Warning

Product support for the Creative Solutions Accounting platform ended on September 30, 2020.

Help & How-To Center content for the Creative Solutions Accounting platform may be outdated and is used at your own risk.

Please begin by reading this topic in its entirety, and then complete the steps listed for each CBS client that you will be converting from WS2 to CSA. After moving the client's data to CSA, you will not be able to continue processing the client in WS2.

Before converting the client from WS2 to CSA

Before converting a Client Bookkeeping Solution client from WS2 to CSA, you must completely process all client export data. After converting the client, you will lose any export data that has not already been processed. It is also recommended that no payroll be processed in the client's office after their final export but before you convert the client to CSA and then generate a new Transfer Disk for the client to import.

The following steps apply only for a client already using Client Bookkeeping Solution, not for a client using The Checkbook Solution.

At the accountant's office

1. From the CSA Utilities menu, point to Data Conversion and then choose Write-Up Solution II.
2. In the Location of WS2 system field, enter the drive and folder where your WS2 application files are currently loaded, or click the Browse button to search for the correct folder.
3. In the Location of WS2 data field, enter the drive and folder where your WS2 data files are currently located, or click the Browse button to search for the correct folder.
4. In the WS2 client to convert field, choose the client you wish to convert by selecting it from the drop-down list.
5. You may mark one or more of the following checkboxes, as appropriate for the selected client:
   • Convert account groups. The converted account groups are added to the default account groups provided with your Write-Up CS application.
     (Note that if you intend to license the client for the CBS Financial Statements module, you will need to use the default account groups.)
   • Convert after-the-fact payroll and vendor data.
   • Convert employee earnings. The conversion utility creates global pay items from the wages in WS2, and it converts any monthly, quarterly, and annual earnings amounts for each employee. You should choose this option if converting a noncalculating payroll client.

     Do not mark this checkbox if the client is using CBS PayCheck. Payroll items and earnings information for a client using CBS PayCheck will convert to CSA payroll items in CBS when the client imports the first Transfer Disk from Accountant's Assistant into CBS. The employees' payroll items and earnings information in CSA will be updated each time you retrieve the client's export files into Accountant's Assistant.

   • Include payroll items with zero amounts. Converts all payroll items for an employee. Otherwise, only the payroll items with year-to-date earnings for an employee will convert.
   • Convert Accountant's Utilities data. Converts data from Client Bookkeeping Solution Accountant's Utilities (CBS AU). Data from Checkbook Solution Accountant's Utilities (CBS for DOS) will not be converted. Note that any templates in CBS AU will not convert to Accountant's Assistant, nor will localities convert from CBS AU Display UAUUL. After completing the conversion process, you will need to go into Accountant's Assistant and (from Setup > PayCheck Tax Information > Local dialog) add any localities that existed in CBS AU. Also, if you have used CBS AU Display UAUSPMt to mark specific deductions to turn off, then you will need to go into Accountant's Assistant and (from Setup > Miscellaneous Information > PayCheck tab) select those deductions in the grid provided.
   • Convert transactions.
6. For the target client, choose one of the following options:
   • Create a new CSA client. Enter the WS2 client ID to use for the new CSA client.

     If you want to use a different client ID in the CSA application than was used in WS2, prior to the first export of client data you or your client must change the client ID in the CBS application (on the Utilities > Administrator's Utilities dialog) to match to the CSA application.

   • Convert into current client. For this option, the client must already be open in CSA. No payroll information is converted and only information from the General Ledger tab of the Client Properties dialog is overwritten. This option is meant to be used for an existing CSA > Payroll CS client for which you need to add the General Ledger module.
7. Click the Convert button. Data will be converted as described in The Write-Up Solution II to Creative Solutions Accounting (Write-Up CS) Conversion Guide (PDF), which you can view in the Adobe Reader.

Verify data in CSA and Accountant's Assistant

After you have finished the conversion process, you should verify your information in CSA.

8. Templates. In CSA, choose Setup > Employee Templates and modify the existing templates or add new ones. If your client is a noncalculating payroll client, the template information is used as the department information for the employees. (If you will be importing client data from CBS (DOS), these templates are also used as the employee templates for PayCheck employees. CSA does provide three default templates that you can copy and modify to suit the client's specific needs.)
   • If your client does not need to process employees with tips, it is recommended that you delete the Tipped template provided by the application. If your client will be processing tips and you want to use the Tipped template, you must delete the pay items that are restricted in CBS. The following pay item types are considered restricted and never transfer to CBS: Allocated Tips, Indirect Tips, TDW Reduction, Tipped Wages, and Tips Deemed to be Wages.
   • For clients offering pre-tax deductions, you now need to set up only the deduction item. Corresponding pay items are no longer needed for CBS versions 2001.5.5 and higher.
9. Payroll Departments. After you have finished setting up the employee templates in CSA, choose Setup > Payroll Departments to assign the templates to departments. Also select GL Department and GL Location accounts if the client's Chart of Account Mask includes a D for departments or L or locations and the employee templates will be using GL combining account types.
10. Localities. In Accountant's Assistant, choose Setup > PayCheck Tax Information > Local dialog, and edit any localities that converted from CBS AU and enter any necessary information.
11. Deductions. If you have used CBS AU Display UAUSPMt to mark specific deductions to turn off, then in Accountant's Assistant you need to choose Setup > Miscellaneous Information > PayCheck tab and mark the deductions you wish to exclude in the grid provided.

Verify security settings for the CBS client modules

12. In Accountant's Assistant, choose Setup > Security to review and, if necessary, modify the security settings for each of the CBS client modules to enable the features you want the client to use.

Create a transfer disk for the CBS client to import

It is strongly recommended that you convert at least one WS2 client with earnings before creating your first Transfer Disk for a CBS client. After you have completed each of the steps listed above, you need to complete the following setup steps in Accountant's Assistant.

13. From the Accountant's Assistant main window, choose Tasks > Generate. In the Generate Client Information dialog, select all information and then click the Generate button. This creates a temporary file that enforces the setup rules for new Client Bookkeeping Solution clients and requires a specific set of data. After the application displays a message stating the Accountant's Transfer Disk was generated successfully, you may discard, erase, or overwrite this temporary file. You will not be using this file for an actual import into CBS.
14. Generate a new Accountant's Transfer Disk for import into Client Bookkeeping Solution. In the Generate Client Information dialog; select only License Files, Security, and Miscellaneous Information for each module you want to license, and also select Payroll Items. Payroll Departments are generated with employee templates. All payroll items assigned to templates will be generated. (Note that you may wish to generate all payroll items for the client; if so, mark the Generate all payroll items checkbox in the Setup > Miscellaneous Information dialog.)

    You must create this transfer file and retrieve it into CBS before the client completes the next export. If this step is not performed, you will not be able to retrieve the client's export files into CSA (you would only be able to retrieve it into WS2).

At the client's office

Before you travel to a client's office, we strongly recommend that you first perform these steps for a CBS client at your own office. This will enable you to see how the conversion process works and help you to know what to expect.

1. At the client's office, install the CBS client module(s) from the Client Bookkeeping Solution CD, v.2003.1.x or greater.
2. Open CBS.
3. If you are converting the client data from The Checkbook Solution (DOS), first choose File > Import > From CBS For DOS (before choosing the Import from Accountant command).
4. Open the client company in CBS.
5. To back up the company data, choose File > Backup > Database.
6. To import the accountant's Transfer Disk created in Accountant's Assistant, choose File > Import > From Accountant. After this import, the client is considered a CSA client and will now be able to export data only to Accountant's Assistant and CSA not to CBS AU and WS2).

   Note: If your client has CBS PayCheck, please be aware that your tax ID codes will change. The PayCheck items will have the same functionality as before; only the tax ID code that is referenced will be different.

Related topics

• Converting CBS/Payroll (DOS) and CBS PayCheck Clients from WS2 to Write-Up CS (PDF)
• Converting a CBS (DOS) client to Client Bookkeeping Solution

Return to Conversion of existing CBS clients from WS2 to CSA

Was this article helpful?

Yes No

Submit