Sage Software, Inc. — Sage Accpac ePOS 5.3

From the November 2005 Review of Point-of-Sale
Software

Sage Accpac ePOS is a point-of-sale program designed for small to mid-sized
retail stores. Accpac ePOS can work in a single location or can be deployed
across a network of remote locations.

EASE OF USE — 5 Stars
The first step is to install Sage Accpac ERP (formerly ACCPAC Advantage Series),
one of the vendor’s high-end accounting software offerings. Once this
is completed, ePOS can be installed. This is a sophisticated business management
application, so using an experienced network administrator to assist with installation
is a good idea.

Two screen options are available for register users: the standard register
screen and the simplified screen. The standard screen contains a menu bar at
the top that will access system functions such as File, Report, Functions, Options
and Help. The main body of the register screen contains four tabs: Main Screen,
Customer, Item and Layaway. Also available are options to enter, create or edit
customers and inventory items. The simplified screen, primarily designed for
scan-and-bag environments, contains a menu bar and a ten-key pad, with a key
to finalize sales. Payment totals are listed at the top of the screen, and a
list of items being purchased is displayed on the left side of the screen.

Items found under the File menu option are self-explanatory, such as Cash
Out, Process All Outstanding Transactions, Online/Offline, and Enable/Disable
Cash Drawer. Keyboard shortcuts are available for all POS functions such as
automatic discounts.

MODULES/SCALABILITY — 5 Stars
As previously noted, ePOS is designed to work in conjunction with the Sage Accpac
ERP business management application. Modules of Sage Accpac ERP include GL,
AP, AR, System Manager, Multicurrency, Payroll, Purchase Order, Inventory Control,
and Order Entry. Additional modules available include Sage Accpac CRM, Sage
Accpac eTransact (which can assist in creating a Web store), Sage Accpac Insight
(which delivers business intelligence to enterprise-wide data) and the Sage
Accpac Warehouse Management System (which helps in automating and tracking inventory
activity).

Sage Accpac ePOS uses a web interface that supports remote retail locations,
so all store sites have access to real-time inventory totals. Sage Accpac ERP
is available in three editions, which provides an easy upgrade path: Sage Accpac
ERP 100, 200 and 500 (formerly ACCPAC Advantage Series Small Business, Corporate,
and Enterprise editions, respectively). Sage Accpac ePOS supports both Windows
and Linux operating systems at the server end. Database support includes IBM
DB2, Windows SQL Server, Oracle and Pervasive SQL.

FEATURES/FUNCTIONALITY — 5 Stars
Sage Accpac ePOS 5.3 contains numerous changes, upgrades and enhancements. New
retail functions include a customer loyalty tracking program that monitors customer
purchases by either inventory item or purchase total. The enhanced offline transaction
processing system lets you process a high volume of transactions at a faster
speed. The returns, exchanges and layaways process has been simplified for quicker
completion. You can also sell gift cards and certificates, and then later track
those purchases using the gift card and gift certificate report.
Because of its web-based flexibility, access to real-time processing for all
retail locations is available immediately. And because ePOS provides flawless
integration to your back office accounting, all sales orders, payments and returns
are recorded in the system immediately.

INTEGRATION — 5 Stars
As stated earlier, ePOS integrates seamlessly with Sage Accpac ERP to provide
a complete solution to both front- and back-office transaction processing. Along
with this integration, ePOS also integrates with peripheral hardware such as
barcode readers, weight scales and magnetic card readers.

TRACKING/REPORTING — 5 Stars
Along with the excellent reporting capabilities of Sage Accpac ERP, you can
also obtain reports directly from ePOS, including a transaction report (which
provides transaction volume), a payment report (sorted by pay type), a salesperson
report, a detailed transaction report, category sales report and the cash out
report.

RELATIVE VALUE — 5 Stars
A terrific user interface combined with cutting-edge technology makes Sage Accpac
ePOS a very attractive product. The savvy customer tracking tools are an excellent
addition to this product. The server component of ePOS is $2,000 (which includes
the first POS register license), and additional POS register components are
$1,000 each. Even factoring in the cost of the accounting product that is necessary,
Sage Accpac ePOS 5.3 is an excellent value for retail stores, particularly those
with multiple locations.

2005 Overall Rating: 5 Stars