
Accounting software

The market has been undergoing considerable consolidation since the mid 1990s, with many suppliers ceasing to trade or being bought by larger groups.
Modules

Accounting software is typically composed of various modules, different sections dealing with particular areas of accounting. Among the most common are:
Core Modules
Accounts receivable—where the company enters money received
Accounts payable—where the company enters its bills and pays money it owes
General ledger—the company's "books"
Billing—where the company produces invoices to clients/customers
Stock/Inventory—where the company keeps control of its inventory
Purchase Order—where the company orders inventory
Sales Order—where the company records customer order for the supply of inventory
Non Core Modules
Debt Collection—where the company tracks attempts to collect overdue bills (sometimes part of accounts receivable)
Expense—where employee business-related expenses are entered
Inquiries—where the company looks up information on screen without any edits or additions
Payroll—where the company tracks salary, wages, and related taxes
Reports—where the company prints out data
Timesheet—where professionals (such as attorneys and consultants) record time worked so that it can be billed to clients
Purchase Requisition—where requests for purchase orders are made, approved and tracked
(Different vendors will use different names for these modules)






