July 2002
- onTOPS : Welcome to onTOPS!
- onSoftware : New Training
Center Opening
- onSales: New Version and Job
Streaming
- onSupport : Utilities You
Can Use
- onSpecial : Pool Pass Module
- onLine : New Stuff on Our Web
Site
onTOPS
Welcome to onTOPS, an e-zine produced by TOPS Software to keep
you informed about our products and services. In this issue, we
will be announcing the opening of a new training center in Florida,
providing information on the upcoming Job Streaming module, explaining
the Check/Repair GL Utility, and announcing a new promotion to help
you retain the communities in your management portfolio. We look
forward to hearing your feedback about the e-zine. Please let us
know what things you liked, what you would like to see, and any
suggested articles by emailing us at ezines@TopsSoft.com.
by Andrea Drennen
onSoftware
Do you want individual training? Would you like a vacation in Florida?
How about combining the two? We will be starting an in-house training
center at our Clearwater, Florida office. You can have customized
training on a one-to-one basis. We will offer training for up to
4 of your staff at one time. Please call or email me at CathyF@topssoft.com
for more information, and prices. This program is scheduled to start
August 1, 2002. We will be taking reservations on a first come,
first served basis for date availability.
by Cathy Flynn
onSales
New Version, and Job Streaming!
We at TOPS Software are proud to announce the upcoming release
of our latest version of TOPS 2000™, v3.1, which is full of
added functionality and robust features. In tandem with this release,
we are in the process of developing a new, optional add-on which
will be available for purchase Fall 2002. This add-on, Job Streaming,
is just about done in the "laboratory," after which it
will be beta tested in the field, and then it will be ready for
purchase!
The Job Streaming add-on, designed for portfolio managers and management
companies, will automate repetitive processes to save a lot of time.
This is how it works: instead of having to perform certain functions
individually for each association, such as owner charges/prepayments
or owner/board member mailing labels, the Job Streaming add-on can
perform such functions globally for several or all of the associations
that you manage. This can provide a significant time savings, and
any time savings is always welcome news in our industry!
Pricing for this add-on will be established before delivery time
in Fall 2002; please contact Bruce Gran at BruceG@TopsSoft.com
for further information.
by Bruce Gran
onSupport
We are continuing our discussion of "Utilities You Can Use".
As you will recall, last month we discussed the ability to export
files using the export function in the utilities menu. This month
we are going to discuss what to do if your Balance Sheet report
does not balance because the General Ledger itself is out of balance
at the end of the month. (Sometimes, "stuff happens!")
Of course, the General Ledger needs to balanced for the Balance
Sheet report to balance (Assets = Liabilities + Equity) which means,
the total of all the Debit transactions must equal the total of
all the Credit transactions in the General Ledger. If your General
Ledger is not balanced, you may temporarily fix the imbalance using
the following quick fix to get you on your way. First, you need
to make a one-sided journal entry.
You may ask, "How can I do that since I use a double entry
(for every Debit there just be an equal and offsetting Credit) accounting
system?" Well, TOPS 2000™ has a way. Go to "Utilities"
on the menu bar. Click "Check/Repair GL." This utility
examines the General Ledger and verifies if it is actually out of
balance, for which month(s), and for what amount.
If it finds an out of balance condition, it will then offer you
the opportunity to make the one-sided entry to correct the problem.
You will need to know which account is missing the balancing transaction,
and for which day of the month it is effective. If you are unsure,
you can put the balancing entry against a "suspense" account.
A "suspense" account is just a temporary place you are
putting the balancing entry while you do research to find the correct
G/L account. If you use the "suspense" account, you must
later find the correct account and move the balancing entry there
by Journal Entry.
Once you click "OK" to the one-sided entry in the "Check/Repair
G/L", the system will automatically make the appropriate entry,
and the General Ledger will balance. If it prompts you to select
a printer, then this utility has found backdated Income or Expense
account entries for a previously closed year. These will need to
be closed to the Retained Earnings account by Journal Entry backdated
to the last year end date (Example 12/31/01).
More "Utilities You Can Use" will appear next month.
In the meantime, if you have a specific question or would like to
see something addressed here, email me at CathyF@topssoft.com
and I will be more than happy to include it in a future e-zine.
by Cathy Flynn and Jeff Hardy
onSpecial
25% off TOPS On-Site™ when
you purchase two or more modules!
Mention this E-Zine to receive your discount.
If you haven't already taken advantage of our time and materials
to learn about TOPS On-Site™, now is the time. TOPS On-Site™
is the next step in community management, a way to give staff located
outside your main office, such as at a community you manage or a
satellite management office, the ability to take over administrative
functions like issuing Work Orders, doing CCR/ACC inspections and
enforcement, screening visitors at a Guard Gated community and more.
Through TOPS On-Site™, on site staff will have access to
the TOPS owner database. They can print owner reports, annual meeting
reports, mailing labels and use the form letter program to write
customized letters to owners. Available modules include the Owner
Database, Work Order, CC&R Enforcement, Pool Pass, Guard Gate
Security, and the Palm Pilot Interface.
TOPS On-Site™ is designed with simplicity in mind. It interfaces
with your office version of TOPS 2000™ for periodic downloads
of the Owner Database to keep the local version in TOPS On-Site™
up to date. Thus, the remote office using TOPS On-Site™ will
rely on you for these periodic updates. TOPS On-Site™ does
NO accounting functions; it is purely an administrative software
application.
The ability to synchronize owner data between TOPS 2000™
and TOPS On-Site™ makes this program an excellent choice for
communities that contract out their management and accounting services,
but want to perform administrative functions themselves. For management
companies, it will lessen the administrative workload in the main
office, since on-site staff will be performing tasks previously
done by main office staff.
TOPS On-Site™ is very affordably priced. It's a win-win situation
for both our TOPS 2000™ customers and our new customers who
purchase TOPS On-Site™. Please contact sales at sales@topssoft.com
to request a free demo of TOPS On-Site, and experience this phenomenal
new product for yourself!
by Jeff Hardy
onLine
Some of the new stuff online:
- New FAQ Items Added: We have added two new items to the
FAQ - One
question on prepaid fees displaying as negative amounts in an
Income/Expense statement, and one on incorrect address printing
in Gate Security Reports.
- Lucy Fox Joins the Website Team: Please join us in a
hearty welcome to Lucy Fox, who has joined our website team to
help support our web site customers. Lucy will be helping with
both design needs and support for TOPS Community Web Sites.
- Website Update List Added: A list of the changes that
are included with the Summer 2002 web site update is now available
on the downloads page.
- New How To Added: Understanding Basic Accounting in TOPS
has been added to the How To section. This is an extensive primer
on the accounting methods that TOPS 2000™ uses. We recommend
that all users new to accounting in TOPS read this first.
- Version 3.04 Update Added: These changes will be included
in TOPS 2000™ version 3.1, but if you do not want to wait,
you may download them. You
must have a valid Maintenance Support Agreement with updates included
in order to download the update.
- Customer Survey Added: We want to know your opinions
of our products and services. Please take a few moments to complete
our new online customer
survey. Your answers will be used to help us improve our products
and services. Results will be tallied in a future version of The
TOPS News.
- TOPS Forums Added: Our new Message
Board Forums will enable you to communicate with TOPS employees,
dealers, trainers, and other customers. Sign
up for a local account to join our online community.
by Andrea Drennen
onTopic
Did You Know: In 1949, forecasting the relentless
march of science, Popular Mechanics said computers in the future
may weigh no more than 5 tons.
From www.uselessfacts.net
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