[GNC] Having trouble trying to use Gnucash instead of Aplos

[Mike or Penny Novack]

On 9/15/2019 9:15 AM, Daniel Wieberdink wrote:
> I was hoping to transition to Gnucash to track finances for the small
> church we belong to. I started by optimistically trying to import about 3
> years worth of transactions from Aplos into GC via a CSV file. That didn't
> go as smoothly as I hoped.
Let me start by asking an important question. This "Aplos" application 
where you have the last three years data.Is something wrong with it? You 
will no longer have it available? << to view, to produce reports from, 
the existing data >>

Because if THAT is the case, why are you trying to migrate this data to 
your new gnucash books?

In the old days, pen and ink on paper in bound volumes, they used to go 
to "new" books all the time. Close the old books and open new books in 
fresh volumes on a regular basis << what else to do as physical books 
became full >>

You can do the same sort of thing migrating to gnucash. You use your old 
application to produce a Balance Sheet as of the date of migration and 
use this to establish the opening balance of each of the "standing 
accounts". Then when and if you need to refer to old data (stuff before 
this date) you use the old application.  In my experience, such need to 
reference the old data is rare.

That's what I have done every time I migrated an organization  to 
gnucash. I never tried migrating the old data. Perhaps if I had had to 
deal with some fixed assets, I might have handled those differently << 
not just the balance remaining as of of the date of starting the gnucash 
books but the basis and depreciation history --- if you have to deal 
with those I will show you >>

Michael D Novack

PS: I do not ever use "opening balance" instead entering explicit 
opening the books transactions, one for debits and one for credits.