The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group QuickBooks for Dummies - for the bookshelf Major Keary |
A second edition of QuickBooks all-in-one Desk Reference for Dummies has been released. It covers QuickBooks Pro 2005, "which is a superset of QuickBooks and QuickBooks Basic, and is a subset of QuickBooks Premium". The author points out that changes between recent versions are small, and the book is quite relevant to releases since 2001.
The 'desk reference' is described as "8 books in 1"; the several sections are designated as Book 1, Book 2, and so on. The first 'book' is an accounting primer that explains the principles of accounting, financial statements, double-entry bookkeeping, and special accounting problems. It provides a straight-forward explanation of accounting mechanics and terminology.
The next 'book' shows how to set up QuickBooks and fine tune the program. Accounting packages are not simply installed like a word processor; each instance has its own particular requirements. The author's discussion of that critical aspect of any bookkeeping/accounting package is comprehensive and easy to follow.
Apart from keeping the books, QuickBooks provides users with the facilities to prepare budgets, perform various kinds of analysis, and create business plans. It also requires administration, which is discussed: networking, information security, data backup, and troubleshooting.
Appendices include a "crash course in Excel" a glossary of accounting and financial terms, and online resources (which are America-centric).
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Stephen Nelson: QuickBooks all-in-one Desk Reference for Dummies 2/e ISBN 0-7645-7662-3 Published by Wiley, 619 pp., RRP $49.95 incl. GST |
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Reprinted from the August 2005 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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