Platinum Software Corp, Irvine, California has stuck a Windows front-end on an old accounting program and launched it as FRx for Windows, designed for client-server networks, remote offices and individual departments. The actual software is about five years old and was designed by an accountant, so has the look and feel of a spreadsheet. Platinum says FRx’s chief distinction from other software in this field is its separation of reporting trees that represent the company’s organisation, from the chart of accounts. This enables users to build financial reports speedily and easily, and speculate on different scenarios without altering the accounts. Platinum says it is highly flexible: users can sort on specific accounts, range of accounts, combine different types of data and make ad hoc calculations for strategic purposes. It offers detailed analysis at the click of a mouse thanks to its drill down facility. It can be used with Platinum’s general ledger modules, SeQuel to Platinum, Platinum Premier and Platinum Series. It can be linked into an Excel application via Object Linking & Embedding. Reports can be generated in Lotus 1-2-3. It’s available now, but on pricing, Platinum will only say cagily that the price of FRx for Windows for users of SeQuel to Platinum will depend on configuration and number of users.
