Finance packages earn euro stars

Six financial software packages have passed euro compliance tests from the British Accountancy Software Developers' Association (Basda) and auditors Ernst & Young.

SAP R/3, Baan Coda Financials, Navision Software, Scala, SquareSum Dream and TAS Books Accounting Plus gained the accreditation, which measures compliance with European regulations on currency conversion, rounding and triangulation. The tests also require the software to be accompanied by strong documentation.

Wendy Haylock, director of communications at Basda, said two accountancy packages had failed the tests, although one passed with an updated version. She refused to identify the two vendors that had produced the unsuccessful packages.

Commenting on the accreditation, Haylock said: 'It isn't an easy thing to obtain. The package has to go through quite a demanding series of tests.

Ernst & Young will be very strict, so users can be happy that if the software is accredited it will stand them in good stead for the future.'

But John Tate, managing director of accountancy software reseller Tate Bramald, said the accreditation was too little, too late. 'I think the horse has bolted somewhat, in that the euro is here,' he said. 'Accountancy users should have been able to make purchasing decisions a long time ago.'

But Tate conceded that Basda's hands had been tied by the lack of a standard on the triangulation issue. Another source said the absence of mid-range vendors such as Sage, Pegasus, JD Edwards and Great Plains suggested a bias towards high-end systems.

Haylock said a further 25 vendors had signed up and would be tested over the coming weeks.

Tate added the Basda accreditation was designed by and for software vendors and would not necessarily be relevant to users or resellers. 'The accreditation is paid for and run by accountancy software developers. It's not a regulated body,' he said.