The main aim of initial troubleshooting should be to establish the root cause of the problem, this will enable focus to be given in the right area saving time and effort.

There are two step by step guides which can help establish root cause as follows: 

Troubleshooting Error Messages – Step by Step Guide

Troubleshooting Problems – Step by Step Guide

The guides and flowcharts are not intended as ridged paths, although we would expect that these or similar logical steps are followed in order to establish root cause prior to contacting Sage Support.  For example, if the system was working one day and then not the next, then the first logical steps may be to reboot and then check for Windows updates or other system changes.

As detailed below, there are 3 main root causes to software issues and a fourth cause, which could affect our online products.

Bug – This is a software defect that can be replicated on any (comparable) vanilla system using any data.  Bugs that we are already aware of can be found on Known Issues online.  If you discover an issue that has not been recorded previously please follow Ask Sage 41748

Data – The problem is only apparent in a specific dataset(s) and is still a problem when the data is restored on a vanilla system.  Please see Ask Sage 41738 for guidance on troubleshooting data problems.    

Environment – The problem is only apparent on the customer's system – this may be across the whole system or only of certain PCs.  Please see Ask Sage 41737 for guidance on troubleshooting environmental problems.

Connectivity (online only) – There are occasions online availability may be affected – in the first instance please see Trust.sage.com – if you have established a connectivity issue affecting multiple sites (connecting from multiple locations) which has not been reported please contact the Sage 200 Support Team.