We have made the decision to say no to Sage Drive - now known as Remote Data Access.
Our SmartSync tool has a really good integration with Sage 50 that allows purchase invoices to be created in Sage with nested line items and a document link. We have worked so hard to accommodate the different ways people use Sage with plenty of flexibility on the mappings of things like Departments, Projects and Cost Codes. We strive for accuracy and reliability but we simply can't achieve this when a customer is using Sage Drive. And here's why:
Sage Drive isn't the cloud. It isn't even close to being cloud. Xero is a true cloud application and so is Zahara. A cloud based application runs in a web browser and relies on an internet connection. Sage have created a hybrid here that's - for want a better word - awful. Your Sage file is placed up in the cloud. That's a given. But the communication with it relies on replication of data from your different users. This is a disaster. It means that we can't write transactions into the Sage database and know 100% they are in there and safe. They get written to a file on the user's PC and this then gets replicated to Sage Drive - the central server - the truth. But what if that Sage Drive isn't actually connected. What if it's offline? First off no one can see the transactions that have just been released from Zahara and secondly there is a high probability of corruption.
Enough is enough. This has caused too much effort and hard-work for our customers and our support team. So the options as we see it are this:
- Move to Xero. We will help you do that. It's true cloud, easy to use with a near fanatical following in the book-keeping world.
- Turn off Sage Drive and revert back to having your Sage file in a static location. It's not a big job.
- Use SmartSync for one way syncing - reading - and import invoices into Sage using our CSV or Excel file.
There are pros and cons of all of these and we aren't here to tell you the definitive answer. We are here to get your invoices processed with minimum effort and maximum efficiency though. If you are using Sage Drive, and you have had regular support issues then please act quickly to avoid further disruption.
Best wishes
Martin
