DacEasy Accounting & Payroll for Windows, Version 4.0

DacEasy Accounting & Payroll for Windows, Version 4.0

My first experience with DacEasy Accounting & Payroll for Windows, Version 4.0, was when I was evaluating several time and billing software packages. I wanted to see if a popular accounting program like DacEasy would integrate well with a time and billing package such as Timeslips. (Editor's Note: For a review of the latest version of Timeslips, see page 29.) To my surprise DacEasy did integrate extremely well with Timeslips by means of the Timeslips Accounting Link software program, which is provided free with DacEasy. This integration gives Timeslips users the benefits of a full-featured accounting program like DacEasy.

When I took a closer look at DacEasy for this review, I found that this program is much more than an accounting add-on, and goes a long way toward becoming one of those integrated "do-it-all" programs that you would choose if you were setting up your law office for the first time.

DacEasy has always been one of the industry leaders in providing accounting software for PCs. The continuing success of the DOS versions of the program attests to this leadership. With this program, you get all the features you need to handle a general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, banking transactions and invoicing. This program also has a myriad of preset reports and forms to help you analyze the accounting information you generate. Beyond the accounting features, the latest version of DacEasy gives you a lot more. The program includes a powerful Contact Manager where you can record almost every piece of information imaginable regarding a client or a vendor. There is also a Phone Dialer that will dial any phone number included in the Contact Manager. The program also comes with an extensive set of predefined letters (e.g., for reminding clients of past due accounts or an office address change) and you can generate a set of labels for use in mailing out bills. While not as extensive as Timeslips, DacEasy does have a "Time Biller" function that tracks time spent on projects. Sole practitioners and smaller law firms may find that Time Biller is all they really need to record time spent on various cases. The program also allows you to set up To Do lists and you can produce a graphical representation of your accounting data to spot trends and perform other analyses. I really liked the intuitive interface of DacEasy. There was no problem moving from screen-to-screen and always understanding where I was in the program. You certainly don't need an accounting degree to create an invoice or write checks to vendors.

While there is much to be said about the ease of use of this product, there still are a lot of complex and advanced features. At first, accounting novices may be overwhelmed by all the various features. To mitigate this problem, this version of DacEasy has an excellent installation routine and other wizards to help you get through various parts of the program. With the installation wizard, you simply indicate that you want to set up the accounting for a law firm and the program does the rest.

DacEasy offers 30 days of unlimited technical support as well as onsite training and other inexpensive toll-free support. The DacEasy Web site can also help answer basic questions about the program. Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser comes built into the program and can be accessed from the tool bar. If you're running Windows 95 and you have online Internet access, you can even send invoices, statements, letters and reports via fax or e-mail using the program.

Overall, DacEasy provides a complete accounting package that should fit the needs of most law firms. In addition, the contact management and time tracking features may be sufficient for a solo or small law firm.

DacEasy Inc.
(800) 431-9025
www.daceasy.com
Windows 3.x/95/NT

$149.95

Reviewed by Arlin P. Neser, Esq., Attorney at Law, Newport Beach, Calif.

Jun/Jul '98 Issue

PROS
Very intuitive interface. Has contact management and time and billing features. Integrates with Timeslips and Quicken.

CONS
Extensive array of features may initially be intimidating to an accounting novice (even using the setup wizards).

VERDICT
DacEasy for Windows Version 4.0 is an excellent accounting package with both contact management and time and billing features that may be sufficient for the sole practitioner or small law firm. However, you may still need to purchase a case management program and a calendaring program to make your law office software package complete.