npo-accounting-ikiwiki/ExistingProjects/OpenPetra.mdwn

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Links
- [Project homepage](http://openpetra.org)
- [Source code](https://code.launchpad.net/~openpetracore/openpetraorg/trunkhosted)
- [ohloh](http://www.ohloh.net/p/openpetraorg)
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## Technical
- C# [.NET, Mono]
- SQL [SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL]
## Preliminary evaluation
- [Started in 2009](http://www.ohloh.net/p/openpetraorg)
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### Positive
- i18n, l10n
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- Supports server-client deployments as well as standalone deployment.
- [Actively developed](http://www.ohloh.net/p/openpetraorg)
- [35 contributors](http://www.ohloh.net/p/openpetraorg)
- [Well-commented source code](http://www.ohloh.net/p/openpetraorg)
- [Extensibility is core](http://www.openpetra.org/organisation-benefits)
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- Ledger-specific access control, three access levels.
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- using fixed point arithmetic: System.Decimal data type for all money related variables (changed from Double to Decimal in end of 2010: [commit](https://github.com/openpetra/openpetra/commit/a1717237825a6c8f0d5e032c843241ed918e2344))
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### Negative
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- In BETA state, presently used by at least two organizations, one for accounting, one for contact management.
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- [Decreasing Y-O-Y commits](http://www.ohloh.net/p/openpetraorg) <pre>2013-11-13 16:10:00 christiank joar: I have checked for the source of increased commits in January 2011: It is a mixture of a huge bug-fixing spree and the result of a merge-into-trunk of a Sideline Branch, which then still needed more development</pre>
## Comments
│15:48:14 christiank [\n]
| In case you or bkuhn want to read up for yourself what OpenPetra will be │
| covering in its Finance Module when it is completed then you can have a │
| look at the Petra Finance User Guide │
| (http://www.openpetra.org/en/user-manuals). OpenPetra is based on Petra │
| in terms of functionality.
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<a id="evaluation"></a>
## Evaluation
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<div class="alert alert-info"><p>Due to the instability of the OpenPetra linux client we cannot continue the evaluations. The linux client has not been a focus of the OpenPetra developers, and as of 2013-11-25 with the provided setup found in <http://www.pokorra.de/2013/11/install-openpetra-on-linux/> it crashes intermittently for various reasons.
The preliminary evaluation should therefore be regarded as the most current information.</p></div>
<!--
### Evaluation of [[Reporting|UseCases/GeneratingReports]] UseCases
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- [[Trial Balance Report|UseCases/GeneratingReports#trial-balance]]: Yes
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- [[Bank Reconciliation Report|UseCases/GeneratingReports#bank-reconcilation]]: Not sure. It provides an option to "Import GL[General Ledger] Transactions From Bank" which imports a CSV, other format file.
- [[Chart of Accounts|UseCases/GeneratingReports#chart-of-accounts]]: Has an editable, hiearchical chart of accounts. You can also export/import account hierarchies.
- [[Cash Disbursements Journal|UseCases/GeneratingReports#cash-disbursements]]: Not that I can find.
- [[Income Report|UseCases/GeneratingReports#income-report]]: Yes, combined with the expense report
- [[Expense Report|UseCases/GeneratingReports#expense-report]]: Yes, combined with the income report.
### Evaluation of [[Reporting|UseCases/GeneratingReports]] UseCases for Fund Accounting
Can each of these reports be generated, confined to a specific temporarily
restricted asset type?
- [[Trial Balance Report|UseCases/GeneratingReports#trial-balance]]: FIXME
- [[Bank Reconciliation Report|UseCases/GeneratingReports#bank-reconcilation]]: FIXME
- [[Chart of Accounts|UseCases/GeneratingReports#chart-of-accounts]]: FIXME
- [[Cash Disbursements Journal|UseCases/GeneratingReports#cash-disbursements]]: FIXME
- [[Income Report|UseCases/GeneratingReports#income-report]]: FIXME
- [[Expense Report|UseCases/GeneratingReports#expense-report]]: FIXME
### Evaluation of [[Fund Accounting|UseCases/FundAccounting]] UseCases
- [[Fund-only View|UseCases/FundAccounting#fund-view]]
- [[Funds as part of whole org View|UseCases/FundAccounting#fundless-view]]
- [[Ignore Funds for operations|UseCases/FundAccounting#fundless-view]]
### [[UseCases/Collaborating]] evaluation
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- [[Simultaneous Editing of Ledger|UseCases/Collaborating#simultaneous-ledger-edits]]: Yes
### Evaluation of [[Double-entry Accounting|UseCases/DoubleEntryAccounting]] UseCases
- Does the system implement pure double-entry accounting?
### Evaluation of [[TrackingDocumentation|UseCases/TrackingDocumentation]] UseCases
- Does the system [[link up to external documentation|UseCases/TrackingDocumentation#document-link-up]]?
- Does it have a [[the ability to explore transactions via documentation linkage|UseCases/TrackingDocumentation#document-link-explore]]?
### Evaluation of [[Handling multiple currencies|UseCases/MultiCurrency]] UseCases
- Does it support the concept of
[[a single functional currency|UseCases/MultiCurrency]], while still
permitting multi-currency entries?
### Evaluation of [[draft transaction|UseCases/DraftTransactions]] UseCases
- Does the system allow
[[generally for draft transactions|UseCases/DraftTransactions#draft-general]]
that can be later approved before officially being posted to the books?
### Evaluation of WorkFlow UseCases
- Is a [[specific workflow dictated by the system|UseCases/WorkFlow#workflow-dictated]] ?
- Is a [[the workflow configurable|UseCases/WorkFlow#workflow-configurable]] ?
- [[Unaccrued Invoice|UseCases/WorkFlow#unaccrued-invioice]] ?
### Evaluation of the [[Reading and Reporting API|UseCases/ReadingAPI]]
FIXME: This is assessment of what the API for manipulating the accounting
data does, so I think it's tough to do it as a list of questions.
### Evaluation of the [[Storage API|UseCases/StorageAPI]]
FIXME: This is assessment of what the API for storing the accounting data
does, so I think it's tough to do it as a list of questions.
### Evaluation of the [[Community Health|UseCases/CommunityHealth]]
- Is the [[license both determined as Free Software by FSF and OSI-approved|USeCases/CommunityHealth#license-approved]]?
- Is the [[license GPL-compatible||UseCases/CommunityHealth#gpl-compatible]]?
- Does the project
[[require assignment of copyright or a CLA to get code upstreamed|UseCases/CommunityHealth#no-cla-for-profit]]?
- How many
[[active developers/companies contribute to the project||USeCases/CommunityHealth#dev-count]]?
* If there aren't many, how hard would it be to take over the project if needed?
- Is there good [[developer documentation|UseCases/CommunityHealth#dev-docs]]?
- How easy it to [[engage as a developer with the community|UseCases/CommunityHealth#dev-welcoming]]?
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-->
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## Pre-evaluation template evaluations
### [[UseCases/FundAccounting]] evaluation
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- Supports multiple ledgers
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<pre>
2013-11-13 16:09:36 robp quick reply re: fund accounting (and, to clarify, I'm not a "finance expert" but do have a good understanding of what the finance module in Petra - the percursor to OpenPetra - does)...as Tim points out we need to know from our finance users where Petra falls short of the requirements for fund accounting. Based on my rudimentary understanding of the term, I would think that much of what is needed for fund accounting can be achived with out Cost Centre structu
2013-11-13 16:09:36 robp re (eg. production of BS and I&E reports on a specific part of the CC structure)
</pre>
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### [[UseCases/Collaborating]] evaluation
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- Possible to have a central application server with multiple ledgers, access control per ledger
- Multiple users can work on the same or separate ledgers at the same time
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### [[UseCases/GeneratingReports]] evaluation
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<pre>
2013-11-13 16:25:25 joar and then about generating reports: http://npoacct.sfconservancy.org/UseCases/GeneratingReports/, ping robp
2013-11-13 16:26:36 TimIngham Open Petra generates a lot of different types of reports
2013-11-13 16:27:17 TimIngham At first it may be difficult to see which are the "standard" accounting ones, but I expect they're there.
2013-11-13 16:27:31 TimIngham And if they're not, it's certainly our intention to add them.
2013-11-13 16:28:22 christiank The Finance Module of (Open)Petra is very much written so that it is 'auditor-friendly' AND easy to use.
2013-11-13 16:28:48 christiank - even for not-trained book-keepers.
2013-11-13 16:29:23 christiank I mean users who aren't trained accountants, but learn accounting in the organisation on-the-job.
2013-11-13 16:31:57 christiank joar: Not sure if numbers are important, but a quick check revealed that there are at least 32 Reports in the Finance Module of OpenPetra.
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2013-11-13 16:34:30 christiank joar: It has to be mentioned that OpenPetra is developed as a 'global solution' and hence some terms perhaps esp. in the Finance Module might deviate from US-specific terms.
2013-11-13 16:36:25 christiank A bookkeeper (read: bkuhn in your case) would need to have a close look at what functionatlity in the Finance Module of OpenPetra does what to find those potential differences.
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</pre>