Report per activity

[Mike or Penny Novack]

I was probably far from clear. I didn't mean that given a suitable chart 
of accounts gnucash couldn't directly produce the reports (reports 
specifying selected accounts). Just that probably easier to use gnucash 
to produce the data (still need a suitable chart of accounts) but then 
the raw standard reports be exported and edited for each special 
purpose. Because in reality you are likely to want to edit the reports 
anyway before formal presentation. When I began with gnucash I asked the 
accountant type if I should write a bunch of custom reports and he said 
"don't bother, Mike -- easier to do with a standard editor" (and it is*).

But the basic question points out a need. We need USER GUIDES which is 
not at all the same thing as a MANUAL. Not dealing with questions at the 
same level of detail. Guides that might cover things like ........

a) Gnucash for the non-profit (and which might be a membership 
organization needing to track memberships and pledges even though the 
organization is on a cash basis)

b) Gnucash for the cash basis business that needs invoice/customer 
tracking (like a farm, which wants to be cash basis but has  a CSA** 
operation to be tracked)

etc. etc.

This sort of thing would usually use "case studies" as examples and then 
show the sort of chart of accounts that would be set up, what reports 
run, etc. << and how it  might want./need "subsidiary books" >>

Michael D Novack

* There are a great many things unfair to ask the accounting system to 
be able to do. For example, you can choose the "nesting level" to be 
shown in a report but in reality you may want different levels of detail 
in different parts of the report. Easy to run the report at the highest 
level you need and edit away the unwanted details where that is desired.

** Community Supported Agriculture --- "members" get periodic deliveries 
of produce, etc.