"It seems that Xero only holds data from the last Financial year and the current one."
I'm sure that can't be right - given that companies have data retention laws to comply with, and may be subject to inspections, I'd be amazed if Xero doesn't keep all of your data available. I know it's more like the the dog's doo-doo than the dog's danglies (I have to use it most of the time now, so I'm speaking from experience*), but I'm sure it must keep older data available **.
* I have used it on and off for small companies in the past, and never liked it, but earlier this year I had a forced migration to it at my biggest client, and I am very unimpressed by many aspects of it, and the invoice scanning thing I have to use.
** Unfortunately, we only migrated the data to it from the start of last year, and I no longer have my older Xero client so I can't look on theirs to check either, so I am making an assumption there. But I am confident.
Edit: i before e except after c, or in shed loads of other cases because that rule is bogus. i.e. (badumtish) I made a silly spelling mistake.
-- Edited by VinceH on Tuesday 18th of May 2021 10:54:13 PM
__________________
Vince M Hudd - Soft Rock Software
(I only came here looking for fellow apiarists...)
I have had a chance to dig around after my initial panic. I have not used this software before - but it seems the key is to go onto the appropriate tab - say 'Bills to pay' and then put in the relevant dates you need eg 01/04/2018 -01/04/2019 in the search box
The transactions appear in the list - and more importantly you can see the pdf 's that you have embedded.
BTW you don't need to scan invoices in - you can set up e mail forwarding which drops them straight into Xero - since most companies e mail invoices over anyway? It is a bit clumsy I agree.
Just out of curiosity if you drop an emailed invoice in, does it record the data, or just hold the invoice for reference? I've only used Pandle's receipt capture, and it just holds the invoice as a reference.
Welcome to the forum by the way.
Hi Vince
I've only used Xero for a client I gained 3 years ago, wasn't keen on it, but the previous bookkeeper had made a complete dogs danglies of the entries (to use your expression ) of it and I switched her to Pandle for the following year. All she was doing was entering the sales invoices but didn't like Pandle and she's now set up another business and gone back to Xero. Oh well, I'll get the pleasure (!) of playing with it again next year.
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John
Any advice given is for general guidance and professional advice should be sought applicable to your circumstances.
No - invoices that are forwarded to Xero drop into bills to approve = they only contain the dates and amount = you have to enter the Client , the Nominal code you want, and whether it is a vat transaction or not etc.
What is useful is the pdf of the invoice that automatically embeds itself. You can open it and just copy n paste the details into the description description.
you can also snap receipts with a phone and e mail them Xero or download a bill and upload to Xero from your downloads folder on the computer. Click the pdf icon when you create a bill to pay - and click add files from computer, and find the bill in your downloads folder .
I don't think you need to scan invoices.
Apologies if I have just stated the obvious and mentioned things you may already know ! - I'm just learning
"BTW you don't need to scan invoices in - you can set up e mail forwarding which drops them straight into Xero"
Unfortunately, I do. It's mandated from above.
"you can set up e mail forwarding which drops them straight into Xero - since most companies e mail invoices over anyway?"
In this case, the vast majority of invoices come in on pieces of dead tree, so they have to be scanned, and (even though I can manually key them faster - even on the big fat Xero) I have to upload them via a service to OCR them.
C'est la vie, though. As long as they keep paying me, I'll carry on.
The one benefit is that in theory I can switch out my Windows laptop and use a Linux-based machine. I have a pile of old laptops here, so it may be time to resurrect one (this may involve some effort, though), bung Ubuntu on it, and use that. Alternatively, it might be possible to use a Raspberry Pi instead. That'd be quite cool - not just dispensing with Windows, but Intel as well!
Hi John,
"but the previous bookkeeper had made a complete dogs danglies of the entries (to use your expression )"
Unfortunately, you've used the expression incorrectly. :p
The dog's danglies = the dog's bollocks. For some strange reason, when something is described as the dog's bollocks, it's supposed to be the bee's knees. Whut? i.e. something good.
The dog's doo-doo, on the other hand, is what comes out of its rear end. That's not so good.
So saying "[Xero is] more like the the dog's doo-doo than the dog's danglies" I'm saying, it's more like dog shit than the dog's bollocks.
Edits: The formatting on this post initially came out like the dog's doo-doo.
-- Edited by VinceH on Friday 21st of May 2021 08:13:50 PM
-- Edited by VinceH on Friday 21st of May 2021 08:14:36 PM
__________________
Vince M Hudd - Soft Rock Software
(I only came here looking for fellow apiarists...)
Thanks for your convos re Xero - much appreciated. Since we have digressed from the subject to dogs doodoos and danglies I think will now leave it there . LOL ! Marina
In answer to the OP's question, there is no archive in Xero and thus no need to change YE dates. All the info is available via normal reports or screens.
) of it and I switched her to Pandle for the following year. All she was doing was entering the sales invoices but didn't like Pandle and she's now set up another business and gone back to Xero. Oh well, I'll get the pleasure (!) of playing with it again next year. 
