Forum OpenACS Q&A: Re: SQL-Modelling Costs and Invoices
<blockquote> review sql-ledger's invoice and related tables as well
as perhaps the whole system
</blockquote>
This is what I'm doing right now. Also, the OfBiz data model looks cool. Loads of stuff. No way Project/Open could compete with that without the underlying OpenACS platform ... 😊
<blockquote> 'we want to do "controlling", that means calculating profit and
loss on a per-project or per-customer base'
How would this package differentiate itself from
accounting packages that handle data entry and relevant
reports with customer and project summaries?
</blockquote>
Your're right, both is about sums. But the "accounting sums" have to comply with the famous GAP in the US and EU accounting right here. Let's say you buy a server for example. Accounting wise, this "investment" is "amortized" over 3 years. It's not a "cost" when you buy it. But every year you get a third if its price as cost in your books. This is done using "double entry", that means, the amortization cost is subtracted from the value of the computer (an "asset" that appears in your balance sheet) and added to the "amortization costs account".
Controlling wise, you don't care about amortization (well, not that much...). You add the cost of the server 50% to Project A and 50% to Project B (the server hosts the applications of both projects). Also, you add a percentage of the salary cost of the SysAdmin to both projects, according to timesheet information.
Important: Accounting doesn't know about projects and cost centers. That's a bit exaggerated because you can tweak accounting to include projects, but it's the basic idea. The summary is:
=> Accounting is boring! (get an accountant)
=> Controlling is sexy! (know what's left in your pocket)
Does this explain the difference? 😊
<blockquote> "..there are already modules for timesheet, payroll, invoices and
travel costs (from the old 3.4 intranet and other past work)."
Really? The only intranet module I am aware of has no
docs, so I am ignorant of any applicability to these
efforts. =(
</blockquote>
Timesheet was already part of the 3.4 (Philips own...) Intranet. It's life at http://ptdemo.dnsalias.com/. "Payroll" is a huge name for the "im_employees" table in the 3.4 Intranet. It contains an employee hierarchy and salary information. This cost needs to be "redistributed" to projects according to the timesheet information. Travel costs were added to the 3.4 Intranet at www.Competitiveness.com and I've got the kind permission to use the code. And "Fixed Costs" (such as office rent, aDSL line, ...) finally are just plain cost items that are distributed to projects according to the guts of the manager or maybe according to the hours spent on every project.
Bests,
Frank
