Envision yourself at the helm of your accounting software, meticulously fine-tuning it for peak performance. To start the process, simply click the gear icon located in the top-right corner next to your business name. From this convenient vantage point, you gain the power to customize data preferences, ensuring seamless alignment with your financial processes. And here’s the exciting part—you can configure some essential settings:
- Imports: Effortlessly bring data from external sources into your system.
- Exports: Seamlessly transmit data to its intended destinations.
- Year-End: Ensure a tidy wrap-up of your financial year.
- Nominal Only Recalculation: Fine-tune those critical nominal values
- Nominal Only Validation Report
Imports
The Import Data feature in BrightBooks is designed to make setting up your accounting data as smooth as possible. This tool allows you to import various types of data, such as contacts, budgets, invoices, and more, using CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files. By using the provided CSV templates, you can ensure that your data is formatted correctly and includes all necessary information.
Key Points to Remember:
- CSV Templates: BrightBooks provides specific CSV templates for different types of data. These templates contain various columns that you need to fill out accurately.
- Mandatory Columns: Certain columns in the templates are mandatory and must be completed before you can successfully import your data.
- Efficiency: Using the import feature saves you the time and effort required to manually enter data into BrightBooks.
Access Data Import
To access the Import Data section in BrightBooks, follow these simple steps:
- Click on Settings.
- On the Settings page, look for the DATA heading and click on Imports.
- The Data Import page will appear. Here, you can choose the appropriate data import option that suits your needs.
- And that’s it! You’re ready to start importing your data.
Types of Data Import:
To assist you in importing data, we have detailed guides for each type of data you might need to import. Click on the relevant link below to access the step-by-step instructions:
- Contacts: Import Customer, Supplier, Prospects, Business, and Personal Contacts.
- Product List: Import your product inventory.
- Detailed Customer Invoices and Credit Notes: Import detailed records of customer invoices and credit notes.
- Customer and Non-Customer Receipts: Import receipts for both customers and non-customers.
- Summary Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes: Import summarized records of supplier invoices and credit notes.
- Journals: Import journal entries.
- Monthly Budget Import: Import monthly budget data.
- Stock Adjustments: Import stock adjustment records.
- Summary Customer Invoices and Credit Notes: Import summarized records of customer invoices and credit notes.
- Detailed Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes: Import detailed records of supplier invoices and credit notes.
- Supplier and Non-Supplier Payments: Import payment records for both suppliers and non-suppliers.
- Single Line Journals: Import single-line journal entries.
- Yearly Budget Import: Import yearly budget data.
Transaction Types:
When importing transactions to Bright Books, the below Transaction Types have to be used on the CSV file when importing:
- Invoice
- Payments
- Receipts
- Cr. Note
For further assistance, refer to our detailed help below.
Contacts - Customer/Supplier/Prospects/Business & Personal Contacts
To import your Contacts, follow these steps:
- Go to the Data Import page and select Contacts - Customer/Supplier/Prospects/Business & Personal Contacts.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your contact details.
- Download the template by clicking on Template, fill in the Contact details, and then upload the completed template.
- If you are uploading a template, note that the mandatory fields are: Code, Contact Type, Forename, and Surname on the CSV File.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Contacts will be imported smoothly into BrightBooks.
Product List
To import your Product List, follow these steps:
- Go to the Data Import page and select Product List.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your product list details.
- Download the template by clicking on Template, fill in the Product Details, and then upload the completed template.
- If you are uploading a template, note that the mandatory fields are: Code, Description, Sales Price, Sales VAT Code, Sales Nominal Code, Purchase Price, Purchase VAT Code, Purchase Nominal Code, and Product Category on the CSV file.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Product List will be imported smoothly into the accounting software
Detailed Customer Invoices and Credit Notes
To import your Detailed Customer Invoices and Credit Notes, follow these steps:
- Access the Data Import page and click Detailed Customer Invoices and Credit Notes.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your invoice and credit note details.
- Download the template by clicking on Template, fill in the Invoice and Credit Note details, and then upload the completed template.
- If you are uploading a template, make sure to fill out the mandatory fields: Transaction Type, Invoice Number, Trans Date, PO Number, Product Code, and Contact Code on the CSV file.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Detailed Customer Invoices and Credit Notes will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Customer and Non-Customer Receipts
To import your Customer and Non-Customer Receipts, follow these steps:
- Access the Data Import page and click Customer and Non-Customer Receipts.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your receipt details.
- Download the template by clicking on Template, fill in the receipt details, and then upload the completed template.
- If you are uploading a template, make sure to fill out the mandatory fields: Receipt Number, Trans Date, Payer, and Contact Code.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Customer and Non-Customer Receipts will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Summary Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes
To import your Summary Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes, follow these steps:
- Access the Data Import page and click Summary Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your receipt details.
- Download the template by clicking Template, fill in the invoice and credit note details, and then upload the completed template.
- If you are uploading a template, make sure to fill out the mandatory fields: Transaction Type, Invoice Number, Trans Date, Client Code, and VAT Code.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Summary Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Journals
To import Journals, you'll need to complete the following steps.
- On the Data Import page, tick Journals and click Next.
- The Data Import > Journals page will appear. Here, you have two options:
- If you have already downloaded the template, enter the details as per the table below.
- Otherwise, click Template to download the template named JournalFormat.csv and enter the details as mentioned in the table.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Journals will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
FIELD | DESCRIPTION |
DATE |
|
REFERENCE NUMBER |
|
TYPE |
|
NOTE |
|
CODE |
|
ITEM LINE |
|
DEBIT |
|
CREDIT |
|
Monthly Budget Import
To import the Monthly Budget, you'll need to complete the following steps.
- Access the Data Import page and click Monthly Budget Import.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your budget data.
- Download the template by clicking Template, fill in the budget data, and then upload the completed template.
- Additionally, select the period and, if applicable, select the divisions and subdivisions to allocate the budget.
- If you are uploading a template, make sure to fill out the mandatory fields: Code and at least one period. Selecting a period (Current or Future) is mandatory.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Monthly Budget will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
FIELD | DESCRIPTION |
CURRENT PERIOD | The details uploaded would be for the current financial year. |
FUTURE PERIOD | The details uploaded would be for the upcoming financial year. |
Stock Adjustments
To import the Stock Adjustments, you'll need to complete the following steps.
- Access the Data Import page and click Stock Adjustments.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your stock adjustment data.
- Download the template by clicking Template, fill in the stock adjustment data, and then upload the completed template.
- If you are uploading a template, make sure to fill out the mandatory fields: Adjustment Date, Product Code, Adjustment Type, and Quantity.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Stock Adjustments will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Summary Customer Invoices and Credit Notes
To import the Summary Customer Invoices and Credit Notes, you'll need to complete the following steps.
- Access the Data Import page and click Summary Customer Invoices and Credit Notes.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your customer invoices and credit note data.
- Download the template by clicking Template, fill in the customer invoices and credit notes data, and then upload the completed template.
- If you are uploading a template, make sure to fill out the mandatory fields: Transaction Type, Invoice Number, Trans Date, Client Code, and VAT Code.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Summary Customer Invoices and Credit Notes will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Detailed Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes
To import the Detailed Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes, you'll need to complete the following steps.
- Access the Data Import page and click Detailed Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your detailed supplier invoices and credit notes data.
- Download the template by clicking Template, fill in the detailed supplier invoices and credit notes data, and then upload the completed template.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Detailed Supplier Invoices and Credit Notes will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Supplier and Non-Supplier Payments
To import the Supplier and Non-Supplier Payments, you'll need to complete the following steps.
- Access the Data Import page and click Supplier and Non-Supplier Payments.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your Supplier and Non-Supplier Payments data.
- Download the template by clicking Template, fill in the Supplier and Non-Supplier Payments data, and then upload the completed template.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Supplier and Non-Supplier Payments will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Single Line Journals
To import the Single Line Journals, complete the following steps.
- Access the Data Import page and click Single Line Journals.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your Single Line Journals data.
- Download the template by clicking Template, fill in the Single Line Journals data, and then upload the completed template.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Single Line Journals will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Yearly Budget Import
When you import the yearly budgetary figures, you can allocate the annual budget to multiple divisions and subdivisions in one go. You can enter multiple divisions and subdivisions in your import template.
- Access the Data Import page and click Yearly Budget Import.
- On the Data Import page, click Next.
- You’ll see the Data Import page again. Here, you have two options:
- Upload the template that already contains your Yearly Budget data.
- Download the template by clicking Template, fill in the Yearly Budget data, and then upload the completed template. Note that you can enter multiple nominal codes and allocate budgetary figures to multiple divisions and subdivisions in the template.
- Select the period:
- Current Period: The details uploaded would be for the current financial year.
- Future Period: The details uploaded would be for the upcoming financial year. In the CSV file, the mandatory fields are Code and Year To Date (YTD). Selecting a Period (Current or Future) is mandatory.
- Once your template is ready, click Import to start the process.
- The import task will be queued, and an alert message will display the details. Once queued, an alert notification will appear above the application logo. Click on the alert notification.
- The Activities page will be displayed, and the latest import activity will be listed at the top of the Activities list. There will be three statuses for the activity:
- Not Started: When the import activity is in the queue.
- In Progress: Once the import begins.
- Completed: When the import is successful.
- The Activities page will display the listed activities based on the practice and the user.
- And that’s it! Your Yearly Budget will be imported smoothly into the accounting software.
Exports
The Export Data feature in BrightBooks is designed to simplify the process of extracting your accounting data. This tool allows you to export various types of data, such as contacts, activities, opportunities and transactions into CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files. By using this feature, you can ensure that your data is easily accessible and can be seamlessly integrated with other systems or used for detailed analysis.
- Click on Settings.
- On the Settings page, find the DATA section and click on Exports.
- A confirmation box will appear, indicating that all data (contacts, activities, opportunities, and transactions) for the selected business will be exported.
- The export process will begin, and an XML(Extensible Markup Language) file containing all the details will be downloaded.
Year-End
The Year-End feature in BrightBooks is designed to help you seamlessly transition from one accounting period to the next. This crucial process ensures that your financial records are accurately closed for the current year, setting the stage for a fresh start in the new year. By using the Year-End feature, you can close the current accounting period and move forward with confidence. Complete the following steps, to ensure a smooth and efficient year-end transition in BrightBooks.
- Click on Settings.
- The Settings page appears. Under the DATA heading, click Year End.
- The Year End window appears. Read the messages carefully. Note that the process is irreversible and you should run it only when you are sure you have no changes to make in the current financial year. If you are happy with the outcome, check I acknowledge the above information and understand this operation cannot be reversed from your end.
- Enter the RUN YEAR END, as shown and optionally, tick Copy this year's Budget figures to next year to move the current financial year budget to the next.
- Click OK.
- The Confirmation Message window appears. To proceed, click OK.
- The Information Message window confirms the year-end completion.
- The Year End has been completed. Once the year-end is processed, you can witness some changes on BrightBooks. Follow the below table for a comprehensive guide to the same.
Menu | Changes |
Sales Menu | |
Invoices and Credit Notes |
|
Opening Customer Balances |
|
Purchases Menu | |
Invoices and Credit Notes |
|
Opening Supplier Balances |
|
Banking Menu | |
Receipts |
|
Payments |
|
General Ledger Menu | |
Chart of Accounts |
|
Journal |
An Opening Balance Journal is created. This is displayed under the Journal section.
|
Note: If the Year-End process is already running in the background and another attempt is made to start it, the user
will see the following message: "The Year-End is still running, please do not return the YE. To confirm that it is complete,
check the Journal Opening Balances have been created and that your Accounting Periods have been updated."
Reverse Year-End
If you have mistakenly processed the Year-End for a business, please note that you cannot reverse this action from BrightBooks. In such a scenario, you need to contact our support team, who will handle the reversal for you through the Admin Tool. It is highly recommended to double-check all details before initiating a Year-End to avoid such issues.
Once the year-end is reversed, you can witness some changes on BrightBooks. Follow the below table for a comprehensive guide to the same.
To better understand the table, let us consider the 2025-2026 period as the fiscal year you are reversing.
Menu | Changes |
Sales Menu | |
Invoices and Credit Notes |
|
Opening Customer Balances |
|
Purchases Menu | |
Invoices and Credit Notes |
|
Opening Supplier Balances |
|
Banking Menu | |
Receipts |
|
Payments |
|
General Ledger Menu | |
Chart of Accounts |
|
Journal |
An Opening Balance Journal is deleted. This is displayed under the Journal section.
|
Nominal Only Recalculation
The Nominal Only Recalculation feature allows you to recalculate the current year + period's and the future year's + period's nominal balances. To recalculate the nominal balances, follow these steps:
- Click on Settings.
- The Settings page will appear. Under the DATA heading, click Nominal Only Recalculation.
- A pop-up message will display:
“This Recalculation routine will recalculate the current and future years' and period's nominal balances ONLY. It will NOT recalculate the comparative year or the customers' and suppliers' ledgers.” Click OK to continue. - Once the calculation is completed, a validation message will be shown.
- A message will be displayed if there is no nominal validation for the selected business.
Prerequisite:
Users will need to have 'Open Recalculation' permission to run this routine.
To edit user permissions, go to Settings>General Setup>Users> Inline Open Icon.
Nominal Only Validation Report
The Nominal Ony Validation check will generate a report considering any nominal balance-related validation for the current year + periods and the future years + periods. To create the report, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Settings>Data>Nominal Only Validation Check.
- Click Run, the report will be generated that lists the Nominal balance related validation for the current and future years and their respective periods
- If you want to print the report, click Print.
- If you want to save the report in an Excel format, click Excel.
- If you want to save the report in the local drive, click Save.
- If you want to send a copy of the report, click Email.
Prerequisite:
Users must have 'Open Recalculation' permission to run this routine.
To edit user permissions, go to Settings>General Setup>Users> Inline Open Icon.