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Caesar's Brook Babblings
QuickBooks News You Can Use 
October 2008 - Vol 1, Issue
 
In This Issue
Problems with QuickBooks PDF Converter
Managing Open Windows in QuickBooks
QuickBooks 2009 - 3 Features Worth the Price of the Upgrade
Caesar's Brook
 
Welcome,
pumpkin-leaves
 
Welcome to the October issue of Caesar's Brook Babblings. 
 
Along with pumpkins and fall foliage, October brings us Intuit's annual releases of QuickBooks. 
 
QuickBooks 2009 started shipping on October 8th.  ProAdvisors got their copies early and I've been busy poking around.  This year's release includes some significant new features.  I've highlighted some of my favorites in this month's feature article.
 
Tech Support Tip - QuickBooks PDF Converter
 
If you have problems with the QuickBooks PDF Converter, you are not alone.  The PDF Converter currently ranks as the top end user support issue at Intuit.  If you've seen this error:
 
QuickBooks PDF Converter Activation Error -20:
You cannot print directly to the QuickBooks PDF Converter.
Try using QuickBooks Save as PDF menu option
 
Here's a link to the QuickBooks Knowledgebase article explaining how to fix it. 
 
QuickTip of the Month
 
Managing Open Windows in QuickBooks
 
If I've worked on your QuickBooks file, there is a good chance the first thing I did was to select the options for One Window and Open Windows List from the View pull down menu.  I like this view because whatever I am working on is maximized and I can quickly jump back and forth between open windows simply by clicking on the item in the Open Windows List.   Whether you prefer this view or some other, sometimes you just end up with too many windows open.  Simply hitting ESC will close the window on top. Want to close them all quickly?  Select Close All from the Windows pull down menu at the top of the screen.  QuickBooks will snap them all shut asking you to save any transactions in the process.
 
FeatureFeature Article
 
QB 2009 

QuickBooks 2009 - 3 Features Worth the Price of the Upgrade

 
This article highlights three new features that solve specific business problems that some of you might just find worth the price of the upgrade.
 
# 1  Backup in Multi-User Mode
QuickBooks 2009 has several enhancements that making managing your file in a multi-user environment easier including: the ability to create invoices while other users are running reports, the ability to communicate with other users through a chat feature, the ability to log other users out without running around the office or picking up the phone and most importantly, the ability to backup your data in multi-user mode.  This means you can schedule backups to run at night without having to remember to switch your file into single-user mode before you leave the office!
 
# 2  Sort Bank Reconciliation by Column
You can now sort your bank reconciliation by any displayed column.  What more can I say?  This feature has been obviously missing for a long time.  If you have long bank reconciliations, this one feature could save you hours each month.
 
# 3  Multi-Currency Support 
The US editions of QuickBooks 2009 include support for all global currencies.  If you do business abroad, using the multi-currency feature allows you to assign a currency to customers and vendors as well as bank, credit card, accounts receivable and accounts payable accounts.  Items on sales and purchase forms are automatically converted to the price in the assigned currency.  You see both the foreign currency and USD.  Conversions happen automatically as you pay bills, make deposits, and transfer money based on exchange rates that you download or enter manually.  In the vendor and customer centers as well as the chart of accounts, values are displayed in the assigned currency, but are displayed in USD on your financial statements.  And there are reports that quickly tell you your realized and unrealized currency gains and losses.  
 
One note, if you are interested in using the multi-currency feature, you may want to consider Premier or Enterprise. You can't set fixed item prices in foreign currencies without using Price Levels which are not available in Pro. 
  
Other New Features Worthy of Note  
- Right Click on List Items or Transactions - You can now delete or duplicate an item or a transaction by right clicking on it. The ability to easily duplicate transactions is sure to save on data entry.
 - Rewrite of Online Banking - Intuit has completely overhauled the Online Banking Center.  It was long overdue, but I am reserving judgment on the results until I have had more opportunity to use it. 

The Price of the Upgrade
This year Intuit is once again offering discounted upgrade pricing.  But prices vary, so my advice is to shop around.  I found the following single-user pricing as of this writing.
 
                                List Price    Upgrade Price    Amazon.com     Sam's Club 
     Pro                        $199.95                $179.95              $169.95                N/A 
     Premier                 $399.95                $349.95              $359.95          $317.74 
 
Intuit advertises Pro and Premier in 1, 2 and 3 User versions because they have found those to be the most popular quantities, but they will sell you 4 or 5 users if you call their sales line directly at 1-888-729-1996.
 
 
banner 2I hope you found these babblings useful.  Your feedback is important to me.  Please drop me a line and let me know what you think.
 
Sincerely,
 
Susan Dugdale
Caesar's Brook Business Solutions, LLC
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