Making General Ledger Journal Entries

This chapter provides an overview of General Ledger journal entries and discusses how to:

• Create journal entries.

• Create interunit and intraunit journal entries.

• Post to the Summary Ledgers table and the Summary Ledger Staging table.

• Create standard journal entries.

• Edit journal entries.

• Copy journal entries.

• Delete journal entries not yet posted.

• Use the Flat File Journal Import process (GL_JRNL_IMP).

• Use the Spreadsheet Journal Import process (GL_EXCL_JRNL).

Understanding General Ledger Journal Entries

This section discusses:

• Prerequisites.

• Journal components and processing.

• Journal entry identification and masks.

• Journal entry processing.

Prerequisites

You may want to set up security for your profiles and then define user preferences for General Ledger.

• PeopleTools Security

  Anyone who uses or accesses the general ledger must have a user ID. User IDs are defined in PeopleTools, Security, User Profiles. Several pages require a user ID and validate against the user profile before admitting a user to the page.

• User Preferences

  Many applications, however, have application-specific preferences. In General Ledger, these preferences are defined on the User Preferences - General Ledger page. Many of the preferences specified on this page apply to entering, editing, and processing journals. While you can restrict users to specific business units, tablesets, ledgers, and so forth, the user preferences pages define only default settings for pages and reports. They do not necessarily define security.

• Enable Document Sequencing for each business unit if you use document sequence numbers to number your journals sequentially and open item journals.

See Also

Defining User Preferences

Securing Your System

Journal Components and Processing

At a minimum, a journal in General Ledger consists of a header and entry lines. The header contains the information that uniquely identifies the journal (business unit, journal ID, and journal date) and options that enable you to quickly set up adjusting and reversing entries and foreign currencies. Journal entry lines record the monetary and statistical amounts and the ChartField values associated with each transaction.

Once you enter the header and line information, your journals are ready for processing. However, if you want a greater degree of control over the journal entry process, you can incorporate:

• Control totals that ensure accuracy and are particularly helpful when you enter a large number of lines.

• Journal approval, based on rules that you define, to ensure that only those journals within the limits that you specify are approved for further processing.

• Document sequencing to track journal IDs sequentially.

In General Ledger, standard journal entries (SJEs) enable you to automate the entry of similar or identical journals. There are three types of SJEs: recurring, template, and spread. A recurring journal entry is any entry periodically generated according to a schedule, such as monthly rent, lease payments, and depreciation expenses. A template journal entry is a data-entry model for other journals that you can automatically reproduce on a fixed schedule—like recurring SJEs—or use on request. A spread journal entry is an entry in which the entire journal’s amount is spread proportionately across the different periods.

See Also

Processing Journals

Enterprise PeopleTools PeopleBooks: PeopleSoft Process Scheduler

Journal Entry Identification and Masks

When you create a new journal, the system prompts you with the three keys that uniquely identify that journal: business unit, journal ID, and date. You can enter your own ID or let the system assign one. You can reuse the same journal ID throughout the year, or even within the same accounting period, changing only the date for each instance.

After you create a journal, you can search by document sequence number on these pages:

• Create Journal Entries - Find an Existing Value search criteria.

• Review Journal Status - Find an Existing Value search criteria.

• Open Item Maintenance.

• Review Open Item Status.

• Review Financial Information - Journals - Journal Inquiry Criteria.

The document sequence number for a journal also appears on:

• The Journal Entry Detail Report (FIN2001).

• The General Ledger Activity Report (GLS7002).

This table demonstrates an example where your subsidiaries and parent organizations can record monthly payroll transactions using the journal ID PAYROLL, because each journal is uniquely identified by business unit, journal ID, and date.

Using these three keys to identify a journal makes finding, tracking, and organizing journals much easier. It also makes it possible to copy related journals and group them by ID. You can use the same journal IDs and dates across business units.

The journal ID mask enables you to specify a prefix for naming journals when you are using NEXT to generate journal IDs. A 10-character alphanumeric ID identifies journals. The system automatically appends the prefix that you specify to the journal IDs. For example, if you specify ALLOC as the journal ID mask, and your journal ID on the flat file is NEXT, your allocation journal IDs might be ALLOC00001, ALLOC00002, and so on.

Warning! If you plan to use journal ID masks, reserve a unique mask value for the regular journal entry process. Ensure that your regular journal entry users communicate with users who perform other processes, such as consolidations and allocations, so that no other process creates the same mask value as that used in regular journal entry.

Journal Entry Processing

General Ledger offers several ways to process journals. After completing the header and line entries, save the journal from any of the journal entry pages or do one of the following on the Journal Entry - Lines page:

• Request to edit.

• Request to budget check.

• Request to post.

Most users enter and save journals, leaving editing, budget checking, and posting for later.

See Also

Processing Journals

Creating Journal Entries

This section discusses how to:

• Enter journal header information.

• Specify journal entry currency defaults.

• Specify exchange rate.

• Specify journal entry reversal options.

• Specify commitment control options.

• Enter journal line information.

• Specify journal search criteria.

• Initiate the calculate amount process.

• Use separate debit and credit.

• Retrieve a system rate.

• Enter an exchange rate manually.

• Calculate using the calculate rules.

• Select a journal entry template.

• Set journal entry copy-down options.

• Enter projects information.

• Access the secondary ledger lines.

• Use statistics codes.

• Specify journal entry totals.

• View journal entry errors.

• Specify journal entry approval options.

Pages Used to Create Journal Entries

Entering Journal Header Information

Access the Journal Entry - Header page.

Note. This page or related pages operate in deferred processing mode. Most fields are not updated or validated until you save the page or refresh it by clicking a button, link, or selecting a tab. This delayed processing has various implications for the field values on the page—for example, if a field contains a default value, any value that you enter before the system updates the page overrides the default. The system updates quantity balances or totals only when you save or click the Calculate Amount button.

See Also

Calculating Average Balances

Defining User Preferences

Defining Journal Class

Specifying Journal Entry Currency Defaults

Access the Journal Entry Currency Default page.

Transaction Currency	Override the default base currency by selecting a value. You can do this only if the Foreign Currency Per Journal option specified on Journal Source, Ledgers For A Unit, and General Ledger Definition, Currency Options page is not set to No Foreign Currencies. If the Foreign Currency Per Journal option is set to Only One Foreign Currency, you must specify that foreign currency here. Later, when you are entering journal lines, their transaction currency values can be equal to the foreign currency or to the base currency.
Currency Code	Appears by default as the base code currency for the ledger group.
Rate Type	Enter the rate type, which is used to convert amounts.
Currency Effective Date	Appears by default from the journal date, but you can override it.
Get Rate	After you change the transaction currency, rate type, and/or currency effective date on this page, click this button to get the new exchange rate retrieved from the system setup table based on the new information that you just entered.
Exchange Rate Detail	Click this link to access the page that displays exchange rate detail information.

See Also

Processing Multiple Currencies in General Ledger

Specifying Exchange Rate Detail

Access the Exchange Rate Detail page.

See Establishing Market Rates.

Specifying Journal Entry Reversal Options

Access the Journal Entry Reversal page.

Select the appropriate reversal option:

ADB Reversal

If the ledger group supports average daily balance reporting, you must select the method that is used to populate the ADB date of the reversing entry.

Important! Reversals are identified as valid and ready to post when the Post process creates them, and you do not need to edit them. When the journal date falls within the journal dates, fiscal year, and open periods specified on the Journal Post page, the system posts reversals as soon as they are created.

See Also

Understanding Multiple GAAPs and Prior Period Adjustments

Defining Accounting Calendars

Adjustments and Other Special Periods

Setting Up and Using Multibook Ledgers

Specifying Commitment Control Options

Access the Commitment Control page.

See Entering and Processing Commitment Control Journal Entries in General Ledger.

See Also

Getting Started With PeopleSoft Enterprise Commitment Control

Defining Accounting Calendars

Adjustments and Other Special Periods

Managing Multiple GAAPs and Prior Period Adjustments

Understanding Average Balance Calculation

Entering Journal Line Information

Access the Journal Entry - Lines page.

Note. The columns that appear on this page are controlled by your choices on the journal entry template, as well as customize choices.

Note. This page or related pages operate in deferred-processing mode. Most fields are not updated or validated until you save the page or refresh it by clicking a button or link or selecting a tab. This delayed processing has various implications for the field values on the page. For example, if a field contains a default value, any value that you enter before the system updates the page overrides the default. Another implication to keep in mind is that the system updates quantity balances or totals only when you save or when you click the Calculate Amount button.

Journal Lines Chunking

Lines are displayed in chunks as determined by the number of lines you enter in the chunking text box, starting from the current top line in the journal lines grid. All changes must be saved before changing this number.

Journal Lines Additions, Deletions, and Calculations

You can add journal lines, delete journal lines, and use the journal line calculator.

See Also

Defining and Using ChartFields

Using Entry Events

Specifying Journal Search Criteria

Click the Search Criteria link to access the Selection Criteria page.

When you enter the search criteria, the GL Journal Line Numberfield displays the starting line number for your search. For example, if you enter 1 here and 10 in the number of lines text box next to the Errors Only check box on the Journal Entry - Lines page, the system retrieves journal lines 1 through 10. Enter the selection criteria, including any wildcards. These wildcards assist you in finding the exact information that you need. Unless you enter one of the following wildcards, General Ledger assumes that you want an exact match:

For example, you could search for a blank in the Account, Operating Unit Department, Product, Project ID, Affiliate and Foreign Currency Code fields by entering a tilde (~) in each field.

Return to the journal Lines page.

Initiating the Calculate Amount Process

The Calculate Amount process examines changes in the amount-related fields (such as foreign currency, foreign amount, rate type, exchange rate, base currency, and monetary base amount). It calculates the unchanged field based on the system rule or the specified rule in the Calculate field. If none of the amount-related fields are changed on a particular line, no calculation process is initiated on that line even if you click the Calculate Amount button. After the value is calculated, the journal totals and balancing ChartFields totals are updated to reflect the new totals.

The Calculate Amount process is automatically initiated in the following situations:

• When you save the journal, including when you click the Save button, run remote journal edit, run remote journal ChartField edit, run remote call journal post, run remote call budget checking, select copy journal, or submit the journal to workflow.

• When you click the Insert Journal Lines button to insert new lines.

• When you click the Delete Selected Journal Lines button to delete lines.

• When you click the Secondary Lines (>>) button to access the Secondary Lines page.

• When you click the Exchange Rate Detail (>>) button to view the exchange rate detail.

• When you click the VAT link to access the VAT page.

• When you change the business unit or ledger value on the line.

• When you use the SpeedType page to select a speed type.

The Calculate Amount process performs the following steps:

1. For each journal line on the journal line grid, the system compares all field values with the prior values stored in the buffer to determine whether there are any changes.

2. If there are any changes on foreign currency, rate type, exchange rate, or base currency, the system determines the new exchange rate.

   This also initiates exchange rate checking before the new exchange rate can be accepted. The new exchange rate is then converted to rate multiplier and rate divisor values.

3. If there are any changes in foreign amount, exchange rate, or base amount, the system calculates the unchanged amount based on the system rule or the rule that you specify in the Calculate field.

4. The system then adjusts the journal totals and balancing ChartField totals to reflect the new totals.

   Even if there is no amount field change, but there is a ChartField value changed, the system adjusts the balancing ChartFields totals accordingly.

5. If it is a MultiBook ledger group with auto-generate lines turned on, the system also reflects the changes to the corresponding secondary ledger lines.

6. If the account is a VAT-applicable or VAT account, the journal VAT rows reflect the new values.

Note. Online Journal Entry uses deferred processing, which reduces the number of trips to the server. However, the Business Unit and Ledger fields on the journal line grid use non-deferred processing. The main reason is because changes to these two fields can change the base currency value. Without refreshing the base currency value immediately, it could become confusing. The Business Unit field value usually remains the same unless it is an interunit journal. You can change the ledger value only when it involves a KLS-off MultiBook ledger group with auto-generate lines turned off and when a blank ledger value is on the journal header. Because both are rare occurrences, server trips should not be an issue in most instances.

Encountering Errors in the Calculate Amount Process

The Calculate Amount process performs various checks, including separate debit and credit amount checking, as well as exchange rate checking. When the process encounters an error, an error message appears and the Error field changes to red. The process does not necessarily stop on an error. If the Calculate Amount process has been automatically initiated, the process may behave differently. In some instances, the process stops, and in other instances, it continues. Here are various scenarios:

• When you save a journal, the save process stops, an error message appears, and the journal cannot be saved until you correct the error.

• When you click the Insert Journal Lines button to insert new lines, the insert process stops, an error message appears, and new lines cannot be inserted until you correct the error.

• When you click the Delete Selected Journal Lines button, the lines identified as deleted are first deleted and then the Calculate Amount process is initiated. If the process encounters an error, those identified lines are deleted.

• When you click the Secondary Lines (>>) button to access a secondary lines page, the Exchange Rate Detail (>>) button to view the exchange rate detail, or the VAT link to access the VAT page, you cannot transfer to the pages until you correct the error.

When you change the business unit or ledger, or use the SpeedType page to select a speed type, the changes on the Business Unit, Ledger, and ChartField field values are processed and the Calculate Amount process is initiated. Even if the calculation process encounters an error, the line changes.

Enter the business unit or ledger for the journal line in the corresponding fields. Click the button next to the Ledger field to access the Secondary Journal Lines page to view the lines for the secondary ledger if you have a ledger group with multiple ledgers.

If you are using a speed type key to enter frequently used ChartField combinations automatically, click the SpeedType button and select the appropriate speed type code. For example, to record revenue from product sales , you can enter an S or SR. Select the speed type, SREV, that you previously defined to populate the account number, sales department, and product code.

To record the transaction, you must enter the account number and ChartField values for operator unit, department ID, product, and affiliate. Use the bottom scroll bar to view more fields on the grid.

Note. Control accounts and control alternate accounts are not available for online entry in General Ledger. However, you can choose to use an account that rolls up in the same line item or that is open to online entry in General Ledger. General Ledger also reserves four accounts for system-generated balancing lines: suspense, interunit from/to, base currency rounding adjustment, and currency position. You never need to enter these accounts directly. When the journal is edited, the system automatically generates the account and amount.

The Currency, Foreign Amount, Rate Type, Exchange Rate, Exchange Rate Detail, and Base Amount fields appear even if the transaction item is a base currency line.

For amount fields where you enter both debits and credits to the same field, you enter debits as positive values (without a plus sign); however, you must enter credits using the negative sign.

See Also

Defining and Using Speed Types

Using Separate Debit and Credit

If you enabled the Separate DR/CR Amount Fields option on the Ledgers for a Unit - Definition page for a detail ledger, amounts appear in the separate debit and credit for both foreign Amount and Base Amount fields.

If you enter a foreign debit and credit amounts on the same journal line, an error message appears, and you must remove one of the amounts. The same is true if you enter a base amount.

Note. The N/R movement field is available only if you have performed the separate debit and credit configuration.

The N/R movement field supports reversing-debit and reversing-credit entries for error correction for the separate debit and credit configuration if you chose this option. You can offset a reversing debit or credit by a natural debit or credit to create a balanced journal entry. For example, suppose that cash is overstated by 1,000 and accounts receivable is understated by 1,000 due to an improper posting. Here are the correcting entries:

These are the sign meanings:

Edit error suspense lines have the same value as the suspended line. Accrual reversals populate the movement with R if the original line was N, and vice versa. This works the same way for journals that are not posted.

If the base currency for the business unit differs from your entry transaction currency (foreign currency), enter the rate type and/or the exchange rate to convert to the appropriate base amount. If you want the system to retrieve a defined exchange rate, enter only the rate type. As a result, the system automatically populates the exchange rate, base amount (or base DR amount and base CR amount if using the Separate DR/CR option) fields.

The Exchange Rate field value must always be 1, and the foreign Amount field must equal the base amount when the journal line is a base currency line.

Note. Journal entries loaded to your system using spreadsheet journals import or flat file journal import must be edited using batch edit only. Imported journals do not yet have all values populated and should not be edited online. After importing journals if you open them online you get a warning message stating that they must be edited first. It is only after the batch edit that the journals display complete and correct information regarding separate debit credit reversals and the appropriate monetary amount sign.

See Also

Modifying Tables to Store Separate Debit and Credit Balances

Retrieving a System Rate

To retrieve a system rate, the from currency, to currency, rate type, and currency effective date values are all required. Without any one of them, the system-derived exchange rate cannot be retrieved. Usually, the from currency is the foreign currency, the to currency is the base currency, and the currency effective date is specified as the currency default on the Journal Header page.

The system uses the following rules when retrieving the system rate to be used as the exchange rate for the journal line:

• The system uses the rate type value specified on the line to retrieve the system rate.

  However, this does not ensure successful retrieval of a system rate. If there is no market rate defined for the transaction currency, the retrieved system rate may be zero. In this case, a message is issued to alert you to the zero exchange rate value.

• If there is no rate type specified on the line, the system rate is zero.

See Defining Market Rates.

Entering an Exchange Rate Manually

When you manually enter an exchange rate on a foreign currency line, the rate that you enter overrides any automatically generated system rate. This occurs even if you enter a rate type.

The Rate Type field is clear when you manually enter values. However, the manual rate may not be accepted by the system.

The system performs the following two tests for manually entered exchange rates:

• The system checks the currency quotation method. If the method is defined as Triangulation, Cross Rate as the Primary Visual Rate, and Do Not Allow Cross Rate Override, you cannot enter a manual rate. If you try to enter a manual rate, an error message appears, and the system ignores the manual rate. This currency quotation method requires the rate type to retrieve the system rate and issues an error message requiring you to enter a rate type to continue.

• The variance between the system rate and the manual rate is calculated, and if it is over the tolerance that you defined for maximum variance on the Rate Definition page, a stop error type or a warning message appear, depending on the setting. You cannot enter a manual rate if you receive a stop error type. A warning message allows you to continue.

The system must use slightly different rules to retrieve the system rate when it is to be used as the base rate for variance checking. The reason is because if the rate type specified on the line is blank, the system cannot use a zero value for variance checking.

The system must find a nonblank rate type to retrieve the system rate to use as the base rate for variance checking. The system is subject the following hierarchy of rules:

• Use the rate type specified on the journal line if it is not blank.

• Use the rate type specified on the journal header if it is not blank.

• Use the rate type specified for the ledger on the Detail Ledger Group Definition page.

• Use the required default rate type specified for the ledger on the Detail Ledger Group Definition page.

Note. To use exchange rate variance checking functionality, define the market rates.

Manual Rates and Deriving the Rate Multiplier and Rate Divisor

If the manually entered exchange rate passes the two tests for currency quotation method and variance, the system can accept the manual rate. However, because the exchange rate is entered manually as one value, the system has to convert it to two values—rate multiplier and rate divisor, depending on whether the currency quotation method is direct or indirect and if currency triangulation is specified.

The following conditions hold if true:

• If the quote method is direct and there is no triangulation, the rate multiplier equals the exchange rate, and the rate divisor is 1.

• If the quote method is indirect and there is no triangulation, the rate multiplier is 1, while the rate divisor equals the exchange rate.

• If there is triangulation, the system uses the cross rate entered to recalculate either the rate multiplier or rate divisor based on the recalculate option defined for the currency quotation method.

For example, if the currency quotation method defined for USD to a non participating euro currency (NPC) is Direct, Triangulate through EUR, Allow Override Cross-Rate, and Cross-Rate Recalculate is USD -> EUR, the system recalculates the USD -> EUR rate and leaves the EUR -> NPC rate as is. This means the rate divisor is recalculated while the rate multiplier is left unchanged.

The following table lists the combinations of currency, rate type, and exchange rate changes and shows which exchange rate, for a particular scenario, that the system uses for the foreign currency journal line:

Calculating Using the Calculate Rules

The calculate value determines how and which of the foreign amount, exchange rate, and base amount fields are calculated for the line item. The default calculation rule is system rule.

If the values generated for foreign amount, exchange rate, or base amount by the system rule are different from those that you want, you can change them using other calculate rules.

When you change any of these values, you must be aware of the possible actions and select the correct calculate value to achieve your proposed change. For example, if you want to change the foreign amount and not the base amount, but you expect the system to calculate and change the exchange rate to result in the original base amount, the system rule does not calculate the exchange rate but does calculate the base amount.

Note. Changed means the new value is different from the prior value. The new value can be zero or nonzero. The prior value can also be zero or nonzero. If you change a field to a new value but then change it back to the prior value before you initiate the calculation process, the field is treated as unchanged. The system tracks changes by comparing the prior value stored in the buffer with the new value when the calculation process is initiated.

Here are the calculate rules and their actions:

You can use the journal entry template to make the Calculate field unavailable just as you can do this with other fields. For example, you can define a base currency journal entry template that can be used for entering base currency lines only.

Checking When the Exchange Rate is Calculated

The exchange rate is calculated based on the foreign amount and monetary base amount when the following are true:

• The Calculate field value on each journal line is set to Exchange Rate.

• The Calculate field value on each journal line is set to System Rule, and both the foreign amount and monetary base amount change.

• The Calculate field value on each journal line is set to System Rule, the foreign amount (or monetary base amount) changes, the exchange rate doesn't change, and the exchange rate value is zero.

• The Calculate field value on each journal line is set to System Rule; the foreign amount, monetary base amount, and exchange rate all change; the monetary base amount is not equal to foreign amount multiplied by exchange rate; and the exchange rate value is zero.

The system also performs two exchange rate tests to:

• Check the currency quotation method.

  If it is defined as Triangulation, Cross Rate as the Primary Visual Rate, and Do Not Allow Cross Rate Override, a system rate must be used, because the exchange rate cannot be calculated.

• Check the variance between the system rate and the calculated exchange rate to determine whether its over tolerance.

  The calculated exchange rate cannot exceed the tolerance if the error type is stop.

Note. The Journal Entry process uses deferred processing, which reduces the number of trips to the server. For example, when you enter a department ID, the system won't validate your entry until the next trip to the server is requested.

Note. The Journal Entry process uses the columns selected in the journal entry template to display the values in the line scroll area. If any columns listed above do not appear in your journal line, it is likely that these columns are not selected in your journal entry template. You must modify your journal entry template to select these columns or choose another journal entry template that has these columns selected.

Totals

To aid in balancing the journal, a running total of the number of lines, the total debits, total credits, journal status, and budget status of the journal appear at the bottom of the Journal Entry - Lines page. Only balanced entries can post to balanced ledgers.

See Also

Processing Journals

Selecting a Journal Entry Template

Access the Journal Entry Template List page.

Select the template that defines which columns appear in the lines scroll area. Also specify the field values to be copied down to new lines when you click the Insert Journal Lines button.

Chartfield Tab

Select the Chartfield tab.

Note. If a particular ChartField column is selected, it does not necessarily appear on the journal line grid. It appears only if the column is selected and it is one of the ChartFields for the current journal’s ledger. For example, if scenario is not a ChartField for the current journal’s ledger, it is not shown on the journal line grid even if it is selected on the template. Active project ChartFields, such as PC Business unit, Activity, Source Type, Category, Subcategory, and Analysis Type are available if Project ID is selected in the template.

Note. If you want to change a template definition, you must do so on the Journal Entry Template page under Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Common Definitions, Journals.

Amount Tab

Select the Amount tab.

Select the journal line columns that pertain to the journal line amounts.

Miscellaneous Tab

Select the Miscellaneous tab.

Select the miscellaneous columns for the Journal Entry template. These columns appear on your journal lines.

Note. Even if the Budget Date check box is selected, it does not necessarily appear as a column on the journal line grid. It appears only if you select it here and the current journal line has the Commitment Control process enabled. Similarly, if you select the VAT column here, it appears as a column on the journal line grid only if you select it here and the business unit of the current journal line has the VAT process enabled.

See Also

Processing Value Added Tax (VAT) Transactions in General Ledger

Setting Journal Entry Copy-Down Options

The journal line copy-down settings for templates appear on the same page as the Show Journal Line Grid template. They also have the same tabs and the same toggle buttons to show all columns and to show tabs as described for the Show Journal Line Grid page.

When you add a journal line on the Journal Entry - Lines page, the fields that you selected on the Journal Entry Template - Journal Line Copy Down page are copied from the preceding line.

You define a variety of copy down templates on the Journal Entry Template page. These predefined templates load for your selection when you enter journals. For example, you can define one template to copy down all fields and another to copy down all fields except the amount fields.

Note. You can temporarily change your copy down selections on the Journal Line Copy Down page for the current journal. However, these changes are ignored after you exit the current journal. To save the changes, you must do so on the Journal Entry Template page, which is accessed under Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Common Definitions, Journals.

Entering Projects Information

Access the Journal Entry - Lines page.

Note. Active project ChartFields, such as PC Business unit, Activity, Source Type, Category, Subcategory, and Analysis Type are available if Project ID is selected in the template.

Accessing the Secondary Ledger Lines

Access the Secondary Ledger Lines page.

Note. This page or related pages operate in deferred processing mode. Most fields are not updated or validated until you save the page, refresh it by clicking a button or link, or selecting a tab. This delayed processing has various implications for the field values on the page. For example, if a field contains a default value, any value that you enter before the system updates the page overrides the default. Another implication to keep in mind is that the system updates quantity balances or totals only when you save or click the Calculate Amount button.

Note. Before making changes to the secondary lines, carefully review the calculate rules, options, and requirements for various changes that are detailed in the documentation for the Journal Entry - Lines page.

Using Statistics Codes

Statistics codes, like statistical accounts, are used to identify nonmonetary amounts. They are associated with a specific unit of measure. To enter a statistical amount on the same journal line with a related monetary amount, you can select a statistics code in the Stat (statistics) field on the Journal Entry - Lines page. When you select a statistics code, also enter the statistical amount for a unit and the corresponding UOM (unit of measure) for that statistics code.

Because all statistical and monetary fields are potentially available on the journal line depending on your selection of templates, error messages may appear during the save process when you have entered inconsistent data. Error messages are issued if any of the following occurs:

• The account is a statistical account, but the statistic code, foreign amount, monetary amount, foreign currency, rate type, or exchange rate is not blank.

• The account is a statistical account, but the statistic amount is blank.

• The account is a monetary account and the statistic code is blank, but the statistic amount is not blank.

When you receive an error message, the cursor moves to the error field of the journal line in error. If the field was originally unavailable because of the Journal Entry template definition, the column is shown so that the cursor can be positioned.

See Also

Processing Value Added Tax (VAT) Transactions in General Ledger

Using Commitment Control in General Ledger

Using Open Item Accounting

Using Statistics

Specifying Journal Entry Totals

Access the Journal Entry - Totals page.

Note. This page or related pages operate in deferred processing mode. Most fields aren't updated or validated until you save the page, refresh the page by clicking a button or link, or selecting a tab. This delayed processing has various implications for the field values on the page—for example, if a field contains a default value, any value that you enter before the system updates the page overrides the default. Another implication to keep in mind is that the system updates quantity balances or totals only when you save or otherwise refresh the page.

Note. Refresh the page after any changes.

See Also

Defining and Using ChartFields

Viewing Journal Entry Errors

Access the Journal Entry - Errors page.

You can view journal entry errors on the Journal Entry - Errors page by clicking the X in the Error column on the Journal Entry - Lines page. When General Ledger encounters errors during editing, it marks the journal lines and either recycles or suspends the journal. It saves recycled journals but won't post them until you correct the errors. You can post entries to your suspense account that have invalid ChartFields, different signs on the transaction and base amount, or unbalanced debit and credit amounts. You define error-processing options at the business unit, ledger group, and journal source level. Move to the Journal Entry - Errors page to determine which errors the system encountered. When you're done, click the line number in error. This enables you to access the Journal Entry - Lines page. The cursor is positioned on the line and field in error, so that you can make corrections.

Note. This page or related pages operate in deferred processing mode. Most fields are not updated or validated until you save the page or refresh it by clicking a button, link, or selecting a tab. This delayed processing has various implications for the field values on the page. For example, if a field contains a default value, any value that you enter before the system updates the page overrides the default. Another implication to keep in mind is that the system updates quantity balances or totals only when you save or otherwise refresh the page.

See Journal Error Processing.

Specifying Journal Entry Approval Options

Access the Journal Entry - Approval page.

Note. This page or related pages operate in deferred processing mode. Most fields are not updated or validated until you save the page or refresh it by clicking a button, link, or selecting a tab. This delayed processing has various implications for the field values on the page. For example, if a field contains a default value, any value that you enter before the system updates the page overrides the default. Another implication to keep in mind is that the system updates quantity balances or totals only when you save or otherwise refresh the page.

Approval Status

The Approval Check Active field indicates whether there is an approval workflow process required for the journal.

This page displays the current approval status:

In the Approval Action list box, select the appropriate action for this journal:

The Comments for Denial Email field contains the reason for the denial.

Approval History

The Approval History group box lists the step and path, with the status and applicable date and time stamp and user ID for the various activities in the approval process.

See Also

Approving Journal Entry

Creating Interunit and Intraunit Journal Entries

This section discusses how to:

• Set up for interunit and intraunit journal entries.

• Create intraunit journal entries.

• Create interunit journal entries.

Pages Used to Make Interunit and Intraunit Journal Entries

Setting Up for Interunit and Intraunit Journal Entries

Access the Ledger Groups - Balancing page.

IntraUnit Balancing Entries	Unless you select this check box, interunit and intraunit processing does not create intraunit balancing entries for balancing ChartFields, such as fund, even if different fund values appear in the same journal.
Balance	Click to select balancing ChartFields. A ChartField must be selected to fully use the anchor and grouping options when creating intraunit journal entries.

Creating Intraunit Journal Entries

Access the Create/Update Journal Entries - Lines page.

Inter/IntraUnit Groups

If you select additional balancing ChartFields beyond those delivered as balancing ChartFields, those ChartFields appear in the Inter/IntraUnit Groups group box. In this example, Fund has been selected as an additional balancing ChartField on the Ledger Groups - Balancing page.

An entry can be both interunit and intraunit, but multiple anchor is available only for the intraunit portion of that entry. The business unit on the journal header is the anchor unit for interunit journal entries.

See Also

Anchor Entity

Creating Interunit Journal Entries

For interunit journal entries, the anchor is the business unit entered on the Header page. You can add additional interunit and intraunit groups, but the business unit entered on the journal header remains the anchor.

See Also

Using ChartField Inheritance

Using Inter/Intraunit Processing in General Ledger

Posting to the Summary Ledgers Table and the Summary Ledger Staging Table

You can update your summary ledgers at the same time that you post changes to the detail ledgers as part of the posting process by selecting the Post to Summary Ledgers check box on the Ledger Set page. The journal post calls the Summary Ledger Application Engine process (GL_SUML) at the end of processing for each business unit, passing the business unit, and the staging table name. The staging table is a copy of the ledger table. The Journal Post process populates this table.

The summary ledger compares the rows in the staging table with the rows in the status table to determine which ledgers to increment. It then compares those with the ledger set definition to determine whether the increment is allowed. Summary ledgers that have not yet been created when called from the Posting process are not created.

Note. To run an incremental summary ledger request, you must create a particular summary ledger and accounting period before it can be incremented through posting. Once you run the request, the rows in the staging table are compared with those in the status table, so that the system can determine which ledgers to increment.

See Also

Viewing Journal Information

Creating Standard Journal Entries (SJEs)

To create standard journal entries, use the Standard journals component (SJE_TABLE).

This section provides an overview of SJEs and discusses how to:

• Define SJEs.

• Set up schedules.

• Create a standard journal entry.

• View the status of standard journal entries.

• View the amount spread.

• Run the standard journal entry process.

Understanding SJEs

With SJEs, you can automate the entry of similar or identical journals. You can define three types of standard journal entries:

• Recurring: Use Recurring journal entries for repetitive transactions that use the same accounting information and amounts.

  Monthly rent, automobile lease payments, and amortization expenses are examples of recurring items for which you might charge constant amounts to the same ChartField combinations each period.

• Template: Use Template journal entries for regular, periodic transactions that you charge to the same ChartField combinations using varying amounts.

  Examples include monthly payroll, utility, and telephone expenses. You can schedule regular, recurring postings for standard journals, such as weekly postings, or schedule postings for selected dates.

  You can schedule journal entries automatically on predetermined dates using template SJEs. Examples include bonus payments and accrued interest. You can also create template SJEs for known ChartField combinations without specific dates or schedules. You can set up schedules that determine when SJEs post, and you can enter recurring schedules, such as weekly closings, or individual dates and times to help pinpoint specific events.

• Spread: Use Spread journal entries for transactions for which the entire cost is spread proportionately throughout the year.

Pages Used for Creating SJEs

Defining SJEs

Before you can define recurring, template, or spread journals, first create model journal entries using the Journal Entry pages. The SJEs and their models must be from the same business unit.

The following illustration outlines the steps required to set up SJEs:

SJE process

Setting Up Schedules

Recurring journal entries require processing schedules. In General Ledger, you can create schedules that automate and control the generation of standard or recurring journal entries. You can define daily, weekly, monthly, or annual schedules for recurring transactions such as closing schedules, or you can schedule specific user-defined events such as expense report due dates.

Schedules control the frequency of processing. For example, if you pay your rent on the 15th of each month, select a monthly schedule that specifies the day of the month as the 15th. By defining schedules that are tailored to your accounting environment, you can easily automate the creation of an SJE or a group of SJEs. You can set up daily, weekly, monthly, annual, or user-defined schedules. User-defined schedules enable you to specify particular dates and times.

See Also

Setting Up Schedules

Creating a SJE

Access the Define Standard Journals page.

SJE ID (standard journal entry identification)	Displays the SJE identification value. Use the long description field to the right to describe this SJE.
Seq Nbr (sequence number)	Displays the number of the SJE detail. The next field is a description of this detail. One SJE may have multiple SJE details.
SJE Type (standard journal entry type)	Select the type of the SJE. Values are: Template: General Ledger uses a template as a data entry model for other journal entries. You can automatically reproduce it on a fixed schedule as with recurring SJEs, or you can use it on request. When you define the template, specify whether you want the ChartField values copied from the model to the generated journal entry. Examples of templates are monthly payments with different amounts such as telephone and utilities. Recurring:A recurring journal entry is any entry that should be automatically recorded in its entirety according to a fixed schedule. These entries contain the same ChartField values and amounts, such as monthly rent, lease payments, and depreciation expense. Spread: In a spread journal entry, the total amount is spread proportionately across all the periods. For example, suppose that a company charges you a flat fee of 10,000 USD annually to perform a service. Use this type to divide that amount by 12 and create recurring entries for the same amount each month. Spread-Day: In a spread-day journal entry, the total amount is spread across the months in proportion to the number of days in each month. For example, assume that a company charges you a flat fee of 10,000 USD annually to perform a service. The amount charged for expense each month corresponds to the product of the result of 10,000 divided by 365 times the number of days in the month.
Status	Displays one of the following statuses: Active: When you first create an SJE, its status is active. The SJE may have more journals to be created. Error: This status indicates that an error occurred the last time the Standard Journal process attempted to process this SJE. The SJE continues to display a status of error until the next time the batch process is run after the problem causing it is fixed. Completed: All the standard journals for this SJE have been created. A SJE with this status may still be modified. To do this, reactivate the SJE and extend the range of dates or periods.
Model Journal	Specify the model journal for the SJE. This model journal must belong to the same unit as the SJE. Once you select your journal and date, the model journal status appears. Your model journal must conform to the following requirements: It must have a status of SJE Model if it is a spread SJE. It must have a status of SJE Model, Valid, or Posted if it is a template or recurring SJE.
Standard Journal	Enter the journal ID for the SJE. Also enter the document type that you used for document sequencing for the standard journals.
Document Type	Select the document type.
Allow Lines to be Modified	Controls whether the standard journals can be modified before being posted using the Journal Entry page. Clear this check box to prevent standard journals from being modified.
Save Journal Incomplete Status	Select to save this journal as incomplete.
Create Standard Journals	Specify the sequence of dates of the standard journals to be created.
Schedule	If the SJE type that you specified is either Template or Recurring, the Schedule field appears, enabling you to enter the frequency of your SJEs. In the From Date and To Date fields, enter the range of your SJEs.
From Date and To Date	If your SJE type is spread, designate the range of periods in these fields.
Journal Day in Calendar Period	Enter the day to establish a journal date for the standard journals. For example, when you enter 20 in this field, you indicate to the system that you want the journal date of the standard journals to be the 20th day of each period. This designates the journal date only, not the date on which the system creates the standard journal.
Journal Creation Lead Days	Enables you to create standard journals in advance. Enter the number of days in advance of the journal date that you want the standard journals to be ready for creation. If you leave this field blank, the system creates the standard journals on the journal date. If you must change the details, such as ChartFields, dollar amounts, or statistical amounts on standard journals, use one of these two options: Open the SJE on the Standard Journal page and select a different model journal. Open the model journal in the Journal Entry page and modify it as necessary, provided it has not yet been posted. No change to the SJE itself is necessary.
Standard Journals Created	Displays the SJEs and their statuses.

See Also

Processing Journals

Setting Up Schedules

Viewing the Status of Standard Journal Entries

Access the Review Standard Journals page.

Viewing the Amount Spread

Access the Control Totals page.

Total	Displays the amount spread in this journal.
Remaining	Displays the amount yet to be spread.

Running the Standard Journal Entry Process

Access the Create Standard Journals Request page.

From SJE and To SJE	Select the from and to SJEs for this request. If these fields are blank, the system processes all SJEs in the designated business unit. For example, to run journals for all valid SJEs for business unit US001, enter the business unit and leave the SJE from and to values blank.
Delete Journals	Enables you to regenerate standard journals. If this check box is selected, the system deletes any standard journals created by an SJE that is not posted and has not been budget checked.
Recalculate Budget Date	If this check box is selected, the SJE process sets the budget date as the journal date; otherwise, it copies the old budget date.

Note. Run Journal Edit after processing standard journal entries to obtain the correct journal ID.

Editing Journal Entries

When you edit a journal entry, General Ledger runs several checks and warns you if the journal entry cannot be posted. A journal entry cannot be posted if one or more of the following conditions are true:

• The accounting period (determined by the journal date) is not currently open.

• Total debits do not equal total credits, and the ledger is defined as a balanced ledger.

• Any control totals entered with the journal header do not match the actual totals for the journal (debits, credits, statistical units, number of lines).

• One or more journal lines use inactive or invalid ChartFields as of the journal date.

See Also

Requesting Journal Edits

Copying Journal Entries

This section provides an overview of coping journals and discusses how to:

• Run the copy journals process.

• Define copy journal dates.

• Copy journals online.

Understanding Copying Journals

You might find that similar or identical journals recur with some frequency. To avoid having to retype the same information, you can use an existing journal as the basis for a new journal entry. Do this by using the Copy Journal page for the batch process, or you can also use the Copy Journal Entry page to make an online copy.

You can copy posted or unposted journals and then change the header or detail lines, as desired. The copied journal must have a new journal number. You can specify the following:

Note. Journal Copy does not copy system created lines, which are normally recreated when you run an edit against a journal. If you copy an interunit journal with the reverse amount option, the interunit lines of the newly copied journal will be created according to interunit accounts of the resulting copied journal. To completely reverse a previous journal, use the reversal option on the journal before it is posted, or unpost it if it is already posted.

Additionally, you can create reversals for the copied journal regardless of whether the original journal had reversals. You can also change the signs of the copied journal.

Note. If the source journal you copied was imported using the Flat File Journal Import process (GL_JRNL_IMP) and had VAT information, the source journal's system source is either EXT or EXV. The copied journal retains VAT amounts only if the source journal has an EXV system source. The new journal's system source is SCP regardless of the source journal.

See Importing VAT Journals Using GL_JRNL_IMP.

Pages Used to Copy Journals

Running the Copy Journals Process

Access the Copy Journals Request page.

Unit, Journal ID, and Date	Select or manually enter the information to identify the journal that you want to copy.
ADB Date (average daily balance date)	This is the ADB date if your journal is for a ledger group that supports ADB reporting. Unless you have entered an ADB date, the ADB date defaults to the journal date.
New Journal ID	Enter a specific journal ID or use NEXT in this field to assign the next journal number automatically to the new journal.
New Date	Enter a journal date for this new journal. The default is the current system date.
New ADB Date	Enter the ADB date for the new journal, if it is different from the journal date.
Ledger	If the journal is for a ledger group that contains multiple ledgers and does not enable Keep Ledgers in Sync, the Ledger column appears. Enter the ledger.
New Ledger	Appears if the original journal is associated with a ledger group that contains multiple ledgers and does not enable Keep Ledgers in Sync.
Reversal	Click this link to access the GL Copy Journal Processing page, where you can specify processing options for the journal date and the ADB date for the reversal.
Document Type	Select a document type only if you've enabled document sequencing for your system. If document sequencing is enabled and you leave the Document Type field blank, the system copies the document type from the original journal. Several journal entry reports and inquiries enable you to search for journals by document sequence number.
Reverse Signs	Select this if you want the new journal to have the opposite sign from the original journal. The new journal will be identified as not yet edited, and you must edit it before it can be posted. As a rule, editing a journal runs the validation process required for posting.
Recalculate Budget Date	If selected, the SJE process sets the budget date as the journal date; otherwise, it copies the old budget date.
Save Journal Incomplete Status	If selected, the new journal saves in an incomplete status.

Note. You must run Journal Edit after running the Copy Journals process to obtain the correct journal ID.

Defining Copy Journal Dates

Access the GL Copy Journal Processing page.

Reversal Date	Select the appropriate reversal option.
Do Not Generate Reversal	Assumes no automatic reversal of this entry. This is the default.
Beginning of Next Period	Creates a reversing entry dated the first business day of the next accounting period. The system uses the business calendar that you assigned to the business unit on the General Ledger Definition - Definition page to determine the first business day.
End of Next Period	Creates a reversing entry dated the last business day of the next accounting period. The system uses the business calendar that you assigned to the business unit on the General Ledger Definition - Definition page to determine the last business day.
Next Day	Creates a reversing entry dated the next business day. The system uses the business calendar that you assigned to the business unit on the General Ledger Definition - Definition page to determine the next business day.
Adjustment Period	Enables you to select the adjustment period for which the new journal is to be created.
On Date Specified By User	Enables you to select any date in the calendar of the target (posting) ledger. When you select this option, the system makes the Reversal Date field available, so that you can enter the appropriate date.
ADB Reversal Date	Enter the appropriate reversal option if this reversal is for an average daily balance.
Same as Journal Reversal	Creates an ADB reversal with the same date as the one selected under Reversal.
On Date Specified by User	Select any date in the detail calendar of the ADB ledger (the ledger that stores the daily balances). When you select this option, the system makes the ADB Reversal Date field available for you to enter the appropriate date.

Note. Reversals are identified as valid and ready to post when created; they do not need to be edited. When the journal date falls within the journal dates, fiscal year, and open periods specified on the Journal Post page, the system posts reversals as soon as they are created.

Note. You can also copy a journal by selecting Copy Journalin the Process field on the Journal Entry - Lines page. Click Process, and the system prompts you with a message before copying the journal.

Copying Journals Online

Access the Journal Entry Copy page.

You can copy journals online using this page rather than using the copy journal batch process.

Open the journal that you want to copy. Access the Journal Entry Copy online page from the Journal Entry - Entry Lines page by entering Copy Journal in the Process field and clicking the Process button.

Use the field descriptions provided for the pages used in the batch process to understand and complete the fields on the Journal Entry Copy online page.

When you have completed entering any changes necessary for the new copy of the journal using the Journal Entry Copy online page, click the OK button and the system creates the new copy of the journal.

Deleting Journal Entries Not Yet Posted

To delete a journal, select Delete Journal in the Process field on the Journal Entry - Lines page and click Process. The system prompts you with a message before deleting the journal.

Note. You can delete only journals that have not yet posted. The system makes no audit trail of the deletion, because it assumes that you are correcting a mistake.

You can delete a journal that has not been posted.

If the journal has been budget checked, one of several things can happen:

• You can delete a journal that is not yet posted after it successfully passes budget checking.

  Delete it by accessing the Journal Entry - Lines page. In the Process field, select Delete Journal. This process calls the budget checking module, which reverses the budget entries.

• Depending upon the budget setup, the budget checking process runs before the journal is deleted.

  If deleting the journal violates the budget checking rules, the journal fails budget checking and cannot be deleted.

• If an error occurs during the budget checking process (for example, budget on hold or closed), the journal isn't deleted.

Note. You can also unpost journal entries that have been posted. This is a distinct process for deleting journals that have never been posted and is described in the Processing Journals chapter.

See Also

Unposting Journals

Using the Flat File Journal Import Process

This section provides an overview of the flat file format and discusses how to import journal entries from flat files.

Note. Journal entries loaded to your system using flat file journal import must be edited using batch edit only. This is important because, imported journals do not yet have all journal lines and values populated by the various automatic features associated with batch edit. Imported journals should not be edited online. After importing journals, if you open them online you get a warning message stating that they must be edited first. It is only after the batch edit that the journals display the final entries for such things as interunit journals, separate debit credit reversals, and multibook lines.

Understanding File Format in the Flat File Journal Import Process

The file format is determined by the File Layout Object (GL_JRNL_IMPORT). The following is the file format for the Flat File Journal Import process. PeopleSoft deliver a sample flat file named journal.dat under the “data” folder. The layout varies depending on the first column with the following meaning:

# = Comments.

H = Journal header.

L = Journal line.

V = Journal VAT line.

C = Journal control totals.

Comments

This information describes the flat file's comments format:

File Format for Journal Header

This information describes the flat file's journal header format:

File Format for Journal Line

Flat file's journal line format. Journal line data follows immediately after its header data in the file.

Note. After importing a journal using the flat file journal import process, you must run the Journal Edit process on the journal before you make corrections using the Create Journal Entries page.

Flat file journal import does not allow the use of control accounts. However, you can remove this restriction by changing the JIMP_LN_WRK record to set the prompt table edit for the Account field to GL_ACCOUNT_TBL and the prompt table edit for Alternate Account field to ALTACCT_TBL.

File Format for Journal VAT Line

Flat file's journal VAT line format. Journal VAT data follows immediately after its journal line data in the file.

File Format for Journal Control Total

Flat file's journal control total data format. Control total data follows its header data but comes after journal line and journal VAT.

Note. The file layout object GL_JRNL_IMPORT for flat file journal import is delivered in fixed column format as shown in the previous table. You can change this to CSV format and also adjust the date format if necessary.

Page Used to Import Journals from Flat Files

Importing Journals from Flat Files

Access the Flat File Journal Import Request page.

See Also

Integrating and Transferring Information Among Applications

Using Spreadsheet Journal Import

Defining Document Sequencing

Using the Spreadsheet Journal Import Process

General Ledger has a spreadsheet journal import user interface. Use it to prepare and enter journals offline without database connection. You can then import them into your PeopleSoft database directly over the internet or via files. Please see the following reference for full details on using this utility.

See Using Spreadsheet Journal Import.