Open Systems offers two separate products to the mid-range accounting market: TRAVERSE and OSAS. Beyond some relatively minor user interface differences, both products offer similar feature sets. TRAVERSE is built on Microsoft Access and designed for a purely Windows environment, while OSAS can operate under Linux, Unix or Windows. Since the products are so much alike, we will only review the TRAVERSE product, but some of the differences will be pointed out throughout this article.
MODULES AVAILABLE/SCALABILITY – 5 Stars
Accounting modules available for TRAVERSE include System Manager, GL, AR, AP, Fixed Assets, Payroll, Direct Deposit and Bank Reconciliation. Manufacturing modules include Bill of Materials, MRP, Routing and Resources, and Production. Distribution modules include Inventory, Sales Order, Purchase Order, and Bill of Materials/ Kitting. Several other add-ons include Financial Reporting, Business Intelligence, Project Costing, Field Service Industry, Repair & Maintenance, Retail-Point of Sale, and Not for Profit.
TRAVERSE is offered in two editions: Business and Enterprise. The Business Edition is suitable for up to 12 users and utilizes MSDE as its back-end database engine. The Enterprise Edition is geared for mid- market enterprises that require the scalability of full Microsoft SQL Server. This provides a nice upgrade path for growing firms that want to start on a budget, but with the capability of growing into a full-scale application that can support many users in multiple locations. The OSAS product also utilizes a client/server architecture with the BBx database, which provides similar scalability. An excellent whitepaper detailing the technicalities of all Open Systems products is available on the company’s web site.
EASE OF USE/ TRANSACTION ENTRY – 4 Stars
All modules launch from a menu system that is centered on the main screen. There are two style choices, which is simply a matter of user preference. The standard menu system is a three-column window that lists the main modules on the left. As selections are made in this column, the center column shows applicable sub-menu choices. The third column shows further detailed actions for the item selected in the center column. The other menu style is an Explorer window with a collapsible tree structure. Each module is an item in the tree that can be expanded to show sub- choices. The right side of the Explorer window shows the current action or report choices. A double-click opens the input screen or report.
Data-entry screens are clean, well organized and easy to understand. Fields that have a limited number of choices, such as invoice terms or account numbers provide drop-down lists for convenient selection of a valid choice. Screens are kept uncluttered by using multiple tabs to segregate the data-entry process into discrete sections. In the OSAS product, which is programmed for either a Windows or Linux/ Unix environment, the user interface is more difficult and unconventional. This is somewhat typical of cross-platform applications.
CUSTOMIZATION/SECURITY – 4 Stars
The program provides several workstation configuration preferences. The keyboard function can be used to assign keys to frequently used commands and functions such as save, delete, lookup and new record. For each company, you can set various data-entry defaults like location ID, bank account ID and batch codes to speed data entry. The user can also set the preferred menu style, language (English or Spanish), and other preferences.
TRAVERSE’s security system is closely tied to the application’s SQL Server database security. First, a login must be defined that gives the user access to the company database. Each user is defined as part of one or more groups. Secondly, menu-level security uses the groups to control the functionality of each group of users. The sophisticated Server Manager application lets you add users and groups, fully controlling logins and permissions at two distinct levels.
INTEGRATION/IMPORT/EXPORT – 3 Stars
Open Systems has developed an authorized reseller channel that relies on developers to create integrated vertical market solutions for the TRAVERSE and OSAS product lines. Several import products are available to address EDI (electronic data interchange), supply chain integration and others.
Limited ASCII import capabilities are built into the program for physical inventory counts, bills of materials and production orders. With advanced programming, you can create your own data import procedures since the database structure is documented and accessible. Export is provided only by accessing the data programmatically from the database.
REPORTING – 4 Stars
Numerous reports are provided for each module, which can be previewed, printed or output to a number of different formats using Microsoft Access’ Office Links functions, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and text files. In addition, Open Systems offers the Advanced Financial Analyst add-on, which is a reporting tool that provides access to your GL data directly from Microsoft Excel. Two modes, Author and Analyst, give you the ability to create and view reports respectively. Using built-in wizards, you can create sophisticated what-if scenarios and drill-down functionality. Since this is an open database product, you can also use nearly any third-party ODBC-based reporting tool (such as Crystal Reports) to create nearly any report imaginable.
SUPPORT/TRAINING/ HELP SYSTEM – 4 Stars
Open Systems offers telephone and e-mail-based technical support through annual subscription plans. This also provides access to the company’s online eUser section, which has additional product information including a knowledgebase and reduced rates for training sessions. Support can also be purchased in blocks for pay-as-you-go access to company technicians.
The online help system is more limited than some of the other products reviewed. It is context-sensitive, which is a real plus for finding exactly the information you want. For full details, the complete manual for each module is available in *.PDF format.
COMPANY HISTORY – 5 Stars
Open Systems is a private company based in Shakopee, Minnesota. Since its found- ing in 1976, it has gone through only one ownership change in 1990, but has stuck to its core product line and vision of providing quality accounting software based on an open platform for both its source code as well as its database. The company boasts over 250,000 users.
RELATIVE VALUE – 4 Stars
Fees for both the TRAVERSE product and the OSAS product are the same, giving you a choice of platforms. Pricing for a single-user base set of modules (see the mid-range accounting introductory article for more details) would be approximately $3,000, including software maintenance for one year. Five-user pricing for a similar set of base modules would be $9,800. Additional modules are priced around $1,300 each. Training is provided at $125 per hour or $500 per day for standard training classes. Software renewal costs are about 15 percent of the new product’s purchase price.
2005 OVERALL RATING: 4
Review sections for the mid-range accounting products include the following:
Modules Available/Scalability. Within this section, we look at the general breadth of modules available from the company. Although our prototype pricing only includes a base set of modules, there are many occasions where a company has special needs. The availability of ancillary modules provides for expansion of the integrated module set to meet new business requirements. Scalability is the capability of the product to grow with the business. Many successful mid-range businesses start with only one or two employees and grow to hundreds of employees within a short period of time. If the accounting package you start with supports a maximum of five users, you’ll be looking for a completely new package when your business outgrows it, which could be potentially expensive in terms of data conversion and retraining.
Ease of Use/Transaction Entry. This section is fairly self-explanatory and simply evaluates the overall user experience in using the software, from the main menu to the data-entry screens. As a general rule, all the products reviewed here are very modern and pose no specific problems in this area. I found them all easy to use and navigate, although some are more mature and refined than others.
Customization/Security. Most vendors in the mid-range market have made a deliberate attempt to keep their products simple. The ability to customize the product is generally focused on the reporting area. However, several vendors do provide the ability to customize for layouts and terminology to match specific industry needs. One other thing that should be highlighted is the ultimate customization tool: source code. A number of products do provide program source code either as part of the purchase price or as a separately purchased feature. Security is very similar across these products, with most having a menu-level system that restricts users to specific menu items and tasks.
Integration/Import/Export. Many mid-range products rely on third-party add-ons for functionality that might be built-in or integrated in a high-end product. For instance, point-of-sale, e-commerce and EDI are functions that may be provided by the vendor as an integrated module, or may be provided by third-party add-ons. If third-party add-ons are supported, it is important to have a relatively simple way to move data into and out of the program using import and export capabilities.
Reporting. Generally, all of these products provide high quality reports. Several provide built-in custom report writers that let you create reports based on your own formats and needs. My preference is the products that have standardized with Crystal Reports as their report engine. This implies two things: First, the database is an ‘open’ database structure that allows direct access to the data files for reports and queries; second, you can purchase the Crystal Reports professional designer and create your own custom reports using an industry-standard format. Many third-party developers specialize in Crystal Reports design and can provide assistance to meet nearly any need.
Support/Training/Help System. This section is also fairly self-explanatory. It is an evaluation of the program’s online help system, as well as the availability of product support, whether through live telephone support, e-mail support or an online knowledgebase. Of course, the best products provide a combination of all these methods. Classroom or web-based training should be available for budget-conscious new users at times and locations that are convenient.
Company History. When purchasing most accounting packages, you are certainly buying a tangible, installable CD, which will be used by people in your company to do their work. However, you are also establishing a business relationship with a company that is expected to provide updates, enhancements, bug fixes, training and support. How long has the company been in business? How many times has ownership of the company changed hands? Is the company based in the United States, Canada or overseas? All of these factors will change the nature of your relationship with the vendor you choose.
Relative Value. Basically, this is the ‘bang for your buck.’ Generally, the more sophisticated products that offer more modules will have a higher cost. This is to be expected. However, this category attempts to consider the big picture. With the feature set and cost considered, does the vendor offer a competitive product at a competitive price?
We hope you find these reviews informative and helpful in your accounting software search. Each product reviewed here is a high-quality product that is worthy of consideration. As I have always encouraged, you should get a demo package from the vendor, install it on your system and try it out! Ask questions, evaluate your needs, compare it with your existing system, and pick a product that fits your budget.
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