Installing FINPACK without local admin rights, handling hay crop units, adjusting the unit of measurement of crop/ livestock, changing the ‘prepared by’ name, and more in the latest FAQS from the FINPACK support team!
Can FINPACK be installed on a computer without local administrator rights?
Yes, this is a new feature with the Fall 2024 update. Simply select the second option — install for me only (recommended) — when prompted. If installing on a computer that doesn’t have a previous admin install, the installed shortcut icon will read ‘FINPACK’; otherwise, a new shortcut icon will appear that will read ‘FINPACK 2025’.
How do I handle a Hay crop in ‘bales’ when that unit of measure doesn’t show in FINPACK?
Being that bales of hay can be different dimensions (round vs. square), FINPACK uses the unit of measure of ‘piece’ to refer to a bale of hay.
In FINPACK, go to Tools + Options + Crops (without being in a file). Highlight the particular hay crop (e.g. ‘Hay, Alfalfa’), click on ‘Edit’, change ‘Unit’ from the default of ‘ton’ to ‘piece’, enter the Unit Weight of a bale of hay (default is 2,000), click ‘OK’, click ‘Save’, then click ‘OK’ to exit the Setup file.
In FINPACK+, go to Admin > Credit Analysis Setup and click ‘Check Out this File’. Once the file is opened, click on ‘Crops’, highlight the particular hay crop (e.g. ‘Hay, Alfalfa’), click on ‘Edit’, change ‘Unit’ from the default of ‘ton’ to ‘piece’, enter the Unit Weight of a bale of hay (default is 2,000), click ‘OK’, click ‘Save’, then click ‘Check In’ to lock the change into the Setup file.
How do I change the unit of measure of crop/livestock in an existing component such as a balance sheet or cash flow?
Changing a crop/livestock unit of measure usually means that a particular component (Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, etc.) must now be corrected to handle the new unit. While in the particular file in FINPACK, go to Tools + Options, then click on the ‘>’ symbol in front of ‘File Settings’; the symbol will change to ‘v’ and sub-options will appear. Click on ‘Crops’ (or ‘Livestock’), highlight the entity that was changed, click ‘Restore Default Crop’ (or ‘Restore Default Livestock’), click ‘Yes’, then click ‘OK’ to exit the sub-option window. Check the component in question to make sure the entity was indeed changed.
In FINPACK+ (and while in the particular FINPACK Credit Analysis file), go to Tools + Options, then click on ‘Crops’ (or ‘Livestock’), highlight the entity that was changed, click ‘Restore Default Crop’ (or ‘Restore Default Livestock’), click ‘Yes’, then click ‘OK’ to exit the sub-option window. Check the component in question to make sure the entity was indeed changed (be sure to eventually ‘Check in’ the file to lock in the unit change).
How is the name in ‘Prepared by’ changed?
This is accomplished for each workstation through FINPACK’s Admin Utility (Tools + FINPACK Admin Utility); the steps are:
- Re-open FINPACK, then open the report to view the new name/organization.
- After Admin Utility has been opened (FINPACK will close at this time), enter the day’s special code (acquired by calling Tech Support) in the ‘Special Code’ box in the lower-left corner; this activates the ‘Name’ and ‘Organization’ line items.
- Enter the new name (and organization, if desired).
- Click ‘Close’ to save those changes.
What does the message ‘File version is newer than expected’ mean?
This message occurs because a FINPACK file, which contains the current version of FINPACK, is trying to be opened by a FINPACK application that has not yet been updated to the current version. A prime example of this message may occur if opening a file from an FBM instructor, who has updated to the current version of FINPACK, but one’s financial institution has not.
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