Importing/Exporting SAGE format

Why does Sage not allow you to export accounts/data for previous versions? Example: I have Simply 2013, Client is 2012. Why can't I export accounts, customers, vendors in sage format .txt files to import to 2012 without having a conflict of versions? Better yet, why doesn't SAGE allow you to save your company in previous version formats so the company data can be used in previous versions?

I tried to export my company accounts in sage file format  from version 2013 to import to version 2012....and I received an error because of conflict of versions! There should not be a conflict!

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  • 0

    It's probably not well explained in the online help, the version number on the first line of the exported file is a minimum requirement for the program opening the file.  

    To change the minimum version required to open the file, open the file with Notepad or some other plain-text editor, and change the '20' at the start of the line, to '18', you will have changed it from the 2013 version to a 2011 version.  You can probably just change it to '12'

    For example, The start of the 2014.2 ACCOUNTS export from the sample file looks like this (2014's version number 21xxx is one year newer than a 2013, 20xxx:)

    21001,1,Accounts

    10000,"Current Assets",H,"","CAD",,"Actif a court terme",

    10200,"Cash to be deposited",A,"Cash","CAD",1001,"Comptant à déposer",

    10300,"Cash Draws",A,"Cash","CAD",1001,"Retrait en espèces",

    If you change the first line to:

    12001,1,Accounts

    it will be a 2006 and later file, and will import into the any release 2006 and later.

    You are responsible for being certain that the data exported from the 2013 version is compatible with the 2012 version.   It shouldn't be a problem, I don't know of any import / export changes to basic ledger data since 2006.  The export / import functionality is pretty old-school, so it's a little unfriendly to use, and by today's standards there aren't helpful error messages.   But it should work.

    ***  Back up your data before importing. ***

    See also the 2006 Advanced Topics manual on this page:

    na.sage.com/.../past-guides-and-manuals

  • 0 in reply to RandyW

    I tried what you said to try. Here is what happened,  I was able to import the vendors/customers/accounts. The accounts import only added accounts that were not being used, the accounts where the name was changed did not change. No dollar amount transferred with the accounts.

    Also, I would like to know why I cannot create from backup or file, my accounts done in Simply Accounting 2010 premium to Simply Accounting (SAGE 50) 2012 Pro?  It says I can't because the version was a premium version! What happens if I decide I do not want to keep purchasing a premium program every year..I want to just go to pro...that means that all of my accounts prior to the 2012 Pro are useless because I cannot bring them into newer Pro program? ...Does this mean I have to keep every version, not only every year, but the Pro, the Premium etc for clients? Does this mean I have no choice but to keep updating to a premium program If I want to open my files? This is nuts!

  • 0 in reply to Tacodog

    You can upgrade previous years of Pro to a newer version and ditto for Premium. You can't at this time go from previous/current years of Premium backward to any versions of Pro. It's like taking a BMW engine (data) out of a BMW (Premium) and trying to fit it into a Volkswagon Bug (Pro).

    You talked about clients - do you have more than one client that you do work for? If so perhaps the Accountant Edition is better for you. You can open different version of Sage 50 into Act Edition - keep in mind tho that all version has to be same year as Acct Edition. I have kept all my year versions of Acct Edition and am able to open any versions of Sage 50 whether it be Pro, Premium, Or Quantum/Enterprise.

  • 0 in reply to Tacodog

    Tacodog said:
    Also, I would like to know why I cannot create from backup or file, my accounts done in Simply Accounting 2010 premium to Simply Accounting (SAGE 50) 2012 Pro?

    The programmers have created the program to upgrade, not downgrade.  The answer is that the program is not designed to do that.  Premium is a higher version than Pro.

    Tacodog said:
    What happens if I decide I do not want to keep purchasing a premium program every year..I want to just go to pro...

    So you buy Pro and either create a new file or you talk with Tony Martin at Code 6 Programming to see if he can downgrade the file for you.  Sometimes he can.

    Tacodog said:
    ...that means that all of my accounts prior to the 2012 Pro are useless because I cannot bring them into newer Pro program?

    Premium keeps up to 100 years of data.  So I would not say useless.  All you have to do is keep the latest Premium program around and runnable for 7 years of audit if Tony cannot downgrade the file.  Pro only keeps 7 years so you might be losing some older data in a downgrade anyway.

    Tacodog said:
    ...Does this mean I have to keep every version, not only every year, but the Pro, the Premium etc for clients?

    If you are doing bookkeeping for clients, you should probably look at joining the Partner Program.  You get the Accountant's Edition which means you can install one version that will open Pro and Premium files (and a few other things as well).  You should be aware that by joining the program you are on a subscription service and you must pay every year or your program will be put into read-only mode and you will not be able to do data entry.  However, generally, it is not easy to install and maintain Pro and Premium of the same year on the same computer, so sometimes joining the program is easier.

  • 0 in reply to Richard S. Ridings

    Most software programs you can upgrade from an old version to a new version...2010 is an older version than 2012, the premium should mean just additional functions, not a whole new program. Anyway, a lot of the business community is starting to switch to Qucik Books and MYOB because Simply Accounting is becoming too pricy and complicated (exchanging data from one version to another and upkeeping with it all).

    My services have always been mostly voluntary, the accountant program would not be for me..I advise the people to get simply and then I help them create the accounts and teach them how to input. I can guarantee you many people will drop SAGE as soon as something else that is not so complicated (in terms of exchanging files/upgrading and the price of Simply Care) and less expensive comes along (Including me). Hence, more and more people are purchasing Quick Books and MYOB. I would not say they are better, but cheaper. (I know simply can bring in MYOB and Quick Books, but only certain versions that would be compatible with the version you have! Here again...SAGE makes things very complicated and forces clients to comply and purchase their pricy software.) I deal with too many small businesses, charitable organizations, all with different needs. If we all could get the older versions of SA and stick with that, we would be fine. But you cannot get the older versions so each time a new person comes along and needs my help...the version they have or find is the version I have to deal with, and it makes it very difficult to help them when I cannot bring in their files because of version clashes (ie: never mind older to newer but pro to premium or premium to pro?)

    I am sorry for the rant, but it infuriates me to see where SAGE has taken this company... I started with SA so many years ago, almost at its onset, ...and now it has become just another corporate piranha.

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  • 0 in reply to Richard S. Ridings

    Most software programs you can upgrade from an old version to a new version...2010 is an older version than 2012, the premium should mean just additional functions, not a whole new program. Anyway, a lot of the business community is starting to switch to Qucik Books and MYOB because Simply Accounting is becoming too pricy and complicated (exchanging data from one version to another and upkeeping with it all).

    My services have always been mostly voluntary, the accountant program would not be for me..I advise the people to get simply and then I help them create the accounts and teach them how to input. I can guarantee you many people will drop SAGE as soon as something else that is not so complicated (in terms of exchanging files/upgrading and the price of Simply Care) and less expensive comes along (Including me). Hence, more and more people are purchasing Quick Books and MYOB. I would not say they are better, but cheaper. (I know simply can bring in MYOB and Quick Books, but only certain versions that would be compatible with the version you have! Here again...SAGE makes things very complicated and forces clients to comply and purchase their pricy software.) I deal with too many small businesses, charitable organizations, all with different needs. If we all could get the older versions of SA and stick with that, we would be fine. But you cannot get the older versions so each time a new person comes along and needs my help...the version they have or find is the version I have to deal with, and it makes it very difficult to help them when I cannot bring in their files because of version clashes (ie: never mind older to newer but pro to premium or premium to pro?)

    I am sorry for the rant, but it infuriates me to see where SAGE has taken this company... I started with SA so many years ago, almost at its onset, ...and now it has become just another corporate piranha.

Children
  • 0 in reply to Tacodog

    Sage isn't more expensive than Quick Books and MYOB.  If you ever thought that a closed-source software company wasn't in it for the money you misread their intentions.   If you're unhappy about Sage and having to buy upgrades, you're going to find QuickBooks an interesting experience.

    Sage 50 doesn't prevent you from paying employees AT ALL unless you buy updates.  Sage 50 doesn't banish you from ever updating if you stop upgrading for more than a few versions.   This is no longer true, after 2014 you can no longer pay employees if you don't pay for the payroll service.   After 2016, the license hints that you may be asked to pay for all the skipped versions if you want to update to newer software. 

    Sage also hasn't ever sold their customer list, packed up and gone walkabout for 10 years.  Sage 50 doesn't start up on Windows 7+ with a message that the software needs Administrator permission to continue.

    You may find that the Accountant program would be what you need, to help your clients more, for about $1 a day.  Even not-for-profits sometimes sometimes have a little money that they can pay you.  

    It pains me to part with that fee every year, so finance is probably the right profession for me.  Some of the benefits really do trickle down to my clients.  If their books are in 2006 Pro, I can help.  If their books are in 2014.2 Quantum, last Tuesday's release, I can also help.

    If you want free software that you can use forever, go Open Source.  Some of it's good, some not so much.  It's totally free, if your time is, and if it breaks, you keep both pieces.

  • 0 in reply to RandyW

    I haven't looked at QuickBooks for over 15 years...didn't like it then, don't think I would like it now. MYOB I looked at maybe 10 years ago and didn't like it.

    Small Businesses, Charities are suffering, especially now. I don't dish out soup at soup halls, so I do service for others where I can, the financial section is where I can help. By helping others, I more or less have promoted SA over the years to all those I help, and believe me, when you give free help, that definitely adds up over the years. I am not asking SAGE to not make money....they just don't have to be a piranha about it. I still believe I should be able to open any older version, whether it be pro, premium, basic....who cares. The newer version should be able to open and bring an older version into the newer version. (If the older version was a premium, I bring it into a newer version that is a pro, functions that were not included in the pro would not be there. simple, like bringing in another version into excel or word...if the functions used are not available in the new version...they aren't converted into the program.)

    Most of my help is done during tax season...because this is when most of them run into problems. $1.00 can feed one person in a soup kitchen a day. I rather put the dollar there. They are already putting out money for the software so I would not ask them to pay a $1.00 a day for me.

    What program took a walkabout? Which one starts in Win7 and says you need administrative use? I can tell you that SA premium version 10 does start in Win 7 and says it cannot open the data base... shut the computer down, restart, and open it with no problem, sometimes it will not restore from backup, most times it does....and to use that version and 2012 in Windows 8 and 8.1....well, it is not so smooth either. So far 20113/14 is working fine in Windows 8.1.

    Not too many trust their info in the cloud...they want it local only. I don't blame them really.

    If it pains you too, then yes we probably are in the right profession ;)

    I thank you for your posts and your help when transferring the accounts over. It was a valuable tip.

  • 0 in reply to Tacodog

    As far as the Accountants' edition goes, I really don't have a dog in the fight.  I think it would work for you.  It will open and update any previous version of any Edition of Simply Accounting or Sage 50.  

    If the file was 'Pro' 2009 it will stay as 'Pro' for 2014.  The non-Accountants' Edition always converts the file to the 'Edition' that it's on.

    I understand not wanting to trust info 'in the cloud', but as long as login security is good, I believe that it's at least as safe as online banking, especially since it's only the records of transactions, with no way to actually initiate one.   Online is also possibly safer than accounting on the desktop - both from loss, and from potential hacking.  

    Some of the online products are currently free, and they're quite secure.   The only truly secure computer, is one without network connections, diskette drives, or USB ports.   (that's how Microsoft got their security rating for NT 4.0, it was hard to hack into from just a keyboard.)

    QuickBooks doesn't give you the option to skip more than a version or two, and paying for payroll is mandatory - they don't just shut off the automatic calculations, they shut you right down.

    MYOB started out as an Australian company.  As I heard the tale of woe from my friend, they once packed up and sold their Canadian mailing list to QuickBooks, and if you happened to be a Mac user....  well you just had to do without payroll updates from then on, or buy a PC and QuickBooks.  And if you waited more than a year, no conversion.  They're back Canada again.

    I used DacEasy Instant accounting for a few years in the 1990s.  I'm still waiting for that Canadian update.

    If you want free, as in free lunch, or Free Admission, then you might want to look at GnuCash.  It's both free, and open source, which is good in some ways, but not in others.

  • 0 in reply to RandyW

    I seem to be having a lot of problems here, and I don't know why. I had Sage Premium with payroll 2013, it upgraded to 2014 Premium with payroll, my simply care ran out Dec2013, I did not renew the simply care payroll (can do payroll manually, don't need auto)...and now I cannot print Employee T4's because I have no payroll id anymore? Also, I cannot bring in SAGE50 2013 premium files into SAGE 50 2014 premium, I keep getting an error...whether it be updating from a backup or file. I can open the data base fine in Sage50 2013 premium. Also, the creating, opening databases is a lot slower in 2013 and 2014.

    Is there a work around this? How do I get the 2013 files to update to 2014? Are there known glitches happening in 2014 that are being corrected and will I be able to get those corrections?

  • 0 in reply to Tacodog

    OK, I went to an old payroll id number and it let me print out the T4's in prem 2013, but the best I could get when updating to 2014 premium was 38/51 overall progress and then unable to open up company file. I hope if there are problems I can at least get the fixes? It won't let me download version 2014.2 because I didn't renew the simply care payroll...how does one get the glitches fixed then? I don't need the payroll updates.

  • 0 in reply to Tacodog

    In the 2014, can you open the sample company, and check the version in Help | About Sage 50?  

    There were two releases before 2014.2 for 2014 payroll.  The 2014.0 had problems converting a lot of files, the 2014.1 should be OK.

  • 0 in reply to RandyW

    It says 2014.1, but I cannot convert the 2013 files to 2014, yet the files open fine in 2013 and backup fine with no problem. Today when I tried to upgrade it to 2014 again, I got a windows firewall warning..which never happened before. So, I just don't know what is going on with that 2013 file.

  • 0 in reply to Tacodog

    I would ignore what the brochure says, there's really nothing new in Sage 2014, that wasn't there in 2013.  

    I don't think there is one thing that you can do now in the program itself, that you wouldn't be able to do with the 2013 release (or the 2011 one, as far as that goes).

    Some technical updates to the database, still crashes when clicking 'cancel' on long running reports.  

  • 0 in reply to RandyW

    Thanks so much Randy for all your help/advice. It really is appreciated. I think the files that seem to be working fine in 2014 I will leave alone and to my main companies I will restrict it to 2013, where they seem to be working fine. I will have to make sure everyone is on the same page here.