If you transition your clients from Client Bookkeeping Solution (CBS) to Accounting CS Client Access, please keep in mind that you cannot convert client data directly from CBS to Accounting CS. You must first retrieve the data into Accountant's Assistant, transfer the data to Creative Solutions Accounting (CSA), and then convert the client data from CSA to Accounting CS.
Conversion workflow and accounts receivable conversion utility
- Before you convert client data from Client Bookkeeping Solution to Accounting CS, you may find it helpful to review the Converting client data from Client Bookkeeping Solution (CBS): workflow.
- If you are converting CBS Accounts Receivable data, you can use the CBS AR spreadsheet utility to pull customer, invoice item, and sales tax data directly from a CBS company database and put that data in a spreadsheet that is formatted and ready for import into Accounting CS via the Spreadsheet import wizard.
Conversion procedure
Video: Converting client data from CBS to Accounting CS (approx. 20 minutes)
- Instruct your CBS client to export their most current CBS data.
- In Accountant's Assistant, retrieve the client's CBS data and address any data issues.
Note: To ensure that data for all vendor types are transferred from CBS to CSA (and subsequently to Accounting CS), in Accountant's Assistant, choose Setup > Miscellaneous Information. In the CheckWriter tab, mark the Allow non-1099 vendors for CheckWriter checkbox, and then mark the Agents and Other checkboxes.
- Transfer the client's data to CSA.
- Convert the client data from CSA to Accounting CS.
CBS data that is not converted
The following CBS client data or pieces of that data will not be converted from CSA to Accounting CS.
None of the CBS check layouts (including predefined CBS layouts) will be converted. If your client created their own check layouts and none of the standard Accounting CS layouts will work for those layouts, you will need to recreate those layouts for the client in the Accounting CS Layout Designer.
If you enabled the bank reconciliation feature in CBS to enable your clients to reconcile their own bank accounts, the following reconciliation data will not be converted.
- All historical bank reconciliation data
- All work-in-progress bank reconciliation data
- The cleared status for all transactions
Security settings for the CBS administrator and other CBS users in the client's office will not be converted to Accounting CS. You must set up a client staff record (in the Setup > Firm Information > Client Staff screen) for each staff member in the client's office who will be using Accounting CS Client Access.
In the Security tab of the Client Staff screen, you can assign each client staff member to appropriate client security groups, enabling access to only those areas of the application that are selected for the group.
Data for the following fields in the Setup > Vendors window in CBS will not be converted to CSA. Consequently, that data will not be converted to Accounting CS. Either the accountant or the client will need to enter this information after the client data is converted to Accounting CS Client Access.
- General tab — FAX #, Pay type preference, E-mail, Web page, Ven desc
- Distributions tab
- Check memo
- For vendor records that exist in CSA, if the distributions are edited in CBS, the updated information is not transferred back to CSA. Therefore, that information must be updated in Accounting CS Client Access before issuing checks to those vendors.
To make vendor setup easier, you can use the Spreadsheet import wizard to import vendor data from an XLS or XLSX spreadsheet.
Data for the following fields in the Setup > Employees window in CBS will not be converted to CSA. Consequently, that data will not be converted to Accounting CS. Either the accountant or the client will need to enter this information after the client data is converted to Accounting CS Client Access.
For clients who are licensed for the optional CBS PayCheck module
- General tab — E-mail address, Web page, Memo
- Personal tab — Comments
- Benefits tab — Benefit balances
- Tax W/H and Deds tab — W4 information for federal, state, and local withholdings
For clients who are not licensed for the optional CBS PayCheck module
- General tab — E-mail address, Web page
- Check Distributions tab — Memo
To make employee setup easier, you can use the Spreadsheet import wizard to import employee data from an XLS or XLSX spreadsheet.
If your CBS client is licensed for the optional Accounts Payable module, none of the accounts payable setup or transaction data is exported to CSA. Consequently, that data will not be converted to Accounting CS.
Accounting CS does enable you to import accounts payable transaction data — including payment terms, AP accounts, distributions, vendor information, and more — via the Spreadsheet import wizard. Accounting CS saves these transactions as live payables, credit memos, and payments.
If your CBS client is licensed for the optional Accounts Receivable module, none of the accounts receivable setup or transaction data is converted to CSA. Consequently, that data will not be converted to Accounting CS.
Accounting CS does enable you to import the following types of accounts receivable data via the Spreadsheet import wizard.
Note: You can use the CBS AR spreadsheet utility to pull customer, invoice item, and sales tax data directly from a CBS company database and put that data in a spreadsheet that is formatted and ready for import into Accounting CS via the Spreadsheet import wizard.
The following CBS transactions will not be converted to Accounting CS Client Access.
- All unprinted and/or current (unexported) and future-period transactions
- Detailed, historical vendor/payee and payroll checks
Notes
- The amount of historical data available to the client depends on the amount of historical data the accountant maintains in Accounting CS.
- The client will not have the ability to print a detailed Check List for prior months.
- Adjustments
You can use the Spreadsheet import wizard to import the following types of transaction data from an XLS or XLSX spreadsheet.
| Transaction type |
Notes |
| AP check |
If the AP service is not enabled, the application displays an error in the Transaction Type field. |
| AP payment |
If the AP service is not enabled, the application displays an error in the Transaction Type field. |
| Check |
|
| Credit |
This type will be imported as a Deposit. |
| Debit |
This type will be imported as a Payment. |
| Deposit |
|
| Journal entry |
If you are licensed for only Accounting CS Payroll, the application will not import journal entries. |
| Payment |
|
| Withdrawal |
This type will be imported as a Payment. |
None of the memorized transactions set up in CBS will be converted. This includes any recurring information for Check, Other Payment, Other Deposit, Journal Entry, and Deposit transactions in CBS.
None of the custom items set up in the Setup > Filters, Setup > Maintain Lists, or Setup > Groups dialogs in CBS will be converted.
Information for Accounting CS Client Access
You can enable Accounting CS Client Access to give authorized staff in your client's office the ability to record their day-to-day accounting and payroll information in the same database that you use to process their data. There is no need to export and import data between applications because you are both working in the same database.
For information on Accounting CS Client access, see the Setting up a client for Accounting CS Client Access procedure.
If your firm has access to a certified terminal server professional, you can host Accounting CS Client Access on your firm's own servers, rather than on our servers. For information, see the Setup Instructions for Firm-Hosted Client Access PDF.
Accounting CS
