Copyright (c) 1983 Compumax Associates,Inc. All rights reserved. MICROREC User Manual The COMPUMAX business application programs are computer programs that keep records and compute transactions for business use. They are designed for people who have little familiarity with com- puters and only a basic knowledge of accounting rules. This is possible because the programs themselves are self-explanatory, telling you ex- actly what is needed at every step. After you have become acquainted with this program, you might want to save even more time and frustration using also the other available modules of the MICROBIZ programs, described in this Manual. LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES AND DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES Compumax Associates, Inc. has dedicated great care in designing, developing,coding and publishing its programs. It, however, makes no express or implied warranties of any kind with regard to performance or fitness of purpose of any product. In no event shall Compumax Associates, Inc. be liable for inci- dental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the distribution or use of its products. Title and ownership shall at all times remain with Compumax Associates, Inc. COMPUMAX P.O. BOX 61956, SUNNYVALE CA 94086 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: MICROREC Accounts Receivable in a Nutshell MICROREC in a Nutshell Using This Manual MICROREC Overview Chapter 2: MICROREC Program Descriptions PROGRAM 1 PROGRAM 2 PROGRAM 3 PROGRAM 4 PROGRAM 5 PROGRAM 6 PROGRAM 7 Chapter 3: Getting Started How to Run the Programs Step by Step ============================= ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE IN A NUTSHELL The accounts receivable end of your accounting sys- tem involves the dollar amounts, sources, and due dates of amounts owed to you for services rendered. Recording this data should be a simple task, but if you've handled accounts receivable you know that problems can arise. For example, you may suddenly need to know whether you can expect to have enough in the bank by August 15th to cover the payroll checks; or what the dollar amount is of accounts receivable still outstanding more than 90 days after invoicing; or if you want to find out at a glance which of your customers have outstanding accounts of over $4,000. In a manual system, ferreting out this information involves time-consuming, error-prone sorting and resorting of data With MICROREC, you can call up this information--accurately sorted, listed, and totaled--at a moment's notice. MICROREC in a Nutshell MICROREC is a series of six computer programs that perform the accounts receivable functions for a small business. You manipulate two files, a Master File that contains all to-date information in the accounts receivable system (RECMASTER) and a temporary file (RECFIL) you create to cover specific periods, into which you enter data reflecting the A/R transactions. When RECFIL is complete and current you may accumulate the information into RECMASTER, which can then produce, at any time, the Aged Trial Balance of A/R by Customer, the Report of A/R by Date, and the Cash Projections Reports. MICROREC can also print invoices. For Users of the CompuMax MICROLEDGER Package MICROREC offers an additional bonus to those who also use the CompuMax MICROLEDGER system. MICROREC creates Journal File records identical in format to the Journal File in MICROLEDGER. You can then post these transaction records into the ledger's Chart of Accounts. In a similar fashion, the other CompuMax packages (MICROPAY, MOCROINV, and MICROPERS) can communicate with the MICROLEDGER programs. The MICROLEDGER-MICROPAY-MICROREC- MICROINV-MICROPERS combination provides you with an effective and powerful software package. For Users of the CompuMax ORDER ENTRY Package If you are also a user of the ORDER ENTRY package, you may use ORDER ENTRY to automatically transfer all relevant information in ORDER ENTRY to create the MICROREC files. ORDER ENTRY is interactive with MICROPAY and MICROINV as well. A full set of the CompuMax packages can greatly enhance your accounting capabilities. MICROREC features include: Aged Trial Balance of A/R Groups and lists all accounts receivable outstanding under 30 days after invoicing, 31 60 days, 61-90 days, and over 90 days. This breakdown can assist you in projecting income, establishing collection priorities, and spotting problem accounts. Receivables by Customer Organizes the accounts by customer. You may list the total amount owed to you by any customer or receive a complete report of the total amount due broken down by customer. Receivables by Date Allows you to list all the A/R invoiced on a specific date or between two dates. Cash Projections Calculates the amount of incoming funds you can expect according to the above breakdowns. Cash projections are totaled automatically whenever you produce the above breakdown reports. Invoice Printing Prints invoices using the information contained in RECFIL. Customer Statement Covers all invoices for each customer reflecting amounts invoiced, amounts paid, and balance due. Using This Manual Read the manual to Chapter 3, Getting Started. Then make sure you know how to bring up the computer and get it operating (read the operator's manual if you haven't done so yet). Now you are ready to follow the step-by-step instructions in Chapter 3 to enter your own data. MICROREC Overview The run begins with a selection of routines, often called a menu. You may return to this general menu from any program by selecting the option Run Another Program. Selecting O (zero) in this menu signs off the system. PROGRAM 1 -- INPUT ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE PROGRAM 2 -- INPUT CUSTOMER PAYMENTS & A/R UPDATES PROGRAM 3 -- A REPORT OF AGED TRIAL BALANCE PROGRAM 4 -- RECEIVABLES BY CUSTOMER PROGRAM 5 -- RECEIVABLES BY DATE PROGRAM 6 -- LIST, JOURNALIZE & ACCUMULATE A/R PROGRAM 7 -- CUSTOMER STATEMENT Each program of the general menu starts off with a menu of its own. The general principles for using MICROREC are few and uncomplicated. The main thing to remember is that the temporary transaction file, RECFIL, is a device for holding new data and then transferring it into the Master File, RECMASTER (This transfer from RECFIL to RECMASTER is called "accumulating".) Therefore, whenever you want to add new information you input it into RECFIL. You should then list and review the information to ensure that you have entered it correctly. You are then ready to accumulate it into RECMASTER. When you accumulate, RECFIL automatically empties and is ready to receive data for the next transaction period. The only operation you want to perform on RECFIL before accumulating is printing invoices for new entries. If you wait until after accumulating, it is too late, because RECFIL is already empty. (However, you can recover RECFIL by using the update routine and changing the number of records in the header to what it was before.) After accumulation you may run the Aged Trial Balance of A/R (Program 3), Receivables by Customer (Program 4), Receivables by Date (Program 5), or Listing of Master File (Program 6, Option 62). If you run these before accumulation has taken place you do not receive an accurate report. These procedures are explained in more detail in Chapter 3. CHAPTER 2: MICROREC PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS Look again at the selection of programs in MICROREC: PROGRAM 1 -- INPUT ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE PROGRAM 2 -- INPUT CUSTOMER PAYMENTS & A/R UPDATES PROGRAM 3 -- A REPORT OF AGED TRIAL BALANCE PROGRAM 4 -- RECEIVABLES BY CUSTOMER PROGRAM 5 -- RECEIVABLES BY DATE PROGRAM 6 -- LIST, JOURNALIZE & ACCUMULATE A/R PROGRAM 7 -- CUSTOMER STATEMENT Each program in MICROREC has its own menu - a selection of options from which you may choose. Following is a description of what each option does and the data (if any) it requires you to enter. PROGRAM 1 - INPUT ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Option 11 -- Initialize A/R Files When using a new data diskette for the first time, you must select this option. The program asks for a title for the reports--this is the Header. It refers to the company name, division, department, or product line. To create two (or more) accounts receivable systems (i.e., for separate companies or divisions), you must use two (or more) data diskettes. You also initialize JOUFIL using this option. Type the start and end dates for the JOUFIL Period. If you do not use JOUFIL (all MICROLEDGER users should use it; otherwise you may disregard it) enter the start and end dates for the RECFIL (transaction file) period. Option 12 -- Add Records in RECFIL Use this option to enter accounts into RECFIL, both when you are setting up your accounts on a new diskette and when you want to add new information at a later time. The program asks you for the following data elements: CUSTOMER NAME Spell it carefully, exactly as it should appear in the records. CUSTOMER ADDRESS Street address CITY STATE ZIP With no commas INVOICE NUMBER This is the KEY entry. Invoice # makes it possible to retrieve items and must therefore be unique. INVOICE DATE Follow the format indicated by the computer using two digits each for month, day, and year. AMOUNT NO commas. Use dollars, decimal, and cents only. DESCRIPTION Of invoiced items LEDGER DR ACCOUNT NUMBER A revenue account number corresponding to an existing account number in MICROLEDGER.* LEDGER CR ACCOUNT NUMBER An account's current asset number, corres- ponding to an existing account number in MICROLEDGER.* *NOTE: You must use Ledger DR and CR account numbers to utilize JOUFIL. Otherwise you may enter zeros here. The system is set up to create JOUFIL entries for the MICROLEDGER accounts The amounts are entered as positive value, so do check the "+" and "-" values you want the entries to have. You may have to use the MICROLEDGER update option to change the sign of an entry. Option 13 -- Print Invoices This option prints invoices for accounts listed in RECFIL. Insert the invoice forms into the printer and MICROREC does the printing. You should have invoices printed with your company name in accordance with the format shown; however, you are free to use other formats which employ the same out- puts if you change the appropriate BASIC format statements as necessary. Option 14 -- Run Another Program PROGRAM 2: INPUT CUSTOMER PAYMENTS AND A/R UPDATED Option 21 Enter a Receipt of a Customer Payment Use this option to register the receipt of a payment by a customer which refers to an A/R account that has previously been accumulated. The program asks you for the invoice number. It then searches for the appropriate record, displays the Customer Name for confirmation, and asks for the receipt data and the amount received. Option 22 Change a Record in A/R Transaction File This option allows you to change any data in a record in RECFIL. Option 23 Delete a Record in A/R Transaction File Allows you to completely delete a record from RECFIL. Option 24 Change a Record in A/R Master File Allows you to change any data in a record in RECMASTER. Option 25 Delete a Record in A/R Master File Allows you to completely delete a record from RECMASTER. Option 26 Run Another Program PROGRAM 3 -- AGED TRIAL BALANCE OF A/R Asks for the current date and then reports the out- standing Accounts Receivable broken down into four categories: Under 30 days 31-60 days 61-90 days Over 90 days You receive a cash projection of the total amount due in each category. When an A/R record is found that has been paid in part, the amount shown as due is the remaining outstanding amount only. If you have a receivable that is broken down into different due dates, at input time you must set up separate accounts for each payment due, with the appropriate invoice dates and the separate amounts receivable in each record. PROGRAM 4 -- RECEIVABLES BY CUSTOMER Option 41 Report of a Single Customer For any customer you choose, MICROREC reports on outstanding A/R. Option 42 Report of All Customers Produces a report of total outstanding A/R, broken down by customer. The system assigns a Customer Number to each customer, which you can use in later inquiries. Option 43 Run Another Program PROGRAM 5 -- RECEIVABLES BY DATE Option 51 A/R for a Single Date Reports on all A/R invoiced on that date. Also provides a cash projection. Option 52 A/R for a Range of Dates Reports on all A/R invoiced between two dates. Provides a cash projection. Option 53 Run Another Program PROGRAM 6 -- LIST, JOURNALIZE AND ACCUMULATE A/R Option 61 List Transaction File This option lists all accounts in RECFIL. If an error is found, use Option 22 in Program 2 to change the information. Once satisfied with all data, you may print the invoices or proceed to Option 63 in this program to journalize and accumulate A/R. Option 62 List Master File This option lists all accounts in RECMASTER. If an error is found, use Option 24 in Program 2 to change the information. Option 63 Journalize and Accumulate A/R This option transcribes the A/R transactions from the Transaction File into the Master File, at the same time clearing RECFIL (the transaction file) for new A/R transactions. You must accumulate any new information from RECFIL into RECMASTER before you list RECMASTER or run Programs 3, 4, or 5, or enter payments. Journalize is carried out simultaneously. It is intended for users of the CompuMax MICROLEDGER package, so MICROREC information can update MICROLEDGER. Option 64 Run Another Program PROGRAM 7 -- CUSTOMER STATEMENT Option 71 A Single Customer Statement Use this option to create customer statements on printer or CRT. Enter the customer name exactly as it is listed in the master file, otherwise the program cannot locate it. Statement includes invoice number, due date (or payment date, if paid), category in which it is due (aged in 30 day increments), terms, and amount due for each invoice issued to that customer. Option 72 All Customers Statements Statements provided for all customers in same format as that described in Option 71. CHAPTER 3 - GETTING STARTED You are almost ready to enter your own accounts and run the programs. Read How to Run the Programs and then practice running the data diskette containing the sample data provided. Now enter your own accounts receivable records and set up your files, following the step-by-step instructions provided. How to Run the Program Load the program and data diskettes into your disk drives according to your computer system's instruc- tions. Issue the commands to run the programs, and MICROREC takes over and tells you what to do at every step. All information is fed into or taken out of the system using the keyboard, in response to questions displayed by the program. Unless instructed otherwise, answer all questions by typing the Arabic number of the operation you choose. (Remember, the Arabic number one is NOT the lower case "l", and the number zero is NOT the letter "0".) If you make a mistake, use the BACKSPACE arrow or key to correct the error. After you answer a question or enter new data, press RETURN to proceed to the next step. Step by Step: The Sequence of Running the Programs in MICROREC STEP 1 Initialize the files. Run Program 1, Option 11, and enter your company name and the relevant dates in the form requested by the computer. STEP 2 Add account information. Run Program 1, Option 12. You are asked for all necessary information. You may enter zeros where the requested information is irrelevant to you. STEP 3 Run Program 6, Option 61, to list RECFIL. Review it carefully to ensure that it is correct. To change anything, run Program 2, Option 22, to update RECFIL. STEP 4 Create a backup file for RECFIL. You should also create a backup file for the Master Pile, RECMASTER, but because this is your first run you have not created RECMASTER yet. During future data entry sessions it is always recommended to make backups of both files. STEP 5 To print invoices, run Program 1, Option 13. Invoices are printed for all accounts in RECFIL. STEP 6 Run Program 6, Option 63 to accumulate the infor- mation in RECFIL into RECMASTER. (If you use MICROLEDGER you can now make use of the Journal File output by MICROREC.) RECFIL is now empty and you are asked to enter information into the header for the new Transaction File to be created. STEP 7 Now you may run any or all of the following options to receive reports: a) Program 6, Option 62 to list the Master File b) Program 3, Aged Trial Balance of A/R c) Program 4, Receivables by Customer d) Program 5, Receivables by Date e) Program 7, Customer Statement You may wish to QUIT at this point (back to the general menu, Program O) and leave MICROREC until you have new A/R information or payments to enter. At that time begin again at Step 2. If you have payments to post, start at Step 8. STEP 8 Run Program 2, Option 21, to enter Receipt of a Customer Payment. You may enter only payments made to accounts already existing in the Master File (in other words, the original A/R has gone through Option 63, Accumulate). STEP 9 Run Program 6, Option 61, to list the Transaction File. Check that the information you entered is correct and complete. If there are errors or changes to be made, run Program 2, Option 22, to update the file. Now go to Step 4 if you wish to print invoices (for all accounts in RECFIL), or on to Steps 5 and 6. NOTE: You may delete an entire file by using the PURGE Option if your version provides one. You may also use your system's DELETE command. The INITIALIZE option does not delete a file. It only changes the fields in the header (titles, dates, number of records). The number of records is set to zero when you initialize a file, so any attempt to list the file results in error messages or a "NO RECORDS IN FILE" message. It is always possible to recover this file by changing the number of records in the header to what it was before, using the update option.