The Acumatica 2024 R2 User Guide: New Features to Boost Efficiency & Growth

Feature Breakdown by Edition

General Business Edition: Elevating Core Business Operations

The General Business updates in Acumatica 2024 R2 focus on streamlining finance, payroll, CRM, and case management workflows. These enhancements reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and offer businesses powerful new tools to manage operations.

Finance Module Enhancements

Acumatica’s finance updates automate financial processes, improve data accuracy, and reduce errors in everything from reconciliation to credit card processing.

• Approval of Reconciliation Statements: Automate the approval of reconciliation statements to ensure tighter control and compliance with audit requirements.
  Use Case: Finance teams managing frequent audits can now automate their reconciliation approval workflows, ensuring compliance without manual bottlenecks.
  Technical Details: Custom workflows can be created in the new “Approvals” tab within the reconciliation object.
• Level 3 Credit Card Processing Support: Businesses processing large volumes of credit card payments can now provide Level 3 transaction data to reduce processing fees.
  Use Case: Distribution companies processing credit card payments for international shipments can now save on fees by leveraging Level 3 support.
  Technical Details: This feature requires additional data, such as Commodity Codes, in the Packaging tab of the Stock or Non-Stock Items form.
• Loading Bank Feeds from Files: Import bank transactions from file-based sources when direct integration isn’t available.
  Use Case: Businesses working with international banks can now import financial data directly from files without worrying about direct integration.
  Technical Details: Bank transactions can be loaded from files, including those stored in an SFTP folder. A Test Mode is available for mapping transactions before import.
• Auto-Matching of Bank Transactions: Match receipt bank transactions to debit adjustments automatically, streamlining reconciliation.
  Use Case: Finance teams processing numerous transactions can save time by using automated matching tools for debit adjustments.
  Technical Details: The Process Bank Transactions form now supports auto-matching for receipt bank transactions.
• Predefined Automation Schedules: Preconfigured schedules automate daily tasks like credit card payment validation.
  Use Case: Teams can save time by automating routine tasks like validating card payments on a daily schedule.
  Technical Details: The Validate Card Payments form now supports automation schedules for daily synchronization.

These updates make finance operations more efficient, accurate, and ready for audits, minimizing manual work and errors.

Payroll Enhancements

Acumatica has made payroll management easier with new mid-period compensation handling for salaried employees.

• Mid-Period Compensation for Salaried Employees: Automatically calculate compensation for salaried employees hired, terminated, or adjusted mid-pay period.
  Use Case: This feature simplifies payroll for companies that frequently hire or terminate employees mid-pay period.
  Technical Details: Acumatica automatically calculates compensation based on the number of days worked during the period, ensuring accuracy.

This update helps businesses handle payroll changes without manual calculations, reducing errors and improving payroll efficiency.

CRM and Case Management Enhancements

The CRM and case management updates streamline customer service processes, improve communication workflows, and ensure that service-level agreements (SLAs) are met.

• Case Commitment Inquiry Forms: Track case commitments and SLA response times more effectively.
  Use Case: Service teams managing multiple support cases can now ensure deadlines are met and SLAs are consistently achieved.
  Technical Details: Enhanced response time statistics are available in case commitment inquiry forms, linking all activities within a case.
• Enhanced Email Template Placement: Control where email templates are inserted when communicating with customers.
  Use Case: Customer support teams handling high volumes of emails can now control template placement for improved efficiency.
  Technical Details: Users can choose to insert email templates at the beginning, end, or as a replacement in their communications.

These updates ensure better customer relationship management, helping businesses stay on top of customer interactions and SLAs.

Construction and Project Management: Better Tools for the Job

Construction firms will benefit from a range of project management updates in Acumatica 2024 R2, designed to streamline invoicing, improve quote workflows, and provide better financial tracking.

• Pro Forma Invoicing: Simplify billing by generating pro forma invoices directly from project data, improving cash flow.
  Use Case: Construction firms can generate detailed, accurate invoices from real-time project data, speeding up billing cycles.
  Technical Details: Pro forma invoices can now be created and adjusted independently of billing schedules, with features like AR document generation and payment processing by line.
• Enhanced Project Quotes Workflow: Track project quotes more accurately with additional workflow statuses for customer acceptance.
  Use Case: Firms creating complex quotes can track rejections and approvals more clearly, ensuring quotes match the project scope.
  Technical Details: New workflow commands and statuses help track customer acceptance and internal rejections.
• WIP Report Improvements: Track project costs more accurately with enhanced Work-In-Progress (WIP) reports.
  Use Case: Project managers overseeing multiple projects can now track profitability and resource allocation more easily.
  Technical Details: WIP reports provide more detailed financial performance data for specific project tasks, helping managers track costs in real-time.

These updates streamline project management workflows, improve cash flow, and give construction firms better financial tracking tools.

Distribution and Inventory Management: Faster, Smarter, and More Accurate

Acumatica 2024 R2 brings a host of updates to distribution and inventory management, designed to reduce errors, improve financial workflows, and make order fulfillment more efficient.

• Improved Receiving Process: Avoid UOM (unit of measure) rounding issues and ensure accurate stock allocation during order fulfillment.
  Use Case: Distributors handling large inventories with varying UOMs can reduce errors in stock allocation.
  Technical Details: New checks in the Divisible Unit field ensure accurate stock allocation during order processing.
• Prepayments in RMA Orders: Manage prepayments within RMA orders more efficiently, improving returns processing.
  Use Case: Teams handling returns can now streamline financial workflows by automating prepayment status updates.
  Technical Details: The system tracks prepayment status automatically and updates RMA orders accordingly.

These features make distribution operations smoother, reducing manual tasks and improving accuracy throughout the order lifecycle.

Manufacturing Edition: Enhanced Production Control

For manufacturers, Acumatica’s Manufacturing Edition offers enhanced production capabilities, improved visibility into outside processing, and better estimating tools for complex workflows.

• Enhanced Estimating: Generate more accurate cost projections with price break calculations for quantity and subcontractor costs.
  Use Case: Sales engineers creating complex estimates can now account for pricing variations based on order quantities.
  Technical Details: Users can specify price breaks and minimum subcontractor fees to ensure accurate margin calculations.
• Linking Production Orders: Track and link production orders more efficiently for complex workflows.
  Use Case: Manufacturers handling multiple product lines or assemblies can now streamline subassembly management by linking production orders.
  Technical Details: Enhanced subassembly order management improves tracking and scheduling for complex workflows.

These updates improve accuracy and efficiency for manufacturers managing complex production workflows and subcontracting processes.

Retail and eCommerce: Smarter B2B and Amazon Integrations

Retailers will find powerful new tools for managing B2B customers and streamlining Amazon and Shopify operations in Acumatica 2024 R2.

• Shopify B2B Customer Hierarchy and Pricing Configurations: Manage B2B customer hierarchies and set company-specific pricing configurations.
  Use Case: Retailers selling B2B via Shopify can now set up tailored payment terms and pricing models for each customer.
  Technical Details: The Shopify Connector supports company hierarchies, with multiple users and locations assigned to a business customer profile.
• Amazon Returns and Refunds Automation: Automate returns and refunds from Amazon for both FBA and FBM orders.
  Use Case: Retailers using Amazon can streamline returns processes and reduce manual work by automating returns management.
  Technical Details: Imported returns are automatically flagged for approval and processed efficiently.

These enhancements help retailers manage B2B operations and streamline their interactions with Amazon and Shopify, ensuring smoother workflows and faster service.

Platform Updates: Enhanced Flexibility for Developers

Acumatica’s platform remains one of the most flexible in the market, with new tools that make integrations easier and improve reporting capabilities.

• OData Enhancements: Access data more easily with new OData URLs, perfect for integrating external business intelligence (BI) tools.
  Use Case: Leverage real-time reporting by pulling data directly from Acumatica into your BI tool.
  Technical Details: New URLs improve data access for external systems while maintaining support for older links until 2025.
• SOAP API Deprecation and OpenAPI 3.0 Support: Modernize integrations by switching from SOAP to REST API, with added support for OpenAPI 3.0.
  Use Case: Build custom integrations faster and more efficiently with modern APIs and better documentation.
  Technical Details: REST APIs with OpenAPI 3.0 support improve extensibility and ease of use for developers.

These platform updates make it easier to integrate with external tools, automate workflows, and ensure your business stays connected.