David, Thanks so much for all the detailed information and help. I did read "The Basics" and some of the other Help Documentation. But then I got impatient and wanted to try something. Another problem, I suppose, is that I have no accounting background whatsoever. You're right I should have started with a much smaller chuck of data to import. I will try the File>Export>Account Tree function to save my account setup and start over. Thanks again.
On Sun, Sep 15, 2019 at 4:54 PM David Cousens <davidcous...@bigpond.com> wrote: > Daniel, > > Have you read the first few chapters of the guide which will help with > understanding how GnuCash works. The section headed "The Basics" > (https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v3/C/gnucash-guide/index.html)> is an > introduction to the conceptual basis. Unllike many programs GnuCash's > operation is upfront double entry accounting and actions are generally > initiated from the account registers. > > There is also the Help Manual which is more gui oriented rather than > process > oriented (https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v3/C/gnucash-help/help.html). > > Importing can be interesting. AT present the documentation on the importer > is being upgraded but this is not yet complete in the current > documentation. It is likely you end up with Imbalance entries on input > because the records you are inputting do not specify the second account for > a transaction. There are at least two accounts associated with each > transaction (and sometimes more - see the basis section above if you are > not familiar with this). If you have exported the transactions from Aplos > from a single account at a time then the source account will generally be > the account you have exported from and this may or may not be a field in > the > exported data. > > I don't know how Aplos functions and whether it uses categories like > Quicken > but if it does then the category for an expense or income item will usually > become the account name of an expense, income, asset(for transfers) or > liability (loans and credit cards) account in Gnucash. This should be > specified in another field of the output data and it is this field which is > not being imported correctly. Your export format will either have an amount > column or separate columns for Debits and Credits. On importing these have > to be matched with the Deposit or Withdrawal column headers if multicolumn. > If importing an Asset account and you have a single amount column if +ve > numbers are debits to the account and negative numbers credit you would > normally match the GnuCash Deposits header to that column. > > It is usually better to experiment with a small file of 10-20 lines first > and sort out the settings that work before trying to import all your back > data. GnuCash can stroe those settings in the import setup dialog so you > can > resue them. One reason for this is that GnuCash has an automatic process > for > matching the second or transfer account in imported data. This is a window > called the Import Matcher which comes up immediately after you hit the > button to import. > > If the imported data does not contain the second/transfer account in a > field or if it is the first lot of data you import GnuCash does not have an > association between the account names/categories in the imported data and > the internal GnuCash account names which you may or may not have created at > this stage. Unmatched rows will have a gold background and will have the > Imbalance account specified in the Info column if this is the case. Double > click on the row to open a dialog to assign an appropriate transfer > account. > If you do not have a suitable transfer account created there is a new > account button which will allow you to create one. It is probably better to > think out at least a basic set of expense and income accounts before > starting if you can. > > If the background to a row is green and the A checkbox is checked GnuCash > will have matched the imported information to an existing account. You will > need to check that this match is correct. If the U+R checkbox is checked > and the background is green then an existing record in GnuCash has been > matched double clicking on the row in this case opens a dialog to examine > that match and allow you to accept or reject it. If the R box is check and > the background is green it has been matched to an existing transaction and > will not be imported. Anything with a red background will need action as > it > neither matches an existing transaction or is valid to be imported. You > can > alter GnuCash's decision by changing the checkedcheckbox to A if you want > to > import the data. > > The other problem you will encounter is that if you import your checking > account and then later a credit card account payments from your checking > account to the credit card account are generally imported in both data sets > and you can end up with duplicates. GnuCash handles this by searching for > existing transactions matching the imported data as above. In this case > you > don't change the decision be GnuCash to not import the data. > > The easiest way to get rid of the transactions you have already imported > incorrectly is to open a new file and save it over the same filename. If > you > have setup a Chart of Accounts already this will also clear that. In that > case use File->Export->Account Tree to CSV to export the account tree > before overwriting the file and then reimport it using > File->Import->Import > Accounts from CSV (not necessary if you are using an account setup created > during the new file setup process and have not added to it). > > If you still have access to the previous program consider whether you are > not better off just starting from the current date using GnuCash. It is > also > possible to import back data later when you are more familiar with > GnuCash's > operations if absolutely necessary. When I did this, I did it six months at > a time and adjusted the opening Balances and dates on them as I worked > backwards and reconciled the major asset accounts against statements once I > had the data in. > > David Cousens > > > > ----- > David Cousens > -- > Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-f1415819.html > _______________________________________________ > gnucash-user mailing list > gnucash-user@gnucash.org > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user > If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see > https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. > ----- > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. > _______________________________________________ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. ----- Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. 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