G/L Accounts Field List

To use the same optional fields for transaction details as you use for the account, click the Replace Optional Fields button.

Providing you have set up matching optional fields for accounts and transaction details in G/L Optional Fields, the program replaces optional fields on this tab with optional fields that match those used on the Accounts Optional Fields tab. (If an optional account field has no matching optional transaction field in G/L Optional Fields, the field is not used for transaction details.

If you define more than one account segment on the Segment Definition tab of the G/L Options window, you must define account number structures. Account structures let you use different sets of account segments in different account numbers. They specify:

• Which segments display in the account number.
• The order in which the segments display.

• For example, you can define six account segments in Sage HRMS Payroll, then create one account structure that includes three of these segments, and another that uses four. Once you create the account number structures, you can add the accounts (specifying the structure that each account number uses).

Note that individual account numbers cannot exceed 45 characters (including delimiter characters), so if you defined 10 segments, it is unlikely that any of your account numbers could contain all 10.

This drop-down menu lets you specify whether the account balance is usually a debit or credit amount. For example, most asset and expense accounts normally maintain debit balances; whereas, most liability, income, and retained earnings accounts normally maintain credit balances.

The normal balance type can be used on inquiries and reports as selection criteria and can help you distinguish between asset and liability accounts (balance sheet accounts) and income and expense accounts (P & L accounts). You can also make use of the normal balance for two-column accounting in financial statements.

It does not affect account postings.

Each account in the General Ledger is identified as a balance sheet account (type B), an income statement account (type I), or a retained earnings account (type R).

G/L uses the account types to compute account balances properly, and automatically transfer the revenue and expense account balances to retained earnings at Year-End.

You must define at least one account with the retained earnings type, but you can specify a separate retained earnings account for each code for a particular account number segment. (In other words, you can have different retained earnings accounts for each of your departments or regions.)

Account groups are used to assign each General Ledger account to a standard account category, such as current asset, revenue, cost of sales.

If you select the Use Account Groups option on the G/L Options window, you must assign an account group to each of your accounts, when you add the account to your ledger using the G/L Accounts window. You can create an unlimited number of your own account groups, and use one of those, or select one of the standard sample account groups that shipped with General Ledger.

The maximum character-length for account group codes is 12.

You can assign a status of Active or Inactive to an account. Select Active as the account status for all accounts to which you want to be able to post transactions. Select Inactive if you do not want to post to the account at the current time.

For example, you can use the Inactive status to ensure no transactions are posted to an account you are planning to delete at the end of the year.

When you define an account in the G/L Accounts window, specify whether the individual debit and credit details entered for the account are to be posted in detail or consolidated form, or whether users are prohibited from posting to the account.

• Detail. All the debits and credits posted to an account are kept and can be listed individually on source journals and the G/L Transactions Listing report. You can also select Detail to save optional field information with transactions.
• Consolidated. If you post consolidated transactions, the optional transaction fields are not saved. 

There are two methods of consolidating posted amounts in General Ledger:

• During the posting process if you select the consolidated posting option for the account.
• After the transactions have been posted using the Consolidate Posted Transactions window.
• Prohibited. Users cannot post to an account.

The account-number segment by which you wish to close at Year-End. General Ledger lets you define a separate retained earnings account for each segment code that you enter in the Segment Codes table.

For example, if your General Ledger account numbers have two segments, account and department, you can close by department as follows:

1. Mark the department segment as a closing segment in the G/L Options window.
2. List each of your departments in the Segment Codes window with the retained earnings account each closes to.
3. For each account, choose the department segment in the (Close To) Segment field of the Accounts window.

Any accounts for which you do not choose a segment will close to the default retained closing account. G/L will also use the default closing account if you have only one account number segment (the account segment).

Use this column to specify the codes for the optional fields that you want to add to the selected account.

There is no limit to the number of optional fields you can use with an account. However, you can add only optional fields that you have first:

• Defined in Common Services.
• Specified as account optional fields using the General Ledger Optional Fields window.

When you enter an optional field code, the program displays the description field entered for the optional field in Common Services.

Double-click the Default Set field to change the default entry from No to Yes. When the Value Set field is Yes, you must also enter a Value except in the following instances: 

• In a Text optional field or in a Date optional field, where these fields were set up in Common Services to be validated and allow blanks.
• When the Text optional field type or the Date optional field type is not validated.

On the Optional Fields tab of the G/L Accounts window, the Value Set fields of all the optional fields should be set to Yes before the account can be added or saved.

Use this column to enter the value you want to use for each optional field you assign to an account.

If the optional field is validated, you must specify a value that is defined for the optional field in Common Services. If the optional field allows blanks, you can also leave the optional field value blank.

If the optional field is not validated, you can select an optional field value that has been defined in Common Services, or you can enter any combination of alphanumeric, special characters, and spaces that does not exceed the length specified for the optional field.

Use this column to specify the codes for the optional fields you want to use for transaction details that include this account. Later, when you use the account in a transaction detail, the program uses the optional transaction fields and their default values for the detail, unless you change them on the Optional Fields detail page.

You can assign the codes manually, or you can click the Replace Optional Fields button if you want to use the same optional fields in transactions as you use for the account.

There is no limit to the number of optional transaction fields you can assign to an account, but you can add only optional fields that you have first:

• Defined in Common Services
• Specified as optional transaction details fields using the General Ledger Optional Fields window.

When you enter an optional field code, the program displays the description field entered for the optional field on Common Services.

To set the Value Set field (options are Yes and No):

• Double-click the Value Set field.
• Double-click the Default Value field to activate the value Finder.
• Enter a value in the Default Value field.

If the optional field is validated, you must enter a valid value.

When Value Set = Yes, you must also enter a default value, except in the following instances:

• In a Text optional field or a Date optional field, where these fields were set up in Common Services to be validated and to allow blanks.
• When the optional field is not validated.

When Value Set = Yes, and Auto Insert = Yes, the optional field and its default value display in the Optional Fields column in the detail table when you use this account in the transaction entry (for example, in Journal Entry).

When Value Set = Yes, but Auto Insert = No, the optional field will not display in the optional fields detail when you use this account in the transaction entry, but when you insert this optional field, it defaults the value as you defined it in the Default Value field of G/L Optional Fields.

When Value Set = No, the default value can be blank.

When Value Set = No, you will have to change it to Yes (and enter a value) to use this optional field in a transaction at a later time (for example, in Journal Entry).

Use this column to enter the default value you want to use for each optional transaction field you assign to an account.

When you use the account in a transaction detail, the optional transaction fields and their default values are used for the detail, unless you change them.

If the optional field is validated, you must specify a value that is defined for the optional field in Common Services. If the optional field allows blanks, you can also leave the optional field value blank.

If the optional field is not validated, you can select an optional field value that has been defined in Common Services, or you can enter any combination of alphanumeric, special characters, and spaces that does not exceed the length specified for the optional field.

When you choose Required, you also must choose Auto Insert. (The system does not allow you to save an optional field when Required = Yes and Auto Insert = No).

Thus, when you create a new account (using G/L Accounts), the required optional field displays on the appropriate tab. You cannot add the new account without the required optional field.

This is true for optional fields set up as Required for both Accounts and Transaction Details.

Select Yes in this field if you want the program to display the optional field and its default value on the transaction detail when you are using this account on the transaction entry, for example, in Recurring Entry.      

Select No if you do not want the optional field to display automatically.