Peachtree Updates Accounting Program

In this update of Peachtree's popular small-business accounting program, Peachtree Complete Accounting 2002, the most welcome news is an expansion of already powerful flexible-pricing calculations. Up to ten different price levels can be set for each item available for sale--a useful feature for businesses selling through different channels.

With this $270 program, you can assign each price level a name, base prices on a percentage of cost to ensure profitable markups, and automatically round up amounts. Nifty new e-mail alerts, which let you monitor business operations, also generate e-mail in certain circumstances--for instance, a product manager can be notified when stock of an inventory item falls below a predetermined minimum.

Reviewing details of past transactions is both quicker and more sophisticated in the new Peachtree Complete beta version I tested. An added drill-down capability for cash receipts and payments lets you get at all the nitty-gritty transaction details in a snap. Free report templates are included for Crystal Reports for Peachtree, Crystal Decisions' powerful, industry-standard financial report generator ($150 extra).

Many improvements are minor, such as the capability to quickly add a new customer, employee, or vendor within any transaction screen, which long has been available in market leader QuickBooks.

Peachtree Complete does have more powerful accounting features than QuickBooks, particularly for fixed assets, and with its new fast-add and drill-down capabilities, it matches QuickBooks' ease of use. This Peachtree package can be worthwhile if you need the pricing, alert, and reporting enhancements.

SUMMARY

Peachtree Complete Accounting 2002 A powerful accounting program, suited for small businesses; not a must-have upgrade. $270 Peachtree www.peachtree.com