Appgen
Remember, once again, I have experience only with the product now known as Appgen Custom Suite, not with MyBooks. Our original implementations were done in late 1999 as part of year 2000 conversions.
The product is divided into modules with full accounting controls between modules. In other words, the journals can be reviewed before posting is ordered. This allows extensive accounting control, but is not what is expected today in small businesses with a "full charge bookkeeper" doing most functions. Custom programming can be done to post modules automatically, but it is not built in. If I recall, there is auto linkage between Sales Order and Inventory Control to keep inventory up to the minute.
The product does not have as many options and reports as a hard wired package would, because some customization is presumed. This should be considered in the cost of integration, some programming may be required right off.
On the other hand, customization is very quick and economical compared with other packages, because the Appgen product was originally an Application generator for rapid development. The company bought the accounting system from a VAR who developed it using Appgen. Every Appgen VAR now has the complete accounting source and the application generator.
An example of the customization done for one of our clients is handling of inventory items that are actually retail start-up kits. The kit may be discounted at sale, and the customer needs all components individually priced to know their costs. Also, there may be shortages of a particular kit component.
At invoicing, the clerk enters one part number and quantity. If there is a discount, that is entered. The program then back calculates the discount into component prices and prints a fully itemized invoice with individually discounted component prices. Shortages are also handled, but I don't remember quite how.
This sort of thing is completely impossible with "canned" accounting software, but not difficult with Appgen.
Another thing this business does is purge the previous years inventory part numbers each year and enters new ones for the current year's catalog. This is also impossible with most accounting software.
I am no longer closely involved with Appgen because I have outsourced most of the day-to-day and programming to a highly experienced and efficient Appgen programmer at EGData. It's just much more efficient for me as I have my hands full with networking, servers, and selling stuff.
