Fixed Asset Management

The problem

The client managed its fixed assets on an old VAX computer that was being de-commissioned. The software had been written many years earlier by in-house staff who were no longer with the company. At the time there were several thousand assets on the system, many of which were obsolete or no longer in service. No one had updated the details for several months.

The solution

After reviewing the options with the client's management, it was decided to create a compact custom fixed asset management system using Microsoft Access 2. Although the company's new accounting system had an elementary fixed asset module, it required a considerable change in the way that the assets were managed. It was therefore considered simpler and more cost effective to make a custom system.

The Fixed Asset System ("FXAS") was designed specifically for the client to maintain its asset register and perform all associated accounting functions for fixed assets. The system was written in Microsoft Access and included specific facilities for uploading journal entries to the general ledger system, which ran on a Unix machine.

The system consisted of a series of menu screens that the user completed to carry out the various accounting transactions or queries. A full set of reports could be produced at any time, both for the current financial year and the prior year. The user did not require any knowledge of Microsoft Access. A detailed audit trail was maintained and all transactions were time-stamped.

One of the benefits of FXAS was the ability to be able to use the standard Microsoft Access features to import the old VAX records and make detailed reviews of the many obsolete assets that had accumulated in the old system over the years.

Availability

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