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Double Entry Accounting System

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  • K keencomputer

    I have to design double entry accounting systems as part of the package, Where Do I start?

    Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com www.ias-research.com/blog

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    Lost User
    wrote on last edited by
    #33

    keencomputer wrote:

    I have to design double entry accounting systems as part of the package, Where Do I start?

    With the first entry. Then it's just a simple matter of adding the second.

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    • D Dalek Dave

      Two things spring to mind. Firstly it could be a security issue. They do not want an off the peg solution because they do not want the original developers to have any kind of access. (Paranoid, but possible) Secondly it could be that they want it tailor made to connect to an existing system for reporting or data input reasons that a ready-made package may not be able to handle.

      ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[^]

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      Roger Wright
      wrote on last edited by
      #34

      Dalek Dave wrote:

      Secondly it could be that they want it tailor made to connect to an existing system for reporting or data input reasons that a ready-made package may not be able to handle.

      That's very likely. I've been involved in migration activities from one package to another, where yet a third system provides the input and consumes the results. Integration issues can become so enormous that writing a custom solution is tempting. I thought XML was supposed to solve all the financial interchange problems in the world, but I don't see a whole lot of progress yet.

      Will Rogers never met me.

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      • K keencomputer

        I have to design double entry accounting systems as part of the package, Where Do I start?

        Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com www.ias-research.com/blog

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        L Offline
        Lost User
        wrote on last edited by
        #35

        Qualifications like this[^] and you don't know where to start? :wtf:

        Just say 'NO' to evaluated arguments for diadic functions! Ash

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        • K keencomputer

          I have to design double entry accounting systems as part of the package, Where Do I start?

          Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com www.ias-research.com/blog

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          S Offline
          Single Step Debugger
          wrote on last edited by
          #36

          Listen to what John C told you, if you have a choice never ever start this, you will need to support this application forever. Make an export to existing account system. I have quite a lot of experience with creating enterprise software and I know that even the big software companies avoid doing this. And what is your background in the accounting? Because if you don’t have any, even if you/your company hire a professional accountant to consult you the project probably will be a disaster anyway. Edit: Oh, I forgot; a new-baked homemade accounting system is very likely to put your client into legal problems.

          The narrow specialist in the broad sense of the word is a complete idiot in the narrow sense of the word. Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.

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          • K keencomputer

            I have to design double entry accounting systems as part of the package, Where Do I start?

            Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com www.ias-research.com/blog

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            R Offline
            RugbyLeague
            wrote on last edited by
            #37

            2 text boxes, one labeled "number" the other labeled "that number again"

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            • P Pete OHanlon

              Sometimes, when dealing with those who don't listen, porcupines are the only sane solution.

              I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be

              Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads

              My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

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              T Offline
              Tom Delany
              wrote on last edited by
              #38

              Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

              Sometimes, when dealing with those who don't listen, porcupines are the only sane solution.

              Maybe just a wee hedgehog instead? :)

              WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

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              • R Roger Wright

                Good lord, you people not only drive lefthanded, but do your books backward, too!

                Dalek Dave wrote:

                Credit Petrol Costs £30 Debit Bank Account £30

                When I buy gas, I debit the fuel expense, and credit the bank account.

                Will Rogers never met me.

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                Tom Delany
                wrote on last edited by
                #39

                Actually, banks credit money to your account because your deposits end up on the Liability side of their ledgers (i.e. it's not their asset). He has it right.

                WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

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                • D Dalek Dave

                  May I offer some assistance. (I speak from some level of expertise, I am an accountant). This is actually quite a large undertaking. It is more than just "Adding a value to one column and adding it's inverse to another". There are entries to be made directly to the Nominal Ledger. Enntries to the Bought and Sales Ledgers with the corresponding entries to the Nominal. The ability to make one entry that is posted to several accounts. (Example Adding £100 to the Bought Ledger Control Account and having £50 posted to, say, Expenses and £50 to Fuel Costs). There is also a corresponding entry for VAT (or Whatever your sales tax(es) is called). There are payment entries to be made. Don't forget also that you need Control Accounts (Bought Ledger Control, Sales Ledger Control, Vat Control etc). Some codes are Profit and Loss, some are Balance Sheet. You also have to allow for an Asset register and it's assigned Depreciation Accounts (One being P&L, the other being BalSheet). On top of this there are various legal controls, for example ensuring there can be no single sided entries. Then you have the various flag controls for Periods, Dates, Paid/Unpaid, Held/Released, Invoices/Credits etc. You will need a way to run period ends that clear period totals, but hold the year totals. The same for year end procedures. Then there is the Reporting. Apart from the legally required reports, you will want to have various useful reports for management figures and other administative purposes. Then there is the requirement to have Archiving procedures, and other useful housekeeping chores. Then, once you have planned all this, there is the actual development of the project, which will be quite large in terms of time/man hours/money. Alongside this you will need to ensure security provisions and access controls. Seriously, if you are not 'hot' on accountancy, get hold of an accountant at the planning and developing stages, and ask questions, and keep asking them. Best of luck.

                  ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[^]

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                  Peter_in_2780
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #40

                  Best line from an accounting package developer I worked with many years ago... Nearing the end of the project, reviewing where we'd been, waiting for docco to be printed(!)... "Well, that was a sh*tload of work that all adds up to nothing!" Well said, Nigel, me old mate.

                  Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.

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                  • P Pete OHanlon

                    keencomputer wrote:

                    Where Do I start?

                    By talking to your users. Whenever you are required to develop a software system, you really should start off by listening to your users and gathering requirements from them. If you ignore your users, you might as well stuff live porcupines down your trousers - it will feel roughly the same.

                    I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be

                    Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads

                    My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

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                    P Offline
                    Paul Conrad
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #41

                    Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

                    If you ignore your users, you might as well stuff live porcupines down your trousers

                    :laugh:

                    Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

                    listening to your users and gathering requirements from them

                    I second listening/communicating with the client to get the client requirements and build what they need, and not what one thinks they need.

                    "The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

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                    • T Tom Delany

                      Actually, banks credit money to your account because your deposits end up on the Liability side of their ledgers (i.e. it's not their asset). He has it right.

                      WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

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                      R Offline
                      Roger Wright
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #42

                      I know that - but most users (and companies) will be sitting on the other side of the teller's window.

                      Will Rogers never met me.

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • C Corporal Agarn

                        PogoboyKramer wrote:

                        since March

                        Dang I cannot remember what happened this morning!

                        F Offline
                        F Offline
                        fjdiewornncalwe
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #43

                        It sounded familiar, so I looked through his message history and "There it was"

                        I wasn't, now I am, then I won't be anymore.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • T Tom Delany

                          Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

                          Sometimes, when dealing with those who don't listen, porcupines are the only sane solution.

                          Maybe just a wee hedgehog instead? :)

                          WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

                          F Offline
                          F Offline
                          fjdiewornncalwe
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #44

                          After watching a National Geo special on flesh eating fish of the amazon yesterday, maybe a little catfish will do.

                          I wasn't, now I am, then I won't be anymore.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • K keencomputer

                            I have to design double entry accounting systems as part of the package, Where Do I start?

                            Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com www.ias-research.com/blog

                            M Offline
                            M Offline
                            Mark_Wallace
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #45

                            keencomputer wrote:

                            I have to design double entry accounting systems as part of the package, Where Do I start?

                            With the first one. Then you copy and paste to make the second.

                            I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • S Single Step Debugger

                              Listen to what John C told you, if you have a choice never ever start this, you will need to support this application forever. Make an export to existing account system. I have quite a lot of experience with creating enterprise software and I know that even the big software companies avoid doing this. And what is your background in the accounting? Because if you don’t have any, even if you/your company hire a professional accountant to consult you the project probably will be a disaster anyway. Edit: Oh, I forgot; a new-baked homemade accounting system is very likely to put your client into legal problems.

                              The narrow specialist in the broad sense of the word is a complete idiot in the narrow sense of the word. Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.

                              M Offline
                              M Offline
                              Mark_Wallace
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #46

                              Deyan Georgiev wrote:

                              you will need to support this application forever

                              um... How is that a bad thing?

                              Think annual revenue.

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