Conversion

Jaz Conversion Skill

You are performing an accounting data conversion — migrating a customer's financial data from their previous accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, MYOB, or Excel-based systems) into Jaz.

Jaz-native, not generic. The clearing-account pattern, the CoA-bulk-upsert all-or-nothing semantics, the currencyCode-string-silently-ignored-on-invoices gotcha, the bulk_upsert_invoices PARTIAL_SUCCESS path — every rule in this skill is an opinion shaped by Jaz's specific API behavior, not by generic migration theory. Source-system mapping (Xero, QB, Sage) is included only as input parsing; everything downstream is Jaz-shaped.

This skill provides Jaz-contextual conversion domain knowledge. For API details (field names, endpoints, gotchas), load the jaz-api skill alongside this one.

Guided in-app data transfer

Jaz also has a guided Data Transfer flow available in Settings (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, MYOB).

When to Use This Skill

• Analyzing customer-provided Excel/CSV files for conversion
• Mapping source Chart of Accounts, contacts, tax codes, or items to Jaz
• Creating conversion transactions (invoices, bills, journals)
• Building or reviewing TTB (Transfer Trial Balance) entries
• Verifying post-conversion Trial Balance accuracy
• Troubleshooting TB mismatches after a conversion

Three Conversion Types

All types use the same pipeline — only the scope (which entity types) differs.

Config Mode (foundation only)

• Scope: CoA, contacts, items, currencies, tax mapping — NO transactions or journal
• Creates: Foundation entities only (Phases 0-1)
• When: Setting up an org before a conversion, or populating a fresh org with the customer's chart of accounts and contacts
• Manifest field: "conversionType": "config"
• Requires: At least one of coa or tb file (no AR/AP needed)

Quick Conversion (Option 2 — recommended starting point)

• Scope: Open AR/AP at FYE + TTB opening balances
• Creates: CoA, contacts, currencies, tax mapping, conversion invoices/bills, TTB journal, lock date
• When: Customer wants to start fresh on Jaz with correct opening balances
• Accuracy check: TB at FYE must match between source and Jaz
• See: references/option2-quick.md

Full Conversion (Option 1)

• Scope: ALL transactions for FY + FY-1 (complete history)
• Creates: Everything in Quick + items, detailed invoices, bills, payments, journals, credit notes, cash-in/out/transfers, bank records, fixed assets
• When: Customer needs full audit trail preserved
• Accuracy check: TB at multiple dates, plus detailed ledger comparison
• See: references/option1-full.md

Conversion Pipeline

Every conversion follows this pipeline. Steps 1-3 use the parser + AI. Steps 4-8 use the jaz-api skill.

Step 1: Intake

Receive customer files. Organize by type. Expect messy Excel files with grouped sections, merged cells, subtotals, and inconsistent formatting.

Common file types:

• Chart of Accounts (CoA export)
• Trial Balance (TB at FYE)
• AR Aging / AP Aging (outstanding receivables/payables at FYE)
• Contact list (customers and suppliers)
• Tax profile list
• Exchange rates (closing rates at FYE)
• General Ledger detail (for Full only)
• Invoice/bill detail (for Full only)

Step 2: Parse (3-pass approach)

See references/file-analysis.md for parsing guidance and references/file-types.md for the comprehensive file type catalog (22 types across all source systems).

Pass A — Raw dump: Run the parser (parseFile()) to extract all cells + merge metadata from Excel files. The parser handles merged cell propagation automatically.

Pass B — AI structure detection: Read the raw JSON dump and identify:

• Where are the data tables? (header row + data rows)
• What are subtotal/total rows? (exclude from data extraction)
• What is metadata vs actual data? (company name, report date = metadata)
• Are there multiple data frames per sheet? (some exports have AR and AP on same sheet)

Pass C — AI classification: For each identified data table:

• What type of data is this? (TB, AR aging, AP aging, CoA, contacts, etc.)
• What are the column headers mapped to? (Account Code, Account Name, Debit, Credit, etc.)
• What date range does it cover?
• What currency is it in?

Step 3: Map

See references/mapping-rules.md for detailed rules.

For each entity type, map source data → Jaz entities:

• CoA: Match by code AND name. Fresh org = replace non-system accounts. Existing org = fuzzy match.
• Contacts: Match by name. Create if not found.
• Tax: Read-only in Jaz — discover existing profiles, match source codes to Jaz tax types.
• Currencies: Enable required currencies, set FYE exchange rates.

Assign confidence scores (high/medium/low) to each mapping. Flag low-confidence for human review.

Step 4: Transform

Convert mapped data into Jaz API payloads. Different per conversion type:

• Quick: See references/option2-quick.md — clearing account pattern
• Full: See references/option1-full.md — detailed transaction creation

Step 5: Dry Run

Before any API calls, present a summary for human review:

• Entity counts (how many of each type will be created)
• CoA mapping table (source → Jaz, with confidence)
• Contact list to be created
• For Quick: each conversion invoice/bill (contact, amount, currency)
• Edge cases flagged (FX, unmapped accounts, partial payments)

Do NOT project a Trial Balance. TB comes from the ledger after execution. Projecting it is unreliable and misleading.

Step 6: Execute

Create records via Jaz API. Follow the dependency order:

1. Phase 0: Probe (discover existing resources — accounts, contacts, tax profiles)
2. Phase 1A: Currencies → FX Rates (rates must come AFTER currencies are enabled)
3. Phase 1B: CoA via POST /api/v1/chart-of-accounts/bulk-upsert
4. Phase 1C: Contacts → Items (items reference accounts + tax profiles)
5. Phase 1D: Cleanup stale conversions (search + delete CONV-INV-, CONV-BILL-, etc.)
6. Phase 2: Conversion invoices (AR), bills (AP), customer credit notes, supplier credit notes
7. Phase 3: TTB journal (routes AR/AP through clearing accounts)
8. Phase 4: Lock dates (per-account, at FYE date)

Rollback: If Phase 2 or 3 fails, all Phase 2 resources are automatically rolled back.

Step 7: Verify

After execution, pull the Trial Balance from Jaz and compare against the source TB. See references/verification.md for the full checklist format.

Step 8: Triage (if TB doesn't match)

If TB doesn't match, identify the discrepancy:

• Missing accounts? → Create them + journal adjustment
• Rounding drift? → Small adjustment journal
• FX differences? → Check rates, may need unrealized gain/loss journal
• Missed transactions? → Create them
• Re-verify after each fix until TB matches

Critical Rules

1. TTB is a regular journal entry — Jaz's TTB module is not yet on the API. Create via POST /journals. Lock date is set separately via CoA API.
2. Fixed asset transfers use POST /api/v1/transfer-fixed-assets — not the "new asset" endpoint. Preserves accumulated depreciation.
3. Clearing accounts must net to zero — if they don't, something was missed in the conversion.
4. Never project TB before execution — verify AFTER, then triage.
5. FYE exchange rates + original dates — Quick conversion uses original dates (for aging) but explicit FYE rate via currency: { sourceCurrency, exchangeRate } on every FX transaction. Prior UGL is in the TTB; explicit rate ensures zero UGL in Jaz. See references/edge-cases.md.
6. System-generated CoA accounts cannot be deleted — discover them via API before attempting a wipe-and-replace.
7. 100% accuracy is required — customer's accountant signs off on TB match. No rounding errors, no missing balances.
8. Always load jaz-api skill alongside this one — this skill has conversion domain knowledge, jaz-api has API field names, endpoints, and gotchas.
9. Filter noise from aging reports before creating contacts — AR/AP aging reports contain subtotal rows, dates, column headers, and numeric-only strings that are NOT contact names. Reject them to avoid creating garbage contacts. See references/mapping-rules.md.
10. TTB routing differs between Quick and Full — Quick routes AR/AP through clearing accounts (conversion invoices already hold the real AR/AP). Full posts directly to all accounts (detailed transactions follow). See references/option1-full.md.

See Also

• jaz-api — Field names, endpoints, error codes, and gotchas (load alongside this skill)
• jaz-recipes — Transaction recipes for complex IFRS scenarios encountered during conversion
• jaz-jobs — Post-conversion operational workflows (month-end close, bank recon, etc.)