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Import Tally data into SimpleERP
One file does the job. Tally's Masters export already holds your ledgers, groups, stock items, godowns, opening balances and the bills each party still owes.
Updated · 7 min read
In short
To import Tally data into SimpleERP, export Masters from Tally Prime as XML (Data Interchange) with closing balances as opening, then drop the file on Settings → Import data. SimpleERP finds accounts, parties, products, balances and pending bills.
Export Masters from Tally Prime in XML (Data Interchange) format with closing balances as opening, then upload that one file on Settings → Import data in SimpleERP. It brings ledgers, GSTINs, stock items, godown stock, opening balances and pending bills, and checks every row before writing anything.
How do you export masters from Tally Prime?
Close the last month in Tally first: bank reconciled, stock valued, adjustments posted. Then pick your SimpleERP start date, the first day of a financial year, quarter or month (1 April is best), for example 1 October 2026, and export as of the day before.
Open the export
Open the company. Press Alt+E (Export) → Masters.
Configure
Press C (Configure): Type of master All, Include dependent masters Yes, Export closing balance as opening balance Yes, Format XML (Data Interchange).
Set the period
Set the period (F2) to end on the day before your SimpleERP start date.
Export and find the file
Press E and note the folder (Alt+E → Configuration shows it). Upload that .xml.
What if you use Tally.ERP 9?
Tally.ERP 9 exports the same Masters XML from a different menu: Gateway of Tally → Display → List of Accounts → Alt+E, same options. Choose XML (Data Interchange), not Excel: Tally.ERP 9 saves Excel as the old .xls format, which the Import data page refuses with a message to save as .xlsx or CSV.
What does SimpleERP read from the Tally file?
SimpleERP sorts every ledger by the Tally group it sits under, walking up the group tree to Tally's default groups, so a ledger under your own group "Chennai dealers" under Sundry Debtors is still a customer.
| In Tally | Becomes in SimpleERP |
|---|---|
| Ledgers under Sundry Debtors | Customers, with address, PIN, state, phone, email, PAN and credit days |
| Ledgers under Sundry Creditors | Suppliers, with the same details |
| Bank Accounts, Bank OD, Cash-in-hand | Bank and cash accounts; bank ledgers also become bank accounts |
| Capital, Reserves, Loans, Sales, Purchase, Expenses | Accounts of the matching type in the chart of accounts |
| Duties & Taxes ledgers | Matched to the CGST, SGST and IGST accounts for opening balances |
| Stock items | Products with unit, part number, HSN and GST rate |
| Godowns | Opening stock per warehouse with the same name, else the default warehouse |
| Bill-wise dues on party ledgers | Open invoices and open bills, each with its own number and date |
| Ledger and stock opening balances | Opening balances and opening stock, dated the day before you start |
- GSTIN: from the ledger's GST details. Tally Prime 3.0 and later keep these as dated entries and often leave the plain GSTIN field empty, so SimpleERP takes the latest dated entry.
- State: from the ledger's state or mailing details, else from the first two digits of the GSTIN.
- HSN and GST rate: from the stock item, or from its stock group when the item says As per Stock Group, walking up the group chain.
- Due dates: the bill date plus the bill's credit period.
How do you import the file?
Choose Tally
On Settings → Import data, choose Tally Prime / Tally.ERP 9 and set Books start in SimpleERP on to your start date.
Drop the XML
The page lists the tables it found: accounts, customers, suppliers, products, opening balances, open invoices and open bills, with row counts.
Check each card, top to bottom
Fix any row errors in Tally and export again, or tick Import valid rows only.
Import in order
Each card imports in one go. When every card is done, the page offers Check the trial balance.
Worked example: Lakshmi Steel Furnitures
Lakshmi Steel Furnitures, the fictional Coimbatore maker of steel almirahs and racks used across this site, starts in SimpleERP on 1 October 2026. Its Tally company has 40 ledgers, 120 stock items in two godowns and 9 pending bills. The accountant exports Masters with the period ending 30 September 2026.
| Card | Found in the file | What Check showed |
|---|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | 13 ledgers: 2 banks, cash, 4 tax ledgers, capital, loan, sales, purchase, 2 expenses | Names that already exist skipped; 2 bank accounts added |
| Customers | 16 ledgers under Sundry Debtors | 1 error: a GSTIN with a wrong check digit |
| Suppliers | 11 ledgers under Sundry Creditors | 11 to create |
| Products and stock | 120 stock items, Main godown and Showroom | Stock value ₹11,48,000; 18% and HSN taken from the stock groups |
| Opening balances | Bank, cash, tax, capital, loan, income and expense balances | Customer, supplier and stock lines skipped, already posted |
| Open invoices | 6 pending sales bills, ₹4,62,300 | 6 to create |
| Open bills | 3 pending purchase bills, ₹2,08,600 | 3 to create |
The GSTIN error was a typing mistake in Tally. The accountant fixed the ledger, exported again and checked the card again. On the open invoices card, Check noted one customer: "Opening ₹1,20,000, open bills ₹1,00,000; ₹20,000 stays as an opening balance." Ravi Stores' ledger carried ₹20,000 on account with no bill reference, so the bills come across one by one and only that ₹20,000 stays as a lump sum. For every other customer, the ledger balance equalled its bills, and no lump sum remained.
What do you check after the import?
- The trial balance as of 30 September in SimpleERP equals Tally's trial balance for the same day
- Receivables total ₹4,82,300: the 6 open invoices plus Ravi Stores' ₹20,000
- The receivables ageing shows each invoice with its Tally number and original date
- Stock value equals ₹11,48,000 and the Inventory account balance
- Opening Balance Equity is zero
- Each bank account has its real account number in place of the placeholder
If a total is off, undo that card from Previous imports, fix the ledger or item in Tally, export again and import the card again. For the full move, use the Tally migration checklist and the opening balances guide.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Will my GSTR-1 change?
No. The open invoices come across with their Tally numbers and original dates, before your start date, with no tax on them, because the tax was reported when you raised them in Tally. GST reports in SimpleERP from your start date show only invoices raised in SimpleERP.
Can I keep using Tally?
Keep it read only as the archive. There is no live sync, and a second export is not a sync. Enter everything from your start date in SimpleERP. If you kept entering in Tally after exporting, undo the affected cards within 30 days, export again and import again.
What if a GSTIN in Tally is wrong?
Check reports a GSTIN with a wrong check digit as a row error and names the row. Fix the ledger in Tally and export again, or tick Import valid rows only and correct that party in SimpleERP. A GSTIN that is valid but belongs to someone else cannot be detected, so compare against your GSTR-2B for suppliers.
How big a Tally file can I upload?
Up to 20 MB per file. A Masters XML for a small or mid-size business usually fits. The file is read in your browser, and each card imports up to 20,000 rows at a time.
My export opens as gibberish or the page says it is not a Tally file. What now?
Export again with Format set to XML (Data Interchange). Tally builds save either UTF-8 or UTF-16 text, and SimpleERP reads both. An Excel or ASCII export is not a Masters XML.
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