Office Accounting Professional 2008 is a complete accounting solution that helps small businesses save time managing everyday financial tasks, get organized, and grow their business online. With its familiar Microsoft Office interface, this program is easy to learn, so you can be productive right away. Smooth integration with other Microsoft Office programs makes information sharing simple and helps boost productivity. By organizing all of your business information in one place, Office Accounting Profess...

A good all-round package, 20 Nov 2008

Wow, this took so long to install I thought my PC had died! Once installed, the start up wizard was a great way to help novices like myself set up home/company details. There's also a Quick Start window which launches the most commonly-used tasks like invoicing, which saves having to scour the main interface. If you have other Microsoft products (I have Word 2007), you'll like how well they work together.

So far I have only printed out (with ease), several invoices for a freelance journalist friend. But I plan to use this to manage my household and eBay accounts and will update this review when I have had more time to explore all the features.

But I already like it. It has a familiar feel even though I've never used it before. And while I don't run a small business, I do have lots of finances to get in order and I'm optimistic that this will be all I need to have everything neatly in one place.



Intuitive and familiar, 24 Oct 2008
Microsoft have extended their product range with an accounting package that fits in with the look and feel of the rest of the Office suite.

Out of the box, you can be up and running creating your business in a short space of time, import your information from Excel and Microsoft Money and use the built in templates to start generating invoiuces and taking payments .

The integration allows you to interface with the entire office suite bringing your accounting package and calendar together with your contacts, you can print invoices and packing lists. Information access can be limited to certain users and you can even interface with your accountant.

If you PayPal, you can even interface with your PayPal account to manage your Ebay payments!

Worth every penny if you run a small business.

Good value for a business, 24 Oct 2008
This software isn't aimed at the personal user to do their savings accounts. You need to be a bit more knowledgable about accounting to squeeze the maximum out of this product. Microsoft seem to have the knack of producing software like this which whilst user friendly for the basic user has the capability to work well for the intermediate or advanced users.

Appears complex at first but is soon mastered by a novice!, 20 Oct 2008
I have a small business and have previously used Excel for all accounts but, unless you're a more proficient user (which I am not), it has its limitations so the time had come to look for something more suitable and this package appeared to fit the bill.

I'll admit that when I first loaded this I thought I'd made a mistake. It has so many features that it looked so daunting that I backed away and reverted to my trusty but clumsy Excel spreadsheets.

Then, gradually, I sat down with the package once again and without having to resort to any of the help screens I tentatively imported my data into it, set up the bank account and a few 'test' invoices to get the hang of it and, despite my earlier apprehension, it's been a godsend.

It offers far more functions than I'll probably ever need but small businesses grow and this package has the scope to grow with mine so there won't be any need to start again with replacement software in a few years' time.

I've been running Office Accounting Professional alongside my old Excel spreadsheets for the last two months but the time has come to move forwards now my confidence with it has grown.

It will soon be time to put together my end of year accounts and, for the first time ever, all figures are immediately to hand to produce accurate and almost automated trading accounts. There will be no need to appoint an accountant or rely on supplementing the old spreadsheets with scraps of paper bearing my scribbled supplementary notes and figures. For the first time, I feel in control of my accounts and that they are professionally presented.

Despite my very slow and cautious start, I will never revert to my old method and I would recommend this software to anyone with a small business. For a complete novice like myself with no accountancy background, it may appear overwhelming and complex to start off but take it a step at a time and soon it becomes second nature to produce invoices and record sales, track cash flow and all other business transactions. Stick with it and I'm sure you will quickly value the software as much as I do.

Easy to use, 16 Oct 2008
I chose this as we run a couple of small businesses and accounting can have us tearing our hair out at times.

This program is part of the microsoft office suite and was designed to work in conjunction with the other programs such as word (for quotes and letters) or excel (for spreadsheets.)

I found this fairly easy to set up and get up and running. It's got a lot of features which as a very small business (only really interested at this point in tracking income and outgoings) we haven't yet investigated or bothered to use as they're above our needs/requirements.

If you have a small/home business this could be the package for you.

Office Project Standard 2007 gives you robust project management tools with the right blend of usability, power, and flexibility, so you can manage projects more efficiently and effectively. You can stay informed, control project work, schedules, and finances, and keep project teams aligned, while becoming more productive through integration with familiar Microsoft Office system programs, powerful reporting options, as well as guided planning, wizards, and templates.Main Features:Effectively manage and unde...

A good all-round package, 20 Nov 2008

Wow, this took so long to install I thought my PC had died! Once installed, the start up wizard was a great way to help novices like myself set up home/company details. There's also a Quick Start window which launches the most commonly-used tasks like invoicing, which saves having to scour the main interface. If you have other Microsoft products (I have Word 2007), you'll like how well they work together.

So far I have only printed out (with ease), several invoices for a freelance journalist friend. But I plan to use this to manage my household and eBay accounts and will update this review when I have had more time to explore all the features.

But I already like it. It has a familiar feel even though I've never used it before. And while I don't run a small business, I do have lots of finances to get in order and I'm optimistic that this will be all I need to have everything neatly in one place.



Intuitive and familiar, 24 Oct 2008
Microsoft have extended their product range with an accounting package that fits in with the look and feel of the rest of the Office suite.

Out of the box, you can be up and running creating your business in a short space of time, import your information from Excel and Microsoft Money and use the built in templates to start generating invoiuces and taking payments .

The integration allows you to interface with the entire office suite bringing your accounting package and calendar together with your contacts, you can print invoices and packing lists. Information access can be limited to certain users and you can even interface with your accountant.

If you PayPal, you can even interface with your PayPal account to manage your Ebay payments!

Worth every penny if you run a small business.

Good value for a business, 24 Oct 2008
This software isn't aimed at the personal user to do their savings accounts. You need to be a bit more knowledgable about accounting to squeeze the maximum out of this product. Microsoft seem to have the knack of producing software like this which whilst user friendly for the basic user has the capability to work well for the intermediate or advanced users.

Appears complex at first but is soon mastered by a novice!, 20 Oct 2008
I have a small business and have previously used Excel for all accounts but, unless you're a more proficient user (which I am not), it has its limitations so the time had come to look for something more suitable and this package appeared to fit the bill.

I'll admit that when I first loaded this I thought I'd made a mistake. It has so many features that it looked so daunting that I backed away and reverted to my trusty but clumsy Excel spreadsheets.

Then, gradually, I sat down with the package once again and without having to resort to any of the help screens I tentatively imported my data into it, set up the bank account and a few 'test' invoices to get the hang of it and, despite my earlier apprehension, it's been a godsend.

It offers far more functions than I'll probably ever need but small businesses grow and this package has the scope to grow with mine so there won't be any need to start again with replacement software in a few years' time.

I've been running Office Accounting Professional alongside my old Excel spreadsheets for the last two months but the time has come to move forwards now my confidence with it has grown.

It will soon be time to put together my end of year accounts and, for the first time ever, all figures are immediately to hand to produce accurate and almost automated trading accounts. There will be no need to appoint an accountant or rely on supplementing the old spreadsheets with scraps of paper bearing my scribbled supplementary notes and figures. For the first time, I feel in control of my accounts and that they are professionally presented.

Despite my very slow and cautious start, I will never revert to my old method and I would recommend this software to anyone with a small business. For a complete novice like myself with no accountancy background, it may appear overwhelming and complex to start off but take it a step at a time and soon it becomes second nature to produce invoices and record sales, track cash flow and all other business transactions. Stick with it and I'm sure you will quickly value the software as much as I do.

Easy to use, 16 Oct 2008
I chose this as we run a couple of small businesses and accounting can have us tearing our hair out at times.

This program is part of the microsoft office suite and was designed to work in conjunction with the other programs such as word (for quotes and letters) or excel (for spreadsheets.)

I found this fairly easy to set up and get up and running. It's got a lot of features which as a very small business (only really interested at this point in tracking income and outgoings) we haven't yet investigated or bothered to use as they're above our needs/requirements.

If you have a small/home business this could be the package for you.

Great Value!, 10 Nov 2008
I needed to make a Gantt chart for my software engineering project -- with Project 2007 I got it done in just a few hours! It's the best 470 pounds I've ever spent!

Brand New - Full UK Retail Boxed - Exactly the same as amazons - Price includes VAT and invoice supplied.

A good all-round package, 20 Nov 2008

Wow, this took so long to install I thought my PC had died! Once installed, the start up wizard was a great way to help novices like myself set up home/company details. There's also a Quick Start window which launches the most commonly-used tasks like invoicing, which saves having to scour the main interface. If you have other Microsoft products (I have Word 2007), you'll like how well they work together.

So far I have only printed out (with ease), several invoices for a freelance journalist friend. But I plan to use this to manage my household and eBay accounts and will update this review when I have had more time to explore all the features.

But I already like it. It has a familiar feel even though I've never used it before. And while I don't run a small business, I do have lots of finances to get in order and I'm optimistic that this will be all I need to have everything neatly in one place.



Intuitive and familiar, 24 Oct 2008
Microsoft have extended their product range with an accounting package that fits in with the look and feel of the rest of the Office suite.

Out of the box, you can be up and running creating your business in a short space of time, import your information from Excel and Microsoft Money and use the built in templates to start generating invoiuces and taking payments .

The integration allows you to interface with the entire office suite bringing your accounting package and calendar together with your contacts, you can print invoices and packing lists. Information access can be limited to certain users and you can even interface with your accountant.

If you PayPal, you can even interface with your PayPal account to manage your Ebay payments!

Worth every penny if you run a small business.

Good value for a business, 24 Oct 2008
This software isn't aimed at the personal user to do their savings accounts. You need to be a bit more knowledgable about accounting to squeeze the maximum out of this product. Microsoft seem to have the knack of producing software like this which whilst user friendly for the basic user has the capability to work well for the intermediate or advanced users.

Appears complex at first but is soon mastered by a novice!, 20 Oct 2008
I have a small business and have previously used Excel for all accounts but, unless you're a more proficient user (which I am not), it has its limitations so the time had come to look for something more suitable and this package appeared to fit the bill.

I'll admit that when I first loaded this I thought I'd made a mistake. It has so many features that it looked so daunting that I backed away and reverted to my trusty but clumsy Excel spreadsheets.

Then, gradually, I sat down with the package once again and without having to resort to any of the help screens I tentatively imported my data into it, set up the bank account and a few 'test' invoices to get the hang of it and, despite my earlier apprehension, it's been a godsend.

It offers far more functions than I'll probably ever need but small businesses grow and this package has the scope to grow with mine so there won't be any need to start again with replacement software in a few years' time.

I've been running Office Accounting Professional alongside my old Excel spreadsheets for the last two months but the time has come to move forwards now my confidence with it has grown.

It will soon be time to put together my end of year accounts and, for the first time ever, all figures are immediately to hand to produce accurate and almost automated trading accounts. There will be no need to appoint an accountant or rely on supplementing the old spreadsheets with scraps of paper bearing my scribbled supplementary notes and figures. For the first time, I feel in control of my accounts and that they are professionally presented.

Despite my very slow and cautious start, I will never revert to my old method and I would recommend this software to anyone with a small business. For a complete novice like myself with no accountancy background, it may appear overwhelming and complex to start off but take it a step at a time and soon it becomes second nature to produce invoices and record sales, track cash flow and all other business transactions. Stick with it and I'm sure you will quickly value the software as much as I do.

Easy to use, 16 Oct 2008
I chose this as we run a couple of small businesses and accounting can have us tearing our hair out at times.

This program is part of the microsoft office suite and was designed to work in conjunction with the other programs such as word (for quotes and letters) or excel (for spreadsheets.)

I found this fairly easy to set up and get up and running. It's got a lot of features which as a very small business (only really interested at this point in tracking income and outgoings) we haven't yet investigated or bothered to use as they're above our needs/requirements.

If you have a small/home business this could be the package for you.

Great Value!, 10 Nov 2008
I needed to make a Gantt chart for my software engineering project -- with Project 2007 I got it done in just a few hours! It's the best 470 pounds I've ever spent!

Superb integration with MS Office and other Microsoft software makes this a winner, 23 Jul 2008
After years in development, MS Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold as they grow, as Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively. We turn over around £30k a year [Prechool Playgroup charity with three paid staff].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (hence this three licence pack boxed set that will save you a few pounds). This Accounts version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, with the subscription for the latter being included in the single licence Plus version, but for this Accounts Pro pack it costs an extra £9.95 monthly via Microsoft [in the US this subscription also gives support for eBay but this isn't set up for eBay UK at the time of writing]. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Express, and 40 in Professional - not a lot, but MS Office integration more than makes up for this. Reports can be quickly exported to workbooks, with column headings and formulas intact. You can build your own Pivot Table-based reports or run Access-based reports inside Accounting, tweak them and return them to the list of reports inside the program. It's also easy to amend reports to add custom fields and layouts.

Freebie Accounting 2008 Express is obviously superb value, and the price of the Pro version makes it very attractive for larger businesses. It's also very likely that this 3-user licence version will save you money for three users over the single pack prices, but that check before you buy.

Brand New - Full UK Retail Boxed - Exactly the same as amazons - Price includes VAT and invoice supplied.

A good all-round package, 20 Nov 2008

Wow, this took so long to install I thought my PC had died! Once installed, the start up wizard was a great way to help novices like myself set up home/company details. There's also a Quick Start window which launches the most commonly-used tasks like invoicing, which saves having to scour the main interface. If you have other Microsoft products (I have Word 2007), you'll like how well they work together.

So far I have only printed out (with ease), several invoices for a freelance journalist friend. But I plan to use this to manage my household and eBay accounts and will update this review when I have had more time to explore all the features.

But I already like it. It has a familiar feel even though I've never used it before. And while I don't run a small business, I do have lots of finances to get in order and I'm optimistic that this will be all I need to have everything neatly in one place.



Intuitive and familiar, 24 Oct 2008
Microsoft have extended their product range with an accounting package that fits in with the look and feel of the rest of the Office suite.

Out of the box, you can be up and running creating your business in a short space of time, import your information from Excel and Microsoft Money and use the built in templates to start generating invoiuces and taking payments .

The integration allows you to interface with the entire office suite bringing your accounting package and calendar together with your contacts, you can print invoices and packing lists. Information access can be limited to certain users and you can even interface with your accountant.

If you PayPal, you can even interface with your PayPal account to manage your Ebay payments!

Worth every penny if you run a small business.

Good value for a business, 24 Oct 2008
This software isn't aimed at the personal user to do their savings accounts. You need to be a bit more knowledgable about accounting to squeeze the maximum out of this product. Microsoft seem to have the knack of producing software like this which whilst user friendly for the basic user has the capability to work well for the intermediate or advanced users.

Appears complex at first but is soon mastered by a novice!, 20 Oct 2008
I have a small business and have previously used Excel for all accounts but, unless you're a more proficient user (which I am not), it has its limitations so the time had come to look for something more suitable and this package appeared to fit the bill.

I'll admit that when I first loaded this I thought I'd made a mistake. It has so many features that it looked so daunting that I backed away and reverted to my trusty but clumsy Excel spreadsheets.

Then, gradually, I sat down with the package once again and without having to resort to any of the help screens I tentatively imported my data into it, set up the bank account and a few 'test' invoices to get the hang of it and, despite my earlier apprehension, it's been a godsend.

It offers far more functions than I'll probably ever need but small businesses grow and this package has the scope to grow with mine so there won't be any need to start again with replacement software in a few years' time.

I've been running Office Accounting Professional alongside my old Excel spreadsheets for the last two months but the time has come to move forwards now my confidence with it has grown.

It will soon be time to put together my end of year accounts and, for the first time ever, all figures are immediately to hand to produce accurate and almost automated trading accounts. There will be no need to appoint an accountant or rely on supplementing the old spreadsheets with scraps of paper bearing my scribbled supplementary notes and figures. For the first time, I feel in control of my accounts and that they are professionally presented.

Despite my very slow and cautious start, I will never revert to my old method and I would recommend this software to anyone with a small business. For a complete novice like myself with no accountancy background, it may appear overwhelming and complex to start off but take it a step at a time and soon it becomes second nature to produce invoices and record sales, track cash flow and all other business transactions. Stick with it and I'm sure you will quickly value the software as much as I do.

Easy to use, 16 Oct 2008
I chose this as we run a couple of small businesses and accounting can have us tearing our hair out at times.

This program is part of the microsoft office suite and was designed to work in conjunction with the other programs such as word (for quotes and letters) or excel (for spreadsheets.)

I found this fairly easy to set up and get up and running. It's got a lot of features which as a very small business (only really interested at this point in tracking income and outgoings) we haven't yet investigated or bothered to use as they're above our needs/requirements.

If you have a small/home business this could be the package for you.

Great Value!, 10 Nov 2008
I needed to make a Gantt chart for my software engineering project -- with Project 2007 I got it done in just a few hours! It's the best 470 pounds I've ever spent!

Superb integration with MS Office and other Microsoft software makes this a winner, 23 Jul 2008
After years in development, MS Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold as they grow, as Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively. We turn over around £30k a year [Prechool Playgroup charity with three paid staff].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (hence this three licence pack boxed set that will save you a few pounds). This Accounts version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, with the subscription for the latter being included in the single licence Plus version, but for this Accounts Pro pack it costs an extra £9.95 monthly via Microsoft [in the US this subscription also gives support for eBay but this isn't set up for eBay UK at the time of writing]. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Express, and 40 in Professional - not a lot, but MS Office integration more than makes up for this. Reports can be quickly exported to workbooks, with column headings and formulas intact. You can build your own Pivot Table-based reports or run Access-based reports inside Accounting, tweak them and return them to the list of reports inside the program. It's also easy to amend reports to add custom fields and layouts.

Freebie Accounting 2008 Express is obviously superb value, and the price of the Pro version makes it very attractive for larger businesses. It's also very likely that this 3-user licence version will save you money for three users over the single pack prices, but that check before you buy.

The best accounting package available at the moment, 05 Aug 2008
I run a small business, designing and developing software and have tried many different accounting solutions including Sage; this package is so much simpler to use and does it without losing any functionality.

What you get is exactly what you would expect to see in an accounts package aimed at the U.K. market including VAT and corporation tax calculations, Stock control functions, Customer credit management and even payroll functions. If used in conjunction with Outlook Business Contact Manager the customer management feature is much closer to a full CRM package. This package also integrates with banking functions allowing you to pay invoices directly using BACs and to import electronic bank staements and reconcile your bank statements.

As this is part of the Office suite there is a great deal of integration between this package and the rest of the suite. Creating custom invoices, quotes and letters is so simple using word. any infomation can easily be exported to excell for manipulation. If the functionality is not available in the package the solution uses a SQL server backend so it is a simple task to export the exact infomation you need and to extend the solution where needed.

The use of a SQL server database means this is a fully scaleable solution that can be installed as a 2-tier solution with the database sat on a server and muliple clients all accessing the same database.

In conclusion I can highly recomend this accounting package to anyone who runs a small to medium sized business who want to keep upto date with their account without having to spend too much time managing there accounting software.

Superb integration with Microsoft Office software plus a years subscription to 'Payroll' accounting, 23 Jul 2008
Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold - when they grow, Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively.

With this Pro PLUS version you also get a years subscription to payroll accounting included: to calculate your payroll, print checks, and file tax forms for 12 months, i.e. run payroll in just four easy steps from within Office Accounting. If you just buy Accounts 2008 Pro, this UK service would cost £9.95 a month. In the US this subscription also allows you to do list inventories on eBay and download sales into Office Accounting [but at the time of writing this isn't set up for eBay UK].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (there is a three licence pack boxed set available that literally saves you a few pounds). This version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, the subscription for the latter being included in this Plus version. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Express, and 40 in Professional - not a lot, but MS Office integration more than makes up for this. Reports can be quickly exported to workbooks, with column headings and formulas intact. You can build your own Pivot Table-based reports or run Access-based reports inside Accounting, tweak them and return them to the list of reports inside the program. It's also easy to amend reports to add custom fields and layouts.

Freebie Accounting 2008 Express is obviously superb value, and the price of the Pro version makes it very attractive for larger businesses. It's also likely that this Plus version will save you money for the 12-month integrated `Payroll' subscription, but that check before you buy.

2007/ englisch/ Vollversion/ Box/ Datenträger: CD/ Win Vista, Win XP

A good all-round package, 20 Nov 2008

Wow, this took so long to install I thought my PC had died! Once installed, the start up wizard was a great way to help novices like myself set up home/company details. There's also a Quick Start window which launches the most commonly-used tasks like invoicing, which saves having to scour the main interface. If you have other Microsoft products (I have Word 2007), you'll like how well they work together.

So far I have only printed out (with ease), several invoices for a freelance journalist friend. But I plan to use this to manage my household and eBay accounts and will update this review when I have had more time to explore all the features.

But I already like it. It has a familiar feel even though I've never used it before. And while I don't run a small business, I do have lots of finances to get in order and I'm optimistic that this will be all I need to have everything neatly in one place.



Intuitive and familiar, 24 Oct 2008
Microsoft have extended their product range with an accounting package that fits in with the look and feel of the rest of the Office suite.

Out of the box, you can be up and running creating your business in a short space of time, import your information from Excel and Microsoft Money and use the built in templates to start generating invoiuces and taking payments .

The integration allows you to interface with the entire office suite bringing your accounting package and calendar together with your contacts, you can print invoices and packing lists. Information access can be limited to certain users and you can even interface with your accountant.

If you PayPal, you can even interface with your PayPal account to manage your Ebay payments!

Worth every penny if you run a small business.

Good value for a business, 24 Oct 2008
This software isn't aimed at the personal user to do their savings accounts. You need to be a bit more knowledgable about accounting to squeeze the maximum out of this product. Microsoft seem to have the knack of producing software like this which whilst user friendly for the basic user has the capability to work well for the intermediate or advanced users.

Appears complex at first but is soon mastered by a novice!, 20 Oct 2008
I have a small business and have previously used Excel for all accounts but, unless you're a more proficient user (which I am not), it has its limitations so the time had come to look for something more suitable and this package appeared to fit the bill.

I'll admit that when I first loaded this I thought I'd made a mistake. It has so many features that it looked so daunting that I backed away and reverted to my trusty but clumsy Excel spreadsheets.

Then, gradually, I sat down with the package once again and without having to resort to any of the help screens I tentatively imported my data into it, set up the bank account and a few 'test' invoices to get the hang of it and, despite my earlier apprehension, it's been a godsend.

It offers far more functions than I'll probably ever need but small businesses grow and this package has the scope to grow with mine so there won't be any need to start again with replacement software in a few years' time.

I've been running Office Accounting Professional alongside my old Excel spreadsheets for the last two months but the time has come to move forwards now my confidence with it has grown.

It will soon be time to put together my end of year accounts and, for the first time ever, all figures are immediately to hand to produce accurate and almost automated trading accounts. There will be no need to appoint an accountant or rely on supplementing the old spreadsheets with scraps of paper bearing my scribbled supplementary notes and figures. For the first time, I feel in control of my accounts and that they are professionally presented.

Despite my very slow and cautious start, I will never revert to my old method and I would recommend this software to anyone with a small business. For a complete novice like myself with no accountancy background, it may appear overwhelming and complex to start off but take it a step at a time and soon it becomes second nature to produce invoices and record sales, track cash flow and all other business transactions. Stick with it and I'm sure you will quickly value the software as much as I do.

Easy to use, 16 Oct 2008
I chose this as we run a couple of small businesses and accounting can have us tearing our hair out at times.

This program is part of the microsoft office suite and was designed to work in conjunction with the other programs such as word (for quotes and letters) or excel (for spreadsheets.)

I found this fairly easy to set up and get up and running. It's got a lot of features which as a very small business (only really interested at this point in tracking income and outgoings) we haven't yet investigated or bothered to use as they're above our needs/requirements.

If you have a small/home business this could be the package for you.

Great Value!, 10 Nov 2008
I needed to make a Gantt chart for my software engineering project -- with Project 2007 I got it done in just a few hours! It's the best 470 pounds I've ever spent!

Superb integration with MS Office and other Microsoft software makes this a winner, 23 Jul 2008
After years in development, MS Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold as they grow, as Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively. We turn over around £30k a year [Prechool Playgroup charity with three paid staff].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (hence this three licence pack boxed set that will save you a few pounds). This Accounts version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, with the subscription for the latter being included in the single licence Plus version, but for this Accounts Pro pack it costs an extra £9.95 monthly via Microsoft [in the US this subscription also gives support for eBay but this isn't set up for eBay UK at the time of writing]. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Express, and 40 in Professional - not a lot, but MS Office integration more than makes up for this. Reports can be quickly exported to workbooks, with column headings and formulas intact. You can build your own Pivot Table-based reports or run Access-based reports inside Accounting, tweak them and return them to the list of reports inside the program. It's also easy to amend reports to add custom fields and layouts.

Freebie Accounting 2008 Express is obviously superb value, and the price of the Pro version makes it very attractive for larger businesses. It's also very likely that this 3-user licence version will save you money for three users over the single pack prices, but that check before you buy.

The best accounting package available at the moment, 05 Aug 2008
I run a small business, designing and developing software and have tried many different accounting solutions including Sage; this package is so much simpler to use and does it without losing any functionality.

What you get is exactly what you would expect to see in an accounts package aimed at the U.K. market including VAT and corporation tax calculations, Stock control functions, Customer credit management and even payroll functions. If used in conjunction with Outlook Business Contact Manager the customer management feature is much closer to a full CRM package. This package also integrates with banking functions allowing you to pay invoices directly using BACs and to import electronic bank staements and reconcile your bank statements.

As this is part of the Office suite there is a great deal of integration between this package and the rest of the suite. Creating custom invoices, quotes and letters is so simple using word. any infomation can easily be exported to excell for manipulation. If the functionality is not available in the package the solution uses a SQL server backend so it is a simple task to export the exact infomation you need and to extend the solution where needed.

The use of a SQL server database means this is a fully scaleable solution that can be installed as a 2-tier solution with the database sat on a server and muliple clients all accessing the same database.

In conclusion I can highly recomend this accounting package to anyone who runs a small to medium sized business who want to keep upto date with their account without having to spend too much time managing there accounting software.

Superb integration with Microsoft Office software plus a years subscription to 'Payroll' accounting, 23 Jul 2008
Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold - when they grow, Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively.

With this Pro PLUS version you also get a years subscription to payroll accounting included: to calculate your payroll, print checks, and file tax forms for 12 months, i.e. run payroll in just four easy steps from within Office Accounting. If you just buy Accounts 2008 Pro, this UK service would cost £9.95 a month. In the US this subscription also allows you to do list inventories on eBay and download sales into Office Accounting [but at the time of writing this isn't set up for eBay UK].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (there is a three licence pack boxed set available that literally saves you a few pounds). This version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, the subscription for the latter being included in this Plus version. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Express, and 40 in Professional - not a lot, but MS Office integration more than makes up for this. Reports can be quickly exported to workbooks, with column headings and formulas intact. You can build your own Pivot Table-based reports or run Access-based reports inside Accounting, tweak them and return them to the list of reports inside the program. It's also easy to amend reports to add custom fields and layouts.

Freebie Accounting 2008 Express is obviously superb value, and the price of the Pro version makes it very attractive for larger businesses. It's also likely that this Plus version will save you money for the 12-month integrated `Payroll' subscription, but that check before you buy.

Great Value!, 10 Nov 2008
I needed to make a Gantt chart for my software engineering project -- with Project 2007 I got it done in just a few hours! It's the best 470 pounds I've ever spent!

A good all-round package, 20 Nov 2008

Wow, this took so long to install I thought my PC had died! Once installed, the start up wizard was a great way to help novices like myself set up home/company details. There's also a Quick Start window which launches the most commonly-used tasks like invoicing, which saves having to scour the main interface. If you have other Microsoft products (I have Word 2007), you'll like how well they work together.

So far I have only printed out (with ease), several invoices for a freelance journalist friend. But I plan to use this to manage my household and eBay accounts and will update this review when I have had more time to explore all the features.

But I already like it. It has a familiar feel even though I've never used it before. And while I don't run a small business, I do have lots of finances to get in order and I'm optimistic that this will be all I need to have everything neatly in one place.



Intuitive and familiar, 24 Oct 2008
Microsoft have extended their product range with an accounting package that fits in with the look and feel of the rest of the Office suite.

Out of the box, you can be up and running creating your business in a short space of time, import your information from Excel and Microsoft Money and use the built in templates to start generating invoiuces and taking payments .

The integration allows you to interface with the entire office suite bringing your accounting package and calendar together with your contacts, you can print invoices and packing lists. Information access can be limited to certain users and you can even interface with your accountant.

If you PayPal, you can even interface with your PayPal account to manage your Ebay payments!

Worth every penny if you run a small business.

Good value for a business, 24 Oct 2008
This software isn't aimed at the personal user to do their savings accounts. You need to be a bit more knowledgable about accounting to squeeze the maximum out of this product. Microsoft seem to have the knack of producing software like this which whilst user friendly for the basic user has the capability to work well for the intermediate or advanced users.

Appears complex at first but is soon mastered by a novice!, 20 Oct 2008
I have a small business and have previously used Excel for all accounts but, unless you're a more proficient user (which I am not), it has its limitations so the time had come to look for something more suitable and this package appeared to fit the bill.

I'll admit that when I first loaded this I thought I'd made a mistake. It has so many features that it looked so daunting that I backed away and reverted to my trusty but clumsy Excel spreadsheets.

Then, gradually, I sat down with the package once again and without having to resort to any of the help screens I tentatively imported my data into it, set up the bank account and a few 'test' invoices to get the hang of it and, despite my earlier apprehension, it's been a godsend.

It offers far more functions than I'll probably ever need but small businesses grow and this package has the scope to grow with mine so there won't be any need to start again with replacement software in a few years' time.

I've been running Office Accounting Professional alongside my old Excel spreadsheets for the last two months but the time has come to move forwards now my confidence with it has grown.

It will soon be time to put together my end of year accounts and, for the first time ever, all figures are immediately to hand to produce accurate and almost automated trading accounts. There will be no need to appoint an accountant or rely on supplementing the old spreadsheets with scraps of paper bearing my scribbled supplementary notes and figures. For the first time, I feel in control of my accounts and that they are professionally presented.

Despite my very slow and cautious start, I will never revert to my old method and I would recommend this software to anyone with a small business. For a complete novice like myself with no accountancy background, it may appear overwhelming and complex to start off but take it a step at a time and soon it becomes second nature to produce invoices and record sales, track cash flow and all other business transactions. Stick with it and I'm sure you will quickly value the software as much as I do.

Easy to use, 16 Oct 2008
I chose this as we run a couple of small businesses and accounting can have us tearing our hair out at times.

This program is part of the microsoft office suite and was designed to work in conjunction with the other programs such as word (for quotes and letters) or excel (for spreadsheets.)

I found this fairly easy to set up and get up and running. It's got a lot of features which as a very small business (only really interested at this point in tracking income and outgoings) we haven't yet investigated or bothered to use as they're above our needs/requirements.

If you have a small/home business this could be the package for you.

Great Value!, 10 Nov 2008
I needed to make a Gantt chart for my software engineering project -- with Project 2007 I got it done in just a few hours! It's the best 470 pounds I've ever spent!

Superb integration with MS Office and other Microsoft software makes this a winner, 23 Jul 2008
After years in development, MS Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold as they grow, as Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively. We turn over around £30k a year [Prechool Playgroup charity with three paid staff].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (hence this three licence pack boxed set that will save you a few pounds). This Accounts version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, with the subscription for the latter being included in the single licence Plus version, but for this Accounts Pro pack it costs an extra £9.95 monthly via Microsoft [in the US this subscription also gives support for eBay but this isn't set up for eBay UK at the time of writing]. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Express, and 40 in Professional - not a lot, but MS Office integration more than makes up for this. Reports can be quickly exported to workbooks, with column headings and formulas intact. You can build your own Pivot Table-based reports or run Access-based reports inside Accounting, tweak them and return them to the list of reports inside the program. It's also easy to amend reports to add custom fields and layouts.

Freebie Accounting 2008 Express is obviously superb value, and the price of the Pro version makes it very attractive for larger businesses. It's also very likely that this 3-user licence version will save you money for three users over the single pack prices, but that check before you buy.

The best accounting package available at the moment, 05 Aug 2008
I run a small business, designing and developing software and have tried many different accounting solutions including Sage; this package is so much simpler to use and does it without losing any functionality.

What you get is exactly what you would expect to see in an accounts package aimed at the U.K. market including VAT and corporation tax calculations, Stock control functions, Customer credit management and even payroll functions. If used in conjunction with Outlook Business Contact Manager the customer management feature is much closer to a full CRM package. This package also integrates with banking functions allowing you to pay invoices directly using BACs and to import electronic bank staements and reconcile your bank statements.

As this is part of the Office suite there is a great deal of integration between this package and the rest of the suite. Creating custom invoices, quotes and letters is so simple using word. any infomation can easily be exported to excell for manipulation. If the functionality is not available in the package the solution uses a SQL server backend so it is a simple task to export the exact infomation you need and to extend the solution where needed.

The use of a SQL server database means this is a fully scaleable solution that can be installed as a 2-tier solution with the database sat on a server and muliple clients all accessing the same database.

In conclusion I can highly recomend this accounting package to anyone who runs a small to medium sized business who want to keep upto date with their account without having to spend too much time managing there accounting software.

Superb integration with Microsoft Office software plus a years subscription to 'Payroll' accounting, 23 Jul 2008
Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold - when they grow, Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively.

With this Pro PLUS version you also get a years subscription to payroll accounting included: to calculate your payroll, print checks, and file tax forms for 12 months, i.e. run payroll in just four easy steps from within Office Accounting. If you just buy Accounts 2008 Pro, this UK service would cost £9.95 a month. In the US this subscription also allows you to do list inventories on eBay and download sales into Office Accounting [but at the time of writing this isn't set up for eBay UK].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (there is a three licence pack boxed set available that literally saves you a few pounds). This version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, the subscription for the latter being included in this Plus version. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Express, and 40 in Professional - not a lot, but MS Office integration more than makes up for this. Reports can be quickly exported to workbooks, with column headings and formulas intact. You can build your own Pivot Table-based reports or run Access-based reports inside Accounting, tweak them and return them to the list of reports inside the program. It's also easy to amend reports to add custom fields and layouts.

Freebie Accounting 2008 Express is obviously superb value, and the price of the Pro version makes it very attractive for larger businesses. It's also likely that this Plus version will save you money for the 12-month integrated `Payroll' subscription, but that check before you buy.

Great Value!, 10 Nov 2008
I needed to make a Gantt chart for my software engineering project -- with Project 2007 I got it done in just a few hours! It's the best 470 pounds I've ever spent!

Overly simple, 18 Nov 2008
Its always difficult to work through what you want from a training package but this was not achieving it! It is too simple and does not 'hang together' as a coordianted training package for MS Project. There are several training books which you may find of more use. MS Project is, to me, something you possibly need a face to face training session as you will have a multitude of questions, some areas you will use more than others and others you will not use at all.
Overall I'd look for someone to train you on what is a good product rather than use an online/CBT course for MS Project.

Terrible, 17 Nov 2008
Something as specific as a training product for Project should at least endeavour to cover some of the finer aspects of the application.

This training product aims so low it is laughable. Save your money, steer well clear of this. The inbuilt and online help is better.

not a microsoft useful at all., 24 Oct 2008
it is usefull in someone who has this program if you want to learn about it. and if you want to spend some more moeny just to learn this, then buy this one but i guess, having a microsoft program with words, excel outlook etc will be enough to work on your project.

Good as far as it goes!, 21 Oct 2008
As a seasoned veteran of MS Project, my main motivation for trialling a training product was to source a product for instigating wide-eyed innocents to the hard-nosed world of project management.

The risk of using Project is that people see it as a panacea rather than a planning tool, an end rather than an enabler. It doesn't replace the need to communicate or follow your chosen methodology with disciplined management, and like most software products Project can be seriously abused.

Luckily, the training package is intuitive, employs meaningful examples and places them in a sensible context. I just wish they could have trained people in how to persuade reluctant resources to deliver to time and budget!!

Superficial and with a few problems, 19 Oct 2008
The Product Features listed by Amazon for this CBT course include "In-Depth Official Microsoft Training". Having used Project extensively I can say that there is a lot in Project that is not covered in this course (I like Project, although not the price of it!).

This course is reckoned to take about four hours to complete, although can be done quicker if you have used Project previously. Despite the packaging giving the appearance that you will be running the course from DVD, you actually just get a key for logging in to a web-site. The course is then run from the web, although with the option of downloading bits for use offline. I ran it purely online, although I did encounter a problem with this five or six times during the course, in that at the end of video sequences my browser would be left displaying "(1 item remaining) Waiting for http...". That didn't stop it being usable though.

What was more annoying was that the GUI sometimes didn't allow the entire content to fit into the window being used and wouldn't allow me to expand the window. That would have been a minor annoyance had there always been a scroll bar to allow me to get to the bottom of the content, but unfortunately there wasn't.

Note that if you hope to download the content onto your laptop for viewing on the train, you will also want to have Project itself on your laptop. If, like me, you have Project on only one of your machines (given how expensive Project is, I would think most people will only have one install) you need to have that one available for the interactive labs. It would have been nice to have had the option of simulated labs as well as interactive labs for each exercise. There were simulated labs near the start of the course but not many.

I also found that the quality of the material varied. It was better nearer the start of the course. The final two sections were less good, particularly the Formatting and Printing section which felt like it was stating the obvious for anyone who has ever used any Windows-type software.

All in all, this course was ok given the price, but it isn't great. If you have the patience to read a book about Project I would be tempted to do that instead, as a decent book will cover more content than this course. In my opinion it would be worth the effort, as working on a project without a plan is a recipe for disaster.

Office Project Standard 2007 gives you robust project management tools with the right blend of usability, power, and flexibility, so you can manage projects more efficiently and effectively. You can stay informed, control project work, schedules, and finances, and keep project teams aligned, while becoming more productive through integration with familiar Microsoft Office system programs, powerful reporting options, as well as guided planning, wizards, and templates.Main Features:Effectively manage and unde...

A good all-round package, 20 Nov 2008

Wow, this took so long to install I thought my PC had died! Once installed, the start up wizard was a great way to help novices like myself set up home/company details. There's also a Quick Start window which launches the most commonly-used tasks like invoicing, which saves having to scour the main interface. If you have other Microsoft products (I have Word 2007), you'll like how well they work together.

So far I have only printed out (with ease), several invoices for a freelance journalist friend. But I plan to use this to manage my household and eBay accounts and will update this review when I have had more time to explore all the features.

But I already like it. It has a familiar feel even though I've never used it before. And while I don't run a small business, I do have lots of finances to get in order and I'm optimistic that this will be all I need to have everything neatly in one place.



Intuitive and familiar, 24 Oct 2008
Microsoft have extended their product range with an accounting package that fits in with the look and feel of the rest of the Office suite.

Out of the box, you can be up and running creating your business in a short space of time, import your information from Excel and Microsoft Money and use the built in templates to start generating invoiuces and taking payments .

The integration allows you to interface with the entire office suite bringing your accounting package and calendar together with your contacts, you can print invoices and packing lists. Information access can be limited to certain users and you can even interface with your accountant.

If you PayPal, you can even interface with your PayPal account to manage your Ebay payments!

Worth every penny if you run a small business.

Good value for a business, 24 Oct 2008
This software isn't aimed at the personal user to do their savings accounts. You need to be a bit more knowledgable about accounting to squeeze the maximum out of this product. Microsoft seem to have the knack of producing software like this which whilst user friendly for the basic user has the capability to work well for the intermediate or advanced users.

Appears complex at first but is soon mastered by a novice!, 20 Oct 2008
I have a small business and have previously used Excel for all accounts but, unless you're a more proficient user (which I am not), it has its limitations so the time had come to look for something more suitable and this package appeared to fit the bill.

I'll admit that when I first loaded this I thought I'd made a mistake. It has so many features that it looked so daunting that I backed away and reverted to my trusty but clumsy Excel spreadsheets.

Then, gradually, I sat down with the package once again and without having to resort to any of the help screens I tentatively imported my data into it, set up the bank account and a few 'test' invoices to get the hang of it and, despite my earlier apprehension, it's been a godsend.

It offers far more functions than I'll probably ever need but small businesses grow and this package has the scope to grow with mine so there won't be any need to start again with replacement software in a few years' time.

I've been running Office Accounting Professional alongside my old Excel spreadsheets for the last two months but the time has come to move forwards now my confidence with it has grown.

It will soon be time to put together my end of year accounts and, for the first time ever, all figures are immediately to hand to produce accurate and almost automated trading accounts. There will be no need to appoint an accountant or rely on supplementing the old spreadsheets with scraps of paper bearing my scribbled supplementary notes and figures. For the first time, I feel in control of my accounts and that they are professionally presented.

Despite my very slow and cautious start, I will never revert to my old method and I would recommend this software to anyone with a small business. For a complete novice like myself with no accountancy background, it may appear overwhelming and complex to start off but take it a step at a time and soon it becomes second nature to produce invoices and record sales, track cash flow and all other business transactions. Stick with it and I'm sure you will quickly value the software as much as I do.

Easy to use, 16 Oct 2008
I chose this as we run a couple of small businesses and accounting can have us tearing our hair out at times.

This program is part of the microsoft office suite and was designed to work in conjunction with the other programs such as word (for quotes and letters) or excel (for spreadsheets.)

I found this fairly easy to set up and get up and running. It's got a lot of features which as a very small business (only really interested at this point in tracking income and outgoings) we haven't yet investigated or bothered to use as they're above our needs/requirements.

If you have a small/home business this could be the package for you.

Great Value!, 10 Nov 2008
I needed to make a Gantt chart for my software engineering project -- with Project 2007 I got it done in just a few hours! It's the best 470 pounds I've ever spent!

Superb integration with MS Office and other Microsoft software makes this a winner, 23 Jul 2008
After years in development, MS Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold as they grow, as Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively. We turn over around £30k a year [Prechool Playgroup charity with three paid staff].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (hence this three licence pack boxed set that will save you a few pounds). This Accounts version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, with the subscription for the latter being included in the single licence Plus version, but for this Accounts Pro pack it costs an extra £9.95 monthly via Microsoft [in the US this subscription also gives support for eBay but this isn't set up for eBay UK at the time of writing]. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Express, and 40 in Professional - not a lot, but MS Office integration more than makes up for this. Reports can be quickly exported to workbooks, with column headings and formulas intact. You can build your own Pivot Table-based reports or run Access-based reports inside Accounting, tweak them and return them to the list of reports inside the program. It's also easy to amend reports to add custom fields and layouts.

Freebie Accounting 2008 Express is obviously superb value, and the price of the Pro version makes it very attractive for larger businesses. It's also very likely that this 3-user licence version will save you money for three users over the single pack prices, but that check before you buy.

The best accounting package available at the moment, 05 Aug 2008
I run a small business, designing and developing software and have tried many different accounting solutions including Sage; this package is so much simpler to use and does it without losing any functionality.

What you get is exactly what you would expect to see in an accounts package aimed at the U.K. market including VAT and corporation tax calculations, Stock control functions, Customer credit management and even payroll functions. If used in conjunction with Outlook Business Contact Manager the customer management feature is much closer to a full CRM package. This package also integrates with banking functions allowing you to pay invoices directly using BACs and to import electronic bank staements and reconcile your bank statements.

As this is part of the Office suite there is a great deal of integration between this package and the rest of the suite. Creating custom invoices, quotes and letters is so simple using word. any infomation can easily be exported to excell for manipulation. If the functionality is not available in the package the solution uses a SQL server backend so it is a simple task to export the exact infomation you need and to extend the solution where needed.

The use of a SQL server database means this is a fully scaleable solution that can be installed as a 2-tier solution with the database sat on a server and muliple clients all accessing the same database.

In conclusion I can highly recomend this accounting package to anyone who runs a small to medium sized business who want to keep upto date with their account without having to spend too much time managing there accounting software.

Superb integration with Microsoft Office software plus a years subscription to 'Payroll' accounting, 23 Jul 2008
Accounting 2008 has finally arrived. There are two main versions: Accounting Express is free and best suited to the self-employed and very small businesses, while this Professional version is aimed at businesses of up to 25 people. There isn't a huge functional difference between the two versions; Express is only missing higher-end features, such as stock control, support for BAC payments, and multi-user and multicurrency support. You can download the UK version of Accounts 2008 Pro for a free 60 day trial from Microsoft, plus there is that powerful `lite' version: Accounts 2008 Express that is free to download and use forever. This Professional version of Accounting is a better option than the more expensive Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008. Accounting 2008's main competitor is accounts software giant Sage though, and freebie Accounting 2008 Express is probably there to draw 'start-ups' into the Microsoft fold - when they grow, Accounting 2008 Pro will be the logical next step. Also many small businesses simply plump for Excel and pen and paper for their accounts, so there is a lucrative market for a cheap integrated Office accounts product that easy to use by anyone who's already MS Office savvy. That said the Accounting 2008 is no pushover to learn to use correctly. It took me nearly 20 minutes to work out how to import data from a MS/Sage .ofx file for the first time [I'm PC literate and not an accountant], but there is plenty of help on-line and within the program. So you will naturally have to invest a few evenings time to begin to use the program effectively.

With this Pro PLUS version you also get a years subscription to payroll accounting included: to calculate your payroll, print checks, and file tax forms for 12 months, i.e. run payroll in just four easy steps from within Office Accounting. If you just buy Accounts 2008 Pro, this UK service would cost £9.95 a month. In the US this subscription also allows you to do list inventories on eBay and download sales into Office Accounting [but at the time of writing this isn't set up for eBay UK].

Highly rated by PcPro [5* out of 6], Microsoft Accounting 2008 predictably scores highest for it's superb integration into MS Office. You need a modest PC minimum spec [1GHz, 512Mb RAM, 2Gb free hard drive space, 1024x768 VDU], plus Windows XP/Server 2003 with SP2 [probably also OK with Vista but check first]. You ideally need Office 2003/2007 - although XP Office gives almost as much functionality. Extra features require Outlook [email attachments], Business Contact Manager [share financial data], IE 6.0, and XP Pro/Server 2003 [share data amongst multiple computers]. Word [2002 or later] is needed to create customised invoices, sales orders, quotes, memos, customer statements, and purchase orders. Word or Outlook 2007 is needed for emailing attachments in pdf or XPS format. Save as pdf is available as a free download [Adobe took exception to it being included on the Accounting 2008 CD]. However Accounts 2008 does need a decent modern PC to run smoothly [it's very sluggish on a minimum spec PC]. Also some lists and reports don't distinguish credit and debit balances that clearly, which might confuse new users

Connecting more than one user to Accounts 2008 at any time requires additional licences (there is a three licence pack boxed set available that literally saves you a few pounds). This version is tailored to the UK market, so there's full support for UK VAT [both accrual and cash-based schemes] plus payroll control, the subscription for the latter being included in this Plus version. However, there's no direct banking integration, but you can download OFX-formatted files and reconcile them with Accounting's bank account. The [British] Institute of Chartered Accountants have accredited this software, but they advise you to try before you buy to ensure it does what you want.

Accounting gives you a list of 20 predefined reports in Expres