Allen Computer Services Ltd, headquartered in Egham, Surrey, has teamed up with Godalming, Surrey-based Mega Ltd to provide a financial software package that integrates with DEC’s relational database. Allen Computer Services has been in the DEC marketplace since 1970 and has Digital Authorised Solution Provider status. Mega Ltd, which is part of the Headland Group Plc, has recently been appointed as a Dig-it-al Complementary Software House. The Miracle multi-currency software package, originally developed by Mega for Data General machines, supports DEC’s All-In-One office automation software, proprietary spreadsheets, Datatrieve report generator, and DECnet. Allen Computers is distributing and supporting the software, and linking it with its own financial software modules. They comprise a time recording system, retail and distribution management system, and sales order and purchase order processing systems. The time recording system module has been developed for service companies or consultancies, and it calculates the number of man hours spent on projects. The retail and distribution module captures electronic point of sale and warehouse data which can be fed into accounting information. Both can then be integrated with Miracle, which Allen is currently doing on bespoke basis, while completing development work on the sales and purchase processing packages. Miracle itself is organised into three ledgers, general, sales, and purchase. The general ledger has a 30-level analysis structure which summarises accounts, and a filter and find facility allows the selection of transactions in the other ledgers which are integrated with electronic office, graphics and report facilities. Miracle is being targeted at multi-national companies and the City, where Allen Computers has an existing client base. However, the company emphasises that Miracle is a new product for VAX users, and there is not a clear upgrade path from its existing financial software. Allen says that Miracle is to be its flagship product for the DEC financial software marketplace. In addition, it regards the Unix market as interesting, but has no immediate plans to develop a Unix version. Miracle software will run on any DEC platform, and prices will commence at UKP30,000.
