“A highly successful production celebrated in several cities nationwide is nearing its end.” Sorry, fellow Swifties, this blog isn’t for you. Like the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, all good things must come to an end eventually, and the best days of Sage 500 are in our 'wildest dreams.' Generally released in 1998, Sage 500 ERP was a technological masterpiece in the Sage portfolio that ‘bejeweled’ itself in the market for several years, including chart-topping hits like:
- Developed exclusively using Microsoft tools and optimized for Microsoft SQL Server.
- Introduced a ‘surrogate key’ concept that eliminated complex Masterfile key record change processes for Customers, Vendors, Items, and Natural Account IDs.
- Unlocked an end-user-capable utility to personalize the User Experience per user.
- Eliminated period-end buckets and implemented date-driven transactional periods and financial reporting.
- Incorporated best practice and award-winning replenishment principles from John Schreibfedder, a pioneer in modernizing outdated MRP formulas.
- Delivered an innovative browser that could be ‘docked’ and personalized. (Who can forget the ‘swooshing’ sound as you navigated throughout Sage 500 ERP? )
However, the underlying architecture of Sage 500 ERP has aged, and modern technology has passed it by. Sage 500 ERP was coded using Microsoft VB6, a development platform whose components are no longer supported, no longer sold, and are in basic security-updates-only mode. We’ve always correlated the longevity of Sage 500 ERP to Microsoft's portfolio decisions. What we always believed was that as long as Microsoft applications still relied on VB6 support, Microsoft would continue to offer external publisher support to Sage and others.
What Changed?
Microsoft recently announced retirement dates and migration paths for its Microsoft Great Plains solution. This addresses the remaining legacy solution in its portfolio, which relied heavily on Microsoft VB6 code support and creates urgency among companies that continue to rely on Sage 500 ERP.
What’s Next?
If you don’t already have a migration path in place for Sage 500 ERP, now is the time to start planning. While no end date has been established nor communicated, we acknowledge that the process of documentation, research, discovery, proof, budget and team planning takes time. Managing a transition project while Sage 500 ERP is still supported is advantageous in avoiding IT non-compliance and security risks.
We Can Help!
Sage and RKL have simplified this process for existing Sage 500 ERP clients. In addition to incentives from Sage that can be applied to the services effort, RKL will help you transition to the best solution in the Sage portfolio, leveraging our experience, migration tools, and best practices that minimize risk and reduce project scope and cost without sacrificing project success.
The Sage 500 ERP ‘Eras Tour’ is nearing its end. With a plan and partner secured, we can help you manage the migration process to a modern Sage ERP that ensures project success that stretches beyond the next decade and never goes ‘out of style’.
A Secret Swifty on our Team!
Hopefully, Walt's daughters "don't blame him" for attending the concert without them! But even if they do..."he and Karma vibe like that." 😁
