Complete the Configuration Assistant

Below is a list of the key information you need to complete the configuration assistant. The configuration assistant has been designed so that once completed, you're ready to start using Sage 200.

So you can get prepared before you start, here is a list of information you need, and a list some of the other decisions you'll need to make to complete the configuration.

You may need to find out some of this information from your existing system or your accountant.

You may need to find out some of this information from your existing system, your local education authority (LEA) or your accountant.

Don't worry if you don't have all the information to hand right now. Apart from your financial year dates you can add to, or change, most of this initial configuration after closing or completing the Configuration Assistant.

Information you will need

1. Your company details including:
   1. The legal name of your company.
   2. The full company address and post code.
   3. Contact telephone and fax number and an email address.
   4. Your website address.
   5. Your VAT registration number.

2. Your financial year start date.

   Note - warning

   Note that you will not be able to update your financial year start date once you leave the Configuration Assistant.

3. Starting numbers for your transactions and documents such as invoices and credit notes

   If you've previously used a different system, you may want to continue with your existing numbering system. If you're happy to start afresh, you can leave all these as 1.

4. Your nominal account structure including:

   1. Any additional report categories that you want to use to organise your accounts and for financial reports.

      A standard set of report categories will be created for you. You can change the names of these categories and add your own.

      Predefined report categories

      Code	Name	Type	Category Type
      001	Property	Balance Sheet	Asset
      002	Plant / Machinery	Balance Sheet	Asset
      003	Plant / Machinery Depreciation	Balance Sheet	Asset
      004	Office Equipment	Balance Sheet	Asset
      005	Office Equipment Depreciation	Balance Sheet	Asset
      006	Furniture and Fixtures	Balance Sheet	Asset
      007	Furniture and Fixtures Depreciation	Balance Sheet	Asset
      008	Motor Vehicles	Balance Sheet	Asset
      009	Motor Vehicles Depreciation	Balance Sheet	Asset
      100	Stock	Balance Sheet	Asset
      110	Debtors	Balance Sheet	Asset
      120	Bank Account	Balance Sheet	Asset
      130	Deposits and Cash	Balance Sheet	Asset
      150	Credit Card (Debtors)	Balance Sheet	Asset
      140	Credit Card (Creditors)	Balance Sheet	Liability
      200	Creditors (Short Term)	Balance Sheet	Liability
      210	VAT (Output)	Balance Sheet	Liability
      220	VAT (Input)	Balance Sheet	Liability
      230	VAT Liability	Balance Sheet	Liability
      250	PAYE	Balance Sheet	Liability
      260	NI	Balance Sheet	Liability
      270	Net Wages	Balance Sheet	Liability
      280	Pension	Balance Sheet	Liability
      290	Creditors (Long term)	Balance Sheet	Liability
      300	Share Capital	Balance Sheet	Liability
      310	Reserves	Balance Sheet	Liability
      320	P & L Account	Balance Sheet	Liability
      400	Product Sales	Profit and Loss	Income
      410	Export Sales	Profit and Loss	Income
      420	Sales of Assets	Profit and Loss	Income
      440	Credit Charges (Late Payments)	Profit and Loss	Income
      490	Other Income	Profit and Loss	Income
      500	Purchases	Profit and Loss	Expense
      510	Purchase Charges	Profit and Loss	Expense
      520	Stock	Profit and Loss	Expense
      510	Labour	Profit and Loss	Expense
      600	Commissions	Profit and Loss	Expense
      620	Sales Promotion	Profit and Loss	Expense
      690	Miscellaneous Expenses	Profit and Loss	Expense
      700	Gross Wages	Profit and Loss	Expense
      710	Rent and Rates	Profit and Loss	Expense
      720	Heat and Light	Profit and Loss	Expense
      730	Motor Expenses	Profit and Loss	Expense
      740	Travelling and Entertainment	Profit and Loss	Expense
      750	Printing and Stationery	Profit and Loss	Expense
      760	Telephone and Computer Charges	Profit and Loss	Expense
      770	Professional fees	Profit and Loss	Expense
      780	Equipment Hire and Rental	Profit and Loss	Expense
      790	Maintenance	Profit and Loss	Expense
      800	Bank Charges and Interest	Profit and Loss	Expense
      900	Depreciation	Profit and Loss	Expense
      910	Bad Debts	Profit and Loss	Expense
      920	General Expenses	Profit and Loss	Expense
      930	Taxation	Profit and Loss	Expense
      999	Suspense	Profit and Loss	Expense

      A standard set of report categories will be created for you, based on the Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) framework.

      Every transaction entered into Sage 200 affects your balance sheet or profit and loss in different ways depending on the type of transaction. It is important that you make sure each nominal account has the correct report category to make sure that the value of the account is reported correctly.

   2. The names of your cost centres (if you want to use them). Any additional cost centres (funds). Cost centres are appended to nominal account codes to represent your funds.

      A standard set of cost centres will be created for you.

   3. The names of your departments (if you want to use them). Any additional departments.

      Departments are appended to nominal account codes to represent each department in your school. A standard set of departments will be created for you, based on your school type.

   4. A numbering structure for your nominal accounts.

   There are three ways to set up nominal account structure in Sage 200. You can:

   • Import your nominal data, including cost centres, departments, and additional report categories using CSV Comma Separated Value (CSV) file format. Sage 200 can import and export data in the CSV file format. or XML Extensible Markup Language (XML) file format. Sage 200 can import and export data in the XML file format. files.
   • Use the standard set of nominal accounts, cost centres, departments, and report categories we have provided for you. You can add your own to the standard list.
   • Manually create your own nominal accounts, cost centres, departments and additional report categories.

   Note: Setting up your nominal account structure is the biggest task you will perform on the Configuration Assistant. To help you plan for it, see Planning your nominal account structure.

Decisions to make

1. Consider the dates you are going to use for your accounting periods, if you're not using calendar months.
2. Do you need to set up any additional currencies and exchange rates? This includes

   1. The primary (base) currency in which your company operates.

      Note - warning

      You can't change this once you've saved a transaction.

   2. Any currencies you use other than the Euro or US dollar.
   3. The exchange rates for your foreign currencies.

3. Do you need to set up additional VAT rates?

   See the VAT rates already set up for you

   Code	Name	Description
   0	Exempt	Exempt from VAT. Set at 0%.
   1	Std Rate	The current Standard VAT rate.
   4	EC Zero SL	EU zero rated sales of goods and related services.
   5	EC Service	EU sales of non-related services.
   6	EC Service	EU purchase of non-related services.
   7	EC Zero PL	EU zero rated purchase of goods and related services.
   8	EC Std PL	EU standard rate purchase of goods and related services.

4. Consider the settings and defaults to use for your customer accounts including:
   1. Default early settlement discount details if you use them.
   2. A default VAT rate if required. If the majority of your customers will use standard VAT (20%), you won't need this.
   3. Default payment terms - the credit terms you offer the majority of your customers. By default is set to 30 days from the document date.
   4. Ageing periods - how you report on outstanding debts. By default this is set to three periods of 30, 60, and 90 days.
5. Consider the settings and defaults to use for your supplier accounts including:

1. Default early settlement discount details if you use them.

2. A default VAT rate if required. If the majority of your suppliers will use standard VAT (20%), you won't need this.
3. Default payment terms - the credit terms the majority of your suppliers offer you. By default is set to 30 days from the document date.
4. Ageing periods - how you report on outstanding debts. By default this is set to three periods of 30, 60, and 90 days.

6. Consider how to group your stock items.

   Every stock item has to belong to a product group. The product group determines the type of stock item (Stock, Service, etc.) and the costing method used to calculate stock value.

7. Consider the locations to store your stock items, if your want to track this.

   If you want to record the physical location of your stock items, then you need to set up a warehouse for each of these.

   If you don't want to do this, then you don't need to do anything. All your stock items can be stored in the single HOME warehouse that's already been set up for you.

8. Do you use VAT inclusive or VAT exclusive pricing?

   Note - warning

   You can't change this once your saved a sales order, quote or pro forma.

9. Consider who will be using Sage 200, and what access (permissions) they will have to the screens and features in Sage 200.