Creating Accounts Files

Introduction

This document explains how to create, import and configure the accounting schema and the chart of accounts. You can import the accounting schema and chart of accounts as a single file. The accounting schema import is completed at the Initial Client Setup process. The import of the client accounts can be done afterwards. To know more about these imports take a look at the Creating New Entity tutorial. The Openbravo localization project has created some accounting schemas for different countries, so you may be able to tailor an existing one to suit your needs rather than starting a new one.

Once you have a new chart of accounts created is very important that you do the Chart of Accounts testing process to verify that it is correct.

File structure: defining the file

The file is a plain text file (with commas (,) as field separator) that defines all the accounts. When the file is used at Initial Client Setup the application only reads the lines required to do the account schema but not the ones for the default client accounts which Openbravo ERP uses when posting to the General Ledger.

To ensure that your chart of accounts is imported correctly, the file must be encoded using UTF-8 charset.

You can download an already existing chart of accounts for other country and use it as a template to adapt it to your needs, or you can create the entire file from scratch.

Each field of the file comprises one line.

Which accounts must be defined?

How you define your accounts file depends primarily on whether there are official rules in your country. For example, in countries like France or Spain there are standard charts of accounts and general accounting reports. In this case you must define a chart of accounts with the structure of the general accounting reports that include all the accounts. Other countries such as the USA have no defined plan, so you must define a general plan that suits your enterprise. The structure of the file must include the Balance Sheet (with Assets, Liabilities and Owner’s Equity) and a Profit and Loss report (with Expenses and Revenues).

You can use the chart of accounts for the USA as an example to build the chart of accounts for your country.

Accounts hierarchy

The general accounting report has a hierarchical structure. The Balance Sheet has two sides, following the equation Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s equity. The Asset side of the balance sheet is composed of different types of assets: Current Assets and Long Term Assets, and each one can have different sub-accounts.

The levels of this hierarchy can differ from one schema to another; the only requirement is that the last level, where the accounting is done, must start with the letter S (from Sub-account).

The Parent column of the accounts file creates the hierarchical relationship between accounts. This column specifies which account is the parent of the account.

In the US chart of accounts you can see the structure in the worksheet and how it produces the General Accounting Reports.

Default accounts

Openbravo ERP makes most account entries automatically. To enable automatic account entries, it is necessary to define the default accounts. With this information Openbravo ERP builds the accounting entry with the account number defined in the chart of accounts.

The chart of accounts must include the defaults that are explained here.

The defaults are defined in the chart of accounts file with a constant that must be written literally in the default column. The following table has an explanation of these accounts.

Note: these defaults are the ones that are to keep in Openbravo ERP R2.35 version. In 2.34 the next account database fields are marked as NOT NULLABLE within the C_ACCTSCHEMA_DEFAULT table:

• W_INVENTORY_ACCT
• W_REVALUATION_ACCT
• WITHHOLDING_ACCT
• PJ_WIP_ACCT
• B_PAYMENTSELECT_ACCT

And C_ACCTSCHEMA_GL table:

• INTERCOMPANYDUEFROM_ACCT
• PPVOFFSET_ACCT

You can assign them to any account not currently in use.