Importing your data

Switching to Kaalchakra doesn't mean retyping your history. Export spreadsheets from your previous software and bring them in — masters first, then transactions. Imports are designed to preserve your history exactly as it was: original invoice numbers, rates, discounts, and tax amounts are stored as given, never recalculated against today's masters.

Order of work

1. 1

   Import masters first

   Accounts (Masters → Account → Import), then items (Masters → Item → Import / Export). Item groups, account groups, and discounts have their own import pages too.

2. 2

   Then import transactions

   Open Transactions → Import/Export, pick what you're importing (sale, purchase, estimate, order), and upload your sheet. Not sure how the file should look? Use Download template to start from one with the right columns and an example row.

3. 3

   Let it map your columns for you

   As soon as you upload, Kaalchakra reads your columns and matches them to the right fields — no matter whether they came from Busy, Tally, Vyapar, or your own Excel. Each column is marked Matched, Likely, or Please check.

4. 4

   Confirm the highlighted columns

   Everything Kaalchakra is not certain about is listed at the top for you to confirm — both the columns it could not place and the ones it had to guess. Pick or correct the field from the dropdown for each. Only columns marked Matched are treated as settled, and those stay folded away below. Need to see every column at once? Open Advanced mapping.

5. 5

   Review and resolve conflicts

   Before anything is written, the file is checked: rows are validated, parties and items are matched against your masters, and problems are listed per row. If a row's details differ from an existing master, a dialog asks you to Keep the existing one or Update it from the file — your call, per conflict.

6. 6

   Import and watch progress

   Large files process in the background with a live progress view. If rows fail, each one is named with its own reason — in the progress view and in the message left on screen — so you can correct just those and re-run. Your column choices are remembered for next time.

We map your columns for you

You don't have to know what the fields are called. Kaalchakra recognises the common names other software uses — “Party”, “Ledger”, “Customer” all become the party; “Qty” and “Quantity” both become quantity — and it even reads the actual values (a GSTIN, a date, a Dr/Cr column) to get the match right. Take the built-in Guide for a quick walkthrough, or press Ask Kaalchakra any time you're stuck.

A guess is always shown to you

There is a real difference between a column Kaalchakra recognised and one it guessed. A recognised column is marked Matched and needs nothing from you. A guess is marked Likely and is put in front of you to confirm — even though we have already filled in our best answer, so confirming is usually one glance. The count at the top tells you how many columns still want your eye, and it counts the guesses. If it says nothing needs checking, nothing does.

One invoice can span several rows

If an invoice has more than one item, put the party and bill number on the first row and leave those cells blank on the rows just below it — those blank-header rows are treated as the same invoice's extra items. The downloadable template shows exactly how.

Blank cells and dashes are read as zero

Many older programs print a dash (-) instead of a zero — so a line with no tax shows “-” in the tax column, and a nil discount shows “-” too. Kaalchakra reads a blank cell or a dash in any number column (quantity, rate, discount, tax, CGST/SGST, amount) as 0. You never have to go back and fill those cells in, and they will never stop your import.

If a row needs a look

Nothing is saved until your file passes a quick check, and a single odd row never stops the whole file. Messages are grouped in plain language into three calm sections so you always know what to do:

• Please fix these — the few things that must be sorted before importing, such as telling us which column is the date or the party. Each one names the column and the fix.
• We handled these for you — lines we set aside so the rest could import, such as an item row with no quantity or a charge with no amount. They're listed by row so you can add them later if you want.
• Good to know — small notes that don't need any action.

Take the quick tour

First time here? A short guided tour walks you around the page — choosing what to import, uploading, checking the column matches, and bringing it in. Step through it with Next and Back, or press Skip. You can reopen it any time from the Guide button, and Ask Kaalchakra is there for anything else.

What each sheet should contain

You don't need every column — only a party and at least one item line (with a quantity) are essential. Everything else simply adds detail. Here's what each kind of document expects:

Columns worth knowing