Simply Accounting is Sage's accounting software designed specifically for Canadian companies. It comes in five editions.

First Step: This is the most basic level of Simply Accounting and was previously known as Entrepreneur. Its capabilities include essentials such as writing checks, preparing invoices and storing financial history. It can also switch from English to French.

Pro: Moving up to the Pro (formally called Basic) edition of Simply Accounting provides seven additional capabilities -- managing inventory, preparing sales/purchasing orders and quotes, handling payroll, tracking projects, budgeting, dealing with two forms of currency, online banking reconciliation and integrating with Microsoft Word and Excel.

Premium: The step up to Simply Accounting Premium is far more significant, including features that Sage calls advanced and in-depth. Among them are a few that are particular useful in construction, the vendor said -- project tracking and bills for materials, integration to Microsoft Outlook, and the ability to keep inventory of multiple locations and license.

Enterprise: This version of Simply Accounting offers additional capabilities that include role-based security, serialized inventory and a sales analysis tool.

Accountant’s Edition: While not all contractors will have an actual accountant, this edition can be useful for those who do. Users need to join the Sage Software Accountants Network and, from there, they have some more flexibility. It includes all the features of the other editions, but users have the ability to create, open, edit and save data from all editions.