User Manual Volume 10: Executive Appendices of the Keystone X Enterprise User Manual & Accounting Guide Verified Guide

#31: Day-1 Go-Live, Data Migration & Opening Balances Master Checklist

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Volume 10 · Article #31 (Appendix A) Day-1 Go-Live Playbook Opening Balances & Cutover Guide

Day-1 Go-Live, Data Migration & Opening Balances Master Checklist

Transitioning a live business from spreadsheets or a legacy accounting system (such as Sage, Pastel, Xero, or QuickBooks) onto Keystone X is effortless when you follow the exact 7-Phase Cutover Sequence below. This guide explains what order to load your data in, how to bring across your Opening Bank, Debtor, Creditor, and Stock balances without double-counting VAT or Revenue, and how to verify your Day-1 Trial Balance.

1. The Golden Rule of ERP Cutover: Choosing Your "Conversion Date"

Before typing a single invoice into Keystone X, pick a clean **Conversion Date**—ideally the **1st day of a new financial year** (e.g., `01 March`) or the **1st day of a new month / SARS VAT period**.

Why a Clean Month-End Cutover Saves Hours: When you cut over on the last day of a month after reconciling your old system's bank statements, you only need to bring across your **Closing Balances as at that date** (Bank Closing Balances, Open Unpaid Customer Invoices, Open Unpaid Supplier Bills, and On-Hand Stock Quantities). Once verified, set your **Fiscal Period Lock Date (`jnl_lock_date`)** in Cashbook/settings to your Conversion Date so nobody accidentally posts transactions into the historical period!

2. The 7-Phase Day-1 Onboarding Checklist (Step-by-Step Sequence)

Always configure Keystone X in the exact dependency order below so that when you import Products, Customers, and Invoices, your Tax Codes, Payment Terms, Warehouses, and Bank Accounts already exist:

Phase	Module & In-App Route	Action Items to Complete
Phase 1 Foundation	Master Settings & Branding `admin/settings`	Delete or rename the `/install` folder on your server (required to unlock login). Complete the 6-Step Setup Wizard: Legal Company Name, CIPC Registration #, Physical Address, Corporate Logo & Brand Color, Base Currency (`ZAR`), SARS VAT Registration #, Document Numbering Prefixes (`QUO-`, `INV-`, `PO-`, `GRN-`, `JC-`), and Outbound SMTP Email credentials. Under `admin/settings#modules`, enable the exact ERP modules your business uses.
Phase 2 Tax & Credit	Tax Rates & Payment Terms `TaxRate/index` `PaymentTerm/index`	In `TaxRate/index`, verify or provision your SARS Statutory Blueprints (`STD 15%`, `ZERO 0%`, `EXM 0%`, `CAP-15`, `ENT-NON`). In `PaymentTerm/index`, provision your Industry Credit Blueprints (`COD`, `PIA-50`, `NET-14`, `2-10-NET-30`, `NET-30`, `EOM-30`) and set your default AR and AP terms.
Phase 3 Treasury & GL	Bank Vaults & Chart of Accounts `BankAccount/index` `Cashbook/index?view_mode=coa`	Review your IFRS Chart of Accounts (`1000–6999`) in `Cashbook/index?view_mode=coa` and add any custom GL accounts your accountant requires. Create your corporate bank accounts, call accounts, credit cards, and petty cash floats in `BankAccount/add`, linking each vault to its GL Control Code (`1000`, `1010`, `1020`) and entering its Opening Balance as at your Conversion Date. Mark your primary business cheque account as Primary Default EFT Account.
Phase 4 Warehouses & Staff	Warehouses, Roles & Users `inventory/warehouses` `admin/roles` & `admin/users`	Create your physical Warehouses, Branch Stores, and Technician Vans (`inventory/warehouses`). Provision Security Roles in `admin/roles` using the 1-Click Industry Role Blueprints and verify zero critical SoD conflicts. Create Staff Accounts in `admin/users`, assigning each employee's Role, Primary Warehouse Custody, GRN/Dispatch authority, and Hourly Billing Rate.
Phase 5 Master Data	Suppliers, Customers & Contacts `vendor/index` `customer/index` & `people/index`	Onboard or CSV-import your Suppliers (`vendor/index`) with their VAT numbers, bank details, and AP Payment Terms. Onboard or CSV-import your Customers (`customer/index`) and linked Stakeholder Contacts (`people/index`), configuring their Credit Limits, AR Payment Terms, and Document Routing flags (who receives Quotes, Invoices, Statements, and Job Cards).
Phase 6 Catalog & Stock	Inventory Catalog & Serials `inventory/index` `inventory/trackSerial`	Import or add your Products & Service SKUs (`inventory/index`) with Unit Cost, Selling Price (Ex-VAT), Tax Code (`STD`), Reorder Point, and Opening Stock Quantities per warehouse. Register any in-stock Serial Numbers (`inventory/trackSerial`) so warranty and RMA tracking is active from Day 1.
Phase 7 Open AR & AP	Open Invoices, Open Bills & GL `invoice/add`, `expense/add` `Cashbook/addJournal`	Capture any Unpaid Historical Customer Invoices as at your Conversion Date so Customer Statements and Aged Receivables are accurate. Capture any Unpaid Historical Supplier Bills and post your Opening Trial Balance Journal (`JNL-0001`) for fixed assets, accumulated depreciation, loans, and retained earnings.

3. Plain-English Guide: Entering Opening Balances (Bank, AR, AP, Stock & GL)

How to Load Unpaid Opening Customer Invoices (AR)

Suppose a customer owes you R 11,500 on an invoice (`INV-OLD-882`) issued last month in your old accounting system, and you already declared the Output VAT on last month's SARS VAT201 return:

Date the invoice on its original historical issue date (prior to your current VAT period) so it ages accurately in `30 / 60 / 90+ Days` on Customer Statements without polluting your current month's Income Statement or VAT201 return.
Use a non-stock service line item (e.g., "Opening Balance Brought Forward — Inv #882") so you do not deduct physical inventory twice!

Posting Your Opening Balance General Journal (`JNL-0001`)

Ask your accountant for the **Closing Trial Balance** from your old system as at the day before your Conversion Date. Navigate to Cashbook/addJournal, select Journal Type = Opening Balance, and enter the non-subledger balances (Property/Equipment `1500`, Shareholder Loans `2500`, Share Capital `3000`, Retained Earnings `3100`) so that $\sum \text{Debits} = \sum \text{Credits}$.

4. Day-1 Go-Live Sign-Off: Verifying Your Opening Trial Balance

Once Phases 1–7 are complete, navigate to Accounting & Banking → Cashbook & Journals → Trial Balance Workpaper (`Cashbook/index?view_mode=trial_balance`), verify that the KPI card reads 100% Balanced, print the workpaper PDF for your file, and set your **Fiscal Lock Date (`jnl_lock_date`)** in `Cashbook/settings` to the day before your Conversion Date. You are now ready for live trading!