QuickBooks Desktop 2017: Simplifying it further

Intuit may have hit the mark at resolving lifelong product limitations that haunted users for a decade. While the new QuickBooks Desktop 2017 released mid-September highlights the Scheduled Reports as its flagship feature, the rest of the improvements are simple yet will make users think twice before switching to another accounting software next year.

EASILY SCHEDULE REPORTS

Allowing users to automatically send in reports using the current email setup of the company file the schedule report function ensures that important financial data is communicated right on time. Like any other automated processes in the software, scheduling a report will first require a setup from creating the report, memorizing it, and adding it to the scheduled report list which Intuit had it conveniently as its own center.

FASTER SEARCHES AND EASIER FILTERS

There are two other improvements in QuickBooks Desktop 2017 reports that of which is a search box available on top of the list whenever the multiple filter function is selected; and the visibility of the filters used in a modified report. These two improvements reduces pain in generating custom reports. Previously users had to scroll from a long list of accounts, items or names, in the 2017 version all they need to do is to search and check. This gets even better when users are able to view the selected filters by just hitting the blue ‘show’ link on the upper left side of the page. With the filters showing on screen and even prints after the report comes out of the printer, numbers would be easier to understand, draw important business decisions from and most importantly easier to know whether the numbers are right.

Finding names for vendors and customers is made easy with the ‘search as you type’ enhancement. This time typing the first few characters of the first word or even the succeeding words in the search field generates all possible matches. Previously, the search only takes the cursor to the matched entry and it only works with the first few letters of the first word.

The customer and vendor type is also added as a filter and can be used in viewing the centers according to each type. This makes it easier to work with vendor and customer groups which may attract users now to create types on their lists making them more organized.

Intuit also added the search by ‘in-between amounts’ which narrows down the amount search than the result of the ‘equal, less than or greater than’ search function. There is no need to memorize or know exact amounts, the in-between amounts search makes it easier to find transactions. This is also an additional report filter that allows customizing reports to show just the range of amounts like a transaction report with just $100 – $200.

KEEP DEPOSITS IN ORDER

QuickBooks Desktop 2017 also reduces the tendency of having strange numbers in the Undeposited Funds account by adding a ‘deposit notification’. In the Home screen, the ‘Make Deposit’ icon will display a red number for the number of customer payments that needed to be deposited in order to complete the process of transactions entry. So, before the Undeposited Funds throws off the balance sheet with hundreds of transactions sitting on it, users get to resolve the problem before it gets worst.

TRACK CREDIT CARD STATUS

Another useful improvement is the ‘cleared’ mark stamp on reconciled credit card transactions. Although, Intuit may still need to work on getting that mark on deposits, this is helpful enough to avoid messing up with credit card reconciliation

IMPROVED MULTI-USER MODE

The multi-user mode has been given more collaboration functions, making it easier to go on single-user mode without creating problems for other users and the company as a whole. In the improved multi-user mode, a request can be created for other users to logout of the company file in the chat window. It also gives them the information on how much time is left to save their work before the switch and how much time will the company file be on single user. This enhancement will reduce problems with having multiple company files in different workstations which is a common pain in a multi-user setup. Usually, logged in users on a file that has been switched to a single user mode without their knowledge are cutoff from the server file but the cache capability of QuickBooks allows them to save a copy of the file in their respective computers. This then creates another file that cannot be merged to the one on the server.

INSIGHT INTO DELETED USERS

Reports may now display the names of deleted users. The ‘user’ column will not show just ‘deleted user’ or asterisks but will show the login name of the deleted user making it easier to track who changed what in the file. This adds huge value on QuickBooks’ auditing functions.

Should You Install This?

Aside from the features updates and enhancements, QuickBooks 2017 is made compatible with Windows 10 and Mozilla Thunderbird.

There are numerous fixes that the version also addresses like running the software on high resolution display which causes a lot of problems including QuickBooks crashes.

If you are currently on an older version of QuickBooks, it is recommended to wait until the new fiscal year to upgrade to avoid any complications that may arise from bugs and glitches.

QuickBooks Desktop 2017: Simplifying it further