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Thread: New Pastel partner Ver 14

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    New Pastel partner Ver 14

    I see Pastel are releasing version 14 for their Partner product. What happened to version 13? Did I miss it or are they just a superstitious bunch?

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    Diamond Member Mike C's Avatar
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    Don't think you have missed anything Busfact. I am on Xpress 12 at the moment and am being told that version 14 is available.

    I haven't downloaded it yet. Anyone else done the upgrade?
    No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop "The Lion and the Mouse"

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    Diamond Member Mike C's Avatar
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    Well I've done the download and the upgrade to version 14 and everything went reasonably smoothly.

    I HATE the fact that the new version forces you to have a password. Not only is it a must, but it HAS to be a minimum of 8 characters, must include a Caps, a Lowercase, a Number and a Symbol.

    Great for security ... but majorly frustrating when you have to move between various companies on a regular basis, as you have to type in the password EVERY time.
    Not to mention the times you miss-type a character and have to re-enter.

    You also get a surprise when you go to the help menu because you discover that it is not included in the initial download. You have to do a separate download for the help function.

    I don't use the added extra's (at added cost) of the Intelligent Business Reports or the Bank Statement downloads, and doubt that I will ever pay my suppliers directly from the Pastel software ... so there was nothing to get excited about there ... although others may be delighted by this functionality.

    Sage Pastel have also introduced a new app for those who have smart phones and tablets so that you can do quotes from wherever you are as long as you have internet connection. I think that this is being introduced as a freebie for a while and then will carry a cost, but cannot remember where I read that. Can't say how well it works as I don't need this function either.

    The wizard for creating an additional Cash Book sounds good. But then again ... how often does one create additional cash books once you are set up an running?

    The backups are now saved using the computer's date and time function which makes it easy to see when backups are made. Previously it would save the backup zip file using the Company name and unless you saved your backups in different folders, it would overwrite the previous backup with the latest one.

    I had to remember to move the .enz files and business graphic across from the old folder so that Invoices & Statements still print as I prefer. If they were in the company folder they are moved for you, but if you put them in the Forms folder you will have to do it manually.

    So, for me, the upgrade has just introduced a major frustration and not much else. But it would be interesting to hear of how others experience the improvements.
    No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop "The Lion and the Mouse"

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    Sho Mike C. Are those the only "improvements"? I don't see the need for that sort of security on my Pastel either, in fact several of my companies I simply hit enter. Its nice to have as an option but not for it to be enforced.

    I think they also did some boasting on some new reporting features. Have you had a chance to try those yet? Their reporting options could definitely be improved imo.

    If you have quite a few receipts each month, their bank statement download is pretty useful. Still its pricey and every year I spend a few minutes trying to decide whether its worth a few grand. Its also the only reason I receive the upgrade. I'm pretty sure that using ver 14 or 12 or 11 isn't going to change anything significant in our lives, but we have to upgrade to keep the download manager. Bit like the tail wagging the dog I think.

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    Diamond Member Mike C's Avatar
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    Hi BusFact.

    Here is the list of new Features in this Version

    Automatic Bank Feeds
    Automatic bank feeds is a convenient way to download your bank statement on a daily basis without having to log into your bank account each time to do the download. This will also save you time as you do not have to search for your bank statement each time you want to import it into Bank Manager.

    Conversion Assistant
    When you upgrade from Pastel Version 12, you do not need to convert your companies. The company will automatically be added to Pastel and you just need to open the company. The files will rebuild and you can continue processing.

    Supplier Payments via Sage Pay
    With Supplier Payments, you can create a single payment batch for all your suppliers. Post this batch to Sage Pay and only transfer a single payment to Sage Pay. Sage Pay will distribute the individual payments on your behalf.

    Time and Date stamps on backups
    When you back up your company, the backup will be date and time stamped to prevent you from overwriting previous backups and making restoring a specific backup easier.

    Hide Blocked Items on Zoom Screens
    If you have blocked items, these items will not display on the zoom screens. This option can be disabled on the processing options for each user.

    Inventory Mark-up on cost
    There is an option to mark-up your inventory selling price on cost or to mark-up your inventory selling price on gross profit.

    Mobile App
    Mobile App option has been included to allow users to process quotations and sales orders from mobile devices.

    Password Security
    All users require passwords to log into a company in Sage Pastel. The password must consist of the following:

    • Minimum of 8 characters.
    • Must be upper and lower case.
    • Must contain at least 1 number.
    • Must contain at least 1 special character.
    Last edited by Mike C; 04-Sep-14 at 06:33 PM.
    No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop "The Lion and the Mouse"

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    Eventually did the upgrade to Pastel Partner 14 and feeling very underwhelmed by the "improvements" to the core of the software (excluding their add-ons).

    Like Mike, I find the extra security in the password extremely annoying. It should be an option, not compulsory.

    The backup date stamps and zoom screens excluding blocked items are nice changes I suppose. But these seem to be the only changes that might be used on a regular basis.

    The conversion assistant works well (so far) and the inventory Mark Up cost may be useful to some. The cash book wizard sounds good too. But these are things that get used perhaps once a year.

    The above hardly seems to me to be a good reason to call something Pastel 14 instead of Pastel 12. They really are minor.

    Pastel expect me to pay them nearly R10k annually for the use of Pastel Partner on a 5 person network with their manufacturing module and their bank feed/statement download module. They say it includes a lovely newsletter and support too. Never read the newsletter and I've asked for support twice in five years. Once because their online registration process wasn't working and once because of an unknown fault in their VAT report.

    The core product hasn't changed significantly and I need minimal support. So it seems I'm paying R10k a year for their bank download module!

    I often get asked what I think of Pastel. The above sums it up. Their product works and so I can't fault anyone buying it the first time. But their insistence on trying to milk you every year thereafter for minimal benefit is what irks me.

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    Bronze Member Beancounter's Avatar
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    I'm with Mike C on this one. The password is irritating me to no end! I use the BIC (Business Intelligence Centre) and noticed new report writer functions. Looks like it's gonna take me some time to play around with it to create new reports and I just don't feel like it having a tax deadline and year-end around the corner.

    Don't see how Version 14 really added value to my practice...

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    Mike C (10-Jul-15)

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    Now my questions is what do I do when I forget or misplace the stupid Pastel password? I can't get into the company to go change any user passwords, so what do I do?

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    Diamond Member Mike C's Avatar
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    It appears that it can be reset by the distributor. So you will need to contact Neville Bailey on this - or phone Pastel.
    No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop "The Lion and the Mouse"

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    Pastel 14 does not like networking in Windows 10 (Insider preview) so far with the latest release. I had to revert back to Windows 7 Pro.

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