A Review of
MAS 500
By J. Carlton Collins, CPA

What Makes MAS 500 Different?

When reviewing any accounting software solution, I think that it is important to understand how the product is different from its' competitors. All products are developed with different tools, different philosophies, and with different objectives in mind. All products are targeted towards different sized customers, and different industries. When evaluating products, it is easy to get bogged down in the overwhelming complexity of the systems. The reality is that all accounting systems have a general ledger with account numbers and financial reports; they all have an average accounts payable module that works fine; they all have a bevy of standard features. Studying these common elements of an accounting system will get you nowhere. It is the key differences that provide keen insights that will allow you to effectively identify and select the right product for your needs. With this spirit in mind, presented below are the key characteristics that set MAS 500 apart from its competitors. MAS 500 provides the following advanced accounting, distribution, and manufacturing features:

          Advanced Features

  • 100 character user-defined account structure
  • Sophisticated and configurable search engine
  • Multicompany/Intercompany processing
  • Multicurrency processing
  • Sophisticated inventory replenishment, including Gordon Graham methodologies
  • Multi-warehouse/multi-bin support
  • Warehouse, ship-to, requested date, by line in sales order and purchase order
  • Comprehensive pricing and costing
  • Physical inventory using cycle counts
  • Three-step warehouse transfers
  • Automated e-mail distribution of sales orders, purchase orders and invoices
  • Direct output of query results to printer or Excel spreadsheet
  • Supports scheduling and material planning for multiple manufacturing facilities
  • Ability to handle co-products and multiple parts produced per Work Order
  • Integrated multimedia with ability to view images, video, and audio files directly
  • Product Configurator generates new items on the fly as well as configured routings/BOMs based on user-defined options/values and configuration rules
  • eExecutive provides a browser snapshot for busy executives
  • Explorer provides in-depth query tools in a single place

    Reporting
  • Crystal Reports 8.0 ships with System Manager and all standard and business reports are developed with Crystal. Runtime parameters are provided for all reports allowing users to define sort and select criteria without modifying source code. Stored procedures are used to extract report data providing enhanced report performance. Report source code is delivered allowing easy customization.
  • FRx Desktop V 6.0 ships with the General Ledger providing a powerful financial reporting environment. Drill down from a financial report to the accounting application is supported.
  • Best Office, delivered with the base application, provides a seamless way for users to easily extract accounting data to desktop productivity tools such as Word and Excel.
  • Output query results to a printer or Excel spreadsheet.

    Customization
  • Customizer allows end users to customize existing forms. Customization options include: modifying existing controls, adding new controls and adding procedural code using VBScript with access reuses controlled by site, company, security group or user.
  • Application Framework includes Visual basic controls, tools, and utilities that together form the infrastructure on which MAS 500 is built. 
  • Source Code is available by module and provides the ability to extensively customize the MAS 500 product. 
  • Application programming interfaces allow simpler integration to most MAS 500 transactions.

    Third Party Integrated Products
  • Warehouse Management
  • Shipping Management
  • EDI
  • Quality Assurance
  • Deferred Revenue
  • Fund Accounting
  • E-Commerce
  • OLAP
  • Fax Integration
  • Credit Card Authorization
  • Sales Tax Integration

Weaknesses - MAS 500  is certainly not without problems – as with any top product, MAS 500 contains weaknesses, missing features, missing modules and shortcomings. MAS 500  is not targeted towards businesses of every size, nor is it ideally suited for every industry. We have compiled a detailed list of these weaknesses, including screen-by-screen evidence of some of the key weaknesses. You can view these weaknesses here.

 
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