Manu Online can be connected to the Sage Business Cloud Accounting system.
You system will be configured to connect to Sage Accounting, if you selected Sage Accountingas your accountancy system when you first signed up for Manu. If this is not the case, then please contact Manu Online support to make the initial configuration. You can tell if you system is configured by going to Invoicing – Bookkeeping connection and see if the Sage Accounting button exists there. This button will go to the screen for managing the synchronisation.
This connection will achieve the following:
- Import the chart of account from Sage Accounting and configure the default accounts in Manu
- Export sales and purchase invoices to Sage Accounting, together with their associated contact and item data
- Optionally export purchase invoices to Sage Accounting
- Import sales invoice payments from Sage Accounting for the purpose of controlling credit limits and overdue payments
- Export direct sales information
Important note: When you wish to connect a new Manu Online account to Sage Accounting, you should import your chart of accounts BEFORE creating invoices in Manu. This is so that the sales and purchase accounts will be correct on the invoices before they are transferred. Please also review the various configuration options for the transfer. These are described at the end of this chapter.
When you take the Sage Accounting connection into use, it is recommended that you no longer enter sales or purchase invoices into Sage Accounting, but rather use Manu Online for your entire invoicing creation, both sales and purchase. The benefit is that invoices can be created more easily in Manu Online because this is where order and delivery information is available. It is also possible to create invoices in Manu Online that are not related to orders and deliveries, so Manu Online can be used as the single channel for all invoicing. If you do want to create invoices in both systems, make sure you choose a sufficiently large difference in the number ranges for the invoices so that they will not overlap. The next invoice number in Manu Online is set in Admin – Company settings – System numbers.
Sales invoices can be printed either from Sage Accounting or Manu Online. It is the same data in slightly different format. However it may be convenient to print invoices from Manu Online as they are created (for instance it is possible to create invoices at delivery time if needed to include them with the shipment). The transfer of data can be made then at the convenience of the person responsible for accounts which maybe weekly rather than daily. It is possible to give a Manu Online account to your bookkeeper so that they can manage this process.
You system will be configured to connect to Sage Accounting if you selected Sage Accounting as your accountancy system when you first signed up for Manu. If this is not the case, then please contact Manu Online support to make the initial configuration. You can tell if you system is configured by going to Invoicing - Bookkeeping connection and see if the Sage Accounting button exists there.
To connect to Sage Accounting, go to Invoicing - Bookkeeping connection and press the button "Bookkeeping Export: Sage Accounting". This will go to the screen for managing the synchronisation. Before you connect the buttons to synchronise invoices and import accounts will be disabled. Note that you need to have “System Manager” user rights in Sage Accounting to do this. The connection to Sage Accounting will be available from the time you connect to the time you disconnect even if you leave this page or close your browser. Also once connected, the connection is available for all other Manu users that have the “Bookkeeper” right.
| Export invoices | Exports sales invoices together with items and partners (contacts). Optionally exports purchase invoices (see below for the setting for this) |
| Import chart of accounts | Imports the list of accounts from Sage Accounting to Manu Online (Note: You will normally only need to do this once when you first implement the system. Do it first before creating invoices in Manu Online. See below.) |
| Import items | Creates new items in Manu Online from the list in Sage Accounting |
| Import partners | Creates new partners in Manu Online from the list of Contacts in Sage Accounting |
| Connect/Disconnect | Connects or disconnects your company’s Manu Online account to Sage Accounting. You need at least “Standard user” rights in Sage Accounting to do this. If you connect, this applies to all users of your system that have rights in Manu Online to use this screen. |
Press Connect. This will open Sage Accounting's log-in screen in a new, pop-up browser window. Login with your Sage Accounting user name and password. If this is successful a message that you are now connected will be displayed. Close the connection pop-up window to continue.
If you are setting up the Sage Accounting connection for the first time, you should first import the list of your accounts from Sage Accounting. (Make sure it is correct in Sage Accounting before doing this.) This will create the same accounts in Manu Online for use in invoicing, and also set the default values of purchase and sales accounts. If you later add accounts in Sage Accounting, you can import them again, but it will not over write or delete accounts. If you are making more fundamental changes to your list of accounts in Sage Accounting, please contact Manu Online support and ask them to remove all accounts from your system so a clean import can be made again. After this has been done, any invoices made in Manu Online will need to have correct account information entered before being activated. In general the defaults will work correctly, so after initialling reviewing your invoices, you will find there is no extra work in this.
After connecting, the list of invoices that have been created in Manu but not yet transferred to Sage Accounting can be reviewed. Simply press the Synchronize button and these invoices will be transferred. After the synchronisation is complete, there is a link to a log file which will display the technical details of the transfer together with any error messages.
Optionally disconnect after the transfer is complete, but you can leave the two systems connected so that you don't need connect again when you come back to this screen.
Exporting purchase invoices to Sage Accounting is optional. The reason not to export invoices is if you are entering purchase invoices directly to Sage Accounting and also entering them by hand to Manu. Although this is not a recommended practice, by using this setting you will avoid invoice duplication in Sage Accounting.
To change this settings go to Admin - System settings and click the link "Connected systems data". For the record labelled "Export purchase invoices" change 1 to 0 (zero).
Mapping the companies
After you connect the systems, you need to select which company under your Sage account is to be connected. If you have just one company then there will only be one in the list and save the selection. If you have multiple companies then select the correct one before saving. If you are using Manu Online Multicompany Edition then you may also have multiple companies created in your Manu Online account. Ensure that you have the correct companies linked to each other.
Truncating data
If data is too long for a field in Manu Online, the individual fields will be truncated. Address fields are generally 80 characters long except for person names, towns, counties and postcodes which are 50 long. Telephones are 30 long.