At a high level, these are the steps to consider as you begin closing the books on 2015 and start fresh in the new year.

1. Backup Your Data
   Executing a complete backup of your database is one of the most important things you can do before starting any closing process.  You should also test the backup to ensure it was performed successfully and the data is readable.

   If you make a mistake, the only way to “reverse” year end processing is to restore data from a backup.

2. Follow the Module Closing Order
   A year end process in one module often writes data to another related module. Therefore, closing modules in the proper sequence is extremely important in order to avoid unexpected results or damage to your data.

   For more detail and guidance, refer to the Module Closing article elsewhere in this newsletter.

3. Follow the Module Closing Checklists
   Step-by-step checklists are available for most modules.  These checklists provide guidance on the sequence of detailed tasks and procedures that should be performed within each module.

   For more detail refer to the Year End Checklists article elsewhere in this newsletter. In addition, these checklists are available right from within the Sage 100 Help system.

4. Get Help When Needed!
   Be sure to Contact Us if you have any questions before, during, or after you start year end processing. Especially if you have customizations or 3rd party add-on products that are integrated with Sage 100, we can help you plan a closing process for your specific system/installation.