Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2008

I was excited to try this accounting system since I occasionally sell various items on eBay and amazon. However, this system had way too many options for my needs, and the installation processes took FOREVER...

The graphics are nice, and it is quite user-friendly for a beginner like me. All in all though, it was too much for my needs.

This is an excellent small business accounting package that has been useful for my needs.

Microsoft Office Accounting Pro 2008 would be a great tool for small business. It's easy to use and hasn't caused any burbs on my system like most products I install. I'm just now starting my business so I don't get a lot of use out of it but it would be great for businesses that have actual employees :)

Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2008 is Microsoft's answer to Quickbooks and Peachtree, two companies that have led in the accounting software sector for a number of years. Having used Quickbooks in the past (and still do), I looked forward to the opportunity to test Microsoft's software.

As my intent was to only test this software, I installed the software onto a spare computer so that I did not have to worry that this software would somehow screw up my Quickbooks files. As this software was able to import my data from Quickbooks, I copied it over and imported it into OAP08 -- relatively painless. For the next couple weeks, I entered data into both Quickbooks and OAP08 (tedious, but had to be done!)

If you've familiar with MS Outlook, and other Office applications, the interface will seem familiar, which I'd consider a plus. Integration with other Office applications is also a nice feature. OAP08 seems geared towards the avid eBay seller with its convenient Paypal integration (costs $$ for monthly subscription -- figures!). However, these nifty features does not make up for the fact that OAP08 is SLOW. Admittedly, this spare computer is a bit older...

While MOAP08 does the basics well, like many of Microsoft's other products, its not quite there yet. It may need a few service packs and updates before it performs as well as it should. That said, Microsoft has a solid performer that I may very well look into again when my Quickbook updates expire.

Microsoft has been trying to become a serious player in accounting software for quite some time. Office Accounting Professional is an obvious attempt to make a dent in the low end of the market and chip away at the lock QuickBooks Pro 2008 has on that segment. The basic look and function of the program is so similar to Quickbooks, in fact, that one could easily mistake it for the current king of the hill.

To test this product, I set up books for a small business that I recently started and entered a number of basic transactions. While some processes weren't as intuitive as I might have liked, it's relatively user friendly and it doesn't take long to get things done. Like Quickbooks, the internal controls are awful and you can freely edit past transactions with no real audit trail. This is convenient if you make a mistake, but a major no-no for those trying to run a genuine accounting department.

Office Accounting Professional is a competent program for those running a mom and pop business, but would not be sufficient for any more than that. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything here that is a real improvement over Quickbooks and because of that, I don't recommend the product. Because Quickbooks enjoys a near-monopoly in this market, there are several advantages to buying it. Many bookkeepers and tax preparers will be able to take a copy of your data file and do their work, but none of them are likely to have this product. The same is true of pre-formatted check stock and many other things. This is not bad software, it's just not compelling enough to give up the advantages of owning the dominant package.