The support and flexibility Sage 300 provides for multiple companies is just one reason many businesses choose it over alternative ERP solutions. Orchid’s Inter-Entity Transactions & Trade modules magnify this benefit, taking much of the effort and risk out of managing complex interactions between entities.
Inter-Entity Transactions, which operates at the GL Segment level, can handle interactions between entities within the same Sage 300 database or, when using the Multi-Database edition, those that span different databases.
We are often asked, “which is better, one Sage 300 database or two?”
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all answer, but Steve from Orchid has suggested a few opening arguments to consider when making a case for or against the single database option.
Single Database: The Case For
Take arms against a sea of troubles!
- Regular maintenance activities (e.g. backups, periodic processing, Masterfile updates) don't need to be duplicated.
- There is no need to constantly log in and out of Sage 300 when switching between companies.
- Custom reporting is generally simpler when only one database is involved.
- Sage 300’s GL Financial Reporter can be used to consolidate financial information across companies within the same database.
Single Database: The Case Against
Aye, there’s the rub!
- Security is not as tight – it’s harder to “build a wall” between entities.
- All companies in the database must share the same home currency.
- All companies in the database must share the same fiscal periods and fiscal year-end.
- Excluding an entity that has been sold off is harder.
Other Orchid modules can help to mitigate some of the risks or compromises mentioned above, e.g.
- Use Extender to introduce custom validation and data-level security, protecting the integrity of data related to different entities.
- Use Info-Explorer for Group Analytics across the board (rather than just Financial Reports)