Sage Evolution

Sizing Document

Contents
Contents ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Copyright ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Acknowledgements: .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Version Control:...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Getting Started ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
The database management system ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Contributing Factors to the system landscape ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
System Reliability and Availability ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
System Performance ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Network topology .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Server architecture ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Clients....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Data safety and protection .................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Creating the Sage Evolution System landscape ................................................................................................................................................ 10
Minimum Requirements .................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
User Count ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Transaction Volumes ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Projected Database Sizes .................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Reporting ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Hardware Specifications per intensity environment ........................................................................................................................................ 17
Branch Accounting Sync File estimates............................................................................................................................................................... 17
Branch Accounting Sync Interval Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................... 18
Sync Intervals for a branch................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Sync Intervals for a head office ........................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Staggered Sync Intervals between a branch and head office. ................................................................................................................... 19
Scenario: Branch 1 sends an IBT to Branch 2 ................................................................................................................................................ 19
Other important factors that could impact the performance of the synchronisation tool ................................................................ 20
Maintenance Strategies .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Backups ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21
System Owner (Internal IT Engineer or consultant) ..................................................................................................................................... 21
Failover/Mirrored/Cluster Servers................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Software Prerequisites and Required Applications ........................................................................................................................................... 22
References ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22
Addendum A: IT Infrastructure Assessment form ............................................................................................................................................. 22
IT Infrastructure Assessment form ....................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Copyright
This product is copyrighted to:
Sage, Sage Technology Park, 102 Western Services Road, Gallo Manor Ext 6, Johannesburg, 2191.
Disclaimer: While Sage Pastel takes care to ensure the accuracy and quality of these materials, we cannot guarantee their accuracy, and all
materials are provided without warranty whatsoever, including, but not limited to warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose. The name used in the data files for this course is that of fictitious companies. Any resemblance to current or future companies is
purely coincidental.

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including all documentation relating thereto are and remain the property of Sage Pastel.

This document conveys no rights to the software or other products about which it was written; all use or licensing of such software is held
by Sage Pastel and users of this book are required to adhere to licence agreement conditions as specified on the software.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not constitute a commitment on the part of the supplier. Sage
Pastel reserves the right to revise this publication and the product, and to make changes to the content thereof, from time to time, without
obligation of Sage Pastel to notify any person or organisation of such revision or changes.

You acknowledge that unless agreement is reached directly with Sage Pastel to provide services (including implementation, training,
consulting and similar) for the software, You are responsible for engaging a qualified party to provide such services on terms that You
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have and can provide the level of skill and service required. You agree that the Sage shall have no liability whatsoever for any failure
associated with such services, even if the party engaged is an authorised or certified dealer, reseller, consultant, installer, business partner,
trainer or training centre with Sage Pastel.

Sage Pastel shall endeavour to provide appropriate training and consulting at all times. This will be guided by the collection of information
and accurate completion of all analysis sheets and other required documentation. Where such information provided and documentation
completed is inaccurate or incomplete and not in accordance with your business needs, Sage Pastel cannot be held liable.

Acknowledgements:
Sage wishes to acknowledge the following people in the production of this manual.
Content Developer: Brentin Govender
Content Editor: Brentin Govender
Content Verifier: Christiaan Liebenberg and Brentin Govender
Layout and Design: Brentin Govender and Len Eksteen
Proof Readers: Bob Grewar and Len Eksteen
Project Manager: Mohammed Mosam

Version Control:
Software Version 6.82
Document Version: 1.4

Introduction
Before undertaking the implementation of Sage Evolution within the destined environment there are certain
factors that need to be taken into account as they play a pivotal role in the daily use of the software.
Sage Evolution is a real time, off-the-shelf fully integrated solution that caters for diverse industries. By defining
and then combining the business processes between the operations and financial aspects of the business to
create a long term holistic solution.
Like all software applications, Sage Evolution is dependent on a well-balanced IT system landscape that will
allow the business to operate smoothly, efficiently and most importantly provide flexibility with scalability to grow
and adapt for future business strategies and processes.
Within the Sage Evolution Product Suite there are 4 different installation types, namely;
A Standalone Evolution Company
A Branch accounting Online Company
A Branch accounting Offline Company
A Municipal entity.
Planning and understanding the IT system landscape requirements is of paramount importance. For example,
assume the IT system landscape was setup for a standalone company initially and then the business elects to
implement an offline branch accounting environment. The effect of these decisions could potentially mean that
the entire IT system landscape may need to be upgraded or changed completely.
Re-implementing a new IT system landscape is already a challenge but to perform this task in a short space of
time is difficult and unnecessary.

Getting Started
The purpose of this document is to provide a set of guidelines to structure a well-balanced IT system landscape
that will meet the businesss objectives.
The audience for this document would be the following;
- The businesss IT department\team.
- The businesss financial business process owners (e.g. Financial Manager).
- The project implementation team (e.g. Project Manager, Lead Consultants).
The collective term IT system landscape is defined as;
The server computer and the client workstations.
Software applications.
Organisational network structure.
The IT support team.
IT Governance (policies and procedures).
The initial set of questions;
Will the current server meet the clients requirements?
Will the current server be able to cater for technology enhancements?
Will the current client workstations meet the processing requirements?
Will the current client workstations be able to cater for technology enhancements?
What are the expansion plans for the business in terms of users in different physical locations/areas?
What type of platform would the users require to gain access to Sage Evolution?
If the current server/client workstations cannot be used, what type of server/client workstations is
required that would meet client requirements and technology enhancements?
Will the current network layout meet the clients requirements?
What type of network layout will the client require based on the requirements?
What will the architecture of the proposed IT infrastructure be?
To establish a well-balanced IT system the following type of questions need to be asked?
What is the proposed concurrent user count?
What are the expected transaction volumes?
What are the hardware types that are required? (I.e. Processor, Hard drive etc.)
Where are the users geographically located?
What type of network setup will be used to connect users?
What type of internet connectivity is required to connect the user in different locations?
What type of backup strategies will be put in place?
What type of maintenance plans will be put in place to monitor and fine tune the IT system on a
scheduled basis?

The database management system

A Database Management System (DBMS) is the software used to organise and maintain the database. These
are categorised according to the database model that they support. The model determines the query languages
that are available to access the database.
Sage Evolution uses the MS SQL Server application as its database management system, where a central
database can be accessed by concurrent users performing different functions within the Sage Evolution
application.
Microsoft SQL is based on the Relational Model.
The purpose of the relational model is to provide a method for specifying data and queries. We can directly
request the information the database contains and the information we want from it, and let the database
management system software take care of describing data structures for storing the data and retrieval
procedures for getting queries / requests answered.
Sage Evolution V6.82 will be compatible with all editions of SQL 2008 and 2012. However, the needs of the
business would then determine which edition of the Microsoft SQL Server application would be required.
There are three options available as far as the database management system is concerned:
- A new copy of MS SQL Standard or Enterprise can be purchased.
- A free, scaled down, lower performance version of MS SQL Server called MS SQL Server Express can
be used.
- A pre-existing instance of MS SQL Server can be used for Sage Evolution.
Table 1:

SQL 2008 R 2

Database Size Limitations

SQL 2012

Standard
Operating System
maximum
No Limit

Enterprise
Operating System
maximum
No Limit
Operating System
maximum
64 GB
8
Yes

Concurrent User Access

Limitations
Useable Ram (32 Bit)

No Limit*

Useable Ram (64 Bit)

Useable processors
Scheduled Tasks /
Maintenance Activities
Scheduled Backups

1 GB only
1 processor
No

Operating System
maximum
64 GB
4
Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Express
10 GB

Standard
Operating System
maximum
No Limit

Enterprise
Operating System
maximum
No Limit
Operating System
maximum
64 GB
Operating System
maximum
Yes
Yes

Database Size Limitations

1 GB only

Concurrent User Access

Limitations
Useable Ram (32 Bit)

No Limit*

Useable Ram (64 Bit)

Useable processors

1 GB only
Limited to lesser of 1
Socket or 4 cores
No

Operating System
maximum
64 GB
Limited to lesser of 4
Sockets or 16 cores
Yes

No

Yes

Scheduled Tasks /
Maintenance Activities
Scheduled Backups

Express
10 GB

1 GB only

Source information:
*It is recommended that SQL Express should only be used up to a maximum of 10 concurrent users, this
recommendation is based on the memory and processor limitations which will affect system performance.

Contributing Factors to the system landscape

System Reliability and Availability

To a business environment a financial information system is the integral and central point of the
business, there are three key values that stand out; i.e. information, system and security (amongst
other). These values can only be achieved if the infrastructure is reliable and made available within the
prescribed business operating hours.
Reliability should be self-explanatory, of all information systems; the financial information system is the
corner stone of any business. It is therefore one of the most crucial assets that needs to be managed
and maintained for continued business success. The reliability of the financial information system and
underlying IT system is critical to this end.
Availability is considered to be one of the most important elements of the system because if the system
is not available then the business is unable to process information or draw reports to measure business
performance.
It is important to assess the extent to which the business is dependent on the system.
It is important to ask, Can the business survive without their financial information system for a day, 2
days or a week?
o If the answer is no, this means the IT system landscape needs to be reliable and available at all
times.
o If the answer is yes, contingency plans would need to be put in place that will address how the
business will trade and operate when the system is down.

System Performance

Performance is a blanket statement that includes the application, server, end-user and network
environments. Each can have a significant effect on the overall performance of the system. More
specifically, performance refers to acceptable response time that a specific processing action should be
completed to meet the requirements of each business process.
To calculate the accepted response times, performance stress testing should be conducted early on in
the project implementation cycle to determine which processing actions will consume a large amount of
system resources. Once this information is present, correct decisions can be made on tweaking or
upgrading the current hardware, software, or infrastructure. If there is a processing action that will
predictably consume large amounts of system resources due to the nature of that business process,
this will allow for efficient strategies to be put in place.
Poor system performance ultimately detracts significantly from the return on investment in an ERP
system. User confidence in the system drops and management then have conflict with staff turn-around
times for deliverables. Poor response times on end-users machines results in decreased turn-around
times for processing of information or transactions potentially requiring additional staff on an already
overloaded system. The fix it later concept becomes a costly exercise.

Network topology
Sage Evolution is a client server application that supports the following deployments:

Single-user: Client/Server via a LAN (Workgroup or Domain)

o The traditional application model that consist of a client and server that are connected on the
same network. The client will have the Sage Evolution application installed and the server will
have the Microsoft SQL Server instance installed to house the SQL Database across a local
network.
Private or public cloud solutions:
o Sage Evolution can be placed in an offsite location (e.g. Datacentres), users will have to log-in
via a terminal server, remote desktop session or via a thin client application to launch Evolution

Server architecture
The server environment within the Sage Evolution landscape is critical and necessary for responsive processing
actions and timeous delivery of data to computers across the network environment.
Upon reviewing the server environment intended for Sage Evolution, the following hardware components need
to be considered carefully;

Processors:
o Processors process information. Instructions or input is fed to a processor or group of
processors so that a calculation or result (output) can be achieved. The more processors one
has, the more input can be processed and more output obtained.
o The more instructions fed to processors the more they are utilized until capacity reaches 100%.
Hereafter instructions are queued until the workload decreases sufficiently to allow the
processor to return to under 100% utilization. Users of server environments that consistently
exceed 80%utilisation will experience frequent delays in processing (invoicing) or extracting
information (reporting).
o Utilization of the server environment must be restricted to business applications only. Using
servers for multiple functions (for example terminal server/mail server/document server installed
alongside SQL) is not recommended for business critical systems like Sage Evolution.
Memory:
o Memory allows instructions that require processing to be queued but can also store information
that has not changed thereby freeing-up processing time. For example if sufficient system RAM
is available, the same report pulled by two different users can load significantly quicker for the
2nd, 3rd or nth user. SQL makes excellent use of memory.
o Generally applications (including Sage Evolution) are designed to take advantage of memory to
improve overall system performance.
o Memory is also an economical method to improve system performance and where possible,
extra RAM should be added to systems intended to be used for SQL; where possible the
amount of RAM installed should be equal to or exceed the estimated size of the database(s)
over 3 years.
Storage:
o Storage should be carefully planned to ensure sufficient hard disk performance for SQL and
Sage Evolution. It is not sufficient to cater for disk storage space alone. Hard disks are a major
influencer of SQL performance. Solid state aside, the 3 main factors affecting performance are;
hard disk interface, spindle speed and physical size.
The Interface (e.g. IDE, SAS, SCSI or SATA) governs the speed at which information can be
transferred to and from the hard disk.
Spindle speed determines how fast the disk can spin affecting how much data the head can
read or write in a second. Older SATA disks ran at 5200 Revolutions per Minute (RPM), newer

SATA disks can run at up to 7200 RPM. Older SCSI interfaces typically spin at 7500 RPM and
more recently SAS hard disks can spin at 10,000 or 15,000 RPM
The physical size of the disk affects how big the disk platters are. Data is read from or written
to platters. The smaller the platter, the faster the disk head can move from one location to
another and the less the disk platter has to spin for the head to reach the sectors it needs to.
This all affects the amount of data that can be read or written to the disk per second.
o

Solid-state disks are a significant development in recent disk history. Numerous solid-state-disk
configurations exist each with their own advantages and disadvantages, it is recommended
that businesses intending to deploy solid state disk storage environments engage with qualified
personnel to ensure that current and future, performance and redundancy requirements are
met.

Operating System:
o The operating system manages the computer system and its resources. Refer to the minimum
requirements for the Microsoft operating systems that are supported.
o Depending on your processor bit architecture, this will state which operating system can be
installed, i.e. 32 bit or 64 bit. 64bit operating system allows users to address more memory
compared to the (typical) 4GB limit on 32 bit operating systems.

Clients
Clients are stand-alone, networked or thin. In single-user or stand-alone environments, Sage Evolution is
installed on a single users system. In multi-user networked environments, Sage Evolution is installed on multiple
users systems or on application servers (e.g. terminal servers) which will the allow them connect to the
assigned SQL Server.
The specifications for the client systems or application servers are dependent on the user activities that will be
performed, for consistency the specifications of the client workstations should be similar for minimum
recommendations, refer to the sizing table.

Data safety and protection

Raid Configurations:
o There are 3 main types used by most organizations.
RAID 0 gives you the best performance but no redundancy, requires at least 2 disks.
RAID 1 gives you the worst performance but the best redundancy. It is also the most
expensive. For every disk there must be a mirrored disk, requires at least 2 disks.
RAID-5 is the common ground between RAID0 and RAID1, it is not the best
performance but better than RAID1. It requires at least 3 disks to implement and can
tolerate 1 disk failure.
o RAID0+1 and RAID1+0 configurations also exist called striped mirrors and mirrored stripes,
which fall out of scope for this document. These RAID configurations require many disks and
detailed understanding of disk performance and suitability of each implementation is dependent
on disk throughput requirements.
o There are two main categories of RAID configuration control. Software and hardware control. In
hardware control, performance is typically much faster and battery back-up allow for
uncommitted writes to be written when power is restored. Software RAID should not be
considered for SQL. This is where the OS controls RAID, this may be suitable for cheap fileservers or archive servers where performance is not of concern. Dont use software RAID with
SQL.

Use of Cluster SQL Servers:

o
o

There are two main types of clusters, active and passive. All clusters require at least two
members or nodes. One node of the cluster acts as a fail-over for the other. If one node fails,
the other node takes over the services that were running on the other.
In a passive cluster, only 1 node is live at any given point. This means that the other node
effectively sits idle whilst the other node does the work. SQL only supports passive clustering.
What many organizations do is to use each node of the cluster as a fail-over node for the other.
So two unique instances of SQL are installed on each cluster node. This allows both nodes to
be used simultaneously. For example one can run 1 database on a unique instance of SQL on
one node, and another database on another unique instance of SQL on the other. If one node
fails, both instances will run on one node. Arguably this does affect performance for both
databases during this time; however in real world examples, if the servers are of sufficient
specification, it is more important that the disk performance is sufficient.
Both nodes participating in the cluster must be of similar hardware specification, software build
(Windows Enterprise required, SQL Standard or better), same service pack level, same hotfixes, same windows updates etc.
3rd party storage is required. Either serial attached storage to both nodes or a SAN.

All of the above information is basic guidelines that aim to provide information that will assist in consulting with a
certified IT Consulting Company.

Creating the Sage Evolution System landscape

To summarise, the above sections refers to the role the hardware components perform in a system landscape.
However, hardware alone is not going to create the well-balanced landscape that the business requires.
There are several factors or variables that we need to consider which are listed below and we will go into detail
as well:
- Minimum Requirements
- User Counts
- Transaction Volumes
- Projected Transaction Volumes
- Branch Accounting Sync Files
- Internet Bandwidth

Minimum Requirements
The Sage Evolution minimum requirement benchmarks your starting point and from here you build on to create
your system landscape.

10

Table 2:

Areas

Single User

Workstation

Server
(Less than 10 users)

Server
(11 - 20 users)*

HARDWARE:
Minimum
Recommended

Single-core 1 Ghz
Dual-core or more
2 Ghz or faster

Single-core 1 Ghz
Dual-core or more
2 Ghz or faster

Dual-core 2 Ghz
Quad core or more
2 Ghz or faster

Dual-core 2 Ghz
Quad core or more
2 Ghz or faster

Please Note: 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) processors are supported.

OPERATING SYSTEM:
Minimum

Microsoft Windows 7
Professional Edition
Service Pack 1 or later

Microsoft Windows 7
Professional Edition
Service Pack 1 or later

Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 R2

Standard Edition
Standard Edition
Service Pack 2 or later
Service Pack 2 or later

Recommended

Microsoft Windows 7/8

Professional Edition
Service Pack 1 or later

Microsoft Windows 7/8

Professional Edition
Service Pack 1 or later

Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 R2

Standard Edition
Standard Edition
Service Pack 2 or later
Service Pack 2 or later

Please Note: Windows 7/8 Starter, Windows 7/8 Home and Windows RT editions are not supported by Sage Evolution.

RAM:
Minimum
Recommended

2GB
4GB or more

2GB or more
4GB or more

4GB or more
6GB or more

4GB or more
8GB or more

1024 x 768

1024 x 768

1024 x 768

Please Note: Minimum 1GB (32-bit) orr2 GB (64-bit).

SCREEN RESOLUTION:
Minimum

1024 x 768

DATABASE SERVER:
Recommended

Microsoft (TM) SQL Server 2008 R2 - Service Pack 1 or later.

Supported

Microsoft (TM) SQL Server 2012.

ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS (SERVER AND WORKSTATION)

Minimum
Minimum

Microsoft Excel 2007 or later (for the Business Intelligent Centre module).
.Net 4.00 framework (included in installation DVD).

FTP (FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL) SERVER:

Recommended

Microsoft FTP running IIS 6 or later (for Branch Accounting environments).

EVOLUTION MOBILE SALES

Hardware
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 N8000 / Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 P7500 / iPad 2 or later.
Operating System IOS 5.1.1 or later.
Web Service
Connectivity

Internet Information Services (IIS) 6 or later.

3G or WIFI

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Recommended

We strongly recommend you speak to your Sage Evolution Business Partner regarding the system requirements
recommended for your specific environment.

OTHER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

11

DVD-Rom, 256 Colour VGA or SVGA Video Graphics.

The on-line help requires Internet Explorer version 6 or higher, or a compatible browser.
To use touch capabilities in Windows 8, you need a table or a monitor that supports multi-touch.
Up-to-date network drivers, service packs and updates for your network and operating systems.
Windows 7 and 8 personal computers/notebooks need to ensure that the recommended RAM memory requirements and Video
Graphics adapter are met.

The above serves as a guideline. Hardware requirements may differ depending on the operating system and the version of SQL
Server. For Microsoft (TM) SQL Server 2012, please note that there are additional software requirements to adhere to. Please
refer to the SQL Server specifications documentation for more information.

User Count
The user ultimately drives the input and output from their processing actions. The number of users that are
logged into Sage Evolution application at any given time are regarded as concurrent users. Concurrent users
affect the server workload and response times. The business will have different types of users and some users
will be performing a certain functions in the business that will create a massive workload for the server to
process, where as other users will not create massive workload for the server to process because of their
processing functions.
For example: An invoicing clerk may process 10 invoices per hour and an accounting clerk might capture a
cashbook 3 times a day. The invoicing clerk requires more resources from the server than the accounting clerk
does.

Transaction Volumes
The most important variable the system landscape must cater for is transaction volumes. Estimating transaction
volumes is never an easy task due to seasonal spikes, business trends etc. To assist with estimating the
expected transaction volumes 3 intensity environments have been defined.
If any of the criteria fall within the Medium Intensity Environment, the entire setup should be understood as
Medium Intensity. Likewise if any single criteria falls within High Intensity then the entire environment is
understood as High Intensity.
Table 3:
Criteria

Low Intensity
Environment

Medium Intensity
Environment

High Intensity
Environment

Number of users

<= 5

> 5 < 30

>= 30 +

Number of concurrent
companies

2 <= 9

10 +

Number general ledger

accounts

< 500

> 500 < 5000

>= 5000

Number of customer
accounts

< 1000

> 1000 <= 5000

>= 5000

Number of supplier
Accounts

< 1000

> 1000 <= 5000

>= 5000

Number of stock items

< 2000

> 2000 < 10000

>= 10000

Number of cash book

lines per cash book
batch

<=100

> 100 < 400

>= 450 < 500

Number of journal lines

per journal batch

<=100

> 100 < 450

>= 450 < 500

Number of customer
invoices/credit notes
processed per day

<100

>100 < 300

>= 300 < 500

12

Average number of
transaction lines per
customer invoices/credit
notes

<20

>= 20 < 100

>= 100

Average number of grvs

processed per day

< 10

> = 10 < 250

>= 300

Average number of
transaction lines per grv

< 10

> = 10 < 100

>= 100

Average number of job

costing documents
processed per day

< 10

>100 < 450

>= 500

Average number of
transaction lines per job
card

< 10

>100 < 200

>= 200

Number of
manufacturing
processing per day

< 10

>100

> = 100

Average number of
transaction lines per
manufacture process

< 50

> 50 < 200

> = 200

Average number of bill of

material recipe lines
within a manufacture
process (i.e. Including
sub manufacture)

< 25

> = 25 < 100

> = 100

Single annuity billing run

< 1000

>= 1000 < 5000

>= 5000

Branch Accounting Environment

Branches

N/A

<4

>= 5

Number of Sync
Monitors

N/A

More than 1

Frequency of Sync

N/A

> 6 hours intervals

< 2 hours intervals

Note: The above values in Table 3, are guidelines and are based on a standard configuration and processing
environment within Sage Evolution and exclude 3rd party applications.

Projected Database Sizes

Defining the system landscape is a long term strategy which requires preparation and understanding of the
volume of transactions that will be processed now and for next 1 3, 5 years. The variable factor that needs to be
dealt with is how the database will grow?

13

This section can also be used to establish whether the current landscape would be able to cater for the growth
of the system. Thus there could be a saving on capital outlay of hardware to get the system operational for the
next 2 years (as an example).
The size of a new Sage Evolution company database is approximately 30 MB.
Numerous amounts of transactions will be processed through the application, but the end result is that there are
6 main tables that will be processed and updated 80-90% of time.
The following values will be kept at a constant to facilitate the estimate calculation that will be based on the
number of transaction that will be processed.
10 Inventory items per transaction
Average number of trading days in a year (Excluding weekend and public holidays) = 249
Projected transaction growth per for year 2 on year 1 = 25%
Projected transaction growth per for year 3 on year 1 = 33%
Projected transaction growth per for year 4 on year 1 = 39%
Projected transaction growth per for year 5 on year 1 = 46%
Table 4:
Type

Year

No. of
Transactio
n
(per day)

Accounts Payable Transactions

Purchase
Year 1
Order
Year 2
(PO)
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5

No of
Transactio
n
(per year)

Size Per
Transact
ion

Size Per
Day

Total per
Year

Overall
Total (Year
on Year)

35
44
56
70
87

8 715
19 671
33 615
51 045
72 708

16 KB
16 KB
16 KB
16 KB
16 KB

560 KB
704 KB
896 KB
1.09 MB
1.36 MB

136.2 MB
171.2 MB
217.9 MB
272.3 MB
338.5 MB

136.2 MB
307.4 MB
525.3 MB
797.6 MB
1 .136 GB

Goods
Receive
Voucher
(GRV)

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5

24
30
38
48
60

5 976
13 446
22 908
34 860
49 800

9 KB
9 KB
9 KB
9 KB
9 KB

216 KB
270 KB
342 KB
432 KB
540 KB

52.52 MB
65.65 MB
83.16 MB
105.05 MB
131.31 MB

52.52 MB
118.18 MB
201.34 MB
306.39 MB
437.70 MB

Supplier
Invoice
(SINV)

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5

21
27
34
43
53

5 229
11 952
20 418
31 125
44 322

1 KB
1 KB
1 KB
1 KB
1 KB

21 KB
27 KB
34 KB
43 KB
53 KB

5.11 MB
6.57 MB
8.27 MB
10.46 MB
12.89 MB

5.11 MB
11.67 MB
19.94 MB
30.40 MB
43.28 MB

Completed
Purchase
Order
(I.e. PO +
GRV +
SINV)

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5

24
30
38
48
60

5 976
13 446
22 908
34 860
49 800

24 KB
24 KB
24 KB
24 KB
24 KB

576 KB
720 KB
912 KB
1.13 MB
1.41 MB

140.06 MB
175.08 MB
221.77 MB
280.13 MB
350.16 MB

140.06 MB
315.14 MB
536.91 MB
817.03 MB
1.167 GB

14

Table 5:
Type

Year

No. of
Transactio
n
(per day)

No of
Transactio
n
(per year)

Size Per
Transact
ion

Accounts Receivable Transactions

Complete
Year 1
56
Sales Order
Year 2
70
Invoice
Year 3
89
(I.e. SO +
Year 4
111
INV)
Year 5
137

13 944
31 374
53 535
81 174
115 287

21 KB
21 KB
21 KB
21 KB
21 KB

1.15 MB
1.44 MB
1.83 MB
2.28 MB
2.81 MB

285.96 MB
357.45 MB
454.47 MB
566.82 MB
699.58 MB

285.96 MB
643.41 MB
1.097 GB
1.664 GB
2.364 GB

18 924
36 354
60 258
91 632
131 721

13 KB
13 KB
13 KB
13 KB
13 KB

988 KB
910 KB
1.22 MB
1.60 MB
2.4 MB

240.25 MB
221.28 MB
303.47 MB
398.30 MB
508.94 MB

240.25 MB
461.53 MB
764.99 MB
1.163 GB
1.672 GB

Retail
Invoice

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5

76
70
96
126
161

Size Per
Day

Total per
Year

Overall
Total (Year
on Year)

To summarise the above projected customer and supplier transactional data over a five year period, we will
have the following figures.
Table 6:
Transaction
Type
Purchase
Order
Goods Receive
Voucher
Supplier
Invoice
Complete PO
Sales Order
Invoice
Retail Invoice
Total In MB
Total in GB

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

136.17 MB

307.36 MB

525.23 MB

797.58 MB

1 136.06 MB

52.52 MB

118.18 MB

201.34 MB

306.39 MB

437.70 MB

5.11 MB

11.67 MB

19.94 MB

30.40 MB

43.28 MB

140.06 MB

315.14 MB

536.91 MB

817.03 MB

1 167.19 MB

285.96 MB

643.41 MB

1 097.89 MB

1 664.70 MB

2 364.28 MB

240.25 MB

461.53 MB

764.99 MB

817.03 MB

1 167.19 MB

860.07 MB
0.85 GB

1 857.29 MB
1.81 GB

3 146.30 MB
3.07 GB

4 433.12 MB
4.33 GB

6 315.70 MB
6.17 GB

The values in Tables 4, 5 and 6 are estimates based on a standard setup of evolution without any configurations
or customizations.
Example: Item Groups (controlling the posting of the general ledger account transactions) or multiple
warehouses etc.)

15

Reporting
One of the key driving factors for a financial system is better and efficient reporting in a timely manner. It is
common belief that the architecture of the transacting company database is and will be structured around how
the financial and operational departments/personnel requires these reports, right down to the granular levels of
data, fonts and formats.
Initially, drawing reports while transactions are being processed may be achievable but as the database grows
the reporting will gradually slow down on high volume reporting (e.g. Daily or monthly transaction listing, Stock
movements over periods etc.). The reason for this is simple, new committed transactions (writes) are given
priority over reporting (reads).
The following table describes the reporting requirements for the 3 intensity environments:
Table 7:
Criteria

Low Intensity Environment

Medium Intensity Environment

High Intensity Environment

Reporting
Intervals

Would be able run high

volume transaction standard
reports during transaction
processing

Would be able run high

volume transaction standard
reports during transaction
processing.

Would be able run high

volume transaction standard
reports outside transaction
processing times.

Recommended: High volume

transaction reporting should
be printed after hours or
scheduled to print.

Recommended: High volume

transaction reporting should
be printed after hours or
scheduled to print.

Recommended: High volume

transaction reporting should
be printed after hours or
scheduled to print.

Suggested: A Data
warehouse or cube reporting
tool.

Suggested: A Data
warehouse or cube reporting
tool.

To further elaborate how reporting requirements can change values from table 4, 5 and 6 have been used to
substantiate the growth of the database (only isolating on customer Sales Order Invoices). It is evident that
reporting on year on year performance or figures will require an offline reporting tool or after-hour scheduling of
reports as the company grows.
Table 8:
Year

Year1
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5

16

Databas
e Size

0.85 GB
1.81 GB
3.07 GB
4.33 GB
6.17 GB

Transacti
on
Volumes
on SO
Invoices
13 944
31 374
53 535
81 174
115 287

Accumulate
d
transaction
total (year
on year)
13 944
45 318
98 853
180 027
295 314

Accumulated
GL
transactions.
^
69 720
226 590
494 265
900 135
1 476 570

Accumulated
Stock
transactions.
^
139 440
453 180
988 530
1 800 270
2 953 140

Accumulated
Customer
transactions.
^
13 944
31 374
53 535
81 174
115 287

Intensity
Environme
nt

Low
Medium
High
High
High

^ Calculations
Accumulated General Ledger
Transactions:
Accumulated Stock Transactions:

Accumulated Customer transactions:

By default 5 transactions are processed per invoice.

(Excluding grouping etc).
Based on the example: 10 individual stock items was
processed per invoice.
By default 1 transaction lines is processed for the
customer.

For more information consult an IT Consulting Company for more information.

Hardware Specifications per intensity environment

Once the transaction numbers and projected growth of the database have been estimated, a game plan for the
IT infrastructure can be devised.
The recommend procedure that should be followed is to consult an IT consulting firm to provide the type of
hardware and solutions for the system landscape taking into account the budget or required delivery times.

Branch Accounting Sync File estimates

The Branch Accounting offline environment transports encrypted compressed files between the head office and
its branches via a central FTP site.
A tool referred to as the Sync Monitor monitors the central FTP for files and then downloads and imports those
files into the receiving database. To export information it works on the last change concept, meaning only the
last update changes or new transactions will be exported and not the entire database each time.
Depending on intervals and transactions this will affect the size of the file, further impacting the time period it will
take to transport the file to the FTP etc. Below is a list of examples of file sizes one can expect;
Example 1: 5 Purchase Order + 5 Supplier Invoice + 10 Sales Orders:
Average of 10 stock items per document
Single Supplier Account
Single Customer Account
File Info Summary
Compressed Sync File
Size
373 KB
File Info Detail
Table Name
INVNUM
_btblInvoicelines
POSTST
POSTAP
POSTAR
POSTGL
WHSESTK
STKITEM
CLIENT
VENDOR

SQL Backup Size

3.31 MB

Restored Sync Database Size

(Uncompressed)
5.07 MB

Table Description
Document Header Table
Document Lines Table
Stock Transactions Table
Supplier Transaction Table
Customer Transaction Table
General Ledger Transaction Table
Warehouse Stock Table
Stock Master Table
Client Master Table
Supplier Master Table

Row Count Lines

20
200
150
5
10
120
10
10
1
1

Example 2: 17 Purchase Order + 17 Supplier Invoice + 42 Sales Orders

17

Average of 10 stock items per document

Single Supplier Account
Single Customer Account

File Info Summary

Compressed Sync File
Size
392 KB
File Info Detail
Table Name
INVNUM
_btblInvoicelines
POSTST
POSTAP
POSTAR
POSTGL
WHSESTK
STKITEM
CLIENT
VENDOR

SQL Backup Size

4.11 MB

Restored Sync Database Size

(Uncompressed)
5.62 MB

Table Description
Document Header Table
Document Lines Table
Stock Transactions Table
Supplier Transaction Table
Customer Transaction Table
General Ledger Transaction Table
Warehouse Stock Table
Stock Master Table
Client Master Table
Supplier Master Table

Row Count Lines

76
760
590
17
42
448
10
10
1
1

Example 3: Other instances of files sizes

File Info Summary
Compressed Sync File
Size
530 KB
795 KB
1.16 MB
1.67 MB
2.92 MB

SQL Backup Size

6.42 MB
6.92 MB
10.1 MB
15.1 MB
27.1 MB

Restored Sync Database Size

(Uncompressed)
8.87 MB
8.62 MB
13.8 MB
19.2 MB
34.6 MB

Branch Accounting Sync Interval Recommendations

The following information illustrates the procedure in determining the sync intervals across the type of internet
bandwidth listed below;

Sync Intervals for a branch

Line Speed

Synch Interval

128kpbs

Not recommended for Branch Accounting

256kbps

120 + minutes

384kbps

90 - 120 minutes

512kpbs**

60 - 90 minutes

1mpbs

30 - 60 minutes

4mbps

15 - 30 minutes

Sync Intervals for a head office

18

Line Speed

Synch Interval

128kpbs

Not recommended for Branch Accounting

256kbps

120 - 240 minutes

384kbps

90 - 120 minutes

512kpbs**

60 - 90 minutes

1mpbs

30 - 60 minutes

4mbps

15 - 30 minutes

Staggered Sync Intervals between a branch and head office.

Example: Head Office with 5 branches
Location

Details

Branch

Using 384kbps line

Head Office

Using 1mbps line

90 minutes (business day from 8am until
6pm)
30 minutes (business day from 8am until
6pm)

Synch Interval at Branch

Synch Interval at Head Office

First Sync

Second Sync

Third Sync

Branch 1

08:00

09:30

11:00

Branch 2

08:02

09:32

11:02

Branch 3

08:04

09:34

11:04

Branch 4

08:06

09:36

11:06

Branch 5

08:08

09:38

11:08

Head Office

08:00

08:30

09:00

Scenario: Branch 1 sends an IBT to Branch 2

Should a scenario then occur where Branch 1 sends an IBT to Branch 2, with the above synch setup, the
transactions would be received and processed as per the table below. It is important that proper consideration
is given to the operational requirements of a business in order to determine the best synch interval. Should the
synch intervals be too great for business requirements then a line upgrade is recommended.

19

08:00

Branch 1

HO

08:30

09:00

09:30

10:00

Synch
Runs, IBT
is synched
to HO
IBT
received at
HO

Branch 2

IBT
received at
Branch 2
at 9:32
synch

Other important factors that could impact the performance of the synchronisation tool
1. All of the above recommendations are calculated using the benchmark synch file size of 500kb. Should
there be a greater file size sent on a regular basis this would then need to be looked at on an individual
basis.
2. Set up is critical and at all times only duly certified and authorised personnel should have access to the
Sync Monitor. Should any of the settings be changed this could result in the synchronisation not
happening.
3. The Sync Monitor must be open and running on both the Branch and Head Office servers at all time in
order for the synchronisation to work. This will mean that the server machines must also be booted up
and running.
4. The internet connection must be running in order for the synchronisation to work. If users are unable to
access the internet or e-mail and this line is shared with the Sync Monitor then the synchronisation will
more than likely also be affected.
5. The FTP folder is the domain of the clients IT service provider. Should any changes be made to the
FTP it must be tested to ensure that the Sync Monitor is able to connect to the FTP from all locations.
6. The above recommendations have been determined based on a typical Branch Accounting
environment. There may be additional external factors which affect the performance of the
synchronisation and are unique to a site. These will need to be investigated and further
recommendations made thereafter.

Maintenance Strategies
Once the setup of the Sage Evolution System landscape has been structured to handle the proposed day-today processing and activities of the business, contingency plans need to be put in place to mitigate any
downtime that may arise.
The relationship between maintenance and downtime is simply put down to where preparation and
maintenance is pivotal to the upkeep of the business by ensuring that there are policies and procedures in place
that will prevent or cater for any scenarios that cause downtime.

20

Backups
Take the scenario where the company SQL database is no longer accessible or the server has crashed, as
unlikely as these scenarios may seem they are valid and can occur. It is recommended that backups are made
on a regular basis and stored off-site. Even if it means that it may not be easily retrieved by the users in the
event when required, the premise is that there is a backup of the data that can be restored, mitigating the risk of
data loss.
The Microsoft SQL Management Studio (the database management system) provides the tools that can
facilitate manual or automatic backups (automatic backups not available on SQL Express versions). There are 2
options available that are commonly used:
Type
Full Backups:

Backup Procedure
Creates a complete backup of the
Sage Evolution Company SQL
Database.

Differential Backups:

Creates an initial complete backup of

the Sage Evolution Company SQL
database and thereafter adds
records or information since the last
full backup.

Suited for;
For all databases that may not be
regarded as significantly large and
required large amounts of disk
space and time to backup or
restore.
For large database that require a
significantly large amounts of disk
space and may take a longer time to
backup or restore. Shorter
differential backup intervals are
required.

For more information on what type of backup that would be required please consult with an IT consulting
company.

System Owner (Internal IT Engineer or consultant)

The role of a system owner is to maintain the system landscape by monitoring and addressing the following;
System performance
o Hard disks usage (read/writes)
o Memory usage
o CPU usage
Database performance
Fine tuning the system landscape
Troubleshooting and resolving system issues.
Planning of upgrades
Planning of maintenance and system testing

Failover/Mirrored/Cluster Servers
For larger, high intensity environments or even were downtime is not an option, the system landscape can be
setup to route users to another server that will have an exact copy of the database (as at the last database
mirroring cycle) and application.
For information on how this procedure can be setup and the costs involved please discuss disaster recovery
solutions with an IT consultant.

21

Software Prerequisites and Required Applications

Sage Evolution will install the following prerequisite applications as part of the installation process;
Windows Installer 4.5
Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1
Windows PowerShell 1.0
Microsoft Data Access Component (MDAC 2.8)
Sage Evolution is designed to work with the following applications to enhance and ease the user processing;
Microsoft Office Suite
Mail Client
Internet explorer
Adobe
Notepad

*Refer to Table 2.

References
Microsoft, (2013). Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2008 R2. Retrieved from
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645993(v=SQL.105).aspx
Microsoft, (2013). Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2012. Retrieved from
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645993(v=SQL.110).aspx
Microsoft, (2013). Introduction to Backup and Restore Strategies in SQL Server. Retrieved from
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191239(v=SQL.105).aspx
Microsoft, (2013). Creating Full and Differential Backups of a SQL Server Database. Retrieved from
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190412(v=SQL.105).aspx
Microsoft, (2013). Database Mirroring. Retrieved from http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/ms189852.aspx.

Addendum A: IT Infrastructure Assessment form

Included in this document is an assessment form to conduct an IT infrastructure assessment on the company
that will aid the IT Consulting company with providing information and guidance for creating the system
landscape.

22

IT Infrastructure Assessment form

The IT consulting company ____________________________________________ that will be performing the
assessments will be referring to the Business Partner from here on.
1. Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide the Business Partner and Evolution, pre-sales, technical teams
with a clear understanding of the existing network topology and IT management framework within which the
customer intends deploying Sage Evolution.
A clear understanding of these elements allows for accelerated information sharing between the Business
Partner technical personnel and isolation of potential problem areas before, during and after deployment.
The information provided must be as detailed as possible. Do not provide limited information for phased
deployments i.e. 1 branch. Provide as full and detailed, accurate and long-term information about the
organization as possible.
It is intended for this document to be completed electronically
For more information about completing this document, speak to the Business Partner IT technical lead
2. Contact details (key technical personnel)

Customer / IT relationship: Is IT internal to the organization or outsourced to a 3 rd party?

Business Partner project lead:
Email address:
Mobile number:

Business Partner IT technical

lead:
Email address:
Mobile number

Customer IT relationship:
Customer IT technical lead:
Email address:
Mobile number:

23

3. Customer WAN and LAN details (copy table cells for additional branches)

Users (app): No. of users using the current product. 1 user with multiple products counts as 1 user.
Users (total): Total no. of users connected using WAN resources.
LAN (users): LAN connectivity type to user workstations e.g. 100MB switch or 10MB hub
LAN (servers): LAN connectivity type to servers e.g. 1GB switch or 100MB switch
Firewall: Firewall type (if any) between the WAN and LAN
WAN link type: Type of connectivity in place, e.g. ADSL, DIGINET, Wireless
WAN link size: Link size specified in kilobits/s or megabits/s e.g. 512Kb or 1Mb
WAN statistics: The latest 3 months statistics, at least error counts or avg. utilization (office hours).
Number of branches (incl. HO)
Head office location:
Users (application)
Users (total)
WAN link type
WAN link size
WAN statistics
Firewall
LAN (users)
LAN (servers)
Location of branch NN*:
Users (application)
Users (total)
WAN link type
WAN link size
WAN statistics
Firewall
LAN (users)
LAN (servers)

* NN is a placeholder for the branch number i.e. 03 or 13

24

4. Server environment

Database size: Estimated size of the primary application database after 36-months.
Existing server: Does the customer have an existing server that they intend deploying onto?
1. If YES, audit tool results attached. Obtain the audit tool from Business Partner IT personnel
2. If NO, hardware specifications to be provided by Business Partner IT personnel
Database size:
Existing server?

If existing server:
Audit tool results attached:
If new server:
Hardware specifications
attached

5. Risk / recovery review

This is not intended to supersede or replace any existing business continuity plans the customer may
have. Generally the financial system is critical to any business organization and can be affected by a
variety of factors beyond the scope of this document.
The purpose of this section is to ensure that customers are made aware of high-level, worst-case
scenarios to ensure overall business continuity.
Mitigating risks can be costly. Recovery times may change depending on the cost of mitigating these
risks.

25

RTO (Primary database server): Recovery Time Objective of the primary database server. How long can
the primary database server be un-available before unacceptable consequences or losses to
businesses as a result of the interruption

RPO (Primary database server): Recovery Point Objective of the primary database server. What is the
acceptable amount of data loss in a worst-case-scenario

RTO (branch locations): How long can the branch be un-available before unacceptable consequences
or losses to businesses as a result of the interruption

RPO (branch locations): Recovery Point Objective of branch locations. What is the acceptable amount
of data loss in a worst-case-scenario

Backup (primary and branch locations): What type of backup solutions are implemented at these
locations

RTO (primary database

server):
RPO (primary database
server):
RTO (branch locations):
RPO (branch locations):
Backup (primary database
server)
Backup (branch locations)
6. Application network utilization:

The following is based on high-level assessments and is intended as a guideline. Extremes can exist for
over and underutilization. Where in doubt consult with your IT service provider(s).
The values represent the minimum recommended, dedicated amount of bandwidth required.
Network utilization can be influenced by the number of modules, users, size of database etc. as well as
network client protocol used.

Sage Evolution client, bandwidth utilization:

Sage Evolution (start-up)

3192 Kb/s sustained between 2 and 3 seconds

Sage Evolution (running averages)

512 Kb/s (rounded)

Sage Evolution (printing averages)

-

296 Kb/s (rounded), 1-page

322 Kb/s (rounded), 2-page
364 Kb/s (rounded), 3-page

Sage Evolution on terminal server, bandwidth utilization

This does not account for additional applications or systems required to be running for the client at the
same time.

26

Sage Evolution (running averages)

64 Kb/s (rounded)

Sage Evolution (printing averages)

-

296 Kb/s (rounded), 1-page

322 Kb/s (rounded), 2-page
364 Kb/s (rounded), 3-page

7. The Business Partner to complete:

Full contact list:
WAN/LAN diagram (existing):
WAN/LAN diagram (new if required):
Server specifications (existing):
Server specifications (new if required):
Risk / mitigation steps-list provided:

Business Partner IT reference number:

27