Many companies who are actively in the process of selecting an accounting software package are unfamiliar with the tools that are available to help you conduct your evaluation. There are more than a half dozen of these tools on the market - the most popular of which is The Accounting Library.


The Accounting Library

At it’s core, The Accounting Library is a database of detailed information concerning most of the leading accounting products on the market today (QuickBooks through SAP). All you have to do is select which of the up to 4,000 features per product best describe your requirements and the program will rank each of the 150+ products in the database according to how well they meet your unique requirements. If your needs are complex or specific to your industry, you can even create a totally automated RFI/RFP.

The Accounting Library is the only program that features a Product Certification program whereby the author (Charles Chewning) has met with each participating vendor for two days and made the vendor "prove" each of their responses.

While there is any number of reasons why you should purchase a product such as The Accounting Library, some of the following points should assist.

• Regardless of your organization's size, the process of selecting a new accounting system will be extremely time consuming. At worst it can prove to be the most traumatic process you or anyone else in your organization will ever face.
• The Accounting Library will give you a template needs definition that will enable you to literally save hundreds of hours as you struggle to specify exactly what you require. Why should you spend so much time creating a needs definition when that has already been done for you?
• The value of the time you save in this process alone will exceed your investment several times over.
• The Accounting Library will provide you with instant access to a whole host of leading products thus eliminating the necessity for you to duplicate the research that has already been done.
• The analysis program will enable you to compare your needs against each of these products and determine which ones are best suited and why. You could do the same thing manually or with a spreadsheet, but that process will take you another hundred hours or so.
• The manuals which accompany the analysis program will help you understand exactly how this whole software selection process should be organized and managed. You could hire an outside consultant to teach you the same thing but why not spend your precious resources on other projects. Even if you do hire a consultant, using The Accounting Library will enable you to tell this person exactly what you require in more detail than they would have expected.
• If you are a software selection consultant, The Accounting Library will give you access to all of the leading products on the market, reduce your non-billable time, and increase professionalism of your practice.
• In the end The Accounting Library is like insurance. Regardless of what method you use to select your next accounting system, you should utilize the best tools available and The Accounting Library is just such a tool.

The following application areas are analyzed by The Accounting Library:

• General Ledger
• Budgeting
• Accounts Payable
• Purchasing and eProcurement
• Accounts Receivable
• Customer Relationship Management
• Debt Management and Collection
• Inventory Control
• Distribution Management
• Assembly and Light Manufacturing
• MRP and ERP
• Payroll
• Human Resource Management (HR)
• Fixed Assets
• Job and Project Costing
• Project Management
• Professional Service Management/Billing
• Order Entry
• Business to Business Commerce
• Business to Consumer Commerce
• Service Management
• Reporting Systems and Business Metrics
• Exception Management
• Operating Systems and Databases
• Programming Languages
• Other System Features
• ASP Options
• Multicurrency Accounting

Four distinct versions of The Accounting Library are available:

1. Standard Edition - $395

• Select from 2,500 features, functions and reports as you build your needs definition.
• Analyze 115+ entry-level and mid-range products from QuickBooks, Peachtree, etc. to products such as Great Plains Edition, MAS 90 and MAS 500, Solomon IV, ACCPAC Advantage Series, etc.
• You do not have to answer each question. Just pick the modules in which you are interested and then select the questions that best represent your unique requirements.
• Rather than responding Yes/No your input is numerical (0-9) so that features of greater importance receive greater weight. You can even identify Critical requirements that must be met or the product will be eliminated from further consideration.
• Every question has a Help File attached so that you can understand exactly what is meant by the question.
• Once complete, this needs definition will be used to identify the best suited products. The Accounting Library contains a comprehensive reporting system that helps you determine which products come closest to meeting your requirements, their relative and specific functional strengths and weaknesses, and how they compare against each other.
• Needs Definition Report: Review and verify your needs prior to running the analysis.
• Basic Ranking Report: The program will rank each product according to how well it meets your needs.
• Module and Subsection Report: The program will determine not just the percentage of needs met for each product but how well each module and significant areas within each module meet your needs.
• Question Report: You can compare your needs line by line against selected products and determine exactly how each product meets each requirement.
• Features Absent Report: Ask the program to show you the needs that selected products cannot meet.
• Eliminated Product Report: Ask the program to show you why specific products were eliminated because they did not meet requirements you had identified as critical.
• Product Report: Examine all of the features for a single specified product or compare two or more products side by side (no needs definition required).
• Vendor Information Report: Obviously we will provide you with detailed contact information for each product and vendor.
• Once the basic functional analysis has been completed the manuals will take you by the hand and lead you through the rest of the selection process, helping you understand every step that should be taken as you prepare to make the final purchase decision.
• You will receive six months of free updates as well as technical and consulting support (Meaning you can call the company and ask any question you want to that will help you or your client select the best product).
• If you are a consultant and want to continue receiving updates, pay just $150 per year after the first six months.

Special Price

Please note that you can purchase The Accounting Library Standard Edition for just $345 ($50 off) by calling and ordering from the Network Management Group, Inc. in Hutchinson, Kansas. This is a special arrangement that we have made with Charles Chewning (the author of The Accounting Library) for participants who attend this course. However, this offer is not available anywhere else - you must purchase the product through the Network Management Group, Inc. only. To save $50, you must call Network Management Group, Inc. at (620) 664-6000 or www.buynmgi.com.

2. Client/Server Edition - $995

• Select from 4,000 features, functions and reports.
• This advanced questionnaire includes detailed requirements information for manufacturing and multi-currency as well as features applicable only to enterprise software applications.
• Analyze 150+ products including all of the top enterprise systems.
• If a product in which you have an interest is not in the database, Charles Chewning at Solutions will work with you to add any product of specific interest.

3. Modifiable Edition - $1,295

• The Modifiable Edition is similar to an RFI/RFP but vastly more efficient than paper-based questionnaires and a spreadsheet-based analysis.
• Utilize the same database as the Client/Server Edition (4,000 features and 150+ products).
• Add, modify or delete as many questions as necessary to create a needs definition unique to your organization. All of these procedures are simple menu/mouse functions.
• Send your revised needs definition to as many vendors as required regardless of whether they are in the database or not. Again this is an entirely electronic process.
• Each vendor will receive an electronic questionnaire together with associated help file system that will help them understand exactly what you require.
• Once they have completed the questionnaire each vendor can export their responses and e-mail the update file to you.
• All you have to do is select a single menu function to import the vendor's file immediately.
• Now you are ready to carry out the analysis but you have probably saved several hundred hours of your precious time.

4. Reseller Edition - $395

• Solutions has even created a special edition of The Accounting Library for resellers.
• This special edition allows you to offer services to prospects that they would only expect from a top level consultant.
• Of greater importance, the methodology suggested in the four volume set of accompanying manuals allows you to distinguish yourself from your competition early enough in the sales cycle where it really makes a difference.

In addition to three client oriented consulting manuals, you will receive a 300+ pages sales and marketing manual written specifically for accounting software resellers. This unique publication is the only one of which we are aware that is written specifically for resellers.

Other Selection Tools
There are other software evaluation products on the market as well. Provided below are a listing of some of the more popular accounting software evaluation and selection tool products:


The Accounting Library, Network Management Group, Inc.

Hutchinson, Kansas (620) 664-6000

The Accounting Library is the most popular and affordable tool on the market today. The Standard version can be purchased through the Network Management Group, Inc. in Hutchinson, Kansas for $345 ($50 off) and the Client Server version can be purchased for $945 ($50 off).


The Requirements Analyst, CTS, Inc.

131 Rollins Ave S-1, Rockville, MD 20852, (301) 433-8015

Produced by Sheldon Needle of Rockville, Maryland, another very good selection tool is The Requirements Analyst, software to assess user needs against leading mid-range packages. It comes with a narrative critique of how each vendor works (The Guide to Accounting Software for Microcomputers). I have personally known the author of this product for more than 10 years and I recommend this product to many accounting software customers as well as consultants and resellers. CTS also evaluates manufacturing, construction small business, and medical practice software. The initial subscription is $295 and annual updates are $l45.


Managing Automation Software Guides

5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001, Ph: 1-800-647-1908, Fax: 1-212-629-1159

The 1999 MEA Comparison Guide covers over 70 application areas, including ERP, business planning, supply chain, plant floor automation software (MES, SCADA, HMI, Quality, etc.) and computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS). The product sells for $510.


FastSelect from Expert Buying Systems

P.O. Box 370819, Las Vegas, NV 89137, (800) 832-6434

This tool covers 4 or 5 ERP based systems. A representative from the company asked us not to disclose their pricing.


SoftResources LLC
2517 Eastlake Ave., Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98102-3278

Phone: 206-860-2400, Fax: 206-860-2828

This company claims to have a database with a profile of more than 6,000 products. Targeted mostly towards larger companies, for a fee these guys will tailor each engagement to the client's specific needs and according to where they are at in the selection process. The level of services ranges from complete hands-on assistance from start to finish to just providing an unbiased ear for advice and direction The company claims to use over 75 different resources to help determine a short-list of 2 to 4 possible software solutions that you can review.