Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate

User's Guide

April 2024
This is a publication of Sage Software, Inc.

© 2024 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved. Sage, Sage logos, and
Sage product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of The Sage Group
plc or its licensors. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Last updated: April 9, 2024

Contents

Introduction 1
Release information 1
About this guide 1
Support and assistance 2

Chapter 1: System Requirements 4

Privilege settings required for installation and use 4
Compatible versions 7
Supported upgrade paths 8
Data file upgrades 9

Chapter 2: Install Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 10

A. Before you install 10
B. Install to a server or stand-alone computer 12
C. Install to a workstation connected to a network 14
D. Upgrade data files 16
E. Upgrade custom Crystal Reports designs 18
F. Install Crystal Reports Designer (optional) 19
G. Install SQL Server and Sage SQL Replicator 2.0 (optional) 19
H. After you install 20
I. Final steps 22

Chapter 3: Server Migration 24

Things to know before you begin 24
Recommended procedure 25

Chapter 4: System Guidance 30

General information 30
Troubleshooting 36
Terminal services 40
Printers 40
Installing, moving, or removing Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate products 41

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Contents

Chapter 5: Security 44
Security overview 44
Record security 49
Setting up security 57
Modifying security 63
Troubleshooting security 73
Security tips 78
Glossary of security terms 80

Chapter 6: Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate ODBC 84

ODBC overview 84
Important issues for ODBC users 85
Data loss 86
Points to consider before you use ODBC 86
Set up a data source 87
Use the ODBC driver 88

Chapter 7: Crystal Reports 89

Introduction 89
Reports on the menus 90
The data source for Crystal Reports 91
Customizing Crystal Reports 95
Crystal Reports integration 97
Billing considerations 125
Purchasing and Inventory considerations 126
Service Management considerations 132
Desktop considerations 140
Upgrading older custom report designs 140

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Introduction
Release information
Along with this User's Guide, see the following documentation for additional information
that will help you install and use version 24.1:
l The Installation Checklist contains a brief description of the steps involved in
upgrading your software.
l The Important document contains critical topics.
l The Release Notes provide details about new features, resolved issues, and known
issues.

You can access a complete library of supported product documents.

About this guide

This User's Guide is designed to help you learn about installing the software. It also
contains information about systems, security, ODBC, and Crystal Reports.

Conventions used in this document

This document uses the following conventions:
l The names of windows, fields, and other features displayed by the software are bold.
l Text that you type into the windows is blue, as in the following example:
Type Miscellaneous.
l Names of keys are shown in capitals; for example, ENTER, TAB. A plus sign (+)
between two key names indicates that you should press both keys at the same time;
for example, SHIFT + TAB.
l The names of buttons that you can click with your mouse are bold and enclosed in
brackets; for example, [OK] and [ Post].

1
 Tip: Helpful information to make your experience better.

Note: Additional information of interest, such as information not included in steps.

Caution! Information that can help you avoid a costly or time-consuming error.

Important! Information that is of critical importance.

Menu paths
In this document, menu paths show you the steps required to start a task, such as:
PR: Tools > Download Taxes

To follow this path, open the Payroll module. From the Tools menu, select Download
Taxes.

Support and assistance

Online help
Each Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate application includes online help, which
provides answers to your questions about procedures as well as items in the windows.

To access the online help in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate:

l In a window, click the [Help] button, click (the Help button), or press F1 to display
the help topic for that window.
l In an application or Desktop, select Help > Help Topics.

Tip: From Desktop, you can access the online help for an application by clicking
Applications, clicking the name of the application, and then clicking Help > Help
Topics in the list of menu items for that application.

To aid you in finding the information you need, the online help includes the following tabs:
l Contents tab with an outline of the help with links to the help topics.
l Index tab with keywords that link to help topics related to that keyword.

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l Search tab or Search text box, where you can type text and click [Search] to locate
that text in the help topics.

Technical assistance
When you need more assistance, visit Sage Customer Resources, Sage
Knowledgebase, Sage City, the Product Documents website, Live Chat, or Online Case
submission.

Training
Sage University offers live and recorded online training sessions to help you get the most
out of your software. To access Sage University, either:
l From an application, select Help > Web Resources > Sage University.
l From Desktop, select Help > Sage University.
l From your browser, visit http://www.sageu.com/Sage300CRE.

Contact your business partner for local training.

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Chapter 1: System Requirements
For assistance in selecting the right business-class computers for your Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate software, contact your authorized business partner. For
information about system environments, see "Chapter 4: System Guidance" on page 30.

To install and use Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 24.1, your server and
workstations must have Internet access for Sage entitlement and Pervasive licensing
requirements.

Refer to the System Requirements article in the Sage Knowledgebase for information
about:
l Hardware requirements
l Supported operating systems
l Software requirements

This chapter includes the following sections:

l Privilege settings required for installation and use (the next section)
l "Compatible versions" on page 7
l "Supported upgrade paths" on page 8
l "Data file upgrades" on page 9

Privilege settings required for installation and use

The following sections describe the access rights you need to successfully install and use
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Elevate permissions
You must elevate your permissions before upgrading Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate.

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You can usually start a program with elevated privileges by right-clicking the application
and selecting Run as Administrator. In Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, the
application is usually installed in the following path: /Program Files (x86)/Sage
Timberline Office/Accounting.

During certain installation tasks, you will receive another prompt to elevate your
privileges. If you do not acknowledge each prompt within two minutes, the installation
process will quit the task. If this occurs, you will receive a separate prompt asking you to
retry the task. Click [Retry] and then elevate your privileges at the prompt.

Full control of specific files and folders required

You must have full control access rights to all folders or shares that contain Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate program files and data files.

To use Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, you must have full control of the following
files and folders on your file server, terminal server, and workstations that have Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate installed. Make sure that your system administrator also
gives you full control of all the subfolders and files.

Locations of folders and files

Required folders
Location and specifications
and files

This folder is located on the server, terminal server, and

workstations where you installed Sage 300 Construction and
Program Files (86) Real Estate. It is the default installation location for Sage 300
\Timberline Office Construction and Real Estate. However, depending on your
system configuration, your company may have renamed this
folder or installed it to a different location.

This folder is located on the workstation or terminal server

[Drive]: where you use Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.Sage
\Users 300 Construction and Real Estate installs necessary files to this
\[username] folder and requires that the user has full control of it. Typically,
the user has full control of this folder by default.

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 Required folders
Location and specifications
and files

Typically, the data folder is located on the server where you

Company data folder
installed Accounting and Management Products.

[Drive]: This folder is located on the server or host machine where you
\ProgramData use Accounting and Management Products. This folder must be
\Sage shared. The installer creates this shared folder and the
\Timberline Office appropriate permissions to this folder as well as its subfolders.

Note: Some of these folders may be hidden. To view them, open Windows Explorer,
click the View tab, and then select the Hidden items check box.

Full control of and read access to specific registry keys required

To use Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, you must have full control of the
following Windows registry key on your file server, terminal server, and workstations that
have Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate installed. Make sure that your system
administrator also gives you full control of all subkeys.
l HKEY_CURRENT_USER
l HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Wow6432Node
l HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\ODBC
l HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Pervasive Software
l HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Timberline

Caution! Incorrectly editing the Microsoft Windows registry may severely damage
your system. Sage is not responsible for damage to your system caused by
editing the registry. Before making changes to the registry, contact your system
administrator for assistance and make a backup copy of all valued data. System
administrators should see Microsoft Registry Editor Help topics for detailed
instructions.

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Compatible versions
The following table shows which product versions are compatible, which is partly based
on the Crystal Reports runtime SP they use. If you do not use compatible versions, you
may not be able to run Crystal reports.

Compatible product versions

Product / Component Version Version

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 24.1 23.1 22.1, 22.2
Sage Estimating (SQL) 23.1, 22.1* 22.1*, 21.1* 22.1, 21.1
2018.1, 2018.1, 2018.1,
2019.1, 2019.1, 2019.1,
2020.1, 2020.1, 2020.1,
Sage Fixed Assets
2021.1, 2021.1, 2021.1,
2022.1***, 2022.1***, 2022.1***,
2023.1**** 2023.1**** 2023.1****
SP22***, SP22***,
Crystal Reports runtime SP used by these SP25 64- SP25 64-
SP22***
products bit**, bit**,
SP30**** SP30****

*Sage Estimating 22.1 and earlier does not support Windows 11 or Windows Server
2022. Do not upgrade to Windows 11 or Windows Server 2022 if Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate and Sage Estimating are integrated on your system.

**Sage Estimating 21.1 and higher uses Crystal Reports SP25 64-bit.

*** Sage Fixed Assets 2018.1 to 2022.1 use Crystal Reports runtime SP21. Although
Crystal reports seem to run correctly when you run these versions of Sage Fixed Assets
on the same machine as Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 18.2 and later or Sage
Estimating (SQL) 18.12 or later, we recommend that you run Sage Fixed Assets on a
different machine.

****Sage Fixed Assets 2023.1 uses Crystal Reports SP 30.

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Support for Crystal Reports 2020
Crystal Reports 2020 is now available as a 64-bit application which requires the use of
64-bit DSNs. Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 24.1 and later supports
Crystal Reports 2020 with the inclusion of a 64-bit ODBC driver, administrator, and
support for existing 32-bit User Defined Libraries (UDFs). Earlier 32-bit versions of
Crystal Reports are still supported in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Caution! Sage Estimating (Pervasive) - There is no version of Sage Estimating

(Pervasive) that is compatible with Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
version 22. However, you can use a compatible version of Sage Estimating
(SQL) with Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 22.

Caution! Document Management - There is no Sage Document Management

version 18.3, 18.4, 20, or 22. Document Management was retired on December
31, 2019; see Knowledgebase article 91616 for more information about the
retirement.
You can still run Document Management in a standalone environment; see
Knowledgebase article 91608 for more information. DO NOT install Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate Accounting version 22 on the same machine as
Document Management.

Supported upgrade paths

If you are on Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (Accounting) version 20.5, or 18.1.3
(Australia Release) or later, you can upgrade directly to 24.1.

If you are on any other version 18, we recommend that you upgrade to 20.5 before
upgrading to version 24.1.

1. Back up your data, upgrade to 20.5, and upgrade your data (including Inventory,
Purchasing, and Service Management data).
2. Back up your data again and upgrade to version 24.1.

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 Note: If you are on a version that is earlier than 16.1, we recommend that you
contact your Business Partner or Sage Expert Services for assistance.

Data file upgrades

After you upgrade to 24.1, upgrade all Accounting and Management application data
files.

You can upgrade the data files for Accounting applications (except for Service
Management, Purchasing, and Inventory) from Sage Desktop. In the Applications pane,
select Common Tasks > Tools > Upgrade files.

Caution! Service Management, Purchasing, and Inventory data files upgrade the
first time you open those applications. You must open the application and perform
the upgrade at the server. Upgrading this data on a workstation will incorrectly set
DSNs and cause data access errors after the upgrade is performed. When
running for the first time after an install or upgrade, run Service Management
before Inventory on the server.

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Chapter 2: Install Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate
Version 24.1 includes application fixes and introduces an updated Sage SQL Replicator.

Important! If you use third-party products that integrate with Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate, check with the vendor of the product to ensure their
product is fully compatible with this release. We do not support rolling Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate back to a previous version and do not recommend
it.

A. Before you install

1. Review the following documents:

l Refer to the System Requirements article in the Sage Knowledgebase

l Read the Release Notes for more details about this release of Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate.
l Review the Installation Checklist.
2. Have your Registration Name and Sage Client ID (Account ID) handy. The ID is a
10-digit number that starts with 4. See Knowledgebase article 86829 for more
information.

Also review the number of uses your company has purchased for each application.
You no longer enter activation codes when you install. Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate automatically accesses the licenses for the various applications for
which your company is entitled. You can check this by logging onto the Sage
Customer Portal; see Knowledgebase article 87017 for more information. If you
need to purchase additional uses, contact your authorized Sage business partner or

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 your Sage customer account manager at 1-800-858-7095 (or email
CREsales@sage.com). You can use the new License Administrator tool to manage
the uses of these licenses.

3. Run File Doctor on all files in your current version before upgrading to the next
version. Even if you do not receive a corrupt file message, there may be issues File
Doctor finds that it will not be able to fix after upgrading to version 24.1.
4. Create a complete backup of all Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data and
program files.
5. If needed, install the appropriate operating system service pack, make sure
sufficient hard disk space is available, and verify that your server and workstations
meet all other hardware and software requirements.

If you are upgrading from 9.7 or earlier, the upgrade to 9.8 may cause file sizes to
increase up to 200% of the current size of your data. Be sure to allow for increased
disk space requirements when you upgrade. Do not install Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate products unless you have sufficient hard disk space available.

6. Make sure that you have full control of the required folders, files, and registry keys
on your file server, terminal server, and workstations that will have Accounting and
Management Products installed. For a list of the required folders, files, and registry
keys for your operating system, see "Privilege settings required for installation and
use" on page 4.
7. Quit all programs and services for the duration of the installation. This includes
programs that may be running in the background, such as anti-virus, email, and
backup programs.

Important! Before installing Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate close your
anti-virus programs. You will need to verify that you have disabled your anti-virus
software during installation.

8. For certain operating systems, you must elevate your permissions before installing
version 24.1. During certain installation tasks, you will receive a prompt to elevate
your privileges. If you do not acknowledge each prompt within two minutes, the
installation process will quit the task. If this occurs, you will receive a separate
prompt asking you to retry the task. To retry the task, click [Retry] and then elevate
your privileges at the prompt.

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9. Verify the upgrade path (see page 8). If you are upgrading from an older version,
you may need to install several versions to become current.

B. Install to a server or stand-alone computer

If you plan to use Sage SQL Replicator or any mobile applications, install Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate on a machine connected to a domain, but this machine
should not be the domain controller.

Important! Do not install Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate unless the
machine has sufficient hard disk space available. Refer to the System
Requirements article in the Sage Knowledgebase .

Note: The installation process may restart your server or stand-alone computer
several times.

1. At the server or stand-alone computer, log on with full administrative rights. Full
administrative rights are defined as write access to the Windows registry and all
folders on the computer (including rights to the root of all hard drives). If you are
unsure whether you have full administrative rights, ask your network administrator
for assistance. Alternately, you can ask your network administrator to log on with the
network administrator ID before you start the installation.
2. Follow the instructions in the version 24.1 download article.
3. Open the folder with the appropriate version number and double-click Install.exe to
begin the installation process.
4. In the Welcome window, click Next.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to make the following selections. Click Next after
each selection.
l Accept the License Agreement.
l Enter your company's Registration name, Client number, and Software
Country.
l Choose the Industry Type.
l Choose the Destination for your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate files.

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 Note: Beginning with 17.1 Rev 4, you no longer enter activation codes. Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate automatically accesses the licenses for the various
applications for which your company is entitled.

Before you click [Install], note the following:

l If you receive a firewall warning message during the installation of the
Pervasive database engine, work with your network administrator to allow the
Pervasive database engine to communicate through your firewall software. For
example, if a Microsoft Windows Firewall Security Alert window lists the
Database Service Manager by Pervasive Software Inc., confirm with your
network administrator that you want to proceed. Then, select Unblock this
program and click [OK].
l You may receive a similar message during the installation of Sage Service
Host. Follow the same steps to proceed.
l If you are required to restart your computer, remember to stop antivirus,
backup, and other services that may have automatically started again after you
restart your computer.
6. Click [Install] to begin installing Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.
7. At the conclusion of the installation, you will be prompted to restart your computer.
Restart and then log on with the same user name that you used when you installed
(user name must have full administrative rights).

Important! Wait until you see the All configuration tasks for Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate completed successfully message. It may take a
few minutes before you see the message. Do not attempt to start any Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate applications until after you receive this message.

Note: Some of the data and report folders and files will be hidden by default. At
the end of the installation, you can view these hidden files and folders. To view
them, open Windows Explorer, click the View tab, and then select the Hidden
items check box.

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Automatic creation of Timberline Office Share
The installation automatically creates a shared Timberline Office folder at the following
location on the server if one does not already exist:
[Drive]:\ProgramData\Sage\Timberline Office

Read and write permissions are automatically granted to Everyone for this folder. If the
Timberline Office folder is already present and shared, the installation will skip this step.
The system will not change any permissions you have already set up.

You will connect your workstations to the shared Timberline Office folder in Step C.

C. Install to a workstation connected to a network

After you install to a server ( as described in Step B), you can install to your workstations
or to a computer that functions as a terminal server.

Important! Do not install Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate unless the
machine has sufficient hard disk space available. Refer to the System
Requirements article in the Sage Knowledgebase .

Note: The installation process may restart your server or stand-alone computer
several times.

Installing to a terminal server

If you are installing to a computer that will be used as a terminal server, follow the
preceding installation steps.

If your terminal server does not host Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate programs
and data files, after installing, verify that the Pervasive.SQL database service on the
terminal server uses an account with access to all Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate program and data files on the server.

To verify your account and access rights:

1. Click the Start icon, select the Windows Administrative Tools program group, and
select Services.

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2. In the Services window, right-click the Pervasive.SQL service and select
Properties.
3. On the Log On tab, select Use this account.

Work with your network administrator to enter an account that has the access rights of the
Local System account and access to all Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate program
and data files on the file server; for example, a domain administrator account.

Note: If you use an account with insufficient access rights, you may receive a
Pervasive status code 94 or 3119 error.

Installing to a workstation

Tip: If you have a large number of workstations, you can use a script to silently
install the software on client workstations. For more information, see
Knowledgebase article KB 83952.

1. At the workstation, log on with full administrative rights. Full administrative rights are
defined as write access to the Windows registry and all folders on the computer
(including rights to the root of all hard drives). If you are unsure whether you have
full administrative rights, ask your network administrator for assistance. Alternately,
you can ask your network administrator to log on with the network administrator ID
before you start the installation.
2. Right click the Start icon and select Run.
3. In the Run window, click [Browse], browse to the \\[Server name]\Timberline
Office\9.5\Accounting\WinInst\Install.exe folder on the server, and then double-
click Install.exe.
4. In the Welcome window, click Next.

5. Follow the on-screen instructions to make the following selections. Click Next after
each selection.
l Accept the License Agreement.
l Choose the Destination for your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate files.
6. In the Installation window, click Install.
7. At the conclusion of the installation, when you see the prompt, restart your

15
 workstation.
8. Repeat steps 1–7 for each workstation.

Note: Some of the data and report folders and files will be hidden by default. At
the end of the installation, you can view these hidden files and folders. To view
them, open Windows Explorer, click the View tab, and then select the Hidden
items check box.

D. Upgrade data files

If you upgraded to a new version of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, read and
follow the information in this section.

If this is a first-time installation, skip to "F. Install Crystal Reports Designer (optional)" on
page 19.

Caution! Service Management, Purchasing, and Inventory data files upgrade the
first time you open those applications. You must open the application and perform
the upgrade at the server. Upgrading this data on a workstation will incorrectly set
DSNs and cause data access errors after the upgrade is performed. When
running for the first time after an install or upgrade, run Service Management
before Inventory on the server.

Prepare to upgrade files

For optimal performance, we recommend that you upgrade your data from the server. If
you prefer to upgrade your data from a workstation instead, you must ensure that the
same version and update are installed on both the server and the workstation before
starting the Upgrade Files process.

1. Back up your data files.

2. Make sure all users have closed Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
applications.
3. Log in to Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate as the application administrator.

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4. Open Sage Desktop, select your company, and click [OK]. If you do not see your
company:

a. Click [Specify Folders].

b. In the Specify Data Folders Path window, click [Browse], select the UNC
path to the folder that contains your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
data, and click [OK].
c. Select your data folder from the Specified Folders area and click [OK].
d. Select your company from the list of companies in the Select Company
window and click [OK].
5. If you use File Locations and the path is not accessible from the server (for example,
you use mapped drives instead of specific paths), modify the locations to point to
files on the local hard drive of your server.

Tip: We recommend that you convert your mapped drives to the equivalent UNC
paths using the following instructions. If you convert now, you will not have to
perform this step during future upgrades, and you can skip to "Restore file
locations" on page 18.

a. From Sage Desktop in the Applications pane, select Common Tasks > File
> Company Settings > File Locations.
b. In the File Locations window, look for network paths in the Data Folder
column.
c. If you have network paths, write them down (you need this information when
you restore the file locations later) and then modify each network path to
point to the appropriate file on the local hard drive of your server.
d. Click [OK] to close the File Locations window.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each company data folder you will upgrade.

Upgrade files
Files cannot be in use while they are being upgraded.

1. In Sage Desktop in the Applications pane, select Common Tasks > Tools >
Upgrade files.
2. In the Upgrade Files - Print Selection window, select the data folders to upgrade:

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 l Current data folder: Upgrades only the files in the data folder in which you
currently work.
l All data folders: Upgrades files in all data folders that appear in the Open
Company window. This may include data folders on other drives. The upgrade
process can take a long time if you have many data folders.

Note: We recommend that you upgrade all data folders after you install version
24.1.

3. Click [Start].
4. In the Print File Selection window for File name, type a name for the upgrade
report file, and then click [Save].
The upgrade process begins in the background.

5. When the process is complete, review the report.

Restore file locations

If you use UNC paths, you can skip this step now and in future upgrades.

If you use mapped drives instead of UNC paths and the modified file locations and path
are not accessible from the server, restore the previous file location entries:

1. From Sage Desktop in the Applications pane, select Common Tasks > File >
Company Settings > File Locations.
2. In the File Locations window, find the file locations you changed previously and
change them back to the original network path.
3. Click [OK] to close the File Locations window.

E. Upgrade custom Crystal Reports designs

If you upgraded from version 13.1 or earlier and have custom Crystal Reports designs,
you must upgrade them before they can be used in Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate by running the Upgrade Crystal Reports Tool.

To access the tool, click the Start icon, select the Sage Administration program group,
right-click Upgrade Crystal Reports, and then select Run as administrator.

For more information, click (the help button) in the tool's window.

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F. Install Crystal Reports Designer (optional)
If you own Crystal Reports Designer, you must install Crystal Reports For Sage 2013
SP2, which is compatible with Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate versions 14.1
through 24.1. If you have already installed it, you can skip this step. For more information
about setting up Crystal Reports with Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, see
"Chapter 7: Crystal Reports" on page 89.

Caution! Crystal Reports For Sage 2013 SP2 software only runs on Windows 7 SP1,
Windows Server 2008 R2, or higher operating systems (not Windows Vista).

To install Crystal Reports For Sage 2013 SP2:

1. Ensure all Windows programs are closed.

2. On the server or workstation where your report designs are kept, open the email
with the download information, click the download link, run the download, and select
the folder for the download files.
3. Click [Yes] to run the setup wizard.
4. In the Crystal Reports For Sage 2013 SP2 setup window, click [Next] and follow
the on-screen instructions to run the installation.
5. When you see the message that Crystal Reports For Sage 2013 SP2 has been
successfully installed, click [Close].

G. Install SQL Server and Sage SQL Replicator 2.0

(optional)
Sage SQL Replicator 2.0 is an improved version of the replicator that was introduced in
Version 17.1. Use the replicator to copy your Pervasive data into a SQL database, which
enables faster data access for reports. The data is also available for mobile applications,
such as Sage Mobile Dashboard, Sage Mobile Reports, Sage Field Operations, and
Sage Construction Project Center.

For detailed information, see the Sage SQL Replicator 2.0 Setup Guide.

19
 Important! If you used an earlier version of Sage SQL Replicator, follow the steps in
Knowlegebase article 104917 (Preparing your SQL data prior to upgrading to
Replicator 2.0) before you install.

After you install Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate Version 20 or 21, you can install
Sage SQL Replicator 2.0:

1. Use the Sage Universal SQL Installer to install an instance of the SQL database to
hold your data.

Note: The size of the replicated data is larger than the original Pervasive data
because replicator adds views and indexes the data. To determine if you can use
SQL Server Express, add the size of the PVData, POIV Data, SM Data folders
and the master.qxm file together for each company. If the sum is greater than 6
GB, you must use full SQL Server.

2. Install SQL Replicator 2.0 by downloading the SageSQLReplicator.exe file and

running the installation on your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate Accounting
server.
3. Configure the replicator. First, open the System Administrator tool (found in the
Sage Administration program group). Next, click (the Help button) and follow the
instructions in the Replicating your company's data topic to connect and configure
the replicator.
4. If your company plans to use any of the mobile applications, click [Link to Mobile].

Important! Because Sage SQL Replicator now has a separate installer, future updates
to the replicator can be installed without having to install a new version of Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate.

H. After you install

Some of the data and report folders and files will be hidden by default. At the end of the
installation, you can view these hidden files and folders. To view them, open Windows
Explorer, click the View tab, and then select the Hidden items check box.

20
Elevated permission levels after installing
If you install Service Management (SM), Purchasing (PO), and Inventory (IV) on
Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, or later, you should elevate your permission level.
Crystal Reports may not run correctly in these applications if the permission level is set
too low. If you encounter an error message when starting SM, PO, or IV for the first time
after installation, close the application, elevate your permission level, and start the
application again. To do this:

1. Close the Pervasive Workgroup engine (Right-click the Pervasive Database icon in
the systems tray and select Stop Engines and Exit.)
2. Navigate to SM.exe, PO.exe, or IV.exe. The default location for these files is
C:\Program Files (x86)\Timberline Office\Shared.
3. Select Run as Administrator.
4. Open each company data set at the server.
5. Repeat these steps for each company data folder.

If you have Purchasing, Inventory, or Service Management data in

Program Files
If, before upgrading, your company data folder was inside the Program Files folder in
Purchasing (PO), Inventory (IV), or Service Management (SM), follow these steps at the
server to move your data to a shared location and make the data available to your users.

1. Move the data files to a shared location. The default shared location is:
\\[Server name]\Timberline Office\Data
2. At the server, remove all Pervasive System DSNs and User DSNs for each Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate installation:

a. Click the Start icon, select the Windows Administrative Tools program
group, and select ODBC Data Sources (32-bit).
b. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator window on the System DSN tab,
select the first Name associated with a Pervasive ODBC Engine Interface
Driver, and then click [Remove].
c. Repeat this process to remove each Name associated with a Pervasive
ODBC Engine Interface Driver.

21
 d. On the User DSN tab, select the first Name associated with a Pervasive
ODBC Client Interface Driver, and then click [Remove].
e. Repeat this process to remove each Name associated with a Pervasive
ODBC Client Interface Driver.
f. Click [OK].
3. At the server, delete the DBNAMES.CFG file:

a. From \\[Server name]\WINDOWS, right-click DBNAMES.CFG, and select

Delete.
b. In the Confirm File Delete window, click [Yes].
4. Add each company to the company list:

a. In TS-Main, select File > Open Company.

b. Click [Specify Folders].
c. Click [Browse] and browse to the shared location from step 1.
d. Select a folder and click [OK].
e. At the server, open the SM, PO, or IV applications for each Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate company.
f. Repeat these steps for each company folder that you want to add.
5. If you use security, give the appropriate users rights to the companies; in Sage
Desktop, select Options > Security Administration, click User Setup, and then
click Companies.

I. Final steps
1. Restart all programs and services that you shut down for the installation.
2. Review the following guidelines for custom reports or custom third-party
applications.
l If you have custom reports that use the Crystal Reports format, be sure to open
these reports in Crystal Reports Professional, select Database > Verify
Database, and then save the report.
l If you use Inventory, Purchasing, or Service Management custom Crystal
reports, see page 126 or page 132 for special information and detailed
instructions about upgrading these reports.

22
 l As with any release, database changes in Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate applications may affect your custom report designs or custom third-party
applications. Contact your authorized business partner to discuss any issues
relating to custom reports or third-party applications.

23
Chapter 3: Server Migration
The server and data migration tool enables you to easily copy and transfer your Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate Accounting data and customizations to a new server. Items
transferred include:
l Company data
l Security settings
l Custom fields
l User formulas
l Reports and reports menu
l Inquiries
l Macros
l Attachments

You can select which companies you want to copy, giving you the flexibility to include all
companies or only selected companies.

Tip: Click [Help] in any of the server migration windows for more information.

Things to know before you begin

n You must first install Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate Accounting version
24.1 on your new server to access the server migration tool.
n The server migration process copies data from the old server to the new server. Data
is not removed from the old server.
n You can migrate data from Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 9.6 or
later.

24
n You must have administrative rights to the new server and a minimum of read
permission to the old server.
n Your new server must have enough disk space to hold the information from the old
server.
n If you added reports to the Report menus on your old server using mapped drives,
create identical drive mapping for reports on your new server before performing the
migration.
n Macros that you want to migrate must be in the Company folder on the old server
prior to migration. You can copy the macros to the Company folder, if necessary. If
the macros are not in the Company folder, you will need to recreate them on the new
server after the migration.
n If you are using File Locations (File>Company Settings>File Locations) and the
path to the file points to the old server location, you should update this path prior to
upgrading your data. During a data upgrade, the program follows the path selected in
File Locations to upgrade the data file. If that path is the old location, data files in the
old location/server are upgraded instead of data in the new location/server.
n We recommend that you perform a test migration, then validate that all of your data,
reports, macros and settings work properly on the new server. You can then stop
work on the old server and perform the migration again with the latest files.
n The migration will overwrite companies and security on the new server. You should
perform the migration before setting up companies and security (for example, before
setting up a new job).
n Most of the migration tasks are performed in a few minutes. However, moving
attachments can take more time. If you have many attachments, consider
transferring them during non-business hours.

After you migrate your server, you must uninstall and then reinstall Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate on all workstations so they interact with the data on the new
server instead of the old.

Recommended procedure
Preparing your new server
If you have not already installed and run Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, do so
now.

25
1. Install Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate Accounting version 24.1 on your new
server.
2. Click the Start icon, select the Sage Administration program group, and select
Sage System Verifier.
3. In the Sage System Verifier window, click [Scan System].
4. When the system verification has completed, click [Close].
5. Set up administrative rights on the new server.
6. Set up existing or new printers on your new server. The TS PDF printer cannot be
the only printer on your system and cannot be selected as the default.

Migrating your server

1. On the new server, open your program files folder and \Timberline Office\Shared,
and then double-click Sage.STO.ServerMigrator.exe.
2. In the Server Migration Tool window for Old server location, type the path or
browse to the location where Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate installed on
your old server.
For example: \\oldservername\Timberline Office\9.5
3. Verify or change the server migration log path (on the new server) for Log file path.
For example:
\\newservername\Timberline
Office\9.5\Accounting\Migration\ServerMigrationLog 1.pdf
4. Click [Validate] to perform a test of the files to be transferred.
5. When you see the Validation complete message and the validation is successful,
click [Migrate].
6. When you see the Migration complete message, view the server migration log (that
you set up in Step 3) to ensure that all files were transferred correctly.

Migrating your data folders

1. On the new server, open your program files folder and \Timberline Office\Shared,
and then double-click Sage.STO.ServerDataMigrator.exe.
2. In the Server Data Location window, verify or change the data folder migration log
name and path (on the new server) for Log file path. For example:
\\newservername\Timberline
Office\9.5\Accounting\Migration\ServerDataMigrationLog 1.pdf

26
3. Select the companies whose data you want to copy.
4. Click [Validate] to perform a test of the files to be copied.
5. When you see the Validation complete message and the validation is successful,
click [Migrate data folders].
6. When you see the Migration complete message, view the server data migration log
(that you set up in Step 2) to ensure that all files were copied correctly.

Migrating your macros

Any macros that you have must be in the Company folder on the old server prior to
migration. You can copy the macros to the Company folder, if necessary. If the macros
are not in the Company folder, you will need to recreate them on the new server after the
migration.

1. If the Server Data Location window is not already open on the new server, open
your program files folder and \Timberline Office\Shared, and then double-click
Sage.STO.ServerDataMigrator.exe.
2. In the Server Data Location window, verify or change the macro migration log
name and path (on the new server) for Log file path. For example:
\\newservername\Timberline
Office\9.5\Accounting\Migration\MacroMigration.pdf
3. Select the companies whose macros you want to copy.
4. Click [Migrate Macros].
5. In the Macro Printer List window, verify the printers that you want to use are listed.
Click [Change] if you want to select different printers.
6. Click [Migrate Macros].
7. When you see the Macro migration complete message, view the macro migration
log (that you set up in Step 2) to ensure that all macros were transferred correctly.

Migrating your attachments

Note: Migrating attachments can take some time. If you have many attachments,
you may want to consider migrating them during non-business hours.

1. If the Server Data Location window is not already open on the new server, open
your program files folder and \Timberline Office\Shared, and then double-click

27
 Sage.STO.ServerDataMigrator.exe.
2. In the Server Data Location window, verify or change the attachment migration log
name and path (on the new server) for Log file path. For example:
\\newservername\Timberline
Office\9.5\Accounting\Migration\AttachmentMigration.pdf
3. Select the companies whose attachments you want to copy.
4. Click [Migrate attachments].

5. In the Attachment Paths window, review the table showing the old and new
locations for each set of attachments. You can change the new location.

a. If you want to change the new attachment path for all rows to the default
location on the new server, click [Use default location].
b. If you want to replace portions of the new paths in specific rows, select the
check box in front of the rows that you want to change, click [Replace
selected], type the old text (for Find), type the new text (for Replace), and
then click [OK].
c. If you want to change the new path for one row, either:

l Click in the New attachment path column and type the new path.
l Click [Change], specify the new path, and then click [OK].
6. When the rows display the desired new attachment paths, click [Migrate
attachments].
7. When you see the Attachment migration complete message, view the attachment
migration log (that you set up in Step 2) to ensure that all attachments were
transferred correctly.

Updating your workstations

After you migrate your server, you must uninstall and then reinstall Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate on all workstations so they interact with the data on the new
server instead of the old.

1. On the workstation, uninstall the program by opening the Control Panel, selecting
Uninstall a program, right-clicking Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate and
selecting Uninstall.

28
2. Follow the instructions on page 15 for installing Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate on a workstation.
3. Repeat these steps for every workstation running Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate.

29
Chapter 4: System Guidance
General information
Review the hardware and software requirements. For details about installing, see
"Chapter 2: Install Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate".

Backups
We strongly recommend that you back up all Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
data files to external media daily.

Consider the following as you develop your backup plan:

l Use Sage System Administrator to back up and restore your data files. This is
especially important if you use Sage SQL Replicator. The File Tools backup and
restore operations do not back up and restore the SQL data, which may result in data
integrity issues.
l Verify that when a folder is included in a backup, the subfolders are also included.
l Schedule the backup during off-peak hours. All users must close Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate before you back up files.
l Always back up your entire Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate dataset. Do not
perform incremental backups.
l Back up all data and application files within the Sage folder: [Drive:]\Program
Data\Sage
l Review the backup to be sure all data has been included. Back up all data and files,
even if they are outside the default folders.

Tip: To see a list of folders that are outside the current data folder, from the
Applications pane in Sage Desktop, select Common Tasks > File > Company
Settings > File Locations.

30
l Store backup media in a secure location outside your building.
l Test backups by restoring them to test folders. Environmental issues and files in use
can affect the integrity of a backup. These tests are important because backup media
may have a limited life and backup devices may malfunction.

Caution! When you test a backup, keep the restored data separate from your
production data.

Important! Restoring your business data requires advanced knowledge of the

Actian Pervasive, Microsoft SQL, and Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate file
systems. We strongly recommend you undertake this process with a
knowledgeable professional, such as your business partner, certified consultant,
or Sage Customer Service representative.

Virus scanning
Do not actively scan Pervasive program files, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
program files, or Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data files for viruses during
production hours.

Important! Scan these files at a time when they are not in use. For example,
schedule a daily virus scan at night.

Actively scanning Pervasive program files, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
program files, or Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data files for viruses may cause
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate to run slowly or to close unexpectedly. Typical
folders that contain files that you should not scan include:
l Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate program files:
[Drive]:\Program Files\Timberline Office
l Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data files:
[Drive]:\TSData
l Pervasive program files:
C:\Program Data\Pervasive Software

31
Windows User Account Control (UAC)
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate is designed to work with the Windows User
Account Control (UAC) security scheme. With Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and
later, you cannot save a file to a folder to which you do not have read/write permissions
assigned. If such an attempt is made, Windows security diverts your data to a copy of the
data file or report and associates the copy with your user profile, thereby possibly
compromising the integrity of your application. To prevent this, Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate applications present you with an error message if you try to save a file to
such a location. See page 37 for more information about moving your data folders for
compliance with UAC.

Accounting and Management products

l New installations of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate on Windows 7, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or later operating systems will place data files in the
Drive]:\ProgramData\Timberline Office folder.
l Upgrades to existing installations on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, or later
require you to share the data folders and assign read/write permissions or move the
folders to a shared location and assign read/write permission to the shared location.

Note: You can share the data files before installing the upgrade. You can move data
folders after completing the upgrade installation. If you move your data files and you
use File Locations (File > Company Settings > File Locations) to allow other data
folders to access the folder's data files, be sure you update the locations using File
Locations for each affected data folder.

If you install in a client/server environment, note that the WinInst folder and
corresponding Install.exe file was moved in 9.5. The path to the WinInst folder is:
[Drive]:\Program Data\\Sage\Timberline Office\9.5\Accounting\WinInst\Install.exe

Hidden folders
Some folders may be hidden. To view them, open Windows Explorer, click the View tab,
and then select the Hidden items check box.

32
NTFS file compression
Do not use NTFS file compression on data or program files for Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate. Using Microsoft Windows NTFS file system to compress files causes
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate to run very slowly.

Terminal services
For terminal services:
l Configure terminal services to maintain an operator’s session during connection
breaks. This prevents a program from closing unexpectedly and helps preserve data
integrity. To set up this aspect of Windows Terminal Services, use the Terminal
Services Configuration program. For more information about using terminal services,
see "Terminal services" on page 40
l Do not use fast user switching. Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate does not
support fast user switching on Windows 7 or later.

Pervasive database engines

The Pervasive database engines provide access to Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate data files. To use Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, users must have full
control of the Pervasive installation folder and subfolders.
l Do not use the Subst or Netdrv commands in windows. These commands may cause
Pervasive status code 11 or 116 errors.
l Do not exclusively use the NetBEUI network protocol. This protocol is not supported.
If NetBEUI is your only network protocol, you must install TCP/IP before you install
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. If no applications require the NetBEUI
protocol, consult with a network technician about removing it.

Firewalls and Sage Service Host

Beginning with Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 9.5, the Sage Service
Host uses TCP instead of named pipes for inter-machine communication. Sage Service
Host is a Windows service that runs on Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate servers
and workstations. This service facilitates communication between Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate applications.

33
If you use Windows Firewall, you do not need to take any action, as Windows Firewall is
configured during installation to work correctly with Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate. However, if you use a non-Windows firewall, you may need to manually adjust
some settings to ensure proper performance.

Setting up Sage Service Host on firewalls other than Windows Firewall

If you use a firewall other than Windows Firewall, you may be prompted during
installation that the Sage Service Host is attempting to access the internet or is
attempting to act as a server. The Sage Service Host must be given permission to
perform these types of activities.

If you need to manually set up this exception, make the following changes on every
machine where Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate is installed:
l Set up your firewall to allow an exception for the Sage Service Host. Refer to the
Windows Firewall instructions below and your firewall documentation for specific
instructions.
l If you have other software that uses TCP ports 8101 and 8102, you may need to
manually configure either the other software or the Sage Service Host to use different
port numbers.

The Sage Service Host port numbers can be configured in the Sage.STO.9.5.xml
file. This file is located in Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Sage\LS1\ServiceHost\1.0\Configuration. If you need to change the default
port numbers for Sage Service Host, this file should be changed on every machine
on the network where Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate is being installed,
including the accounting server.

Setting up Sage Service Host on a Windows Firewall

Windows Firewall is automatically configured during installation to work correctly with
Sage Service Host. However, if you need to manually set up Sage Service Host to
communicate on a Windows Firewall, do the following:
l Open Windows Firewall and select the Exceptions tab. If Sage Service Host is not on
the list, you can add it by selecting [Add Program], and then browsing to the
following path: [Drive]: \Program Files\Common Files\Sage\LS1\ServiceHost\1.0\
Sage.LS1.ServiceHost.exe.

34
l By default, the exception is set for any computer on the network. You can adjust this
setting by selecting [Change Scope].
l If you have other software that uses TCP ports 8101 and 8102, you may need to
manually configure either the other software or the Sage Service Host to use different
port numbers.

The Sage Service Host port numbers can be configured in the Sage.STO.9.5.xml
file. This file is located in Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Sage\LS1\ServiceHost\1.0\Configuration. If you need to change the default
port numbers for Sage Service Host, this file should be changed on every computer
on the network where Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate is being installed,
including the accounting server.

35
Troubleshooting
This section contains answers to the following questions:
l "If Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate stops responding during the workstation
installation, how can I resolve this?"
l "How do I move Accounting and Management products from one server to another?"
l "Why am I getting an error message when I try to save data or reports?" on page 37
l "I upgraded from Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 9.4. Do I need to move my
data folders or reports to comply with User Account Control (UAC) requirements?" on
page 37
l "Which Accounting and Management files were moved for Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate?" on page 38

When you need more assistance, visit Sage Customer Resources for links to Sage
Knowledgebase, Sage City, the Product Documents website, Live Chat, Online Case
submission, and other resources.

If Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate stops responding during the
workstation installation, how can I resolve this?
Try the following:
l Turn off antivirus software and unnecessary programs before you install.
l Verify that you have full user rights to the parent folder of the application data folders
containing files needed so that Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate can run
correctly.

For Accounting and Management applications, the default location is:

[Drive]:\Program Data\Sage.

How do I move Accounting and Management products from one server to

another?
Use the server migration tool found in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. For
detailed instructions, see "Chapter 3: Server Migration" on page 24.

36
 Caution! Incorrectly moving Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data folders may
severely damage your system. Sage Software is not responsible for damage to your
data caused by incorrectly moving your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data
folders. Before making changes to your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data,
contact your system administrator for assistance and make a backup copy of all valued
data.

Note: Versions of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate prior to 9.5 will not install
correctly on machines with a Windows 2007, Microsoft Server 2008 R2, or later
operating system.

Why am I getting an error message when I try to save data or reports?

You cannot save data or report files to a location for which you do not have read/write
permissions. This is to comply with Windows security requirements. To save the file, you
must first have read/write permissions assigned or else save the file to another location to
which you already have these permissions.

I upgraded from Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 9.4. Do I need to
move my data folders or reports to comply with User Account Control
(UAC) requirements?
For Accounting & Management applications, you do not need to move folders to comply
with UAC requirements unless you also install the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating
system.

If you install on Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7, you do not need to move folders
if they are already shared. If your data and report folders are not already shared, you will
need to share the location or move them to a shared location and then update their
location at File > Open Company > [Specify Folders]. Refer to "Which Accounting and
Management files were moved for Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate?" (the next
question) for information on folder locations.

The Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate folder continues to exist under Program Files
but contains only the essential binary files required for the applications to operate.

In Purchasing (PO) and Inventory (IV), if you originally set up your company (data) folder
inside the Program Files folder, your data will not be accessible after you upgrade.

37
To prevent this issue, you should move your data from the Program Files folder to a
different location prior to upgrading, as described in "Windows User Account Control
(UAC) " on page 32.

Opening Purchasing or Inventory from a workstation before opening on a server will

cause the DSN to be set incorrectly. After Purchasing or Inventory has been opened at
the server, the applications can be opened at any workstation.

This issue is not specific to UAC but the solution to resolve it is the same.

After installation, verify your application operates correctly and you have access to your
data, then remove the original data files from the Program Files folder.

Which Accounting and Management files were moved for Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate?
Many Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate folders were moved from the Program
Files folder to a shared location beginning with the 9.5 release. A list of the affected
Accounting & Management application folders is provided in the following table.

Note: Some folders may be hidden. To view them, open Windows Explorer, click the
View tab, and then select the Hidden items check box.

Original and new locations

File/Original Location New Location (Windows Server 2008 R2)

[Program Files]\Timberline
ProgramData\Sage\TimberlineOffice\9.5\Accounting\For
Office\Accounting\Formul
mula
a

[Program Files]\Timberline ProgramData\Sage\TimberlineOffice\9.5\Accounting\Inqui

Office\Accounting\Inquiry ry

[Program Files]\Timberline ProgramData\Sage\TimberlineOffice\9.5\Accounting\Rep

Office\Accounting\Report ort

[Program Files]\Timberline
ProgramData\Sage\TimberlineOffice\9.5\Accounting\Tem
Office\Accounting\Templa
plate
te

38
 File/Original Location New Location (Windows Server 2008 R2)

[Program Files]\Timberline
ProgramData\Sage\TimberlineOffice\Data\[Sample Data
Office\Accounting\
Folders]
[Sample Data Folders]

[Program Files]\Timberline ProgramData\Sage\TimberlineOffice\9.5\Accounting\Wini

Office\Accounting\Wininst nst

[Program Files]\Timberline
ProgramData\Sage\TimberlineOffice\9.5\Documents
Office\Documents

39
Terminal services
Windows Terminal Services is a component of Microsoft Windows Server. Terminal
Services consists of a terminal server and one or more remote workstations. It enables
users to access programs or data stored on a remote computer by a phone, network,
Internet connection, or other communication methods.

Remote network connections do not provide adequate bandwidth to run Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate products without the use of Terminal Services. Terminal
Services provides remote users with a stable and well-performing experience.

Important! If you use Citrix MetaFrame, you must install it before you install Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate.

You can install Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate applications on your terminal
server (as described on page 14), or you can use Terminal Services in conjunction with a
server for Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Note: Sage does not support the administrative configuration of Terminal Services with
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate products because it is a partially configured
version of Terminal Services.

Printers
General guidelines
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate supports the use of business-class laser printers.

We no longer support the use of dot matrix printers for printing 1099 and W-2 forms.

Instead, use a laser printer. Some reports that use the Crystal Reports® format require a
laser printer. For example, you must use a laser printer to generate cost and contract
invoices (AIA documents) in Billing, Service Management, Purchasing, and Inventory.

You should use inkjet or bubble jet printers only as backup printers; we do not test inkjet
or bubble jet printers.

40
Printer driver
We recommend that you use a PCL 5e printer driver.

Most new printers also support a PCL 6 printer driver. A PCL 6 driver supports higher
resolutions than a PCL 5e driver (1200 dots per inch versus 600 dots per inch). However,
because of its higher resolution (and, thus, greater memory needs), PCL-6-based printing
uses more toner, is slower, and is sometimes unstable.

Many printers come with both PCL 5e drivers and PCL 6 drivers. If your printer does not
come with a PCL 5e driver, your printer manufacturer probably offers one for free online.

Try using the PCL 5e driver first. Switch to a PCL 6 driver only if your printer does not
function properly with a PCL 5e driver.

Margins
The following margins work with most laser printers.

Recommended margins

Products Top margin Bottom margin Left margin Right margin

Accounting and
0.25 inches 0.5 inches 0.25 inches 0.5 inches
Management products

Installing, moving, or removing Sage 300 Construction

and Real Estate products
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate uses Microsoft Installer (MSI) for the installation,
repair, modification, and removal of Accounting and Management Products.

Installation
The MSI installation occurs automatically when you install Accounting and Management
Products. Use the Microsoft® Event Viewer to review the final status of the installation.
You can find the Event Viewer in the Control Panel > Administrative Tools folder. For

41
information about installing, see "Chapter 2: Install Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate" on page 10.

Auto-repair feature
This feature occurs automatically when you start an application and does not require any
action or response. MSI tracks important groupings of files that are necessary for an
application to run. If an important component is missing, MSI restores these files from the
original installation source.

If MSI detects missing components, you may notice a brief delay of approximately two
minutes while MSI validates them. In a Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate server
configuration, you will be prompted for the installation DVD unless the installation source
was copied and installed from the hard drive. On a workstation running Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate, the utility retrieves the missing files from the shared Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate server if a valid network connection exists.

Use the Microsoft Event Viewer to review the changes made to the installation. You can
find the Event Viewer in the Control Panel > Administrative Tools folder.

Modify option
Use this option to add new programs or change program uses. This option is available
when you reinstall a currently installed version of Accounting and Management Products
on the server.

This utility proceeds through the traditional installation routine with the exception that you
cannot change your registration name or client number.

To start the utility, begin the installation process by double-clicking Install.exe. In the
Accounting Server - InstallShield Wizard window, select Modify.

Remove utility
Use the Remove utility to permanently remove Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
products from a server or workstation. For additional information, see "Removing
Accounting and Management products entirely" (the next section)

42
This utility removes application files and application registry folders which are created
during the application installation process. It does not necessarily return the server or
workstation to its original state. Files and registry values modified or created during the
use of Accounting and Management products will still exist (for example, \HKEY_
CURRENT_USER\Software\Timberline).

Removing Accounting and Management products entirely

A complete removal of the Accounting and Management Products includes running the
uninstall program first, then manually deleting the Program folder for Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate, manually deleting the application data folder for Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate, manually deleting the Current User registry keys for Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate, and uninstalling any third-party prerequisite products.
If you decide to reinstall after doing a complete removal of Accounting and Management
Products, you must restore all Accounting and Management Products folders and files
from a backup and then reinstall the Accounting and Management Products.

Summary of removal steps

1. Back up the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate program folder and all
company data. Confirm that the backup was successful before continuing.
2. Remove Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate using the Remove utility. To start
the utility, open the Windows Add or Remove Programs feature, select Timberline
Accounting Server or Timberline Accounting Client, and then click [Remove].
3. Use Windows Explorer to delete the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate folder
(typically installed at X:\Program Files\Timberline Office).
4. Use Windows Explorer to delete the Sage application data folder. This is typically
installed at [Drive]:\Program Data\Sage.
5. (Optional) Use the Microsoft Registry Editor to delete the registry key
\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Timberline.
6. Use Windows Add or Remove Programs to remove Pervasive.SQL Server from the
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate Server.
7. Use Windows Add or Remove Programs to remove Pervasive.SQL Workgroup
from Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate workstations.

43
Chapter 5: Security
Security overview
If you have many people working in your office, you may not want each one to have
access to all the features of the software. For instance, you may not want all staff
members to be able to print checks or to print reports that include sensitive data.

You can use the security function in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate to restrict
access to various areas of the software.

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate security is set up through the Security
Administration tool in Sage Desktop (by selecting Options > Security Administration).

User types
The Security Administration tool for Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate includes
three types of users: security administrators, application administrators, and Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate users.
l Security administrators set up and maintain accounts for users. For a complete list
of tasks that a security administrator can perform, see "Setting up security " on page
57
l Application administrators can restrict access to software features and data that
each user has permission to access. They define roles and assign users to the roles.
For a complete list of tasks that an application administrator can perform, see
"Setting up security " on page 57
l Users have task permissions defined by the application administrator. These
permissions can range from none to almost as extensive as an application
administrator. Users can have the same level of file and record access as an
application administrator. Users can have access to one or more companies.

44
l A role represents a group of users who have the same security requirements. A role
has its own user name and its own task, record, file, and company permissions.

The use of roles often saves setup time, because the application administrator can
assign permissions to new users simply by assigning them to an existing role. The
use of roles can also clarify your company's security plan because the application
administrator can create roles that correspond to the company's organizational
structure. For example, the application administrator can create roles for Accounts
Payable clerks, Payroll clerks, property managers, and project managers.

Types of security
l Task security restricts access to menu items and certain tasks. For example, you
can control who can set up vendors in Accounts Payable.

With task security, an application administrator can restrict access to menu items and
certain tasks found within windows. For example, task security can control access to
the Setup > Vendors menu item in Accounts Payable (AP.) Also, task security can
control whether you can approve a change order in the Item Status field of the Enter
Change Order Items - Scope of Change window in Job Cost.

In the following example of task security, an application administrator assigns task

permissions based on the tasks that the employees need to perform.

Example of task security setup

Permission to Permission to Permission to

Role
AP Settings? Post Invoices? AP Reports?

CONTROL (controller) Yes Yes Yes

APCLERK (AP clerk) Yes Yes

PROJMGR (project
Yes
manager)

45
 Note: If employees are going to run reports with SQL data, they need to have read
permissions to the relevant SQL tables. See the tables in SQL Data Access >
Read Access in the Tasks tree.

l File security blocks all access to a file and restricts ODBC access. For example, you
can restrict access to sensitive payroll files.

File security allows application administrators to block all access to a file. This
includes access through open database connectivity and through all related tasks,
reports, and inquiries. This differs from task security, which allows application
administrators to block tasks selectively and does not allow them to control ODBC
access.

In the following example of file security, a company has two Payroll (PR) master files.
One is for the executive staff and the other is for the field staff. In order to keep the
executive payroll information private, the company creates a separate role for users
that handle the executive PR master file.

Example of file security setup

Access to Exec Access to Field

Role Users
PR Master File? PR Master File?

Controller and a Yes, for all users

EXECPR
senior payroll assigned to this
(executive payroll)
clerk role

Yes, for all users

FIELDPR Controller and all
assigned to this
(field payroll) payroll clerks
role

In this example, the senior payroll clerk is a member of both the EXECPR and
FIELDPR roles. A user can belong to more than one role.
l Record security controls access to certain records so that reports and inquiries
display only the records to which the user has security access. For example, you can
restrict reporting and inquiries on jobs or bank accounts.

46
l Company security restricts access to which companies a user can see. Application
administrators can grant a user access to specific companies. Security
administrators and application administrators have access to all companies.
l Application security prevents unauthorized users from accessing Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate. When application administrators turn on application
security, all users must enter a user name and password to access the software.
They can restrict access to software features and data that each user has permission
to access. Security Administration offers four types of application security: task, file,
record, and company.

Application security also lets application administrators hide applications from users
and roles. When an application administrator uses the Security Administration tool to
deny a user or role access to all tasks in an application and sets secured menu items
to not display, users cannot see the application in Sage Desktop.

Log settings
By default, logging is turned on. Security administrators can turn off Application, Security,
or Setup logging.

The Audit Setup, Field Report, and System logs are required. You cannot turn them off.

The Posting Recap and Task Summary logs are for future use. No logs are created at this
time.

Types of logs

Required
Log type Description
log?

Logs the start and end of Accounting applications and

No Application
tasks.

Logs changes when the audit setup activity is

Yes Audit Setup
selected in an Accounting application.

Logs changes to finalized field reports in Project

Yes Field Report
Management.

47
 Required
Log type Description
log?

Logs recaps created while posting entries in

Yes Posting Recap
Accounting. (Future)

No Security Logs events in the Security Administration tool.

No Setup Logs changes to setup information in Accounting.

Yes System Logs Accounting system events.

Logs summaries created during an Accounting task.

Yes Task Summary
(Future)

48
Applications with Security Administration
The following applications feature Security Administration:

l Accounts Payable l Equipment Cost l Payroll

l Accounts Receivable l Financial Statements l Project Management
l Address Book l General Ledger l Property Management
l Billing l Information Assistant l Remote Time
l Cash Management l Inquiry Designer l Report Designer
l Contacts l Job Cost

The following applications have limited Security Administration:

l Purchasing and Inventory are affected by task security. Application administrators
cannot set up Security Administration for these applications but you must type your
user name and password if Security Administration is on. Purchasing and Inventory
also offer their own form of task security. For more information, see Help in these
applications.
l Service Management uses task security. Application administrators can create
users and roles and set up task security for Service Management just as you would in
the bulleted list of applications above.

Record security
With record security, you can control access to four records:
l Cash Management bank account
l General Ledger prefix
l Job Cost and Project Management job
l Property Management property

In addition, you can select or clear the Give all users access to records with blank
security IDs check box. Select the box if you want records with blank security IDs to be
accessible to all users. Clear the box if you want only application administrators to access
these records. For more information, see "Set up record security" on page 62.

49
When record security is active, reports and inquiries display only the records to which the
user has access. For more information, see "Effect of record security on reports" on page
50 and "Effect of record security on inquiries" on page 53.

Record security also affects Job Cost, Contracts, and Project Management tasks. In
these applications, you can type or select only jobs to which you have access. For more
information, see "Effect of record security on tasks" on page 56.

Example—using record security

In the following example, a property manager, Accounts Payable (AP) clerk, and Property
Management (PM) clerk work as a team on certain properties. Another project manager,
AP clerk, and PM clerk work as a team on different properties.

With the following record security setup, these employees have access to only their
team's properties.

Example of record security setup>

Access to TEAM1 Access to TEAM2

Role Users
Properties? Properties?

Proj Mgr 1
Yes, for all TEAM1 users
TEAM1 AP Clerk 1
assigned to this role
JC Clerk 1

Proj Mgr 2
Yes, for all TEAM2 users
TEAM2 AP Clerk 2
assigned to this role
JC Clerk 2

Effect of record security on reports

When record security is active on a report, the report displays only the records that are
accessible to the current user. Moreover, totals on the report adjust to reflect only the
accessible records.

For example, in Job Cost, a Cost Entries by Job report (simplified for this example)
would look like the following to an application administrator:

50
 Example report view by application
administrator

Job Cost Code Category Amount

01-002 3-110 L (labor) 100.00

01-003 2-520 M (material) 350.00

Report
450.00
Total

To a user with permissions to only job 01-002, the same report would look like the
following:

Example report view by user with only access to

job 01-002

Job Cost Code Category Amount

01-002 3-110 L (labor) 100.00

Report
100.00
Total

Note: Some reports list information from several different records on the same line. If
you lack access rights to the report’s driving record (the primary record upon which the
report is based), the report skips the entire line. If you lack access rights to one of the
non-driving records, the report skips only the information from that record.

Report record security settings

Each report has security settings that control whether record security can affect the
report. If you own Report Designer, you can modify these settings (Report Designer
>Design Security). If you do not own Report Designer, an application administrator can
control record security on reports only by turning on or turning off record security. (For
more information, see "Turn off record security" on page 68.)

51
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate defines the security settings on stock reports
based on whether (a) the report contains sensitive information or (b) the report's content
should be tailored to the user. For example, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
allows the bank record on the Cash Management Check Register report to be secured so
that, if record security is on, you can generate reports that list only the entries for the
banks to which the current user has access.

In some cases, for practical reasons, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate does not
allow record security to affect a report. For example, in Cash Management, you can type
any bank in data entry tasks (bank account record security currently only affects reports
and inquiries). Therefore, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate does not secure the
bank account record on the Cash Management Journal report.

Indicators that record security affects a report

Record security always affects a Crystal report, which has a “(CR)” in its name, unless the
report uses a special formula to disable record security. To check for this formula, you
must open the report in Crystal Decisions Crystal Reports. (You cannot use a Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate application to check for this formula.)

Note: If you create reports in Report Designer, then you can secure those reports with
Security Administration. You must be an application administrator and own Report
Designer to modify security settings on new report designs.

If you do not own Report Designer: the report's cover page indicates whether record
security is on. You have the following options regarding cover pages:
l If you want to print a cover page every time you print any report, select Tools >
Options. On the Reports tab, select Attach to report.
l If you want to print a cover page only some of the time, you must choose to print a
cover page at the time of printing. From an applications Tools menu, select the report
and from the Print Selection window, click [Page Setup]. Then select Attach to
report.

If you own Report Designer: in addition to the report cover page (see above), record
security information can appear in three additional areas.

52
l A report's design information (Tools > Design Info) lists the report's record security
settings.
l A report's page heading (defined in File > Page Setup > Page Headings) indicates
whether record security is on.
l If you open a report created in Report Designer 7.x or earlier and the report contains
secured records, you will receive an on-screen message that lists the secure records
on that report. Once you save the report, you will no longer receive this message.

Effect of an upgrade on reports

When you upgrade from Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate Accounting products 7.x
or earlier to Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 8.0 or later, the following changes
take place with reports.

Stock reports

New stock reports replace your existing stock reports. The new reports have settings that
control whether record security can affect the reports. However, these settings take effect
only if you activate record security.

Custom reports

If you open a custom report created in Report Designer 7.x or earlier, the software
displays a message that lists the secure records on that report. Once you save the report,
you no longer receive this message.

The software also modifies the report's security settings. It changes these settings to
allow record security, if active, to affect all securable records on the report.

You must use Report Designer to change a report's settings. If you do not own Report
Designer, the only way to control record security on a report is for an application
administrator to turn on or turn off record security.

Effect of record security on inquiries

When record security for an inquiry is on, the inquiry displays only records that are
accessible to the current user.

53
For example, in Cash Management, a Bank List inquiry would look like the following to an
application administrator:

Example inquiry by application administrator

Bank Account Description Account Number Register Balance

First First Bank 042134526 56,650.97

Liberty Liberty S&L 874613754 91,450.44

To a user with permissions to only First Bank, the same inquiry would look like the
following:

Example inquiry by user with only access to First Bank

Bank Account Description Account Number Register Balance

First First Bank 042134526 56,650.97

Note: Some inquiries list information from several different records on the same line. If
you lack access rights to the inquiry's driving record (the primary record upon which the
inquiry is based), the inquiry skips the entire line. If you lack access rights to one of the
non-driving records, the inquiry skips only the information from that record.

Inquiry record security settings

Each inquiry has record security settings that control whether record security can affect
the inquiry. These settings take effect in the following scenarios:
l New installations of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 8.0 or later.
l Subsequent upgrades of a new 8.0 or later installation.

If you upgrade from Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate Accounting and
Management products 7.x or earlier to Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 8.0 or
later, these settings do not take effect. Instead, record security automatically affects your
inquiries if it is on. For more information, see "Effect of an upgrade on inquiries" (the next
section).

54
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate selects inquiry record security settings based on
whether the inquiry contains sensitive information or whether its information should be
tailored to the user. For example, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate allows the bank
record on the Cash Management Bank Register inquiry to be secured so that, if record
security is on, your inquiry displays entries for only the banks to which you have access.

If you own Inquiry Designer, you can modify inquiry security settings. For more
information, see "Change design security on an inquiry" on page 72.

If you do not own Inquiry Designer, application administrators can control record security
on inquiries
only by turning on or turning off record security. For more information, see "Turn off
record security" on page 68.

Indicators that record security affects an inquiry

A button with a lock on it appears in the upper right corner of the inquiry. If you click this
button, a Record Security window appears that lists which records are secured on the
inquiry.

Note: In this window, an application administrator can select or clear records to secure.
However, the selections affect only the current user's session. Therefore, selections are
inconsequential because an application administrator already has permission to view
all records.

Effect of an upgrade on inquiries

If your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate Accounting products installation started
with 7.x or earlier, record security affects your stock and custom inquiries to the extent
that it is on. (Installations that started with 8.0 or later are different; see the next section).
For example, if record security is on for the Cash Management bank account record and
the Job Cost and Project Management job records, these records are automatically
secured on the inquiry. If record security is on for only the Cash Management bank
account record, only this record is secured on the inquiry.

If you own Inquiry Designer, you can specify settings on each inquiry that control whether
record security affects the inquiry.

55
Difference between upgrades and new installations
New installations of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (and subsequent upgrades)
use Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate’s predefined inquiry record security settings.
These settings control whether record security can affect an inquiry. For example, if an
inquiry’s settings do not allow Cash Management bank account record security, this
record is not secured on the inquiry (even if record security is on). For an upgrade, record
security automatically affects the bank account record because the inquiry does not use
the predefined record security settings.

Effect of record security on tasks

Record security can restrict access to the job record in certain Job Cost (JC), Contracts
(CN), and Project Management (PJ) tasks. When record security is turned on for jobs,
you cannot view a job in a list or type a job unless you have security access for that job.
For example, in the PJ Job Setup window (PJ > Setup > Jobs), when you click [Find] to
list jobs that have been previously set up, you see only jobs to which you have access.

In addition, you can select or clear the Give all users access to records with blank
security IDs check box. Select the box if you want records with blank security IDs to be
accessible to all users. Clear the box if you want only application administrators to access
these records. For more information, see "Set up record security" on page 62.

Job record security affects the following tasks:

Contracts
l Edit > Link
l Edit > Add/Edit JC CO link
l Edit > JC CO Item Link Details

Job Cost
l Setup > Jobs
l Tasks > Enter Estimates
l Tasks > Change Orders
l Tasks > Commitments

56
l Tasks > Commitment Change Orders
l Tasks > Enter Misc Worksheets

Project Management
l All tasks that involve the job record (for example, job setup and document creation).

Setting up security
This section contains the tasks that security administrators and application administrators
need to perform to set up security. Some tasks can be performed by either administrator
role. Other tasks must be performed by a specific administrator role. The best practice is
for the security administrator to perform steps 1 through 8 and for the application
administrator to perform steps 9 through 13. Steps 6, 12, and 13 are optional.

Tasks for security or application administrators

Whether you can perform this tack Security Application

if you have this role: Administrator Administrator

"Turn on security" Yes No

"Add a security administrator" Yes No

"Add an application administrator" Yes No

"Log on" Yes No

"Restart Sage 300 Construction and Real

Yes No
Estate"

"Turn off logging" (optional) Yes No

"Add roles" Yes No

"Add users" Yes No

"Add users to roles" Yes Yes

"Add tasks to roles" Limited Yes

"Grant users access to companies" No Yes

57
 Whether you can perform this tack Security Application
if you have this role: Administrator Administrator

"Restrict access to files" (optional) No Yes

"Set up record security" (optional) No Yes

Turn on security
To prevent unauthorized users from accessing your software, we recommend that you
turn on application security. When you turn on application security, all users must enter a
user name and password to access the software. Application administrators can restrict
access to software features and data that each user has permission to access.

Note: You must be a security administrator to turn on security.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Security Settings.
3. Select the Turn on application security check box.
4. Click [OK].

Add a security administrator

When you turn on security, you must add a security administrator. Security administrators
set up and maintain accounts for users. For back-up purposes, we recommend adding at
least two security administrators.

To add or change a security administrator later, go to Security Administration > User

Setup. You must be a security administrator to add another security administrator.

Add an application administrator

When you turn on security, you must add an application administrator. Application
administrators define roles and assign users to the roles. For back-up purposes, we
recommend adding at least two application administrators.

To add or change an application administrator later, go to Security Administration >

User Setup.

58
Log on
1. From the Log On window, type your User name.
2. Type your Password.
3. Click [Log On].

Restart Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate

For the security settings to take effect, all users must restart Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate.

1. When the Restart message appears, click [OK].

2. Close Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (File > Exit), and then reopen it.
3. Request all users to restart Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Turn off logging

This task is optional.

Security administrators can only turn off Application, Security, or Setup logging. The
Audit Setup, Field Report, and System logs are required; you cannot turn them off. The
Posting Recap and Task Summary logs are for future use; no logs are created.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Log Settings.
3. In the On column, clear the types of logs that you want to turn off.
4. Click [OK].

Add roles
1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, click Role Setup.
3. On the Roles pane, click [Add].
4. On the Role Details pane, type the Name of the role (for example, AP Clerk.)
5. (Optional) Type the Description for this role.

59
6. (Optional) Select the tasks for this role. For more information, see "Add tasks to
roles" on page 61.
7. (Optional) Select the users for this role. For more information, see "Add users to
roles" on page 60.
8. Click [Save Changes].

Add users
1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, click User Setup.
3. On the Users pane, click [Add].
4. On the User Details pane, type the User name.
5. (Optional) Type the Full name and Windows user associated with the user name.
6. (Optional) On the Settings tab, select the User Account Settings and Password
Settings.
7. Click the Roles tab, and then select or add roles for the user.
8. (Optional) Click the Companies tab, and then select the companies for the user. For
more information, see "Grant users access to companies" on page 61.

Note: You must be an application administrator to grant a user access to

companies. If you cannot perform this step, the application administrator must do
it before the user can log on to Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

9. Click [Save Changes].

Add users to roles

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, click User Setup.
3. On the Users pane, select the User Name.
4. Click the Roles tab, and then select roles for the user.
5. Click [Save Changes].
6. For the change to take effect, the users associated with this role must restart Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate.

60
Add tasks to roles
Application administrators can add all tasks to roles.

Security administrators can only add the following tasks to a role:

l Log Viewer (Tasks > Common Tasks > Tools > Log Viewer)
l Audit Setup Activity (Tasks > Common Tasks > Tools > Options > Audit Setup
Activity)
l View System Activity (Tasks > Common Tasks > Security > View System Activity)
l Change Audit Setup Fields (Tasks > Common Tasks > Security > Change Audit
Setup Fields)

You cannot change the tasks for the application administrator and security administrator
roles.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Role Setup.
3. On the Roles pane, select the role that you want to edit.
4. On the Roles Details pane, click the Tasks tab.
5. In the tasks tree, navigate to the tasks or sub-tasks that you want to add and select
the tasks.
6. Click [Save Changes].
7. For the change to take effect, the users associated with this role must restart Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate.

Grant users access to companies

You must be an application administrator to grant a user access to companies.

Security administrators and application administrators have access to all companies.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Company.
3. On the Companies pane, select the Company Name to which you want to add
users.
4. On the Company Security Details pane, click [Add].

61
5. In the Company Setup - Add Users window, select the users.
6. Click [OK].
7. Click [Save Changes].
8. For the change to take effect, the user associated with this company must restart
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Restrict access to files

This task is optional.

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Files.
3. Select the Company for which you want to restrict access to files.
4. Select the Role that will have access to the corresponding File Name.
5. Click [OK].
6. After securing a file, make sure that users can still perform their required tasks.
7. For the file restriction to take effect, all users not assigned to the role must restart
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Set up record security

This task is optional.

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform these tasks.

A. Setting up record security

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, select Records. The Record Security window
opens.
3. On the Activation tab, select Activate record security.
4. Select or clear the Give all users access to records with blank security IDs check
box. Select the box if you want records with blank security IDs to be accessible to all
users. Clear the box if you want only application administrators to access these

62
 records.
5. In the Securable record types box, select the records that you want to secure.
B. Assigning security IDs to records
1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, select Records. The Record Security window
opens.
3. Select the tab for the record to which you want to assign security IDs.
4. In the Security ID column, type the ID of a role. You can type only a single ID.
5. Click [OK].

Note: Record tabs in the Record Security window are accessible only if you have
turned on record security for that record on the Activation tab.

Modifying security
This section contains the following topics:
l "Change password settings" (the next section)
l "Delete a user" on page 66
l "Delete a role" on page 66
l "Copy a user" on page 66
l "Copy a role" on page 67
l "Turn off security" on page 67
l "Remove file restrictions" on page 68
l "Turn off record security" on page 68
l "Turn on tasks" on page 69
l "Turn off tasks" on page 69
l "Add a role to a task" on page 69
l "Remove a role from a task" on page 70
l "Restrict access to files" on page 70
l "Restrict access to additional files" on page 71

63
l "Modify record security permissions" on page 71
l "Change design security on reports" on page 72
l "Change design security on an inquiry" on page 72
l "Review record security settings" on page 73

Change password settings

Note: You must be a security administrator to change the password settings.

When you turn on security, you must set up password strengths and requirements for all
users. To change these settings later, go to Security Administration > Security Settings.

To change the password settings for a user name, go to Security Administration > User
Setup > Settings.

For the password settings to take effect, all users must restart Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate.

Set strong passwords

To prevent unauthorized users from accessing your software, we recommend that you
require strong passwords. Strong passwords must meet the following conditions for
complexity:
l Passwords must be at least eight characters long.
l Passwords must contain at least three of the following four character groups:
l English uppercase characters (A through Z)
l English lowercase characters (a through z)
l Numbers (0 through 9)
l Special characters (~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) - + = { } [ ] | \ : ; < , > . ? /)
l Passwords expire every 90 days.
l You are warned 10 days before your password expires.
l You cannot reuse your three previous passwords.
l You must wait 10 days before changing your password.

64
When you turn on security, the password settings default to these strong password
conditions.

Change password strengths and requirements for all users

Note: You must be a security administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Security Settings.
3. If security is turned off, select the Turn on application security check box.
4. In the Password Settings area, move the slider to select the password strength.
5. If you choose Custom (top setting on the slider), set the requirements:

a. Click [Custom Password Settings].

b. In the Password Settings window, clear the check boxes that you do not
want or change the requirements for the settings.
c. Click [OK] to save the custom password settings.
6. Click [OK] to save the security setting changes.
7. If you are strengthening the password requirements, the following message
appears, “Existing passwords may not meet the new requirements. Do you want
users to create new passwords the next time they log on?” Click [Yes].
8. For the password settings to take effect, all users must restart Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate.
Change password settings for a user name

Note: You must be a security administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click User Setup.
3. On the Users pane, select the User Name for which you want to change the
password settings.
4. On the User Details pane, click the Settings tab.
5. Select or clear the Password Settings options.
6. If you want to add or change the password for the user:

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 a. Click [Set Password].
b. From the Set Password window, type the same password in the Password
and Confirm password fields.
c. Click [OK].

Note: When you add or change the password, the User must change
password at next log on option is automatically selected.

7. Click [Save Changes].

8. For the password settings to take effect, the user must restart Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate.

Delete a user

Note: You must be a security administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click User Setup.
3. On the Users pane, select the User Name that you want to delete.
4. Click [Delete].
5. When you receive a confirmation message, click [Yes].

Delete a role
1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, click Role Setup.
3. On the Roles pane, select the role that you want to delete.
4. Click [Delete].
5. When you receive the confirmation message, click [Yes].

Copy a user
Use the copy feature when you want a new user to have the same permissions as an
existing user.

Note: You must be a security administrator and an application administrator to perform

this task.

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1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, click User Setup.
3. On the Users pane, select the User Name that you want to copy.
4. Click [Copy].
5. On the User Details pane, type the User name.
6. (Optional) Type the Full name and Windows user associated with the user name.
7. Click [Save Changes].

Copy a role
Use the copy feature when you want a new role to have the same tasks and users as an
existing role.

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Role Setup.
3. On the Roles pane, select the role that you want to copy.
4. Click [Copy].
5. On the Role Details pane, type the Name of the role (for example, AP Clerk.)
6. (Optional) Type the Description for this role.
7. Click [Save Changes].

Turn off security

Note: You must be a security administrator to turn off application security.

Important! To prevent unauthorized users from accessing your software, we

recommend that you leave application security turned on.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Security Settings.
3. Clear the Turn on application security check box.
4. Click [OK].

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5. For the security settings to take effect, all users must restart Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate.

Remove file restrictions

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Files.
3. Select the Company for which you want to remove a file restriction.
4. In the Role column for the corresponding File Name, select (None.)
5. Click [OK].
6. For the file setting to take effect, all users must restart Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate.

Turn off record security

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, select Records. The Record Security window
opens.
3. Select the Activation tab.
4. If you want to turn off all record security, clear the Activate record security check
box.
5. If you want to turn off record security for a particular record, clear the check box for
that record.
6. Click [OK].

Notes:
l When you turn off record security, the Security ID field disappears from related
record setup windows. However, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
security saves your security ID assignments. If you reactivate record security,
these settings take effect again.
l In addition to record security settings in Security Administration, each Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate report and inquiry has record security settings.

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Turn on tasks
1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, click Tasks.
3. On the Tasks pane, navigate to the tasks or sub-tasks that you want to turn on.
4. On the Task Security Details pane, clear Turn off task.
5. Click [Save Changes].
6. For the task settings to take effect, all users must restart Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate.

Turn off tasks

Note: You cannot turn off tasks for the security administrator and application
administrator roles.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Tasks.
3. On the Tasks pane, navigate to the tasks or sub-tasks that you want to turn off.
4. On the Task Security Details pane, select Turn off task.
5. If the Restart Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate message displays, click
[OK].
6. Click [Save Changes].

Add a role to a task

Application administrators can add roles to all tasks.

Security administrators can only add roles to the following tasks:

l Log Viewer (Tasks > Common Tasks > Tools > Log Viewer)
l Audit Setup Activity (Tasks > Common Tasks > Tools > Options > Audit Setup
Activity)
l View System Activity (Tasks > Common Tasks > Security > View System Activity)
l Change Audit Setup Fields (Tasks > Common Tasks > Security > Change Audit
Setup Fields)

To add a role to a task:

69
1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, click Tasks.
3. On the Tasks pane, navigate to the task or sub-task to which you want to add a role.
4. On the Task Security Details pane, select the roles that you want to add.
5. Click [Save Changes].

Remove a role from a task

Application administrators can remove roles from all tasks.

Security administrators can only remove roles from the following tasks:
l Log Viewer (Tasks > Common Tasks > Tools > Log Viewer)
l Audit Setup Activity (Tasks > Common Tasks > Tools > Options > Audit Setup
Activity)
l View System Activity (Tasks > Common Tasks > Security > View System Activity)
l Change Audit Setup Fields (Tasks > Common Tasks > Security > Change Audit
Setup Fields)

To remove a role from a task:

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Tasks.
3. On the Tasks pane, navigate to the task or sub-task that you want to remove from a
role.
4. On the Task Security Details pane, clear the roles.
5. Click [Save Changes].

Restrict access to files

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Files.
3. Select the Company for which you want to restrict access to files.
4. Select the Role that will have access to the corresponding FileName.

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 5. Click [OK].
6. After securing a file, make sure that users can still perform their required tasks.
7. For the file restriction to take effect, all users not assigned to the role must restart
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Restrict access to additional files

Application administrators will only see additional files if named files are selected for a
securable file type (Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate > Common Tasks > File >
Company Settings > File Locations > Ask Name.)

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform this task.

To restrict a file that is not in the File Security Setup grid:

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, click Files.
3. Select the Company for which you want to restrict access to files.
4. Click [Find Files].
5. From the File Security Setup - Find File window, select the File Type.
6. Click [OK].
7. Browse to the file location and select the File name that you want to restrict.
8. Click [Open]. The file is added to the grid.
9. Select the Role that will have access to the corresponding File Name.
10. Click [OK].
11. After securing a file, make sure that users can still perform their required tasks.
12. For the file restriction to take effect, all users not assigned to the role must restart
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Modify record security permissions

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform this task.

To change the security ID in a Record Security window:

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1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.
2. On the Security Administration tab, select Records. The Record Security window
opens.
3. Select the tab for the record you want to change.
4. In the Security ID column, change the security ID.
5. Click [OK].

Note: Record tabs in the Record Security window are available only if you have turned
on record security for that record.

To change the security ID in a Record Setup window:

Note: You must be an application administrator or have security access to the Change
Security ID task.

1. Open the record setup window of a securble record (Cash Management bank
account, General Ledger prefix, Job Cost and Project Management job, and
Property Management property.)
2. Click the Security ID field and change the ID.

Change design security on reports

Note: You must be an application administrator to modify report design security.

1. Start Report Designer.

2. Open the report design (File > Open Design.)
3. From the Tools menu, select Security > Design.
4. In the Design Record Security box, select or clear the check boxes.
5. Click [OK].

Note: The Design Record Security box lists all available records regardless of whether
the report uses all the records. If record security is off, the check box for that record will
be unavailable.

Change design security on an inquiry

Note: You must be an application administrator to modify the inquiry design security.

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1. Start Inquiry Designer.
2. From the Inquiry menu, select Inquiry Manager.
3. In the Applications window, select an application and click [OK].
4. In the Inquiry Manager window, select the inquiry; then click [Change].
5. In the Change Inquiry window, click [Record Security].
6. In the Record Security window, select or clear the check boxes.
7. Click [OK] in successive windows; then click [Close].

Note: The Record Security window lists all available securable records regardless of
whether the inquiry uses all the records. If record security is not selected, the check box
for that record will be unavailable.

Review record security settings

Note: You must be an application administrator to perform this task.

1. From the Sage Desktop, select Options > Security Administration.

2. On the Security Administration tab, select Records. The Record Security window
opens.
3. Review the selections on the Activation tab. They control whether record security is
on and how the software interprets blank security IDs.
4. Select one of the record tabs.
5. Review the users and roles in the Security ID column.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each record.

Note: Every report and inquiry has settings that control whether record security can
affect the report or inquiry.

Troubleshooting security
This section contains information about the following issues:
l "I cannot see a security ID in a Record Setup window"
l "I cannot change a security ID in a Record Setup window"

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l "I know a job was set up, but I cannot see it in the software" on page 74
l "I forgot my password" on page 75
l "My report or inquiry is missing information" on page 75
l "Menu items and fields are unavailable" on page 75
l "I cannot delete a user name" on page 76
l "I cannot make an account unavailable" on page 76
l "I cannot end account availability" on page 76
l "I cannot remove a user name" on page 77
l "I cannot turn on security" on page 77
l "I cannot save changes" on page 77

I cannot see a security ID in a Record Setup window

The Security ID field appears in a record setup window only if record security is on for
that record. For more information, see "Set up record security" on page 62.

I cannot change a security ID in a Record Setup window

During the setup of a new record, anyone can type a security ID. Once the record has
been saved, only application administrators or users with permission to access the
Change Security ID task can change the security ID.

I know a job was set up, but I cannot see it in the software
In most Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate applications, record security affects only
reports and inquiries. In certain Contracts, Job Cost, and Project Management tasks,
however, record security also affects whether you can type jobs or select jobs from lists.
For more information, see "Effect of record security on tasks" on page 56.

Jobs may not appear for several reasons:

l The job may have a status of closed; some lists do not display closed jobs.
l The job may have been moved to a different file, such as a history file.
l Record security may be active on the job and you do not have permission to access
that job.

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I forgot my password
If you are an application administrator or user, request a new password from one of your
company's security administrators.

If you are the only security administrator and you forgot your password, you must call
Customer Support to restore access to your software. See "Technical assistance" on
page 3.

Note: For back-up purposes, we recommend having at least two security

administrators.

My report or inquiry is missing information

A report or inquiry can be missing information for several reasons. One explanation could
be that you lack record security permissions. To investigate this possibility, see the
following topics.

Reports
l "Effect of an upgrade on reports" on page 53
l "Indicators that record security affects a report" on page 52
l "Report record security settings" on page 51
l "Review record security settings" on page 73
Inquiries
l "Effect of record security on inquiries" on page 53
l "Indicators that record security affects an inquiry" on page 55
l "Inquiry record security settings" on page 54

Menu items and fields are unavailable

Menu items and fields can be unavailable for two reasons.

First, the task associated with the menu item or field requires a previous task that has not
been performed. For example, the Edit > Paste menu is unavailable if you have not
previously cut or copied anything.

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Second, you lack task security permissions (for example, access to PM > Setup >
Properties.)

I cannot delete a user name

Note: You must be a security administrator to delete a security administrator.

If security is on and only one user name is assigned to the Security Administrator role,
you cannot delete the user name assigned to that role.

To delete the user name, you must assign another user name to the Security
Administrator role. For more information, see "Add a security administrator" on page 58.

For back-up purposes, we recommend adding at least two security administrators.

I cannot make an account unavailable

If security is on and only one available user name is assigned to the security
administrator or application administrator role, you cannot make the account unavailable.

To make the account unavailable, you must assign another available user to that
administrator role.

Note: You must be a security administrator to assign a user to an administrator role.

For back-up purposes, we recommend adding at least two security administrators and
two application administrators. If necessary, you can assign two user accounts to both
roles.

I cannot end account availability

If security is on and only one user name is assigned to the security administrator or
application administrator role as of this date, you cannot end account availability.

To end account availability, you must assign another available user name to that
administrator role.

Note: You must be a security administrator to assign a user to an administrator role.

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For back-up purposes, we recommend adding at least two security administrators and
two application administrators. If necessary, you can assign two user accounts to both
roles.

I cannot remove a user name

Note: You must be a security administrator to delete a security administrator.

If security is on and only one user name is assigned to the Security Administrator role,
you cannot remove the user name assigned to that role.

To remove the user name, you must assign another user name to the Security
Administrator role. For more information, see "Add a security administrator" on page 58.

For back-up purposes, we recommend adding at least two security administrators.

I cannot turn on security

Note: You must be a security administrator to turn on application security.

If a user name is not assigned to the Security Administrator role, you cannot turn on
application security.

To turn on security, you must assign a user name to the Security Administrator role. For
more information, see "Add a security administrator" on page 58.

For back-up purposes, we recommend adding at least two security administrators.

For the security settings to take effect, all users must restart Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate.

I cannot save changes

Note: You must be a security administrator to remove users from the Security
Administrator role.

If security is on, you cannot remove all users from the Security Administrator role.

77
To remove all the existing users from the Security Administrator role, first you must
assign another user name to that role. For more information, see "Add a security
administrator" on page 58.

For back-up purposes, we recommend having at least two security administrators.

Security tips
This section contains the following tips:
l "Be careful with print files"
l "Create separate roles for task and record security"
l "Consider limiting access to Crystal Decisions Crystal Reports" on page 79
l "Specify how secured tasks appear" on page 79

Be careful with print files

If you print to a folder that is not secure, others may have access to your reports.

By default, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate prints files to your data folder. If you
run the software over a network, all users print to this location. Although you can change
the default file location in File > Data Folder Settings > File Locations > Printouts, all
network users will still print to whatever location you designate.

To print to a different folder, you must redirect the print job at the time of printing. From a
Print Selection window, click [Printer Setup]. Then, click [Select File] and browse to the
desired location.

Create separate roles for task and record security

Administrators may need to create certain roles for task security and other roles for
record security. For example, a company has the following users:
l Project Manager 1
l Project Manager 2
l Accounts Payable (AP) Clerk 1
l AP Clerk 2

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Project Manager 1 and AP Clerk 1 always work together on jobs. Project Manager 2 and
AP Clerk 2 always work together on a different set of jobs. In terms of record security,
these two teams of users should be members of different roles because they need access
to different jobs.

Project Managers 1 and 2 perform tasks such as approving change orders (COs.) AP
Clerks 1 and 2 perform tasks such as entering invoices. In terms of task security, the
project managers should be in one role and the AP clerks should be in a different role.

The overall security assignment for these users should look like the following:

Example of task and record permissions for various roles

Role Users Task Permissions Record Permissions

PROJMGR Proj managers Approve COs

APCLERK AP clerks Enter invoices

TEAM1 Proj Mgr 1 and AP Clerk 1 Team 1 jobs

TEAM2 Proj Mgr 2 and AP Clerk 2 Team 2 jobs

Consider limiting access to Crystal Decisions Crystal Reports

A user can use Crystal Decisions Crystal Reports to disable record security settings on
Crystal reports. If you own Crystal Decisions Crystal Reports, guard against unwanted
modification of reports by limiting who can use this software. You may want to allow only
administrators of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate security to use Crystal
Decisions Crystal Reports.

Specify how secured tasks appear

Most securable tasks have an associated menu item or field. Application administrators
can specify how these menu items and fields appear to a user who does not have access
to them. You can specify whether the menu items and fields are hidden or whether they
appear gray (which indicates that they are unavailable.)

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1. Select Tools > Options.
2. In the Options window, look in the Secured Menu Items box. Select Don't display
or Display as disabled.
3. Click [OK].

Notes:
l You must be an application administrator to perform this task.
l The menu is subject to task security. You may not be able to see this menu item
if the application administrator has selected Don't display in the Secured Menu
Items box.
l Application administrators need to specify this setting in only one application for
the effect to be seen in all applications.

Glossary of security terms

Application Administrator

An application administrator has unrestricted access to all features in Sage 300

Construction and Real Estate. They can set up task security and set up most aspects of
record security in the Security Administration tool. For a complete list of tasks that an
application administrator can perform, see "Setting up security " on page 57.

Like other users, an application administrator has a user name and password. If security
is on, application administrators must type this user name and password after they start
an application.

Only security administrators can create users.

Application Log

Logs the start and end of Accounting applications and tasks.

Application Security

Application administrators can prevent unauthorized users from accessing Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate by turning on application security. When application
administrators turn on application security, all users must enter a user name and
password to access the software. They can restrict access to software features and data

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that each user has permission to access. Security Administration offers four types of
application security: task, file, record, and company.

Application security also lets application administrators hide applications from users and
roles. When an application administrator uses the Security Administration tool to deny a
user or role access to all tasks in an application and sets secured menu items to not
display, users cannot see the application in the Sage Desktop.

Audit Setup Log

Logs changes when the audit setup activity is selected in an Accounting application.

Company Security

Company security allows an application administrator to grant a user access to specific

companies.

Security administrators and application administrators have access to all companies.

Field Report Log

Logs changes to finalized field reports in Project Management.

File Security

File security allows application administrators to block all access to a file. This includes
access through open database connectivity and through all related tasks, reports, and
inquiries. This differs from task security, which allows application administrators to block
tasks selectively and does not allow them to control ODBC access.

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) allows a Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
database and a third-party program such as Microsoft Access to communicate. Once you
set up an ODBC connection (which requires a special ODBC driver), you can send data
between the two programs.

Posting Recap Log

Logs recaps created while posting entries in Accounting. (For future use. No logs are
created at this time.)

Record Security

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With record security, you can control access to the Cash Management bank account,
General Ledger prefix, Job Cost and Project Management job, and Property
Management property records.

When record security is active, reports and inquiries display only the records to which the
user has access.

Record security also affects Job Cost, Contracts, and Project Management tasks. In
these applications, you can type or select only jobs to which you have access.

Roles

A role represents a group of users who have the same security requirements. A role has
its own user account and its own task, record, file, and company permissions.

Security Administration

With Security Administration, application administrators can restrict access to tasks, files,
records, and companies. For example, they can use task security to restrict who can set
up vendors in Accounts Payable. With file security, they can restrict access to sensitive
payroll files. With record security, they can produce reports that display only the jobs to
which the user has security access. Finally, with company security, they can restrict
access to which company information a user sees.

Security Administrator

Security administrators set up and maintain accounts for users. For a complete list of
tasks that a security administrator can perform, see "Setting up security " on page 57.

Security Log

Logs events in the Security Administration tool.

Setup Log

Logs changes to setup information in Accounting.

Strong Passwords

Strong passwords must meet the following conditions for complexity:

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l Passwords must be at least eight characters long.
l Passwords must contain at least three of the following four character groups:
l English uppercase characters (A through Z)
l English lowercase characters (a through z)
l Numbers (0 through 9)
l Special characters (~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) - + = { } [ ] | \ : ; < , > . ? /)
l Passwords expire every 90 days.
l You are warned 10 days before your password expires.
l You cannot reuse your three previous passwords.
l You must wait 10 days before changing your password.

System Log

Logs Accounting system events.

Task Security

With task security, an application administrator can restrict access to menu items and
certain tasks found within windows.

Task Summary Log

Logs summaries created during an Accounting task. (For future use. No logs are created
at this time.)

User

A user has restricted access to the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. A user can
have security permissions that range from very restrictive to almost as complete as an
application administrator.

All users have a user name and password. If Security Administration is on, you must type
a user name and password immediately after you start an application.

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Chapter 6: Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate ODBC
This chapter presents an overview of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate open
database connectivity (ODBC). After you install ODBC, you should refer to the ODBC
Help for detailed information about how to use the driver to access databases.

ODBC overview
ODBC is a standard interface that serves as a translator between different database file
structures and different software. The ODBC driver lets applications collect data from
databases in other applications. Applications that can access data via ODBC are
commonly referred to as front-end applications and can include databases (for example,
Microsoft® Access), word processors (for example, Microsoft Word), and spreadsheets
(for example, Microsoft Excel). Applications such as Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate that make their data available through ODBC are referred to as back-end
applications. Both the front-end and back-end applications must support the ODBC
protocol for them to communicate with one another.

The Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate ODBC driver lets you read most Accounting
and Management Product records as well as create and delete some selected records.
You cannot delete individual fields, but you can replace many fields with new data. See
the "About record topics" topic in ODBC Help for a list of records and fields that you can
edit. To access the Help file, click the Start icon, select the Sage Administration program
group, and select ODBC Help.

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 Note:

You cannot use the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate ODBC driver to
access Purchasing, Inventory, or Service Management data. To access
Purchasing, Inventory, or Service Management data through ODBC, use the
Pervasive ODBC Engine Interface and Pervasive ODBC Client Interface drivers.
For more information, see the Pervasive Help:

1. Click the Start icon, select the Actian PSQL 12 program group, and select
PSQL Control Center & Documentation.
2. In the Documentation Library area, click User’s Guide > Using PSQL >
Setting Up ODBC Database Access.

Important issues for ODBC users

This section contains important information. You should read it before you use the Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate ODBC driver.

ODBC Support Policy

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate ODBC interfaces with a variety of third-party
products. Because other products are involved, Sage cannot guarantee that our
Customer Support can resolve all ODBC-related problems. Any multiple-vendor software
arrangement requires a significant level of technical expertise. Technical conflicts
between databases from different vendors may require you to seek assistance from a
vendor other than Sage.

Important! Currently, we only test Microsoft Office (Access, Word, and Excel) for
compatibility with the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate ODBC driver. We
do not test for compatibility with any other products or programming languages,
including Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, which can be run from a macro
within Microsoft Office. Although you may find success using another product,
Customer Support can address only issues and problems that relate to the use of
Microsoft Office (Access, Word, and Excel) to access data via the ODBC driver.

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Support for Crystal Reports 2020
Crystal Reports 2020 is now available as a 64-bit application which requires the use of
64-bit DSNs. Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 24.1 and later supports
Crystal Reports 2020 with the inclusion of a 64-bit ODBC driver, administrator, and
continued support for existing 32-bit User Defined Libraries (UDFs).

NOTE: If you use Crystal Reports 2016 or earlier, this change does not affect you.
32-bit versions of Crystal Reports are still supported in Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate.

Related Knowledgebase articles:

Setting Up 64-bit DSNs for PO/IV for use with Crystal Reports 2020

Setting Up 64-bit DSNs for SM on Client machine for use with Crystal Reports 2020

Configuration Step doc for making Crystal Reports Portable

Important! The ODBC 64-bit driver is tested only with Crystal Reports 2020.

Data loss
ODBC processing leaves no audit trail of changes made, and its misuse can create
untraceable data discrepancies. If Customer Support is unable to reproduce a data-
dependent problem using Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate software and data, it is
assumed that the problem is specific to a data discrepancy introduced with ODBC.

Points to consider before you use ODBC

For fields like notes and memos, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate software simply
stores the values. Some fields have a data dependency (the value in one field can affect
the value of another field). In other fields, the software requires the value to have a certain
format or be within a specified range. When you make changes through a Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate application, the software handles dependencies
automatically. ODBC does not handle dependencies. It is up to you to be aware of these

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issues and make any necessary edits. To be safe, you should always back up any
database before you modify it through ODBC.

Consider the issues that follow before you write changes to a data file through ODBC:
l Data Dependencies: the values in some fields change based on the value contained
in another field.
l Referential Integrity: some records which reside in one data file relate to records in
another file.

An example of referential integrity in Accounting is the relationship between a job

record and one of its subsidiary category records. Amounts that you enter through a
miscellaneous worksheet into a category’s miscellaneous category amount field
directly affect the total miscellaneous category amount field in the job record. If you
modify one of those fields through ODBC and do not modify the other, the Job Cost
Master file becomes out of balance.

l Formatting: Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate applications expect the value
stored in some fields to be formatted in a certain way.

Proper use of ODBC requires a thorough understanding of these dependencies to

make sure referential integrity is preserved.

Set up a data source

Before you can use the ODBC driver, you must first set up a link to a Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate data source. The data source contains the data a user
wants to access and its associated Database Management System. The data is pulled
from a back-end application, for example, General Ledger. The data is then sent to a
front-end application, such as Microsoft Excel. Each data source you set up has a data
source name (DSN), which you provide.

When you set up a data source, you specify a particular ODBC driver to be attached to
the data source. These drivers are programs that access the information in the database
and translate it into a format that the front-end application (Microsoft Excel, for example)
can read.

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You must set up a DSN for each Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate database. For
example, your company might maintain one database for its construction business and
another for its remodeling business. Because these databases are stored in separate
folders, you must set up a DSN for each database folder.

For detailed instructions on how to set up a DSN, see "The data source for Crystal
Reports" on page 91.

Use the ODBC driver

After you install ODBC and set up a data source, you can use the driver to access Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate information from the database. Procedures to collect
this data depend on the front-end application being used. ODBC Help provides detailed
instructions for accessing and inserting Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data into
Microsoft Query, Excel, Access, and Word. Refer to the How To section on the Help
Contents tab for links to the applicable topics.

Other software manufacturers’ ODBC-compliant products can access data through the
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate ODBC driver. Refer to those manufacturers’
ODBC documentation for instructions on using ODBC.

88
Chapter 7: Crystal Reports
Introduction
®
If you already have technical experience using Crystal Reports , this chapter will help you
customize reports and invoices that you use in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
applications. Please review the entire chapter before making changes to your reports.

If you do not have experience using Crystal Reports, contact your Sage certified
consultant for help with creating custom reports that fit your business needs. You can
also attend training sessions in Crystal Reports; visit
http://www.sageu.com/Sage300CRE for more information.

Support for Crystal Reports 2020

Crystal Reports 2020 is now available as a 64-bit application which requires the use of
64-bit DSNs. Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 24.1 and later supports
Crystal Reports 2020 with the inclusion of a 64-bit ODBC driver, administrator, and
continued support for existing 32-bit User Defined Libraries (UDFs).

NOTE: If you use Crystal Reports 2016 or earlier, this change does not affect you.
32-bit versions of Crystal Reports are still supported in Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate.

Related Knowledgebase articles:

Setting Up 64-bit DSNs for PO/IV for use with Crystal Reports 2020

Setting Up 64-bit DSNs for SM on Client machine for use with Crystal Reports 2020

Configuration Step doc for making Crystal Reports Portable

Important! The ODBC 64-bit driver is tested only with Crystal Reports 2020.

89
Using the SQL database
You can use the Sage SQL Replicator tool to take the Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate data stored in the Actian Pervasive database and replicate it into a SQL database.

You can switch the Crystal Reports on the menus and Desktop to use the SQL database.
For information, see page 90.

Important! If employees are going to run reports with SQL data, they need to have
read permissions to the relevant SQL tables (in SQL Data Access > Read
Access in the Tasks tree). See "Chapter 5: Security" on page 44 for information
about controlling permissions.

You can create custom reports to use this SQL database. See "Creating the SQL Server
data source" on page 94.

Reports on the menus

Use Report Manager to add Crystal Reports designs to the Reports menu of your Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate applications.

Currently, all Crystal report designs available on the Reports menu in Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate use your data stored in the Actian Pervasive database with
a data source name (DSN) of "Timberline Data Source" (as described on page 91) having
the following options:
l Standard descriptions for Table and Field Naming
l Use maximum table segment size selected
l Shorten field and table names cleared.

Using the SQL database

If you use the Sage SQL Replicator tool, you have the option to use data stored in the
Actian Pervasive database or replicatated data in the SQL database. Crystal Reports on
the menus will still use the Pervasive database unless you change them. To use the SQL
database for your Crystal Reports that are accessed from menus or Desktop, select the
Use SQL check box. For more information, see the Using SQL data for reporting video.

90
The Mobile Reports application enables selected employees to generate and view
Crystal Reports in the field using a mobile device or computer. See the Mobile Reports
Introduction video for more information.

The data source for Crystal Reports

If you use the Sage SQL Replicator tool, you have the option to use data stored in the
Actian Pervasive database or replicatated data in the SQL database. If you plan to use
the SQL data for new custom reports, see "Creating the SQL Server data source" on
page 94.

Configuring the Timberline data source

You must configure the Timberline Data Source before you customize reports and
invoices.

Note: Beginning with Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 16.1, you must
have a properly configured DSN to run "Custom Description" reports—even though
these reports may have run without a properly configured DSN in 15.1 and earlier
versions of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate.

Because the Timberline Data Source is automatically created the first time you open
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, open a Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
application on your computer if you have not opened one already.

To set up portability options for a report in the ODBC Setup window:

1. Click the Start icon, select the Windows Administrative Tools program group, and
select ODBC Data Sources (32-bit).
2. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator window, click the User DSN tab, select
Timberline Data Source, and click [Configure].
3. In the Timberline Data ODBC Setup window for Database Type, verify that
Accounting Data Folder is selected.
4. Click [Select Folder], select your construction data folder in the Select Company
window, and click [OK].
5. Click [Options] to show the Data Source Options.

91
 a. In the Table and Field Naming list, select Standard descriptions, Custom
descriptions, or Dictionary names. For more information, see "About table
and field naming" (the next section).

Note: Crystal Report designs that come with Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate use Standard descriptions.

b. Select the Use maximum table segment size check box. For more
information, see "About the maximum table segment size" on page 94.
c. If necessary, clear the Shorten field and table names check box.

Note: This option is available for earlier versions of ODBC, which

truncated long field and table names.

6. Click [OK] to save your settings and close the Timberline Data ODBC Setup
window.
7. Click [OK] to close the Data Source Administrator window.
About table and field naming
The Table and Field Naming selection determines how table and field names appear
when you access data using this data source name (DSN). Three options are available:

Naming options

Naming
Description
option

(Recommended) Use this mode when you design a report for use in
multiple databases. The default descriptions appear on the report
Standard design in Crystal Reports Designer. However, the operators’ custom
descriptions descriptions appear when the report is generated in Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate. If you select this option, you can use this
report with all databases.

Use this mode when you design reports for a specific database. The
Custom
custom descriptions for that database appear on the report design in
descriptions
Crystal Reports Designer. The custom descriptions also appear when

92
 Naming
Description
option

the report is generated in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. If

you select this option, you can only use it with databases that have the
same custom descriptions as the database used when creating the
report. If the custom descriptions in that database change, the report
may break.

Use this mode only when modifying Billing invoice reports and reports
that were designed in Crystal Reports with dictionary names for Sage
Dictionary 300 Construction and Real Estate earlier than version 8.0.0. Dictionary
names names are internal table and field names that are less descriptive than
the standard descriptions but provide the same functionality. If you
select this option, you can use this report with all databases.

The following table uses the Accounts Receivable customer field as an example to show
how different Field Naming options affect how the field appears.

Appearance of a field with each naming option

Naming
Display table and field name Comments
option

No change regardless of custom

Standard ARM_MASTER_ descriptions for AR Customer.
descriptions CUSTOMER.Customer Standard descriptions are always
the default descriptions.

If the custom description for AR

Custom MASTER_ARM_ Customer is “client,” the field
descriptions CUSTOMER.Customer appears as MASTER_ARM_
CLIENT.client

No change regardless of custom

Dictionary MASTER_ARM_RECORD_
descriptions. Internal names
names 1.CUST
always appear in dictionary

93
 Naming
Display table and field name Comments
option

names.

About the maximum table segment size

To use reports in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate that were designed using the
Timberline Data Source, you must select the Use maximum table segments size check
box when you design the reports so that tables remain intact regardless of size. If you
clear the Use maximum table segment size check box and you access a table with more
than 255 columns, the table is split into two tables.

For example, the Job Cost JC job record contains more than 255 columns. If you clear the
Use maximum table segment size check box, the table splits into two tables (JCM_
Master_Job_1 and JCM_Master_Job_2). If you select the Use maximum table segment
size check box, the table does not split (JCM_Master_Job).

Important! Some programs, including Microsoft® Access, do not support the use of
maximum table segment size. Clear the check box when you use DSNs associated with
those programs. You should set up a separate DSN for these programs.

About the maximum number of database objects

If you connect to a data source that contains a large number of objects (tables, views,
stored procedures, etc.), you may need to change the display limit, which is usually set to
8000 objects. For more information, see SAP knowledgebase article 1215994.

Creating the SQL Server data source

The Sage SQL Replicator tool, which takes the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
data stored in the Actian Pervasive database and replicates it into a SQL database. You
can create custom reports to use this SQL database.

To create a DSN for the SQL database:

1. Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator (64-bit) window.

2. On the User DSN tab, click [Add] to add a new User DSN.

94
 3. Select SQL Server Native Client 11.0.
4. Click [Finish].
5. Type a name for the DSN, such as Timberline SQL Data, and type a description.
6. For the SQL Server to connect to, select the SQL Server Instance that contains your
replicated data, and then click [Next].
7. Select With Integrated Windows authentication, and then click [Next].
8. Select the Change the default database to check box, select the replicated
database, and then click [Next].
9. Click [Finish].
10. Review the new ODBC data source setup and either click [Test Data Source] or
click [OK].
11. Review the new entry in the User Data Sources table on the User DSN tab, and
then click [OK].

Customizing Crystal Reports

Crystal Reports Designer
You should use Crystal Reports For Sage 2013 SP2 (version 13) to modify or create
report designs for Accounting and Management Products. This software only runs on
Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2, or higher operating systems (not Windows
Vista).

Note:

If you created custom Crystal Reports designs prior to Sage 300 Construction and
Real Estate version 14.1, you will need to upgrade the designs before using them
in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. To upgrade designs created with
version 9 or later, see "Upgrading custom reports using the Upgrade Crystal
Reports tool" on page 140.

Creating and modifying custom reports

To add, modify, and create custom report designs that use the Timberline Data Source:

95
1. Open Crystal Reports.
2. Log on to a Timberline data source.

a. If you do not have the report open, select File > Log On or Off Server. If you
have the report open, select Database > Log On or Off Server.
b. In the Data Explorer window, double-click Create New Connection.
c. Double-click ODBC (RDO).
d. Select Timberline Data Source and click [Next].
e. If necessary, type your User ID and Password for Sage 300 Construction
and Real Estate.
f. Click [Finish].
g. Click [Close].
3. Open the report design you want to modify and proceed to step 4. If you want to
create a new report design:

a. Select File > New.

b. Select the tables and fields that you want to use on the report and then
design the report.
4. Set the location of the database.

a. Select Database > Set Datasource Location.

b. Under Current Data Source, select the first data source.
c. Under Replace with, select Timberline Data Source.
d. Click [Update].
e. Verify that all table locations in the Set Datasource Location window use
the same data folder path. You know that all table locations point to the
same path if only one group of tables appears under Current Data Source.
f. Click [Close].
5. Repeat step 4 for each table in the report.
6. Select Database > Verify Database.
7. When you see the “The database is up to date.” message, click [OK]. Repeat step 4
if the database is not up to date.

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 8. Review the list of formulas, functions, and parameters from section 3. See "Crystal
Reports integration" on page 97 to determine which to add or modify.
9. When you finish, save the report.
10. Use Reports Manager to add new reports to your Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate Reports menu.

Crystal Reports integration

Setting up printers
By default, the “No Printer” option (Crystal Reports: File > Page Setup) is selected for all
Crystal report designs that ship with Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. We
recommend selecting this option for all Crystal reports you use to avoid potential printer
error messages when using Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate applications with the
Windows 7 operating system.

When printing a report in Crystal Reports, the data may print as cryptic symbols even
though the report displays correctly in preview mode. This is because Crystal Reports
requires Unicode functions to print. If your printer driver does not support Unicode, you
must update your printer driver. To determine whether your printer driver supports
Unicode, see the printer driver manufacturer's support web site.

Note: In Crystal Reports, you must select Crystal Syntax for the Default Formula
Language (File > Options > Formula Editor tab > Default Formula Language).

Integration formulas
This section provides information about the following formulas that you can use in report
designs.
l tsAlternateSMFolder on page 98
l tsApp on page 99
l tsAskFile on page 99
l tsDataFolder on page 100
l tsDesignMode on page 101

97
l tsDesktopId on page 102
l tsLetterhead on page 102
l tsMargins on page 103
l tsReportType on page 103
l tsSQLDatabase on page 104
l tsSQLServer on page 104
l tsSubAskFile on page 104

Designs created in Crystal Reports use formulas to convey required report information to
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. These formulas query the Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate application for, or provide it with, required information that
is not already in a database table field. For example, you may need to set the margins of
the report when it prints. You use a formula to provide the margin information to the
application.

Caution! Name the formulas exactly as they are named in this document. Formulas
may be case sensitive and may not work unless the formula name matches the
corresponding formula written in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate code. Also,
do not add comments or additional expressions to the formulas.

Important! Do not type @ in front of formula fields. In Crystal Reports, “@”

automatically appears in front of formula fields; for example, when you create a formula
and type tsDesignMode, the formula appears as @tsDesignMode.

Note: Integration formulas need only to be included in the report design to function. You
do not need to include these formulas on the report itself.

tsAlternateSMFolder formula information

Formula: tsAlternateSMFolder

This formula allows you to select whether you want a Service

Description
Management report to include current or historical information.

Syntax None. Leave the formula value blank.

98
 Formula: tsAlternateSMFolder

Example @tsAlternateSMFolder=

tsApp formula information

Formula: tsApp

Use this formula to specify the application abbreviation for the report.
This formula is required on all Service Management primary reports and
Description
subreports. The formula is not required on any report that uses the
ODBC driver to access Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate data.

Syntax “<Two-letter application abbreviation>”

Example @tsApp = “SM”

tsAskFile formula information

Formula: tsAskFile

Use the tsAskFile formula to limit the file types the operator can choose
when the report runs. This formula applies to the main report. It also
applies to all subreports unless you use the tsSubAskFile formula on the
subreports. This formula does not have file merging capabilities. If you
Description use the formula example on a report design, the report will prompt the
operator to choose between the New.glt file and the Current.glt file when
the report runs. Without the formula on the report, the operator could
choose whatever file codes are available.
For more information, see "Formula: tsSubAskFile" on page 104

“[<file type>(<file code name>[,<file code name>]*)]”

<file type> = the abbreviation of the data file type; for example: BLI, GLT,
Syntax APT, etc.
<file code name> = the file code name of the data file; for example: new,
current, history, active, standard, etc.

Example @tsAskFile = “GLT(new,current)” or “GLT(new, current)JCT(current)”

99
 Note: You can also use one file code name in the tsAskFile function to force the report
to use a specific file; for example, use @tsAskFile = “JCT(new)”.

tsDataFolder formula information

Formula: tsDataFolder

Use this formula to specify the company data folder to use for previewing
the report in Crystal Reports Designer.
This formula is ignored when the report is generated in Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate.
Description If using Pervasive data, it will be a data folder path from the Open
Company window.
If using SQL data, it will be the SQL instance and current database in this
format:
“SQL::SQLServerName\InstanceName:DatabaseName”

@tsDataFolder = “C:\Timberline Office\YourCompanyDataFolder”

Example @tsDataFolder = “SQL::LSSVR20-
MP\SAGE300CRE:SQLDataFolder”

Caution! If you place this formula on a primary report and you want to use it on a
subreport, you must pass the formula to the subreport as a shared variable. Subreports
do not automatically read the formula from the primary report.

You can use the tsDataFolder formula with any of the following user-defined functions:
l tsarContractOnlyDetail
l tsarContractCustomerDetail
l tsarCustomerDetailWithRetainage
l tsarJobCustomerDetail
l tsarJobOnlyDetail
l tsControlData
l tsCustomDescription
l tsFieldSection

100
l tsFieldSectionDesc
l tsglFiscalEntityInfo
l tsHeaderData
l tsItemDesc
l tsLetterheadStyle

For more information on these functions, see "User-defined functions" on page 105.

Set the tsDataFolder formula to the same data path appearing in the Database box of the
ODBC Setup window for the DSN if the report uses any of these user-defined functions:
l tsControlData
l tsHeaderData
l tsCustomDescription

tsDesignMode formula information

Formula: tsDesignMode

This formula specifies the mode of the report design—and must match
the Table and Field Naming setting of the DSN.
When you run the report from Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate,
the tsCrystal interface looks to the report design for the tsDesignMode
formula. If the formula exists on the design, the system takes the value of
Description the formula and sets the Table and Field Naming selection to match it. If
the formula is not on the report, the Table and Field Naming selection is
automatically set to Custom descriptions. If the report is written using a
Pervasive data source and the Use SQL check box is selected when it is
generated, this formula determines the correct schema to use from the
SQL database.

“<mode>”; mode can be “Dictionary” (dictionary names), "SDesc”

Syntax
(standard description), or "Custom" (custom description).

Example @tsDesignMode = “SDesc”

101
Note: Custom Billing invoice formats and subreports must include the tsDesignMode
formula with a value of “Dictionary”. See "About table and field naming" on page 92 for
more information.

Important! tsDesignMode must be included with every report design written with a
Pervasive data source. If you want to prevent database switching, do not include the
tsDesignMode formula.

tsDesktopId formula information

Formula: tsDesktopId

If you use security and you link a Desktop home page to an estimate,
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate will ask for your user name and
password when you open the estimate. Use the tsDesktopId formula
together with the TSEstimatingDKM function to suppress the request for
Description user name and password when you open an estimate from a home page.
See "Function: tsEstimatingDKM" on page 114 for more information on
applying this function.
Add the tsDesktopId function to the main report. Add the
TSEstimatingDKM function to hyperlinks that link to estimates.

Example @tsDesktopId = “”

tsLetterhead formula information

Formula: tsLetterhead

Use this formula in conjunction with the tsLetterheadStyle function.

This formula dynamically places the letterhead image when the report
runs. This formula is not required. This formula dynamically places the
letterhead image only when the formula is set to “Y” and you have
Description
selected the Use this letterhead image below for my forms option in the
Options window (Tools > Options > Letterhead tab > Use the
letterhead image below for my forms). Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate will not dynamically place the letterhead image if any of the

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 Formula: tsLetterhead

following conditions are true:

l You set the formula to “N.”
l You select one of the other letterhead options in the Options window
l You do not include the formula on the report.

For more information on the tsLetterheadStyle function, see "Function:

tsLetterheadStyle" on page 119.

tsMargins formula information

Formula: tsMargins

Use the tsMargins formula to display the [Page Setup] button on the
Print Selection window when you run the report from the Report menu
Description
in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. The tsMargins formula allows
you to the set margins for the report.

Example @tsMargins =

tsReportType formula information

Formula: tsReportType

Use this formula to force the report to use SQL as the data source. This
is useful for process-based reports (that run after a task) or where the
Description
Use SQL check box is not available. This formula should be on all
reports written using a SQL data source.

Syntax SQL

Example @tsReportType = “SQL”

103
 tsSQLDatabase formula information

Formula: tsSQLDatabase

Use this formula to show the SQL Database name when you run the
Description report in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate with the Use SQL
check box selected. This is only an informational reporting field.

tsSQLServer formula information

Formula: tsSQLServer

Use this formula to show the SQL instance name when you run the
Description report in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate with the Use SQL
check box selected. This is only an informational reporting field.

tsSubAskFile formula information

Formula: tsSubAskFile

Use the tsSubAskFile formula on subreports only. Use this formula to

limit the file types the operator can choose for the subreport when it runs.
To limit the file types the operator can choose for the main report, use the
tsAskFile formula. See "Formula: tsAskFile" on page 99 for more
information.
Description The tsSubAskFile formula applies to only the subreport on which you use
it, not to other subreports. This formula does not have file merging
capabilities. If you use the formula example on a report design, the report
will prompt the operator to choose between the New.jct file and the
Current.jct file when the report runs. Without the formula on the report,
the operator could choose from the new, current, or history file.

“[<file type>(<file code name>[,<file code name>]*)];Prompt Text”

Syntax <file type> = the abbreviation of the data file type; for example: BLI, GLT,
APT, etc.

104
 Formula: tsSubAskFile

<file code name> = the file code name of the data file; for example: new,
current, history, active, standard, etc.
Prompt Text = Text to inform the person that runs the report. You can
use the prompt text to indicate which subreport requires this selection.

@tsSubAskFile = “JCT(new,current);Select a file for the Job Cost

Example
Transaction subreport”

Note: You can also use one file code name in the tsSubAskFile function to force the
report to use a specific file: for example, use @tsSubAskFile = “JCT(new)”.

User-defined functions
You can use the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate user-defined functions in
conjunction with Crystal Reports formulas on all reports. These user-defined functions
instruct the application how to transform the data retrieved by a formula. To select a user-
defined function, in the Formula Editor, click Functions > Additional Functions.

This section provides information about the following user-defined formulas:

l pjLastJobUsed on page 106
l rmCurrentPropertyID on page 106
l rmSetupInfo on page 106
l tsarContractCustomerDetail on page 107
l tsarContractOnlyDetail on page 108
l tsarCustomerDetailWithRetainage on page 109
l tsarJobCustomerDetail on page 110
l tsarJobOnlyDetail on page 111
l tsControlData on page 112
l tsCustomDescription on page 113
l tsEstimatingDKM on page 114
l tsFieldSection on page 114
l tsFieldSectionDesc on page 115

105
l tsglFiscalEntityInfo on page 116
l tsHeaderData on page 117
l tsItemDesc on page 118
l tsLetterheadStyle on page 119
l tsOperator on page 120
l tsRange on page 121

pjLastJobUsed function information

Function: pjLastJobUsed

If you use this function on a field in the report design and if you selected
the Use last job option in PJ Settings (Project Management: File >
Description
Company/Data Folder Settings > PJ Settings), the field retrieves the
job number from of the last job used.

Syntax pjLastJobUsed

Example pjLastJobUsed()

rmCurrentPropertyID function information

Function: rmCurrentPropertyID

Use to retrieve the current Residential Management (RM) property. The

Description current property is the property currently open or the last property
opened in the RM application.

Example rmCurrentPropertyID()

rmSetupInfo function information

Function: rmSetupInfo

Use to retrieve setting information based on the Residential

Description
Management property you specify. The design retrieves the setting for

106
 Function: rmSetupInfo

the property if it is specific to the property; otherwise, it retrieves the

system setting.

rmSetupInfo(property, setting)
Syntax Property: The Property ID
Setting: The system setting you want to retrieve

Example rmSetupInfo(rmCurrentPropertyID()”DefaultDepositCode”)

tsarContractCustomerDetail function information

Function: tsarContractCustomerDetail

Use this function to determine whether Accounts Receivable (AR)

Description
details should print for the specified contract and customer

tsarContractCustomerDetail(Data Folder, AR Activity File, AR

Transaction File, Contract, Customer, Aging As Of Date, Aging
Basis, Include Retainage, Unpaid Only, Age Finance Charge)
Data Folder: The report design must use the tsDataFolder formula,
which stores the folder path information.
AR Activity File: The full file path to the AR Activity (activity.ara) file.
AR Transaction File: The full file path to the current AR Transaction
(current.art) file.
Contract: The Contract ID.
Syntax Customer: The CustomerID.
Aging as of Date: The transaction cutoff date based on the Aging
Basis date.
Include Retainage: True or False value. A True value takes retainage
transactions into account. A False value bypasses retainage
transactions.
Unpaid Only: True or False. A True value considers transactions at the
invoice (status) level. A False value considers transactions at the
Activity level.
Age Finance Charge: True or False value. A True value includes

107
 Function: tsarContractCustomerDetail

finance charges. A False value bypasses finance charges.

(From report AR Statement of Account(CR).rpt)
tsarContractCustomerDetail({tsDataFolder},{@tsFileName(ARA)},
{@tsFileName(ART)},{ART_CURRENT_TRANSACTION.Contract},
Example
{ART_CURRENT_TRANSACTION.Customer},{?Aging Date},
{?Aging Basis},{?Include Retainage?},{?Unpaid only?},{?Include
Finance Charges?})

tsarContractOnlyDetail function information

Function: tsarContractOnlyDetail

Use this function to determine whether Accounts Receivable (AR) details

Description
should print for the specified contract.

tsarContractOnlyDetail(Data Folder, AR Activity File, AR Transaction

File, Contract, Aging As Of Date, Aging Basis, Include Retainage,
Unpaid Only, Age Finance Charge)
Data Folder: The report design must use the tsDataFolder formula,
which stores the folder path information.
AR Activity File: The full file path to the AR Activity (activity.ara) file.
AR Transaction File: The full file path to the current AR Transaction
(current.art) file.
Contract: The Contract ID.
Syntax
Aging as of Date: The transaction cutoff date based on the Aging Basis
date.
Aging Basis: The date that the Aging as of Date uses to determine the
cutoff date.
Include Retainage: True or False value. A True value takes retainage
transactions into account. A False value bypasses retainage
transactions.
Unpaid Only: True or False. A True value considers transactions at the
invoice (status) level. A False value considers transactions at the Activity

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 Function: tsarContractOnlyDetail

level.
Age Finance Charge: True or False value. A True value includes
finance charges. A False value bypasses finance charges.
(From report AR Statement of Account (CR).rpt)
tsarContractOnlyDetail({@tsDataFolder},{@tsFileName(ARA)},
Example {@tsFileName(ART)},{ART_CURRENT_TRANSACTION.Contract},
{?Aging Date},{?Aging Basis},{?Include Retainage?},{?Unpaid
only?},{?Include Finance Charges?})

tsarCustomerDetailWithRetainage function information

Function: tsarCustomerDetailWithRetainage

Use this function to determine whether Accounts Receivable details

Description
should print for the specified customer.

tsarCustomerDetailWithRetainage(Data Folder, AR Activity File,

AR Transaction File, Customer, Aging As Of Date, Aging Basis,
Include Retainage, Unpaid Only, Age Finance Charge)
Data Folder: The report design must use the tsDataFolder formula,
which stores the folder path information.
AR Activity File: The full file path to the AR Activity (activity.ara) file.
AR Transaction File: The full file path to the current AR Transaction
(current.art) file.
Syntax Customer: The Customer ID.
Aging as of Date: The transaction cutoff date based on the Aging
Basis date.
Aging Basis: The date that the Aging as of Date uses to determine
the cutoff date.
Include Retainage: True or False value. A True value takes
retainage transactions into account. A False value bypasses
retainage transactions.
Unpaid Only: True or False. A True value considers transactions at

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 Function: tsarCustomerDetailWithRetainage

the invoice (status) level. A False value considers transactions at

the Activity level.
Age Finance Charge: True or False value. A True value includes
finance charges. A False value bypasses finance charges.
(From report AR Statement of Account (CR).rpt)
tsarCustomerDetailWithRetainage({@tsDataFolder},
{@tsFileName(ARA)},{@tsFileName(ART)},{ART_CURRENT_
Example
TRANSACTION.Customer},{?Aging Date},{?Aging Basis},
{?Include Retainage?},{?Unpaid only?},{?Include Finance
Charges?})

tsarJobCustomerDetail function information

Function: tsarJobCustomerDetail

Use this function to determine whether Accounts Receivable details

Description
should print for the specified job and customer.

tsarJobCustomerDetail(Data Folder, AR Activity File, AR Transaction

File, Job, Customer, Aging As Of Date, Aging Basis, Include
Retainage, Unpaid Only, Age Finance Charge)
Data Folder: The report design must use the tsDataFolder formula,
which stores the folder path information.
AR Activity File: The full file path to the AR Activity (activity.ara) file.
AR Transaction File: The full file path to the current AR Transaction
Syntax (current.art) file.
Job: The Job ID.
Customer: The Customer ID.
Aging as of Date: The transaction cutoff date based on the Aging Basis
date.
Aging Basis: The date that the Aging as of Date uses to determine the
cutoff date.
Include Retainage: True or False value. A True value takes retainage

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 Function: tsarJobCustomerDetail

transactions into account. A False value bypasses retainage

transactions.
Unpaid Only: True or False. A True value considers transactions at the
invoice (status) level. A False value considers transactions at the Activity
level.
Age Finance Charge: True or False value. A True value includes
finance charges. A False value bypasses finance charges.
(From report AR Statement of Account (CR).rpt)
tsarJobCustomerDetail({@tsDataFolder},{@tsFileName(ARA)},
{@tsFileName(ART)},{ART_CURRENT_TRANSACTION.Job},{ART_
Example
CURRENT_TRANSACTION.Customer},{?Aging Date},{?Aging
Basis},{?Include Retainage?},{?Unpaid only?},{?Include Finance
Charges?})

tsarJobOnlyDetail function information

Function: tsarJobOnlyDetail

Use this function to determine whether Accounts Receivable details

Description
should print for the specified job.

tsarJobOnlyDetail(Data Folder, AR Activity File, AR Transaction File,

Job, Aging As Of Date, Aging Basis, Include Retainage, Unpaid Only,
Age Finance Charge)
Data Folder: The report design must use the tsDataFolder formula,
which stores the folder path information.
AR Activity File: The full file path to the AR Activity (activity.ara) file.
Syntax
AR Transaction File: The full file path to the current AR Transaction
(current.art) file.
Job: The Job ID.
Aging as of Date: The transaction cutoff date based on the Aging Basis
date.
Aging Basis: The date that the Aging as of Date uses to determine the

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 Function: tsarJobOnlyDetail

cutoff date.
Include Retainage: True or False value. A True value takes retainage
transactions into account. A False value bypasses retainage
transactions.
Unpaid Only: True or False. A True value considers transactions at the
invoice (status) level. A False value considers transactions at the Activity
level.
Age Finance Charge: True or False value. A True value includes
finance charges. A False value bypasses finance charges.
(From report AR Statement of Account (CR).rpt)
tsarJobOnlyDetail({@tsDataFolder},{@tsFileName(ARA)},
Example {@tsFileName(ART)},{ART_CURRENT_TRANSACTION.Job},
{?Aging Date},{?Aging Basis},{?Include Retainage?},{?Unpaid
only?},{?Include Finance Charges?})

tsControlData function information

Function: tsControlData

Use this function to retrieve information such as company name,

Description
address, and phone number from the Ts.ctl file.

tsControlData(Data Folder Name, Field Name, Flags)

Data Folder Name: The report design must use the tsDataFolder
formula, which stores the folder path information.
Field Name: You can type (case sensitive):
l “Name”

l “Address” or “Address 1” and “Address 2”

Syntax l “City”

l “State”

l “Zip”

l “Phone”

l “Fax"

l “Email"

l “Web Address"

112
 Function: tsControlData
l “Accounting Method”
l “Assign Batch Name”

Flags: You can type

l “P” to pluralize.

l “A” for all capital letters.

l “I” for initial capital letters.

l “F” to capitalize the first letter only.

l “L” for all lowercase.

l “” to print as it is in the database.

tsControlData(@tsDataFolder, “Name”, “A”) prints the company name

Example
in all capital letters.

tsCustomDescription function information

Function: tsCustomDescription

Description This function retrieves custom descriptions from the ts.fld file.

tsCustomDescription(Data Folder Name, Code, Flags)

Data Folder Name: The report design must use the tsDataFolder
formula, which stores the folder path information.
Code: The custom description field code.
Flags: You can type:
Syntax
l “P” to pluralize.

l “A” for all capital letters.

l “I” for initial capital letters.

l “F” to capitalize the first letter only.

l “L” for all lowercase.

l “” to print as it is in the database.

tsCustomDescription(@tsDataFolder, 13, “A”) prints the JC Change

Example
Order custom description in all capital letters.

113
 Note: All custom description codes are stored in the Ts.fld file. Custom descriptions are
listed when you print an available fields report (TR:Tools > Available Fields) and you
select the Include information for ODBC reporting? check box in the PrintAvailable
Fields – Print Selection window.

The tsCustomDescription function was new on Accounting and Management Products

8.0.0 and is used on new Crystal Reports designs. Earlier versions stored a function with
a slightly different syntax called tsCustomDesc. The Billing invoice reports still use the
older function. Both functions are stored in the u2lts.dll file on Accounting and
Management Products 8.0.0 and later.

tsEstimatingDKM function information

Function: tsEstimatingDKM

If you use security and you link a report design used as a Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate Desktop home page to an estimate, Sage
300 Construction and Real Estate will ask for your user name and
Description
password when you open the estimate. Use the tsEstimatingDKM
function to suppress the request for user name and password when you
open an estimate from a home page in Desktop.

tsEstimatingDKM({@tsDesktopID}, {Detail.PATH} & “\” &

{Detail.FILENAME});
Syntax
Detail.PATH and Detail.FILENAME are fields that store the estimate’s
path and file name in the Estimating Explorer database.

Note: You must add the tsDesktopId formula to the main report when you use the
tsEstimatingDKM function in a hyperlink to an estimate.

tsFieldSection function information

Function: tsFieldSection

Use this function to determine the value in a customer-specified field

Description section. A field section is any portion of the GL Account, JC Job, or AR
Customer that you define. For example, you can define up to 3 prefixes,

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 Function: tsFieldSection

the base, and the suffix of a GL Account. Therefore, these are field
sections. Using the tsFieldSection function, you can retrieve the prefix,
base, or suffix field information from the GL Account.

tsFieldSection(Data Folder Name, File Type, Field Name, Section,

Value)
Data Folder Name: Type a path to the data folder or use the
tsDataFolder formula, which stores the folder path information.
File Type: The type of file. For example, type “GLM” for the General
Ledger account file or “JCM” for the Job Cost master file.
Field Name: The name of the field. For example, type “AACCT” for the
Syntax General Ledger account field.
Section: Section 1, Section 2, or Section 3; Base; Suffix
Value: The ODBC field name on which to act.
For example, GLT_CURRENT_TRANSACTION.Account for the
Account number from the GLT current transaction file, GLM_MASTER_
ACCOUNT.Account for the Account number from the GLM Master
account record, or JCM_MASTER_JOB.Job for the job number from the
JCM Job record.

tsFieldSection(@tsDataFolder, “GLM”, “AACCT”, “Section 1”, GLM_

Example MASTER_ACCOUNT.Account) prints the information in section 1 of the
GL Master Account field.

tsFieldSectionDesc function information

Function: tsFieldSectionDesc

Use this function to determine the description in a customer-specified

field section. A field section is any portion of the GL Account, JC Job, or
AR Customer that you define. For example, you can define up to 3
Description
prefixes, the base, and the suffix of a GL Account. Therefore, these are
field sections. Using the tsFieldSection function, you can retrieve the
prefix, base, or suffix field description information from the GL Account.

115
 Function: tsFieldSectionDesc

tsFieldSectionDec(Data Folder Name, File Type, Field Name,

Section, Flags)
Data Folder Name: Type a path to the data folder or use the
tsDataFolder formula, which stores the folder path information.
File Type: The type of file. For example, type “GLM” for the General
Ledger account file or “JCM” for the Job Cost master file.
Field Name: The name of the field. For example, type “AACCT” for the
Syntax General Ledger account field.
Section: Section 1, Section 2, or Section 3; Base; Suffix
Flags: You can type:
l “P” to pluralize.

l “A” for all capital letters.

l “I” for initial capital letters.

l “F” to capitalize the first letter only.

l “L” for all lowercase.

l “” to print as it is in the database.

tsFieldSectionDesc(@tsDataFolder, “GLM”, “AACCT”, “Section 1”,

Example “A”) prints the section 1 description of the GL Master Account field in all
caps.

tsglFiscalEntityInfo function information

Function: tsglFiscalEntityInfo

Use this function to report on the Australian Business Number (ABN) for
General Ledger or Accounts Payable accounts. For General Ledger
Description
accounts, you can report on the ABN for a General Ledger prefix or the
entire account number.

tsglFiscalEntityInfo(Data Folder Name, Field Name, Prefix or

Account, Account Section)
Syntax Data Folder Name: Type the path to the data folder or use the
tsDataFolder formula, which stores folder path information.
Field Name: You must use “abn” as the field name.

116
 Function: tsglFiscalEntityInfo

Prefix or Account: Type a valid prefix number or account number from

the general ledger chart of accounts or type a valid accounts payable
account number.
Account Section: Type the section of the account to use. You can type:
l “account”

l “prefix a”

l “prefix b”

l “prefix c”

l “full prefix”

Example tsglFiscalEntityInfo(@tsDataFolder,”abn”,”10-1201”,”account”)

tsHeaderData function information

Function: tsHeaderData

Use to determine the header information, such as header records in the

Description
BLM file.

tsHeaderData(Data Folder Name, File Name, Header Number, Field

Name, Flags)
Data Folder Name: The report design must use the tsDataFolder
formula, which stores the folder path information.
Name: Use the actual file name; for example, Master.apm or
Master.blm.
Header Number: Identifies the header record from which the field is
Syntax retrieved.
Field Name: Use the internal field name; for example, SATXT or PABN.
Flags: You can type:
l “P” to pluralize.

l “A” for all capital letters.

l “I” for initial capital letters.

l “F” to capitalize only the first letter.

l “L” for all lowercase.

l “” to print as it is in the database.

Example tsHeaderData(@tsDataFolder, “Master.blm”, 2,”SATXT”, “PA”)

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 Function: tsHeaderData

retrieves the Auto Text field from the BL Settings Header, adds an “s” to
the end, and prints in all capital letters.

Notes: Internal field names are listed when you print an available fields report (TR:
Tools > Available Fields) and you select the Include information for ODBC
reporting? check box in the Print Available Fields – Print Selection window.

To retrieve a date field, you must use the Crystal Reports ToDate function to convert
the string value to a date. To retrieve a number, you must use the Crystal Reports
ToNumber function to convert the string value to a number.

tsItemDesc function information

Function: tsItemDesc

This function returns the description of a list field. Use this function to
Description perform string comparisons on list fields that contain custom
descriptions.

tsItemDesc(Data Folder Name, File Type, Field Name, Item Name,

Format)
Data Folder Name: Type a path to the data folder or use the
tsDataFolder formula, which stores the folder path information.
File Type: The type of file. For example, type “ART” for the accounts
receivable transaction file.
Field Name: The name of the custom list field. For example, type
Syntax “TATYPE” for the accounts receivable Amount Type custom list.
Item Name: The short description of the custom list item. For example,
type “PMT” for the cash receipt accounts receivable amount type.
Format:
l “P” to pluralize.

l “A” for all capital letters.

l “I” for initial capital letters.

l “F” to capitalize the first letter only.

l “L” for all lowercase.

118
 Function: tsItemDesc
l “” to print as it is in the database.
Example tsItemDesc(@tsDataFolder, “ART”, “TATYPE”,”Lab”,”A”) returns LAB

Note: When you use tsItemDesc for literal string comparisons, set the Format
parameter to nothing (““) to return the description unchanged.

tsLetterheadStyle function information

Function: tsLetterheadStyle

This function retrieves your Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
letterhead settings (Tools > Options > Letterhead tab) and returns one
of the following values:
l “NONE”—No logo prints. The company name and address print in the
header section.
l “PREPRINTED”—No logo prints. Header is blank to accommodate
letterhead stationery.
l “CUSTOM”—Logo prints on the left. Company address prints on the
Description right.

To accommodate the use of different database-specific Sage 300

Construction and Real Estate letterhead settings, all report designs
created in Crystal Reports and included in the software have separate
header sections for all three letterhead options. The tsLetterheadStyle
function is used as a suppress condition on a header section. The
function determines which letterhead to use and suppresses the unused
letterheads when the report prints.

119
 Function: tsLetterheadStyle

(Page Header—Suppress Condition)

Custom: tsLetterheadStyle({@tsDataFolder}) <> “CUSTOM”
Example
Preprinted: tsLetterheadStyle({@tsDataFolder}) <> “PREPRINTED”
None: tsLetterheadStyle({@tsDataFolder}) <> “NONE”

tsOperator function information

Function: tsOperator

Use to determine the identity or the description of the operator printing

Description
the report

tsOperator(“Id”) or tsOperator(“Desc”)
Id: The identifier for the operator.
Syntax
Desc: The description for the operator. For example, the name of the
operator.

tsOperator(“Id”) prints the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate

Security Id
Example
tsOperator(“Desc”) prints the Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
Security operator description.

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 tsRange function information

Function: tsRange

Use this function to add range values to custom Crystal Report designs
that you use in Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate applications. You
can select the range values from a database list.
To view the database list:
1. Select Report Designer: Tools > Available Fields.
2. Select the record that you want to use, and then click [OK]. For
example, AP - Vendor.
3. On the Print Available Fields window, select Include information
Description for ODBC reporting?, and then click [Start].

Tip: Use the report created in step 3 above to determine the values to
use in the formulas.

Note: The tsRange parameter must be the last parameter on the report
design.

Important! Do not use tsRange if the report will be run against the SQL
database (instead of the Pervasive database).

Formula 1: "File Abbreviation, Record Number, Internal Name, Standard

Order Number, Internal Name 2"
Parameter: tsRange(Formula 1 Name)

Formula 2: ((UBound({?tsRange(Formula 1 Name)}) = 1) and

({?tsRange(Formula 1 Name)}[1] = "")) or Database Field = {?tsRange
Syntax
(Formula 1 Name)}
Database Field: {Table.Field}
Expert: Formula 2 Name is True.
Formula Name: The name of the formula can be whatever you choose.
File Abbreviation: The three-letter abbreviation for the data file type.
Record Number: The number of the record in the file.

121
 Function: tsRange

Internal Name: This is the key field. For example, VENDOR or JOB.
Standard Order Number: Optional. This is the alternative key. Use it for
sorting the records.
Internal Name 2: Optional. This is the description field. For example,
VNAME.
Database Field: The field in the database to which the parameter is
attached.
Value options for the parameter should be set as follows:
Allow custom values: True
Allow multiple values: True
Allow discrete values: True
Allow range values: False (This is because you are using a Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate range rather than a Crystal range.)
To create the function:
1. Name the formula and select the fields for the formula (Formula
Workshop > Formula Editor).
2. Edit the value options for the parameter (Edit Parameter).
3. Attach the parameter to the database field (Select Expert).
Formula 1 Name: VendorRangeSelection
Formula 1: “APM,9,VENDOR,1,VNAME”
Parameter: tsRange(VendorRangeSelection)
Formula 2 Name: SELECT - Vendor Range or NULL
Formula 2: ((UBound({?tsRange(VendorRangeSelection)}) = 1) and
Example
({?tsRange(VendorRangeSelection)}[1] = "")) or APM_MASTER__
VENDOR. Vendor = {?tsRange(VendorRangeSelection)}
Expert:@SELECT - Vendor Range or NULL is True.
Provides a range in vendor number order with a description of vendor
name.

122
Special parameters in process reports
Process reports are reports that print forms and are printed directly from application
tasks. This section describes the procedure for defining the process reports to print using
Crystal Reports. Although most applications print process reports, only the Job Cost (JC)
and Project Management (PJ) applications use Crystal Reports currently to print process
reports.

Project Management uses the following process reports:

l Change order forms
l Change request forms
l Commitment change order forms
l Drawing logs
l Meeting minutes
l RFI forms
l Submittal forms
l Transmittal forms

Job Cost uses the following process reports:

l Change order forms
l Purchase order change order forms
l Purchase order forms
l Subcontract change order forms
l Subcontract forms

Note: Do not type “?” in front of parameter fields. In Crystal Reports, “?” automatically
appears in front of parameter fields. For example, when you create a parameter and
type tsDocIndex, the parameter appears as:
?tsDocIndex

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 tsContactIndex parameter information

Parameter: tsContactIndex

Only transmittal forms require this additional parameter to retrieve the

contact ID created by the process for the report.
Description 1. In Crystal Reports, create the tsContactIndex string parameter.
2. Link the ?tsContactIndex parameter on the main report to the
Contact ID on the subreport to print the To contact information.

tsDocIndex parameter information

Parameter: tsDocIndex

Process reports require this parameter to retrieve the document ID

created by the process for the report.
Use a tsDocIndex parameter when you want a document to print for only
a specific document ID.
This parameter is stored in the u2lxx.dll files. These files are installed in
different locations depending on the version of Crystal Reports that you
use. If you use Timberline Registry Editor (TSRegEdit) to switch
between different versions of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
applications, always use the latest version of the Registry Editor to
ensure that u2lxx.dll files are in the proper location.
Description
Create a parameter named tsDocIndex. Use Select Expert (Report >
Select Expert) to set the document index field equal to ?tsDocIndex.
For each report type, use the settings that follow:
RFIs:{PJD_DOCUMENT_RFI.RFI_INDEX} = {?tsDocIndex}
Submittals: {PJD_DOCUMENT_SUBMITTAL.SUBMITTAL_INDEX} =
{?tsDocIndex}
Transmittals: {PJD_DOCUMENT_TRANSMITTAL.TRANSMITTAL_
INDEX} = {?tsDocIndex}
Purchase orders and subcontracts: {JCM_MASTER_
COMMITMENT.doc_ID} = {?tsDocIndex}

124
 Parameter: tsDocIndex

Change orders: {JCM_MASTER_CHANGE_ORDER.doc_ID} =

{?tsDocIndex}
Purchase order COs and subcontract COs:{JCM_MASTER_
COMMITMENT_CO.doc_ID} = {?tsDocIndex}

Could not open data folder error

If you set the location on all tables and try to preview the report in Crystal, you still may
receive an error message stating: Could not open data folder. Data folder does not
exist, it is not a Timberline data folder, or the current operator does not have access.

This message refers to the path in the report’s tsDataFolder formula. The tsDataFolder
formula must have a valid path to be previewed from Crystal.

To correct this error:

1. Click [OK] to this message.

2. Close the Formula Workshop window.
3. Under Field Explorer, double-click Formula Fields and select tsDataFolder.
4. Right-click and select Edit.
5. Change the path to match your accounting data folder path.

Billing considerations
When upgrading, changing, or creating Billing invoice designs, you must:
l Set the location and verify the database against a DSN called TS Billing Field
Names.
l Include the tsDesignMode formula in the designs.

Creating the TS Billing Field Names data source

1. Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator window.
2. On the User DSN tab, click [Add] to add a new User DSN.
3. Select Timberline Data as the data source.

125
4. Click [Finish].
5. For the data source name, type TS Billing Field Names.
6. Click [Select Folder], select your construction data folder in the Select Company
window, and click [OK].
7. Click [Options] to show the Data Source Options.

a. In the Table and Field Naming list, select Dictionary names.

b. Select the Use maximum table segment size check box.
c. If the report was created in a version before Accounting and Management
Products 8.0.0, you may need to clear the Use maximum table segment
size check box.
d. Clear the Shorten field and table names check box.
8. Click [OK] to save your settings and close the window.
9. Click [OK] to close the Data Source Administrator window.

tsDesignMode formula
The Billing invoice format invoice design and all subreports must contain the
tsDesignMode formula. The value in this formula must be “Dictionary”.

Note: The invoice format designs provided with your Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate software already include this formula.

If you use a custom Crystal design for your Billing invoice task and the design does not
contain the tsDesignMode formula, you will see the following error messages:

“Print Engine error 7: unable to connect to database”

“File report design is not a valid invoice design.”

Purchasing and Inventory considerations

Database record changes
You may need to modify Purchasing and Inventory custom reports to reflect Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate database changes. Refer to the Accounting and
Management Release Notes to review database changes by application.

126
 Notes:
l When you open Purchasing, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate creates
the “Timberline Office Data PO” and “Timberline PO Data” data sources. When
you open Inventory, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate creates the”
Timberline Office Data IV” and “Timberline IV Data” data sources. These data
sources are not available until you open Purchasing or Inventory.
l Purchasing and Inventory reports have a .crs extension. When you open one of
these reports in Crystal Reports, make sure to select All files for Files of type.
This ensures that files with the .crs extension appear in the Open window.

Modifying custom reports

To modify custom Purchasing and Inventory reports that were created in a previous
version of Crystal Reports:

1. Open the report in the current version of Crystal Reports.

2. For Purchasing or Inventory tables:

a. Select Database > Set Datasource Location.

b. Under Replace with, double-click the Create New Connection folder.
c. Double-click the ODBC (RDO) folder.
d. In the ODBC (RDO) window, select Select Data Source.
e. In the Data Source Name list, select Timberline PO Data or Timberline IV
Data. (Select Timberline PO Data if you are using a PO report; select
Timberline IV Data if you are using an IV report).
f. Click [Finish].
g. For each table listed under Current Data Source, select the table, select
the corresponding table in the Replace with area, and click [Update]. (If all
the data sources are the same, you can do this at the data source level
instead.)
h. Click [Close].

Note: You may have to manually map changed fields.

3. For Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate tables:

127
 a. Select Database > Set Datasource Location.
b. Under Replace with, double-click the Create New Connection folder.
c. Double-click the ODBC (RDO) folder.
d. Click Make New Connection if the Connection Information window does
not appear.
e. In the ODBC (RDO) window, select Select Data Source.
f. In the Data Source Name list, select Timberline Office Data PO or
Timberline Office Data IV. (Select Timberline Office Data PO if you are
using a PO report; select Timberline Office Data IV if you are using an IV
report). Click [Finish].
g. For each table listed under Current Data Source, select the table, select the
corresponding table in the Replace with area, and click [Update]. (If all the
data sources are the same, you can do this at the data source level instead.)
h. Click [Close].

Note: You may need to rename the report with a .crs extension after you save the
report.

Formatted field formulas

Formatted fields are fields that you can format with sections separated by characters. You
can create formulas that will print the following as formatted fields on reports:
l Job
l Job cost code
l Equipment
l Equipment cost code
l GL account

Formula content for formatted fields contains only the field name.

Formulas for formatting fields

Formula contents and field name Formula name

Job FMTJOB + at least one character

128
 Formula contents and field name Formula name

Job Cost Code FMTJCC + at least one character

Equipment FMTEQU + at least one character

Equipment Cost Code FMTECC + at least one character

GL Account FMTGLA + at least one character

If you create a report that has several occurrences of the same fields from different
records, you can create multiple formulas with different names; for example, if you create
a report that uses the job and job cost code fields from both the PODetail and POHeader
records, you could create the following formulas:

Example using the same fields from different records

Field Record Formula name

Job PODetail FMTJOB1

Job POHeader FMTJOB2

Job Cost Code PODetail FMTJCC1

Job Cost Code POHeader FMTJCC2

Note: Formatting does not print from within Crystal Reports—but formatting does print
when you print the report from the Reports menu in Purchasing or Inventory.

Ts.ctl formulas
To create formulas to include the general company information stored in the control
(Ts.ctl) file:

129
1. Name the new formula according to the following table.

Company field information

Ts.ctl Formula
Ts.ctl Field Name
Name

Company TSCOMPANY

Address TSADDRESS

Address 2 TSADDRESS2

City TSCITY

State TSSTATE

Zip TSZIP

Phone TSPHONE

Folder TSFOLDER

Caution! If your existing reports contain Purchasing or Inventory control file fields
(such as Companyname, Address1, Address2, etc.), you must replace them with
the formulas listed in this table.

2. In the Formula Editor window, leave the contents of the formula blank.
3. Save the formula.

Note: Return values for these formulas do not print from within Crystal Reports—but
they do print when you print the report from the Reports menu in Purchasing or
Inventory.

Parameter fields
When you print a report with parameter fields, the parameters determine which prompts
appear in the print window. For example, if the parameter is a date field, the prompt uses
the calendar control; if the parameter is a logic (true or false) field, the prompt uses a
check box. For Purchasing and Inventory, name your parameters something specific if
the design lets you see a list of available data for the parameter.

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Preset parameter sets
All of the following parameter names allow use of drop-down selection lists to print.

Parameter names for selection lists

l STARTDATE l ENDDATE
l FIRSTITEM l LASTITEM
l FIRSTLOC l LASTLOC
l FIRSTCLASS l LASTCLASS
l FIRSTJOB l LASTJOB
l FIRSTVENDOR l LASTVENDOR
l FIRSTPO l LASTPO
l FIRSTRECEIPT l LASTRECEIPT

Purchase order form and purchase order change order form parameters

Parameter Purpose

You want the report (for example, a purchase order form) to print for
PONUMBER a single purchase order. Use also with the CONUMBER parameter
as described below.

You want the report (e.g., a purchase order change order form) to
CONUMBER
print for a single purchase order change order.

Note: Lists for these parameters do not appear from within Crystal. They work, but you
must type a value, not select a value from a list. They do print when you print the report
from the Reports menu in Purchasing or Inventory.

Adding custom reports to the Purchasing or Inventory Reports menu

To add custom report designs to the Purchasing or Inventory Reports menu:

1. In Purchasing or Inventory, select Reports > Report Manager.

2. To add a new report, click [New]. To change a report, click [Change].

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3. Type the Report Name (the name that will appear on the report menu).
4. Select a Menu Group from the list, or type the name for a new menu group.
5. Click [List] to browse for the report. These must be Crystal Reports designs with a
.crs extension.
6. Select the report, and then click [Open].
7. Click [OK] to close the Add New Report window.
8. Click [Close] to close the Reports Manager window.

DSN error
If you install or upgrade Purchasing or Inventory on a computer that has the Windows 7
operating system, you may need to elevate your permissions level before starting the
program or Purchasing/Inventory may not be able to create the DSNs necessary to use
Crystal Reports. If you encounter an error message when starting Purchasing or
Inventory for the first time after installation, close the program, elevate your permissions
level, and start Purchasing/Inventory again.

Service Management considerations

Database record changes
You may need to modify Service Management custom reports to reflect Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate database changes.

Setting up or upgrading custom reports

To set up Crystal Reports in Service Management:
l If the report is designed to switch between the current and history files, see "Option
A" (the next section).
l If the report is not designed to switch between current and history files, see "Option B
" on page 134.

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Option A
1. Verify the Timberline Data Source is set up correctly. Subreports that pull
information from the accounting database use the ODBC Timberline Data Source
DSN.

a. Open the Data Source Administrator window.

b. On the User DSN tab, select Timberline Data Source and click
[Configure].
c. Click [Select Folder], select your construction data folder, and click [OK].
d. Click [Options] to show the Data Source Options.
e. In the Table and Field Naming list, select Standard descriptions.
f. Select the Use maximum table segment size check box.
g. Clear the Shorten field and table names check box.
h. Click [OK] twice.

Note: If you will print this custom report from within Crystal Reports, this
DSN must use a valid Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate accounting
data set.

2. Set the location to a valid data set.

a. In Crystal Reports, open the custom report you are upgrading.

b. Select Database > Set Datasource Location.
c. Under Current Data Source, select the first data source.
d. Under Replace with, double-click Create New Connection.
e. Double-click Btrieve.
f. In the Open window, browse to the folder containing your Service
Management data.
g. Select FILE.DDF and click [Open].
h. Select the data source that should replace the original.
i. Click [Update].

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 j. Repeat steps b through i for all data sources listed under Current Data
Source.
k. Verify all table locations in the Set Datasource Location window point to the
same data folder path. All table locations point to the same path if only one
group of tables appears under Current Data Source.

You must also set the location on all subreports. If a subreport retrieves
Service Management data, follow the procedure in step 2. If a subreport
retrieves data from the Timberline Data Source, follow the procedure in
step 3 (which follows). The Current Data Source window lists subreport
data sources in a separate group.

3. Select the data source for the subreport.

a. Select Database > Set Datasource Location.

b. Under Current Data Source, double-click Subreports and select the first
data source.
c. Under Replace with, double-click Create New Connection.
d. Double-click ODBC (RDO).
e. Select Timberline Data Source.
f. Click [Finish].
g. If you have security enabled, type your Operator ID and Password.
h. Click [Close].
4. After you use Set Datasource Location, verify the path on each table of the report is
correct.
5. Select Database > Verify Database.
6. Select File > Save.

Option B
1. Verify the Timberline Data Source is set up correctly. Subreports that pull
information from the accounting database use the Timberline Data Source.

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 a. Open the Data Source Administrator window.
b. On the User DSN tab, select Timberline Data Source and click
[Configure].
c. Click [Select Folder], select your construction data folder, and click [OK].
d. Click [Options] to show the Data Source Options.
e. In the Table and Field Naming list, select Standard descriptions.
f. Select the Use maximum table segment size check box.
g. Clear the Shorten field and table names check box.
h. Click [OK] twice.
2. Verify the Timberline SM Data DSN is set up correctly

a. Open the Data Source Administrator window.

b. If you are operating in a server/workstation environment, select the System
DSN tab and verify there is a Timberline SM Data DSN.

Note: If Timberline SM Data does not appear in the list of data sources:
1) Open Service Management at the server and preview any standard
report.
2) Open Service Management at each workstation and preview any
standard report.

c. If you are operating on a standalone system, perform steps 2d - 2h to set up

the Timberline SM Data DSN manually; otherwise, skip to step 3.
d. If you are on a standalone system, create the Timberline SM Data DSN
manually by opening the ODBC Data Source Administrator window.
e. On the System DSN tab, click [Add].
f. Select the Pervasive ODBC Engine Interface driver.
g. In the Pervasive ODBC Engine DSN Setup window:

l For Data Source Name, type Timberline SM Data

l For Database Name, select the entry starting with the letters SM in its
label (such as “SM1FE43AFDF79D459F”).

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 Service Management creates two DSN GUIDs for each dataset. You may
select any Service Management DSN GUID when creating the Timberline
SM Data DSN manually. During run time, Service Management
automatically points to the correct Service Management database.

h. Click [OK].

Note: If you will print this custom report from within Crystal Reports, this
DSN must use a valid Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate accounting
data set.

3. Set the location to a valid data set.

a. From Crystal Reports, open the custom report you are upgrading.
b. Select Database > Set Datasource Location.
c. Under Current Data Source, make note of any paths where *.ddf files exist
(such as C:\Development\Testdata\Field.ddf).
d. Click [Close] to close the Set Datasource Location window without
changing any locations.
e. Based on the information you determined in step 3b, use Windows Explorer
to browse to the location referenced by the custom report. Confirm that
these files exist:
l Field.ddf
l File.ddf
l Index.ddf
f. If the files do exist there, copy the .ddf files from your Servmngt folder to the
location you determined in step 3b. Typically, your Servmngt folder is
located at X:\Program Files\Timberline Office\Accounting\Servmngt
(where X represents the drive where your Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate programs are installed).

4. Verify the database.

a. Open the report design in the current version of Crystal Reports and select
Database > Verify Database.

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 b. You may receive several prompts at this point. Respond to these messages
as instructed until the Map Fields window appears:
l If you see “The Database file ‘[file name]’ has changed. Proceeding
to fix up the report!”, click [OK].
l If you see “The database is now up to date.”, click [OK].
l If you see a message other than these (for example, “Remove table”
messages), do not proceed. Close the design without saving your
changes and then confirm that step 2 was done correctly.
5. Open the custom report design in the current version of Crystal Reports and update
the data source:

a. Select Database > Set Datasource Location.

b. Under Replace with, double-click the Create New Connection folder.
c. Double-click the ODBC (RDO) folder.
d. In the ODBC (RDO) window, select Select Data Source.
e. In the Data Source Name list, select Timberline SM Data and then click
[Finish].
f. For each item listed under Current Data Source, select the corresponding
table in the Replace with area and click [Update].
g. Click [Close].
6. Verify the database.

a. Select Database > Verify Database.

b. Respond to the prompts as appropriate.
7. Save the custom report design.

You must also set the location on all subreports. If a subreport retrieves Service
Management data, follow the procedure in steps 3-7. If a subreport retrieves data
from Timberline Data Source, use the steps that follow. The Current Data Source
window lists subreport data sources in a separate group.
8. Select the data source for the subreport.

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 a. Select Database > Set Datasource Location.
b. Under Current Data Source, double-click Subreports and select the first
data source. Many of the subreports retrieve information from the Timberline
Data Source.
c. Under Replace with, double-click Create New Connection.
d. Double-click ODBC (RDO).
e. Select Timberline Data Source.
f. Click [Finish].
g. If you have security enabled, type your Operator ID and Password.
h. Click [Close].
i. After you use Set Datasource Location, verify that the path on each table of
the report is correct.
j. Select Database > Verify Database.
k. Select File > Save.

DSN error
If you install or upgrade Service Management on a computer that has the Windows 7
operating system, you may need to elevate your permissions level before starting the
program or Service Management may not be able to create the DSNs necessary to use
Crystal Reports. If you encounter an error message when starting Service Management
for the first time after installation, close Service Management, elevate your permissions
level, and start Service Management again.

Adding custom report designs to the menu

To add a custom report design to the Service Management Reports menu:

1. Open Service Management.

2. Select Reports > Custom Reports Manager.
3. Click [New].
4. In the New Report window:

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 a. For Name, type the name for the new report as you want it to appear in the
menu.
b. For Path, click the browse button and select the path to the report.
c. (Optional) For Submenu, select a submenu or type the name of the
submenu for the report.
d. To print the report automatically to a file, select the Print to file check box
and type a File name.
5. Click [Finish].
6. Click [Done].

Notes:

If you want custom invoice formats in Service Management 8.3.0 and later to be
retrieved, add them to the appropriate location. These custom formats include
Call Type, Service Location, AR Customer, and Service Management Settings.

You can store custom reports in a subdirectory for reports called Custom (file path
X:\Program Data\Sage\Timberline Office\9.5\Accounting\Report\Service
Management\Custom in Windows 2008 R2, or X:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Application Data\Sage\Timberline
Office\9.5\Accounting\Report\Service Management\Custom in other supported
operating systems). You must manually create this folder, but any reports you
store there will be retrieved by Service Management before it retrieves the reports
stored in the Service Management folder. This prevents custom reports from
being overwritten during the upgrade process. This is most common for process-
oriented reports like work orders and agreements. You must use the same name
as the original report.

tsAlternateSMFolder
You can select whether you want a Service Management report to include current or
historical information by adding the tsAlternateSMFolder function to the report. You do
not need to add a value to the formula. For more information on the tsAlternateSMFolder
function, see "Formula: tsAlternateSMFolder" on page 98

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tsApp
All Service Management reports designs and all subreports must contain the tsApp
formula. The value in this formula must be “SM.” However, this formula is not required on
any report that uses the ODBC driver to access Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate
data. For more information on the tsApp formula, see "Formula: tsApp" on page 99.

Desktop considerations
You can display Crystal Reports in Sage Desktop. You will want to keep some concepts
in mind when you create Crystal Reports designs for use as home pages.

To maximize the performance of Crystal Reports displayed in Sage Desktop:

l If you use subreports, use on-demand subreports.
l Do not use named files.
l If a report takes a long time to process, you may not want to display it in Sage
Desktop.

The following formulas do not function on Crystal Reports displayed in Sage Desktop:
l tsAskFile
l tsSubAskFile
l tsLetterhead

Upgrading older custom report designs

Upgrading custom reports using the Upgrade Crystal Reports tool
If you upgraded from version 13.1 or earlier and have custom Crystal Reports designs,
you must upgrade them before they can be used in Sage 300 Construction and Real
Estate by running the Upgrade Crystal Reports Tool.

To access the tool, click the Start icon, select the Sage Administration program group,
right-click Upgrade Crystal Reports, and then select Run as administrator.

For more information, click (the help button) in the tool's window.

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