Prior to arriving here you should have worked your way through the BK Download Guide , the BK DemoData Guide (suggested), and the BK Configuration Guide.

1. You've gotten your template downloaded, you connected the Google Script project for enhanced functionality if desired.

2. Hopefully you stopped by the BK Demo Data Guide where you learned a lot.

3. Then you cleared demo data from your working file, you made a "_blank" copy, and then you configured you file for your very own data.

INITIAL DATA POPULATION MENU ITEM

The process for...

Loading your own historical data AND/OR Starting out with fresh data AND/OR Using the software on a regular basis to keep up with your data

...is nearly identical.

That's why the initial data population information is found on this website instead of on the Configuration Website.

USE VIDEOS MENU ITEM

The use videos are many of the same shown on the primary website. These will help you watch the full process flow in real time. You may have to start and stop them a few times to follow along, but it won't take long to get the process down.

NOTE: The largest SMALL ISSUE people mess up first is pasting their data into the raw transactions worksheets instead of "paste special values only". Likewise if they paste in wrong spot they try to drag and drop instead of cutting and pasting specials. Those cells have conditional formatting on them that help create a colored divider row between download sets that gets futzed up if you paste there instead of paste-special. If you do mess them up, easy to fix but this is a good time to start thinking about flow in use.

DATA DOWNLOD "SNAFUS" MENU ITEM

We document known, Bank Specific issues that cause users problems or issues. American Express is the largest annoyance at this time but not the only bank who does things in extremely illogical ways, presumably for confusion purposes only, as nothing else makes much sense.

The information below is beneficial for most. Please skim this info so you know what other resources are available to you in addition to the Use Videos on this website...

We will be teaching you how to use this file as a fully functional "double-entry" bookkeeping solution.

There is an easy way to think a Double Entry System. If you have a Balance Sheet that Balances with data provided for it from a General Ledger (with a double entry format), you have a Double Entry Bookkeeping System. The reporting provided by the Balance Sheet is verification of entries.

This exact same file can serve as "single entry" categorization software.

If you ignore the use of the statements worksheet for reconciliation and/or if you fail to categorize each transaction entered in the journals with specific types of accounts, the system can be thought of as just a single entry system instead of a double entry system. All the data will in fact be fed from a double entry Ledger, but the data in there will be incomplete and it will not provide the cross checks it has the potential to provide if a more strict approach is taken to reconciling and categorizing data.

In such a scenario, the Income Statement can be used for reporting but the Balance Sheet will never balanced if all tracked asset and liability accounts don't have a full list of categorized transctions and/or if the statements worksheet is not in balance.

In fact, any system that has a Balance Sheet that won't balance without making fake entries via "suspended expense accounts" is in fact operationally a single entry bookkeeping system with none of the implied integrity offered by a Double Entry System or a Balance Sheet.

We have numerous visuals and files dedicated to the idea of Five Step Bookkeeping as a Double Entry Bookkeeping Process as well as files that delineate that from a Four Step Process for Single Entry Bookkeeping.

Now it's time to get going!!

START WITH THE MENU ITEM TO THE RIGHT OF "HOME" ON THE MAIN MENU ABOVE AND WORK YOUR WAY TO THE RIGHT!

From here the sky's the limit.

If you didn't play with the BK DemoData Guide, please do that. You stand to learn a lot.

The BK Simulation Guide will help you use our Transaction Generator to run life simulations. It's damn cool tool and extremly powerful. It's also a great demo for the potential related to Google Script Programming for data simulations.

In the BK Programmer Guide we dive DEEP into all the programing in the file. You get insight into software development at a level never before seen in a public forum.

You may also want to return to the Bookkeeping Template Landing Page or the BK Master Guide to seek out other educational resources to create your own order for education and learning.

Become an expert with your own Books.

Share your new found knowledge with Others. Pay it forward.

Please keep us in mind come seasonal donation time.