Sage Abra Suite End of Life: What to Expect During Sage HRMS Migration

Almost a year ago now, Sage announced the end of life for Sage Abra Suite after over 35 years in the marketplace. The effective end of life is October 1st, 2020 since that is the last time Sage Abra will be updated. Technical support will continue through the 4th quarter, ending on Friday, December 28th. However, there will be no 4th quarter update or support for generation of W-2s in 2021.

Net at Work consultants are already scheduling Sage HRMS migrations well into 2020. Sage Abra Suite customers must decide on what direction they will go by April 15, 2020 at the latest to assure that their migration will take place before the September 30, 2020 last update.

How is Data Migrated to Sage HRMS

One of the most common questions asked during the initial stages of planning for the migration is what happens to all the Abra Suite data? Many users have data going back years and, in some cases, decades. Where does that data end up? The answer for migrations to Sage HRMS are three-fold:

1. All data related to HR, Training, and Paid Time Off is ‘upsized’ to the new Sage HRMS SQL database. This also includes rules, standard reports and Secure Queries.
2. Payroll data is migrated using a specific tool – Automated SQL Migration or ASM. The ASM tool takes the Abra Suite payroll data and ‘transforms’ it into data that is usable in the new Sage HRMS payroll module. Payroll data converted includes employee tax configurations, direct deposit information, earning and deductions. Check detail data is converted for the current year to date (2020) and one full year back (2019). Additional years of check detail can be converted for a fee.
3. Recruiting Solution data is not migrated, since there is not a corresponding applicant tracking module in Sage HRMS. Users of Cyber Recruiter or other applicant tracking programs can have the Recruiting Solution data converted as part of their ATS program implementation.

Does Abra Suite Go Away?

Once the migration to Sage HRMS or another program is complete, users retain their full Abra Suite license. Keep in mind that there will be no further updates, ‘bug fixes’ or support. Options for maintaining a copy of Abra Suite include:

1. Install Abra Suite on a virtual server or even a workstation offline. Once connected to a printer, the offline version can then be a source for data lookup or printing of reports like old W-2s. (The reason we recommend having the workstation offline is to protect the operating system from being updated by Microsoft and ‘breaking’ the ability to launch the Abra Suite Visual FoxPro program.)
2. Upload your Abra Suite to Cloud at Work. Hosted on our secure servers and accessed via a remote desktop connection, a Cloud at Work Abra Suite installation would be maintained by Net at Work for as long as users needed to access it with full ability to use the Abra Suite user interface and print reports. (Hosting fees would apply.)
3. Convert the Abra Suite tables to Microsoft SQL and store on an SQL server. This option would allow users to access their Abra Suite data via Crystal Reports and/or SQL reporting services, however, they would not have the Abra Suite user interface available in the previous options. This option would, moreover, assure that the data would be accessible thru SQL, even if there were updates to the Windows operating system or Microsoft SQL versions.

What If I Don’t Migrate?

Whether you are an HR-only user or full Abra Suite with Payroll, there will be consequences if you do not move from Abra Suite by the end of the year:

1. You will not be able to generate 2020 W-2s.
2. You will not be able to file electronic copies of State and local taxes for 2020.
3. You will not be able to generate and file ACA reports(1095’s) for 2020.
4. You will not be able to receive support for error messages or other technical support issues.
5. You will not be able to file EEO-1 Reports in March of 2021 for 2020.
6. You will not be able to use 3rd party products like HR Actions or Cyber Recruiter.
7. You will no longer have access to the Abra Suite knowledgebase from Sage.
8. You will not be able to submit OSHA reports electronically if there are any changes after 12/20.
9. You will not be able to run Abra Suite if any updates to your Windows operating system “breaks” the Abra Suite client.
10. You will not receive updates to Crystal Reports for Sage.

Reach out to our team today to talk about your Abra Suite migration options.