Xero For Dummies. Heather Smith

can be extracted from it. If the information is in a database format — for example, customers are listed in rows, with their details stretched out across columns — you may be able to easily manipulate data so it can be imported into Xero using templates available through Xero (see the sections ‘Downloading Xero templates’ and ‘Preparing data for import’, later in this chapter, for more information).

      If, however, your spreadsheets have been maintained in a random fashion, transforming them to a suitable layout for importing data into Xero may be time-consuming.

      It may be that you need to manually enter data, following the guidelines provided in Chapter 2. Alternatively, you may be able to adopt a hybrid approach, importing some data and manually entering the remaining data.

Getting Ready to Convert from an Accounting Program

      At Christmas, our extended family gather to celebrate the festive season, and one of the highlights is the Ray Cresswell jigsaw marathon. The first jigsaw puzzle comes out on Christmas Eve — this is a 200-piece puzzle with large pieces, which suits the beginners and the kids. The family gathers, the kids get involved, pieces of the puzzle are turned over, the corners are found, the border is formed, scenes are created, and the puzzle is completed. The next puzzle commences on Christmas Day (in that space after the presents have been opened and the bucks fizz drunk, and before Christmas dinner is served). This puzzle has a few more pieces, and these pieces are a bit smaller, but our approach is exactly the same. This scene repeats over the next few days, until the biggest, toughest and meanest puzzle, with 2,000 teeny-tiny pieces, is unboxed. We gather, eager and well-prepared for the marathon challenge. Applying our well-practised approach, we tackle and conquer the puzzle. Success is ours!

      Essentially, all accounting systems are the same as jigsaw puzzles — you just need to work out where all the pieces are supposed to go. Accounting systems are simply databases, or lists (or pieces) of data in different tables. To convert between solutions, you just need to export the data lists from the original system, review the format of the data, and import the data into the new system — in this case, Xero. With a systematic approach, you can work through each stage of the process.

The first part of the conversion is setting up your file framework for the imported data. Once you’ve done this, the conversion process moves through the following stages, regardless of the system you’re converting from:

       Export data: Export available data from your previous accounting system and save it to your computer (see the section ‘Setting up file directories’, later in this chapter, for information on how to set up your files).

       Prepare data for importing: Use the conversion as an opportunity to tidy up your data lists and trim dead wood. Delete unused accounts and contacts that are no longer around. If historical data is imported, associated records, such as contacts, can’t be edited or deleted — otherwise, the records won’t match. Save updated files in CSV text file format (see the section ‘Understanding the CSV file format’, later in this chapter, for more).

       Import/update data into Xero: The Xero file needs to be created before data can be imported into it. Work through Chapter 2 before embarking on this section. Because some of the data you need to import is reliant on or linked to other data, you should also import/update data in the following order:Tax Rates (review and manually update existing rates if necessary — the tax rates cannot be imported)Chart of AccountsContactsInventory ItemsSales InvoicesPurchases BillsBank TransactionsManual JournalsFixed Assets

       Review and manually clean up imported data where necessary: If erroneous data is imported in error, select it to be archived. (And then review the process to identify what went wrong.)

       Repeat until finished.

      

You can’t save a back-up of your Xero file prior to import. While this may seem a bit scary, in most processes you have the opportunity to review data before finally importing it.

Table 3-1 provides a conversion checklist, and includes example file names for exported and imported data.

TABLE 3-1 Conversion Checklist — Summary

Data	Export ✓	File Name	Prepare & Review ✓	Sign Off ✓	File Name	Import ✓
Chart of Accounts		AccountsExport			AccountsImport
Contacts		ContactsExport			ContactsImport
Inventory		InventoryExport			InventoryImport
Sales		SalesExport			SalesImport
Purchases		PurchasesExport			PurchasesImport
Bank Transaction		<BankName> Export			<BankName>Import
Manual Journals		JournalsExport			JournalsImport
Fixed Assets