Moving from paper to an app

Should you move open balances only, or the full history?

For most shops, open balances are enough. Copying years of lines by hand takes a long time, and the old lines are still there in the notebook.

If your history already sits as dated rows in a spreadsheet or another credit book app, you can bring it over from the file as it is. From paper, starting with balances is almost always the smarter move.

How do you enter opening balances?

Add each customer and enter what they owe today as a single entry with the note "opening balance". That entry stands for the last total in your notebook.

1. Go through the notebook and list each customer’s latest balance.
2. Add the customer in the app, with a phone number so you can send reminders.
3. Enter the balance as a credit entry and note "opening balance".
4. Add suppliers you owe money to in the same way.

Before entering big balances, check them with the customer: "I have 240.00 for you, does that match?" Starting the new book with agreed figures prevents arguments later.

How do you import from Excel or another app?

Baki Fast reads Excel (.xlsx) and CSV files. Pick the file, the app recognises the columns, and you check the result before anything is saved.

• A balances file: One row per person; today’s balance becomes the opening entry.
• An entries file: Each row is a dated entry; the history comes over as it is.
• Paste: Copy cells from Excel or Google Sheets and paste them straight in.
• From another app: Look for Reports, Export or Excel and download an .xlsx or CSV file. PDF statements cannot be read.
• Old .xls files: Open them in Excel and save as .xlsx or .csv first.

How do you paste a balance list?

No file, or only PDF statements from the old app? The quickest route is a balance list: note each person’s current balance and paste the list into Settings › Import from another app or Excel › Paste a balance list. One person per line: the name, then the amount. Formats like “1,250”, “300.50”, “1,25,000” and “₹500” are read; an amount with a minus in front goes the other way.

Before saving you see a preview: name, amount and who owes. You choose customers or suppliers and the date of the balances. A name already in your book is marked Already there, and you Add the balance to that person or Skip it. Lines that cannot be read are listed, never guessed. Each person comes with one Carried over entry, and one Undo takes the whole list back.

Moving from Khatabook or OkCredit? Their own pages describe statements as PDF downloads, so a balance list is the way over: see moving from Khatabook and moving from OkCredit.

A one-evening switch plan

Switching in one evening after closing is far easier than running two books side by side for weeks. The next morning, the first sale goes straight into the app.

1. Set up: Install the app; no sign-up needed. Turn on the lock (PIN, face or fingerprint).
2. List: Write down customer names and latest balances from the notebook.
3. Enter: Import the list from a spreadsheet, or add customers one by one with their balances.
4. Check: Compare the total owed in the app with the total in the notebook.
5. Back up: Make your first backup file and send it to Drive or your e-mail.
6. Close the notebook: On the last page, write the date and "continued in the app".

How do you tell your customers?

Send a short message that includes their current balance. It confirms the figure and prepares them for the short notes they will get after each entry from now on.

If a customer also uses Baki Fast, send them a shared account invite code so you both see the same account on your own phones.

What should you do with the paper notebook?

Keep it. If a question comes up about an old sale, or your accountant wants to look back, you will want it close at hand.

• Write on the cover the date it was last used.
• Store it somewhere dry and safe, out of customers’ sight.
• Photograph key pages if you like; with Pro you can attach photos to entries too.