Late-Breaking Changes

Click the buttons below to view important information about MYOB Accounting that may not included in your MYOB Accounting documentation.

What’s new in MYOB Accounting:

 	Read this to learn about MYOB Accounting's newest features

Other topics of interest:

 	MYOB Accounting is Year 2000-compliant

 	Optimise and check your data file for errors after you upgrade

 	Routine backups are vitally important

 	If an error occurs while you're using MYOB Accounting

 	Copyright information


What's new in MYOB Accounting Version 9

Many new features have been added to MYOB Accounting. Please read the following topics to gain an overview of these new features and what they mean to you and your business.

  MYOB now handles GST calculations

  Cards, accounts and items can be inactivated

  The Time Billing Command Centre is new (MYOB Accounting Plus only)

  MYOB OfficeLink for Macintosh

  Improved bank account reconciliation

  Sales and purchases history capabilities have been expanded

  The Item Information window has been redesigned

  The Group Certificate Assistant has been enhanced

  MYOB Accounting data files are cross-platform compatible

  MYOB Accounting, MYOB Accounting Plus and MYOB Premier data files now are compatible

  Additional preferences are available

  Other features included in MYOB Accounting Version 9

  Other differences between earlier versions of MYOB Accounting and MYOB Accounting Version 9


MYOB now handles GST calculations

In preparation for the implementation of the Goods & Services Tax on the 1st July 2000, we've redesigned the way taxes are set up and managed in MYOB Accounting Version 9. Most other areas of MYOB Accounting function exactly as they did in previous versions of MYOB Accounting, so your transition to GST should be a smooth one.

For a detailed explanation of the changes made to MYOB Accounting to accommodate GST, see Part 29, GST, in the Online Procedures Guide or the GST chapter in the MYOB Accounting User Guide. For a more brief overview of the changes we've made, read the following paragraphs.

The Tax Codes window has been replaced by a new Tax Code List window and Tax Code Information window, and you now can create tax codes for a variety of tax types: Sales Tax, GST, Input Taxed, Import Duty and Consolidated (tax codes that are made up of a combination of other tax codes). In addition, with MYOB Accounting Version 9 you can create an unlimited number of tax codes; in previous versions, you were limited to 10 tax codes.

The Tax Code List window, shown below, displays all the tax codes you've created, along with the tax rate for each code. To display the Tax Code List window, choose Tax Code List from the Setup menu.

To create a new tax code, click the New button in the Tax Code List window to open the Tax Code Information window. Regardless of the type of tax code you're creating, you'll need to enter an identifying code using up to three characters and a description, and you'll need to select the tax type that's appropriate for the code. When you choose a tax type, additional fields will appear allowing you to enter information appropriate for the tax type you've selected. Here's an illustration of the Tax Code Information window in which the GST tax type has been selected:

Once your tax codes have been set up, simply select the codes you want when you enter sales, purchases and other types of transactions. As with previous versions of MYOB Accounting, you can assign tax codes to individual line items on the invoices and purchase orders you create using the Sales window and the Purchases window; in addition, you now can assign tax codes to the freight amount you specify in these windows. In MYOB Accounting Version 9, you also can assign tax codes to line items in the Write Cheques window and the Make a Deposit window. This can be useful for one-time sales and purchase, for example. If you don't need detailed information about transaction that's being paid for with cash, you can enter a transaction for it in the Make a Deposit window and assign the proper tax code to it to ensure that the appropriate amount of tax is calculated and recorded.


Cards, accounts and items can be inactivated

Cards, accounts and other permanent records now can be marked as inactive if you no longer use them, and you want to remove them from selection lists. If you have cards that you create for a one-time sale or purchase, for example, inactivating them after their one-time use will remove them from selection windows. Your list of cards will be shorter, and selecting the card you need will be easier.

Here's a list of permanent records that can be inactivated:

Permanent records:	Window in which they can be inactivated:
Accounts (detail accounts only)	Edit Accounts
items	Item Information (Item Profile tab)
Jobs (detail jobs only)	Edit Job
Customer cards	Card File Entry
Vendor cards	Card File Entry
Employee cards	Card File Entry
Personal cards	Card File Entry
Time Billing activities	Activity Information
If a permanent record is marked inactive, however, you still can use the record in transactions by manually entering the record's name or number. You also can  return the status of the record to active so that it will appear again in the selection windows.

No matter what the status of a record - active or inactive - transactions recorded using the record will continue to affect all of your financial records.


The Item Information window has been redesigned

The Item Information window has been redesigned to make it easier to see all the information you've entered about a particular item. A number of enhancements were added to the window, as well.

The window now has five tabs: Item Profile, Buying Details, Selling Details, Item History and Auto-Build. In addition, the Restocking Information window has been removed; restocking information now appears on the Buying Details tab of the Item Information window. The Item Profile tab is shown below:

In the Item Profile tab, you now can enter 30-character item numbers; this has been increased from 13 characters in previous versions of MYOB Accounting. The Item Profile tab also displays quantity on hand, current value, average cost and last purchase price information for each item, enabling you to make a rapid assessment of your stock on hand. And the Item Profile tab has a Copy From button that allows you to add new items quickly by copying information for existing item records; once you've copied information from an existing item, you can modify it to suit the new item, as necessary.

For more information, see the Item Information window topic in the Online Reference Guide


The Group Certificate Assistant has been enhanced

Several changes have been made to the Group Certificate Assistant to ensure compliance with the Australian Taxation Office's software specification Version 6 issued March 1999 for Group Certificate reporting for the 1999/2000 financial year.

The Group Certificate Assistant now includes the ability to enter amounts for Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) and Community Development and Employment Project (CDEP) earnings.

If you have approval from the ATO, you now can specify an authorised signatory using the Group Certificate Assistant; this person’s name will appear in the “Signature of Authorised Person” area on your employees’ group certificates.

The Group Certificate Assistant no longer allows you to apply a payroll category to more than one box on the Group Certificate form. A number of other changes have been made to the assistant to ensure that your Group Certificates information is valid and acceptable to the ATO.


Other features included in MYOB Accounting Version 9

MYOB Accounting Version 9 contains many features that are relatively small in scope, but which may be of great use to you. They include:

You now can consolidate electronic payments to vendors

The Electronic Payments Selection window in the Purchases command centre has a new option labeled Consolidate Vendor Payments. If you’re paying multiple invoices for a vendor and you want to condense payment information for the vendor, mark the Consolidate Vendor Payments option when you're creating electronic payments using the Electronic Payments Selection window.

If this option is marked, you’ll save money on processing fees if your bank charges for each line item that appears in your ABA file; a single payment number will be used to identify each payment within the ABA file. If you don’t mark this option, a separate line item will be created for each purchase order; each line item will be identified by the purchase order number or the vendor invoice number associated with the purchase order being paid.

The Vendor Payment History Report provides details about disbursements to vendors

The Vendor Payment History Report displays details about the cash disbursements you’ve made to vendors within a date range you specify. This report is especially useful for identifying the individual purchases that were paid if you’ve elected to consolidate vendor payments in your ABA files. To display this report, choose Index to Reports from the Reports menu, select the Purchase tab, then highlight Vendor Payment History and click Print or Display.

Closed payments can be excluded in the Customer Payments and Vendor Payments windows

The Customer Payments and Vendor Payments windows each have a new option that allows you to include - or exclude - closed sales and purchases from the list of sales or purchases that are available to be paid. In the Customer Payments window, mark the Include Closed Sales option if you want to view closed sales; otherwise leave this option unmarked. Likewise, in the Vendor Payments window, mark the Include Closed Purchases option if you want to view closed purchases along with your open purchases; to view only open purchases, leave the Include Closed Purchases option unmarked.

Report filters for Sales and Purchases reports have been improved

The default selection in the Report Filters window for the PO Status field (for Purchases reports) and the Invoice Status field (for Sales reports) has been changed, based on our customers’ requests; the default selection now is All But Pending, rather than Pending.

You can access useful information on the World Wide Web using the new MYOB on the Web help file

We've included a new help file, called MYOB on the Web, that provides links to useful pages on the MYOB Australia website (www.myob.com.au). These pages have information about tax reform, MYOB certified consultants, support options and other resources. From the MYOB Australia site, you can follow links to sites for the ATO, Business Entry Point and other sites of interest to MYOB Accounting users. To open the MYOB on the Web help file, choose MYOB on the Web from the MYOB Accounting Help menu.

MYOB Accounting provides full support for Microsoft Office 2000's Small Business Tools

If you’ve installed Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business Tools on your computer, you can install a filter that will enable MYOB Accounting Version 9 to share accounting information with components in Microsoft's Office 2000 Small Business Tools. You'll be given the opportunity to install this filter during the MYOB Accounting installation process. (Note: Support is not provided for earlier versions of the Small Business Tools.)

MYOB Accounting for Windows now supports long file names

With MYOB Accounting for Windows Version 9, you now can name MYOB data files, custom reports and forms and other files using names that are up to 255 characters long, plus a three-character extension. Previously, MYOB file names were required to be no more than eight characters in length, plus the three-character extension.

The Trial Balance now can include account numbers, as well as account descriptions

In previous versions of MYOB Accounting, the Trial Balance report displayed accounts using only their descriptions. No you can display the account number along with the account description if you like. To do this, choose Index to Reports from the Reports menu and click on the General Ledger tab. Locate the Trial Balance selection, highlight it and click the Filters button. In the Report Filters window, mark the Include Account Numbers option.

Job-related fields can be included on custom forms

MYOB Accounting Version 9 allows you to display job information on your customised MYOB Accounting forms if you like. The Job Number, Job Name and Job Description fields have been added to the following forms:

Service Invoice

Item Invoice

Professional Invoice

Packing Slip (Service)

Packing Slip (Item)

Packing Slip (Professional)

Purchase Order (Service)

Purchase Order (Item)

Purchase Order (Professional)

If you've created customised versions of any of these forms, please note that the new fields do not appear on them automatically. To include the new fields on custom forms that have been upgraded from a previous version of MYOB Accounting, you must locate the fields you want on the standard (uncustomised) form layout for the form you're working with, select and copy them, then paste them into your customised form layout.

For more information about creating and modifying customised forms, see Customising forms in MYOB's Online Procedures Guide.


The Time Billing Command Centre is new (MYOB Accounting Plus only)

Time billing capabilities have been dramatically enhanced with the addition of MYOB Accounting Plus’s new Time Billing Command Centre. Using the Time Billing Command Centre, you can set up records for all the activities your company provides to customers or clients, you can create activity slips that track the amount of time spent performing any activity for a client, and you can bill clients with a specially designed time billing invoice. In addition, MYOB Accounting Plus provides extensive reporting options that make it easy to track and analyse your time billing activities.

The new time billing features are described in detail in Part 15, Time Billing Activities, and Part 16, Activity Slips, in your MYOB Accounting Online Procedures Guide.


MYOB OfficeLink for Macintosh

MYOB’s OfficeLink capabilities have been extended to the Macintosh version of MYOB Accounting.

Using OfficeLink, you can export any of MYOB Accounting’s 100-plus reports to an active Excel template, where you can create graphs, develop budgets and perform “what-if” analyses to help you anticipate changes in your business - before they occur. OfficeLink includes an Excel template for each of MYOB Accounting’s reports. With OfficeLink and MYOB Accounting’s ready-to-use customer letter templates, you can create personalised mailings to thank customers for their business, remind them to pay past-due accounts, or notify them that an item you normally keep in stock is on back order.

To take advantage of OfficeLink’s capabilities, you must be using Microsoft Excel 98 or Microsoft Word 98. You also must be using Mac OS 8.0 system software or greater.

To learn more about using OfficeLink, read Part 28, OfficeLink, in your MYOB  Accounting Online Procedures Guide.

 	If you plan to use MYOB OfficeLink for Macintosh


If you plan to use MYOB OfficeLink for Macintosh

The first time you use MYOB OfficeLink for Macintosh, you'll need to perform an additional step in order to create your personalised letters in Microsoft Word or display reports in Microsoft Excel - you'll need to "associate" the OfficeLink Processor program with Word or Excel. To associate these programs, follow these steps:

1.	Print your letters or reports following the instructions in the MYOB  Accounting User Guide or Online Reference Guide.

2.	Using the Macintosh Application menu (the menu at the far right end of the Macintosh menu bar), choose the OfficeLink Processor. A dialog box appears.

3.	Using the dialog box, locate the program icon for Excel, if Excel is installed on your computer, highlight the Excel program icon and click OK. (Even if you’re attempting to print letters using Word, you should select the Excel icon if Excel is installed on your computer.)

If Excel isn’t installed on your computer, locate the Word program icon, highlight it and click OK.

If you use both Word and Excel, you'll have to perform this procedure once for each program. After you've performed it once, it won't be necessary to perform it again in the future.

In addition, we recommend that you start Word or Excel before you print letters or reports using OfficeLink. These programs use special startup sequences that may interfere with your ability to use OfficeLink unless the programs are started before you print.


Improved bank account reconciliation

A new window, the Record Service Charges and Interest Earned window, allows you to enter bank charges and interest income while you're reconciling your cheque accounts. To open this new window, click the Bank Entry button in the Reconcile Accounts window while you're reconciling an account. The entries you make in the Record Service Charges and Interest Earned window will appear automatically in the Reconcile Accounts window; if you've entered both a service charge and an interest amount, two separate transactions will appear in the Reconcile Accounts window. These transactions will be marked automatically and the amount in the Calculated Account Balance field in that window will be updated to reflect the charges and interest income amounts you entered in this window.

For more information on the reconciling process, see Reconciling cheque accounts in the Online Procedures Guide.


Additional preferences are available

New options have been added to the MYOB Preferences window.

The following new options appear on the System tab:

For Time Billing, Enter Time in Special  Minute Billing Units

Note: This preference appears only in MYOB Accounting Plus.

If you plan to use MYOB Accounting’s Time Billing feature and you track time in units other than hours, you can use this field to indicate the number of minutes in each billing unit. For example, if you bill customers in 10-minute increments, choose 10 here. Your entry here will be used to calculate the billing units that appear on Time Billing activity slips and on reports.

To learn more about Time Billing, read Part 15, Time Billing Activities, and Part 16, Activity Slips, in your MYOB Accounting Online Procedures Guide.

Round Timer-Calculated Time

Note: This preference appears only in MYOB Accounting Plus.

If you plan to use Time Billing and will be using the timer feature in the Enter Activity Slips window to automatically track the amount of time you spend on specific tasks, use this option to indicate how your time will appear on activity slips. You can choose to round time up to the nearest specified number of minutes, down to the nearest specified number of minutes, or to the nearest unit of minutes, higher or lower, whichever is closer. For example, if you indicate that you want to round time up to the nearest 10-minute unit, 22 minutes and 30 seconds will be rounded up to 30 minutes.

To learn more about Time Billing, read Part 15, Time Billing Activities, and Part 16, Activity Slips, in your MYOB Accounting Online Procedures Guide.

The following new option appears on the Windows tab:

Use Expandable Data Entry Fields in Windows

This option is used to activate (or inactivate) the expandable description fields in MYOB Accounting's Sales and Purchases windows. When you enter line items on invoices and purchase orders, the Description field expands so you can enter extended descriptions or comments of each item being bought or sold; in MYOB Accounting Version 8, this feature was automatically turned on. With this new preference you can turn the expandable fields off if you like.

The following new option appears on the Sales tab:

Show Customer Purchase Order in Customer Payments

If you mark this option, your customers' purchase order numbers will appear instead of your company's invoice numbers when you view the amounts you owe using the Customer Payments window or the Settle Returns and Credits window. If you don't mark this option, your invoice number will be displayed in Customer Payments.

The following new option appears on the Security tab:

Prompt for Data Verification When Opening

This option is used to activate a series of reminder messages that will appear to alert you whenever two or more days have passed since you last verified the accuracy of your data file. Data verification allows you to identify problems with your data file and is recommended as part of your data file management activities. If you don’t want reminder messages to appear, unmark the Prompt for Data Verification When Opening option.


Sales and purchases history capabilities have been expanded

Using MYOB Accounting Version 9, you now can track historical information about the purchases you make from your vendors, as well as history for the sales you've made to customers, and you now can keep sales and purchases information for five previous years, the current year and next year. Information for previous years can be displayed on a variety of reports, such as the Analyse Sales and Analyse Purchases reports.

(As in previous versions of MYOB, the Sales History and Purchase History windows, which can be displayed while viewing customer and vendor information in the Card File Entry window, continue to display information for the current year and last year only.)

In addition, history for sales and purchases now is tracked automatically for your customers, vendors, employees and items. Track Sales History options have been removed from the Card File Entry and Item Information windows, since they're no longer needed.


Routine backups are vitally important

Because damaged MYOB Accounting data files often cannot be repaired, it is vitally important that you keep a current backup of your data files at all times. These backup copies of your MYOB data file are your only defense if a power failure, hard disk failure or other problem renders the data file unusable. Your only alternative is to create a new data file and reenter all the information that was contained in the old data file - a tedious, error-prone task under the best of circumstances.

(Please read If an error occurs while you're using MYOB Accounting to learn more about your options if you suspect that your data file has been damaged. That topic describes steps you may be able to take to repair minor problems; serious problems will require that you restore a backup, or start over from scratch if you haven't been making backups.)

Please read the following paragraphs to gain a better understanding of why backup copies of your data file are needed, and how MYOB will help to remind you that they need to be made.

The risks

Your MYOB Accounting data file has a very powerful enemy, data file size.

Tools we've provided to help you detect and recover from data damage

With MYOB Accounting, we've provided three tools that can aid you in keeping your data file secure. They are:

  The MYOB Accounting Data Verification Utility

  The MYOB Accounting Data Optimisation Utility

  The MYOB Accounting Backup and Restore Utility

Backing up is so critical to MYOB Accounting that a series of warning messages will be displayed if you exit from MYOB Accounting without making a backup.

If you made a backup less than five days ago, you'll see this friendly reminder:

At five or more days, the reminder becomes much stronger:

If you unmark the "Remind me to back up" option in the Preferences window, the following message will be displayed:


Data file size

Statistics and common sense tell us that the larger the file, the greater the risk of damage due to hard disk failure. We estimate the average MYOB Accounting user's data file will range in size from 8 megabytes to 30 megabytes in size. Compared to many other files on your hard disk (word processing documents, spreadsheets, program files and the like), your MYOB Accounting data file will be relatively large. Because of its size alone, your MYOB Accounting data file is at some risk of becoming damaged.

Because these factors are out of MYOB Accounting's control, no matter how many precautions we build into MYOB Accounting, your data file is never 100% safe. Even with the safeguards we've provided, the data file can be damaged in a virtually unlimited number of ways. As a result, we cannot guarantee that a damaged data file can be repaired and used again. We have created tools that will help you to determine whether your data file has become damaged, however, along with tools you can use to make regular backs and restore them, should a problem arise.


Data Verification Utility

The MYOB Accounting Data Verification Utility can help you to identify a damaged data file before you spend a significant amount of time making entries in it. The Data Verification Utility can be displayed by choosing Verify Data File from the File menu while you're working within MYOB Accounting. We suggest that you use the Data Verification Utility often.

Remember, neither the Data Verification Utility nor the Data Optimisation Utility guarantees that your data file will not fail. Additionally, neither of these tools is guaranteed to repair a failed data file. The only real defense you have against data damage is to keep both current and archived backup copies of your data.


Data Optimisation Utility

The MYOB Accounting Data Optimisation Utility is a separate software program (it's not a part of MYOB Accounting itself); this utility can be found in the directory where MYOB Accounting is installed. Over time, your data file may become unnecessarily large as you add and delete transactions. The Data Optimisation Utility removes any blank spaces left in your data file when you deleted transactions from your data file and performs other routine maintenance tasks that are designed to make your MYOB Accounting file run faster and take up less space on your hard disk. It also may repair minor problems in your data file.

Remember, neither the Data Verification Utility nor the Data Optimisation utility guarantees that your data file will not fail. Additionally, neither of these tools is guaranteed to repair a failed data file. The only real defense you have against data damage is to keep both current and archived backup copies of your data.


Backup and Restore Utility

The MYOB Backup and Restore Utility is designed to make backing up MYOB Accounting data files as easy as possible. Backup and Restore appear as separate selections on the File menu when you're working within MYOB Accounting. We expect every MYOB Accounting user to have a reasonably current backup of their data file. Additionally, you should have an archive backup; that is, a backup that is made at the end of every week or every month and placed in a secure place for safekeeping. (Many businesses keep their archive backups somewhere other than their business site, as a precaution against fire or similar disasters.) Never copy over archive backups. They must be kept untouched in case your current backup becomes damaged. Always run the MYOB Data Verification Utility before making an archive backup.


Optimize and check your data file for errors after you upgrade
Optimise and check your data file for errors after you upgrade

This note is for users of a previous MYOB product.

If you plan to upgrade an existing MYOB data file so it can be used by MYOB Accounting, we recommend that you check your data file for errors using the Data Verification Utility and optimise your data file using the Data Optimisation Utility IMMEDIATELY AFTER you upgrade  your data file. This will ensure that your data file is in "healthy" working condition before you begin making your day-to-day accounting entries using MYOB Accounting.


If an error occurs while you're using MYOB Accounting

If an alert message appears to warn you that your MYOB Accounting data file may be damaged, don't panic. While these messages must be taken seriously, in many cases you can continue with your work with a minimal amount of inconvenience.

If a "termination code" message or another message appears that doesn't clearly explain to you the problem that's occurred, be sure to write down the message exactly as it appears on your computer screen. Be sure to write down the complete message, including any numbers that may follow it. This information will be extremely important in determining the nature and severity of the problem, if you aren't able to repair the problem yourself and need to call the MYOB Accounting technical support team.

If you're able to open your data file, use the MYOB Accounting Data Optimisation Utility to optimise your file. Certain problems can be repaired by taking this step. We recommend that you use the MYOB Accounting Data Verification Utility after optimising the file, to determine whether the problem you encountered earlier still exists.

If the Data Verification Utility indicates that the problem wasn't repaired, you may need to restore your most recent backup. (If this is the case, be sure to verify the backup data file, as well, to be sure the problem didn't exist before you made the backup.) Before restoring a backup, however, we suggest that you call MYOB Accounting technical support to be sure this step is necessary. Since any transactions or records you entered after you made the backup will have to be reentered, restoring a backup should be done only after other options have been exhausted.

Please read Routine backups are vitally important for more information about making backups for MYOB Accounting.


Differences between MYOB Accounting Version 9 and earlier versions of MYOB

If you've used an earlier version of Accounting or MYOB Accounting with Payroll in the past, thanks for switching to MYOB Accounting Version 9! We hope MYOB Accounting's added functionality brings the power you need to manage your growing business.

For the most part, MYOB Accounting Version 9 works exactly the same as the MYOB product you've used in the past; you'll still enter transactions, create cards, enter budgets and analyse your business's activity just like you did before. However, we did make a few additions to the MYOB product to enhance its functionality, and other enhancements, as well. This topic describes the changes we've made. (By the way, you'll find a complete description of all MYOB Accounting features in your Online Procedures Guide.)

New features in MYOB Accounting

Unlimited number of transactions:  There is no longer any limit on the number of transactions you enter in an individual MYOB Accounting data file.

Auto-numbering: MYOB Accounting's auto-numbering feature helps to ensure that duplicate transaction numbers aren't assigned to multiple transactions. (Although it was unlikely to occur, it was possible to encounter this problem in earlier versions of MYOB Accounting.) When you create a transaction in an MYOB Accounting transaction entry window, the field that displays the transaction's number (for example, Invoice Number) will display Auto # when the highlight rests on that field. This text indicates that the transaction will be automatically given an actual transaction number when it's recorded into the data file. If you wish, you can override the Auto # text by entering the number you want to be assigned to the transaction.

User IDs:  User IDs track the activities performed by the people, or users, who use your MYOB Accounting system. They also allow each user to personalise MYOB Accounting using the Preferences window to match the way they work. Each time you open a data file in MYOB Accounting, you'll need to enter your own user ID. After a day's work, you can also print a session report that lists the activity performed by your user ID.

Data file optimisation: Over time, your MYOB Accounting data file will grow considerably in size. As you enter transactions, then remove or purge them, the file will have unused areas that once contained the transactions you've gotten rid of. These unused areas can affect the efficiency with which MYOB Accounting works with the data file, and they consume space on your hard disk that can be used for other purposes. The MYOB Accounting Data Optimisation Utility can be used to remove the unused areas in the data file and keep your accounting software running in top form. See Optimising data files in your Online Procedures Guide for more information.

User-specific and system-wide preferences:  As mentioned above, individual users can customise MYOB Accounting to conform to the way they work. Many of MYOB Accounting's preferences can be configured on a user-by-user basis so each person can get the most out of their MYOB Accounting work style. Preferences that affect the entire MYOB Accounting system are now referred to as system-wide preferences. These preferences are clearly marked in MYOB Accounting's Preferences window

Other differences between MYOB Accounting Version 9 and earlier versions of MYOB

No Save command in the File menu:  Your entries are automatically saved when you make them in MYOB Accounting Version 9, so MYOB's traditional Save command doesn't exist in this version of MYOB Accounting. The Revert to Saved command doesn't exist in MYOB Accounting Version 9, either.

Size of MYOB Accounting data files:  After you upgrade your company's existing data file, you'll notice that the file has grown considerably in size. Don't worry; that's normal. We recommend, however, that you ensure your company follows a strict regime of backup procedures. See Routine backups are vitally important for more information.


Important information for users of Corel WordPerfect Version 8

There are several issues you should be aware of if you plan to use Corel WordPerfect 8 with MYOB OfficeLink. Please read the following topics to learn more about these issues:

  Users of the Windows NT operating system will experience reduced performance when using WordPerfect 8 with OfficeLink

  Users of Corel WordPerfect Version 9 may need to follow additional steps in order to use OfficeLink


Users of the Windows NT operating system will experience reduced performance when using WordPerfect 8 with OfficeLink

If you're using the Windows NT operating system on this computer, you can use MYOB OfficeLink and Corel WordPerfect 8 together to create mail-merge letters, but you will experience reduced performance. If you have WordPerfect Version 7 or an OfficeLink-compatible version of Microsoft Word (Version 6.0., 7.0, 8.0 or 2000), you may wish to use that program instead to create your mail-merge letters.

Note: This issue affects only those using Windows NT. If you're using Windows 95 or Windows 98, your system will perform satisfactorily with OfficeLink and WordPerfect Version 8.


Users of Corel WordPerfect Version 8 may need to follow additional steps in order to use OfficeLink

If you wish to use Corel WordPerfect Version 8 with MYOB OfficeLink to create personalised letters for customers and others:

You must have the Converter component of Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 installed on your computer. If you’re not sure whether the Converter component is installed on your computer, reinstall the Converter component.

It also may be necessary to remove all Desktop Application Director (DAD) icons from the desktop.

Please note that these steps are necessary only for people using WordPerfect Suite 8. If you're using an earlier version of WordPerfect, these steps don't apply to you, and you should skip them.

Reinstalling the Converter component in Corel WordPerfect Suite 8

Please refer to your Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 documentation for instructions on reinstalling the Converter component.

Removing Desktop Application Director (DAD) icons from the desktop

The Desktop Application Director (DAD) is a collection of icons that appear on the Windows 95 taskbar and give you quick access to WordPerfect Suite 8 applications. In isolated instances, the DAD icons may be incompatible with MYOB OfficeLink, however; if this is the case, the icons cannot be displayed while you are using OfficeLink. If problems arise while you're using WordPerfect 8 with OfficeLink, we recommend that you disable the DAD icons as a possible solution to the problems you're experiencing.

If you use DAD icons to launch WordPerfect, Quattro Pro and other Corel applications, you can temporarily remove the DAD icons. If you never use these icons, you may wish to remove them permanently. Choose one of the following topics to learn more about disabling DAD icons.

  To remove DAD icons temporarily

  To remove DAD icons permanently


To remove DAD icons temporarily

If you haven't changed the settings in Corel's DAD Properties window, Corel's DAD icons will be displayed automatically when you start your computer. The DAD icons appear in the notification area of the Windows 95 taskbar, as shown in the illustration below. (Note: Depending upon the programs you've installed, additional icons may be displayed.)

To remove Corel's DAD icons from the notification area of the Windows 95 taskbar temporarily, complete the following steps:

1.	Place your mouse pointer over any of the DAD icons and click the right mouse button. The following menu will appear:

2.	Choose Exit DAD. The DAD icons will be removed, but will reappear the next time you restart your computer.

When you've completed these steps, your taskbar should look similar to this one:

Again, depending upon the other programs you've installed, some icons may be displayed here.

For more information about making changes to DAD, refer to the Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 User's Guide.


To remove DAD icons permanently

If you haven't changed the settings in Corel's DAD Properties window, Corel's DAD icons will be displayed automatically when you start your computer. The DAD icons appear in the notification area of the Windows 95 taskbar, as shown in the illustration below. (Note: Depending upon the programs you've installed, additional icons may be displayed.)

To remove Corel's DAD icons from the notification area of the Windows 95 taskbar permanently, complete the following steps:

1.	Place the place your mouse pointer over any of the DAD icons and click the right mouse button. The following menu will appear:

2.	Choose Properties. The DAD Properties window will appear:

3.	Unmark the Include DAD in Startup folder option, then click OK.

4.	Place the right mouse button over any of the DAD icons in the taskbar notification area again and click the right mouse button to redisplay the menu pictured above. This time, choose Exit DAD. The DAD icons will be removed.

When you've completed these steps, your taskbar should look similar to this one:

Again, depending upon the other programs you've installed, some icons may be displayed here.

For more information about making changes to DAD, refer to the Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 User's Guide.


MYOB Accounting is Year 2000-compliant

The media has brought attention to the Year 2000 (Y2K) issue which affects many technology, computer and software installations. Most of the problems are with mainframe systems run by large banks and insurance companies rather than personal computers; however, we'd like to assure our customers that all current versions of MYOB Accounting and MYOB Accounting are fully Year 2000 compliant in accordance with the BSI-DISC PD2000-1 standard.

Test it yourself

You can try out your MYOB product's year 2000 compliance today. Follow the steps below to do this. (Before you begin, you may wish to change the way dates are displayed on your computer, if you're using a two-digit format, rather than a four-digit format, for dates. Consult the documentation that accompanied your computer if you're unsure about how to change the date format.)

1.	Start your MYOB software and open the sample data file, Clearwater Pty Ltd. (We recommend that you use the Clearwater Pty Ltd data file so your own accounting records aren't altered by this test.)

2.	In the Command Centre window, click Sales. When the Sales Command Centre is displayed, click the Sales button in the flowchart. The Sales window is displayed.

3.	Create a service invoice as you normally would, but enter 1/1/2000 in the Date field. When you press the TAB key to exit the Date field, the message "The date you have entered is after the current date, and may be in error" may appear. Click OK to clear the message.

When you're finished creating the invoice, the Sales window should look similar to the following illustration:

4.	Click Record to record the invoice.

5.	Close the Sales window and open the To Do List window by clicking the To Do List button in any command centre. Be sure the A/R tab is selected in the window.

6.	At the bottom of the list of transactions, notice that the transaction you just recorded is displayed. Its summary information should look similar to the illustration below:

You will notice that in the Overdue column it appears as a negative –240 which indicates that it is not due for another 240 days. This is the correct amount of days since this invoice was written on the 6/5/1999 but dated 1/1/2000. This is also the day the invoice will be due based on C.O.D. terms. The date that you perform this test will obviously affect the number of days that appear in the Overdue column.

Note: Even though MYOB products are "Y2K-savvy," some older Windows computers have systems (known as a BIOS) which may not be compatible with the year 2000. (To determine whether your computer is affected, see the official Year 2000 Information Centre Web site at http://www.year2000.com/.)

If your Windows computer isn't Year 2000-compliant and you record a transaction in MYOB on January 1, 2000, the transaction date might be displayed as 1/1/80. To fix this, you'll need to change your computer's system date to 1/1/00 manually; after you do this, your MYOB transactions should be recorded properly.


MYOB Accounting data files are cross-platform compatible

MYOB Accounting Version 9 features cross-platform (Windows and Macintosh) binary-compatible data files, so an MYOB Accounting data file created using a Macintosh can be used by MYOB Accounting Version 9 for Windows, and vice versa. This can be a benefit if your office uses MYOB Accounting for Macintosh and you want to make a copy of your data file for your accountant to review using MYOB Accounting for Windows, for example.

MYOB Accounting for Macintosh uses the StuffIt Engine to create backup files, while the MYOB Windows backup uses the ZIP program; as a result, you'll need to use a third-party utility if you wish to restore backups made on another platform. (You can use StuffIt for Windows to unstuff backups made using a Macintosh, and the current versions of StuffIt for Macintosh can be used to unzip a backup file created on a Windows computer.)

For more information about the StuffIt Expander (for Windows or for Macintosh) and to download their freeware versions, please go to http://www.aladdinsys.com/downloads/index.html.


MYOB Accounting, MYOB Accounting Plus and MYOB Premier data files now are compatible

With this release, MYOB Accounting, MYOB Accounting Plus and MYOB Premier data files are compatible with one another; that is, you can view MYOB Accounting and MYOB Accounting Plus data files using either of those programs or MYOB Premier. In some instances, you can use this version of MYOB Accounting or MYOB Accounting Plus to view MYOB Premier data files, as well. You can view MYOB Premier data files using MYOB Accounting or MYOB Accounting Plus only if the Multicurrency feature in MYOB Premier is turned off. (The I Deal in Multiple Currencies option in the Preferences window isn’t marked.)

WARNING!  If you use MYOB Premier to view your MYOB Plus data file, you must not select the Multicurrency option in the Preferences window. If you do, you will no longer be able to work with the file using MYOB Plus. For this reason, we recommend that you exercise caution when modifying an MYOB Plus data file using MYOB Premier.


Copyright information

Copyright

MYOB Accounting © 1999 MYOB Limited.

Portions Copyright © 1996 Streetwise Software. All Rights Reserved.

Special Thanks to Affinity Sports.

Some images © PhotoDisc, Inc.

RoboHELP Help ©1998 Blue Sky Software Corporation. All rights reserved.

QuickHelp™ is licensed from Altura Software, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code equivalent of QuickHelp, including reverse assembly or reverse compilation.

Trademarks

MYOB is a trademark and M.Y.O.B.® is a registered trademark of MYOB Limited.

Microsoft® MS-DOS®, Word® and Excel®  are registered trademarks and Windows™ is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.

Apple®, AppleTalk® and Macintosh® are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.  QuickTime™ and the QuickTime logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. used under license.

Timeslips® is a registered trademark and TAL™ is a trademark of Timeslips Corporation.

Avery is a registered trademark, and Avery codes are trademarks of Avery Dennison Corporation.

Other products mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.