Requirements

Generally, the source application will be an accounting application. Creating an import filter requires some accounting knowledge if the source application is an accounting application. This document includes a glossary of terms, including some accounting-related terms. Basic accounting principles, however, are not covered in this overview. These principles include an understanding of why revenues are often stored as negative numbers; how the accounts in a chart of accounts should be mapped to account categories; and definitions of terms such as debit, credit, asset, liability, equity, revenue, and expense.

Other requirements for creating an import filter include the following:

• Full knowledge of your source system's file formats, record structures, data types, account mappings, and so on.
  
  
• Microsoft Visual C++® version 5.0 or later.
  
  
• Microsoft Small Business Customer Manager included with Microsoft Office 2000.
  
  
• Microsoft Small Business Financial Manager (SBFM) included with Microsoft Office 2000 (optional).

For more information on Import Wizard requirements, see "Frequently Asked Questions" later in this document.