FAQ's

What is SAP Business One?

SAP Business One is software that helps you run your business. It tracks your sales, customers, inventory, purchasing, financials, and manufacturing in one integrated application. Think of it as the "core" of your business that ties everything together so you spend less time on manual processes like data entry and you're more available for things like great customer service.

What size business is SAP Business One best suited for?

SAP Business One is ideal for companies who do  under 10,000 transactions a day. With that parameter in mind the size of the business who uses SAP Business One varies widely. We know some businesses who have only a handful of employees and some with a few hundred - both happy running Business One. We also have customers who do well over 100,000 transactions a day also using SAP Business One, so the ‘limitations’ are really based on the nature of the business.

How much does the software cost?

The cost of SAP Business One is determined by how many users you need. Each user is $2,975.  There is also an annual maintenance fee that is 17% the cost of your licenses, billed every year on Jan 1.

Additional costs are install and configuration, which we quote based on the project scope. Our rate for install and config is $185/hr.

Optional budget considerations are training, customizations, and integration of other software with SAP Business One. We charge $185/hr for all those services.

How long has SAP Business One been around?

SAP Business One software became mainstream in 2002.

SAP (the company that developed SAP Business One) is the world leader in enterprise applications in terms of software and software-related service revenue.

• More than 238,000 customers in 188 countries
• More than 65,667 employees – and locations in more than 130 countries
• A 41-year history of innovation and growth as a true industry leader

Cornerstone (that’s us!) has been in business for over 30 years.

How many companies are using SAP Business One?

There are more than 30,000 companies running SAP Business One.

Don't Nike, Starbucks, and Coke run SAP?

Indeed they do! But this is SAP Business One and while it’s from the same COMPANY who developed the software the big guys run, Business One is the option designed for companies who typically do less than 10,000 transactions per day. We work with businesses who only have a few employees, and with others who have over 1000.

Of course it’s also worth mentioning that SAP Business One has a MUCH more reasonable price tag!

As my business grows – will SAP Business One grow with it?

Affirmative! Designed with a flexible fit in mind, Business One is scalable as you expand – handling more than 100,000 transactions a day.

For Businesses who run more than 100,000 transactions a day, we recommend looking at the business carefully to determine if Business One is a good fit or if the next step of SAP software would be better.

Can I import data from my current software into SAP Business One?

Yes. Any data from your current software can be imported into SAP Business One.

The more important consideration is the cost effectiveness of importing that data.

Typically the "master file" data (Customers, Vendors, Inventory and Chart of Accounts) is straightforward to import and can usually be done in a cost effective timeframe.

Transactional data is a completely different story.  The transactions within a software system are normally broken down into a number of inter-related files and thus very difficult to capture.  It is certainly possible but the expense to do so could be prohibitive.

I’m outgrowing QuickBooks, does it make sense to move to SAP Business One?

Yes. In fact that’s one of the most common reasons we see people moving to SAP Business One – their business is growing and their current software software is beginning to seem like it’s holding them back more than it’s helping.

Some of the most common reasons people move from more restrictive software like Quickbooks to SAP Business One are:

• Needing more robust Inventory Control tracking
• Find themselves using and maintaining a lot of spreadsheets
• Are using a more than one software system and band-aiding them together
• Can’t get reports in a timely manner
• Employees are wasting time with redundant data entry

I currently run SBT/ACCPAC/SAGE PRO Series, does it make sense to move to SAP Business One?

It does. If you’re not already aware, Sage Pro Series (also called ACCPAC or SBT) is no longer available for purchase and is no longer being updated. Businesses who run it now will eventually need to make a switch.

We know it’s no fun thinking about switching your ERP software, and won’t argue that it’s a “fun” experience to go through, but we do have a ton of experience with it and especially migrating from Older, Legacy systems to SAP Business One so we can help make the transition faster, more cost effective, and generally less painful.

Can more than one employee share a license so I don’t have to buy another license?

While this sounds like it would be a nice way to save some money, it’s not a good plan and we strongly advise against it. While you can technically have more than one person log into SAP under one user at the same time (sometimes up to 4) SAP Business One was not designed to have multiple people logged in under one user. What happens if you do this is, the different people logged in at the same time will start overwriting each other which obviously creates a big issue. This procedure also violates the SAP Licensing agreement and corrupts the Audit Trail built into the software.

How long does a typical implementation of SAP Business One take?

Typical implementations are anything BUT "typical" and they range from a few days to a year depending upon the complexity of the implementation and the amount of customization needed.  For Cornerstone's customers we find a 1-3 month window is most common.

Does the implementation process require a lot of work from my end?

Yes. Implementation is totally dependent upon the organization implementing the software.  No outside implementation team will know the details of the business like the internal staff, thus it is absolutely critical to get a good internal project leader to take charge and make sure the organization get's it's part done quickly and on schedule.  The entire implementation revolves around the customer and their inside knowledge of the business.

Do I have to wait until Year-End to implement B1?

No. SAP Business One may be implemented at any time during the year.  A Month-End is suggested, but that is not even a requirement.  Most companies DO make the switch at a Month-End, but there is no technical reason to do so.  The transactions in SAP Business One fall into the correct "Accounting Periods" based on the Posting dates of the transactions, so all financials will be accurate no matter when the switch is made.

Is SAP Business One customizable?

It is! Out-of-the-box SAP comes with the ability to set user-defined fields, customize dashboards, and set specific user permissions.

Customizations to SAP Business One that are specific to your business or beyond the range of what’s customizable from the front-end can be accomplished by our SAP Business One programmers who can customize just about anything inside the software. They can also build custom programs to integrate other software that you want to tie into SAP Business One.

If you’re interested in hiring our SAP Business One programmers to customize something inside the software, check our support page.

What are the server requirements for SAP Business One?

You can find the server requirements and workstation requirements for running SAP Business one here.

Can we get SAP Business One training in our own office?

Yep! We’re happy to come to you for SAP Business One training. We also offer remote training or in our Tampa office location. See more details on our SAP Business One training support.

Can I access the software on my phone or tablet?

Yes. SAP Business One has a free mobile app available for download on the iTunes store. There are also a number of add-ons for SAP Business One which give you other mobile functionality including the ability to access SAP Business One from your iPad without an internet connection (ideal for the traveling sales team). See more about the SAP Business One mobile app.

Is SAP compatible with Microsoft Outlook or Office?

Yes. SAP Business One is compatible with Microsoft office including Outlook and Excel. For more information click here.

Can I run the software on a Mac?

Yes. SAP Business One is a Windows-based product but can be run on a Mac using virtualization software such as Citrix. If you’re interested in running SAP Business One on a mac drop us a note and we can walk you through how that works.

Can I run the whole system “on the cloud”?

Yes. SAP Business One can be run entirely on the cloud. That means you don’t have to have any servers for your software to run.

While it’s a great option for those who don’t want to have any physical hardware – businesses should keep in mind that if they lose a connection to the internet their cloud based software will be unavailable since you need an internet connection to access anything cloud based.

Does running SAP Business One mean that I can get rid of my other non-integrated software completely?

While it does depend on what functionality you get out of your current non-integrated software, most businesses are able to discontinue using their other software since SAP Business One has most of the functionality businesses need to operate, inside the one software system.

If a business finds that they do want to keep another software for functionality not found within SAP Business One, our programmers may be able to tie the software together if it makes sense for them to “talk” to help automate things.

How many installs has Cornerstone done?

We've been in business since 1983 and have hundreds of implementations under our belt. We know the complexities and challenges of a conversion, and have years of experience handling just about everything you could imagine.

Does Cornerstone have any online resources for SAP B1 support?

Yes. Cornerstone has a free online support tool called the SAP Business One AskEngine. You can lookup your questions and find step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and video demos.

If you aren’t able to find the answer to your question, there’s a form for submitting your questions and you’ll receive a direct response from an SAP expert.

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