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You’ve probably heard the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Apparently Sage Software agrees as evidenced by the multitude of new graphical views and charting tools delivered with newer versions of Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200. These new charting tools and dashboards convert huge volumes of raw data into visual queues that will help you make more informed decisions and set your business on a course to success. So let’s take a quick look at the value of dashboard-style reporting and analysis.
It’s Just like Driving a Car
One glance at the dashboard in your car tells you everything you need to know about your speed, fuel, oil temperature, and other vital systems to ensure your car runs smoothly. The same thing can be said about a reporting dashboard that provides visual analysis of business activity. It aggregates vital information that is scattered across your business and throughout your Sage MAS 90 or MAS 200 database and presents it in an easy-to-read format that’s simple to interpret at a glance.
In your car, you wouldn’t necessarily monitor your tire pressure or brake fluid every five minutes using a dashboard gauge. The same can be said about a reporting dashboard that can be customized to include only the information that you feel is vital to the smooth operation of your business. These vital bits of data are sometimes referred to as key performance indicators, or KPIs – important financial and non-financial metrics that management relies on to evaluate operational health and progress toward long-term organizational goals. KPIs answer the question “what information is absolutely critical and most important to me?”
Managing by Exception
Dashboards help support what’s sometimes referred to as “Management by Exception” where the objective is to reduce the quantity of detail contained in management reports and focus attention only on the things that require quick and decisive action. Just like the Red light in your car that indicates your engine is running hot, the glaring chart or graph on your Sage Accpac dashboard might be indicating that sales are dropping off, customer invoices are going unpaid, or other critical issues that require immediate attention. And one of the nice things about a dashboard is that the information is displayed in real-time so you can take action before things really get out of hand and not have to wait until the end of the month or quarter when you finally get the report you’ve been waiting for.
What about My Traditional Reports?
Traditional reports play an important role in your company. However, Dashboards offer features that can be used to compliment your existing reporting structure. Because dashboards (and business intelligence tools in general) tend to be more user-friendly than traditional reporting tools, you can easily slice and dice the data ‘on the fly’ without having to call IT to modify your reports. Plus the visual dashboards and graphical charts provide meaningful insight at a glance … an objective that would be much more difficult if you were to “glance” at a 15-page report. It’s all about empowering you with tools to make quick and informed decisions, evaluate performance, cut costs, improve profitability, and serve your customers better.
Contact Betty Motichek betty@sygnvs.com to discuss a strategy for putting dashboards to work for you and create reports that are simply dashing!
For more information click on the following link. MAS_90_200_Business_Insights_Spec
