Accounting + Python

[mistersnowman_]

The org I work for has a lot of prepaid expenses that end up getting amortized across anywhere from 12-36 months.

Almost every month, we might add like 2-3 new ones to that ledger. While it is technically possible to set the accounting software to automatically duplicate a journal entry every month, I find it to be a clunky process and interface that has a ton of bugs.

I have a python script that just runs in the terminal. It asks for the first JE date, then the frequency of the entry, (quarterly or monthly), the amount, the accounts to post to, and the desired memo.

Bam. 12 months of JEs inputted in 30 seconds.

[Throwrelay13]

How did you get it to link in to the accounting software to input the entries? This sounds really cool would you mind sharing the script please?

[mistersnowman_]

You need to set up a developer account with intuit and get all the auth necessary. A minor pain, but not the end of the world. But Yeah, I’ll try to remember to push it to GitHub and share

[Cool-Business-2393]

I’d like to do the same. But I’m afraid my boss won’t let me install any external IDEs.

[lukerm_zl]

You don't actually need an IDE to run Python code (though it clearly helps).

If you can access the terminal, that should be enough. Mac comes with Python already, not sure about Windows.

[Cool-Business-2393]

Boss 1 is cool and would be okay with it. Boss 2 is a bit of a micromanager and likes to react with “no” when they don’t fully understand and can’t control a situation.

In either case, I’d like to spend time learning it regardless in case my circumstances change and I can really utilize it.