How to Convert from Accounting Software

A hands-on guide to exporting, verifying and switching with confidence

Moving accounting information from one system to another can seem like an overwhelming task, but with a sound strategy and a gradual approach you will be able to move your accounting records over successfully which will enable you maintain financial continuity. This guide explains all the elements you need to cover: planning, preparing exports, cleaning and mapping data, importing into the new system, reconciling balances and validating results before you shut down full-bore accounting operations.

Start with a migration plan

Well, you can start to define its boundaries in terms of scope, timeline and parties involved. Determine what records to transfer: chart of accounts, customers and vendors, opening balance, invoice, bill, payment or bank transactions and historical reports. You should make a choice; whether you want full historical migration or just last periods. Pick a migration date and create a detailed timeline that covers backups, export windows and trial period.

Create a copy of every thing and limit access

Prior to transferring any data, securely backup your source system data. Export lists of accounts, transaction exports, and reports. -Verify that you're exporting with an appropriate level of admin and the credentials in use for export are securely stored. The safest migrations begin with a recoverable snapshot for rollback, if necessary.

Export data carefully (data export)

Leverage the export capabilities of your source system to export data in widely accepted formats like CSV, Excel, or XML. The most common exports are Chart of Accounts, Customers, Vendors, Items or Services, Invoices, Bills, Payments (Suppliers), Credit Notes (Customers & Suppliers), Opening Balances and Bank Transactions. Include transaction date, reference numbers, descriptions, tax code and amount when exporting. Document export settings and file versions to a migration log, so that you can follow what was migrated at which point.

Audit and sanitise exports

Open the exported files and look for anomalies: perhaps some fields are missing, there might be duplicates, dates or currency codes may not match. 5) PrettyClean - It will combine customer/vendor from the same address code and remove unwanted as test data grants. Correct export file blatant errors to minimize problems on imports. Otherwise, you may need to normalise dates and currencies as well as the account names in terms of what format the destination system exposes.

Map chart of accounts and fields

Mapping is the most important thing. Compare or document source and destination chart of accounts - generate an account code/name mapping table. Similarly, customer/vendor fields, tax codes, invoice number/payment method formats should also be mapped. Record these mapping in an Excel sheet for refreshing or modifying the import consistently.

Generate opening balances and recon (reconcile balance) reconcile Dunblane Practice Get back up to work.

Opening Balances Import effectively by setting opening balances in the destination so that your trial balance is good after import. “But the invoice is still outstanding” – How did you migrate the open items to SAP? Request a vendor/customer balance confirmation from the legacy systems As part of our go live activities, I maintained an upload in LSMW Transform SW which replicates transaction type, amount and clearing/balance fields. Balance bank and credit card statements to ensure the total of imported transactions is equal to the statement. Perhaps you will want to import a short interval of past transactions on both sides to check that the continuity is correct.

If you can, try it out on a sandbox or test version of the destination system. First, import a working set of data: some fellas, some invoices and maybe part of the transactions. Ensure that field mappings, tax treatments and posting down are in accordance with expected behavior. Use the migration log to monitor files that were imported and for any errors or warnings generated during an import.

Import data in controlled batches

Once testing is successful, Imports should be run in logical groups: Lists (chart of accounts, customers, vendors), opening balance, transactions (invoices, bills and payments) and bank feeds or reconciled bank txns. Using this order avoids having to make as many manual modifications, and facilitates keeping the keys all in synch with one another.

Validate and reconcile after import

users: Run TB and aged A/R, A/P reports in the target systems and compare to those from source on data cut-off date. Make sure totals agree and major balances such as retained earnings, equity accounts, bank account balances, tax liabilities also reconcile. Cleaning loose ends on the source is a good place to start – Identify and resolve any discrepancies before you turn off the source system.

Staff training and switch accounting operations (switch accounting)

Create high-level training and cheat sheets for teammates who will use the destination system. Focus on daily processes — posting invoices, recording payments, reconciling bank accounts — to get back up and running. Design for a rolling go-live where both systems may be referred to then pick a distinct cutoff date by which all new transactions need to have been entered in the destination system.

Post-migration checks and ongoing maintenance

After go live, be vigilant in validating the first few reporting cycles. Balance bank accounts and process month-end reports for reconciliation to anticipated results. The migration logs and backups would reside for a number of days based on your internal retention policy. Correct user questions and iterate on mappings or templates if you notice the same pattern re-occurring.

Typical traps to be wary of

Incomplete exports: Ensure all the fields and date ranges required are being exported before you get started Poor mapping documentation: Keep a single mapping document updated as changes are made Skipping tests Always test with a sample import to catch format mismatches early Ignoring reconciliations Reconcile balances through migration if you don’t want surprises at month end.

Migration checklist (quick):

• Make Backups and Guard Passwords / Credentials
• Define scope and migration date
• Data export (chart of accounts, customers, invoices, transactions)
• Clean up and format exported files
• Map accounts and fields
• Import to sandbox and test
• Take to Production in batches
• Balance reports and run statements
• Train employees and transition accounting processes
• Monitor and adapt in the early months

A considerate migration that minimizes risk to the business and allows for continuity of operations. By planning, testing, and validating each step — especially data export, mapping and reconciliation — you’ll minimize errors and gain confidence that your financial records are accurate through your transition (and after). Use this timeline as a model, for your organization may have to modify these action items based on your company’s size, amount of transactions or reporting you need to fulfill.