When you first install ProBooks, chances are you’ll be anxious to see what you can do. And you’re going to want to get your own set of books set up so you can start using ProBooks to keep track of your business.
Before you start setting up a new company, please take a few minutes to try out the features we’ve outlined. This brief tour will give you a better understanding of how ProBooks works, and, make it easier and faster when you proceed to set up your own company.
When you start ProBooks, the ProBooks menu is displayed. From the ProBooks menu, you can select one of ProBooks group menus, each containing options for that group.
A menu map of all ProBooks' group menus and their options can be displayed by selecting [Menu Map] from the Help menu. To activate the Help menu press [F1] at any time.
A Quick Tour
Before setting up your own set of books, try out some of ProBooks’s features using the data provided in the ProBooks Model company files.
Try Things Out
Enter an Invoice, Add a Customer, Inventory Item etc.
Enter a Sales Invoice, a Purchase Invoice and any other transactions you’re likely to be doing in ProBooks on a daily basis.
If you wonder about the purpose of a button in any particular screen, try it out and see what happens.
There are lot’s of options in each form. How use them will depend a lot upon the nature of your business, and how you do business.
The right way to use ProBooks, is the way you find works best for you.
Print or Display?
You can [Select] a specific printer from the printer list each time you’re about to print.
If you’d rather, you can display instead of printing by selecting [Display/Log].
When you select Display/Log, printer output is redirected to a disk file then displayed in an editor window. You can scroll forward and backwards through the file, make changes, cut and paste within the file, and save the modified file with a new name if desired.
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When you exit the ‘Log’ window, the information remains on your hard disk in a file named PCA.LOG. You can activate help at anytime by pressing [F1] and recall this file by selecting [Log] from the help menu.
Chart of Accounts
Print the Chart of Accounts. To print the ProBooks Model chart of accounts:
The ProBooks model chart of accounts may or may not be suitable for your
company.
One or more sample charts of accounts are provided with ProBooks and can be loaded when you create a new set of books for your own company.
Or you can build your own chart of accounts from scratch. It’s generally easier to modify one of the sample chart of accounts than to create an all new chart of accounts.
Financial Statements
Print the Financial Statements. Try reprinting the Balance Sheet or Income statement using different options.
Aging Reports
Print the Aging Reports . Print samples of the Accounts Receivable ( [Receivables], [ReceivablesAging], and Accounts Payable Aging report ([Payables], [PayablesAging] )
Registers
Print or Display the Registers. These include the Check Register ([Ledger], [Check Register] ), the Purchases Register ( [Purchases], [Purchase Register ) the Sales Register ( [Sales], [Sales Register ). The various registers detail activity recorded in the various modules. These registers can usually be run for any specified range of dates, and may include various additional selection criteria allowing you to produce a wide range of reports.
Jobs Reports
Print the Job Progress Report. ( [Job Cost], [Job Reports], [Job Progress] ) The Job Progress Report is a summary of sales, costs and profits for all jobs or a specified job. This report lets you quickly see the to-date status of open jobs. Other Job reports provide further detail on sales, purchases and labor.
Assets Reports
Print the Fixed Assets Listing ( [Fixed Assets], [Assets], [Rep] )
Make a Backup
Make a Quick Backup of your data files to floppy disk. To make a Quick Backup select [System], [Backup/Restore].
You should back up your data files every day.
Don’t rely on a tape backup as your only backup of your ProBooks data.
Regardless
of whether your system is backed up to tape every night or not, make a
Quick Backup of your ProBooksdata EVERY DAY.
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Close a Period
Before Closing a Period you should back up your data files to floppy disk
and keep these floppy disks with your other permanent records like bank
statements, tax returns etc.
Close the fiscal Period. To close a fiscal period select [Period Closing] from the System menu. This one quick procedure is all that’s necessary to close a period or year. When you begin using ProBooks for your own company there will be some additional procedures you should also perform before period closing, such as printing Customer Statements, reconciling your bank accounts, accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory, and other general ledger accounts.
By now you’re probably ready to start setting up your own company. The first thing you’ll need to do is add a new set of books for your company...
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When setting up a new company or client in ProBooks there several basic steps to follow before you begin entering transactions.
The first step is to create a Client. So you can see how ProBooks works, it is recommended to keep an active Test Client to use whenever you are unsure of how something is going to work. First, try it out in the Test Client and you can try out any thing you want without the risk of making incorrect transactions in your company’s files.
Setting Up a New Set of Books for Your Company
Which Model?
You’ll be prompted to select the existing set of books to be used as a model for your new set of books.
If there are more than one set of books already set up in your system, select the set of books that has a Chart of Accounts that is closest to the Chart of Accounts you want for the new set of books.
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If you have just installed ProBooks for the first time select the ProBooks Model company as your model. The Code for the ProBooks model will normally be PCA.
Which Drive?
Your new set of books (a set of data files) can be kept on any available hard disk drive, while you can keep a set of books on a floppy drive we do not recommend doing so. Enter the letter C-Z for a hard drive available on your system in the Drive box.
Which Directory?
Each set of books must be kept in a separate directory on your hard drive. We suggest you keep each company’s books in a directory with the same name as the company code.
This directory could be:
Once you’ve entered the necessary information select
[Create a New Set
of Books]
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Customizing Your Chart of Accounts.
Select [Ledger], [Chart of Accounts] . Print a chart of accounts [Print] and determine whether you will need any additional accounts. Add or change any required accounts using Chart of Accounts, Add / Edit.
If you are adding accounts you should review the manual section on Chart of Accounts Maintenance for information account types and format codes for the Financial Statements.
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To setup your Company information:
For each new client there are several fields you should change before you
begin entering transactions.
For details on the fields in these screens please refer to the Setup Company section in the System chapter of your manual.
Your Company Name
Enter your company name and address, etc. These will be used for report headings, on forms, etc.
Periods per Year
Enter 1, 4, 12, or 13 periods per year.
Current Period
Enter the current period number.
Next Close Date
Enter the next closing date, that is, the last day of the current period.
Default Account Numbers.
The default account numbers for the sample company are set up when you install ProBooks.
If you’ve made changes to your Chart of Accounts, it may be necessary to change some of the default accounts. Check the default account numbers and make changes if necessary.
Note: All account number fields must be filled in with a valid Type 2 working account number before transactions can occur.
Enter the next number for invoice, sales order, P.O., etc.
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Entering Your Beginning Balances and Existing Records
Once you have your information organized, there are two major steps
You could start entering new transactions now and complete the following steps later. But ideally, you will enter your beginning balances first.
Before you begin
Before you can proceed you need to have the following information ready. All items apply only if you intend to use the related module and you want to make use of the existing information in ProBooks.
What You Need
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Entering Your Beginning General Ledger Balances
Enter your Beginning General Ledger balances in a single General Journal batch.
To enter General Journal entries:
For details on entering journal transactions please refer to the Journal Entries section in the Ledger chapter of your manual.
Entering Your Existing Receivables
Enter your existing Customrs and Receivables Invoices.
To enter your existing Customers, add a Customer card for each Customer.
Existing Receivables invoices are entered as Sales Invoices.
To enter Sales
Invoices:
For each invoice, enter a single line item for Misc, with Quantity Shipped = 1, and Unit Price = Invoice Amount.
When you post these invoices check the box
Receivables Only
[X] Don’t Update
Ledger
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For details on entering Sales Invoices please refer to the Sales Invoices section in the Sales chapter of your manual.
When you’ve entered your existing receivables invoices, print a Receivables
Aging Report.
To print a Receivables Aging:
The total on your Receivables Aging Report should equal the amount you entered as the beginning balance in the General Ledger for Accounts Receivable.
Entering Your Existing Payables
Enter you existing Vendors and Payables Invoices.
To enter your existing Vendors, add a Vendor card for each vendor.
Existing Payables invoices are entered as Purchases Invoices.
For each invoice, enter a single Line item for Misc, with Quantity Shipped = 1, and Unit Price = Invoice Amount.
When you post these invoices check the box
Payables Only
[X] Don’t Update
Ledger
For details on entering Purchase Invoices, please refer to the Purchase Invoices section in the Purchases chapter of your manual.
When you’ve entered your existing Payables invoices, print a Payables Aging
Report.
To print a Payables Aging:
The total on the Aging Report should equal the amount you entered as the beginning balance in the General Ledger for Accounts Payable.
Entering Your Existing Inventory
Enter your existing Inventory items, then enter your beginning onhand quantities by receiving the beginning quantities.
To enter your existing Items, add an Item card for each item.
To enter receive your beginning inventory:
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When you’ve entered your existing inventory items, print an Inventory On
Hand Report.
To print an Inventory Onhand report:
Enter Your Existing Fixed Assets
Enter your existing Fixed Assets.
To enter your existing Fixed Assets, add an Asset card for each asset.
Entering Your Existing Jobs
Enter your existing Jobs
To enter you existing Jobs, add a Job card for each job.
Entering Your Year To Date Payroll
Enter your existing Employees and year to date payroll.
To enter you existing Employees, add an Employee card for each employee.
Year-to-date Payroll can be entered as Payroll Manual Checks. You can enter summary year-to-date totals for each employee on a single manual pay check.
To enter Manual Pay Checks:
When you post these checks, check the box
Payroll Only
[X] Don’t Update
Ledger.
For details on entering payroll, please refer to the Payroll chapter of your manual.
When you’ve entered your year to date payroll records, print a Payroll Register.
To print a Payroll Register:
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The total on the Payroll Register should equal the amount you entered as
the beginning balance in the General Ledger for the accounts corresponding
to the totals on the payroll register.
Ready To Go?
Well, if you’ve completed the preceding steps, ProBooks should be, so... might as well get going.
PC Accountant Customer Support is always available to help if you need additional assistance. Please refer to the PC Accountant Customer Support information that came with your ProBooks package or visit www.pcaccountant.com for details.
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