Summary: Moving to an ERP? Here's how to export your Xero balances.
Image: origin/xero_export.png
[In this blog post](2021-01-03_accounting_systems.html), I described the process of moving accounting systems. One of the important tasks is bringing over comparable balances. In your new accounting system, you will want to be able to view historical data, not just look at new data entered since go-live.
[In this blog post](migrating-accounting-systems.html), I described the process of moving accounting systems. One of the important tasks is bringing over comparable balances. In your new accounting system, you will want to be able to view historical data, not just look at new data entered since go-live.
Typically, a limited number of year end balances will be brought in. However, you can do better than that. In one migration, we prepared month end balances for several legal entites going back seven years. In another migration, we prepared month end balances for one legal entity for four years.
<p><ahref="2021-01-03_accounting_systems.html">In this blog post</a>, I described the process of moving accounting systems. One of the important tasks is bringing over comparable balances. In your new accounting system, you will want to be able to view historical data, not just look at new data entered since go-live.</p>
<p><ahref="migrating-accounting-systems.html">In this blog post</a>, I described the process of moving accounting systems. One of the important tasks is bringing over comparable balances. In your new accounting system, you will want to be able to view historical data, not just look at new data entered since go-live.</p>
<p>Typically, a limited number of year end balances will be brought in. However, you can do better than that. In one migration, we prepared month end balances for several legal entites going back seven years. In another migration, we prepared month end balances for one legal entity for four years.</p>
<p>Whilst this process would be hard and error prone if you were manipulating spreadsheets, it is pretty simple to do with Python. Most accounting systems have a way of exporting transaction data, whilst this would be too much detail, we have usually prepared month end balances so that there is something to compare.</p>
<p>In Xero, going to <strong>Export Accounting Data</strong> within the <strong>Advanced Accounting</strong> menu (<ahref="https://go.xero.com/Settings/AdvancedAccounting">link</a>) will give you a choice of formats to export. All of these are plain text, so will open in any text editor. Generally, I choose <em>Xero General Ledger (.txt)</em> as the format, as it seems to be the simplest, contain the most data, and be free of software specific quirks. </p>
@ -142,7 +142,8 @@ with open(xero_export, 'r') as input_file:
@@ -142,7 +142,8 @@ with open(xero_export, 'r') as input_file:
<feedxmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><title>Corax FM</title><linkhref="https://coraxfm.uk/"rel="alternate"></link><linkhref="https://coraxfm.uk/feed.rss"rel="self"></link><id>https://coraxfm.uk/</id><updated>2022-04-27T00:00:00+01:00</updated><entry><title>Export Your Xero Transactions to Use in any ERP</title><linkhref="https://coraxfm.uk/export-your-xero-transactions-to-use-in-any-erp.html"rel="alternate"></link><published>2022-04-27T00:00:00+01:00</published><updated>2022-04-27T00:00:00+01:00</updated><author><name>Tom Lee-Gough</name></author><id>tag:coraxfm.uk,2022-04-27:/export-your-xero-transactions-to-use-in-any-erp.html</id><summarytype="html"><p>Moving to an ERP? Here's how to export your Xero balances.</p></summary><contenttype="html"><p><a href="2021-01-03_accounting_systems.html">In this blog post</a>, I described the process of moving accounting systems. One of the important tasks is bringing over comparable balances. In your new accounting system, you will want to be able to view historical data, not just look at new data entered since go-live.</p>
<feedxmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><title>Corax FM</title><linkhref="https://coraxfm.uk/"rel="alternate"></link><linkhref="https://coraxfm.uk/feed.rss"rel="self"></link><id>https://coraxfm.uk/</id><updated>2022-04-27T00:00:00+01:00</updated><entry><title>Export Your Xero Transactions to Use in any ERP</title><linkhref="https://coraxfm.uk/export-your-xero-transactions-to-use-in-any-erp.html"rel="alternate"></link><published>2022-04-27T00:00:00+01:00</published><updated>2022-04-27T00:00:00+01:00</updated><author><name>Tom Lee-Gough</name></author><id>tag:coraxfm.uk,2022-04-27:/export-your-xero-transactions-to-use-in-any-erp.html</id><summarytype="html"><p>Moving to an ERP? Here's how to export your Xero balances.</p></summary><contenttype="html"><p><a href="migrating-accounting-systems.html">In this blog post</a>, I described the process of moving accounting systems. One of the important tasks is bringing over comparable balances. In your new accounting system, you will want to be able to view historical data, not just look at new data entered since go-live.</p>
<p>Typically, a limited number of year end balances will be brought in. However, you can do better than that. In one migration, we prepared month end balances for several legal entites going back seven years. In another migration, we prepared month end balances for one legal entity for four years.</p>
<p>Whilst this process would be hard and error prone if you were manipulating spreadsheets, it is pretty simple to do with Python. Most accounting systems have a way of exporting transaction data, whilst this would be too much detail, we have usually prepared month end balances so that there is something to compare.</p>
<p>In Xero, going to <strong>Export Accounting Data</strong> within the <strong>Advanced Accounting</strong> menu (<a href="https://go.xero.com/Settings/AdvancedAccounting">link</a>) will give you a choice of formats to export. All of these are plain text, so will open in any text editor. Generally, I choose <em>Xero General Ledger (.txt)</em> as the format, as it seems to be the simplest, contain the most data, and be free of software specific quirks. </p>
@ -325,26 +325,26 @@ Gnucash Income statement:
@@ -325,26 +325,26 @@ Gnucash Income statement:
<h2>Variables</h2>
<p>Any one that has taken GCSE maths would have come across variables. It's not a popular subject, but algebra is all variables. A variable is a container. In algebra it is a number, in programming it can be anything. For example, the formula <em>Y = X<sup>2</sup> + 4</em> both <strong>Y</strong> and <strong>X</strong> are variables. To plot a graph of <strong>Y</strong>, you would plug values into <strong>X</strong> and solve for <strong>Y</strong>.</p>
<p>Here's how you can assign a variable in Python:</p>
<div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><code><span class="c1"># assign a string to a variable called &quot;name&quot;</span>
<div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><code><span class="c1"># assign a string to a variable called &quot;name&quot;</span><span class="w"></span>
<p>An array is a collection of data. Python has several types. I mainly use lists and dicts.</p>
<h3>Lists</h3>
<p>Lists are pretty simple. A list is a series of items that are separated by commas within square brackets. They can contain any data types, and can be mixed.</p>
<div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><code><span class="c1"># list of strings</span>
<div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><code><span class="c1"># list of strings</span><span class="w"></span>
<p>Any one that has taken GCSE maths would have come across variables. It's not a popular subject, but algebra is all variables. A variable is a container. In algebra it is a number, in programming it can be anything. For example, the formula <em>Y = X<sup>2</sup> + 4</em> both <strong>Y</strong> and <strong>X</strong> are variables. To plot a graph of <strong>Y</strong>, you would plug values into <strong>X</strong> and solve for <strong>Y</strong>.</p>
<p>Here's how you can assign a variable in Python:</p>
<divclass="highlight"><pre><span></span><code><spanclass="c1"># assign a string to a variable called "name"</span>
<p>An array is a collection of data. Python has several types. I mainly use lists and dicts.</p>
<h3>Lists</h3>
<p>Lists are pretty simple. A list is a series of items that are separated by commas within square brackets. They can contain any data types, and can be mixed.</p>
<divclass="highlight"><pre><span></span><code><spanclass="c1"># list of strings</span>
tomleegough
1 year ago