Basic Mysql and PHP accounting application

Question

I am not a programmer, but I have been tasked with making a basic accounting app for a small business.

I was looking at pbooks, but I am not sure this is customizable enough for my needs.

I need to be able to count each day how many food items are sold, how many drink items, how many guests, and then tie orders of food and drinks to guests if it is a guest that purchases it.

Is pbooks customizable enough to do this? Using the live demo you do not seem to be able to generate reports just for dates, or for certain customers..., perhaps there is a better bookkeeping solution?

Otherwise, I think I have enough mysql knowhow to do this, and theh php code should mostly just be getting the queries right.

Right?

Additionally, can anyone recommend a live demonstration of such a system?

I have not been able to find any live demos where I can demonstrate how you can generate reports for a given time period, or show the total sales for a guest or such.

I need to demonstrate this to show why it is a much better solution that an ever expanding mess of an excel workbook....

Hire a programmer

Seriously. It will cost less and be done faster and correctly. I would agree that just about anything is better then an Excel spreadsheet but a beginners rendition of an accounting application is not one of them.

Otherwise, I think I have enough mysql knowhow to do this, and theh php code should mostly just be getting the queries right.

Right?

Wrong

The PHP code will be much more complex then simply "getting the queries right."

Additionally, can anyone recommend a live demonstration of such a system?

I have not been able to find any live demos where I can demonstrate how you can generate reports for a given time period, or show the total sales for a guest or such.

If you can't install free, open source, community backed software on your own then you should not be tasked with this job.

Again, my suggestion would be to either hire a programmer who knows exactly what they are doing or seek support from the community for which projects you are interested in. This is not a discussion forum.

Comments

[OMG Ponies]

Ick, a double entry accounting system is not IMO for the faint of heart or neophyte programmer. Have you looked at (SQL Ledger)[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL-Ledger] - it's open source, been around for a while...

[Bill]

I am looking at it now....how customizable is it? Looking at the live demo it has a lot of options that will not be used at all. I am looking for something where receptions can enter in guests and the price paid, and the manager can generate reports over time spans. having some sort of access control as well for receptionists would be ideal.

[Bill]

That is not an option, considering the country I am in, where I work, and the funds available. As I said, I know enough mysql to do the queries correctly, but I would prefer if there a readymade application that was suitable.

[David]

Why not something like Quickbooks? If the budget is that small then maybe accounting isn't as big a deal as it seems...

[Bill]

I wish someone would remove this answer. An answer that ignores the constraints of the problem is no solution. @david, I have been looking at the smaller accouting packages, as well as pbooks, mifos and sqlledger. Access through a web browser is preferred, however looking at all these applications, they are too complex. I need something that receptions can just enter in sales, and the manager can generate reports. So far this bookkeeping packages seem to have a lot of extra stuff that would not be used if we did this.

[Josh K]

@Bill: Unfortunately I'm the only one that can remove it besides a moderator, and I'm not inclined to do so. [Accounting] does not go with [Beginner]. Why not simply use a database? Enter data directly into something like phpMyAdmin and then compile a list of pre-built queries to run for various applications.

[Bill]

@josh - If you read my question, you will see I am talking about basically just using a database with pre-built queries, and am asking if there are already prebuilt solutions that may serve my needs better. My needs are very simple, a POS system with the ability to generate reports and totals accessed through a browser

[Josh K]

@Bill: Search for a CRUD system in PHP. Or better yet, use phpMyAdmin as mentioned.

[Cal Jacobson]

I agree with Josh K; this is NOT a good first task for a non-programmer getting their feet wet, and is akin to a student in a dental hygienist course looking to deliver a breech-birth baby in the first week of school. If the small business is so specialized that any of the commercial applications do not apply, then the owner needs to recognize those special needs and pony up to pay a developer. Or develop a process to handle these needs along with using the aforementioned software. Or you can expand upon the special needs of this business, and may be the SO crowd can be more helpful.

[Bill]

I appreciate the suggestions, but have to point out this answer, and the fact that people are upvoting it is ridiculous. To repeat myself, an answer that ignores the problem and constraints of the question is not a solution.

[Bill]

Hey, this seems pretty perfect! Do you know how customizable it is, for example is it easy to add and remove fields and roles, and is it easy to do queries?

[Josh K]

@Bill: Someone who admittedly has zero programming experience is asking about building a MySQL and PHP accounting application. I find that ridiculous. The problem is you, and that is what I'm addressing. Add in that you can simply go ask on forums or discussion groups to answer this. SO is not for discussion, it is for cut and dry answers. I'll update my answer to address this.

[Mark Baker]

@Bill I've never actually used any of them personally, but they seem to be the best recommended answers whenever people are talking about PHP or online accounting packages. And they all cropped up repeatedly in a mailing list discussion on accounting tools recently, which is why I remembered them