FarmBooks 4.0.0 Release Notes
Jan 15, 2010
New Application Preferences
Options
Cover Page
Backup
Sound
Printers
Sort
Unlimited Bank Accounts
Number of bank accounts definable has been expanded from 9 to unlimited. Bank code is user definable and no longer restricted to 002x numbers. Any combination of letters or numbers may be used for a length of 5 characters.
New Payroll Module
Expanded D-Code Setup for Payroll ATIG Codes
New Payroll Defaults
New Employee Entry
New Paycheck Entry
New Payroll Report
New Invoicing Module
The invoicing module allows you to easily generate estimates and billings, post payments and deposits, generate statements, track sales tax collections if your business is taxable, and monitor customers balances. Various invoice forms and statements can easily be emailed to your customer. A first look at the invoice preferences setup, it seems like there is a lot of setup required. Only a few decisions (less than two minutes of setup) need to be specified on the invoice options tab and you are ready to begin creating invoices. You need to enter your business remitter mailing information, indicate if you collect sales taxes and apply finance charges to statements, decide how you want income to be tracked (detail deposit for each line item or as one lump sum deposit), and provide a default income ATIGD. Customers and “Product and Service Items” can be created and built up as you create invoices. You can later go back to setup to further customize the invoice module. The invoice module ships with template data which you can modify as desired. For instance, you can decide what invoice columns and column names best reflect your business activity.
New Invoicing Preference Setup
Invoice Tab
From this tab, you can create estimates, invoices, credit memos, statements with finance charge invoices, and post payments and deposits. You can preview, print, email, or batch print/email forms. Forms can easily be copied by pulling an existing form back into the editor and changing its form type. Also, you easily edit / delete forms or payments along with viewing the payment transaction history.
Invoicing Reports
New ATIG/D (Account-Transaction-Item-General/Detail) Features
New ATI Budget Features
The budget entry has been updated to include a footer summary for each column. Also two new tabs have been added to allow the user to compare Budget Values to Actual YTD Values as either a chart or table grid view.
New External Code Features
The budget entry has been updated to include a footer summary for each column. Also two new tabs have been added to allow the user to compare Budget Values to Actual YTD Values as either a chart or table grid view.
New Payroll Calendar Year-End Features
When copying employees from one calendar year to the next, it will exclude any employees with a termination date or inactive status. There is a link provided so that you can quickly review/edit the current year employee.
New Fiscal Year Features
Now, you have the option to copy only active codes or ALL codes from the current year to the new fiscal year. You can click the link and make any edits or deactivate unused codes before creating the new fiscal year. Also, you can decide to copy the memorized vendor ATIGD list or start over and create new ones for the new fiscal year.
Before you begin, if your backup is not current, it warns you so that you could stop and create a current backup. This would allow you to restore the backup and rerun the new fiscal year if you discover that you have several negative loan balances. Negative loan balances are caused by the fact that you used incorrect combinations of ATIGD and external codes that were probably entered incorrectly when checks were written. After the restore, you could either correct checks or add the missing loan ATIGD / External Codes assignments. It is recommend that you run the credit analysis report before creating the new fiscal year.
New Tax Table Update Features
The tax table update can now be downloaded from the internet. It simplifies the process of installing the yearly updates. However, if you do not have internet access, you can still request an update CD.
New Restore Features
The restore process now captures the current database so that it could be uninstalled if discovered that your backup set is corrupt. The current farm folder is erased before restoring any files. Do not attempt multiple restores if you discover you have a corrupt database or you may not be able to uninstall the last restore. Call support immediate if this situation arises for assistance with uninstalling the last restore.
Also, it is possible to restore prior versions of the dataset after your database has been upgraded to the current version. If a prior version was restored, the next time you open the farm database; it will be converted to the current version format.
New Register Tab Features
A new filter row at the top of the grid allows you to quickly filter the list when looking for a specific value (enter the value in the column of interest). The filter row can be hidden or shown by clicking on the “View button” within the register tab and uncheck or check the option “Show Filter Row”.
Remember once a filter is applied, you can clear it by unchecking the box in the yellow bar at the bottom of the grid; delete the information from the filter row, or by selecting options from the “Clear button”.
New Detail Register Tab Features
New Check/Deposit Features
New Menu Items
New Report Options
Since the number of bank accounts has been expanded from 9 to unlimited, reports that have bank account selection as part of criteria now have a report header page with all the report criteria instead of including it in the page header. The report header page can be suppressed.
New Reports
Net Taxable Income Statement Report – Not including all Tax Planning Values
The report was not including all tax planning values if there was no associated transaction data for that report section. The report now includes all values regardless of transaction data.
Editing a Check/Deposit ATIGD Detail – Zero Units and Description
When Editing a Detail Line and changing an ATIG/D for a Check/Deposit, it resulted in the description along with Units and Weights being Changed/Zeroed. Now, if there is a description on a line, then the Description along with Units and Weights will not be erased on an ATIG/D change for the line.
Setting Starting Check Number during Print
The value entered as the starting number when printing checks will always update the next check number for the bank account.
In the past, if the starting check number provided during check printing did not match the starting check number defined in the setup for the bank, then it would not save the next starting number. It was assuming that you were printing checks out of sequence. Now, it always updates the starting check number.
Deposit Data Fix – Missing Vendor Code and Name for Payee Record/Vendor Code missing on Detail Records
This fix was important to support the new 1099 Vendor Report.
New Check Format Setup Feature
Option added to Suppress Memo Line by Check Format.
Fix Error ‘number’ is not a valid floating point value for field “where value” could be Amount, Units, or Total Wt
Edit an existing amount, unit, or total wt where the amount was one thousand or greater resulted in error when the value was changed in the check or deposit grid. Value could be changed within the detail window without an error.
Minimum Main Window Size
When clicking “restore down” for the main window would result in it being very small and you had to stretch it out each time. Now, there is application preference to control main window size and location on application startup.
Detail Register: Payee View shows bank account in ATIGD field
This has been corrected. In fact, the ATIGD should not be shown for the payee view as this field does not apply. Change the view back to detail would not show the ATIGD field again until application restart.
Ask to Set / Change Check Format Used for Printing Checks
Ask question during the bank code setup. Also, if the user changes or does not have a check format defined for the bank account, ask if they would like to change / set selected format as the default check format.
Check with Two Vouchers: Move memo line up
ANSI standard requires nothing to print within bottom 5/8″ of check. The memo line was moved up and can be suppressed for the check format if desired.
All check formats can be purchased from a new vendor. See the website for order information.
Auto Split Non-Farm Automobile Code Mapping ATI 008x
In the prior version, the split would map to inappropriate codes. It has been changed to use the codes below when splitting Non-Farm 008x codes to Farm codes.
| Non-Farm Auto | Farm Auto Mapping |
| 0081 Gas & Oil | 0521 Gasoline |
| 0082 Repairs | 0421 General Machinery |
| 0083 Taxes & Licenses | 0542 Personal Tax |
| 0084 Insurance | 0554 Motor Equipment Insurance |
| 0085 Loan Interest | 0437 Intermediate Interest |
Flow of Funds Reports – Not returning correct number of records
The report was returning the data for all fiscal years. Now, the report just selects the requested fiscal period.
Balance Sheet: Suppressing Zero Lines
Suppress beginning inventory values BIV zero values from the ending inventory value EIV report.
Check/Deposit Date Default – Hold the date value for Farm Session
Currently, the date defaults to the current date and is held once the date is changed for the edit session. Once you leave the check/deposit tab, the last date is lost and returns to current date when going back to tab. Now, the last date used is held while the farm is still open.
Data Analysis – Inspect Loan and Receivables for missing Inventory Type
The inventory type was not set for receivables in the transaction data. This resulted in an invalid variant being reported. Also, the balance sheet would not be accurate.
Change Transaction from Detail Register Changes Bank Account
If you had the register tab set to say bank account 0021 and the check being changed from the detail register was assigned to bank account 0022. Changing the check and saving it from the detail register would result in the bank account changed to 0021.
View Log New Features
Check/Deposit Payee Dropdown List show Additional Fields
The dropdown list now show whether the vendor is active and if it has an associated ATIGD List.
Accelerator Key (key on tab show with an underline) not working when changing to another tab
Accelerator keys are maintained between tabs. Also, some accelerator keys conflicted with the menu accelerator keys and have been dropped from buttons.
Negative Accounting Allowed
Using negative accounting principles to adjust an ATIGD was changed so that this was not allowed. Now, the user is permitted again to adjust accounts with negative amounts. Check with your farm manager to determine how he would like the account adjusted for your situation.
New Grid Feature (Register or Detail Register) Payroll Company Paid
Show company paid payroll withholdings in a blue font color.
Payroll summary report show company paid amounts.
Tax Planning Names Expanded
Names for tax planning values expanded so that abbreviations are eliminated.
Backup Process Cleans up / Ignores Unwanted Files in Farm Database Folders
Credit Analysis Report
The report has been changed to include Non-Farm Loan Interest 0045 and 0085. These family living codes have been changed to “loan type” codes which now require an external code. When you use ATIG 0437 without an external code, the user receives a warning that an external code is recommended.
Income Statement Report
The report no longer includes “Investment in Growing Crops” when computing the beginning and ending operating inventory values.
Schedule F Report and Net Taxable Income Statement
The “depreciation value” now comes from the new tax planning ATIGD of 99963 Annual Tax Depreciation of Equipment instead of 99950 Annual Book Depreciation of Equipment.
New Fiscal Year
Tax rates for salaried employees with semi-monthly pay periods was not correctly computed when creating the new fiscal year. Weekly rates were used.