Where Do I Start?

1.      If you are new to financial accounting concepts read "General Ledger Basics" which offers advice on how to get up to speed in this area. If you are familiar with accounting concepts and jargon skip "General Ledger Basics" (which contains no information specifically about CAPITAL GL Controller, only general concepts) and turn to "Basic Set Up Procedures" for more information on operating the program. In order to start using the GL you will need to:

2.      Install the software onto your hard disk.

3.      Decide to create a new chart of accounts or modify the existing chart. You will need to read the section general ledger codes in order to know how to add, edit or delete account codes. Refer to Appendix B to view the supplied chart.

4.      Enter your initial opening journals for the beginning of the year or period from which you wish to begin. You will need to read the section on general journal batches and batch posting at least.

5.      Print reports to check both the modifications or additions to the chart of accounts that you have made, as well as a trial balance to check your work.

6.      Optionally (depending on the extent of the changes you have made) read the sections on the quick report writer to ensure that the financial statements that CAPITAL GL Controller will produce will make sense for your firm.

7.      If you will be interfacing CAPITAL GL Controller to CAPITAL Office, Connecting to CAPITAL Office is essential reading. Don't attempt to link these systems together until you have a thorough understanding of what is involved.

8.      Read the other sections of this manual as necessary or as recommended to you in the "compulsory reading" advice, depending on your requirements.

Please remember: make regular back-ups and keep multiple back-ups of your work. Most of the time consuming tasks involved in running a general ledger tend to take place during initial set-up and entry of data. It's important, therefore, that you start making back-ups as you progress. If you make a mistake you can always refer back to your prior back-up as a last (but very convenient) resort. Get into the habit of backing up after every few hours of work, and onto different disks. Disks only cost a few dollars each and you can re-use most of them for other purposes once you have your system up and running. Isn't a few minutes back-up time a healthy insurance policy after several hours work?

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Related Topics:

A Brief Overview