End of Month Housekeeping

To keep your data in good shape, there are some maintenance issues you should keep on top of.

 

I suggest you make a habit of checking these at the end of each month – ie make it a part of your end of month procedures.

 

These include:

 

The never-ending saga, the most important procedure you have.

Backups are no use if they aren’t backing up!

Check the backup files on your USB Drives, ZIP Disks or CDs for the “Last Modified” date and time. It should be closing time on the appropriate date.

 

Of course, this doesn’t fully check that a backup is sound. 

The file could be corrupt or the disk faulty.

In the end, the only real test is to restore the backup to your system to confirm it will restore correctly.

The most important files that you should be backing up are: -

PBS.mdb, PBO.mdb, PBSTRN.mdb and PBSLOG.dbf.

(This will be set up in your backup procedure)

 

To test your backup, create a folder called TEST on the same drive as your PBSVB folder. Restore the file(s) from the ZIP Disk or CD to this folder.  Double click on the Peach icon, and then click on the Browse button down the bottom to find the TEST folder. Select the PBS.mdb file, and then click on the Start Peach button.

The information in this database should contain everything up to the date the backup was taken.

If you are unable to (a) copy the files from you backup disk or (b) Start Peach within this TEST database, it indicates the backup is not working correctly. You should contact your support person immediately for assistance (urgently!)

 

Make sure your virus scanner is up to date – ie you should have a subscription service to update the virus signatures, and it should be automatically updating regularly.  Programs like Norton Antivirus automatically update themselves when you go on the Internet.

You should always run the “Generate Statistics” process prior to rolling the month. This ensures the correct dating (30, 60, 90 days etc) of customer and supplier accounts etc.

 

After running Generate Statistics, check the Group and Subgroup codes under Utility / Product Groups & Subgroups to see if any codes with a description of??? Have “appeared”

What happens is that if the Generate Statistics process finds any parts with a Group or Subgroup code that it does not recognise, it adds that code to the list so it can process the various reports (Sales by Stock Group etc)

Most often these odd Group codes are mistypings by users.

If not – i.e. if it is a new Group code, add in a description under Utility / Product Groups and/or Subgroups.

 

If it is a mistake, then delete the unwanted code, and find the part numbers with the incorrect Group or Subgroup codes and correct them.

You can use the Product Browse screen to isolate and view these. You can then edit them on the screen.

 

While checking Group Codes, you can check that parts added from the Reference file have their correct Group codes.

In general, the Group code is consistent for a particular supplier, so all parts from say Honda, Yamaha, Bombardier, Briggs etc should be Group GEN (Genuine Parts)

Parts from Aftermarket suppliers are most often AFM (After Market) or ACC (Accessories)

But be careful if you have separated off things like Tyres, Spark plugs etc into their own groups.

You can set these across the board via Utility / Bulk Change

 

If you find you have the same group code in both upper and lower case – eg ACC and acc – you can reset them all to upper case. 

Under Utility / Setup Business / Database, you will find a button to “Set Group codes uppercase”

MAKE SURE all other users are out of Peach when you run this.

There is also a button to set all codes uppercase – this is for Supplier and Customer codes.

 

 

Under the Product menu, the Generate Key Words function will update the index used for Searching by Product Description. 

So if you have been adding lots of new parts, they will then get included in the search function.

 

 

Clear the dates and run the report to show all Customer unpaid invoices

If you leave the “From” date blank, and the “To” date at whatever date you want, you can check for unpaid invoices at a particular date

 

This report is very useful for picking up invoices that are unpaid but the customer has a zero balance – because there is a matching credit.  The credit hasn’t been applied to the invoice, leaving both “unpaid”.  Go to the Receipts screen to clear the account.

 

There are a number of lists of codes that are used continually

Group, Subgroup, Salesperson, Mechanic, Make and Model etc

Check these lists to check if any blank entries have been accidentally added

Remove any blank codes.  This is important for correct function of reports based on these lists.

You can run a report to display just the negative stock.

Select Reports /Product / Stocktake reports, and tick the Neg Stock tickbox

 

They may be in negative because you have invoiced them out before they have come in, or you haven’t processed the supplier invoices yet.

But if not, you should clarify why it is happening and then do a stocktake adjustment to correct the Quantity on Hand for these products.

 

eg NSL, MISC or HW – whatever you use as a miscellaneous stock code.

You should always try to keep the use of “Miscellaneous” to a minimum, but sometimes users get a bit lazy on this one.

So run a Sales report on these items and clarify why it is being used.

Use the Sales by Transaction report, under Reports / Trading POS, put in the date range and put the part number in the product field on the right hand side.

 

It is appropriate to use “miscellaneous” for a product you don’t expect to sell again, but if you sell it more than say once a year, it is recommended that you use its “proper” part number.

Check up on jobcards that have been open for too long.  Have they been finished and not invoiced out, or duplicated?

 

What has happened to parts returned to suppliers for credit?  Are they still sitting in the rep’s car?  RFCs keep tab of your returns, so check them regularly to see what hasn’t come back in.

Also remember that RFCs reduce stock levels, but do not do any financial or general ledger transactions.  So they will reduce your stock valuation (via the stocktake reports) but do not reduce the Stock On Hand general ledger account.  So unfinalised RFCs will result in a discrepancy between these two measures of stock on hand value.

 

Check customer orders and quotes to be sure they have been followed through. 

The “Outstanding Layby Report” under the Reports / Transaction menu shows all outstanding customer orders and the deposits paid.  The total of all deposits should equal the balance in the Customer Deposits General Ledger account.

 

 

There are three sources of Aged Debtor and Creditor balances.

There are reports in the Trading program, which basically work by adding up all the unpaid invoices and credit notes.  The balance is as at TODAY.

 

There are also Aged Debtor and Creditor reports – Prior Date that can give a balance at a particular date.  These work by adding up all invoices, credit notes and payments and calculating the balances working back from today.

 

Finally there are the balances on the Debtor and Creditor Control accounts in the General Ledger.

 

If you set the GL date to today, and all transactions have been integrated into the GL, these three figures should match.

If not, it should be investigated.

 

 

Set the GL date and run the Trial Balance report

Check that it is in Balance (ie the “Nett” figures at the end are zero)

 

 

If you use these special “Bank” accounts for processing supplier warranty payments, contra payments etc, then check their balances at the end of the month.

They should be zero if both sides of all transactions have been processed

 

Nett of GST Credit and GST Payable accounts

If these accounts are properly maintained, then the nett balance of the two accounts should be what you currently owe in GST (assuming you have paid the last BAS payment and processed the payment). 

You can run the GST reports to confirm this is the case.

 

 

 

In the Database Utilities, run the Refresh Database on occasions. Recommended at least every 2-3 months. 

Do not change any of the selected options unless advised to do so.  

This will re-index the database and speed up its performance.

PLEASE, before doing this process, make sure you have your backups done and tested to be sure they are OK.

DO NOT run this process without backups in place

 

 

If you have UPS units fitted on your computer(s) to save you when the power goes out, you should check that they actually work.  The batteries have a life span, so you may find out the hard way.

Simplest test is to close all programs on the computer then turn off the power going into the UPS.

Ie Turn the switch off at the wall.

The UPS should kick in to keep the computer running and give you time to close down correctly. 

If the whole lot just shuts straight down, time to replace the batteries.

Note that UPS units often do more than just provide battery backup, eg by “cleaning up” power, correcting sags and filtering out spikes that could damage your computer. Highly recommended.