I recently completed a certification exercise for the Flexi Software’s FlexiFinancials package, a functionally rich accounting package that is complete in every way and geared for the banking, insurance, and financial services industries. A package that has integrated business objects with drill-down searching and with full functional and reporting capabilities.

We proceeded as follows: I prepared a certification document that I e-mailed to Flexi­ Software (Flexi).  Flexi (www.flexi.com) set up a remote desktop and I logged on from my office one thousand miles away, to begin the certification process. To review the items that were certified, visit the vendor showcase on our website at

http://www.vendor-showcase.com/browse/174/Accounting-ERP-for-SMB.html

My role was “to verify the Flexi Financials application’s functionality and to verify the vendor’s claims.”  Together with Flexi, we stepped through the certification document using it as the “show me it does what you claim”.  During the demonstration, I asked for additional related tasks to be done and they were demonstrated. I noted that the application exceeded the capabilities offered by some other accounting modules that are integrated into other ERP systems.  I noted that the software has clearly laid out menus, and forms, making it easy to use

The bottom line is that the Flexi product passed with excellence.  It met all the vendors’ claims and more.  The following list is just a summary of what we audited and certified.

FlexiFinancials Suite:

• setup of the chart of accounts, including budgets, sub-ledgers, for multi-company and regions within the companies
• perform transaction processing, including reversing entries
• perform month-end and year-end operations (closing, reopening, etc)
• examine all onscreen displays, control reports and financial statements
• verify all aspects of accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, vendor and customer management
• perform additional processing against accounts making use of journal entries, memos, and vouchers
• examine project and job management
• test the purchasing and order entry systems, testing invoicing, purchase limits, credit limits, escalation when limits are exceeded, and respective adjustments.
• perform buyer and salesmen handling
• examine field and user security controls
• ad-hoc reporting demonstrated with Flexi Vision, with drill down from onscreen displays.
• Accounts payable workflow and approval

I highly recommend the Flexi Accounting package as it is functionally in the competition class with packages from SAP, Oracle, Epicor Lawson and Sungard.

My efforts and the vendors’ at preparing for the certification was a labor-intensive activity for both of us.  I am certain that we are both glad that all ended well.

As an addendum, the preparation time at my end was about three man days, and the time to complete the certification, three hours.