Accounting software

Modules

Accounting software is typically composed of various modules, different sections dealing with particular areas of accounting. Among the most common are:

Core Modules
* Accounts receivable—where the company enters money received
* Accounts payable—where the company enters its bills and pays money it owes
* General ledger—the company's "books"
* Billing—where the company produces invoices to clients/customers
* Stock/Inventory—where the company keeps control of its inventory
* Purchase Orders—where the company orders inventory
* Sales Orders—where the company records customer order for the supply of inventory

Non Core Modules
* Debt Collection—where the company tracks attempts to collect overdue bills (sometimes part of accounts receivable)
* Expense—where employee business-related expenses are entered
* Inquiries—where the company looks up information on screen without any edits or additions
* Payroll—where the company tracks salary, wages, and related taxes
* Reports—where the company prints out data
* Timesheet—where professionals (such as attorneys and consultants) record time worked so that it can be billed to clients
(Different vendors will use different names for these modules)

Use by Non Accountants

With the increasing dominance of having financial accounts prepared with Accounting Software, as well as some suppliers claims that anyone can prepare their own books, accounting software can be considered at risk of not providing appropriate information as non-accountants prepare accounting information. As recording and interpretation is left to software and expert systems, the necessity to have a Systems Accountant overseeing the accountancy system becomes ever more important. The set up of the processes and the end result must be vigorously checked and maintained on a regular basis in order to develop and maintain the integrity of the data and the processes that manage this data.

On-line Resources

The World Wide Web provides accountants with valuable resources for researching, selecting, and implementing accounting software. With the vast array of software products available, accountants can be overwhelmed by all the choices and options offered. Consequently, they have been turning to the web to search for solutions, to connect with each other, and to share best practices techniques for selecting software. This trend is likely to continue as the software market becomes more saturated and as accountants further embrace online resources.

Copyright 2008 - France BtoB from Wikipédia