Re: [libreoffice-users] calc and bookkeeping

Hi :)
Spreadsheets are not really made to be good at accounting and bookkeeping.
GnuCash or other dedicated programs might be better.  Spreadsheets are
designed to do a lot of calculations.

So, spreadsheets ARE great for doing "working papers" such as to;
*  "reconciliations" (although the dedicated bookkeeping programs would
still probably be better) usually "bank reconciliations" although there
might be other types of accounts that need reconciling against each other
to check both sets of records are in sync and correctly acknowledge
outstanding items.
*  VAT or tax calculations
*  preparation for "End of Year" accounts and /or management accounts


Generally in bookkeeping if you get near the end of a page, or at a
convenient point (say at the end of a month) then you do all the subtotals
as "brought forwards" (seems like the wrong term but it's the one used in
bookkeeping and accountancy) often shortened to "b/f" or "b/fwds".  Then at
the top of the new page/sheet you have those same figures copied in as
"carried forwards" or "c/f" or "c/fwds".  In spreadsheets those carried
forwards values can be set as formulas so that if the b/fwds figures change
then those changes ripple through the whole set of accounts.  That makes it
easier for bookkkeepers but it's a nightmare for accountants.



It sounds like you are trying to set-up 2 new systems to cross-check
against each other.  This sounds like a complete nightmare and likely to
create tons of trouble.  Using spreadsheets for accounting or bookkeeping
takes a lot of time and resources to set-up.  If you really need to run 2
different systems at the same time then it's probably better to just keep
the old system going rather than to pour resources into setting up a 2nd
different one that you also can't be completely confident about!

Also it's a good idea to get a specialist in to help.  An experienced
bookkeeper might be able to set-up something workable in spreadsheets much
more quickly than someone who is not trained in accounts.  There are a LOT
of potential pitfalls they are probably used to dodging (although i know of
a few they usually miss).
Regards from
Tom :)




On 7 December 2014 at 13:12, Wiebe van der Worp <w@vanderworp.org> wrote:

> First post, not sure it is the right place, hi there!
>
> For 2015 I would like to keep a shadow bookkeeping in Calc in order to
> check our bookkeeping program for a while.
>
> Input: In order to keep things simple: three columns with Description,
> Amount and a LedgerCode.
>
> Output: Sums per LedgerCode
>
> Several solutions are thinkable of, such as conditional testing and
> lookups. However, if the list grows and contains thousands of lines it will
> influence performance.
>
> The question: What is the most efficient approach in order to keep the
> sheet alive after adding record 2384?
>
> Example:
> LedgerCode: 1, 2, 3
> -------------------
> 1       € 100,00
> 2       € 65,00
> 3       € 22,00
> -------------------
> Description     Amount  LedgerCode
> booking 1       € 100,00        1
> booking 2       € 50,00 2
> booking 3       € 20,00 3
> booking 4       € 10,00 2
> booking 5       € 5,00  2
> booking 6       € 2,00  3
>
>
>
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