Clean Install Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316941

OR

Clean Install Windows XP

I’ve made no secret of my feelings about doing upgrade installations of Windows XP. My personal experience has shown that very seldom, if ever, do you realize the full potential of a new operating system when it’s installed as an upgrade. The most meticulous of users can’t guard against all the stray files, drivers, and registry entries that creep into a system through normal use. I see no sense in starting out at a disadvantage. All the little problems that existed before the upgrade are likely to make the transition right along with the new operating system. So, that said, what’s involved in doing a clean install of Windows XP?

The Preparation

A clean install in Windows XP is a very straightforward process. Just as there are certain things that need to be done to ensure a successful upgrade, the same care is needed with a clean install. First, check the requirements for Windows XP. A box that just squeaks by on the minimum requirements is not going to make you happy with XP. Truthfully, it’s a recipe for disaster. XP has many nice features, but they do require a box which has the oomph to power them adequately. Check the requirements for the appropriate version using the links below.

Windows XP Home Edition System Requirements
Windows XP Professional Edition System Requirements

If the computer is up to snuff, the next step is to check the rest of the hardware against the Windows XP Hardware Compatibility List to see if it’s supported. It’s possible, even likely, that one or more of your items won’t be on the list. That doesn’t mean you have to replace them or that they won’t work with XP, but it does mean you should visit the manufacturer site to check for XP drivers. In some cases the Windows 2000 drivers will work just fine. The point is, make sure you have the drivers downloaded and saved where they will be available during the XP installation. Drivers for RAID and SCSI devices fall into this same category. Make sure they are available at the beginning of the installation process.

Microsoft has made available on their website some excellent documentation regarding upgrading to Windows XP. I strongly suggest it be read before a final decision is made. A number of other articles are linked from the one below, including a download location for the Microsoft Windows Upgrade Advisor. Even though it's a 35MB download, running it will alert you to any hardware and software problems that may be encountered in your XP installation.

Description of the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor (Q307726)

If you aren’t familiar with the differences between FAT32 and NTFS file systems, now is the time to rectify that situation. This will be the most important decision you have to make during the installation process so a bit of knowledge can be very valuable. See the article linked below.

Description of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP (Q310525)

Make sure that the installation CD’s for every program you use are available as well as the media that qualifies you to be doing a Windows XP installation. Once you wipe the drive there is no magical set of keystrokes that will get your programs and data back, which brings me to the final point for this section. Back up your data, test and verify the backup, and be sure the backup device you used will be available under Windows XP. With the previous tasks completed, it’s onward to the actual installation.

The Installation

There are two methods available for installing Windows XP, both requiring the first step of booting your machine. You’re in luck if the box is capable of booting from the CD-ROM drive since the Windows XP CD’s are bootable. No, XP isn’t available on floppies, and even if it was you’d need a two week vacation to do the installation. If the computer doesn’t support booting from the CD, you’ll need a set of Setup Startup Disks, but here is a final caution before you go this route. Most computers that will be happy running XP have the capability to boot from the CD. It’s probably a red flag if you need the startup disks, so take one more look at the minimum and recommended requirements for running Windows XP. If it’s still a go, download the file that will create the disk sets for either the Home Edition or the Professional Edition. Make the disk set, boot the computer and insert the XP CD to begin the installation.

For boxes that support booting from the CD, the following steps will get you through the clean install of Windows XP.

• Fire up the computer and insert the XP CD.

• Watch the monitor for the message that the CD has been auto-detected, followed by the “Press any key to boot CD” message. Don’t fall for the old joke about looking for the “Any” key and just hit the spacebar or any other key that’s convenient within the five second time span the message will be displayed.

When I first put together this guide to a clean install of XP I didn't think there would be a big problem with ACPI BIOS detection. I was wrong, so I've inserted this section relating to Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) detection in the hope of saving users a lot of grief over XP not shutting down properly. The identical information is also included on the page about Shutdown Problems.

The Role of the F5 Key and Shutdown Problems When I first put this page together I meant to include this information. Unfortunately it totally slipped my mind. One of the hazards of being an Elder(ly) Geek, but better late than never. Thanks to reader Glen M. for jogging my memory. When XP is first installed it tries to determine what type of BIOS is available on the computer. Newer systems have what is known as Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) capability. Unfortunately, XP doesn't always recognize a computer BIOS is ACPI capable and doesn't install the support for ACPI. Even more unfortunate is the fact that if ACPI support isn't determined at the initial install it's virtually impossible to correct this at a later time short of reinstalling XP over the top of the previous XP installation. To do so requires changing the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL). The chances of successfully changing a HAL after XP has been installed is pretty close to zilch. Once you drop the CD in the tray and fire up the computer to install XP, the first thing you'll see at the bottom of the screen is the option to press F6 if you need to install a SCSI or RAID controller. Don't press F6. Press F5 instead. This will take you to a separate menu of Hardware Abstraction Layer's where you can choose an appropriate HAL that supports ACPI. The choices will be: ACPI Multiprocessor PC ACPI Uniprocessor PC Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC Compaq SystemPro Multiprocessor or 100% Compatible PC MPS Uniprocessor PC MPS Multiprocessor PC Standard PC Standard PC with C-Step i486 Other In the majority of installations the 'Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC' HAL is the one you will want to use. A few cautions are also in order: Obtain and install the latest BIOS for your motherboard before you begin the XP installation. Equally as important as using the proper HAL on ACPI capable systems, is NOT using it on systems that are not ACPI compatible. The install may complete but the system will almost surely fail to start when it reboots. There are situations where it is definitely not desirable to use an ACPI HAL even if it is supported by the BIOS. This predominately applies to servers, but to ensure that an ACPI HAL will not be used or automatically detected and used, press F7 instead of F5 as discussed previously. Considering the number of problems that users have with systems not shutting down completely I wonder why this feature is not prominently mentioned and documented. It could save many headaches, but now you know. A good piece of knowledge to have tucked away for your next XP install. As a final note, to determine if your computer was detected as being ACPI enabled: Right click My Computer then click Properties > Hardware > Device Manager. Expand the entry called Computer. If the entry is 'Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC' you're all set. If it says 'Standard PC' the computer BIOS was not detected as being ACPI capable.

• Files will start to load from the CD to begin the installation. Eventually you’ll be asked if you want to install Windows XP. No need to type an essay here on why you’ve made the decision to do the installation. Just hit Enter.

• Next is the End User License Agreement or EULA which must be accepted to continue installation. Press F8 to accept, F3 to bail out now. You can read the EULA if you want, but it adds two days to the installation time.

• The next screen displays the available partitions where XP can be installed. Select the one you want and tap that Enter key again to move on to the screen where you select a file system.

• It’s time for that important decision. FAT32 versus NTFS. The preferred choice is NTFS. It allows security features and stability that aren’t possible with FAT32. Apply the knowledge you gained during the preparation phase at this point. Make your choice of formatting options and press the F key to start the process. Once the format process completes the installation will continue.

• If you are installing from a full version Windows XP CD the installation continues without intervention. If you’re using an upgrade version CD this is where Microsoft confirms your eligibility by requesting the media that allows you to use the upgrade version. Insert your media in the drive, let the verification complete and reinsert the XP CD when prompted.

• Setup continues and eventually the computer will reboot. Watch the onscreen prompts but do not press a key when the “Press any key to boot CD” message appears.

• Installation will continue, prompting you from time to time to supply some additional setup information. Feed the prompts with appropriate responses and eventually another reboot will occur, this time bringing you back into Windows XP, depositing you at the Windows Activation screen.

• You can either activate your copy of XP now or delay the activation for up to 30 days and suffer the periodic activation reminders. I suggest you activate now and register at the same time. It’s really painless. In any case, activation is required at some point or after 30 days you’ll be denied access to the desktop. Registration is entirely optional.

• The last step is to enter a username and watch the XP desktop appear, ready for use.

Congratulations. You’ve just completed a clean install of Windows XP. Look around, explore, play with the settings and start installing applications and transferring your data backup. You’re not in Kansas anymore. This is Windows XP.

How to change GP 10.0 Homepage??

Guys,

I found an interesting post at the Newsgroup on how to remove the GP 10.0 home page, definitely the short answer will be it cannot be removed, but if this request is a must, we must workaround it, therefore I wrote this article to modify the home page file and replace its content with single logo that represents the company logo, below sample shows the home page after the modification:

Now to have your home page looks like the above you will need to follow steps below:

1. Locate "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics\GP\Background\HomePage.xsl" and copy it to have a backup of the file.

2. Open the file using Notepad or any available editor.

3. Remove all the code inside the file and place code below instead with changing the image in the code to your company logo.

 version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"



xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format">

<xsl:output method="html" indent="yes" />



<xsl:template match="Page">



<br>br>

<br>br>

<br>br>



<center><img src="D:\My Documents\GPLogo.jpg" alt="Company Logo" title="Logo" />center>



xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

Refresh your GP home page and enjoy!

Row Numbering in Access Report

Add an unbound control to the detail section.
Set it's control source to =1

Set it's Running Sum property to
Over All.

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/forumarchives/Accessreports/Jun2005/post23236226.asp

Weekly Review: Extreme Makeover JE Edition

Each week I'd like to cover a feature in GP. Some of them are new, others just underutilized. Ideally, I'd like to do this more than weekly but hey, I have a job.

Extreme Makeover, JE Edition

In version 8.0 Microsoft introduced Journal Entry corrections and copies. This is feature I'd been asking for for some time. I even came close to writing my own version several times. You now have the ability to undo a journal entry, easily, and with a complete audit trail.

In Transactions->Financial->General, select Correct. You now have an option to back out a Journal Entry or Back out a JE and create a correcting entry.

You will also need the JE number (you can look it up) and year of the entry you want to correct.

What happens behind the scenes when you backout an entry is that GP creates a duplicate, opposite JE with a new JE number to offset the one you want to correct. If all you need to do is undo an entry, simply post your correction and you're done.

If you also select a correcting entry, the first entry created is the backout entry. When you post or save the backout entry, a second entry is created. This second entry is your original entry as a new, unposted JE that you can make changes to.

Both the backout and the correction are normal JE's that can be save to a batch, changed, posted, made reversing, etc.

Some obvious uses:

• That batch of month end accruals was accidentally posted in next month. Simply pull up the JE, do a correction to back it out of next month, and change the date on the correcting entry to the correct month. Post it all an you are in business.
• The 150 line JE keyed incorrectly by an intern. Hopefully this was reviewed before posting, but if not, use this tool to backout the incorrect entry and make the intern fix the correcting entry (or re-key it, depending on how mad you are ;).

A related feature is to Copy a JE. Same process, just click copy instead of correct. This is great when you need to create a JE just like the one you did last month!

By default, Correction only works for transactions that originated in the General Ledger. However, the administrator can change this behavior.

Tools>Setup>Financial>General Ledger now has new check boxes to control this functionality. Check "Voiding/Correcting of Subsidiary Transactions" and "Back Out of Inter-company Transactions" to allow for corrections of transactions originating in a sub-ledger.

This a great feature, a critical feature, that the competition has had for a while. Now we've got it and I love it. But you have to be on v8.0 or better. This was one of the compelling features that pushed us to upgrade to 8.0. Detailed specifics can be found in GP Help. Happy Fixing!

http://msdynamicsgp.blogspot.com/2009/07/weekly-review-extreme-makeover-je.html

Access Make table query SQL

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/625705.html

How taxes are calculated in Receivables Management, Sales Order Processing and Invoicing (872674)

INTRODUCTION

This article describes how taxes are calculated in the following modules in Microsoft Dynamics:

•	Receivables Management
•	Sales Order Processing
•	Invoicing

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MORE INFORMATION

General Information

Generally, taxes are calculated based on the following:

1.	The shipping method that is assigned to the Receivables Management transaction or to each Sales Order Processing or Invoicing line item affects how taxes will be calculated. a. The shipping type (Delivery or Pickup) of the shipping method assigned to a transaction or a Sales line item will dictate which sales tax schedules will be compared only if the Use Shipping Method When Selecting Default Tax Schedule check box is selected in the Company Setup Options window. To open the Company Setup Options window: • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0, click Microsoft Dynamics GP, point to Tools, point to Setup, point to Company, click Company and then click the Options button in the Company Setup window. • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 and 8.0, click Tools, point to Setup, point to Company, click Company and then click the Options button in the Company Setup window. b. For Sales Order Processing or Invoicing only, the Tax Calculations setting that is selected in the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window or in the Invoicing Setup Options window (Advanced or Single Schedule) will also affect whether the shipping method will be considered in tax calculations. To open the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window: • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0, click Microsoft Dynamics GP, point to Tools, point to Setup, point to Sales, click Sales Order Processing, and then click the Options button in the Sales Order Processing Setup window. • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 and 8.0, click Tools, point to Setup, point to Sales, click Sales Order Processing, and then click the Options button on the Sales Order Processing Setup window. To open the Invoicing Setup Options window: • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0, click Microsoft Dynamics GP, point to Tools, point to Setup, point to Sales, click Invoicing, and then click the Options button in the Invoicing Setup window. • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 and 8.0, click Tools, point to Setup, point to Sales, click Invoicing, and then click the Options button in the Invoicing Setup window. Note The Single Schedule setting does not take shipping methods and Item Sales Tax Options into consideration. All Sales invoices will calculate taxes that depend on the tax details assigned to the single schedule.
2.	The sources of the tax details that will be used to assess taxes for each Sales line item in Sales Order Processing/Invoicing depend on whether the Inventory Control module is registered or not.
3.	The Non-Inventoried flag in the SOP10200 (Sales Transaction Amounts Work) table or the IVC10101 (Invoicing Transaction Amounts Work) also affects how taxes are calculated for each Sales line item. The term "inventoried" means that the line item is also stored in an item card in Inventory Control. The Tax Option selected in the Non Inventory Items field on the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window or on the Invoicing Setup Options window (Taxable, Nontaxable, and Base on Customers) will affect the taxes that will be calculated for non-inventoried items. The Sales Tax Option selected items maintained in item cards (Taxable, Nontaxable, and Base on Customers) will also affect how taxes will be calculated for sales line item. To open the Item Maintenance window, click Cards, point to Inventory, and then click Items.

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Information about tax calculations

Receivables Management

1.

If the shipping method assigned to the transaction has a shipping type of Delivery: a. The tax schedule assigned to the customer will default into the Receivables Transaction Entry window. To find the tax schedule assigned to the customer, click Cards, point to Sales, and then click Customer. b. The tax schedule specified in the Sales field of the Receivables Setup Options window is then compared with the tax schedule of the transaction. To open the Receivables Setup Options window, follow these steps: • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0, click Microsoft Dynamics GP, point to Tools, point to Setup, point to Sales, click Receivables, and then click the Options button on the Receivables Management Setup window. • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 and 8.0, click Tools, point to Setup, point to Sales, click Receivables, and then click the Options button on the Receivables Management Setup window. c. Taxes will be calculated for Sales tax details that are found in both tax schedules that are compared.

2.

If the shipping method assigned to the transaction has a shipping type of Pickup: a. The tax schedule selected in the Sales Tax Schedule field of the Company Setup window will default into the Receivables Transaction Entry window. To open the Company Setup window, follow these steps: • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0, click Microsoft Dynamics GP, point to Tools, point to Setup, point to Company, and then click Company. • In Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 and 8.0, click Tools, point to Setup, point to Company, and then click Company. b. The tax schedule specified in the Sales field of the Receivables Setup Options window is then compared with the tax schedule of the transaction. c. Taxes will be calculated for Sales tax details that are found in both tax schedules that are compared.

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Sales Order Processing and Invoicing

Single Schedule Tax Calculation

If the "Single Schedule" Tax Calculations setting is selected on the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window or on the Invoicing Setup Options window, taxes will be calculated for each tax detail assigned to tax schedule that is in turn selected in the Single Schedule field. The Single Schedule setting does not take shipping methods and Item Sales Tax Options into consideration. All Sales invoices will calculate taxes depending on the tax details assigned to the assigned single schedule.

Advanced Tax Calculation (Taxable, Nontaxable, Base on Customers)

1.	If the Taxable tax option is selected: a. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is used on the line items is Pickup: • For non-inventoried items and if Inventory is registered, taxes will be calculated based on the similar tax details that are found by Microsoft Dynamics GP when comparing the line item's Site Tax schedule and the line item's Item Tax Schedule. The Site Tax schedule defaults from the Sales tax schedule of the line item's Site ID. To view this, click Cards, point to Inventory, and then click Site. The line item's Item Tax Schedule will default from the tax schedule selected in Non Inventory Items field of the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window or of the Invoicing Setup Options window. • For non-inventoried items and if Inventory is not registered, taxes will be calculated based on the similar tax details that are found by Microsoft Dynamics GP when comparing the line item's Site Tax schedule and the line item's Item Tax Schedule. The line item's Site Tax schedule defaults from the tax schedule that is selected in the Sales Tax Schedule field of the Company Setup window. The line item's Item Tax Schedule will default from the tax schedule selected in the Non Inventory Items field of the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window or of the Invoicing Setup Options window. • For inventoried items and if Inventory is registered, taxes will be calculated based on the similar tax details that are found by Microsoft Dynamics GP when comparing the line item's Site Tax schedule and the line item's Item Tax Schedule. The line item's Site Tax schedule defaults from the Sales tax schedule of the line item's Site ID. To view this, click Cards, point to Inventory, and then click Site. The line item's Item Tax Schedule defaults from the tax schedule that is selected in the Tax Schedule ID field under the Sales Tax Option field of the Item Maintenance window. • For inventoried items and if Inventory is not registered, taxes will be calculated based on the similar tax details that are found by Microsoft Dynamics GP when comparing the line item's Site Tax schedule and the line item's Item Tax Schedule. The line item's Site Tax schedule defaults from the tax schedule that is selected in the Sales Tax Schedule field of the Company Setup window. The line item's Item Tax Schedule defaults from the tax schedule that is selected in the Tax Schedule ID field under the Sales Tax Option field of the Item Maintenance window. b. If the shipping type of the shipping method used on the line items is Delivery: • For non-inventoried items, taxes will be calculated based on the similar tax details that are found by Microsoft Dynamics GP when comparing the line item's Ship To Tax schedule ID and the line item's Item Tax Schedule. The line item's Ship To Tax schedule ID will default from the tax schedule assigned to the Ship To address of the customer. To view this, click Cards, point to Sales, point to Customer, and then click the Ship To link. The line item's Item Tax Schedule will default from the tax schedule selected in Non Inventory Items field of the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window or that of the Invoicing Setup Options window. • For inventoried items, taxes will be calculated based on the similar tax details that are found by Microsoft Dynamics GP when comparing the line item's Ship To Tax schedule ID and the line item's Item Tax Schedule. The line item's Ship To Tax schedule ID will default from the tax schedule that is assigned to the Ship To address of the customer. To view this, click Cards, point to Sales, point to Customer, and then click the Ship To link. The line item's Item Tax Schedule defaults from the tax schedule that is selected in the Tax Schedule ID field under the Sales Tax Option field of the Item Maintenance window. c. If the line item is not assigned a shipping method, no taxes will automatically be calculated for the line item. d. If no similar tax details are found between tax schedules being compared for a line item, no taxes will be calculated for the line item.
2.	If the Nontaxable tax option is selected, no taxes will be calculated for the Sales line item.
3.	If the Base on Customers tax option is selected, no tax schedule comparison is made. Instead, the following occurs: a. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is used on the line items is Pickup: • If Inventory is registered, all tax details in the line item's Site Tax schedule will be used to assess a tax amount for the line item. The line item's Site Tax schedule defaults from the Sales tax schedule of the line item's Site ID. To find this, click Cards, point to Inventory, and then click Site. • If Inventory is not registered, all tax details in the line item's Site Tax schedule will be used to assess a tax amount for the line item. The line item's Site Tax schedule defaults from the tax schedule selected in the Sales Tax Schedule field of the Company Setup window. b. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is used on the line items is Delivery, all tax details in the Ship To Tax schedule ID will be used to assess a tax amount for the line item. The Ship To Tax schedule ID defaults from the tax schedule that is assigned to the Ship To address of the customer. To view this, click Cards, point to Sales, point to Customer, and then click the Ship To link.

Freight Tax

1.	If the Taxable tax option is selected: a. If the shipping type of the shipping method assigned to the Shipping Method field of the Sales Customer Detail Entry window or of the Invoice Customer Detail Entry window is set to Pickup, the following occurs. Note To view the Sales Customer Detail Entry window, click Transactions, point to Sales, point to Sales Transaction Entry, and then click the Customer ID expansion button. To view the Invoice Customer Detail Entry window, click Transactions, point to Sales, point to Invoice Entry, and then click the Customer ID expansion button. • If Inventory is registered, the Tax Schedule ID field will default from the Sales tax schedule of the Default Site ID of the Sales transaction. This will then be compared with the Freight tax schedule selected in the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window to come up with the tax amount that will be assessed against the Freight Amount of the Sales transaction. • Inventory is not registered, the Tax Schedule ID field will default the Sales Tax Schedule of the Company Setup window. This will then be compared with the Freight tax schedule selected in the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window to come up with the tax amount that will be assessed against the Freight Amount of the Sales transaction. b. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is assigned to the Shipping Method field of the Sales Customer Detail Entry window or of the Invoice Customer Detail Entry window is set to Delivery, the Tax Schedule ID field will default the Tax Schedule assigned to the Ship To address of the customer. This will then be compared with the Freight tax schedule selected on the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window to come up with the tax amount that will be assessed against the Freight Amount of the Sales transaction.
2.	If the Nontaxable tax option is selected, no taxes will be calculated for the Freight amount of the Sales transaction.
3.	If the Base on Customers tax option is selected, no tax schedule comparison is made. Instead, the following occurs: a. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is assigned to the transaction is set to Pickup: • If Inventory is registered, the Tax Schedule ID field will default from the Sales tax schedule of the Default Site ID of the Sales transaction. All of its tax details will be used to assess taxes for the Freight Amount of the Sales transaction. • If Inventory is not registered, the Tax Schedule ID field will default from the Sales Tax Schedule of the Company Setup window. All of its tax details will be used to assess taxes for the Freight Amount of the Sales transaction. b. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is used on the line items is Delivery, all tax details in the Tax Schedule ID field, which will default from the tax schedule assigned to the Ship To address of the customer, will be used to assess taxes for the Freight Amount of the Sales transaction.

Miscellaneous Tax

1.	If the Taxable tax option is selected: a. If the shipping type of the shipping method assigned to the Shipping Method field of the Sales Customer Detail Entry window or of the Invoice Customer Detail Entry window is set to Pickup: • If Inventory is registered, the Tax Schedule ID field will default from the Sales tax schedule of the Default Site ID of the Sales transaction. This will then be compared with the Miscellaneous tax schedule selected on the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window to come up with the tax amount that will be assessed against the Miscellaneous Amount of the Sales transaction. • Inventory is not registered, the Tax Schedule ID field will default from the Sales Tax Schedule of the Company Setup window. This will then be compared with the Miscellaneous tax schedule selected on the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window to come up with the tax amount that will be assessed against the Miscellaneous Amount of the Sales transaction. b. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is assigned to the Shipping Method field of the Sales Customer Detail Entry window or that of the Invoice Customer Detail Entry window is set to Delivery, the Tax Schedule ID field will default the Tax Schedule assigned to the Ship To address of the customer. This will then be compared with the Miscellaneous tax schedule selected on the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window to come up with the tax amount that will be assessed against the Miscellaneous Amount of the Sales transaction.
2.	If the Nontaxable tax option is selected, no taxes will be calculated for the Miscellaneous amount of the Sales transaction.
3.	If the Base on Customers tax option is selected, no tax schedule comparison is made. Instead, the following occurs: a. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is assigned to the transaction is set to Pickup: • If Inventory is registered, the Tax Schedule ID field will default from the Sales tax schedule of the Default Site ID of the Sales transaction. All of its tax details will be used to assess taxes for the Miscellaneous Amount of the Sales transaction. • If Inventory is not registered, the Tax Schedule ID field will default from the Sales Tax Schedule of the Company Setup window. All of its tax details will be used to assess taxes for the Miscellaneous Amount of the Sales transaction. b. If the shipping type of the shipping method that is used on the line items is Delivery, all tax details in the Tax Schedule ID, which will default from the tax schedule assigned to the Ship To address of the customer, will be used to assess taxes for the Miscellaneous Amount of the Sales transaction.

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APPLIES TO

•	Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains Receivables Management
•	Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains Invoicing
•	Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains Sales Order Processing, when used with:
Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains 8.0

https://mbs.microsoft.com/knowledgebase/KBDisplay.aspx?WTNTZSMNWUKNTMMYQLYTNSUKZPXKMUNVTOPTPLPOPRNKPNSUNNSSNUZKYLYVKVYVMWZNKSZWVWLMLWSUKVXLKQRZYUYKRXZO

Microsoft Dynamics GP Table Structure Overview

Microsoft Great Plains, former Great Plains Software Dynamics/eEnterprise should be considered as ERP platform for midsize and large business, so SQL data maintenance and repair is normal IT procedure, this is why table structure and MRP architecture should be familiar to SQL DB administrator. We will begin with architecture and table name coding and then go down to typical data repair

• Setup Tables. These tables have 4 prefix. IV40100 – this is Inventory Control Module setup table. Setup tables may have only one record, if this is module setup or multiple records, if this is something like Inventory Class setup (vendor, customer class setup to give additional examples)

• History Tables. These tables have 3 prefix. SOP30200 – this is Sale Transaction Header history table. When you post transactions – they go to open (optional phase) and history

• Open Tables. These tables have 2 prefix. GL20000 – this table stores all your open year posted GL transactions. For some of the module open stage is skipped (Sales Order Processing – here transactions when posted go to the history tables directly)

• Work Tables. These tables have 1 prefix. These tables are present in each module: GL, Inventory Control, Invoicing, Receivable Management, Payroll, Payable Management, Purchase Order Processing, Bill of Material. Great Plains has batch posting module – this feature allows you to save and store work (or unposted) transactions in the batch. SOP10100 – this is Sales Transaction Header Work table

• Master Tables. These tables have 0 prefix. We will give you several examples: IV00101 – inventory item master stores all your inventory items, RM00101 – customer master table, IV00200 – vendor master table, GL00100 – General Ledger account master table

• Table repair technique. When you consider to repair one of GP tables, you do backup of the table, execute this SQL statement:

Select * into IV00101_Backup from IV00101

Then do you data repair. If you need to roll back to old backed up version of the table, do this:

1. Clean your original table: delete IV00101
2. Restore it from backup: alter table IV00101_Backup drop column DEX_ROW_ID insert into IV00101 select * from IV00101_Backup

Some additional hints. Microsoft Great Plains is Dexterity application. Dex internal logic adds autoid column DEX_ROW_ID, so you have to drop it prior to restoring the table from backup.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Microsoft-Dynamics-GP-Table-Structure-Overview&id=546939

Five Great Ways to Drive Your Best Workers Out the Door

Managers' reality check: Your top workers can almost always get another job, even in a shaky economy.
"The best employees are being recruited at any given time. Managers need to make that assumption and create an environment that's going to make them want to stay," says Paul De Young, a talent management practice leader at Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc., a global consulting firm.
Are you really doing that? Or do your management tactics have people scurrying for the exits? Before you answer, consider these cautionary tales that can help you avoid pushing your own top talent out the door.
Mistake No. 1: Keep the creative juices bottled up.
"Programmers and developers have their own views -- reasonably strong views -- on how to do things, so it's not uncommon to hear that there are clashes between them and managers," says Pradeep K. Khosla, founding director of CyLab and dean of the College of Engineering, both at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Khosla points to an acquaintance who quit his programming job because he wasn't allowed to pursue his ideas about the IT architecture he thought the company needed.
The better way: Even the most talented workers won't get their way all the time, but managers need to balance employees' creative ideas against corporate policies and programs.
"The organization has to create a culture from the top management down that gives people an opportunity to be creative," De Young says.
And though most companies can't adopt a model like Google Inc.'s, which lets engineers spend 20% of their time pursuing their own projects, De Young says many can and should allow their top staffers some time away from their normal duties to delve into projects that stretch their imaginations.
Mistake No. 2: Micromanage your staff.
It's hard to imagine the founding executives at a $1 billion company demanding that they approve all IT expenditures over $1,000, checking employees' time sheets and requiring retention agreements for workers seeking job-related training.
But Adrian M. Butler, vice president of IT-telecom and support services at Accor North America Inc. in Carrollton, Texas, knows an IT director who found himself working for those executives.
The tight management control was a clear and extreme case of micromanagement. "It led people to feel there was a lack of trust in their abilities," Butler says, noting that the IT director left his job after just two months.
"He didn't feel empowered in the role," Butler says, adding that the manager who hired the IT director also left for similar reasons.
The better way: This problem is tough because the tendency to micromanage is more a personality trait than a policy decision, says Franz Fruehwald, CIO at Catholic Human Services-Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He has also experienced that type of manager in the past.
But if you solicit honest feedback from close associates, you can recognize and curtail micromanaging behavior in yourself, he says. "I have a couple of direct reports who have the ability and permission to speak to me frankly," Fruehwald says. "I tell them, 'You need to give it to me straight.'"
Mistake No. 3: Deny new opportunities and challenges.
As a facilitator for the Regional Leadership Forum, a development program run by the Society for Information Management, Bart Bolton sees many promising IT workers. In fact, most who attend the nine-month program are sponsored by their organizations because they're considered high- potential employees.
But not all companies know how to manage such workers. Bolton remembers one senior IT manager who found that his boss wasn't willing to give him new opportunities after he completed the program.
"He wanted more challenges and more responsibility. They talked about it, and nothing happened," says Bolton, who is also a leadership consultant at Lifetime Learning in Upton, Mass.
The manager didn't stick around. Within a few months, he found a new position at another company where he felt he had more opportunities to grow.
The better way: Set realistic expectations, says Anne Marie Messier, founder of Straightline Management Solutions in Chelmsford, Mass. Tell workers why they're being sent for training and what they can expect once the training is completed. If you don't have immediate opportunities for advancement, letting enthusiastic workers know that they are on the short list for new challenges can go far in retaining them. But be sure to follow through.
Mistake No. 4: Don't listen to your employees.
As a senior systems analyst working on a team to develop clinical and business applications at a hospital, Ben Berry worked with a medical doctor to determine business requirements for the entire institution.
Although he and the doctor shared responsibility for the task, Berry remembers that the doctor didn't want to hear anyone else's ideas. "He didn't take input from the team. He was trying to drive all the decisions. It was undermining the team, and I personally felt underutilized," says Berry, who is now CIO for the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Berry discussed the situation with his supervisor and the doctor directly. But nothing changed, so he left for a better position.
The better way: Use all the talent around you. "We hire people that we believe can do the job," Berry says. "If we don't allow them to use all the tools in their toolbox, or we try to pigeonhole people into doing it the way we've always done it, then we're doing a disservice to the individual, the team and the organization."
Open-door policies and consensus-building allow all staffers to contribute and voice their opinions, he says.
Mistake No. 5: Change the work environment without considering the impact on employees.
When a national retailing company outsourced its IT operations and most of its business analysts, it learned how the talented workers who are left behind typically react: They bolt.
Tried-and-true tactics
When CIOs reported on their most effective tools for IT staff retention, these were among those most often cited:
Increased compensation
27%
Professional development/training
21%
Flexible schedule options
18%
Telecommuting
7%
Extra time off
6%
Base: April 2008 survey of more than 1,400 CIOs at U.S. companies with 100 or more employees
Source: Robert Half Technology
Bob Rouse, a professor of computer science and IT planning officer at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, knows the story. The outsourcing reduced the company drastically -- from about 2,500 IT employees to 1,000, he says. The remaining employees handled more work and different work than they had been doing. Moreover, many of the best employees had gone to the outsourcer, and because the surviving top-notch workers found themselves working with a weaker internal team, they had to pick up even more of the slack.
As a result, the company lost 10% of its top people within a year. "These were very marketable people who would never have considered leaving the company if it hadn't been [for the] outsourcing," Rouse says.
The better way: Keep the people in the business equation. Companies often focus on business objectives and financial goals when making tactical moves and forget that "there are human beings left behind," says Bob Eubank, executive director of the Northeast Human Resources Association in Wellesley, Mass.
Your say
Ever been pushed out the door by an inept manager?
To avoid an exodus of top performers after a change, executives and managers should tell workers about impending events as early as possible, Eubank says. Managers should be particularly attentive to their best workers, letting them know about postchange opportunities. If employees see opportunities down the road, he adds, "people are often willing to sacrifice."

http://www.cio.com/article/print/445314

Evaluation of Consulting Staff

The cornerstone of consulting excellence is the quality of the consulting staff. So how do you make the decision on who is high quality and who isn’t?

Two factors come into play: performance and cultural fit.

Performance is easily measured by utilization, realization, client satisfaction and revenue generation. If you don’t already objectively target and measure the above, start. More postings on this later. A high performer will be at 100% of targets in almost any give 12 month rolling period.

Cultural fit assumes you have a culture to which being a fit is rewarding. If you don’t place any effort on cultural excellence inside your firm, you should – see my previous post on mission as a foundation to culture. I’ll write more on cultural excellence in later posts. In the meantime, use observed teamwork, client sat and general “does this person get along well with others” as a proxy.

Using the above, everyone will fall into one of four categories, listed below by ease of corrective action.

High Performer, Gets the Culture

This is the easy one. Do what you must to keep these people on the team and pay them plenty of attention. The majority of your personnel management time should be focused on this group of people.

Low Performer, Doesn’t Get the Culture

Fire them. They may have room for improvement, but you don’t have time to do it. After you are done, review your hiring procedures to find out why they even got a job with you in the first place.

Low Performer, Gets the Culture

This is a little harder. This person will fit in extremely well with their teammates, do well with clients (at least in terms of personality) and be generally a good fit for all the cultural elements of the firm. However, period over period, their performance will be below their peer group, their work will be substandard and you’ll find yourself always accepting or making up making up reasons for their poor performance.

Get them on a 90 day plan that specifically addresses the performance shortcomings. Invest the time to make sure they have a more than fair chance. The extra effort you invest, if they improve, will be more than paid off in loyalty, a strengthened corporate culture and improved performance. If they don’t improve, you must fire them. A consultancy is a meritocracy, not a remedial education program – consistent low performers have no long term role on the team.

High Performer, Doesn’t Get the Culture

This is the hardest category to manage. Top performance on a consistent basis makes these people very valuable to the firm. Poor cultural fit makes them very hard to work with. So, you’ll find them to be top revenue producers, but will often find they work poorly on project teams, care little about the impact of their behaviors on those around them and on occasion will cause client satisfaction issues.

What to do? Counsel, counsel and more counsel – this is the group that should consume the second biggest amount of your personnel management time. During performance management reviews, you’ll have to spend your time consistently coaching them on better behavior and matters of emotional intelligence. Change will be slow – their cultural fit will only improve to the extent you can show them how it will make their lives easier or increase their personal performance. Ultimately, this group is like Dennis Rodman – a top performer whose high-maintenance personality only makes them employable as long as the performance stays high. When the performance slips, they give you no reason to continue their maintenance.

http://thedeathofreason.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/evaluation-of-consulting-staff/

Four Ways to Cut Costs by Automating Your Purchasing Process with Microsoft Dynamics GP

As the economy declined, we started thinking of ways to help our customers remain strong during the tough times. We asked ourselves, “How do businesses stay profitable during a down economy?” The answer was simple – increase sales and/or decrease expenses. Easier said than done, right? Maybe not. While we couldn’t do much to increase sales during challenging economic times, we could offer ways to decrease operating expenses. As a provider of business software solutions, we could help our customers automate and control their purchasing process to minimize expenses. I’d like to share with you the top 4 ways our customers are utilizing Microsoft Dynamics GP solutions to cut costs during this tough economic time.

#1 Control Employee Purchases
Many companies today are still “casual” in their controls around employee purchases. Their purchase approval process remains a manual, paper-driven process. With a lack of control and automation, employees may make purchases first and submit the expense for reimbursement after the fact. Managers may spend time following up with employees and asking them to write up a request, even though the items are already being used. This type of outdated purchase approval process can create budget overruns leading to unexpected expenditures.

Microsoft Dynamics GP offers a web-based Requisition Management solution to help increase control and visibility over the entire purchasing process. With Requisition Management, employees can enter purchase requests online for manager approval. Requisitions are then automatically transferred to new or existing purchase orders in Purchase Order Processing. Management has visibility into employee purchase requests before the purchase is made, so they can easily validate that the purchase requests are within budget before approving. This online process helps reduce repetitive data entry and eliminates costly mistakes.

#2 Optimize Vendor Contracts and Create a “Preferred Vendors” List

Renegotiating vendor contacts is a key component in controlling purchasing costs. You could save significantly if you are able to lower costs and improve the terms of your contracts. The problem for a lot of companies is they don’t have easy access to vendor analysis information. Without access to this key information, it is difficult to state a solid case on why they should improve your contract.

Microsoft Dynamics GP gives you the tools for managing contracts and analyzing your vendor purchases to provide you with solid data for renegotiating contracts. Vendor contracts in Dynamics GP can be used for both inventory item contracts as well as service contracts. Alerts and reminders can be setup to notify you of upcoming contract expiration dates. Before locking in a new contract, vendor activity can be analyzed using tools such as Analysis Cubes for Excel, which allows you to slice and dice your real-time, connected data in Excel. Many companies are using these tools to create a “preferred vendors” list, which helps employees focus on using vendors that will save the most money for the company.

http://www.erpsoftwareblog.com/2009/06/four-ways-to-cut-costs-by-automating-your-purchasing-process-with-microsoft-dynamics-gp-1/

How to calculate the number of days a vendor check takes to clear?

I am always amazed at the things you can do with Microsoft Dynamics GP. Just recently, a user pointed out that the Days for Checks to Clear field on the Vendor Credit Summary window was always blank and that they needed this field to update automatically.



According to the help file, the field is defined as "View or change the average number of days that a check you issue to the vendor usually takes to clear your bank.", in other words, you can manually update it if you need to track this data.

The user also pointed out that they performed daily bank reconciles and that the Cleared Date column in the CM Transaction (dbo.CM20200) table was reflective of the actual check cleared date in the bank and that they would like to use this field to update the Days for Checks to Clear field in the Vendor Credit Summary window. After all, the date value of the Cleared Date column only gets updated when the check is marked as cleared during a checkbook reconciliation process and does not necessarily reflect the actual date the check cleared the bank, but with daily bank reconciles this should not be an issue, because the would be one of the same.

So, if you perform daily bank reconciliations and would like to know the average days a vendor check takes to clear your bank, you could use the following T-SQL query to update this column value:

-- Created by Mariano Gomez, MVP
WITH AVGCTE(VENDORID, AVGDAYS) AS (
  SELECT A.CMLinkID, AVG(DATEDIFF(DD, A.TRXDATE, A.clearedate)) AS AVGDAYS
  FROM CM20200 A
  GROUP BY A.CMLinkID
)
UPDATE PM00201 SET DYCHTCLR = AVGDAYS
FROM PM00201 INNER JOIN AVGCTE ON (PM00201.VENDORID = AVGCTE.VENDORID)

Now what to do with the script? You can schedule it as part of a SQL Server job that will run daily to update this value for you! This will allow you to have accurate average days for each vendor and in turn will allow you to make better purchasing decisions to preserve your hard earned cash.

Curve keyboard shortcuts list

In order to use these, you must go into Phone Options and turn OFF dialing from home screen.

Key shortcuts:

A or C = phonebook
S = search
F = phone profiles
W or B = browser
H = help
K = locks the keys
L = calendar
V = messages
M = messages folder
R = alarm
T = tasks
U = calculator
I = applications
O = options
P = phone

Additional:

T - Top of page (in browser)
B - Bottom of page (in browser)
Space - Page down (in browser)
ALT + Right Shift + Del = hard reset
D - Memo pad
U - Switch between hide/unhide in title bar (in browser)
ALT + NMLL = numbers instead of bars for signal strength

• Name: Decibel meter.
• Description/purpose: Displays your signal strength in decibels, instead of bars.
• Process: Hold "Alt" and press "N", "M", "L", "L" (repeat to reverse the effect).

• Name: Help Me! menu.
• Description/purpose: Provides crucial technical information about your device, for when seeking technical support or help in forums...
• Process: Hold "Alt" and (left) "shift", then press "H".

• Name: "Soft" reset.
• Description/purpose: Performs a "soft" reset of your device; the equivalent of doing a "battery pull" (ie. Removing the battery for a few seconds).
• Process: Press-and-hold "Alt", then press-and-hold (left) "shift", then
press-and-hold "Del".

Other
New Appointment - LC
New Mail - VC

Microsoft Dynamics GP Database Maintenance Utility

How many times have you performed an upgrade just to realize with the first posting that some stored procedure is missing or did not -- for some misterious reason -- get created, yet the upgrade completed with no errors? This is especially true when upgrading from several versions aback, when the upgrade path is not too clear, or you have forgotten to apply that critical service pack that would avoided some of the missing objects issues you are now experiencing.

I recently came across a user who wanted to recreate all SmartList Builder objects because they suspected something was wrong with the installation, however, they did not want to have to use the backend to recreate all the stored procs used by SLB, because of the "fair of missing something or endup damaging something else"... you know what they say... the client is always right! (not always, but that's the topic of another article).

After scratching my head for a few moments, the answer came in the form of the new Microsoft Dynamics GP Database Maintenance Utility, but first some history...

Before there was the SQL Maintenance utility, back in the old days, the former Great Plains Software provided reams of text files containing scripts to recreate any missing or damaged system and/or company database object. These scripts could be found on the installation CDs and could be accessed via the old SQL Server Query Analyzer tool. All you needed to do was to open one of script files, do a search for the desired stored procedure, copy and paste into Query Analyzer, and execute the script against the appropriate database. This sounded simple enough until system administrators (we will not call them users for fear of retaliation :-) ) began corrupting the script files and introducing their own code... It was funny, because Great Plains Support used to asked as part of their support script if you had modified X or Y stored procedure for the problem you were calling for. When Microsoft took over, came the MSIs and the script files were no longer provided. Now what? There comes SQL Maintenance, however, the set of utilities provided with SQL Maintenance did not allow you to recreate stored procedures, functions, or table triggers. These still had to be obtained from Microsoft. I guess, in the end they figured out it wasn't worth the hazzle and delivered Database Maintenance Utility.

So, lets take a look.

To recreate database objects, you will need to:

1) Launch Database Maintenance Utility. Go to Start > Programs > Microsoft Dynamics > GP 10.0 > Database Maintenance.


Select your server and select an authentication method. Fortunately, Database Maintenance can use Windows Trusted Authentication. Click Next to continue.

2) Choose the company you are going to perform the updates on. My personal preference is to choose ALL databases if you suspect a damage on a stored procedure, function or trigger. Why? Chances are, the stored procedure may be damaged across the board.


Click Next to continue.

3) Select the product for which you will like to rebuild its objects. For this example, I will use SmartList Builder.


Click Next to continue.

4) Mark the objects you would like to recreate. You have the choice of Stored Procedures (includes UDFs too), table Triggers, and Views.


Note that for Tables and table Auto Stored procedures you must use the SQL Maintenance option available within Microsoft Dynamics GP. Click Next to continue.

5) Confirm your selection.


Click on Next to continue.

6) The Utility will run through a progress bar and will return a status of the operations when completed.




If recreating stored procedures, the Database Maintenance Utility will re-grant permissions to all database users in the DYNGRP role, so no need to run the GRANT.SQL utility script.

Hopefully, you use this powerful tool as a first option in recreating any missing or damaged database object, before you call Microsoft or open that support case.

Open additional Exchange mailboxes

This feature requires you to be using a Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail account.

If you have delegate access permission for other Exchange mailboxes, you can specify which mailboxes to open in Microsoft Outlook.

1. On the Tools menu, click E-mail accounts, select View or change existing e-mail accounts, click Next, select the Exchange account, and then click Change.
2. Click More Settings, then click the Advanced tab.
3. Under Mailboxes, click Add, and then select the mailboxes to add.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HP010030561033.aspx

How to buy Great Stocks

1. Built to last 100 years or more.
2. Dominating growing industries.
3. Helmed by committed and proven management teams.
4. Governed by the highest corporate values.
5. Consistently increasing shareholder value.

How Much Should You Save? Meet Your Retirement Goals with These Tips

If you're 40 or younger, it's tough to predict how much money you might need when retirement is decades away. A few key calculations, however, can help you make sure your savings plan is on track.

Saving Depends on Life Stage

Rebecca Pace, a Cincinnati-based financial planner and CPA, recommends putting aside at least 10 percent of your income when you're in your 20s and 30s -- and even more if you're single. "I wouldn't expect they could continue to add a lot to it while they're raising a family, but if they've put something aside early, it should continue to work for them until they can save again," she says.

Another good reason to save aggressively now: The younger you are when you start, the longer your money will have time to grow. This means you'll need to set aside a lot less to reach the same goal than if you waited just a few more years to get started.

For example, if you're 25, you only need to invest about $3,600 per year to end up with $1 million by the time you're 65 if your investments return 8 percent per year. But if you wait until you're 30 to start, you'll need to set aside about $5,400 per year to end up with the same $1 million at age 65. And starting at 40 requires $12,700 a year to reach the same magic $1 million. Finally, you'll need a whopping $34,000 per year to reach the same goal if you procrastinate until you're 50.

A recent study by T. Rowe Price reveals most people need to set aside at least 15 percent of their pretax salary for their investments to replace 50 percent or more of their current salary in retirement. This may be enough if you're getting an extra 20 percent or more of your preretirement income in Social Security and pension payouts. But you'll need to fill more of the gap yourself if you don't expect to receive a pension, live in an expensive area or will still have a mortgage or other housing payment after retirement.

How to Afford to Save

The reality is that it isn't always easy to set aside money for retirement when you're nowhere near your peak income and just trying to pay your regular bills. The good news: You have plenty of help. The IRS and most employers kick in some money, so you can set aside a substantial amount of money without taking much of a hit in your paycheck.

For example, if your employer matches 50 cents on the dollar for up to 6 percent of your salary and you earn $40,000, you'd get the maximum match if you contribute $2,400 in a 401k. In that case, you'd get $1,200 from your employer, bringing your total contribution up to $3,600.

And that $2,400 doesn't lower your paycheck dollar for dollar either, since you're investing the money pretax. If you're in the 25 percent bracket, investing $2,400 would only reduce your take-home pay by $1,800 for the year. So it actually would cost you just $150 per month to end up with a $3,600 contribution every year. Start at age 30, and you'd have about $670,000 by age 65.

If you can also afford to invest $200 per month in a Roth IRA, your total savings rate would rise to 15 percent of your $40,000 salary. Continue to invest that much for 35 years, and you could end up with more than $440,000 at age 65, totally tax-free under Roth rules. Add the two together, and you'd have more than $1.1 million for retirement.

Trick Yourself into Saving

Even with all these benefits, you may not initially be able to afford to save 15 percent of your salary. And you shouldn't be setting aside that much until you cover your other bases first -- keeping three to six months' worth of living expenses in an emergency fund so you don't have to raid your retirement account (and pay steep penalties) if unexpected expenses crop up. It's also essential to pay off high-interest credit card debt first so you don't waste money on monthly interest charges.

But once you've met these obligations, the best way to maximize your money is to get it into savings before you can spend it. With a 401k, the money is subtracted from your paycheck before you see it.

You can also make automatic investments into a Roth IRA. Even just $100 per month can add up to $1,200 a year. And if you're 30 now, keep saving at that pace for the next 35 years and your investments earn 8 percent annually, you'll have about $220,000 tax-free by the time you're 65.

While you'll still need to increase your savings rate when you can afford to, these examples demonstrate it's never too early to start. And it's easy to increase your savings rate whenever you get a raise, bonus, tax refund, gift or any other form of extra money. When you're used to living on less, it's easy to invest the extra cash before you can spend it.

http://career-tips.monster.com/salary-trends/How-Much-Should-You-Save/home.aspx

Five Habits of Millionaires

According to a study of college students at the Ernst & Young International Intern Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, 59 percent of these young leaders expect to be millionaires within their lifetime. What's more, 5 percent of them expect to hit the million-dollar mark while in their 20s.

And the super-rich are a growing group. The top 0.1 percent of the population's average income was $3 million in 2002, up two and a half times the $1.2 million, adjusted for inflation, that group reported in 1980.

Earned Money vs. Easy Money

Easy money usually comes from inheritance or luck, such as winning the lottery. The track record of people who get their money through the lottery or other windfalls is usually very different from those who created their wealth themselves or who planned for an expected inheritance. Lottery winners are often a sorry lot; more than 90 percent use up their winnings within 10 years -- some go through their money in weeks or months.

But there are some consistent patterns among those people who earn or plan to inherit their money, and these five strategies may be worth emulating.

1. Avoid the Earn-to-Spend Mentality

Michael LeBoeuf, author of The Millionaire in You, points out that to increase wealth, it's essential to emulate millionaires who view money as something to save and invest, rather than income to spend. Many wealthy people live quite simply, he points out, choosing less pretentious homes than they could theoretically afford and opting for financial independence over material showmanship.

2. Focus

LeBoeuf also counsels resisting the impulse to be scattered in your efforts and interests: "Winners focus; losers spray." And goals that are clearly written down are easier to keep in focus.

3. Do Whatever Is Necessary to Meet Your Goal

People who earn their millions are able not only to focus but persevere in the pursuit of their goals. One single mom entrepreneur, Melissa Clark-Reynolds, started her first business, a health and safety consultancy, when she had a young son. En route to her goal of being a millionaire by age 35, Clarke-Reynolds and her son ate lots of pizza, did homework late at night and often slept at the office. She is now a chief executive mentor for Empower New Zealand, a global business consulting firm headquartered in London.

4. Take Calculated Risks

You have to take strategic risks to earn and grow money. And a little rebelliousness seems to help too. One interesting study found a majority of male millionaire entrepreneurs had been in trouble with school authorities or the police during their adolescence.

5. Be Generous

And why doesn't it surprise us that millionaires are often very generous? Sometimes it's for the tax breaks, obviously, but often it's not. One Jewish Swiss millionaire, for instance, flew to Israel to give $5,000 in cash to a waiter at a Jerusalem café who foiled a Palestinian suicide bombing. Among the most generous of millionaires are those from North America, who are, according to a Merrill Lynch Cap-Gemini report, two to five times more likely to give to causes they value than their European counterparts.

These five habits are a pretty good prescription for living happily even if you're not a millionaire.

But LeBoeuf insists it's not so unusual to be a millionaire. As of 2004, there were 8.2 million households with a net worth of more than $1 million. And are the folks in those households happy? Yes, says professor Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in the UK. After studying more than 9,000 people over eight years, Oswald concluded that people who come into money are happier. The happiest among them, he says, seem to be "highly educated, well-paid women who have jobs."

And how much money does the professor say it takes to be happy? "About $1 million, give or take a little."

http://career-tips.monster.com/salary-trends/Five-Habits-of-Millionaires/IBS.aspx?key=gs