No more Excel for A&D book entries?

[EBR Works]

I heard from a local FFL that ATF is going to phase out their authorization for FFLs to use Excel for A&D management. This would be a huge time suck having to write out every entry! Being from a IT consulting background, I cannot fathom why this would be necessary. It is back to the dark ages of no data backup and dirty paper books...

I was also told that ATF will be phasing out the electronic 4473 since some FFLs don't seem to be using it correctly. A few always ruin it for everyone else.
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[CS Sports]

My field agent told me the last thing next week. Said we could still do it electronically, but would be required to use software that left an audit trail. Apparently excel is too easy to manipulate to fix errors.

[LG FIREARMS]

Anyone else use sports south software? For us it seems to be ok. Free too.

[EBR Works]

Anyone else use sports south software? For us it seems to be ok. Free too.

Link to download please...
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[tenpercentfirearms]

I probably shouldn't have created my auto responder for my Excel file. It probably made it too popular.

It will be interesting on how they go about banning it. I actually don't use Excel for my bound book. I just print out my bound book from blank Excel pages.

Really unless they make a requirement that the bound book is really bound with typed page numbers, there is nothing stopping me from ripping a page out and redoing it anyway.

I would think the clearly typed data would be more of a benefit than a potential liability.

I know my agent sure loves my clearly typed bound book. She especially loves that I keep an unofficial copy on my hard drive that can sort and print by the blanks to assist her with her audit. It makes her life easier which is probably why her bosses want to put an end to that. It also certainly makes my life easier as I can search by serial number and find a 4473 control number in seconds.

[LG FIREARMS]

Link to download please...
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Couldn't give you one. Called em. Extremely helpful. Google Sports South. Their technical support number.

[franklinarmory]

Two weeks ago, I was at the NFATCA conference in D.C. Without any prompting, ATF brought up the fact that electronic A&D systems are perfectly fine. It didn't sound like they had any plans to change anything.

That being said, our corporate attorney told us to make sure that we use a macro to record any and all overwrite changes in Excel. I've never seen this stipulation in writing from any government source, but when Jason Davis tells you to do it, you just do it.

[EBR Works]

Two weeks ago, I was at the NFATCA conference in D.C. Without any prompting, ATF brought up the fact that electronic A&D systems are perfectly fine. It didn't sound like they had any plans to change anything.

That being said, our corporate attorney told us to make sure that we use a macro to record any and all overwrite changes in Excel. I've never seen this stipulation in writing from any government source, but when Jason Davis tells you to do it, you just do it.

Interesting. How is that macro created?
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[GoingQuiet]

The problem with excel is there is no audit trail. Other than that, it is perfect for what we do.

[OCArmory]

Excel technically has never been acceptable if you refer to the 2006 handout on electronic A&D software. Now if you print it out everyday and explain to the auditor that excel is just from me to keep a clean looking bound book as my handwriting sucks, oh and by the way if there ever is a request I can find it faster it is OK. Basically I use tenpercents excel spreadsheet but when I was audited I told my examiner that the paper book is my primary A&D.
Mike

[EBR Works]

Excel technically has never been acceptable if you refer to the 2006 handout on electronic A&D software. Now if you print it out everyday and explain to the auditor that excel is just from me to keep a clean looking bound book as my handwriting sucks, oh and by the way if there ever is a request I can find it faster it is OK. Basically I use tenpercents excel spreadsheet but when I was audited I told my examiner that the paper book is my primary A&D.
Mike

Do you save the discarded pages or destroy them?

[tenpercentfirearms]

Do you save the discarded pages or destroy them?

If anyone asks, there are no discarded papers. Although that might not be possible considering I might not take a gun in for a week and so how could I print a page with that big of a gap all at once?

[ontargetrange]

I created an ACCESS based program some time ago -- still playing with it -- I currently use Excel printed pages - much like 10% --- I added my logos and the auditor has to put up with my handwriting -- will finish the Access program by the end of the year -- I will have a daily login feature that allows for tracking of who opens and what changes have been made -- atf likes the feature and it meets the guidelines