During August 2009 Sage have stopped shipping all variants of Sage 50 Accounts, Plus and Professional, in readiness for the launch of version 2010 in September this year.

Therefore anyone who buys Sage 50 Accounts, Sage 50 Accounts Plus or Sage 50 Accounts Professional during August 2009 will be sent a link to download 2009 immediately via the Sage website, before receiving a new boxed version 2010 in September.

The download can be installed and activated with the license key and activation code supplied upon purchase, then when the upgrade arrives, it can easily be installed and will automatically upgrade all data to the latest version. Please visit our online shop for pricing, or contact us for further information.

September is due to see the launch of a brand new, hi-tech training simulator for the construction industry.  Based around the type of technology used for aviation simulators, the new construction system is said to me more interactive.

The £8.7M training facility in Coventry, will simulate construction sites and enable to trainee to interface with other site workers. Trainees will operate the system with a joystick and be able to see projections of the site and office on a 12 metre screen, as they manage the site and inspect building work.

There are two scenarios available, the first being a housing development, the second a high-rise office development, numerous photographs were taken during the projects, to enable them to be transferred into a virtual reality scenario. It is likely that if and when the technology is proven, other types of build and sub-contractor trades will be added.

Dave Towell NHBC training services business manager said “On the surface, it looks like role-playing, but I was absolutely blown away by the intensity of the simulation and its ability to make the training scenario real. The centre gives trainees the chance to learn – and make mistakes – in a safe environment, and without any cost implication”

There seems to be some confusion amongst new customers regarding the differences between Sage 50 Construction, 200 Construction, Sage Construct and Construct Advanced.

Firstly Sage Construct is an obsolete product which was removed from sale about 3 years ago, this left Sage Construct Advanced as the core Sage construction software which integrates with both Sage 50 Accounts and Sage 200.  Since then as part of the Sage re-branding exercise, Construct Advanced has become Sage 50 Construction when linked to a Sage 50 Accounts Package, or Sage 200 Construction when linked with Sage 200 Accounts.

Because Construct Advanced is essentially the same software system regardless which accounting system it is linked with, most people still refer to it as Construct Advanced as a generic name.  There are some differences, such as the stock link and how you access the software, but as far as the processing and appearance go, it’s the same product.