Accounting Continuity & Data Portability

Kraal can build a portable copy of a client's supported accounting records, evidence, source files, and client-wide working history. The package is designed to remain understandable outside Kraal and can be created during normal operations—you do not need to freeze work, disconnect an integration, or start offboarding.

App path: Clients → choose the client → Continuity

Use this page when you need to:

• give an auditor or successor accountant a reviewable record set;
• keep a periodic continuity copy under your firm's records policy;
• prepare a client handoff before offboarding;
• preserve a point-in-time package before a major system or provider change; or
• confirm that the firm can obtain its records without depending on a single screen or report.

You need permission to manage the selected client. Always confirm the client and legal-entity scope before starting a build.

Choose the right package

Choice	Use it when	What it produces
Build complete set	You need the full supported client record, especially for handoff, continuity planning, or a multi-entity client	One client-shared package plus a separate package for every configured legal entity
Build continuity package	An auditor, reviewer, or operator needs one legal entity only	One exact-entity package; sibling entities are not included
Build shared package	You need client-wide material that should not be assigned to one entity	One companion package for supported permanent files, shared history, and other client-level records

For a full client request, prefer Build complete set. Keeping the legal-entity packages separate prevents one sibling ledger from being blended into another while still giving you one convenient download.

Build and download a complete client set

1. Open Clients and find the correct client.
2. Select Continuity.
3. Reconfirm the client name at the top of the page.
4. Under One-click portable set, select Build complete set.
5. Kraal captures the cutoff when it accepts the request. The build is a point-in-time record set, not a date picker or a reconstruction of an earlier snapshot.
6. Leave the page open or return later. Kraal shows how many packages are ready and refreshes an active build automatically.
7. Wait until Download complete set appears.
8. Download the ZIP before the package expiration shown in the recent-package details.
9. Store the original ZIP in an access-controlled location approved by your firm. Do not replace the original with an edited copy.
10. Open continuity-set-index.json and each package's README.md and manifest.json. Review the scope, cutoff, package status, declared omissions, and unavailable files before treating the handoff as complete.

If a newer build needs attention, Kraal may continue to offer the most recent earlier set that is still ready. Check its cutoff before using it; an earlier set is not a substitute for the date you intended to capture.

Build one legal-entity package

Use the Accounting Continuity section when the request is limited to one company or ledger:

1. Select the legal entity.
2. Read the Exact scope line and confirm the client and entity.
3. Select Build continuity package.
4. Wait for the package to become Ready or Partial.
5. Review the record, file, omission, unavailable-file, and unresolved-reference counts.
6. Expand See included accounting areas when you need to confirm domain coverage.
7. Select Download ZIP and retain it according to your firm's policy.

Do not use an entity package as a complete multi-entity handoff. Repeat the process for each legal entity or use Build complete set.

Build the client-shared companion

The Client shared records section keeps supported client-wide material out of the wrong entity ledger. Use Build shared package when you need that companion by itself.

For a complete handoff, include both:

• one legal-entity package for every relevant entity; and
• the client-shared package.

The one-click complete set coordinates this for you.

Understand package status

Status	What to do
Building	Wait. Kraal is still collecting and checking the package. Do not start another build for the same scope.
Ready	Download it, review the cutoff and manifest, and store it securely.
Partial	The ZIP is usable, but something is declared missing or unavailable. Read the manifest and exception information before relying on it. Resolve the source issue or obtain a provider export when necessary, then build a new package if you need a more complete cutoff.
Blocked or Failed	Read the message, correct the stated issue when possible, and use Retry. Contact support if the same scoped build continues to fail.
Expired	Build a new package. A package retained inside Kraal is not a permanent copy under your firm's control.

Kraal declares uncertainty instead of silently assigning ambiguous records to an entity. A declared omission is a review item, not evidence that the underlying accounting record never existed.

Review and verify the download

A complete-set ZIP contains separate nested packages and an index describing their scope and cutoff. Each package includes a plain-language guide, manifest, structured data, field descriptions, relationship information, exception information, and checksums. Source and evidence files are included where they are available and in supported scope.

For an ordinary operational review:

1. Preserve the downloaded ZIP unchanged.
2. Confirm the client, entity, cutoff, and status in the index and manifests.
3. Compare the expected package count with the ready package count.
4. Review all omissions, unavailable files, and unresolved references.
5. Confirm the receiving party can open the included structured files and source evidence.
6. Record who downloaded and transferred the package under your firm's custody process.

For an audit, migration, or formal handoff, ask your IT or audit-support team to run the included checksum verification instructions. A successful checksum check proves the package files have not changed since Kraal built that archive; it does not replace an accountant's completeness review.

Monthly continuity packages

You can turn on monthly builds for a legal entity and for client-shared records.

• Under Accounting Continuity, select the entity and choose Turn on monthly builds.
• Under Client shared records, choose Turn on monthly builds.
• For a multi-entity client, review the setting for each entity separately.
• Watch the last completion, next build, and any displayed error.
• Download completed packages before they expire.

Monthly builds provide a recurring continuity checkpoint inside Kraal. They are not, by themselves, an offsite backup in a customer-controlled destination. Your firm should download and retain the packages it needs under its own records and backup policy.

What the package does and does not cover

The package covers supported Kraal accounting records and evidence at the stated cutoff. Depending on the client's configuration, that can include structured accounting data, source documents, identity and reference links, close and reconciliation evidence, approvals, schedules, and other supported working records.

It does not include passwords, access tokens, or other credentials. It also does not claim to reproduce records that exist only in an external provider and were never brought into Kraal's supported scope. For a formal handoff, obtain the external provider's own export when the package declares provider-only or unavailable material.

Data portability is not the same as:

• a transaction CSV or journal export, which moves a selected transaction set;
• a close pack, which documents a particular accounting period;
• a one-click restore into another accounting product; or
• offboarding, which additionally freezes work, revokes integrations, completes handoff, and applies retention policy.

When portability is part of offboarding

Build and review the portable set before you freeze work or revoke integrations. Once the right package is safely stored and the receiving party's needs are understood, continue with the staged Client & Organization Offboarding workflow.

For a practical walkthrough, see Prepare and Hand Off Portable Client Records.

If something does not look right

• Fewer entity packages than expected: confirm the client's legal entities are configured and that you have access to them.
• The package is Partial: read the declared exceptions; supplement it from the source provider or rebuild after resolving the issue.
• The build is Blocked or Failed: use the displayed reason and retry only after the issue is addressed.
• The package expired before download: build a new one; the new cutoff will be different.
• The receiving party expects a direct import file: agree on the destination system's requirements. The continuity package is a documented record set, not a promise that every destination can import every dataset automatically.

Contact Kraal support when a package repeatedly fails, the visible scope is wrong, or a declared omission appears inconsistent with the client's records.