Importing last year's accounts

[ben kruptzie]

How do I import the accounts I defined for 2007 if I want to start a new iCash file for 2008?

Exporting from 2007 to.qif format file and then reimporting into newly created 2008 file doesn't work.

Thanks for the advice.

[stanbusk]

Create a new file and in the second window ask iCash to use a previous file.

[ben kruptzie]

Hey, thanks for the coolhint: it works!

[madrugada]

Yes but creating a new file does not do the job very well. Why, because when creating a new file for say 2008, I assume that most users would like to complete reconcilliation for all 2007 transactions before creating the new file. Trouble is that to do this you need to wait until January 2008 for bank statements to arrive that contain the 2007 transactions to be reconciled with the statements.

So as it stands at the moment, you can't enter any 2008 transactions into the 2007 file because (A) they will not be created in the new 2008 file and (B) your balance in the 2008 file would be wrong if you had entered the January transactions into the 2007 file - even if they were not reconciled.
MS Money, Quickbooks etc will allow you to designate a date from which any transactions in the 2007 file will be created in the new 2008 file - thus your balances will be correct and you will have your January transactions in the new 2008 file.

Desperately needed in ICASH I think.

[stanbusk]

It is the reason why I believe it is better to always use the same file. For example our company is using the same iCash file since January 2002. I am not sure of the advantages of using separate files or the drawbacks of using one single file.

[madrugada]

OK Stan, but I think we are in danger here of having all our eggs in one basket. No matter what the program or how well it is coded, the larger the file - the more likely it is to become corrupted, or even worse, so bloated that even with a backup copy, the program or an average home PC, can no longer handle it efficiently - especially if the PC runs on a Windows OS.

One file might well be OK if you are only using it for a few bank accounts or Home/SOHO accounts, but it could well be different for let's say an Ebay powerseller with several Ebay stores.

Furthermore, my accountant for one, would be overjoyed if I gave him an excel or qif file containing several years worth of data for him to sift through - this would mean that he could charge me additional fees for his time - especially as he has to please the VAT and Income tax people with what he gives them.

I guess the only way round it for now is to keep a clipboard full of bills/receipts and memos of transactions until well into the month when I get my Bank statements which confirm whether my late December transactions were listed in December or January and thus confirm which business tax year file to record them in.

Don't get me wrong, in general ICASH is great compared to the bloatware that is MS Money, Quickbooks etc; but Oh how I miss the convenience of their new year file creation, but best regards and hope you get round to fixing this one day.

[stanbusk]

I understand your concern but the SQL engine used by iCash is extremely fast and secure. In an other application we use here to track sales we are currently working with 60,000 transactions. It is as fast as with 10 transactions. How many transactions are you adding to iCash per year?

[madrugada]

Fair enough, I accept what you say on that point. My main concerns however are centred around the points raised in paragraphs 3 & 4 of my previous post.

Regards.

[stanbusk]

Do you mean this: