- Home
- This page: Principles
- Getting Started
- Overview of sheets
- Website at accounting.dcycle.com
- Fork or edit me on Github
- Google sheets starterkit
- Get support on the GitHub issue queue
The principles
Please read these carefully. If you don’t agree with these, this project might not be for you, and you might be better off with a commercial or cloud-based solution.
Democracy
This system is designed for users who do not have an accounting background. In fact, its author has zero accounting background, and the goal is to create a system which is potentially usable by anyone with minimal training.
Simplicity above all
I’d like to start by distinguishing between simplicity, and the illusion of simplicity. In my opinion, commercial or cloud-based accounting solutions often offer the latter. To me, real simplicity means the possibility to do anything you need to with the smallest possible set of tools.
The tools are simple, their usage can be complex, but well thought out.
Spreadsheets are first-class citizens
For all their shortcomings, spreadsheets are so widespread that I have decided to base everything I do on spreadsheets, with no custom scripting. That will reduce the learning curve for new users of this system.
Dcycle Accounting examples have been tested with Google Sheets, so if you use a different product, your results may differ.
Open source
This project is 100% open-source and can be freely used and adapted by anyone. The source code of this website can be found on GitHub.
No database, your spreadsheets are your data
Many accounting systems put your data in black-box databases, and allow you to import data into, and export data from, them.
Dcycle Accounting has no database: your spreadsheets are your data. This prevents vendor lock-in.
Double-entry accounting
Double-entry accounting means that every event (an invoice has been issued, restaurant expense, a writeoff, income…) must balance between accounts. Accounts, in double-entry accounting, are not necessarily bank accounts but can be defined as a source or destination of funds.
Dcycle accounting is based entirely on double-entry accounting, as are all accounting systems (to my knowledge).
Recommendations, not restrictions
Dcycle Accounting will recommend things be done a certain way. For example, you will notice that our chart of accounts below recommends naming accounts using a “number-name” system such as “1000-BANK-ACCOUNT”. That’s just because in my experience it’s easier to immediately understand these as opposed to just memorizing what “1000” refers to. This remains a recommendation and you are more than welcome to use what’s best for you.