We are a group of users of Blackbaud products and are not affiliated with Blackbaud. We'd love to have you join our community to help and be helped in getting the most from your Blackbaud software.
Register now to join us to get independant advice on your system, connect with 3rd party consultants to help you maximize your database and have a real alternative to the official Blackbaud website.
My organization will be getting a new CFO soon and one of the first things that person will be charged with is replacing our accounting system. This will cause jaws to drop but the one we have is DOS-based from 1983!!!! I am not kidding. Has anyone had experience with conversion from such an archaic system????
__________________
Robin Lyda
Database Strategist
Intermountain
Helena, MT robinL@intermountain.org
Interface might look outdated but functionality and reporting is still there and as long as you have access to the old system I wouldn't transfer any historical data to new system. Just set it from scratch as you want it. start it with the new budget year so you can trasfer only whatever is necessary active balances etc and you will be fine.
The fact that it is based on DOS doesn't mean it is bad.
The costs and the complexity of the conversion from old type of Financial system to new are enormous. I have been at least through 2 conversion of financial systems (one was hosted on mainframe) and 3 membership / fundraising systems and from my experience it it is just no worthy the hasle. Take only whatever data is important for current operations and start from scratch. You will be in much better shape.
Andrew Gorczycki
CRM Integration Analyst
Guggenheim Museum
IT Dept.
Andrew, what you said makes sense to me. I hope that's how the transition will take place. That's funny what you said about the costs involved - the current CFO tries to be a "good steward" which is one of the reasons they never replaced their system! Now look at what he's potentially created!! Now he's retiring and it will be someone else's problem, too.
__________________
Robin Lyda
Database Strategist
Intermountain
Helena, MT robinL@intermountain.org
DOS was pretty modern thing if you think about it, there were early 4GL apps run fast and efficient on DOS based systems.
And to the certain degree there was less fad, no GUI, no customizations, just the data entry to green sceen terminals and some basic back office reporting facility spitting tons of paper through dot matrix printers.
Now we can do every possible mod and still can not get figures right at the very end what a parody of a progress.
Conversion from DOS-based system 
Linear Mode
