Moving to DIANO: help

Before

Which programs can I move from?

Move to DIANO has steps for Sage Business Cloud Accounting, Sage Pastel, Sage 200 Evolution, Xero, QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books, Manager.io, Odoo, FreshBooks, or a spreadsheet, and for payroll from SimplePay, Sage Payroll and PaySpace. If your program isn't listed, use DIANO's spreadsheet templates.

What do I export from my old program?

From Manager.io, one backup file. From other programs: the trial balance, unpaid customer invoices, unpaid supplier invoices, and your customer, supplier, item and account lists. For payroll: employees, this tax year's figures so far, and leave balances.

Which start date should I choose?

The first day of a month, once the month before is closed in your old program. DIANO's opening balances are as at the day before that date.

Which settings do I switch on first in my old program?

In Manager.io, switch on the Billable Expenses tab before you make the backup. Click Customize under the tabs and tick Billable Expenses. In every program, capture all bank items and close the month first.

Do I need to set my company's country first?

Yes. DIANO needs your company's country and currency to set up your chart of accounts. If they are missing, Move to DIANO opens Settings, Company details for you and comes back when you save.

Who in my company can do the move?

Only a Company Admin can upload a file from another program and import it.

How long does a move take?

Plan for one working day. Exporting from your old program and checking the figures take the most time. A large file takes longer to upload, so keep the page open.

Can I move into a company that already has records?

An import goes only into an empty company, so it never mixes with books you already keep in DIANO. Create a new company for the move, or ask us to help.

What stays in my old program?

Anything DIANO doesn't import from that program, such as report layouts and settings. For most programs only balances, open invoices and lists come over; a Manager.io backup also brings documents and their attachments. Keep the old program, or at least its last backup, for as long as the law asks you to keep records.

Should I run both programs side by side?

Yes, for one month. Capture in both, compare the trial balance at month end, and stop the old one only when they agree.

Should I cancel my old program first?

No. Keep it until the side-by-side month is done and you have made a last backup.

During

I am on a page with an Import button. Is that the right place?

For a whole business, use Move to DIANO. The Import buttons on single lists, such as Customers, are for adding a few records to a company you already use.

The move says my company has no country set. What now?

Click the button it shows. It opens Settings, Company details. Choose the country and currency, save, and you come back to the same step.

My backup file is very large. Will it work?

Yes. The page compresses the file and sends it in parts. Keep the page open until it says the upload is complete. A large import is written in small batches. If it stops part-way, you can continue it or undo it, and no record is written twice.

The import stopped part-way. Is my company half-done?

A large import is written in small batches. If it stops part-way, you can continue it or undo it, and no record is written twice. Open Move to DIANO again and choose Continue, or Undo to start clean. Imports shows each import's status.

Can I undo an import?

Undo removes everything the import added, including the uploaded file, as long as nothing else has been recorded in the company since.

What does the preview show?

Before anything is written, the preview shows what will be imported, the old program's own totals next to DIANO's totals, and every warning.

Can I close the browser during the import?

Wait until the page says it is done. If the page closes, open Move to DIANO again: the import shows how far it got, and you can continue it or undo it.

Can two people import at the same time?

No. A move goes only into an empty company, so once one import has written records, a second one is refused. Finish the first one, or undo it.

The preview shows warnings. Should I worry?

Read each one. For example, a journal with a very old date, or an item DIANO doesn't know, is named in the preview. Fix it in the old program and export again, or go ahead if you agree.

Do my attachments come over?

From a Manager.io backup, yes: each attachment comes over with its document and is checked against the check value in the file.

My figures don't match

My Manager.io income is different in DIANO. Why?

Most often Manager's Billable Expenses tab is switched off. With the tab off, Manager leaves out the income from re-billed expenses. Switch the tab on in Manager and compare again: DIANO's figures are built to equal Manager's with that tab on. If your backup was made with the tab off and you have billable expenses, the preview tells you to switch it on.

At which date should I compare?

At the day before your start date. The preview shows the date that both columns are as at. A report run on another date won't match.

The trial balance is out by a small amount.

Check that both reports use the same date and include the same accounts. Look for rounding on VAT lines. If you still can't find it, send the preview to support from Move to DIANO.

My equity or retained earnings look different.

Compare total equity first. Some programs keep part of the profit inside retained earnings and part outside the profit and loss report. In a Manager.io move, invoice lines that name no account go to a Suspense account in DIANO, so check Suspense too.

My customer balances don't match.

Compare the unpaid invoices report on the same date. Check credit notes and payments that were not linked to an invoice in the old program.

My VAT figures are different.

Check that each old tax code is matched to the right DIANO tax code in the preview, and that you compare the same VAT period.

A journal has a strange date, like the year 0002.

The preview names any date before 1990 or after 2100. Fix the date in the old program and export again, or import it as it is and correct it in DIANO.

My stock figures are different.

Compare each item's quantity and value on the day before your start date. If one item is out, check its cost in the old program and send the preview to support.

After

What should I check first after the move?

The trial balance, the totals owed to you and by you, each bank balance, and the VAT balance. Compare each with the reports you saved from the old program.

How do I bring in my team?

A Company Admin adds each person with a role. Give each person the smallest role that lets them do their work.

Can I change imported records?

Yes. But once anything is changed or added after the import, Undo is no longer possible, so check the figures before you start working.

When can I stop using my old program?

After the side-by-side month, once the trial balance agrees. Keep the old program's last backup safe.

Where do I see my imports?

In Move to DIANO, under Imports. Each import shows its status: done, stopped, failed or undone.

I made a mistake. Can I import again?

Undo the import, then import again into the same empty company. If you have already worked in the company, ask us to help.

How do I get help?

In Move to DIANO, every problem has a button that sends it to DIANO support with the details. Or e-mail info@diale.co.za, or phone 087 265 3889.

Security of my data during the move

What does DIANO upload?

Only the files you choose. DIANO does not connect to your old program or change it. It only reads the file you upload.

Where is my uploaded file kept?

The file you upload goes over a secure connection straight to DIANO's own file storage in africa-south1, in your company's own area. It does not pass through DIANO's database. More on Where your data lives.

Who can see my uploaded file?

Only DIANO's server can read the uploaded file. No web browser can read it back, not even a Company Admin's or the platform owner's. Only a Company Admin can upload a file from another program and import it.

When is my uploaded file deleted?

The uploaded file is deleted 30 days after its import is done, or at once when you undo the import or cancel before importing. A file you upload but never import is deleted 30 days after the upload. An import that has stopped or failed keeps its file until you continue it or undo it. The Imports list shows the date. Undo removes everything the import added, including the uploaded file, as long as nothing else has been recorded in the company since. The uploaded file itself is not copied into DIANO's backups. The records the import brings across are in the backups, like all your records.

Is my file checked for damage?

The file is sent in parts. When it has arrived, DIANO checks every part against the SHA-256 check value your browser worked out, so a changed part is found and the file is sent again. In a Manager.io backup, each attached file is also checked against the check value Manager.io recorded for it.

Is my file safe on the way and while it is stored?

DIANO's web addresses accept only secure connections using TLS 1.2 or 1.3. Older, weaker versions are refused. Google encrypts all stored data, backups included, with AES-256. Google manages the keys.

Does DIANO's staff look at my books during the move?

The platform owner can read your company's records. This is needed to set up companies and to help when you ask. DIANO's pages do not let the platform owner read your audit trail or your users' private details. Changes are logged, whoever makes them, but reading a record is not logged one record at a time yet. More on Who can see your data.

Is my file sent to an AI?

Anthropic: will power the optional DIANO Assistant. The Assistant is not on DIANO yet. More on Where your data lives.

What do I do with the export files on my computer?

Keep one set somewhere safe, such as an encrypted drive, and delete the other copies. They hold your whole business.