Sage 100 ERP Consultant Tip: Improving Speed with Sage 100 ERP Standard 2014

As a certified and experienced Sage 100 ERP consultant, I wanted to share an experience we had with a client who recently upgrading from Sage MAS90 Version 4.4 to Sage 100 ERP Standard 2014. Before we go any further, it is important to first note, that you should always consult with your certified Sage 100 ERP consultant before making any changes to your Sage 100 ERP system. 

In order to get ready for the upgrade to Sage 100 ERP Standard 2014 the client purchased a new Windows 2012 Server and had recently upgraded their client Workstations to Windows 7.  This helped to ensure there would be plenty of memory to support the new version of Sage 100 ERP. Next, we performed a test installation, data migration and data conversion.  Once the client had tested on the new system, we were ready for the final migration and they went live.

About a week later the client called and reported their workstations were running very slow when running Sage 100. I checked and confirmed that it was taking an upwards of 6-8 seconds to open a task. So what could be causing this performance slow-down?

The main difference between Sage 100 ERP Standard and Sage 100 Advanced is how they process information. Sage 100 Standard processes at the speed of the processors on the Workstation and the speed of the network as opposed to Sage 100 Advanced which runs at the speed of the Server.

Sage ERP Consultant Tip: 3 things to check to improve speed performance with Sage 100 ERP Standard 2014

1. The first thing we did was test the speed on processing on the Server, ran Sage 100 ERP and everything ran very fast.
2. Next we ran the Workstation in Safe-mode, which turns off any of the programs that may be bogging the computer down, except the anti-virus. Still after that test Sage 100 ERP was still running at the same speed - slow.
3. We disabled the Antivirus software and the performance improves dramatically. Success!!

So what do you do with the Anti-Virus? Supporting ERP systems sometimes feels like it's more of an art than a science. Since we frequently work closely with the customers IT department, our instructions needed to be coordinated through the IT department. First, the "/MAS90" folder on the server must be excluded from Scanning at the workstation level. Second, any Sage or MAS90 folders must be excluded from scanning on the workstation. If you try this and still have performance issues, go back and turn off the antivirus again and try again. Additionally, Sage Support does have information on the types of Antivirus systems that are supported and recommended.

Since performance can be a major issue when upgrading any software, we always recommend running systems in test environment before going live with a new version. As Certified Sage Resellers and ERP consultants, there are many precautions to take to ensure there is a proper installation every time a client upgrades their system. Unfortunately, as with any technology, there are times when we have no control over unforeseen compatibility events with the computer systems. 

Written by Mike Renner:  Partner of WAC Consulting and Owner at Computer Accounting Services, a Sage 100 ERP consultant and support provider based in Indio, CA.

Mike is an expert on ERP and fund accounting and supports Abila Fund Accounting and Sage 100 ERP with over 25 years in the accounting software industry. Mike is also a Sage Certified Trainer and a recognized leader in the design, implementation and support of ERP systems, including Sage.

Specialties: Sage 100 ERP (formerly Sage MAS90/200), Abila Fund Accounting, QuickBooks Enterprise and Point of Sale VAR.