I have a number of clients using the ACCPAC Plus 3rd party add-on Increase Decimal Places (IDP). One client is currently interested in switching to Adagio, but Adagio won't work with data using IDP.

I am on a quest to prove to my client that IDP is obsolete, and may be replaced by the Alternative Price List feature (APL) on the selling side, and by Inventory Receipts on the costing side. Once I convince them of this, then Adagio becomes a real possibility.

There are a number of issues I need to resolve. This client is using AP, AR, GL, IC, OE, Sales Analysis from Softrak, Invoice Sales History and EIS Inventory Tools. They price and cost out to three decimal places, everything else is done to two decimal places. They are single currency.

IDP uses an alternative set of currency files in order to perform its magic. I have discovered that by pointing at the default currency files and launching OE, IDP automatically offers a utility to convert OE and IC back to two decimal places. It converts the following files: OELINE'I, OEHEAD'I, ICHIST, ICITEM'I, ICITM2'I, ICPOD'I and ICPOH'I.

I would like confirmation from you about the effects of this conversion. Specifically...

* OE transactions entered prior to the switch maintain three decimal accuracy, including most importantly open orders.
* IC prices and costs are truncated to two decimals. See below for my strategy to combat this.
* There is no effect on Sales Analysis data
* There is no effect on Invoice Sales History data.
* There is no effect on Inventory Tools, or on the IC History file upon which IT is based.
* No tenfold increase or decrease in any cost or price field occurs.
* With minor modifications to spec files, the forms will still print to the correct number of decimals.

My strategy to preserve three digit pricing is, prior to conversion, to create an APL called 3D (for three decimals), and add all of the items to this APL. Then do the conversion. Finally add the 3D APL to the price list field for every customer.

My strategy to preserve three digit costing is to implement Inventory Receipts (or its Windows equivalent Purchase Orders for Adagio).

Again, I would appreciate all advice you may have prior to me testing this at the client site.

Hi Steve Schwartz,

Well, this approach appears reasonable, but I'm afraid that there is no way we can confirm that the entire process will work the way you wish.

I'm afraid we don't have the resources to test out Adagio and all the 3rd Party products that were developed for ACCPAC Plus.

After going through this conversion process, about the only thing I can suggest is to test that everything is "hanging together" by running frequent data integrity checks, and running various invoices and receipts through the converted system. Of course, since the data is compatible, you should be able to demonstrate the same process to your clients in ACCPAC Plus itself.

We'll be interested to hear the results of your experiments.

I plan on doing a side-by-side comparison, and letting you know how it goes. It is my goal to document a process for eliminating IDP that can be used by all. I was hoping you could aid me in my testing by pointing me in a certain direction.

Hello Steve Schwartz,

Well, the list of files that it touches seems complete, and the direction you've adopted makes sense too.

Just contact us if you find something unusual...