen and Summary Window
In the Cleanup screen (Figure 13), mark the checkbox of the company for which you want to delete the conversion logs. Take note that there is no way to retrieve the conversion logs once they are deleted. It is advisable to keep the logs until you’ve verified the converted data.
Click Finish to exit the conversion utility.
Figure 13. Cleanup Screen
D. Post-Conversion Process
Activate all your modules.
a. In the Administrator program, select Setup > Licensing > Activate Module. The system will display the Important Notice window that contains the AccountMate License and Copyright Notice. Click on “I Agree” to proceed.
b. Verify the value entered in the space provided for the AccountMate Product Key. If the Product Key supplied is valid, the system will list all the modules that you acquired with a check mark on the Purchase column.
c. To activate a module, click the box in the Activate column beside the module you want to be able to use.
Note: If you entered the AccountMate Product Key upon installation, you will see the same information upon accessing the Activate Module function window. If you purchased any new modules since the new version was installed, you will be issued another Product Key. You must enter the new Product Key in the space provided in the Activate Module window to activate the new modules purchased.
2. Install License File
The AccountMate license is in a License CD that comes with your AccountMate 7 for SQL/Express package. The License CD label shows your company name, Support ID and Product Key. If you notice any discrepancy in your company name or Support ID, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-877-8896 ext. 520.
To install the License File:
a. Insert the License CD into a CD-ROM drive that is accessible from the computer where you will perform the License File installation.
b. Access the AM 7 Administrator program (click on Amsqladm.exe in the AccountMate root directory).
c. Select the Install License File option under the Licensing function on the Setup menu. This will display the Important Notice window. Click “I Agree” to be shown the Install License File dialogue box.
d. Click the ellipsis button beside the License File field and select the path that points to the CD-ROM drive.
e. Click the Install button on the dialogue box to initiate installation of the license.
Notes:
§ You have 90 days from the installation of your new AM 7 version to install the license file. After 90 days, the unregistered copy will expire and you will be locked out of the main AccountMate program until the license is installed.
§ You will also be limited to a database size of approximately 0.25 gigabytes. If your converted data has a size that is greater than 0.25 gigabytes, you will be locked out of the main AccountMate program even if you have not exceeded the 90-day grace period; you will only be able to use the program once you have installed your license file.
3. Input PR Tax Subscription Key
Note: If you do not have the Payroll module, please skip this step.
If you have the Payroll module and an active Payroll Tax Subscription, you will be issued a PR Tax Subscription Key. This key controls the states that you will be able to activate in the Payroll module. It also includes information about the tax year covered by your subscription, which in turn determines your ability to manually update the federal and state tax tables for the current tax year.
To input the PR Tax Subscription Key:
a. In the Administrator program, select Setup > Licensing > Input PR Tax Subscription Key.
b. In the space provided, enter the 20-character PR Tax Subscription Key. If the Subscription Key supplied is valid, the system will display in the New Tax Year field the tax year covered by your subscription.
c. You can drill down on the New PR Tax Subscription Key field caption to view the states covered by your subscription.
If you notice any discrepancy with the subscribed tax year or states or if you receive an error message when you enter the Subscription Key, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-877-8896 ext. 520.
4. Run Company Setup
For each company that was converted, you must run Company Setup. You must set the Status to Active and configure other settings such as the Error Log Dir and Attachment Dir.
5. Assign Group and User Access Rights
Access the Group/User Setup function. For each company that was converted, you must assign access rights to each qualified group and user.
6. Initialize Modules and Install Latest PR Tax Update
For each activated module that you use, you must access the Housekeeping menu and perform Module Setup.
If you are using the Payroll module and have a PR Tax Subscription for the current tax year, you must also verify that you have the latest PR tax updates installed. You can check this by running the Federal/State/Local Tax Table Maintenance functions. If you do not have the latest PR tax updates, you must download them from the AccountMate Download Center (/download/) and install them in your new system.
Go through the different Maintenance functions and verify that all required fields are set up or assigned the desired values. This must be performed for each module you have activated and initialized. Pay particular attention to the following Maintenance records:
o Inventory Maintenance => verify that a Unit-of-Measurement is assigned to each inventory item record. You must also verify that an inventory item marked for Use in Work Order is not set up to Use Specification, and vice versa. If both checkboxes are marked, you must verify which one you want to apply to the inventory record and unmark the feature that does not apply to the item. Finally, you must be sure to assign the correct GL Account ID to the In-transit Inventory field in the GL Accounts tab for each inventory item record.
o Bank Account Maintenance => if your company is assigned the Canadian Country Tax setting, you must set the Check Format to Canadian for each applicable bank account.
o Inventory Type Maintenance => verify that a Unit-of-Measurement is assigned to each inventory type record. You must also be sure to assign the correct GL Account ID to the In-transit Inventory field in the Settings tab for each inventory type record.
o Sales Tax Entity Maintenance => verify that GL Account IDs are assigned to the Sales Taxes Payable and Sales Tax Costs fields of each tax entity record.
o Employee Maintenance => verify the accumulated earnings, paid leave, deductions, and taxes of each employee. You must also verify that the correct Earning Codes, Paid Leave Codes, and Deductions have been assigned to each employee record. Finally, verify the Expense GL Account IDs assigned in the Earning Code tab for each employee record.
o Earning Code Maintenance => verify the assigned Expense GL Account IDs and the Accumulate Paid Leave settings defined for each earning code record.
o Paid Leave Code Maintenance => verify the assigned Accrual Method, Tier settings, and the assigned Liability and Expense accounts.
Notes:
§ Each paid leave code created by the conversion process will have one tier only. Only the Salaried Base and Carry leave settings will be converted.
§ Prior to version 7, the Payroll module did not accrue liability for employee leave benefits. If you want to fully employ the Paid Leave feature in AM 7 you must post an adjusting journal entry in the General Ledger module to record the employee leave balance as of the time you started using AM 7 Payroll.
o Deduction Maintenance => if you are converting to AM 7.6 or higher, verify the settings of the Subject Wages checkboxes in the State Taxes Reduction tab. Mark the checkbox if taxable income will be reduced by the deduction amount for the purpose of calculating the employees’ payroll taxes. This setting must be reviewed for every state that you have activated. This is especially true of states that do not have all the pre-tax deductions that the federal government allows. For example, CA does not treat employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts as a pre-tax deduction; thus, the Subject Wages checkbox for the State Code [CA] must be unmarked for the said deduction record. If you are uncertain about how your state treats certain payroll deductions, please consult your tax accountant.
8. Compare GL Transfer Report and GL Financial Statements
Run the GL Transfer Report for your non-GL modules and the GL financial statements (i.e. Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and GL Listing) and compare the information generated against the same reports from your previous AccountMate build. This will help identify any issues that may have resulted from the conversion and will make it possible for you to correct these problems before data processing is resumed in the new version.
9. Review Converted Data (by running reports)
You should run the newly converted company in AM 7 and review the data to ensure everything has been converted successfully. Here is a partial list of reports you can run to help verify the conversion:
o GL : Trial Balance, Income Statement, Balance Sheet
o AR : AR Aging, Payment Distribution Report
o AP : AP Aging, AP Check Register
o SO : Open Order Report, SO Shipment Report (not applicable to those who come from VAM/LAN 3)
o PO : Backorder Report, PO Received Goods Report
o IC : Inventory Transfer In-Transit Report
o MI : Back Order Report
o BR : Bank Reconciliation Report
o PR : PR Check Register Report, Earning Code Transaction Report, Paid Leave Transaction Report, Deduction Transactions Report, QTD or YTD Tax Withholdings Report
o CL : Consolidated Account Balance Report, Consolidated Account Balance Analysis
10. Perform “Typical” or “Compact” Installation on Workstations
Caution: You need not run the workstation installation on the computer where you performed the server installation. If you previously performed the server conversion through one of your workstations, running the installer on that same workstation will display the Uninstall AccountMate window.
a. Access each workstation where you will run the new AccountMate version. Insert the AccountMate 7 for SQL/Express CD into a CD-ROM drive. If the installer does not automatically run, click on Setup.exe. You will be shown the AccountMate 7 for SQL or AccountMate 7 for Express Setup screen.
b. On the Choose Destination Location screen, accept the default Destination Folder by clicking the Next> button; or click the Browse… button to change to the desired path.
c. Click the Next button to proceed to the Setup Type screen. Since you are installing on a workstation, make sure that you choose either the Typical or Compact installation option.
o Choose the Typical option if you want to run a separate client installation from each workstation. This option installs the AccountMate program and run-time files on the workstation.
o Choose the Compact option if you want to run the AccountMate program through a mapping from a file server. This option installs just the run-time files on the workstation.
d. Next, the wizard will take you through the selection of a Program Folder, after which the files for the new version will be installed. Click Finish to complete the workstation installation.
11. Post AP Invoices for PO Receipts
When posting an AP invoice in AM 7 for PO receipts that had been accrued in previous AccountMate versions, you must do the following:
a. Retrieve your Accrued Received Goods report and the report generated from running the accrual_ln.exe file against the corresponding AccountMate LAN company database.
b. Check whether the AP invoice you are posting pertains to a PO receipt that appears in the report generated from the accrual_ln.exe file. If it does, the said PO receipt has an outstanding accrued obligation in GL.
c. When posting an AP invoice for the said receipt, change the reference account defaulted in your AP Invoice Transactions\GL Distribution tab to the GL Account ID used for your accrued liability for PO receipts. The default reference account will come from the Vendor record. The accrued obligation would have been posted to the GL Account ID defined in the Accrued Received Goods field of the GL Distribution tab in PO Module Setup, unless the value in this field has been changed.
d. Do not post any value in the Reverse Accrued Amount field of the Information Tab in the AP Invoice Transaction screen. The conversion does not bring over records of PO accrued receipts from your previous AccountMate version.
e. All other AP invoices involving PO receipts that are not in the report generated from the accrual_ln.exe file but which appear as outstanding accruals in the Accrued Received Goods report were never posted to GL. As such, no outstanding obligations have been created for them in GL. For these invoices, you can just post them like you would a regular AP invoice for an obligation that was never processed through PO. This means that you must post it against the corresponding expense or asset GL Account ID. You will not be able to post a reverse accrued amount for it, as there is no record of the accrual in AM 7.
f. For all other AP invoices, post them as you would normally do. This applies to all invoices pertaining to either non-PO transactions or to PO accrued receipts that are posted subsequent to the conversion to AM 7.
E. Troubleshooting Errors and Messages
The succeeding sections will provide tips for troubleshooting some of the more commonly encountered conversion error messages.
Please verify that you have extracted the conversion files correctly.”
These errors (Figure 14) may occur when you run the conversion program Amconvert.exe. This happens only if there are files or folders that the conversion program needs which are not installed. You may have missing files or folders if you do not mark the “use folder names” checkbox when extracting the contents of the download file AMCONVERT.zip. To resolve this issue, perform step 2 of Part C.
Figure 14. Missing File or Folder Error
2. “Cannot detect the SQL Server instance. Be sure that the AccountMate application has already been run to create the amwsys and sample databases.”
These errors (Figure 15) may occur when you click the Next button in the very first conversion screen. This happens only if the AM 7 AMWSYS and Sample databases are not yet created in the SQL server. To resolve these errors, launch the AccountMate 7 Administrator program. Refer to step 6 in Part B for more details.
Figure 15. Cannot Detect SQL Server Instance Error
3. “Server name should not contain [ln7/ln6].”
You will get this error if the source or target SQL Server/Express instance name contains either ln7 or ln6. You will not be able to proceed with the conversion until you use a different server that satisfies this requirement.
4. “Database name should not start with a number.”
You will get this error if the target database name begins with a number (e.g. 1COMP). To resolve this, double click the Trg DB Name field. In the Overwrite Target Database Location window, replace the default Database Name with one that does not being with a number. For more information about how to select a proper target database name, refer to step 5 in Part C.
5. “Database name should not contain space(s).”
You will get this error if the target database name has a space in it (e.g. COMP X). To resolve this, double click the Trg DB Name field. In the Overwrite Target Database Location window, replace the default Database Name with one that does not include spaces. For more information about how to select a proper target database name, refer to step 5 in Part C.
6. “Target Build # is [xxx].
Converting [LN701] to AMSQL requires a minimum target build of [MD705/MS705].”
You will get this error if you try to convert from LN701 to a build that is lower than MD705 or MS705. For more information about the builds supported by this conversion, refer to step 1 in Part A.
7. Foreign Key Violation Error
One of the possible issues that could cause the conversion to fail is a foreign key violation. You may find an error entry similar to the following in the log file:
The UPDATE statement conflicted with the FOREIGN KEY constraint “FK_…” The conflict occurred in database “database name”, table “dbo.tablename”, column ‘cacctid’.
This problem occurs if you did not choose to validate the data in steps 5 and 6 of Part C before performing the conversion. To resolve this problem, you must:
a. Delete the AM 7 company database used in the failed conversion.
b. Restore the database backup made prior to conversion (step 7 of Part B).
c. Perform steps 4 to 7 of Part C, making sure to mark the Validate and Foreign Key Validation checkboxes for each company you want to convert.
Downloads: The following can also be obtained from our website; visit: /businesspartner/info/downloads/conversion_upgrades.asp
· Conversion File for AM 7.4 or higher
· Pre-Conversion Utility
· Check File Corruption Utility