While you are learning GnuCash (and accounting) I recommend:
1. Turning on Formal Accounting Labels
Preferences > Accounts > Labels > Use formal accounting labels
2. Turning on Transaction Journal View
Preferences > Register Defaults > Default Style > Transaction Journal
3. Turning on Double-Line Mode
Preferences > Register Defaults > Other Defaults > Double line view
4. Find a basic accounting text online, or buy one for reference
https://www.principlesofaccounting.com/
5. Record transactions in the account where the money comes 'from'.
6. Record transactions as soon as you can after they occur.
7. Record as much information as you can using Description, Notes (only
visible in Double Line Mode) and Memo fields.
8. Don't combine receipts with multiple line-items into a single split.
#1–3 will be useful for facilitating your learning from the #4 text
references. Those options will also allow you to see all-at-once, all of
a transaction's info/data as close as you can get to a spreadsheet or
text file. (with a caveat for the special Business Features, though
there are ways to see most/all of that too, just not in one place)
#5 will help you keep straight the idea that money always flows *from*
one (or more) accounts *to* one (or more) other accounts. It never
appears or vanishes from/to thin air.
Alternatively, if you don't want to be restricted in the visible
accounts, enter transactions using Tools > General Journal, but do note
that it is limited by default to only 30 days (changeable, but you have
to do so each run) and using it can certainly lead to some confusion if
you are still learning the 'flow' of money.
#6 is important to prevent a pile-up of data to enter, and makes the
task less daunting. I try to enter transactions daily if possible.
Frequent entry also facilitates #7, because info about the transaction
is freshest in your mind.
#7 is important for general documentation reasons, and is always good
habit, but this is especially true when learning accounting and GnuCash
as you will invariably adjust your Chart of Accounts over time and will
very likely desire to re-assign entire transactions, or even just one or
two splits of a transaction to a different account. With the info at
hand, you can make a better decision in those cases. I use the
Description for the Payee/Payor (who the money goes to, or comes from),
the Notes field for general transaction info, and the Memo fields for
anything specific to that split line.
#8 is also important for the same reasons. If you combine line items
now, and later decide to separate them, if you don't have the individual
amounts and a good Memo description, you can't. Autofill works wonders
in GnuCash. Yes, initially you will be doing lots of typing, but this
will drastically fall off over time.
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As others noted, the default data store is XML. Stick with that for now.
(GnuCash only uses db backends as a data store that is read entirely
into memory like with XML, it is not a real database application, yet.)
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Concerning 'immutability' there is no such thing if you have sufficient
access and knowledge to manipulate files. You impose your own rules on
yourself in this regard. (unless you have an outside 'controller'
individual that you have to verify and report to)
In the old days, one of these controls was to use ink, not pencil to
record transactions. This necessitated correcting entries, rather than
editing. Original errors are preserved and then later corrected and
explained. You can still work this way if you like, but you also have
the flexibility to just edit the original transaction too. Since my
books are for me and no one else, I just edit in place. But if I did
have to report to someone else, I'd use correcting entries.
Regards,
Adrien
On 11/18/23 9:08 PM, Wu Ming via gnucash-user wrote:
Hello,
I am not an accountant. Nevertheless was recently asked to administer a family
micro business.
With few tens of customers and a handful of transactions a year for each,
volume doesn’t seem large. I can possibly manage with a spreadsheet.
The newly hired, first employee is an unknown. There’s no transactions history
to look at.
One concern is the learning process. On a text document or spreadsheet I am
used to fix mistakes by deleting what is wrong. And start over with ample copy
and paste to reuse. On a spreadsheet also everything is, mostly, under sight. I
can literally use the zoom in and out function.
I have the idea of accounting books being this sacred repository carved in
stone. Where only adding transactions is allowed. What is the reality for who
uses GNU Cash?
Another concern is of reproducibility. With a text file it is easy to diff and
find what changed and by who. And merge or roll back version. With a database
is not. Data model is likely relational, db file is binary so it requires
another tool to interact with, backup up as well and concurrent use requires
checks and locks. I have read GNU Cash uses SQLlite. How do you deal with
versioning / backups and uncoordinated, albeit rare, access from few users?
On the subject I was also toying with the idea to implement something with GNU
Recutils. Relational, plain text file based data store. But I don’t think have
the skills or time for it.
I helped at developing web applications for medium sized businesses. Have some
experience of databases and UNIX. Not with accounting on a shoestring though.
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