First Option Newsletter      

November 2012  

It's hard to believe that 2012 is coming to a close. Based on data from the tickets entered for fiscal year-end 2011, here are the most frequently asked questions.

1.)    Why am I getting the message "Accounting Period Not Open For ...?"Click  Knowledgbase Entry - The most common reason for this message in January of a New Year is the accounting periods have not been cloned. The best time to clone your 2013 accounting periods is December of 2012. Avoid the message and clone 2013 accounting periods now!

2.)    How do I change the accounting period open/closed flags if I have already cloned them from a previous year? Click Knowledgebase Entry The most common reason for this message in January of a New Year is the accounting periods have been cloned but the "Copy Period Closed Data" was set to "Y" instead of 'N". You can update the closed flag by using option #14-Update Accounting Period Flags on the G/L Supervisor menu. Avoid this message and select "N" for "Copy Period Closed Data"

3.)    Which options on the Year End Processing menu do I use for generating my 1099s? Click Knowledgebase Entry It's best to review this knowledge base item well in advance of creating/printing 1099s. Also, remember to order your 1099s early and select the appropriate form for your company (e.g., two up or four up.)  

4.)    How do I run the GL Year End Close - See page 89 on the online General Ledger manual. 

5.)    I ran the GL Year End Close, but my beginning balances did not post to the New Year - why? Click Knowledgebase Entry The most common reason for this message in January of a New Year is a batch has been rejected in most cases because of an invalid accounting period. (see items 2 & 3)

For more detailed information, review the knowledge base entries listed above.    

If you have not registered as a help desk user, please click Helpdesk and sign up now!  

Upgrading to the iSeries Power 7?

The performance increase for the price is a pretty compelling argument to make the jump. In some of the migrations this means jumping from V5R4 to V7R1 skipping V6R1. At a high level, the typical upgrade process should include but is not necessarily limited to:

1.) Contact all iSeries software providers for new software license keys, if applicable.   Also, to ensure the version you are currently running is compatible with the target OS release.

2.) Upgrade to the First Option Financial Software V7R1 compatible version. A dedicated system is required for the upgrade which typically takes 2-3 hours. The duration is dependent upon your current First Option Financial Software production software (i.e., if you have not upgraded for a couple of years the duration could be longer.) Enter a help desk ticket if you are unsure as to whether or not you have been upgraded to latest version.

3.) Load V5R4 PTF that contains analysis functionality. Your IBM Business partner should be consulted to help plan/load this software.

4.) Run conversion analysis to determine if there are any objects that do not have observability. If objects found (they are typically objects in a customer's unique library or other third party software products), resolve issues with those objects. If you would like First Option to participate in this step, please enter a help desk ticket and we will be happy to provide an estimate.

5.) Once item 4 is complete, schedule a time to migrate with your IBM business partner which should include a customer acceptance test. The customer acceptance test is VERY important.   The plan should include but not be limited to your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly procedures. It is also important that you test backups and interfaces. The bottom line is a detailed scripted test plan will stage the project for success.

5.) Migrate i5 to i7 system

6.) Perform customer acceptance test and have a 'fall back' plan if it fails.

7.) If step 6 is successful, GO LIVE!