Online Accounting Blog

We have released support for Journals in the Saasu API. This is on the back of Multi-currency transaction support for the API last quarter. You can also create Multi-currency Journals in this release.

The ability to create, read, update and delete Journals via the API enables many common tasks to be dealt with automatically:

1. Post a daily takings from POS or Retail system
2. Migrate data from other software into Saasu
3. Connect Saasu to practice management software to post entries to/from a ledger.
4. Provide a method for developers to book those tricky transactions that just won’t fit in Sales and Purchases. e.g. merchant fee transactions.

See our new look API Docs including the updates for CRUD operations for Journals.

The Saasu API was having intermittent connectivity issues late last week due to above normal levels of usage. We have been working to resolve this since Friday and you will now see a significant improvement in API performance and the web application in general.

Essentially our API usage accelerated to higher than expected levels as the number of concurrent connections had grown significantly. This was due to an increase in new customers and existing customers using the Saasu API platform more actively. Changes released tonight into the live version of Saasu have resolved this and added significant capacity.

One important note is that we will begin to enforce API usage limits. Traditionally we have been extremely lenient but the volume of requests and number of customers now using Saasu requires us to start ensuring fair play limits aren’t exceeded. The limits allow the developer community to have a high level of allowed requests in exchange for ensuring best practices for using the API are followed. Essentially if API connections are efficiently coded then the limits shouldn’t come into play. As always we are receptive to feedback on the limits, performance and otherwise. Just drop us a comment.

We have taken the capablity of the API one step further by introducing Multi Currency transaction support. This enables our users to create and update foreign currency transactions(invoices and payments) directly in Saasu using the API. Users can choose to set the FX rate when they post the transaction, or choose to let Saasu set the FX rate automatically. Let’s take a common example where an ecommerce user is posting an USD invoice issued to a customer into Saasu. In this example, the user is setting the FX rate manually.

.....
<insertInvoice>
<invoice uid="0">
<transactionType>S</transactionType>
<date>2010-02-19</date>
<ccy>USD</ccy>
<autoPopulateFxRate>false</autoPopulateFxRate>
<fcToBcFxRate>1.137640930</fcToBcFxRate>
<layout>S</layout>
<status>I</status>
.....

If the user let Saasu set the FX rate for the transaction, then the above would change to;

<ccy>USD</ccy>
<autoPopulateFxRate>true</autoPopulateFxRate>

That’s all you have to do to start using the API for Multi Currency transactions. Quite simple isn’t it? The API POST and GET documentation have been updated to reflect the new changes.

Over December and January we have been busy doing what we call a hardening release. This is where we look at areas in Saasu we can improve for our existing customers and also work on areas such as our API, subscription system and performance. The idea is simple, provide a better product and service.

What’s New?

• Profit & Loss Summary and Detail reports can now be run in Cash mode for GLOBAL files.
• New Merge Fields are now available for Statements.
• The API now supports some e-commerce features; IsVirtual, IsVisable and VType (Virtual Type).
• You can now create Vouchers Codes which can be used by e-commerce websites to apply discounts.

What’s Changed?

• The concept of a Report TAG has been removed. All Tags can now be used in Reports.
• A new Help System is now live for easier access to FAQ Answers and our Screen Guides.
• Your My Saasu area now let’s you have different types of Saasu files within your single subscription.
• The Sandbox file service for developers has been replaced with a Saasu Free file approach.

The Saasu API (Application Programming Interface) now provides you with the ability to process Inventory Adjustments and Inventory Transfers. The API allows you to Create, Read, Update and Delete these types of transactions (API Tasks).

Inventory Adjustments can be used to modify the value and/or quantity of stock in your business. Some common examples include the need to re-value stock and write-off damaged, lost or stolen goods.

Inventory Transfers are used to transfer items when building, bundling or assembling products and services. That is, reducing the quantity of component items used and increasing the quantity of combo items built and available for sale.

Note that you can also use this feature to disassemble (un-build, un-bundle) goods back into their components if required.

For full details on how to use these new features see our API help area

Picture by nutmeg

Yesterday I was trying to think of a name for a min-release with lots of little goodies in it. As it happened, I caught up with Peter one of our main investors from CooperSydney. It reminded me of an expression he had for those little things a application development company can do that make a web application like Saasu pleasing to use. He calls them "tidbits"

Tidbit
Noun
1. Delicate morsel or bit of food.
2. Pleasing bit of anything, as in news or gossip.

Gary Barber (a customer, AWIA colleague and an all round web nice-guy) is a web usability expert from Radharc. Gary reminded me late last year about the importance of the little things in customer experience. Quite often we have to get major features out and we can’t attend to every single customer experience detail perfectly due to time and resource constraints. Our usual approach is to come back in a second and sometimes third time to change our approach for the better. We also have the advantage of good customer feedback to work with. In our business how we build things, even small differences, can mean a lot to our customers. So here’s a few new "tidbits"

Tidbit features released

1. The Bank Reconciliation now recalls your last reconciled date for you when you load it.
2. You can now print Activities. Note you need to save it before the print option becomes available.
3. The Dashboard refreshes automatically when you sign-in each day.
4. Duplicate Purchase invoice number warnings. To help prevent accidental double capture of transactions.
5. Improvements to the General Ledger and Tax Report performance. Some customers were getting a timeout error when running it during our busy periods. There are more performance enhancements coming for these reports.
6. API users can now recall Last Modified and Deleted for period to assist in syncing tasks with other systems. See our SaaSbay for a list of other web applications and software connected to Saasu.
7. API users can now assign a shipping contact via the API to an invoice.
8. Iceland consumption tax rates are now supported.