Sage 100 Navigation 101

1. The Sage 100 desktop

The Sage 100 desktop is your home base. Everything in Sage is organized into modules — Sales Order, Accounts Receivable, Inventory Management, and so on. Each module contains tasks (the actual things you do, like entering an order or running a report).

The company code in the status bar at the bottom of the window shows which company's data you're working with — for Redi-Bag, this will look like RED - Redi-Bag (or whatever code is assigned during go-live). Most people will only have access to one company, so you won't need to change it.

How modules are organized

Each module has a consistent sub-structure. Once you understand the pattern in one module, every other module makes more sense:

• Main — the day-to-day data entry tasks (e.g., Sales Order Entry, Customer Maintenance)
• Reports — printable reports for that module (e.g., Open Sales Order Report)
• Period End — month-end and year-end processing
• Setup — configuration screens (usually only Tom or the controller will use these)
• Utilities — maintenance tools (mostly admin-level)
• Inquiry — read-only "look-up" tasks for browsing data without changing anything

Modules you'll see at Redi-Bag

You won't have access to every module — your access depends on your role. The modules in use at Redi-Bag are:

• Library Master — the foundation (users, companies, settings)
• General Ledger (GL) — the chart of accounts and financial reports
• Accounts Receivable (AR) — customers, invoices, cash receipts
• Accounts Payable (AP) — vendors, bills, check runs
• Inventory Management (IM) — items, lot tracking
• Sales Order (SO) — quotes, orders, shipping, invoicing
• Purchase Order (PO) — purchase orders, receipts
• Bill of Materials (BM) — product structures (light use at Redi-Bag)

2. Getting to a task

There are three ways to open a task in Sage 100. Most people end up using a mix of all three.

Method 1 — Click through the navigation pane

Expand the module on the left, then the folder (Main / Reports / etc.), then double-click the task. Slow but obvious — good for tasks you don't run often.

Method 2 — Search

At the top of the task pane there's a search box. Type any part of the task name (e.g., customer maint) and Sage will filter the list to matching tasks. Hit Enter on the highlighted result to open it.

Method 3 — Favorites

For tasks you use every day, drag them into the Favorites section (or right-click a task → Add to Favorites). They'll appear in the Favorites tab at the bottom-left of the navigation pane for quick access.

3. The most important key: Lookups (F2)

Almost every screen in Sage 100 has fields where you need to pick something — a customer, an item, an account, a vendor. Instead of memorizing codes, you press F2 (or click the magnifying glass icon) to open a Lookup window.

You'll use F2 lookups constantly. Get comfortable with them and you'll move through Sage twice as fast.

Filtering and searching in a lookup

The default lookup view might show every record, which isn't useful when there are thousands. Two ways to narrow down:

1. Type-ahead: Just start typing in the first column. The list jumps to the closest match.
2. Filter: Click the Filters button (or the filter icon) to set up a saved filter — e.g., "only customers in the West region" or "only items with quantity on hand > 0".

Customizing what you see

You can customize the columns shown in a lookup window — right-click the column headers and pick Select Columns…. Add or remove fields and reorder them. These changes save per-user, so you only have to set them up once.

4. Getting help

Sage 100 has built-in help, but more often you'll want to ask someone. Here's the hierarchy:

1. Press F1 on any screen — opens Sage's built-in help for that specific task. Surprisingly useful.
2. The on-screen field hints — many fields have a small ? icon or tooltip explaining what they do.
3. Ask a teammate — somebody at Redi-Bag has probably hit the same problem.
4. Ask Tom — that's me, your Sage consultant. Email is fastest for non-urgent questions; phone for "everything's on fire" moments.

Frequently asked