Copyright: Phil Daintree 1995


Contents

Overview

Setting up a new company

Transaction  Entry Options

Transaction Entry

- Bank Account Payments

- Bank Account Receipts

- Standing Journals

- Automatic Reversals

Bank Reconciliations

Maintenance Options

Adding New Accounts

Amending Existing Accounts

Entering and Amending Budgets

Company Maintenance

Account Groups

Accounting Periods

Reports and Enquiries

Reporting Options

Chart Listing Options

Account Enquiries

ShareWare Limitations and the Benefits of Registration

The Author, policy and bugs


Overview

Aims

This Microsoft Access database aims to provide the user with a fully integrated suite of accounting tools to keep track of budgeted and actual expenditure and income in as simple a way as possible.

In addition, it has the flexibility to be modified easily to accomodate the individual needs of the business rather than the business meeting the needs of the system.

The user will be able to report on and enquire on the information in any way without requiring detailed knowledge of file structures and programming. The flexibility and power of MS Access together with its integration to the other MS Office suite of industry standard programs of MS Word and MS Excel now mean that the accounting database, often a company's largest source of computerised information, can now be put to work for the business as well as fulfill the traditional role as record keeper.

Basics

The heart of the system is the cashbook feature which allows for a single main bank account per company. The system can handle many companies (limited only by the computer's disk space) each with its own cashbook. Entry of Receipts and Payments requires the selection of an account where the totals are accumulated for each period. Budgets can be maintained by period for all accounts either manually or calculated via "relation factors" to another specified account. A simple bank reconciliation  feature is available together with traditional general ledger features such as journals, recurring journals (or Standing Journals) and automatic reversing journals all of which are available using a simple windows interface which is hopefully EASY to use.


Transaction Options

Company transactions can be entered in several ways:

Bank Account Payments

Bank Account Receipts

Journals

Two special types of journals are also available:

Standing Journals

Automatic Reversals

All transaction options are available from the Main Menu by clicking the radio button for transactions. Payments, Receipts and Journals are all created using the option for cashbook entries in the list box. To create transactions for a company other than the default, the company must be selected from the box on the Main menu.

Payments and Receipts

Cashbook entries assume that the bank account posting should be to the bank account specified in the company record. Only the payment or receipt accounts need be specified by the user. GST is calculated automatically based on the gross amount entered, but can be altered by the user.


Bank Account Payments

Entering Payments

Select the transaction entry option category radio button. A list of transaction options will then appear in the optioin list.

Click on the word cashbook in the option list. A box of options will show:

- Select the month for which you wish to enter payments from the top combo box.

- Click the text of the Payment option in the transaction type list box. The next consequtive batch number will be defaulted for payments. Alternatively, you can select an existing batch for amendment (if not already posted ) from the drop down list.

- Click the button to Enter/Amend transactions. The payments screen will appear with the details you have specified in the transactions options box (above).

Payment Data Input Required

The payment account can be selected by simply typing the first few letters of its name. (or by selecting from the drop down list)

The date of the payment, the last day of the current accounting period is defaulted but this can be changed by the user. No checking is done to ensure this is within the accounting period as defined.

A payment number, this would normally be the cheque number or a reference to the bank statement. The system automatically chooses the highest number previously entered plus 1.

The payment amount inclusive of GST (if any).GST is automatically calculated on the payment amount. This can be altered manually if necessary.

Description of what the payment was for,  (this is not a required entry but is recommended)

Completing the Payment

When you have entered all the payments you want you simply click on the close button

Your payment is now entered and saved, but not posted. You will have to post it at a later date before the accounts will be updated. All postings for the current period are posted before a rolloverautomatically, so you can't forget.


Bank Account Receipts

Receipts into the bank account  can be entered directly. Since the bank account code is specified in the company record, only the income (or liability) accounts and amounts need be entered by the user. The system automatically creates a receipt entry in the bank account for the total of all amounts entered.

You cannot use this option for Debtors ledger Receipts from customers (see CustomerReceitps.)

Entering Receipts

The procedure is much the same as for Payments except you select Receipts in the transaction options box. GST is again automatically entered after the receipt amount is entered, but it will show as a negative (since it is a credit to the GST account) if you need to change the GST amount you should remember to enter it as a negative amount.


Company Details

The system allows many companies to be maintained with completely separate Chart Of Accounts. Each company for which records are to be maintained needs to be set up with certain basic information:

Company number: Defaults to 1, but can be any number below 32,767. The system looks to company 1 when it starts up if you wish to use other companies you simply select the company required from the main menu screen.

Company name: This name will appear on all reports and statements

GST registration number: Normally the same as it's IRD number. (although can be different) This will be printed on all GST invoices.

Company registration number: with the Companies Office (this is an optional field).

Registered office: Company law requires this to be on all stationery (invoices, statements etc)

Currency which is to be the default. This can be selected from the list. Alternatively new currencies can be added by clicking the button to the right marked "Add Currency".

General Ledger account numbers for integration of postings to the general ledger, the following accounts are required:

1. The bank account.

2. The GST account.

3. The Debtors Control Account. ie the account which maintains a running total of all the monies owed to the company.

4. The Creditors Control Account ie the account which maintains a running total of all the amounts owed by the company.

5. Payroll Control account.

6. Inter Company account. Note that only one subsiduary, parent is available.

7. The Retained Earnings account. This is the account to which all profit and loss account amounts are cleared to on the rolloverrollover of the last defined period ie the end of the year.


Chart Of Accounts

This term is often used by accountants. It means, the list of account names which are set up for a company.

A listing of the Chart Of Accounts is available from the reports and enquires Category of Options which shows :

- The account number.

- The account  name.

- The current balance of the account.

- The category which the account belongs to.

The Chart Listing Options allow you to print out accounts for any criteria you specify.


Roll Over

This is a term often used by accountants. It means the periodic process required to increment the period to the next sucessive period ie go to the next month, quarter or whatever the reporting interval.

 Eg. If the company operates 12 monthly periods, on the finalisation of all entries for one month, a special process is required to change over to the next month, apply standing journals and to reverse automatic reversal entries. This process is called the Roll Over.

To perform the rollover  select the Maintenance category of Options and click on the text of "Rollover to Next Accounting Period" a warning message will appear which asks for confirmation that you want to perform this process.

It is strongly recommended that a BACK UP is done BEFORE this process is perfomed. The accounts for the current period should be completed before the rollover is done, you will not be able to print reports of the trial balance nor the financial statements for a prior period. (Year to Date budget versus actuals can be run retrospectively)

Note: The end of the year is detected automatically and will purge all transactions for the previous year. DO A BACK UP


Close Button

This is the button with a picture of a book or folder being closed. (See Below)

It's function when clicked is to shut down (or close) the current screen to go back to the previous one.


GST

Stands for Goods and Services Tax. This is the New Zealand advalorem tax  on all goods and services, currently at 12.5% on all but a few items income and expenditure. All companies with even a modest turnover (around $30,000 p.a.) must be registered.  This rate can be altered in this system on request should the legislation change.

Technical Note:

The GST rate is held as  a global variable in the GLGeneral module. In the unprotected Registered version this rate can be set to any value required.


Posted

This is a common accounting term which simply means the transaction has been processed and that all amounts which a transaction affects have been updated by the transaction.

Eg. The balance of the bank account is $20,000. Then a payment is made for $1,000. The payment may be recorded, but is not posted until the bank account balance is reduced to $19,000.


Standing Journals

Can also be termed recurring journals in some US accounting software. These journals are automatically created with the amounts and accounts as set up at the time the rolloveris performed. They are used primarily for automatic payments, depreciation entries or the release of a set amount of a prepayment to the expense account, where the amount and the account will be the same from month to month (or period to period).

Click the transactions entry category of Options, radio button on the main menu. A list of trnasction options will appear in the transactions option list opposite. Click on the text Standing Journals.

The input screen is much like the journal input screen except no dates are expected, simply:

Account details.

Debit or Credit amount

Standing Journal Reference number

Description of the journal

The date will automatically be entered as the first day of the new accounting period (once the rollover has completed.)


Automatic Reversals

Journals entered as Automatic Reversals (or Reversals) will be reversed in the period following the current period by a system created journal at the time of the rollover.

Such entries are useful for accrual or prepayment entries where the actual charge is expected in the next accounting period eg power, or telephone accruals (and many others). They are also useful for stock entries where all stock is taken out of cost of sales in the current month and automatically put back into cost of sales the following.

To create automatic reversals:

- Select the text journals from the cashbook transactions options screen.

- A check box will appear below the transaction type list box. Check this box.

- Enter the journal is the usual way.


Chart Additions

New accounts can be added to the chartby clicking on the text of the option "Add New Account Details" from the Maintenance option category on the main menu. The following details will need to be completed:

Account Code - this is the unique account number assigned to the new account. A lookup box is provided so you can see which account codes are already taken. It is usual to pick a number in order of the sequence you would expect to see in the final accounts. Easy will let you establish groupings for this purpose but the sorting within the group is done by account number (code).

Account Group - A drop down list shows the groups which are already set up. These allow the final accounts to be structured to the wishes of the user. New groups can be added or amended from the button on the screen for Adding or Altering Account Details.

Account Name - Is the name given to the account to describe the costs/revenues allocated to the account.

Last Year's Balance - Allows the input of the comparative figure for the previous year.

Account from Which Budgets For This Account Can Be Derived - Allows an account to be specified which can be refered to as the basis for the budgets for this account. Eg. If the new account is Sales Commissions, then this field could be set to the Sales account. When the option "Recalculate Budgets From Relation Factors" is chosen this account period budgets will be recalculated from the Sales Account budgets at the amount specified in "The Budgeted % of the Related Account". If no account is specified then the budgets will need to be entered manually.

Once all new accounts have been added click the close button.


Chart Amendments

Existing account details can be altered by clicking on the text of the option "Amend Account Details" from the Maintenance Option Category. A dialog allows the selection of an existing account, once selected the amendment screen will open showing the account selected ready for amendment.

In addition, by selecting the "Records" menu and the option "Show All records", all account details set up will be available for editing. Accounts will show in Account Code sequence. The account to edit can be selected using the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen

Naturally account balances cannot be changed since this would upset the balancing of accounts. However, last years balances are freely editable and no checking is performed on the double entry balancing.

All other fields can be changed:

- Account Code

- Account Name

- Account Group

- Account From Which Budgeted Amounts For this Account Can Be Derived

- Budgeted % of Related Account

See Chart Additions for a description of the use of these fields.


Navigation Buttons

These buttons switch between reords in the active table.

From left to right, the function of each button is as follows:

- Goto the first record.

- Goto the previous record.

- Goto the next record.

- Goto the last record.

The record numbers show whereabouts within the table (or dynaset) the current record is.


Bank Reconcilations

As with any good cashbook system a facility to match off payments and receipts against the bank statements is provided. These two options are available directly from the Main Menu screen under the Transactions Entry Category of Options. Only the main bank account (specified in the company record) is catered for, since reconciliations for minor bank accounts are handled more efficiently manually.

Matching  Payments Or Receipts

These options work in exactly the same way. The explanation will consider only payments but applies in the same way to the receipts option.

When the matching screen first comes up all payments whether matched or not will show. You can restrict the payments that are shown to:

- Only uncleared payments (or receipts)

- Uncleared or unpresented Payments and the current period's payments (or receipts)

by checking the bullets in the option group at the top of the screen.

The payments shown as unpresented can be toggled as cleared simply by clicking the button "Clear/Unclear". A statement reference can be input against the cleared payment, but naturally an error will occur if a statement reference is entered against an unpresented payment.

If a payment is subsequently identified as unpresented even though it has been previously cleared, it's status can be reverted back to unpresented by clicking on the "Clear/Unclear" button.

Once all matching has been done for all bank statements available, leave the matching screens with the Close button and run off the bank reconciliation statement from the Reports and Enquires Category of Options.


Budget Maintenance

There are two options for the entry of budgets.

- Enter the amounts directly for a specified account for each period

- Set up relation factors between accounts and have them calculate automatically. See Chart Amendments

To enter budget amounts directly

Use the Maintenance Category of options and click on Enter/ Amend Budgets option from the list. A dialog will appear from which you can select the account you wish to enter the budget for. The budget amendment screen will then appear from which each period's budgeted amounts can be altered at will.

Warning: A recalculation of budgets (from relation factors set up in the Chart Details) will overwrite any changes made manually.However, if no relation factor is set up for an account then no changes will be made.


Reporting

Flexiblity is available with all reports. In most cases reports can be directed in one of 4 ways:

- Print the report direclty to the printer.

- Preview the report on the screen, options are then available to print a specified page range etc.

- Direct the report to a Rich Text format file for reformating in Word for Windows.

- Direct the report to Excel format file for manipulation in Excel for Windows.

These options are selected from the bullet option group which appears each time you request a report.

MS Word or MS Excel can be started with the report in them by checking the Auto start box before the report option is selected.

Note:The export options are not available on the Trial Balance Report and the Bank Reconciliation Report.

As many new reports as required can be written using MS Access, but I recommend that new reports be kept in separate database with the relevant tables attached to the new database. Data cannot be amended or corrupted through reports so experimentation should be encouraged. Take care not to make any of your queries action queries when creating new reports. Strategic use of the security features of Access will ensure that you cannot alter data.


Shareware Version Limitations

This version of the database is secured and no development, alteration or debugging is possible. What you need is the REGISTERED version for a megre US$99. The REGISTERED version will allow any modification you may wish to make as well as remove the 100 transaction restriction. You will also be informed of updates as and when available.

Contract modifications can be made for reasonable rates.

Please advise of bugs irrespectiveof REGISTRATION status so they can be fixed.

GO SWREG in CompuServe, product #  your registration will be billed through your CompuServe account.


Account Enquiries

To examine the transactions which make up the balance of an individual account, click on the Reports and Equiries Category of Options and select Account Enquiry from the list of Reports and Enquiry Options.

A box will appear prompting for the name of the account to enquire on. (the chart of accounts for the company shown on the main menu screen is assumed). Enter the account name or the first few letters and click on the text of the account name with the mouse. The details of all amounts posted to this account will then show on the screen.

Note: Transactions that have not been posted will not show since these have not yet impacted on the balance of the account

To print out the account history click on the printer icon on this screen. The usual report options will show. Additional information about budgets and period totals will show on the report.

Note: Neither the GST account nor the Bank account can be printed or enquired on in this way. Special reports are available for this purpose.


Grouping Accounts

Each account in the chart of accountsis given an account group this  group should reflect the category of income, expenses, assets or liabilities to which it belongs eg. interest and bank charges might both belong to the "Financial Costs" group. The user has complete freedom to create/amend/delete groups as necessary. Most business have areas of cost which are unique to them. Eg a sheep farm may have groups such as Auction Expenses, Shearing costs etc, both these groups would be in the cost of sales section. The Auction Expenses may include autioneers comissions, haulage contractors, travel and accomadation etc

To enter, amend, delete or add groups of accounts use the Maintenance Category of options and click on Account Groups from the Maintenance option list. The navigation buttons can be used to select the group to be altered, alternatively it can be selected just by clicking on the text of any group.

Section In The Financial Accounts

Each group belongs to a section in the financial accounts. The financial statements show the total of all accounts in the group and the total is listed under the section specified for that group. The section can be altered in this screen if need be for any selected group. Using this system the format of the Financial Statements can be altered at will.

Order of Display in the Trial Balance

The trial balance lists accounts in order of the group that each account belongs to (and then code order) in the sequence defined in this screen. So like expenses, income, assets and liabilities are kept together rather than relying  on the account code as the order key (you could run out of account codes in a major reconstruction of the Chart).

Profit and Loss or Balance Sheet

Groups which belong in the profit and loss account are checked as such in this box. Indirectly all accounts which belong in the profit and loss account are identified since a group is attached to each account.

The buttons on this form allow Entry of New Groups and if after entering a new group you wsih to review the other groups the show all groups button reveals these for inspection.


Chart Listing Options

The details of the accounts set up can be printed off from the Reports and Enquires Category of Options and selecting Chart Listing Options from the list of options. As much flexibility as possible has been built into this report in terms of allowing the user to specify the accounts which are required to be listed.

Any of the fields in this screen can be completed to limit the accounts listed. ie accounts can be listed for a specific company, a specific group, account name, accounts which have a specific related account or balances, or any combination of several or all of these criteria.

Ranges

For any of these criteria a range of values can be selected eg if all accounts with balances between $10,000 to $20,000 were required to be listed you would enter 10000-20000 in the balance field (note credit balances are negatives, this example would only print accounts with debit balnces between $10,000 and $20,000) the "Range Specifier" could be altered to a colon if prefered.

Wildcards

The character "*" can be used to denote "any other characters" so for example all accounts beginning with a could be printed by entering an "a*" in the account field.

Once the selections have been made simply click on the printer icon to select the reporting options in the usual way.


Periods

The periods set up can be altered by selecting  the Maintenance category of Options and then clicking on the text of "Period Set up/Enquiry" from the option list.

The list of periods set up and the date of the last day in each period will show, these dates can be altered at will without any error checking. The month of this date shows in the transactions options menu You will not be able to change the current period, this is only displayed for enquiry purposes. New periods can be entered and periods deleted (provided no transactions are set up in the period)

Note: The only way to change the period is to perform the rollover.


The Author, Policy and Bugs

Easy Accounts was written by Phil Daintree B.A ,A.C.A.. I qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the UK and have over ten years experience both in public practice in the UK and New Zealand and accounting in manufacturing industry. Access development projects will be considered at competitive rates.

You can contact me via CompuServe 100355,3361 or Internet 100355.3361@Compuserve.Com or through more traditional means:

6 Taku Matenga Gr.,

Korokoro,

Lower Hutt.

New Zealand

Policy

Should you have  difficulties or require help in using this software, contact me. The policy is to continually develop and fine tune the software, your feedback is useful to ensure developments are beneficial to you the end user.

Bugs

Every effort is made to ensure that the software functions without any hiccoughs. Unfortunately, it is almost certain that one or two anomolies have slipped through the net. Please let me know through any of the above means.


Setting Up A New System

 A special set up database is provided to enable a new, blank system to be set up in minutes. Traditional accounting software takes a lot of setting up, not this system !

First exit from this system by clicking on the close button. Then open the database Setup.mdb in MSAccess. If transactions have been entered into an existing set up, a warning will show. If you are sure you want to proceed and delete any previous accounting system that has been set up click the OK button.... another warning appears to make doubly sure you are clear about the dire consequences for the old accounting system if you proceed. Remember this procedure will delete the entire set up of the previously live system. A copy of the old system could be made simply by copying Data.mdb to a new name, (but not Easy.mdb or set up.mdb)

Click OK to continue.

Enter Basic Company Data

A screen requesting the input of some basic company data  will then be displayed. The company (or enterprise's) name and address etc can be input here. Any of this information can be changed once in Easy Accounts in any event. Once the data entered is as you want it click on the close button at the top left of this window.

Select the Appropriate Business Category that Most Describes you Business

The next screen asks for input of a business category which most fits your business. The reason for this is that the type of accounts needing to be set up can to some extent be predicted based on the broad area of business the company is in. E.g. a service industry would not need to have accounts for raw materials but a maufacturing business would. A chart of accounts will be set up with enough accounts to get you started. New accounts can be added once in Easy Accounts and existing accounts can be altered too.

Select the Preferred Reporting Periods

The final screen gives you a choice of reporting periods, ie monthly, quarterly, six monthly etc The period you specify will be set up in Easy Accounts, again you can change this once in Easy Accounts. The year end of March of the current year is assumed - again you can alter this later.

The set up can now be fine tuned to your specific requirements from Easy Accounts.


Backing Up Your System

The database Data.mdb contains all of the information you have input. If you make a copy of it after the most recent input then should something go wrong or you make a mistake then you can always go back to the copy.

You can make copies using the windows filemanger outside of Easy Accounts, see you windows documentation.

It is also wise to keep a copy of the Easy.mdb and SetUp.mdb on a floppy diskette in case they ever get corrupted on you hard disk.

Note: You should ideally backup Data.mdb to an external storage medium, which is stored away from the live system.Do not call the copy Easy.mdb or SetUp.mdb  if you backup to your own hard disk because this could overwrite the databases which make the data work!

It is especially important to do a backup (make a copy of Data.mdb) before running the end of year ie  a normal rollover in the last period, which goes to the first period again. The last period is automatically detected and transactions are automatically purged. A backup prior to the rollover may be useful in future to review a previous years figures.