 
        
        Dates in Sage 50 Accounting
        There are several dates that you use while managing your 
 business with Sage 50 Accounting:
         Session Date
Session Date
        
        
            This is the date that you enter when you open Sage 50 Accounting. This date appears on all transaction for the session unless 
 you make a change to a transaction's date. You can use the calendar in 
 the Daily Business Manager 
 (DBM) to change the session date for tasks that you perform within the 
 DBM. 
            The session date is also:
            
                - The date used to 
 group transactions into the aging categories you use for Vendor 
 Aged and Customer 
 Aged reports.
- The "As-at" 
 date on reports. It is the date up to which amounts are reported.
- A date stamp that 
 Sage 50 Accounting prints on customer statements.
 
         Transaction Date
Transaction Date
        
        
            The date associated with and included on a transaction. 
 Sage 50 Accounting uses the current session date as the transaction date 
 when you process transactions. It is possible, however, to change the 
 date in a transaction window or change the current session date if a you 
 need to record a transaction on a different date.
            If you are entering a transaction dated in the previous 
 fiscal year, the date can be anytime between last year's earliest transaction 
 date and last year's fiscal end date. If you are entering a transaction 
 dated in the future, the date can be any date up to the current year's 
 fiscal end date.
         
         Fiscal Year (Start and Finish 
 dates)
Fiscal Year (Start and Finish 
 dates)
        
        
            The 12-month accounting period that your company uses 
 to record its operations. The fiscal year can begin on any day of the 
 year, but January 1 is commonly used to match the calendar year.
            You can change the start and finish dates for your fiscal 
 year at any time. If your company is in its first year, you can actually 
 change your fiscal start date - as long as the date you choose comes before 
 the date of the first transaction you entered. 
            After your first fiscal year, you can only change your fiscal finish date. When you change the finish date, Sage 50 Accounting 
 changes the fiscal start date for the next year to the day after the current 
 fiscal year's finish date.
         
         Earliest Transaction Date
Earliest Transaction Date
        
        
            The earliest transaction date is the earliest date on 
 which you can enter a transaction for your company. This is the date for 
 which you have a complete, balanced set of data. You can change the earliest-transaction 
 date as often as you like until you finish 
 entering history.
            You enter the earliest-transaction date 
 when you first create your company. If you are upgrading from an earlier 
 version of Sage 50 Accounting, the earliest transaction date is carried 
 over.
            If you have two years of data, the program stores two 
 earliest-transaction dates: one in the previous fiscal year and one in 
 the current fiscal year.
            The program automatically updates the earliest transaction 
 date to the first day of your new fiscal year.
         
         Latest Transaction Date
Latest Transaction Date
        
        
            The latest date on which you have processed a transaction 
 in the current fiscal year. To see the latest transaction date, open the 
 Setup menu, select Settings, open Company, and then Information.
         
        Date Display
        There are two ways to display dates on-screen and on 
 reports:
        
            - Short. 
 Displays the date using a number to represent the month (for example, 
 12-03-05). You can change the order of the month, day, and year.
- Long. 
 Displays the date using an alphabetical abbreviation for the month (for 
 example, Nov 12, 05). You can change the order of the month, day, and 
 year.
What do you want to do?
        Change 
 your session date
        
        Change your 
 fiscal year's end date
        
        Enable transactions 
 in the future
        
        Prevent transactions 
 prior to a specific date
        
        Change 
 how dates appear on-screen
        
        Change 
 how dates appear on printed reports
        
        Look 
 at a list of tasks to perform at year end