Begin At The Beginning
Beginning to understand ledgers takes some time.
The blog and videos below will help you understand these vital business systems, how they work, what service they perform, the functions involved, and the principles behind them
Videos and Posts
Scores of blog entries with accompanying videos below will get you started on the path to understanding business ledgers
Series
The following are series of posts related to a single topic. Chose one to walk through all the related posts to gain a better picture of that topic.
Full List of Posts on Entry-level Topics
Unstructured Data and Business Events
This video was released without a corresponding Linkedin Blog Entry. [...]
Business Events and Measurement
This video was released without a corresponding Linkedin Blog Entry. [...]
Business Events and Tranparency
This video was released without a corresponding Linkedin Blog Entry. [...]
Posting Processes
This video was released without a corresponding Linkedin Blog Entry. [...]
Timing of the Posting Process
This video was released without a corresponding Linkedin Blog Entry. [...]
Posting and Business Processes
This video was released without a corresponding Linkedin Blog Entry. [...]
The Big Idea: Eliminate Posting
This video was released without a corresponding Linkedin Blog Entry. [...]
The Daily Financial Cycle
Check out a new Financial System video on The Daily [...]
The Why of Business Events
This week's vlog post explains why I'm talking about financial [...]
Data Warehouse vs. Finance System
In this week's video I describe the differences between a [...]
Metric Engine and Cow Path of Reporting
In this week's video I explore how reporting often develops [...]
Metric Engine and Master File Update
This week's video is a simple technical explanation of what [...]
Metric Engine Report Production
This week's video discusses the reporting processes that typically follow [...]
Metric Engine and Report Program Steps
This week's video is a simple review of the reporting [...]
Metric Engine and Report Process Timing
This week I give more details on reporting processes including [...]
Special Videos: A Cartoon about Business Systems
This week I'm releasing three videos at once, a historical [...]
A Conversation with Richard K. Roth
This week's episode is an actual conversation with Richard K. [...]
Data Aging, Hot Warm and Cold and Data Supply Chains
This week's episode outlines how data aging must be used [...]
A Conversation with Jeff Wolfers
A conversation with Jeff Wolfers, a senior executive in IT [...]
A Taxi Driver, Financial Services, and Financial Systems
This week's episode makes the concepts of financial systems a [...]
Financial Services and Finance Systems History
This week's episode gives a sense of the deep history [...]
Consolidated Data Supply Chain Architecture Overview
This week's episode begins a series on the Consolidated Data [...]
Interface Layer of a Consolidated Data Supply Chain Architecture
This week's episode discusses the Interface layer of the Consolidated [...]
Expense Sub-ledger Architecture and a Consolidated Data Supply Chain
This week's episode discusses the Expense Subledger layer of the [...]
The GL in the Consolidated Data Supply Chain Architecture
This week's episode focuses on the General Ledger of the [...]
Calc Engines in the Consolidated Data Supply Chain Architecture
This week's episode covers the Calculation Engine area of the [...]
Reporting Layer of the Consolidated Data Supply Chain Architecture
This week's episode focuses on the Reporting layer of the [...]
Support Functions in the Consolidated Data Supply Chain Architecture
Discusses the Support Functions area of the Consolidated Data Supply [...]
A Conversation with Amit Trehan
This week's episode is a conversation with Amit Trehan, a [...]
Reclassification Problems Overview
This week's episode begins a series of videos discussing problems [...]
The Switch View in Reclassification Processes
Defines what a "Switch View" looks like from a reclass [...]
The Recast View in Reclassification Problems
This weeks video continues the series on ugly, hairy monsters, [...]
Reclass Effective Date Joins for Reclass Processes
This week's episode continues exploring reclassification problems, and shows how [...]
The Reclass View in Reclassifications
This week's Reclassification Problem episode defines what a "Reclass View" [...]
Backdating and Reclassification Processes
As if Reclassification Processes weren't complex enough, this week's video [...]
Data Normalization and Reclass Processes
This week's episode outlines how normalization of data can affect [...]
Artificial Intelligence and Reclass
I happy to be able to announce a new set [...]
A Conversation with Mauricio Magaldi Suguihura
This week's Conversation with Kip is an actual conversation with [...]
Financial Transactions in the Coming Social Commerce Platform
This week's episode of my vlog notes that all financial [...]
Blockchain and the Next Generation ERP Systems
This week's episode of my vlog discusses how Blockchain functionality [...]
Financial System Controls, Services, and History
Today we conclude our series on Historical IBM Videos, and [...]
A Mentor Memorial: Douglas F. Kunkel
December 5th 2017 marks the five year passing of my [...]
Balances are the Inventory of Finance
Two decades ago, manufacturers learned that by moving to just-in-time [...]
Data Discovery: Show me the money
This week's discussion outlines a very effective form of data [...]
Conversation with Randall: History of Geneva and SAFR
This week's episode is a conversation with the Chief Architect [...]
Gratitude for Great Teams
A few weeks ago Rick Houlihan posted a link about [...]
A Conversation with Alex Hume
This week's episode of Conversations with Kip is a conversation [...]
Improved Financial Reporting: A 30 Year Problem for me
As I approach two years of my vlog, I thought [...]
What can one learn from Historical Bookkeeping?
This week I begin a series of episodes that highlight [...]
A Look at Luca Pacioli’s “Summa de Arithemtica”
Today's episode gives a view at the number of pages [...]
Luca Pacioli & Business Ethics
This week's video begins to digest the bookkeeping portion of [...]
Pacioli Starts Bookkeeping with an Inventory
Luca Pacioli started the bookkeeping process by describing how to [...]
The Three Books of Bookkeeping
Luca Pacioli described three books to be used in bookkeeping [...]
Pacioli, Debits and Credits
In our continuing exploration of Luca Pacioli's documentation of bookkeeping [...]
Pacioli and Meticulousness in Bookkeeping
The emphasis on being accurate in bookkeeping is evident in [...]
Pacioli Trial Balance and Closing
This week's video gives an overview of each chapter in [...]
Pacioli’s Summary of Bookkeeping
This week's video looks over Pacioli's summary bookkeeping, and points [...]
Spread of Bookkeeping
This week's episode of Conversations with Kip discusses the spread [...]
The Day Book in Historical Accounting
This week's episode takes a deeper look at the Day [...]
The Journal in Historical Accounting
This week's episode examines the second book of historical bookkeeping, [...]
The Ledger: The Last Book of Bookkeeping
This week we examine the last book of historical bookkeeping, [...]
Historical Accounting’s View of Blockchain Ledgers
In the final segment of the Historical Accounting Series, today's [...]
A Major Driver of Finance Costs: Reconciliation
Today's episode discusses a major cost driver for finance departments, [...]
Have Courage
On Saturday a good friend and work colleague passed away [...]
Do the Math: Estimating Reporting Processes
Applied math allows us to predict the future in many [...]
Computers Explained: The Meeting Analogy
In business computing, it's simple to break types of work [...]
Computers Explained: Big Data Implications
This week's episode continues last week's meeting analogy, discussing the [...]
Step 1: Transactions needed for a Metric Engine
Gather statistics about business events (transactions), frequencies, and static or reference data to be needed for the reporting domain.
Step 2: Report Characteristics in Estimating Reporting Processes
Gather statistics about the reports to be produced.
Step 3: System Performance in Estimating Reporting Processes
Build an initial model of performance by bringing together the statistics gathered in steps 1 and 2
Step 4: Evaluate Performance of Reporting Process
After performing some tests to determine run times for reports [...]
Final Step: Aggregate or Post to Produce Reports
Reporting from transactional detail is the most flexible thing possible. [...]
Recap of Steps in Estimating Reporting Processes
This week's episode concludes our multi-week series on estimating reporting [...]
Consider the Punch Card
Today's banking and financial systems were by and large automated [...]
“Show Me the Money” with Jim Hladyshewsky
This week's episode of Conversations with Kip is a conversation [...]
Vendor Choice in ERP Selection
This week's episode is in response to a request from [...]
ERP Package: My Way or Highway
This week's episode characterizes one type of ERP Vendor often [...]
The Have It Your Way ERP Package
Contrasting with last week's prescriptive ERP Package approach, the other [...]
ERP Package: User Interface and Your Data
In my career, I have found that even for the [...]
Your Data is Key to Your New ERP Package
As Pete Galbo told me a few years ago as [...]
Daily Financial Cycle: A Conversation with Tata Rao
This week's episode is the first of a series of [...]
Movement vs. Balances: A Conversation with Tata Rao
Today's episode is the second in a three part series [...]
Where are We Going? Final Conversation with Tata Rao
This week we'll conclude the series of conversations with Tata [...]
Spaghetti Code or Tabulating System?
Today's episode of Conversations with Kip introduces a set of [...]
Tabulating System Program Structure
Continuing our series on the principles behind tabulating system, let's [...]
Posting Processes in Tabulating Systems
Continuing our series on how many of today's financial systems [...]
Complexity in Tabulating Systems
When investigating systems, often legacy financial and business systems, my [...]
Data Discovery in Tabulating Systems
Yesterday I came upon an article about some guys saving [...]
Tabulating System Metadata
In the final episode about how many of our financial [...]
Proposed TED Talk for High School Freshman: Ledger Innovation
I recently was asked to present for a second time [...]
Required Skill: Desire to Work on the Problem
This week I discuss the most important skill needed to [...]
A Conversation with Rakesh Kant: Right Hand Side, Left Hand Side
This week I begin a series of segments of a [...]
DNA to Solve the Problem: A Conversation with Rakesh Kant
This is the 2nd segment of a Conversation with Rakesh [...]
Human Scale of Reporting: A Conversation with Rakesh Kant
In the third segment of a Conversation with Rakesh Kant, [...]
Hardest Part of the Problem: Conversation with Rakesh Kant
Fourth segment of a Conversation with Rakesh Kant, an expert [...]
Financial System Migration Approach: A Conversation with Rakesh Kant
This is the fifth segment of a Conversation with Rakesh [...]
Quantum Benefits: A Conversation with Rakesh Kant
In this episode Rakesh Kant, an expert on financial and [...]
Business Rule Structures
This week we begin a series of videos to discuss [...]
Business Rules vs. Reference Data
This week's episode of Conversations with Kip discusses the need [...]
Developing and Testing Business Rules
This week's episode ties together the "Requirements are in the [...]
Business Rules & ERP Integration
This week's episode of Conversations with Kip continues the discussion [...]
Business Rules, Source Data, and Code Synchronization
This week's episode discusses how (1) source or transactional data, [...]
Computer Efficiency and Lazy Programmers
This week's episode focuses on the trade off between efficient [...]
Introduction to the Allocation Series
A somewhat specialized financial system process is called allocation. As [...]
Flipping Personal Financial Management Processes
This week's episode discusses our personal financial management systems These [...]
Computer Efficiency and Consistent Data Structures
This week's episode of Conversations with Kip deals with the [...]
The Problem with Financial Systems: An Overview
This week I release a discussion I had on the [...]
Batch verses Streaming Analytical Application
This week's episode discusses the nature of batch vs. streaming [...]
Sample Ledger Data in a Bank Statement
In this week's conversation, I use a simple financial statement [...]
Project Plan Basics
This week I discuss the basic points needed in any [...]
Teacher-Student Interactions: A Conversation with Dr. Eric Denna
Today is the 200th Episode of Conversations with Kip. As [...]
Taking a Risk: Conversation with Eric Denna Part 2
Second in our series of a conversation with Dr. Eric [...]
Innocence as a Virtue, or the Five Questions: Conversation with Eric Denna Part 3
In today's segment of my conversation with Dr. Eric Denna, [...]
Do vs. Should: Eric Denna's CIO Questions
This week's episode of Conversations with Kip continues with Dr. [...]
Be a Learner
In this episode, Eric shares one of his favorite quotes, [...]
Financial System Changes: Conversation with Eric Denna Part 6
Continuing my conversation with Dr. Eric Denna, in this episode [...]
Pressure to Change: Conversation with Eric Denna Part 7
Today's conversation is the last in a series with Dr. [...]
Sharealedger.org: My Report to Dr. Bill McCarthy on REA Progress
Last week I was invited to be a guest lecturer [...]
Intro to the Bookkeeping Series
This week I'm releasing publicly a series of videos on [...]
Introduction to the Balance Sheet
Today's episode discusses what a balance sheet is, why it [...]
Introduction to the Income Statement
This week's episode of Conversations with Kip discusses what an [...]
Introduction to the Accounting Cycle
This week's post introduces the accounting cycle. Creating a single [...]
Accounting Cycle Step 1: Execute Business Events
This week we discuss step 1 of the Accounting Cycle, [...]
Accounting Cycle Step 2: Create Journal Entries
Discusses step 2 of the Accounting Cycle, creating journal entries, [...]
Accounting Cycle Step 3: Post to Ledger
This week's post discusses step 3 of the Accounting Cycle, [...]
Accounting Cycle Step 4: Trial Balance
Discusses step 4 of the Accounting Cycle, creating a trial [...]
Accounting Cycle Step 5: Create Reports
The last step of the Accounting Cycle is step 5, [...]
Accounting and Bookkeeping Series Review
In the last video of the bookkeeping series, I briefly [...]
Financial Auditing: Quality Control for Metric Engines
This week's episode discusses Financial Auditing, and why it is [...]
Attributes of Financial Reporting and Financial Reporters
Today I release a series of videos about attributes of [...]
Computers Explained: An Expanded Analogy
In Computers Explained: The Meeting Analogy, I gave a basic [...]
Project Management Basics
Today's Conversation with Kip covers my simple view of project [...]
I am a Mainframer
In January 2021 I talked with Steven Dickens about [...]