PC Magazine - 2009 04.pdf - Libertad Zero - Blog

Bill.com
$25 per month for one
user; first ten payments
per month are free,
$0.99 per payment
thereafter; $10 per user
per month for 2 to 11
users; $5 per month for
each additional user.
L l l l m
Pros clean, simple
interface. Saves money
and time. Reduces paper
and paperwork. integrates
with QuickBooks
and intacct.com. Audit
trail.
Cons Takes some time
to understand the workflow.
could use more
reports.
Click here for more.
QuickBASE (FAll 2008)
Database in the Cloud
QuickBase puts your company’s database applications
online, so anyone in your organization can get
customized, secure Web access to anything from
inventory to contact lists to product management.
You probably won’t want to use it as an enterprisescale
database, but for almost anything else, it’s an
impressive Web-based substitute for a server in
your office.
QuickBase is not cheap, but those who can afford
it have access to a surprisingly simple and elegant
application. This simplicity becomes clear within
your first few minutes of using the app. The straightforward,
no-clutter Web-based interface has helpful
prompts and explanations everywhere. I found it
easy to get started either by using one of more than
300 prebuilt database templates—many contributed
by real-world users—or by building a simple
database from scratch. From there I found it simple
to perform all the sorts of tasks the average user will
want from an online database, including adding multiple
tables, setting up tabular and graphic reports,
and fine-tuning access permissions for users.
What I like most about QuickBase is its clear
interface, obviously the result of years of experience
with consumer-level products like Intuit’s Quick-
Books. The document library app is impressive,
first looks business
Bill.com
Bill Tracking Made Easy
Small-business accounting packages have matured
tremendously, but there are still gaps in SMB procedures
for enterprising software designers to fill.
Bill.com successfully exploits one of those gaps with
a Web site that expands on the accounts payable
functions of your accounting application—assuming
you have one. Bill.com can serve either as a
standalone application or as an integrated add-on to
QuickBooks. The service tracks and stores vendor
thanks to a built-in revision-tracking feature that can
store multiple versions of the same document.
One limitation to keep in mind when using
the document-storage system is that QuickBase
doesn’t work like “live” Web services, in which you
can open an attached file in the browser and save
it again directly to the Web. When you open a file
attached to a database and make revisions, you
have to save it locally first before uploading the new
version to QuickBase. For serious, business-class
database needs with the convenience of online
access, QuickBase is the service we recommend. In
fact, it is the database app we use here at PCMag.
— Edward Mendelson
bills due, routes your vendor payments through the
approval process, and dispatches checks to your
payees. It does so through a combination of faxes,
e-mail, and electronic data storage, using a simple
Web site with a clean design.
If you’re using QuickBooks or Intacct, you can
integrate Bill.com data with either service. If you
follow the simple directions, syncing the two products—moving
your chart of accounts, vendors, and
classes—should go without a hitch. Once you’ve got
Bill.com set up, the life of a typical bill goes like this:
A vendor mails you a bill. It goes to your A/P clerk,
who faxes it to your Bill.com fax number. Once the
bill is in the system (Bill.com handles the OCR), you
can add approvers, and once they’ve approved, you
can pay bills in full or partially, online (using the bank
account you’ve set up) or off-line.
Bill.com’s two most noteworthy features are the
audit trail (in which every entry into the system is
tracked and recorded) and the home page, which displays
a monthly calendar with scheduled payments
on the appropriate days. For security, the site uses
the same encryption scheme that your bank does.
In short, I haven’t seen a Web-based application in
this price range that carves out this exact niche and
implements it as well as Bill.com.—Kathy Yakal
QuickBase
(Fall 2008)
Free 30-day trial; subscription,
$250 direct
per month and up
L l l l m
Pros Powerful,
fast, reliable
online database.
Extremely easy
to use, but
with elaborate options
for user permissions,
document storage, automated
e-mail notifications,
multiple tables,
customized reports, and
charting. Rich selection
of prebuilt applications.
Cons Attached document
files can be exported
only one by one.
charting can’t handle
some complex data.
Click here for more.
APRil 2009 PC MAGAZInE DIGITAL EDITIon 21