The GitHub - portfolio-performance/portfolio-help: Help pages for Portfolio Performance (Deutsch) community project is moving along, and you can visit the English version at About this manual - Portfolio Performance Manual. Feel free to comment or contribute directly to the documentation or discussion.
This topic is an English discussion on the documentation for those that prefer not to use Erste Schritte mit Portfolio Performance im Handbuch dokumentieren (in German).
What should the introductory part of the documentation cover? A new user has likely visited Portfolio Performance and decided they are interested to know more. Some will install the software, perhaps browse the example files, and use the documentation to set it up. Others will browse the documentation to understand more about the software before deciding to try it. The documentation needs to work for any of these approaches.
Anyone looking for Portfolio Performance software almost certainly has an existing portfolio. Creating a portfolio is the first hurdle and they would undoubtably be more interested in importing the portfolio rather than each transaction, and certainly not rekeying each transaction manually.
Navexa, commercial portfolio tracking software, gets users up to speed quickly (btw it offers both a free plan and free trial). While PP does not offer conversion from competitors products, the csv import or create from transactions process is equivalent. I’d like to see PP documentation presented similarly with importing before rekeying so new users quickly realise their portfolio can be created quickly and efficiently.
How-To Link: Import CSV file
@hug-sch How-to - Portfolio Performance Manual has some good guidance for company transformations.
How about mergers and takeovers? I’m thinking one stock becomes another and there may be an adjustment amount.
The docs now contain info about spin-off, split, and insolvency. Does anyone know of a good (recent) example of a merger or take-over that could be used as an illustration in the how-to section of the docs?
@Sn1kk3r5 @Jo92 @Performer @flywire @stuartb3502 @Laura
Hi, I was glad to hear from @Laura that a team has been set up to tackle the German manual. 
. Would it be possible to use the team as a sounding board for any suggestions, questions and issues regarding the documentation? I don’t know if a mixed-language thread is possible; so, I started it in the English forum. Is that OK?
To kickstart, one of the many 
things I’ve been struggling with lately was the following.
The performance indicators (IRR and TTWROR) can be calculated at the portfolio level (via Reports > Performance) or at the Security level (Reports > Performance > Securities). As far as I understand, in the calculation at the portfolio level, fees and taxes are included in the definition of the cash flow, while only fees are considered in the calculation at the security level. Is there a financial or economic reasoning behind this? In the English docs, I try to give some arguments, but they don’t seem really convincing to me. Any suggestions?
Hi @hug-sch,
Yes absolutely.
To be honest, I don’t know. Personally I have no problem with english, but I can’t speak for others. The only thing I usually experience, discussions and deepdive in foreign languages are mostly not as detailed as in mother tongue.
What makes it even a little harder from a gut feeling perspective is the fact PP sometimes uses a non financially terminology, which isn’t common practise in the english speaking community.
First of all my answer represents my opinion as I wasn’t part when it was developed.
Your observation is completely correct.
The portfolio view holds various different assets, with a given value. Depending on the bookings this is the only possibility were PP could create a “real” big picture. Everything together so to say.
While on security perspective a wide spread of tax laws can apply it’s easier to make use of the things which are similar all over the world. Purchasement price and fees in case they apply.
For example, stocks bought in Germany before 2009 are free of tax when selling with a profit.
Cheers
A purchase means that the amount of money is debited from an account and the securities portfolio in a securities account increases. Each purchase is booked with an offsetting entry in an account.
If the associated account is not to be held in Portfolio Performance, the offsetting entry is not required. In this case, it is advisable to make a delivery instead of a purchase. A delivery only increases the securities portfolio in the custody account without reducing the corresponding account.
A purchase can later be converted into a delivery by right-clicking on the purchase entry under Securities accounts → Transactions and selecting → Convert to delivery. The offsetting entry in the account is then cancelled.
It is also possible to convert a delivery into a purchase by right-clicking on the delivery and selecting → Convert to purchase entry. The offsetting entry in the account is created automatically.
The same applies to sales and deliveries - conversion is possible in both directions.
You can also make these changes under All securities by selecting the desired security, clicking on → Transactions and then right-clicking on the booking to change the type between Purchase/Delivery or Sale/Outbound delivery.
Cheers, Laura