Your business's fiscal year is set-up in Basic Set-up.  If possible, once you set the fiscal year, you want to keep it the same.  If you need to change it, however, you'll want to follow the procedures below.

Background

When the fiscal year is changed, there are two program functions that are most effected by the change.  Those are:

1) Balance Files which hold your customer's balances at the middle and the end of the year; and

2) Inventory Files which hold your inventory figures at the end of the year.

In each case, the files are based on your fiscal year.  If you change the fiscal year, then the information in the files is no longer valid and you'll end up with unreliable billing statements and inventory reports. (Note that Balance Files & Inventory Files are not available on the Level I program.)

How to Make the Change

If you plan to make a fiscal year change, following this procedure:

1. First. Wait.  Wait to change the fiscal year until a time that you will be doing a physical inventory.  You'll need the physical inventory to bring your inventory levels back in sync.

2. Just before changing the fiscal year:  run billing statements (MAIN TASKS >> BILLING STATEMENTS & BALANCE FILES >> "Normal Process."  When the billing statement screen appears, select FILE >> AGE REPORT FROM SPREADSHEET.  This function will move billing data into to Excel.  Save the spreadsheet.  You'll notice that one of the columns on the spreadsheet is the customer's balance.  You'll be able to use this to compare it with the customer's balance once the fiscal year change is made.  If the balances don't match, then you'll need to make adjustments.

3. Again, just before changing fiscal year, run an inventory (PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS >> "Current Inventory."  When the inventory report screen appears, select FILE >> EDIT/PRINT FROM SPREADSHEET (SIMPLE).  AnyOrder will start Excel with your data in place.  One of the columns is "Current_In."  That's the current inventory level.  You'll use this figure for comparison once the fiscal year change is made.  Save the Excel file.

4. Make the fiscal year change in Basic Program Set-up.

5. Return to the Main Invoice Screen.  Go to the very first invoice (GO TO >> FIRST INVOICE).  Write down the invoice date.

6. The next step is to re-build each of the Balance Files.

A. Before re-building, you need one important piece of information. Select MAIN TASKS >> BILLING STATEMENTS & BALANCE FILES.  Click on "Start Normal Process."  The program will tell you which balance file it is using.  Write down the name of the balance file.  We will call this the "Ending Balance file."  Return to the Billing Options screen.

B. Now we need to re-create the Balance File.  Select (MAIN TASKS >> BILLING STATEMENTS & BALANCE FILES >> "Automatically Update Balances."  You'll be asked to enter a starting date and ending date.  You'll be doing this in 6 month intervals.  If your new fiscal year is the calendar year, your starting dates will be January 1st and July 1st.  (For this discussion, we'll assume that your new fiscal year is the calendar year.)

C. For your starting date, you need to enter a date that precedes the date of your first invoice.  If your first invoice is dated March 20th, you would enter January 1st as the start date and June 30 as the end date.  Use the year of the first invoice.  Let's say it is March 20, 2005, so the starting date is 01/01/05 and ending date is 06/30/05.  Then click on OK.

D. Let the process run.  You can skip viewing the file.  Return to the "Billing Options" screen.  Click on "Automatically Update Balances" again.  This time enter the next range of dates.  If you ended on June 30 with the last process, then start with July 1st for this process.  The ending date would be December 31.  Using the example above, we would have 07/01/05 as the start date and 12/30/05 as the end date.  Then click on OK.

D. Continue this same process in 6-month blocks, working up through the years.  In each case, you are re-creating the balance file.  You want to stop when you create the balance file which has the same name as the "Ending Balance File" (the one that you wrote down, above.)

E. Make sure there are no other Balance Files which are dated after your "Ending Balance File."  If any of those exist, they should be deleted.  For example if your ending Balance File is Bal09Mid, and you find that Bal09End exists, it should be deleted.  To check to see what Balance Files exist, select "Manually Update Balances & Balance Files."  A list will appear.  If you see any files dated after your ending file, select them.  The Balance File screen will appear.  To delete the file, select FILE >> DELETE ENTIRE FILE.

G. Now check the balances.  Click on "Start Normal Process."  Let the process run.  When the billing statement screen appears, select FILE >> AGE REPORT FROM SPREADSHEET.  Compare the balances with the balances from the first spreadsheet.  If you have discrepancies, run through each of the steps above once again.  If you still have discrepancies, you can either create invoices (with a positive or negative amount) to correct the balance -- or you can change the starting balance in the current balance file that being used.

7. Next you need to run a similar process with the inventory files.

A. Begin by selecting PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS >> "Current Inventory."  The program will tell you what inventory file it is using.  Write down the name of the file.  We'll call this the "Ending Inventory File."

B. Next, we'll re-build the inventory files.  Select PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS >> "Automatic Inventory Update."  You'll be asked to enter a starting date and ending date.  You'll be doing this in 1 year intervals.  If your new fiscal year is the calendar year, your starting dates will be January 1st and your ending date will be December 31st.  (For this discussion, we'll assume that your new fiscal year is the calendar year.)

C. For your starting date, you need to enter a date that precedes the date of your first invoice.  If your first invoice is March 1st, you would enter January 1st as the start date and December 31 as the end date. Use the year of the first invoice.  .  Let's say it is March 20, 2005, so the starting date is 01/01/05 and ending date is 12/31/05.  Then click on OK.

D. Let the process run.  You can skip viewing the file.  Return to the "Inventory Options" screen.  Click on "Automatic Inventory Update." again.  This time enter the next range of dates.  If you ended on December 31, 2005 with the last process, then start with 01/01/06 for this process.  The ending date would be 12/31/06.  Then click on OK.

D. Continue this same process in one year blocks, working up through the years.  In each case, you are re-creating the Inventory File.  You want to stop when you create the Inventory File which has the same name as the "Ending Inventory File" (the one that you wrote down, above.)

E. Make sure there are no other Inventory Files which are dated after your "Ending Inventory File."  If any of those exist, they should be deleted.  For example if your ending Inventory File is InvEnd09, and you find that InvEnd10 exists, it should be deleted.  To check to see what Inventory Files exist, select "Manually Update Inventory."  A list of files will appear.  If you see any file dated after your ending file, select them.  The Inventory File screen will appear.  To delete the file, select FILE >> DELETE INVENTORY FILE.

G. Now check the ending inventory levels.  Click on "Current Inventory."  Let the process run.  When the inventory report screen appears, select FILE >> EDIT/PRINT FROM SPREADSHEET (SIMPLE).  Compare the inventory levels.  It's very likely that you will find discrepancies.  That will occur with products for which you've added inventory during that overlap period between the fiscal year change.  That's why it is important to do physical inventory counts prior to changing the fiscal year.

H. To bring the inventory back in synch, use the Inventory Reconciliation feature (PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY RECONCILIATION).  You'll find more information here, but basically you will enter your current inventory levels (from your physical inventory count).  Once that's finished, AnyOrder will make the proper adjustments to the inventory file.  You will now have the correct internal levels for your future inventory needs.