Before installing Sage Fixed Assets, you will need to download a copy of the latest version of the application.

We recommend you accept the default options and directory locations the installation program provides.

You are now ready to launch the application. You will need your customer number. If you have registered the application, go to Help>Update User Information.

The Main Window contains all the elements of a standard Windows application, plus many features that are specific to the application.

It’s easy to navigate to the various areas of the application using the buttons at the bottom of the navigation pane.

Once you are in the appropriate work area, you can use either the menu bar or the tasks on the navigation pane to perform the desired functions.

The Asset List displays all assets in the currently selected group.

You can customize the view of your assets in the Asset List by

• Changing the order of the columns

• Temporarily sorting any column in ascending or descending order
• Freezing a column to keep it in view
• Changing the width of columns 
• Hiding fields on the Asset List window
• Selecting which fields display on the Asset List window

Asset Detail allows you to view and/or edit the information for each asset individually.

Asset Detail contains five asset pages.

You can access the pages by clicking the corresponding tabs.

The first profile you’ll use is the Supervisor profile.

This profile is pre-defined as having access rights to everything in the application.

Once you enable system security, every user must have a User Name and a Password to enter the application.

Defining user security includes creating users and assigning privileges.

System level security specifies the type of access a user has to application’s functions.

Company level security specifies what the user can and cannot do to the data in a company.

Setting up preferences allows you increase your efficiency by changing the settings in the Preferences dialog to make several decisions about how your application operates.

The application already has a default database containing the demonstration data for three sample companies – one for each entity type. You can store your new company in the default database, but you might also want to create databases with unique names to assist your database management.

Use predefined groups to quickly and efficiently view information, run reports, and project depreciation for a very select group of assets. The more groups you have, the more control you have over your assets.

You can customize the assets’ general information fields to suit the individual needs of your organization.

A list of valid entries for an asset is called a SmartList. After you’ve created a SmartList for a field, a user can simply select an option from the available list, rather than having to manually enter the data in the field.

In addition to saving data entry time, SmartLists also ensure consistency.

There are many fields available to you when setting up a new company.

You might want to set up a company quickly so you can begin data entry.

These fields set up your company so that the application can properly depreciate all assets in the company.

A company setup defines critical depreciation-related elements of a company.

Without a proper company setup, the application cannot properly calculate depreciation on your assets.

After you’ve defined a company setup, you can edit that setup.

You can copy a company setup from an existing company and apply it to a new company or to another existing company.

You should delete a company only if you’ve moved all data into another company or into another location for a specific purpose. After you delete a company, the data contained within that company cannot be restored except from company data that you have backed up.

We recommend that you first back up a company before you delete it.

The company utilities enable you to manage the asset data in your companies. You can use the utilities to merge and copy companies, extract assets from one company into another, back up and restore your asset data, and more.

It is extremely important for you to make backup copies of the data in your companies in case you lose data due to computer-related problems. Making backups allows you to get up and running quickly after such an otherwise disastrous episode.

If you ever lose data due to a computer-related problem, or if you want to restore data to a previous state, you will need to restore the companies you have backed up.

You can use the Database List Manager to help you manage your databases.

In addition to helping you create and rename databases, the Database List Manager also helps you find databases.

Entering assets is a three-phase process:

• Enter the general asset information

• Enter the book-specific information

• Enter any notes or images

You can store images and attach them to an asset through the asset’s Images tab in Asset Detail.

Images can include drawings , scanned photographs, and scanned documentation.

Once you’ve entered asset data, you can edit the data anytime by entering Asset Detail and making changes directly in asset fields.

When you make changes to any fields used in calculations, you’ll have to perform additional tasks to update the data.

If you are adding multiple assets that are similar in nature, you can add the first one, save it, and then replicate it as needed. The application can create as many as 999 assets out of a single entry.

This feature is particularly useful for adding grouped assets from the same invoice.

You can use the Copy Book feature to copy the depreciation information from one book to another book.

The Asset Templates feature lets you create predefined assets, which can then be copied into individual assets.

You can print a copy of each of the asset tabs you see in Asset Detail. You can include asset information, or you can print blank tabs for data collection.

When you print the asset tabs, you can either select assets or an entire group.