undo close books?

[Mike or Penny Novack]

Geoff Jankowski wrote:

>William
>
>I confess I take a different view.  On my VT accounts package I lock each year.  If I try to enter something in a prior year I get a message and if I really want to make the change I can but it serves as a good reminder not to mess with prior year accounts.  I do not see this as an accountant demand but a user discipline aid for those of us that run our own business and accounts.  We are so busy trying to make money that we do not have time to be accounting principles experts as well.
>
>While paper copies are used at the moment, I see the uk moving quickly to an online submission system and it will be necessary to be able to refer back to prior electronic accounts (previous 7 years) that are accurate against the submitted accounts.  It is not an issue at the moment but I do not think it would be a bad idea to provide a locking option longer term in the software.
>
>  
>
Geoff,
   You aren't understanding what the developers are saying.

    The sort of lock you describe (in the software) is effective (means 
something) only under two assumptions:

a) The software is NOT "open software".
b) Those with custody of the books lack programmer abilities OR the 
access to anybody who has those abilities.

    The developers are saying that NEITHER of those conditions are true, 
the first obviously so, and so providing the sort of lock you think 
should be there would NOT actually prevent the data from being modified.

   They are suggesting that proof of "no modifications" means burring a 
copy onto read only medium. Actually, even that could be circumvented 
unless what was done was to make two (or more) copies with at least one 
sent to a repository out of the control of those in custody of the books.

    As a retired senior systems analyst with decades working in the 
"financial" sector who sometimes wrote special programs to figure out 
who was making off with what I agree with them. Real security is useful; 
false security less so. Simply posting a sign saying "these premises 
protected by xyz" MAY be effective in deterring  some invasions but poor 
proof that no invasion will be or has taken place.

Michael D Novack, FLMI