Transaction Journal
A transaction journal is a kind of document: journal vouchers, cash payments, customer invoices, goods issues. Every document in Businessflo names a journal, and the journal gives it its number, the posting statuses it may take, its user group, and a few rules. A company usually has many journals, one per kind of document and often one per branch or bank.
What it is for
The Journal (its nature) decides which screens may use the journal: a journal-voucher journal is offered on General Entry, a customer-invoice journal on the customer invoice, and so on. The Journal Indicator narrows the nature further (for example sales against services). Both are locked once the journal is created.
The rule people get wrong: a journal is offered on a document only while the document's date is between the journal's Date From and Date To, and only while the journal is not blocked. A journal that "disappears" in January has usually run out of dates.
Every field in plain words
Basic
| Field | What it means | What to put |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction Journal | The journal's code | Required. Unique |
| Name | The journal's name | Required |
| Reporting Name | The name on reports | Empty means the Name |
| Date From, Date To | When the journal may be used | Required. Date From cannot be after Date To |
| Journal | The nature: what kind of document | Required. Locked after Create |
| Journal Indicator | A finer kind within the nature | Offered for the nature picked. Required for some invoice natures. Locked after Create |
| Number Range | The numbers documents of this journal get | Required |
| Number Range Reverse | The numbers reversal documents get | Required |
| Posting Level | Whether a document's voucher keeps one line per document line, or adds up lines with the same account and details into one | Required. The summary level adds up the lines |
| Posting Layer | The posting layer | Required. Starts as FR |
| Currency | The default currency | Starts as the company's local currency. Used when a document line carries no currency |
| User Group | The group the journal belongs to | Stamped on every document and voucher of the journal. Required when General Ledger Setting asks for it |
| Report Object | The print layout of the documents | Optional |
| Block | Stop offering the journal | Tick to retire it |
| Allocation | The journal may be used by allocation rules | Tick for an allocation journal. Allocation Rules offers only these |
| Recurring Entry | Marks a recurring journal | Recorded only. Recurring Entry Template offers every journal |
| Backdate Entries, Backdate Limit (Days) | Refuse documents dated too far back | When ticked, a document of another module posting through this journal is refused if its posting date is more than the limit in days before today. General Entry itself does not apply it |
| Through Payment Request | Marks the journal's payments as going through a payment request | Shared by every journal of the same nature and indicator in the company: changing it on one changes all |
| Digitalization | Send these invoices to the tax authority's digital invoicing | Shown on the invoice natures |
| Unposted Number Range, Required Same Tran No, Required Same Tran Date | How a parked document is numbered | Read by the documents of other modules; see their pages |
| Required For Real Estate Maintenance | Mark the journal for real estate maintenance | Shown on one nature when the company asks for it; used by the real estate lookups |
| Allow Posting Date to change | Recorded only | |
| Apply Work Flow, Work Flow, Currency Rate | Recorded only | |
| Notes | Free text |
Posting Status tab
One line per status a document of this journal may be saved with (for example Posted and Park). Tick Default on exactly one: it comes up first on the document. The User Group column of each status is recorded only.
Accounts tab
Shown only for certain journal natures and indicators. Each line is an account (with its dimensions) the documents of the journal may use; tick Default on at most one.
Movements tab
Shown for inventory journals. Each line is a stock movement the journal allows, with its item posting, whether a reason is required, and for movement journals the offset account. See Movement and How stock documents work.
Currency and Screens tabs
The currency list and the list of screens are recorded only.
How to configure it
- One journal per kind of document is the minimum. Add more when numbering must differ, for example one cash payment journal per cash box, or one sales invoice journal per branch.
- Give every journal Posting Status lines before anyone uses it.
- Set Date From to the go-live date and Date To far in the future.
Scenarios
- Two branches, separate invoice numbers. Two customer invoice journals, each with its own Number Range.
- Clerks must not back-date stock issues by more than three days. Tick Backdate Entries, Backdate Limit (Days) 3 on the issue journal.
- Vouchers wait for the chief accountant. Give the journal-voucher journal a Park status and make it Default.
What it is connected to
- General Entry, and the documents of every other module.
- Financial Year - special conditions open a closed period for one journal nature.
- General Ledger Setting - can make User Group mandatory.
- User Group - the groups a journal can belong to.
- Number Range - the number formats a journal uses; Reason - reverse reasons; Client Customization - Allow to Delete Posted Entries.
If something looks wrong
- "A default Posting Status must be specified." / "Only one Posting Status can be set as default." Tick Default on exactly one Posting Status line.
- "Reverse Number Range cannot be empty." Fill Number Range Reverse.
- "Journal Indicator cannot be empty" This nature needs an indicator.
- "Sales Billing For cannot be empty" With the sales indicator (S), fill Invoice Process.
- "Journal Movement cannot be empty." An inventory journal needs at least one movement.
- "Journal Movement - IRT051 (Sales Return) and IRT002 (Purchase Return) cannot be used on the same Journal." Make two journals.
- "Journal Movement - Line ID: ... - Offset Account cannot be empty" A movement journal needs an offset account on each movement.
- " - Line ID: ... Can Not Default Account More than one" Untick Default on all but one account.
- "User Group cannot be empty." General Ledger Setting makes it mandatory.
- "Back date not allowed" on another module's document: the date is older than the journal's Backdate Limit.
- The journal is not offered on a document. Check the dates, the Block tick, and that its nature matches the document.