• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

QBGarage.com

The QuickBooks Specialists

  • Home
  • Blog
  • KnowledgeBase
  • Company
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Archives for Blog

Blog

What’s New In QuickBooks 2011 and Enterprise Solutions 11.0?

Chief Mechanic · September 19, 2010 ·

After spending some time exploring QuickBooks 2011 and Enterprise Solutions 11.0 to discover the new features and changes, we came up with this table summarizing what we found. Most of the items in the table are links to articles in our KnowledgeBase.

We’ve broken down the changes into our opinion on the different levels of importance:

  • Blockbuster – a major addition whose absence could be a deal-breaker for some firms
  • Enhancement – a significant improvement but probably doesn’t rise to the level of Blockbuster for most firms
  • Tweak – a subtle improvement
  • Marketing Gimmick – an effort to sell more Intuit products or services
  • Cut Back – a reduction to the level of service in the prior version

Unfortunately, we didn’t come across any features that we’d characterize as blockbusters. Having been forced to give users ways to shut off some of the Marketing Gimmicks introduced in QuickBooks 2010, Intuit smartly decided not to overdo the Marketing Gimmicks in the new 2011 version.

Applies ToNew Feature / ChangeImportance
AllHistory tab on selected customer & vendor transaction windowsTweak
AllStamp on paid customer invoices shows date paidTweak
AllBatch invoicing capability to send a invoice to a group of customers, such as billing for a membership feeEnhancement
Premier, Enterprise SolutionsBalance Sheet By Class report to support fund accounting, commonly used by non-profits or government entitiesEnhancement
ProReduce the maximum number of users in a multi-user configuration from 5 to 3Cut Back
AllOnline forms customization toolsMarketing Gimmick
AllIntuit Data Protect service replaces Online Back-up to backup to Intuit's secure serversTweak
AllAttached Documents replaces Document Management to attach documents to lists & transactions within QuickBooksEnhancement
AllCollections Center to facilitate sending bulk emails to customers with overdue or pending invoicesEnhancement
AllSupport for web-based email services to send formsTweak
AllRemoval of support for QuickBooks E-mail unless you subscribe to extra-cost servicesCut Back
Premier Accountant only, Enterprise SolutionsAbility to work in 2 QuickBooks files from the same version -- but only applies to narrow range of productsEnhancement
Enterprise SolutionsTrack inventory in multiple locations using the extra-cost Advanced Inventory online serviceEnhancement
AllAddition of new Shipped From Address to allow tracking different "remit to" and physical locationsTweak

The columns are sortable, so you can find what we think is important and what applies to your configuration by clicking on the appropriate column.

Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (+1 rating, 1 votes)
Loading...

QuickBooks 2011 Coming By September 17th

Chief Mechanic · September 16, 2010 ·

Intuit announced last night that QuickBooks 2011 and Enterprise Solutions 11.0 will be available by September 17, 2010, including via electronic download from our Buy QuickBooks page.

On tap for 2011 are:

  • A new Collections Center to make it easy to send overdue invoices to customers via email
  • Support for batch invoicing
  • Balance sheets by class – Intuit might have finally addressed the lack of support for fund accounting
  • Multi-instance capability in Premier Accountant Edition, allowing 2 company files from the same version open at the same time
  • A separate File Manager utility that can help firms running multiple QuickBooks files across multiple versions
  • Subtle improvements across multiple features accessed in everyday use
  • A variety of changes to Intuit services

New features have been added selectively to the different QuickBooks products, so check out our updated article describing the feature differences between Pro and Premier.

As with any new version, it will take some time for firms to change operating procedures to take advantage of the new features. For example, while the addition of a Balance Sheet By Class report will solve many business problems, it will trigger a lot of future posts in our KnowledgeBase describing how to use this feature because debits and credits will have to be balanced by class – something QuickBooks users haven’t confronted before QuickBooks 2011.

Here’s an overview of the new File Manager:

QuickBooks 2011 File Manager Overview

Some of the subtle improvements include:

  • the addition of a Customer tab to the Company Snapshot, showing (among other things) 2 key metrics: length of time as a customer and average days to pay
  • the addition of a History tab to important windows, such as Enter Bills, Create Invoices, and Create Credit Memos/Refunds; the History tab can be quickly opened and closed, and shows a Summary, Recent Transactions, and Notes for the vendor or customer
QuickBooks 2011 Enter Bills History Tab

Tweaks such as the added History tabs make it easy to get around QuickBooks in fewer keystrokes in less time. That drives productivity improvements in busy offices – and can help make the cost of upgrading a good investment.

Over the next few weeks, kook for more articles on the new QuickBooks 2011 in our KnowledgeBase.

It’s premature to say whether these changes make QuickBooks 2011 a worthwhile upgrade. This upgrade is definitely not like the introduction of QuickBooks 2009, which added a major new feature in the form of support for multi-currency. However, with each passing year and the addition of new features, QuickBooks becomes a more mature product, so there are fewer “blockbuster” features available to add.

Still, it is unfortunate that Intuit has decided to pursue some short-sighted ways to add revenue. For 2011, there are a variety of small fees, such as the $4.99 fee to revise a previously saved form design. They’ve also made changes to the QuickBooks Pro product, such as limiting it to a maximum of 3 users, which can effectively force upgraders to purchase the more expensive QuickBooks Premier.

The market reaction to higher costs without eye-popping new features is likely to be a yawn.

Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Intuit Delivers R8 Update For QuickBooks 2010

Chief Mechanic · September 2, 2010 ·

Early today, Intuit announced the delivery of Release 8 for the QuickBooks 2010 series of products, including QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Simple Start 2010 and Enterprise 10.0.

Along with a host of small fixes, the highlights of the changes in Release 8 are:

  • QuickBooks letter templates are now compatible with Microsoft Word 2010 64-bit for some QuickBooks products
  • QuickBooks can export reports to Microsoft Excel 2010 64-bit for some QuickBooks products
  • fix for problems with paycheck print order
QuickBooks 2010 Release 8

It doesn’t look like R8 is the complete fix for Office 2010 compatibility, but it’s a step in the right direction.

For more information, click through the links to read the latest release notes for your QuickBooks product.

Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Zoovy Web Store

Chief Mechanic · August 25, 2010 ·

A web-savvy client just drew our attention to a QuickBooks compatible web store, Zoovy.

The company says they support bi-directional communication of invoices, sales receipts, customers, products and inventory with QuickBooks in this Zoovy overview.

For QuickBooks customers looking to increase sales from a web store and not have to re-enter information, Zoovy might be worth a closer look.

Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (+1 rating, 1 votes)
Loading...

Online Sources For Historical Exchange Rates

Chief Mechanic · August 25, 2010 ·

One of the best online sources we’ve found for historical foreign exchange rates is OANDA’s Historical Exchange Rates. Their data stretches back to 1990, and access is free.

They include multiple rates for each currency and can return data in HTML, ASCII, or CSV formats. A CSV format can be easily imported into Microsoft Excel for further analysis.

Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...
  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to page 5
  • Go to Next Page »

Accounting

  • Financial Accounting Standards Board

Developer

  • Intuit Developer Network Forums
  • qbXML Onscreen Reference

Intuit

  • Enterprise Solutions
  • Intuit
  • Intuit Marketplace
  • QuickBooks
  • QuickBooks Online Community

QBGarage.com

Copyright © 2008–2023 QBGarage.com · Privacy · Terms & Conditions · Site Help