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INTERFAC General Ledger Interface From Other Packages

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Interface From Other Packages

Application Overview

 Interface From Other Packages allows the distribution files of Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Payroll, Job Costing, Inventory Management, and Assets and Depreciation to be transferred into the General Journal Transaction File.

 The General Ledger interface was designed to be a quick and simple means of transferring distributions from Accounts Receivable (AR), Accounts Payable (AP), Payroll (PR), Job Costing (JC), Inventory Management (IM), and Assets and Depreciation (AD) to General Ledger.  Only minimal data validation occurs during the inter­face, so careful preparation is required.

 Prior to running this program you should have run the Distribution Report in detail for the appropriate package, making sure that all transactions are accurately represented.  The program does not require that you provide a valid period starting or ending date for the cutoff date, but we suggest that you maintain period integrity.  Along these lines it would be wise to adjust your current starting and ending period dates to those of the period you are interfacing to avoid warnings that the transaction dates are not within the current period on the General Journal Transaction Edit List and Register.

 You may interface multiple packages without stopping and posting from the General Journal Trx File to the General Ledger.  If the General Journal Trx File contains unposted transactions, you will be asked by the program if you still wish to interface.  You will not be allowed to interface the same package more than once without posting from the first interface.  Since the interface moves data directly from the package into General Journal Trx Processing, you may deal with the transactions exactly as you would had they been entered manually.  You are allowed to do full maintenance on the file and may print an Edit List to verify that all transactions were successfully interfaced.

 You may want to purge the file while you interface.  Elliott suggests that you not purge during interface but purge after posting General Journal Trx.  In the unlikely event of a power or system failure, you may not have to restore from a backup but simply interface.  If you do not purge the file during the interface, you must do so from within the package of origin.  Transactions are flagged after being interfaced and will not be interfaced twice unless you answer Y to field #6, Re-Interface Records Flagged As Interfaced? in this application.

 Once you have run the interface you should run General Journal Trx Processing to generate an edit list.  When the edit list is approved, you will want to post the transactions to the General Ledger Trx File just as you would ordinary entries using Post General Journal Trx in the Processing window.  Interfaced transactions are distinguished from ordinary entries by the source, session and reference fields in the record.  If journal history totals are not in use, the source file will be set to XXIN, where XX is the package designation of the interfaced package (AR, AP, PR, JC, IM, or AD), and, if you choose a detailed interface, the reference will pro­vide a description of the original transaction.  The reference for a payroll transaction, for instance, would contain the employee number and the check number of the original transaction.  If journal history totals are in use, the source field will be set to the interfaced package (AR, AP, PR, JC, IM or AD) followed by the Journal History number originally assigned to the transaction.  The session ID will reflect the package interfaced with XXINTRFACE, where XX is the package designation.

Summary Interface

 When interfacing, you have the option of doing a summary interface by date within source or by Account Summary.  This has the advantage of compressing your transactions into a single transaction for each account number and date.  The summary interface will maintain the source (that is, ARIN, APIN, PRIN, JCIN, IMIN, or ADIN) but sum­marize the information on each account, similar to a compress by date within source compress option in the Compress General Ledger Trx File application.  The Account Summary will create one debit and credit transaction for the date range that is being interfaced.

 

ASCII Interface

 When interfacing, you have the option to interface a fixed length ASCII distribution file from another system into the Elliott General Ledger.  This ASCII file must be in the format as defined in the Appendix section of the Elliott Developer Reference manual for Accounting (DRMA).  The ASCII file name must be GLDISASC.DAT and the file must be copied into the Elliott data directory of the company you wish to interface transactions into.

 If the GLDISASC.DAT file is found in your current Elliott data directory then the option to interface the ASCII file at the Interface With Which Package ? question will be allowed.  The package code used to interface an ASCII distribution file is AI.

 Warning:  If you choose to interface ASCII distribution files from another system, make sure to verify the interfaced transactions by printing a General Journal Edit List prior to posting any transactions.

 

Run Instructions

 Select Interface From Other Packages from the pull down G/L Processing window.  The following screen will then be displayed:

 

 

Interface From Other Packages Entry Screen

 The following options are available:

    • Select the desired mode from the Interface From Other Packages menu bar
    • If there are unposted transactions in the General Journal Transaction File, you will be asked if you still wish to interface.  Enter Y to continue or N to exit the application.  Enter the data requested on the screen.
    • To exit press the ESC or F10 key when the cursor is positioned for entry of the first field on the screen

     To return to the menu bar, press the ESC or F10 key. To leave this application, press X for EXIT when positioned at the menu bar.

     

    Entry Field Descriptions

     

    Name

    Type and Description

    1.   Interface With Which          Package?

    2 alphabetic characters.  The valid responses are:

    AR =  Accounts Receivable

    AP =  Accounts Payable

    PR =  Payroll

    JC      =  Job Costing

    IM      =  Inventory Management

    AD =  Assets and Depreciation

    AI      =  ASCII Interface

    Using Vendor Number Or Name ?

    A/R can be interfaced using customer number or customer name.

    A/P can be interfaced using vendor number or vendor name.

    PR can be interfaced using Emp No or name.

    Enter 1 for number or 2 for name.

    2.   Starting Cutoff Date

    Enter a date in the standard date format.  If the cutoff date is not a period starting date, a question displays, warning you and asking if the date is okay anyway.  We suggest you always interface only through a valid period starting date.

    3.   Ending Cutoff Date

    Enter a date in the standard date format.  If the cutoff date is not a period ending date, a question displays, warning you and asking if the date is okay anyway.  We suggest you always interface only with a valid period ending date.

    4.   Summary Or Detail            Interface

    1 alphabetic character.  Enter S for Summary, D for Detail, or A for Account.

    Summary will create only one transaction for each account for each date, summarizing everything on that account and date.  Detail will create one transaction for every distribution interfaced, using the reference fields to keep data about the original trans­actions (check number and employee number, for example). 

     

    Summary Or Detail            Interface (continued)

    Account Summary will create one debit and credit transaction for the date range that is being interfaced.

    See the Application Overview for more data on this.

    Retain Journal Source to G/L?

    Y or N.  This question will only appear if Journal History is in use and a Detail Interface is selected. 

    If you answer Y to this question, the original source created when the transaction was posted will be carried into General Ledger.  If you answer N to this question, the XXIN source will be carried to General Ledger rather than the source created when the transaction was posted.  You should answer N to this question if you wish to compress transactions by source in General Ledger.

    5.   Purge Distribution File?

    Y or N.  RETURN defaults to N.

    If you wish to purge the Distribution File in the interfaced package while the interface is taking place, answer Y.  (The Distribution File in another package is the file that holds all the General Ledger data that has resulted from the usual processing of that package.) 

    6.   Re-Interface Records Flagged As Interfaces?

    Y or N. Enter Y to interface all distribution records that have been already interfaced into G/L, or N to decline.

    This process ensures that distribution records will not be duplicated. The records are interfaced according to the order in which they appear on distribution reports. This enables you to match the G/L edit list with the distribution report. 

    7.   Print Report ?

    Y or N.  Enter Y to cause the interface through printing and hence you can defer the interfacing routine and automate this process. Answer "N" to cause the interfacing to take place right away.

     

     

    Screens

     

    Interface With Which Package?

     


     

    Interface From A/P

     

     

     

     

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