> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dualentry.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tutorial: Your First Week with DualEntry

> Step-by-step tutorial taking a new DualEntry tenant from chart of accounts and team setup through bank connection, journal entries, and trial balance.

This tutorial takes you from a fresh DualEntry tenant to a posted journal entry. By the end you will have a working chart of accounts, at least one team member, a bank connection, opening balances, and a verified trial balance.

## Prerequisites

Complete these three prerequisites before starting the tutorial. Missing any of them will block you partway through.

1. **Your tenant is provisioned.** You received a welcome email with a sign-in link and your organization URL. If you do not have this email, ask the person who requested the tenant to resend the invitation from **Settings → Users**.
2. **You have administrator access.** The first user on a new tenant is automatically an admin. If someone else created the tenant, ask them to grant you the Admin role under **Settings → Users → Roles**. You need admin access to configure the organization, create accounts, and invite team members.
3. **You have decided on a functional currency.** DualEntry records every company's books in a single functional currency (for example, USD or EUR). You set this once during organization setup and cannot change it later without creating a new company. If your organization operates in multiple currencies, choose the currency you use for consolidated reporting and enable multi-currency transactions later.

<Warning>
  Functional currency is permanent for a company. If you are unsure, confirm with your CFO or controller before proceeding.
</Warning>

## Sign in to DualEntry

When you first open the sign-in link from your welcome email, DualEntry offers three ways to sign in. Every user on your tenant can pick whichever method they prefer: the account and its permissions are the same regardless of how you authenticate. If an invitation was sent to an address you sign in to with Google or Microsoft, you can complete the invitation with either SSO provider without setting a password first.

* **Email and password.** Enter the email address that received the invitation and the password you set on first sign-in. Use **Forgot password** on the sign-in screen to reset it.
* **Google SSO.** Choose **Continue with Google** and complete Google's consent flow. The Google account's email must match the address invited to your DualEntry tenant.
* **Microsoft SSO.** Choose **Continue with Microsoft** and sign in with your work or personal Microsoft account. The Microsoft account's email must match the address invited to your DualEntry tenant.

## Step 1: Configure your organization

Open **Settings → Organization**. Enter your legal company name, select your functional currency, and choose a fiscal calendar (calendar year or a custom fiscal year-end). DualEntry uses the fiscal calendar to generate your periods automatically. You will see them in **Settings → Periods** once you save.

Review the generated periods to confirm they match your expectations. For a calendar-year company, you should see twelve monthly periods. For a custom fiscal year, verify the start and end dates of each period align with your reporting schedule.

If you operate multiple legal entities, you can add them later from the same screen. For now, start with your primary entity. You can also revisit the organization settings at any time to update company details such as address, tax ID, or industry. Remember that functional currency and fiscal calendar cannot be changed after the first period is closed.

## Step 2: Build your chart of accounts

Navigate to **General Ledger → Chart of Accounts**. Your first step is to define your chart of accounts.

If you're coming from multiple disjointed systems, consider rearchitecting your chart of accounts into a smaller, consolidated structure. In cases where you have maintained separate QuickBooks or Xero files, DualEntry recommends rearchitecting.

### Migration options

You have two options for bringing your chart of accounts into DualEntry:

* **Architect separately, import over:** If you already have a numbered chart of accounts, export it as a CSV and upload it through the [bulk import](../integrations/bulk-import) tool. Map your CSV columns to DualEntry's required fields during the import process.
* **Merge and map from a migration:** If you are using the Next Day Migration Engine, DualEntry provides in-product account mapping and cleanup per entity.

If you are migrating from another system with the Next Day Migration Engine, choose quick setup mode to preserve your existing chart of accounts and get started immediately. See the [QuickBooks and Xero](./from-quickbooks-xero) migration guide for the full process.

### Account structure

Every account needs a number, a name, and a type (asset, liability, equity, revenue, or expense). Optionally, assign sub-types to accounts for more granular financial statement presentation, for example, distinguishing current assets from non-current assets. For a deeper walkthrough, see [Chart of Accounts](../core-financials/general-ledger/chart-of-accounts).

## Step 3: Add your team

Go to **Settings → Users** and invite team members by email. Assign each person a role that matches their responsibilities, such as Staff Accountant, AP Clerk, or Controller. Roles determine what a user can view, create, and approve.

DualEntry enforces role-based access at the transaction level. A Staff Accountant can create and edit draft transactions but cannot post them. A Controller can post and also lock periods. Choose roles carefully during setup to maintain proper segregation of duties from day one.

You can change a user's role at any time without disrupting their in-progress work. See [Roles and Permissions](../platform-configuration/user-roles-and-permissions) for the full role matrix and a description of each permission.

## Step 4: Connect your bank

Open **Integrations → Banking** and follow the prompts to link a bank account. You connect through DualEntry's secure aggregator, which pulls daily transaction feeds. Once connected, new bank transactions appear in the [Inbox](../core-financials/cash-management/bank-connections) for matching and categorization.

You can connect multiple bank accounts: checking, savings, and credit card accounts are all supported. Each connected account maps to a GL account in your chart of accounts. DualEntry automatically reconciles imported transactions against posted entries, and you review any unmatched items in the Inbox.

If you are not ready to connect a live bank feed, you can skip this step and return to it later. You can also import bank transactions manually via CSV from the same screen.

## Step 5: Enter opening balances

Create a journal entry dated as of your go-live date (typically the first day of a fiscal period). Debit and credit every balance-sheet account so DualEntry's balances match your prior system's trial balance as of that date. Post the entry when you are satisfied the totals are correct.

Include all asset, liability, and equity accounts. Revenue and expense accounts are typically zeroed out at go-live because you start a fresh income statement in DualEntry. The offsetting entry for your net balance-sheet position goes to retained earnings.

After posting, navigate to **Reports → Trial Balance** and generate a report as of your go-live date. Compare it against your prior system to confirm every account ties. For detailed instructions, see [Journal Entries](../core-financials/general-ledger/journal-entries).

## Step 6: Post your first transaction

Create a real transaction (an invoice, a bill, or a journal entry) and post it. Posting writes the debits and credits to the general ledger and makes the transaction immutable. After posting, navigate to **General Ledger → Account Detail** for one of the affected accounts and confirm the entry appears.

Verify that the transaction date falls within an open period. If you try to post to a locked period, DualEntry returns an error. Also confirm the transaction balances: total debits must equal total credits, or the system rejects the post.

<Info>
  If your organization uses approval workflows, the transaction will route through the configured approval chain before it can be posted. You can configure workflows later in [Approval Workflows](../platform-configuration/approval-workflows).
</Info>

## Step 7: Review the trial balance

Open **Reports → Trial Balance** and generate a report for the current period. Confirm that total debits equal total credits and that account balances look reasonable given your opening balances plus the transaction you just posted.

If the trial balance does not balance, check for unposted journal entries or incomplete opening-balance lines. You can drill into any account on the trial balance by selecting it. DualEntry opens the account detail view showing every posted transaction in the period. Use this to trace discrepancies back to their source.

Once the trial balance looks correct, your DualEntry environment is ready for day-to-day use.

## What's next

You now have a functioning DualEntry environment. From here:

* Read [Key Concepts](./key-concepts) for the full mental model behind entities, periods, and transactions.
* Set up [Approval Workflows](../platform-configuration/approval-workflows) for bills, invoices, and journal entries.
* Explore [Integrations](../integrations/index) to connect Stripe, payroll, and other systems.
* Start the [month-end close checklist](../core-financials/close-management/month-end-close-checklist) when you are ready to close your first period.