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v26.3

Going Live: Set Up, Test, Start for Real

This page guides you in the right order from the first setup to the first real sale — with a hardware TSE (Swissbit stick) or cloud TSE — and explains when test bookings can still be deleted and when they cannot.

Not tax advice

The notes on retention and reporting obligations are meant as guidance and do not replace tax advice. Clarify legal details with your tax advisor or tax office.

The most important points first

  • Signed receipts can never be deleted. Once the TSE has signed a transaction, it is subject to the retention obligation. It can only be voided.
  • Test bookings can only be deleted as long as nothing has been signed. The way to delete them is "Delete test data".
  • The order matters: set up → test → delete test data → TSE active → live operation. When your TSE becomes active depends on the type of TSE (see below).

The process at a glance

Step What Where
1 Set up: business, tax rates, articles, staff, printers, payment methods Setup wizard, Basic setup
2 Test: test bookings, receipts, terminal, end-of-day report First sale
3 Delete test bookings Admin → Settings → System → Data management → Cleanup
4 Activate TSE (hardware) or check cloud TSE Admin → Settings → TSE
5 Register the POS with the tax office Cash register reporting
6 Check the first real receipt POS

1. Set up

Create everything the POS needs in operation:

Articles, staff and settings are kept when you later delete the test bookings. Everything you enter now does not have to be repeated.

2. Test

Run through everything the POS will encounter in operation. A test list:

  • Direct sale paid in cash, receipt is printed
  • Sale with card via the payment terminal
  • Open a table, order, kitchen ticket arrives at the kitchen printer
  • Split the invoice and pay separately
  • Void a receipt
  • Sell and redeem a voucher (if used)
  • Run the end-of-day report and view the result
  • Log in with the staff credentials

Receipts with the note “TSE-AUSFALL” are normal in this phase

As long as no TSE is active, the POS cannot sign anything. The receipt then carries the note "* TSE-AUSFALL *" instead of the signature data. This is expected during the setup phase and is not a defect. For live operation it only applies once the TSE is active (step 4).

Practice operation without booking anything real

If staff only need to practice operation, there is the practice mode. In live operation nothing is created there: no receipt, no revenue, no report. It does not replace your business's printer or terminal test — for that, book in live operation.

3. Delete test bookings

Once all tests are complete, tidy up the POS:

  1. Log in as administrator.
  2. Open Admin → Settings → System → Data management → Cleanup.
  3. On the "Delete test data" tile, first choose "Check". DiKAS counts what would be deleted (receipts, end-of-day reports, invoices, stock movements and other transaction data).
  4. Type the confirmation word LOESCHEN and press "Delete permanently".

Afterwards, receipt, end-of-day report and invoice numbers start again at 1. Articles, customers, tables, staff, settings and license remain. There is no recycle bin and no undo. In detail: Delete test data.

Delete before activating the TSE

Receipts that still exist when the TSE is activated are signed retroactively and can no longer be deleted afterwards. Therefore delete the test bookings before step 4.

When the tile is missing or locked

The tile only appears as long as there are at most 500 receipts. If a receipt has already been signed, deletion is locked and the tile states the reason. In this case contact support; signed receipts are retained in any case.

4. Activate the TSE

How your TSE becomes active depends on its type.

Hardware TSE (Swissbit USB stick)

You decide the point in time yourself. As long as you do not activate the TSE, the POS stays in the setup phase, and test bookings can be deleted.

  1. Plug the stick into a free USB port on the POS server.
  2. Open Admin → Settings → TSE and tap "Activate TSE now".
  3. Wait for the success message. The status then shows Available (green).

More on this, including locked login and adopted TSEs: TSE in daily POS use.

Cloud TSE

You do not need to plug in or install the cloud TSE. It is provided with your subscription:

  • With an online order it is ready as soon as the first invoice is paid (card payment: immediately; bank transfer: after the money arrives).
  • If your POS runs through a reseller, the cloud TSE only becomes active when the reseller enables it (see Reseller portal). Until then, the same applies to test bookings as for the hardware TSE before activation.

Once the cloud TSE is active, every booking is real

As soon as the cloud TSE is ready, it signs every transaction, including a test booking. These receipts are then real receipts: they can be voided, but not deleted, and "Delete test data" is locked.

  • Check under Admin → Settings → TSE whether the TSE already reports Available before you make test bookings in live operation.
  • If it reports Available, book only the bare minimum, such as a single small test receipt to check the printer, and void it afterwards.
  • If you want to test extensively before the cloud TSE becomes active, talk to support first.
  • You can practice operation at any time in the practice mode.

5. Register the POS with the tax office

With an active TSE, the TSE serial number is available. It is needed for the notification under § 146a para. 4 AO. The report must be made within one month of acquisition. The procedure, including the choice between "yourself via Mein ELSTER" and "directly from DiKAS", is described under Cash register reporting.

6. Check the first real receipt

Book the first real sale and check the receipt:

  • The note "TSE-AUSFALL" is absent.
  • The receipt shows the TSE data: signature, transaction number, signature counter, serial number.
  • The verification QR code is present.
  • Under Admin → Settings → TSE it says Available.

If any of this is missing, you will find the causes under TSE failure — what to do.

Frequently asked questions

I accidentally booked real sales before deleting the test data. Then the test data may no longer be deleted: real and test receipts cannot be told apart in the POS. Contact support.

The "Delete test data" tile is not visible. It is only visible to administrators, and only as long as there are at most 500 receipts and nothing is signed. It does not exist in the POS app on the tablet.

Can I run the end-of-day report as a test? Yes, as long as nothing has been signed yet. It is deleted together with the other transaction data. With an active cloud TSE, however, it is signed and remains.