Historical Data imported in ? What is the best way ?

Business Central/NAV User Forum
1

To be quite honest, I have done lots of NAV implementations, with each one, only opening balances have been brought in. Until now.

So let’s make this simple, fiscal year of Jan.1 - Dec. 31.

Right now it is Jan. 19 2010.

Let’s say the client wants historical GL data brought in from the 2008, and 2009 years. I am almost stuck as what to do. Do i have the client give me their Trial Balance for the year ending Dec. 31 2007. Import this into a journal and post it. Then run the Year End procedure?

Then do i get the Trail Balance for the year ending Dec. 31 2008, import this into a journal and post it, and run the year end procedure?

I am not really sure, but if the client wants detailed entries, this journal could be HUGE.

Also, has anyone brought in historical data for vendors and customers and items?

2

First define why they want the history, this will help on the details element. If they want full transactional data you have payment issues as well - do they want fully matched payments? bank transactions etc. I did one a few years ago where they wanted sales history, we imported them all as sales invoices with automatic payment, but first we had to book the stock in. Was a nightmare, they reconfigured all the data with the dimensions they wanted and we ran it in, but started with the year before a month before live, this took a week, the next week was spent getting the last eleven months in, then ran the last month in at live. Configured the posting groups to negate the gl impact, reset all after the final import. Cost them a fortune, loads of work.

I am positive once it was in and they were up and running that they felt it was a waste of time, money and effort. [:D]

I like the approach of pushing it into a separate table and utilising it rolling from other tables or SRS reports, but it depends what the client wants. History however is painful, expensive and most of the time not worth the effort (in my opinion).

3

Thanks for replying AdamRoue, i appreciate it. Yeah, after some thought, bringing in the AP, AR, and Bank and inventory history would be a nightmare.

But they do want to bring in the GL history, and they would like all the detail.

I can extract each fiscal year in a detailed trial balance in their system.

How do you recommend I proceed starting the GL historical data? Or what steps do i take?

4

Create a journal per month end, they should have the figures, it will balance as per the figures, just post these, you then have a rolling GL history, I have done this before as well, it is the same as the opening balance, but history backwards monthly and enables comparison formulas to be written in the account schedules.

5

Sorry AdamRoue, I like to use examples to make sure.

Fiscal Year, April 1 - March 31

They want to start bring data from the 06/07 fiscal year.

They have 5,000 lines of data from April 1 2006 - March 31 2007

Do i just import in all of these lines into a GL Journal and post ? Everything should balance to zero.

They have 4,000 lines of data from April 1 2007 - March 31 2008. Do I just do the exact same thing, import in all the lines and post ?

6

My memory tells me I created a journal for each month with the month end being the posting date, posted 2006-7, ran the year end, reconcilled, did the same for the next year, it enables a monthly comparison then, but you would need to test it, it was years ago I did this, but the principle sounds fine still!