Accpac Dos to Access

[A***@sympatico.ca]

We are trying to help clients move their data from Accpac Plus in Dos
to a Microsoft Accounting system or alternatively to Office 2000,
MsAccess or Excel.

Can we receive any suggestions on how we should proceed in this
converstion.

Mehran

[Chris Gunn]

Post by A***@sympatico.ca
We are trying to help clients move their data from Accpac Plus in Dos
to a Microsoft Accounting system or alternatively to Office 2000,
MsAccess or Excel.

Howdy,

I have some experience in moving data bases between various programs. The
first step is to get both programs to export things in the comma delimited
*.csv format. Then using Excel, you can move the columns around and get the
title lines to match.

You may find the data stored in six or more data files. That can get messy
if the programs use internal linking that does not match. If you can't tell
what some columns are doing and the title lines are confusing, you may not
succeed.

BTW, the original DOS version of Accpac Plus will probably out perform the
newer Windows programs for speed and efficiency. Back in the old DOS days
we used to program some parts in optimized machine code that screams circles
around complied code. After the move, this company may find they accumulate
over an hour worth of little waits each day waiting for things to happen.

For security, a dedicated DOS box (with no Internet connections) is about as
secure a system as you can get.

Thanks, Chris www.bizynet.com and www.bizycart.com
BIZynet Coordinator ***@bizynet.com - [phone]

P.S. One of the first things to check when deciding on an accounting
program is whether it can export and import *.csv files. If not, move on to
another one. Among other things, *.csv files are the best way to backup
your data.

[San Diego CPA]

Post by A***@sympatico.ca
We are trying to help clients move their data from Accpac Plus in Dos
to a Microsoft Accounting system or alternatively to Office 2000,
MsAccess or Excel.
Can we receive any suggestions on how we should proceed in this
converstion.
Mehran

First, determine if this is even a good idea to do. If there are years of
history (which is likely because we're talking about a DOS program here),
more than likely it will not be worth the effort to convert historical data
into the new system. A better approach will likely be close the books for
the current year in Accpac, bring the 12/31/06 balances into the new
software as 12/31/06 balances, this way the new year will start off w/ good
balaances. Use Accpac for reporting on historical periods and the new
system for current reporting. If you want year-over-year comparisons from
the new system, you may want to bring in year-end numbers for the prior 2-5
years depending on your needs. If you take this approach, be sure to force
a book income/loss number and carry it to retained earnings each year to
close out r/e properly. Of course, you'll want to export non-transaction
data from Accpac such as customer & vendor data so you can import it into
the new software. The new software will more-than-likely have a standard
interface included to accomodate this, Accpac probably has a facility for
exporting it, if not, there are a number of methods you can use such as
printing to text files.

[A***@sympatico.ca]

Thank you for your suggestion and historical data is wanted.
We are able to export from each Accpac module one table, but this is
not enough. We will keep trying to find an answer if possible for two
more weeks.

Mehran

Post by San Diego CPA

Post by A***@sympatico.ca
We are trying to help clients move their data from Accpac Plus in Dos
to a Microsoft Accounting system or alternatively to Office 2000,
MsAccess or Excel.
Can we receive any suggestions on how we should proceed in this
converstion.
Mehran

First, determine if this is even a good idea to do. If there are years of
history (which is likely because we're talking about a DOS program here),
more than likely it will not be worth the effort to convert historical data
into the new system. A better approach will likely be close the books for
the current year in Accpac, bring the 12/31/06 balances into the new
software as 12/31/06 balances, this way the new year will start off w/ good
balaances. Use Accpac for reporting on historical periods and the new
system for current reporting. If you want year-over-year comparisons from
the new system, you may want to bring in year-end numbers for the prior 2-5
years depending on your needs. If you take this approach, be sure to force
a book income/loss number and carry it to retained earnings each year to
close out r/e properly. Of course, you'll want to export non-transaction
data from Accpac such as customer & vendor data so you can import it into
the new software. The new software will more-than-likely have a standard
interface included to accomodate this, Accpac probably has a facility for
exporting it, if not, there are a number of methods you can use such as
printing to text files.