Historical Import Tool
This article covers how to migrate your previous bookkeeping records to Sunrise and tips for switching to Sunrise.
Why Might You Want to Import Your Old Books
If you have seven years or less of completed bookkeeping records somewhere, it would be a good idea to migrate that to your current bookkeeping system, that being Sunrise. The IRS reserves the right to look at up to seven years of historical records if you are ever audited, so if you’ve been in business for at least that long, it’s more than a matter of good sense to try to bring to Sunrise as much of that information as you can.
Of course, please consult with your CPA when making business decisions such as which bookkeeping platform to use.
Luckily, we’ve built a tool to help you make this historical import easier.
Important note: This feature is ONLY for already processed books. Meaning, the tool will bring into Sunrise any records already associated with an account and balanced with another. If you’ve completed your books, or have paid someone else to keep them, the Historical Import tool will work great.
This is NOT a tool for importing unprocessed transactions, invoices or bills.
What Formats Sunrise Reads
Sunrise’s data structure of the Historical Import feature is based on the Excel file Quickbooks exports when you download a General Ledger.
If you’ve used Quickbooks in the past, simply export your General Ledger into Excel, Sunrise will be able to import it.
If you’ve used another platform for your books, simply update the structure of your exported General Ledger into this Template.
Note: since Sunrise is a double-entry system, we recommend only importing from other double-entry systems, such as Quickbooks, Wave or Xero. If you are not sure if your previous system is double-entry, please check with them before proceeding.
Exporting Historical Records For Quickbooks Users
Migrating from Quickbooks to Sunrise is easy. Follow the instructions below to export your historical data from Quickbooks.
Step 1: Find Export Settings
Head on over to Settings > Export data
Then select for Back up.
You only need to export the General Ledger
Step 2: Export to Excel
Simply approve the export to Excel and your general ledger will download to your computer. The General Ledger is all Sunrise needs.
Step 3: Make Sure Your Data is Good
Go ahead and open your general ledger. It should look like this:
Exporting Historical Records For Non-Quickbooks Users
Sunrise can import any data, as long as it is in the following format.
Download our General Ledger Import Template HERE.
So you can export your data from any tool you are currently using then spend a few minutes to make it look like the Sunrise Template.
How To Import Your Previous Records into Sunrise
Step 1: Find the import tool in Sunrise
Head on over to Settings > Imports to locate the Historical Import tool
Since this was meant to be used just once, for new Sunrise organizations, we’ve kept it somewhat out of the way so as to reduce the risk of someone using it to import bank transactions (that would be very bad).
Step 2: Locate Your General Ledger file
From your old Bookkeeping system, export your General Ledger, see instructions above.
If you have used Quickbooks, the Excel format will work in Sunrise.
If you used some other system, make sure you update the spreadsheet to match this template.
Step 3: Import Your General Ledger
Simply drag and drop the file, or navigate to the file, and click on Begin Import.
Step 4: Map Your Columns and Error Check
The typical General Ledger will have many hundreds of rows of data. On the first screen, your job is to make sure Sunrise can correctly map the header rows to Date, Description, Account, Debit and Credit.
If we find any errors in the data, we will highlight the error in red and allow you to download the error summary so you can make corrections directly in Excel or just unselect the entire row.
Step 5: Map Your Accounts
The final mapping screen may take some time to complete as it will require you to map your old accounts to the new ones in Sunrise.
Option 1 is to simply map the old account to an existing one in Sunrise. Sunrise comes with all the accounts needed to complete a Schedule C.
Option 2 is to create a new Sunrise account to mirror the label used in the old account. If you’ve been in business for a while, you may have created some new categories that are unique to your organization. Simply recreate them in Sunrise.
Note: you can map as many old accounts to a single new account as you like. But please consult with a CPA before making any changes to your Chart of Accounts as this could make your tax filing much harder.
Step 6: Confirm Sunrise Got it Right
Before we import hundreds or thousands of new(old) records into your organization, you should make sure the mappings and account totals are correct.
Double check the column headers, number of rows and accounts (existing and new) with your Excel file.
If all looks good, rock on.
Step 7: Complete the Import
The import could take several minutes depending on how large your file is. Feel free to navigate away from the page and check back later. Doing so will not disrupt the import process.
A record of this import will be available at any time for download on the Imports landing page.
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