Searches Export
Export options in Big Business can be very handy.
For any Search (i.e. Customer, Quote, Order, Invoice, Receive Money, Vendor, PO, Bill, Item, Item Adjustment, Bank Account, Bank Transaction, Note, Contact, Employee, Category, Account, General Journal, Posting, etc.) click Export to save a Tab-Text file which you can use in a spreasheet or other program. (3048)
Export options in Big Business can be very handy.
For any Search, such as the Customer Search pictured, click Export to save a Tab-Text file with the entries found. You can click All on the Search dialog to find all entries or use the search options to narrow the results.
Follow the prompts to Save the export file to a convenient location.
Accounting Budgets
Big Business has built in Budgeting and Budget Reporting with the following features:
-Establish Budgets by Category by Period (Categories are all Accounts except Special Status Accounts: A/P, A/R, Bank Accounts, Inventory, Current Year Earnings, and Retained Earnings)
-Import Budgets
-Report Budgeted vs. Actual for a range of periods for a selection of Categories (3056)
Use the Category Card on the Category toolbar for manually inputting Budget Amounts.
Use the Category Group field on the Category Card to create groups of Categories to simplify reporting. Use the QuickChange tool on the Category QuickSearch to assign Category Groups to a set of Categories.
Use the Report tool on the InfoCenter toolbar (or from the File menu) to run a Budget Report. Switch to the Bookkeeper Reports and select Budget Report. In the first dialog, specify the Categories to be included in the Report (e.g. All, or “Category Type is Expense”)
Use the Import tool on the Maintenance toolbar to import a tab-delimited text file saved from a spreadsheet. Using an Export from the Category Search gives you a head start on this operation by creating a spreadsheet with correct Account Codes. Use the QuickSearch to narrow your export to desired Accounts (i.e. Expense Accounts only using an "Account Type Is Expense" search). Excel's powerful AutoFill options (i.e. you can readily turn the column heading "Period 1" into column headings "Period 1, Period 2, etc.") may be useful for creating your import spreadsheet.
Year End
Some business applications have a mandatory end of year procedure for archiving data, shifting balances among accounts, and so on. Big Business's reporting handles this for you, so there is no required procedure. You can demonstrate this facility to yourself by running a Report for a future date (e.g. a Profit and Loss Statement or Balance Sheet dated in the next fiscal year).
Big Business maintains all of your records intact so that you have access to historical information and the ability to post to the previous period. Big Business does include features for Protecting, Locking, Sealing, and Consolidating historical records. Please read the recommendations below carefully before using any of these features. (3065)
Some business applications have a mandatory end of year procedure for archiving data, shifting balances among accounts, and so on. Big Business's reporting handles this for you, so there is no required procedure. You can demonstrate this facility to yourself by running a Report for a future date (e.g. a Profit and Loss Statement or Balance Sheet dated in the next fiscal year).
Big Business maintains all of your records intact so that you have access to historical information and the ability to post to the previous period. Big Business does include features for Protecting, Locking, Sealing, and Consolidating historical records. Please read the recommendations below carefully before using any of these features.
Locking Periods will help prevent date errors and prevent modification of past data. Locking is is reversible if you ever need to make a correction. Restricting Access to the Maintenance Prefs will prevent unauthorized unlocking of locked periods.
Sealing is the same a Locking but is PERMANENT. We recommend that you not use Seal (for the same reasons that your parents wouldn't let you get a tattoo) unless you are quite sure this is what you want.
To display different Fiscal Years, go to the Display Fiscal Year field and enter the year you want displayed. The year entered will appear on the right and the prior year on the left.
Searches Memorize and Recall
Memorizing and Recalling QuickSearches
When you use Big Business, there are probably QuickSearches that you do over and over. For example, you may look for potential billing problems by searching for customers whose balance exceeds a certain amount.
To make it easier to perform these routine searches, Big Business Version 2.0 supports the Memorize and Recall feature for QuickSearches. See “Memorizing and Recalling Transactions” and “Searching” in Chapter 2 of the Big Business User’s Guide for detailed instructions about using these features. (3067)
When you use Big Business, there are probably QuickSearches that you do over and over. For example, you may look for potential billing problems by searching for customers whose balance exceeds a certain amount.
To make it easier to perform these routine searches, Big Business supports the Memorize and Recall feature for QuickSearches. See “Memorizing and Recalling Transactions” and “Searching” in Chapter 2 of the Big Business User’s Guide for detailed instructions about using QuickSearch features.
Contacts Converting
You can use Contact Cards to keep track of potential clients or suppliers. Big Business lets you automatically convert Contact Cards into Customer or Vendor Cards when needed.
This Solution describes Converting Contacts to Customers or Vendors. (3093)
You probably use Contact Cards to keep track of potential clients or suppliers. Big Business lets you automatically convert Contact Cards into Customer or Vendor Cards.
When you convert a contact, a new Customer or Vendor Card is created and the Contact Card is deleted.
To convert Contact Cards:
1. In a Contact Card, click the Convert to Customer or Convert to Vendor button.
2. Click the Convert button in the confirmation dialog box that appears.
Big Business converts the Contact Card and displays the resulting Customer or Vendor Card.
Access Privileges
The Access tab on Employee card lets you limit access to specific tools and privileges.
• Export - needed to export from searches and reports
• Terms - needed to change customer or vendor terms or credit
• Update - needed to use Update in searches to change multiple entries
• Delete - needed to use Delete in searches to delete multiple entries
• Profit - needed to view Profit tab on transactions
• History - needed to view History tab on cards
• Category - needed to view Category tab on transactions
• Duplicate - needed to use Duplicate in searches to duplicate multiple entries
• Status - needed to change Status on transactions
• Inactive - needed to change Inactive status of Customer, Items, etc.
These features apply throughout Big Business. (3103)
To assign privileges and access to differentfFeatures in Big Business, first turn OFF the All Access setting:
1. Open the Employee Card
2. Go to the Access tab
3. Click to uncheck All Access
You can then turn ON access to Tools by:
• Selecting a Toolbar - Customer, Vendor, Item,...
• Selecting a Tool - Customer Card, Customer Search, Quote,...
You can also turn ON Privileges such as:
• Export - needed to export from searches and reports
• Terms - needed to change customer or vendor terms or credit
• Update - needed to use Update in searches to change multiple entries
• Delete - needed to use Delete in searches to delete multiple entries
• Profit - needed to view Profit tab on transactions
• History - needed to view History tab on cards
• Category - needed to view Category tab on transactions
• Duplicate - needed to use Duplicate in searches to duplicate multiple entries
• Status - needed to change Status on transactions
Click OK to Save changes to the Employee Card and OK the dialog, that changes do not take effect until the user signs in again.
Importing Information
To import data:
1. Click the Import tool in the Maintenance toolbar.
2. Select the file you want to import, then click OK.
3. In the dialog box that appears, select the kind of data you’re importing, then click the OK button.
4. In the Import window, match text fields in the Fields Available for Insertion list with Big Business fields, then click the OK button.
Importing Information into Big Business
To make it easier to transition to Big Business, you can import information from other applications. For example, you can import a list of contacts from a contact manager. You can also import financial records, such as lists of transactions, general journal postings, and budgets. (Importing from payroll software follows a different pattern. See “Importing Payroll Information,” later in this chapter, for instructions.)
The information you import into Big Business must be in tab-delimited, text-only files. These files can be exported by most spreadsheet, database, and information management programs. A tab-delimited file is one where tabs separate individual items of data. For example, suppose you have a spreadsheet with a row for each customer and columns for name, address, and so on. When you export the file from the spreadsheet, each row becomes a paragraph and the each column becomes a text field separated by tabs.
When you import data from a text file, you use an Import window to match text fields in the file to fields in Big Business. Import windows have a Fields Available for Insertion list, which displays the text fields from the first paragraph in the file. If the first paragraph corresponds to a heading row, the headings are displayed. If the first paragraph is a data row, its text fields appear. The Fields list on the other side of the window shows the Big Business fields that you can import into. It’s possible that there will be fields in the file that don’t correspond to a Big Business field; it’s likely that the
file won’t contain a matching field for every Big Business field.
To match a text field to a Big Business field, click a field in the Fields Available for Insertion list, then click the matching field in the Insertion Order list, then click the Insert button. (You can also drag a Fields Available for Insertion field to its corresponding field.) The inserted field appears next to its match on the right side of the window. Continue until all matches have been made.
When you import customer information, Big Business will not import Accounts
Receivable categories that don’t match the defaults. The defaults are used instead.
Caution: Due to memory constraints, there is an upper limit to the number of records that can be imported simultaneously. For safety, you should import no more than 300 records at a time. (3108)
Accounting Beginning Balances
Overview:
This document describes the process to adjust the balance for accounts after SetUp is complete.
Details:
The account balances entered during the SetUp are stored in a General Journal entry. This General Journal #0 will be given the data you specified during SetUp and is locked and cannot be adjusted once you have completed the SetUp Checklist. It is locked because of the complexity of the data contained inside. This journal will typically contain calculated amounts for the following accounts:
Accounts Receivable (the sum of your Customer balances)
Accounts Payable (the sum of all your Vendor balances)
Inventory (the sum all you Item Total Costs)
Current Year Earnings (all Income minus all Expenses for the Current Year)
Retained Earnings (Assets minus Liabilities minus other Equity)
Note: You should verify that the balances for these Accounts are correct before completing the SetUp process. (3122)
Modifying Balances for Most Accounts:
Most Account balances can be adjusted or created using the General Journal tool. With the General Journal tool, you cannot create an entry for Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory, Current Year Earnings, Retained Earnings, or a Bank Account (all are controlled Accounts). See using the General Journal in the User’s Guide for more information on creating new General Journal entries.
Modifying Balances for Bank Accounts:
Bank Account balances can be modified using the Balance Adjustment tool. This tool allows you to increase or decrease the balance of a Bank Account and offset the adjustment to one of your other Categories (except for controlled Accounts). See Making a Balance Adjustment in the User’s guide, Solution#3006, or Solution#3007, for more information. As of Big Business 2.6, this Balance Adjustment tool is now on the Banking Toolbar.
Modifying balances for Automatic Accounts:
The balance for Accounts Receivable can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the balance of your outstanding Customer Invoices. The balance for Accounts Payable can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the balance of your Vendor Bills. Inventory balances can be adjusted by creating Invoices or Bills, or by creating Item Adjustments for a particular Item. Current Year Earnings and Retained Earnings are calculated and adjusted depending on the type of transactions generated.
What If I Didn’t Enter the Correct Balances During SetUp:
If you did not enter the correct beginning balances during the SetUp process it becomes more complicated to enter them inside of the application. You may need to create an “adjusting” account to offset several of the transactions you will need to generate. This “adjusting” account will typically offset your Retained Earnings (an equity account). Some people choose to make the “adjusting” account an income or expense account so that it rolls over into Retained Earnings for the next fiscal year.
After creating this “adjusting” account, you can then create the necessary Misc. Sales (for Account Receivable), Misc. Bills (for Accounts Payable), Item Adjustments (for Inventory), Balance Adjustments (for Bank Accounts), and General Journal entries, all posted against this “adjusting” account. Entering a current year Invoice, for example, you would use a Misc. Sale, to avoid an Inventory change, and use the Posting Tool ("quill") to specify the "adjustment" account to avoid a change to Sales Income.
Caution: Please work with your accountant or Big Business Consultant to assist you in setting up and entering the necessary transactions.
One final consideration is to back date entries. If you enter a Misc. Sale dated in the prior fiscal year, the Sales Income will automatically roll into Retained Earnings on a current year Balance Sheet. Keep in mind that a prior year's Balance Sheet will then be invalid. This technique can also be applied as follows: If the "adjustment" account you create is an Equity account, after completing all entries, you can enter a back dated General Journal entry between your "adjustment" account and any Income Statement account (Income, Expense) to zero out the "adjustment" account. If posted in the prior year, the Journal entry will zero your "adjustment" account (if it is an Equity account) and the Income Statement posting on the back dated Journal Entry will roll into Retained Earnings.
Entering Customer Information
Entering Customer Information (3149)
After you have entered information about your company and your financial setup, you can enter information about your customers.
There are three ways to enter customer information:
• You can choose to enter customer information later, when you begin using Big Business. Use this option if your business is new or you have no customers with open balances.
• You can import information from a text file exported from another program. Use this option if you’re changing over from an accounting or contact management program. You can import many different items of information, including names, addresses, terms, and the current balance.
• You can type in the information. If you type in customer information, you can enter the company name, the first and last name of your main contact, the credit limit, and the current balance.
Entering Vendor Information
Entering Vendor Information (3150)
After you have entered information about your company and your financial setup, you can enter information about your vendors (companies you buy from).
There are three ways to enter vendor information:
• You can choose to enter vendor information later, when you begin using
Big Business. Use this option if your business is new or you have no vendors with open balances.
• You can import information from a text file exported from another program. Use this option if you’re changing over from an accounting or contact management program. You can import many different items of information, including names, addresses, terms, and the current balance.
• You can type in the information. If you type in vendor information, you can
enter the company name, the first and last name of your main contact, and your current balance.
Entering Item Information
Entering Item Information (3151)
After you have entered information about your company and your financial setup, you can enter information about items. (In Big Business, an item is anything that you buy, sell, or keep in inventory.)
There are three ways to enter item information:
• You can choose to enter item information later, when you begin using Big Business. Use this option if your business is new or you don’t have any items that you track in inventory.
• You can import information from a text file exported from another program. Use this option if you’re changing over from an accounting program or other software. You can import many different kinds of information including item code, description, price, cost, and quantity.
• You can type in the information. If you type in item information, you can enter the item code, description, quantity, cost, and price.
Finishing the Setup Process
Finishing the Setup Process (3152)
When all five of the buttons in the Set Up Checklist window are marked with green checks to indicate that you have finished entering data, you are almost finished setting up Big Business. All you have to do is click the OK/Continue button in the Set Up Checklist window.
Item Adjustment Alert
This Solution documents a entry error that generates the following alert:
"One or more records needs a value in the Item Code, Description 1, or Description 2 field" (3283)
When you create a new Item Adjustment, as with most records with Line Items, Big Business creates a blank Line Item. You can "see" this Line Item by looking in the Amount column and noticing the 0.00 total.
If you open a new Item Adjustment and Add a Line Item, by clicking the Plus button or using the Key Command (Ctrl +, on the PC; Command + on the Mac) prior to using the Line Item already inserted, you may end up with an "extra" blank Line Item.
The alert is only generated by a blank Line Item. Line Items that have at least one field do not generate the alert. Look to see if there is a blank Line Item, without ANY Item Code, Description 1, OR Description 2, but a "0.00" in the Amount column. Select this Line Item and remove by clicking the Minus button or using the Key Command (Ctrl -, on the PC; Command -, on the Mac).
Company Address
This solution describes how to edit your contact information. The company card in Big Business includes spaces for your Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, URL (web address), and E-Mail information. (3288)
Big Business automatically adds your company contact information to Plain Paper forms, Shipping Labels, and other printouts, where appropriate. Big Business uses your Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, E-Mail, and URL (Uniform Resource Locator, your web address) information, as they appear on the Company Card.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
If you paste your Company Logo into Printed Forms Artwork, the logo will replace contact information on Plain Paper forms.
If printing on letterhead, paste one white pixel into Printed Forms Artwork to prevent your Company information from printing.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
To edit your company contact information:
1. From the Maintenance toolbar, select the Company Card
2. Edit Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, URL or E-Mail information.
3. Click the OK button to Save.
Experiment with different entries to achieve desired results and be creative! For example, Country is an excellent place to insert a Tax ID or License information you want to print on every transaction.
Company Logo
Big Business allows you to paste in your own company's artwork or logo so that it will print on the built in forms. This solution outlines the process of entering your own graphic so that it will appear on the built in forms. (3289)
If you paste your Company Logo into Printed Forms Artwork, Big Business will add your logo, instead of your contact information, to Plain Paper Quotes, Sales Orders, Invoices, Purchase Orders, and Bills.
To add your logo to Built-In Forms:
1. From a graphics-capable application, select your logo and Copy (Edit>Copy)it.
2. From Big Business's Maintenance toolbar, select the Company Card.
3. Click in the Printed Forms Artwork field.
4. Paste your new artwork by using the Paste command in the Edit menu.
To remove Artwork, select it, then use the Cut command in the Edit menu.
Printed Forms Artwork prints out 4.75 inches wide by 1.5 inches high. Big Business automatically scales your logo if it exceeds this size. Consequently, you can create a higher resolution image, using a screen resolution (72dpi) paint application, by increasing the initial size of your canvas:
• 342 by 108 pixels is the 72dpi "size" of Printed Forms Artwork.
• 1368 by 432 pixels, or 19" x 6" at 72 dpi, will yield 288 dpi when scaled.
• 734 by 216, or 9.5" x 3" at 72 dpi, will yield 144 dpi when scaled.
Experiment with different logos to find the optimal settings. Larger images, higher resolution, color, and complexity will increase print times. Only images which can be copied and pasted (bitmaps) can be added. EPS will need to be converted.
NOTE: Be sure to include your contact information in your logo.
Accounting Customer Categories
(3334)
The Sales Tax Collected Category applies to sales tax amounts you collect from Customers. Postings are created for this category when you generate Invoices that have a sales tax amount. Its Account Type should be Current Liability.
The Discounts Allowed Category applies to discounts given to Customers (usually for prompt payment). Its Account Type should be Cost of Goods Sold.
The Default Income Category applies to sales made to Customers. It is automatically inserted into the Income Category when you create new Customer Cards. Different Customers can be assigned different Income Categories. Postings are created for this Category when you generate Invoices or Miscellaneous Sales. Its Account Type should be Income.
Default Other Charges applies to amounts entered in the Other Charges field of Invoices. Postings are created when you generate Invoices that have an Other Charges amount according to the definition of the Other Charge selected. Use the Show List option to define Other Charges. Account Types should be Income.
The Finance Charge Category applies to finance charges accrued by Customers. Its Account Type should be Income.
The Default Receivables Category applies to unpaid Customer balances from Invoices. It is automatically inserted into the Receivables Category when you create new Customer Cards. Different Customers can be assigned different Receivables Categories. Postings are created for this Category when you generate Invoices, Miscellaneous Sales, or Receive Money from a customer. Its Account Type should be Current Asset.
Accounting Vendor Categories
(3335)
The Sales Tax Paid Category applies to sales taxes you pay. Postings are created for this category when you generate Bills that have a sales tax amount. Its Account Type should be Expense.
The Discounts Taken Category applies to discounts taken on Bills. For example, if you take a discount for early payment, the discount will be assigned to this Category. Its Account Type should be Cost of Goods Sold.
The Finance Charge Category applies to finance charges you pay. Its Account Type should be Expense.
The Other Charges Category applies to amounts entered into the Other Charges field of Bills. Postings are created for this category when you generate Bills that have an other charges amount. Its Account Type should be Expense.
The Default Expense Category applies to Miscellaneous Bills for a Vendor. It is automatically inserted into the Income Category when you create new Vendor Cards. Different Vendors can be assigned different Expense Categories. Postings are created for this Category when you generate Miscellaneous Bills. Its Account Type should be Expense.
The Default Payables Category applies to unpaid balances you owe to Vendors. It is automatically inserted into the Payables Category when you create new Vendor Cards. Different Vendors can be assigned different Payables Categories. Postings are created for this Category when you generate Bills, Miscellaneous Bills, or Make Payments for Bills you have entered. Its Account Type should be Current Liability.
Accounting Item Categories
(3336)
The Default Expense Category applies to Item purchases for non-inventoried Items. It is automatically inserted into the Expense Category when you create new Item Cards. You can change this category for individual Items. Postings are created for this category when you generate Bills containing this item. This default will usually be Supplies Expense or a related expense category. Its Account Type should be Expense.
The Default Asset Category applies when an item is added to inventory. Default Asset is an Automatic Category. It is automatically inserted into the Asset Category when you create new Item Cards. You can change this category for individual Items. Postings are created for this Category when you generate Invoices and Bills which contain the item. Its Account Type should be Current Asset.
The Default Cost of Goods Category is applied when an inventoried item is sold. You can change this category for individual Items. Postings are created for this Category when you generate Invoices which contain the Item. Its Account Type should be Cost of Goods Sold.
The Default Item Adjustment Category applies to Inventory Adjustments. You can override the default value for individual adjustments. This default will usually be Inventory Adjustment Expense. Its Account Type should be Expense.
Accounting Bank Categories
(3337)
The Undeposited Funds Category applies to money that has been received but not yet deposited. Postings are created for this category when you Receive Money from Customers or when you generate Deposits. This Category cannot be changed after use and is grayed out. Its Account Type should be Current Asset.
The Default Other Expense Category applies to miscellaneous payments. You can override the default value for individual miscellaneous payments. This default will usually be Miscellaneous Expense. Its Account Type should be Expense.
The Default Miscellaneous Receipts Category applies to miscellaneous income. Postings are created for this category when you generate a miscellaneous receipt. This Category will usually be named Other Income. Its Account Type should be Income.
The Bank Fees Category applies to fees you pay to your bank. Postings are created for this Category when you generate a Reconciliation that has a bank fee. Its Account Type should be Expense.
The Bank Interest Category applies to the interest payments you receive. Postings are created for this Category when you generate a reconciliation that has bank interest. Its Account Type should be Income.
Startup Alert
During startup, Big Business evaluates available memory and arranges for its efficient use. A variety of lists are loaded and a maximum number of open windows determined. Even after a Toolbar appears, Big Business may still be arranging memory, particularly if it is in short supply.
Interrupting this startup may generate the following messages:
• Out of Memory, Quit Big Business as soon as possible
• You may only have one window open at a time (3426)
The optimal amount of memory for Big Business increases as the size of your data file--number of Customers, Items, Vendors, etc.--increases. If during startup Big Business does not have an optimal amount of available memory, it may take significantly longer to arrange available memory for use.
The Toolbar may appear before startup operations are complete and it is possible to interrupt startup and receive the following messages:
• Out of Memory, Quit Big Business as soon as possible
• You may only have one window open at a time
If you allow Big Business adequate time to complete startup, you will not encounter these messages.
Ideally, however, you would remedy this problem by adding more memory to the computer or reducing contention for existing memory by reducing the number of other services and applications running.
Importing Customers
This document describes the Customer data which can be imported into Big Business, along with a description of action taken if the data does not meet the required format.
Details:
Prior to importing information into Big Business, you need to prepare a tab delimited text file containing the necessary information. Each field to be imported must be separated by a tab, and each record must be separated by a return. This is easily done using a spread sheet.
Import Fields: Customers (3484)
This document describes the Customer data which can be imported into Big Business, along with a description of action taken if the data does not meet the required format.
Details:
Prior to importing information into Big Business, you need to prepare a tab delimited text file containing the necessary information. Each field to be imported must be separated by a tab, and each record must be separated by a return. This is easily done using a spread sheet.
Customer Import (during Setup)
Customer Listing Text up to 64 characters in length Remove characters beyond 64
Company Name Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Customer Code Text up to 16 characters in length Remove characters beyond 16
Customer Type Text up to 24 characters in length Remove characters beyond 24
Salutation Text up to 8 characters in length Remove characters beyond 8
First Name Text up to 16 characters in length Remove characters beyond 16
Last Name Text up to 16 characters in length Remove characters beyond 16
Title Text up to 24 characters in length Remove characters beyond 24
Phone Number 1 (Work) Phone number up to 27 characters in length Remove characters beyond 27
Phone Number 2 (Fax) Phone number up to 27 characters in length Remove characters beyond 27
Phone Number 3 (Home) Phone number up to 27 characters in length Remove characters beyond 27
Phone Number 4 (Mobile) Phone number up to 27 characters in length Remove characters beyond 27
Credit Limit Any number up to two decimal places Number rounded to two decimal places
Terms Text up to 24 characters in length Remove characters beyond 24
Price Level “1, 2, 3, 4, or 5” Replace with “1”
Tax Status Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Resale # Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Shipping Method Text up to 24 characters in length Remove characters beyond 24
Receivables Category Any Receivables Category in the Account List Replace with default Receivables Cat.
Income Category Any Category established in the Account List Replace with default Income Category
Balance Any number up to two decimal places Number rounded to two decimal places
Salesperson Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Billing Name Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Billing Address 1 Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Billing Address 2 Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Billing City Text up to 16 characters in length Remove characters beyond 16
Billing State Text up to 3 characters in length Remove characters beyond 3
Billing Zip Zip Codes up to nine characters in length Remove characters beyond 9
Billing Country Text up to 16 characters in length Remove characters beyond 16
Shipping Name Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Shipping Address 1 Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Shipping Address 2 Text up to 32 characters in length Remove characters beyond 32
Shipping City Text up to 16 characters in length Remove characters beyond 16
Shipping State Text up to 3 characters in length Remove characters beyond 3
Shipping Zip Zip Codes up to nine characters in length Remove characters beyond 9
Shipping Country Text up to 16 characters in length Remove characters beyond 16
Importing Vendors
This document describes the Customer data which can be imported into Big Business, along with a description of action taken if the data does not meet the required format.
Details:
Prior to importing information into Big Business, you need to prepare a tab delimited text file containing the necessary information. Each field to be imported must be separated by a tab, and each record must be separated by a return. This is easily done using a spread sheet.
Import Fields: Vendors (5158)
Prior to importing information into Big Business, you need to prepare a tab delimited text file containing the necessary information. Each field to be imported must be separated by a tab, and each record must be separated by a return. This is easily done using a spread sheet application.
Vendor Import (during Setup)
Info to Import Limitation on data Action if limitations not met
Vendor Listing Text up to 64 characters Remove characters beyond 64
Company Name Text up to 32 characters Remove characters beyond 32
Vendor Code Text up to 16 characters Remove characters beyond 16
Vendor Type Text up to 24 characters Remove characters beyond 24
Salutation Text up to 8 characters Remove characters beyond 8
First Name Text up to 16 characters Remove characters beyond 16
Last Name Text up to 16 characters Remove characters beyond 16
Title Text up to 24 characters Remove characters beyond 24
Phone # 1 (Work) Number up to 27 characters Remove characters beyond 27
Phone # 2 (Fax) Number up to 27 characters Remove characters beyond 27
Phone # 3 (Home) Number up to 27 characters Remove characters beyond 27
Phone # 4 (Mobile) Number up to 27 characters Remove characters beyond 27
Credit Limit Any number up to two Number rounded to two
decimal places decimal places
Terms Text up to 24 characters Remove characters beyond 24
ETA Days Any # between 1 and 32,767 Replace with zero
Payment Account Any Bank Account Remove entered
in the Account List Payment Account
Send 1099 “True, False, Yes, No, 1, 0” Replace with “No”
Tax ID# Text up to 16 characters Remove characters beyond 16
Payables Category Any Payables Category Replace with default
in the Account List Payables Category
Expense Category Any Category established Replace with default
in the Account List Expense Category
Balance Number up to two Number rounded to two
decimal places decimal places
Mailing Name Text up to 32 characters Remove characters beyond 32
Mailing Address 1 Text up to 32 characters Remove characters beyond 32
Mailing Address 2 Text up to 32 characters Remove characters beyond 32
Mailing City Text up to 16 characters Remove characters beyond 16
Mailing State Text up to 2 characters Remove characters beyond 2
Mailing Zip Number up to 9 characters Remove characters beyond 9
Mailing Country Text up to 16 characters Remove characters beyond 16
Payment Name Text up to 32 characters Remove characters beyond 32
Payment Address 1 Text up to 32 characters Remove characters beyond 32
Payment Address 2 Text up to 32 characters Remove characters beyond 32
Payment City Text up to 16 characters Remove characters beyond 16
Payment State Text up to 2 characters Remove characters beyond 2
Payment Zip Number up to 9 characters Remove characters beyond 9
Importing Items
This document describes the Item data which can be imported into Big Business, along with a description of action taken if the data does not meet the required format.
Details:
Prior to importing information into Big Business, you need to prepare a tab delimited text file containing the necessary information. Each field to be imported must be separated by a tab, and each record must be separated by a return. This is easily done using a spread sheet.
Import Fields: Items (5161)
Prior to importing information into Big Business, you need to prepare a tab delimited text file containing the necessary information. This is easily done using a spread sheet application with columns matching the fields below, and each Item on a separate row. Then save the data from the spreadsheet using Save As... and selecting Text (tab-delimited) as the type.
Item Import Fields:
Item Code (18), Description 1 (24), Description 2 (24), Level 1 Price, Level 2 Price, Level 3 Price, Level 4 Price, Level 5 Price, Buy Item (T/F), Inventory Item (T/F), Sell Item (T/F), Expense Category, Asset Category, Cost of Goods Category, Taxable (T/F), Item Type (24), Vendor Name (VL), Vendor Part # (16), Order at Least, When Below, Ship Weight, Cost, Quantity on Hand*, Last Bought* (Date), Last Sold* (Date), Average Cost*, Total Cost*, Detail Description (Text), Custom Field 1 (32),...Custom Field 12 (32).
Notes:
* indicates a field that in available when importing during the initial Setup of your data file, but not during normal operation. Use the Item Adjustment imports to update quantities.
Formats:
(18) accepts up to 18 characters; extra characters removed.
(T/F) accepts True, False, Yes, No, 1, or 0; defaults to True.
(CA) accepts any valid selection from the Chart of Accounts; or else default.
(VL) accepts any valid selection from the Vendor Listing.
(Date) accepts the format "mm/dd/yy" only; defaults to blank.
(Text) accepts up to 32,000 characters.
Number Formats
You can customize the way Big Business displays and rounds numbers in order to match your needs. This is important if you need to maintain detail on amounts greater than the standard 2 decimal places. (5164)
Big Business allows you to change number formats and currency symbols to match your business needs. You use the Number Formats dialog box to set several options. In the Maintenance tool bar, select the Company Card. Click on the Format Numbers button located in the center of the Company Card.
After choosing the appropriate country from the selection of English-speaking countries, the typical set of currency symbols, number formats, and currency text will appear. In this window, it is possible to change the text printed on the checks, the display of numbers, currency symbols, and the rounding of decimal places. For example, you can define the currency to be printed on checks as “Dollars”, unit prices to display up to two decimals, while being rounded at four decimal places. The Example column shows examples of how numbers appear with the settings you have chosen.
When changing the display format, entering a 0 signifies that a number should always be printed in that space (even if the number is 0). If you insert a # instead of a 0, then a number will only appear if the number is not zero. You can always round to more decimal places than is actually displayed.
User Access: Unlock Transactions
Big Business includes a Special Access setting to Unlock Transactions. This overrides the normal protection of data and should be used with care.
Unlock Transactions unlocks:
• Invoices locked by applied payments
• Payroll Checks automatically locked on import
• Balance Adjustments automatically locked when saved
• Bank Reconciliations locked by subsequent reconciliations
• Vendor Bills locked by a payment
The Solution desribes this setting. (5698)
This setting was created for Invoices which would normally be locked by Applied Payments. To modify these Invoices, a user would normally need to unapply the payment, modify the Invoice, then re-apply the payment. Users with the Unlock Transactions setting will see the Invoice as unlocked (unless it is locked by another user or in a protected period) and can make changes, such as adding shipping charges.
To Set Transactions Unlocked Access for a User:
1. Open the user's Employee Card to the Access tab.
2. Click the "Transactions Unlocked" checkbox.
3. Save the Employee Card.
For the setting to take effect, the Employee must quit and restart Big Business.
Transactions Unlocked unlocks:
• Invoices locked by applied payments
• Payroll Checks automatically locked on import
• Balance Adjustments automatically locked when saved
• Bank Reconciliations locked by subsequent reconciliations
• Vendor Bills locked by a payment
WARNING: The Transactions Unlocked feature should be assigned to a reserved user (e.g. Administrator, or another not normally used) or turned OFF for normal use. Without being able to see what should be locked, normally, it is all too easy to cause problems.