Sage News and Discussion

We just go an email from Sage clarifying some issues with the new certification program and our 2012 partner renewal. If I understand this email correctly the following changes apply: 1. We will still pay $1,000 upon renewal in 2012 but instead of the 45 cases we got in the past we will get none. 2. In November of this year, we will pay $650 per certified consultant renewal which will give our company 10 cases per consultant which (for 2011 only) will be taken from our standard plan cases (??). 3. On March 1 Sage Support Department will start enforcement of the competency role support entitlement. ""With this only Certified Consultants who are certified will be entitled ot contact Sage Support."" I think this means consultants can support only in roles thay're certified in. Wow! Confusing, expensive and onerous!

So what happens if you have a functional role but not the technical part? If you call about a problem posting a check and then it turns out to be a database problem ... do you hang up and have someone else from your company call? I'm still confused about how they think this should work.

The following example is a quote from Sages' email. ""For example, a consultant who has completed the product application certification is entitled to call support for questions related to the general application. Only implementation consultants may call to ask questions about product implementation.

So lets say I'm doing an implementation and I get an error in GL - is that an implementation question, an application question, or a technical question? And who polices this, the support person? ""I'm sorry, you selected application support. You'll have to connect with technical support."" Or, ""I'm sorry, you're only certified for application support and technically, this is a technical issue.

I still am not comfortable with the response I have gotten from Ann Siedel and Sherri Thompson. I have asked point blank if I need any consultanting certifications and I have been told ""NO"". Time will tell how good they were at advising. These certifications are EXTREMELY onerous for small shops which I believe is the underlying intent of driving out the small fry.

Get it in writing people.

When I got my certification status I had three roles already certified: 1. Consultant: financials and distribution 2. Technical consultant - Non SQL 3. Implementation Consultant. Because Technical Consultant is split between SQL and Non-SQL I was told I needed the following to complete all certifications: 1. CRM consultant 2. Technical consultant - SQL The CRM Consultant certification is straightforward one course and assessment. The technical consultant -SQL is complex requiring three courses and two assessments 1. SQL Fundaments and assessment. 2. Installing MAS90 and MAS200 3 Migrating MAS90 and MAS200 4. Combined Assessment for items 2 and 3 Sage said i needed to take items 2 and 3 for SQL certification even though i was already certified for these because the 2012 certifications are different. My understanding is that as a one man shop i need all four roles certified. Sorry this post is so long.

After a week of begging and pleading with various people to call me regarding certification, Celenia finally did. She IS alive and well, just overwhelmed with all the changes as we are. She was able to guide me through class enrollment. Two things of note: For those that didn't get signed up, you can still get the reduced rate even though it is past 11/1. She was not able to provide me with an ending date. Just that once it is off the web site, the pricing has ended. The other tidbit is for those with IE 9, be sure to change the settings so it runs in compatibility mode. Seems that the competency ""bubbles"" do not work straight up (major problem for me)!