Introduction
Migrating your data into Bukku is an important step when moving from another accounting system. By planning it properly, you can ensure a smooth transition without losing track of past balances, contacts, or products.
Data migration means transferring your existing accounting records from your old system into Bukku. This ensures you can continue smoothly without losing important information.
Typically, you’ll want to migrate these key data sets:
Chart of Accounts – Your list of accounts from the old system
Contacts – Customers, suppliers, and employees
Products & Services – Items you sell or purchase, including inventory if you track stock
Opening Balances – Assets, liabilities, equity, and other closing balances carried forward from your most recent financial year
Steps for Data Migration
Prepare Your Data
Before migrating, make sure your data is ready. Export what you need from your old system and clean it up so it’s accurate and consistent.
Import into Bukku
Bukku provides batch import templates (Excel files) so you can bring in your data easily. To keep everything organised, we recommend importing in this order:
Chart of Accounts – Create or Batch Import your accounts first.
Contacts – Create or Batch Import your customers, suppliers, and employees.
Products & Services – Create or Batch Import the items you sell or purchase (including inventory if applicable).
Opening Balances – Enter or Batch Import your closing balances from the most recent financial year.
You can find the batch import templates inside each respective module (e.g. Chart of Accounts, Contacts, Products & Services, Opening Balance) and upload them there.
Verify Balances
Once imported, check that your balances match your Trial Balance or Balance Sheet from the old system.
Pay attention to Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Inventory, as these need to tie back correctly.
Continue Operations in Bukku
After migration, start issuing invoices, recording bills, and managing transactions directly in Bukku.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What is Data Migration in Bukku?
It’s the process of bringing over your important data (contacts, products, chart of accounts, opening balances, etc.) from your old system into Bukku so you can continue smoothly without re-entering everything manually.
Q2: What should I prepare before migrating?
Finalised financial reports (Trial Balance / Balance Sheet) from your old system.
A clear cut-off date (usually your year-end closing).
Exported data files (customers, suppliers, products, Chart of Accounts, outstanding invoices/bills).
Q3: What can I import in bulk?
Bukku provides batch import templates for:
Chart of Accounts
Contacts (customers, suppliers & employees)
Products & Services
Opening Balances (including outstanding stocks, invoices & bills)
Q4: Do I need to enter opening balances manually?
Not if you have a lot of data. Use the batch import templates to upload in bulk. If you have only a few, you can enter them one by one.
Q5: When should I bring in my Opening Balance?
We recommend entering your Opening Balance after your latest financial year-end closing. Use the closing balances from your previous accounting system and enter the Closing Balance Date in Bukku as shown in your Trial Balance or Balance Sheet.
Example: If your last financial year closed on 31 Dec 2024, enter 31 Dec 2024 as the Closing Balance Date in Bukku. Your first new transaction will start on 01 Jan 2025.
Q6: I have completed the previous financial year in my old system and want to start recording new transactions in Bukku. What do I need to bring over? Do I need to enter past transactions?
If your previous financial year is already completed, you only need to bring in your Opening Balances — there’s no need to enter all past transactions. This includes outstanding invoices (Accounts Receivable / debtors), outstanding bills (Accounts Payable / creditors), inventory or stock balances, and other account balances.
You should also bring in your Chart of Accounts, contacts (customers, suppliers, and employees), and products & services (items you sell or purchase) so that you can start recording new transactions correctly. Past transactions from your old system do not need to be entered, as Bukku will track all new transactions from your chosen start date.
Q7: Can I skip Opening Balance and just start recording new transactions?
Yes, if you’re brand new business or prefer to start fresh. But if you have outstanding invoices/bills, skipping Opening Balance means you’ll need to manually batch import a lot of items to keep records complete. If you’re setting up a brand-new business and have no prior records to bring over, you can safely skip this step.
Q8: What if my closing reports are not finalised yet?
You can start using Bukku by entering provisional Opening Balances, which can be updated later once your reports are finalised.
You also have the option to wait and enter them later.
While using Bukku, you can continue recording transactions, but some balances—like outstanding invoices or bills—may not match perfectly until the Opening Balances are updated. Knock-offs or payment matching against these balances can only be done after the Opening Balances are correctly entered.
Q9: My latest closing is 31 Dec 2024, but it’s already Oct 2025 now. How should I bring in my data?
You should still use 31 Dec 2024 as your Closing Balance date, since that’s your last closed financial year. Then, record or import all transactions from January to October 2025 using Bukku’s batch import templates (available under each module).
This ensures your reports remain accurate and reflect all activities after your latest year-end closing.
Q10: My latest closing is 31 Dec 2024, but now it’s Oct 2025. Can I bring in opening balance as of 30 Sept 2025 instead?
Not recommended. Opening balance should always follow your last closed financial year (31 Dec 2024 → 01 Jan 2025).
Q11: It’s already Oct 2025 and my last closing is 31 Dec 2024. Do I need to import all 2025 transactions into Bukku? Or can I just start fresh?
It depends on where you want to do your 2025 year-end closing.
If you plan to close 2025 in your old system, you can continue recording there and bring the Opening Balances as of 31 Dec 2025 into Bukku later.
If you plan to close 2025 in Bukku, then yes — you’ll need to import or record all transactions from Jan–Oct 2025 in Bukku to keep your reports complete and accurate.
Q12: Can I batch import all my past transactions instead of just the Opening Balance?
Yes, you can — but it will take more time and effort.
If your business started earlier (for example, in 2020) and your latest financial year closing is 31 Dec 2024, you can bring all data from 2020 to 2024 into Bukku.
However, you’ll need to batch import transactions for every module (e.g. Sales Invoices, Bills, Payments, etc.) using the import templates. This process can be quite detailed and requires careful checking to make sure everything matches your reports.
If your main goal is just to continue smoothly from your latest closed year, we recommend importing only the Opening Balances instead — it’s faster and easier to manage.
