You use this function to transfer accounting documents from an external system into Financial Accounting. There are two types of data transfer:

• Transfer of legacy data
• Transfer of current data

Before transferring document data, you should check whether the accounts are managed on an open item basis.

For accounts that you have previously not managed on an open item basis, and which you intend to continue managing in the SAP System in this way, you should transfer the accumulated balances with one posting. Such accounts include general ledger accounts, and particularly tax accounts.

For accounts that have been, or are managed in the SAP System on an open item basis, you must post the open items individually either manually or using batch input. This applies to:

• Customer and vendor accounts
• Reconciliation accounts, clearing accounts, and bank sub-accounts

Customer and vendor accounts in the SAP System are always managed on an open item basis. For these accounts, you must post each open item into the SAP System either using batch input or manually, since you need the documents for these incomplete business transactions in order to make the clearing entry.

Certain special G/L accounts are used in the SAP System. These include reconciliation accounts, clearing accounts, and bank sub-accounts.

Reconciliation accounts are used to post the business transactions that the system posts to sub-ledger accounts (customer and vendor accounts) directly in the general ledger. To enable the system to post to the correct reconciliation account, you enter the number of the reconciliation account in the customer or vendor master record. The reconciliation accounts are posted to automatically when you transfer the customer and vendor open items. You must therefore not transfer the balances from the reconciliation accounts if you have used these accounts in your previous system.

Clearing accounts and bank subaccounts should be managed on an open item basis. It is useful to be able to access the open items individually in such accounts. At the time of transfer, the balance of these accounts is generally zero. It is therefore not necessary to make any transfer postings for these accounts.