Peachtree Complete Accounting 7.0

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Summary: Peachtree Complete Accounting 7.0
Review: After using Peachtree 7.0 for a year now in my manufacturing business, I still can't get the checking account to show an accurate balance! We still have to manage some features by creating spreadsheets in Excel that we use in parallel to Peachtree. Also a drag to have to purchase modules, forms, tax tables, and additional use licenses separately (and repeatedly) at such a high price...I resent feeling like I'm being bled by the manufacturer now that I'm 'locked in' to using the software. I REALLY wish the initial purchase had included two use licenses, since I have to buy an additional one JUST to write occasional quotes from home on my laptop.

I used three different accounting programs before purchasing Peachtree, all less comprehensive, but more accurate. I'm still wrestling with forms that print differently than they display on-screen, and so on. Nevertheless, I'm planning to buy version 8.0 and plod on until I learn it all, since it is the one program I know will serve me years into the future.

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Summary: You get what you put in!
Review: Complete Peachtree is one of the few small business packages that can handle manufacturing. It can be somewhat cumbersome during the set up period, but the time is worth it. You can get the detail that you need if you structure it correctly when you set it up.

Rating:
Summary: You get what you put in!
Review: Complete Peachtree is one of the few small business packages that can handle manufacturing. It can be somewhat cumbersome during the set up period, but the time is worth it. You can get the detail that you need if you structure it correctly when you set it up.

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Summary: MJ
Review: Form Setup does not work in Peachtree Complete Accounting 7.0. Peachtree makes it easy to choose the data you would like to appear on your forms, however, under many criteria categories either no data or incorrect data is pulled. I chose "description for sales" and it worked for a while but then started drawing from "description for purchases" (tech support was able to duplicate this). When I asked for "short description" I got "description for purchases", "description for sales", "short description", or nothing at all depending on the form I was printing. Peachtree told me it is a design problem that was present in 6.0 and will be present in the next version, 8.0. Bernard from tech support told me that the following version may work properly but that he was "not at liberty to discuss" when that might be. I am returning my software because Peachtree seems in no hurry to fix design problems.

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Summary: Design Errors
Review: Form Setup does not work in Peachtree Complete Accounting 7.0. Peachtree makes it easy to choose the data you would like to appear on your forms, however, under many criteria categories either no data or incorrect data is pulled. I chose "description for sales" and it worked for a while but then started drawing from "description for purchases" (tech support was able to duplicate this). When I asked for "short description" I got "description for purchases", "description for sales", "short description", or nothing at all depending on the form I was printing. Peachtree told me it is a design problem that was present in 6.0 and will be present in the next version, 8.0. Bernard from tech support told me that the following version may work properly but that he was "not at liberty to discuss" when that might be. I am returning my software because Peachtree seems in no hurry to fix design problems.

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Summary: Longtime User
Review: I have used Peachtree Accounting for about 5 years now. I am happy with it's capabilities, but it is not particularly user friendly. The interface is not at all intuitive and there is a lot of redundancy. It is a very mouse intense program (five mouse clicks to complete a task when two would have sufficed). The account reconciliation program for balancing your checkbook is cumbersome and difficult to use.

I have an MBA and a strong accounting background and it definitely helps in using this program. I think this is more of a useful tool for accountants or professional bookkeepers than your average entrepreneurial Joe running his own small business. For that type of user, I would probably recommend QuickBooks.

Peachtree is far superior for keeping track of inventory and its payroll features are excellent. It also has a job costing feature that I use that I don't think can be matched by any other software in its price range.

Overall, if you are an intermediate to expert computer user and have a strong knowledge of accounting, or do a lot of job costing or work with inventories, this is an excellent tool. But it is clearly not for everyone. If you don't need some of these features, or if you want the program to demystify accounting and make it easy, you might want to look for a product that is easier to use or more appropriate to your accounting needs.

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Summary: Powerful but not user friendly
Review: I have used Peachtree Accounting for about 5 years now. I am happy with it's capabilities, but it is not particularly user friendly. The interface is not at all intuitive and there is a lot of redundancy. It is a very mouse intense program (five mouse clicks to complete a task when two would have sufficed). The account reconciliation program for balancing your checkbook is cumbersome and difficult to use.

I have an MBA and a strong accounting background and it definitely helps in using this program. I think this is more of a useful tool for accountants or professional bookkeepers than your average entrepreneurial Joe running his own small business. For that type of user, I would probably recommend QuickBooks.

Peachtree is far superior for keeping track of inventory and its payroll features are excellent. It also has a job costing feature that I use that I don't think can be matched by any other software in its price range.

Overall, if you are an intermediate to expert computer user and have a strong knowledge of accounting, or do a lot of job costing or work with inventories, this is an excellent tool. But it is clearly not for everyone. If you don't need some of these features, or if you want the program to demystify accounting and make it easy, you might want to look for a product that is easier to use or more appropriate to your accounting needs.

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Summary: MJ
Review: I have used the Peachtree Software for 2 years now. The software is a wonderful business tool. The more you put into it, the more you get out. The software will guide you on every entry. I would use this software for any type of business.

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Summary: A GREAT software for small businesses
Review: I have worked with over a dozen accounting packages over the last 15 years, including beta testing such products as Open Systems, Great Plains, and Profit. I have used Peachtree versions 2 - 2002 for my own company and I have set up the program for innumerable clients over the years. Peachtree is the BEST program for smaller businesses - bar none. It has a terrific payroll module, good a/p and a/r, and the ability to evaluate your business standing right now, not next month when your CPA finishes the books.

The key to the program is to have the program set up by an expert and to have occasional maintenance on the system. After setup, my customers have me out about twice a year to perform updates, create permanent backups, fix minor problems, and answer questions.

Just because the software costs less than [$] (multi-user versions), doesn't mean that you can get by with only spending [$] for a class to become an expert. Look for someone to come in and tailor the program to your exact needs. This is a more expensive process, but considering that Peachtree's real competitors (NOT QuickBooks) start at thousands of dollars, you are still better off financially-- and you will have REAL financial information to boot.

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Summary: Longtime User
Review: I've been using computerized small business accounting systems since the early 1970's... After going into business for myself (in a field unrelated to computers) I was reduced to a manual system until I found an excellent DOS system for the PC - a system that went through several owners, eventually winding up as the ACCPAC system from Computer Associates. ACCPAC, was slow to move to Windows and so when I began to look for a Windows accounting system I had to look elsewhere....

I've looked at all the most popular "off the shelf" accounting software as well as a number of shareware programs. I'm convinced Peachtree Complete is superior, in almost every respect, to all the rest of them. I've used every version since the first (which curiously was Version 2.0). Some of the early versions were buggy but the last few versions haven't had serious problems...I'm currently using version 7 and have ordered Version 8.

Each succeeding version of Peachtree - which come about every two years - comes with a little more integration with Microsoft Office. Version 7, for example, has an Excel icon on most report screens. Clicking on the icon opens Excel and dumps the report into the spreadsheet. The formatting on the resulting spreadsheet is pretty good - but there are no formulas.

As I understand multiuser capability (which I don't use) has been part of the package until Version 8 where it costs extra, depending on the number of users.

One of the grumbles about Peachtree is that you have to know something about accounting to use it. That should be true whether you are keeping books on Peachtree, Quicken or a Big Chief tablet and No. 2 lead pencil. If you are running a business where accurate records are required and where the financial statements are relied upon for the management of the business and you don't have some knowledge of proper accounting methods, then you BETTER seek some expert assistance. If all you really want is a check writing program or a billing program, then a full featured accounting program may be overkill and simpler software may be sufficient. Just keep in mind there tends to be an inverse relationship between ease of use on the one hand and flexibility and scope of features available on the other hand (though exceptions abound).

All the major functions such as General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Payroll, Inventory, a really cool Job Costing feature, etc., are fully integrated; a payroll check is immediately accessible in the G.L. without having to do any intermediate journal posting. The Fixed Assets program which will interface but IS a module that runs separately.

Peachtree is a General Ledger based system in that the full detail of all journal entries affecting a particular account is available in the G.L. Double clicking on a particular entry "drills down" to and then displays the check, invoice or other journal entry source document. Two fiscal years of detail are maintained. By changing the "accounting period" to the period (month) of interest, you can edit, add or delete transactions within this time period.

One of the strongest areas of Peachtree is the reporting capabilities - probably the part I like most about it. Almost everything that goes to screen or print is highly customizable. But be advised, taking advantage of this flexibility WILL require some time and effort to learn how to do. This is exacerbated by the fact that there are actually three different kinds of reports - Financial Statements, Forms, and Reports, each of which has its own system of modification. Financial statements can be designed with up to 30 columns with a myriad of date range possibilities and subsets of data (such as departments, enterprises, regions, etc.) The structure of financial statements is not tied to the order of the account numbering scheme.

Payroll is quite complete for software in this price range. In addition to the basics, you can set up 401k deductions, maintain important dates, track vacation time etc. Peachtree aggressively markets its Payroll Tax service but it is easy to update the tax tables yourself. There are default tax tables but you can also specify tax tables that are specific to one business. (Peachtree permits using the software to keep books for multiple business entities.)

For most of the common data entry tasks you can use either the mouse or the keyboard for navigation and entry. But it is somewhat inconsistent - for example if you are posting invoices and come to a customer who isn't on file you have to use the mouse to access the options on the screen that allows you to enter a new customer "on the fly".

Data entry can be assisted by optional features such as drop down screens in fields where you have lists - customer ID, inventory ID for example, "smart fill in" that completes the entry for you among others. On data entry forms you have the option to hide certain fields that you don't use so you don't have to skip over them as you are making entries. For example, in recording invoices if you don't use Customer Purchase Orders, alternate "ship to" addresses, sales reps, etc., you can hide these fields in your input form.

Of course there are things I don't like. The General Ledger requires more paper to print than necessary. I'm not keen on the fact there is only a single field for names (employees, vendors, customers) which makes it difficult to get an alphabetical list unless you design ID numbers in such a way as to approximate alphabetical order - or enter names in the Last Name, First Name reverse order. Mailing label options are limited You can, for example, assign a "type" to your customers, say Doctors, Fishermen and Golfers and generate a mailing list for any type. But you can't specify a customer is a member of the Doctor type AND the Golfer type (except maybe on Wednesday afternoon). Nor can you quickly go through your list of customers and check off a subset to receive a special mailing. You can develop a report of your customers that shows the amounts of inventory items each customer bought but you can't get a report of inventory items listing which customers bought that item. (You CAN dump the former report into Excel, sort it to get the latter order and then clean up the result.)

...I have set up a number of businesses which included sole proprietorship, partnership, charitable organization and corporation structures. I would recommend Peachtree Complete as an accounting solution to almost any business.