Help & Tips

For audit reasons, printed invoices and customers linked to an invoice cannot be deleted – that is a basic principle of proper invoicing. An invoice can only be removed while it is still a draft. Customers can be set to inactive afterwards, which removes them from the selection lists.

If you are just starting out and have only run a few tests, there are two ways – both right in the app, no Finder needed.

Way 1 – “Start over…” (from version 2.2.1, once SWawi is unlocked): it deletes all invoices, orders, projects and recurring templates in the open database, together with payments, invoice corrections and payment reminders. Customers, items, company details, document texts and settings stay, and document numbers start again at 1.

1. Settings → Database, in the Database card click Start over…
2. SWawi shows how many invoices, orders, projects and recurring templates will be deleted – confirm with Start over
3. SWawi first creates a backup, then deletes the documents and restarts

Getting it back: The backup from before is listed under Settings → Database → Restore backup… as “Backed up manually” – it brings the old state back completely. In the free version “Start over” is not yet available; use way 2 there.

Way 2 – a new, empty database: everything starts from scratch, including company details and settings.

1. Save your customers and items first – if you have already entered them properly, there is no need to type them in again: Settings → Import / Export, under Customers click Export as CSV and save the file, e.g. on your desktop. Do the same under Items. If you only created test customers, skip this step.
2. Settings → Database, under Database profiles click New database… and enter a name, e.g. “My company”
3. Next to the new database click Activate and confirm with Switch and restart app
4. SWawi restarts with an empty database, and the setup wizard (“Make it easy”) opens again – enter your company details there.
5. Bring your customers and items back: Settings → Import / Export, under Customers click Import from CSV and choose the saved file. SWawi first shows how many customers will be created – confirm with Import. Then do the same under Items. Customer and item numbers stay the same.
6. To get rid of the old database with the test data: back in Settings → Database, click the trash icon next to it and confirm with Delete. An active database cannot be deleted – that is why step 3 comes first.

Good to know: The CSV files only carry customers and items. Company details, logo, bank details and your own document texts are entered once more in the new database, and item pictures need to be added again. Do not open and save the exported files in Numbers before importing – Numbers changes some numbers when it does. TextEdit is the safe way to take a look.

Tip: With way 2 the test database can also stay. Click the database name in the header bar to switch between the two at any time – one for real data, one to play with. SWawi easy allows two databases; if two already exist, delete one first.

Important: Once you have issued real invoices, neither route is advisable any more. From then on the normal rule applies: cancel an invoice rather than delete it.