Using Optional Fields in General Ledger

Use General Ledger optional fields to:

  • Customize your G/L accounts.

    Optional fields provide a convenient means of customizing your General Ledger system by letting you store an unlimited number of additional pieces of information with account records.

  • Add custom information to be stored with transaction details.

    Use optional transaction fields to customize the information that is posted with General Ledger transaction details.

    General Ledger also retains optional field information for transactions created in other Sage HRMS Payroll applications and sent to General Ledger, if the optional transaction fields in the application match those used in General Ledger. Note that optional transaction fields are maintained at the detail level. If you consolidate transactions, the optional transaction information is removed.

Before you can use optional fields in General Ledger, you must define optional fields for your Sage HRMS Payroll system using the Optional Fields window.

You can then assign the optional fields to specific accounts, using the Accounts window.

General Ledger includes the optional transaction fields assigned to an account, and their default values, when you use the account in a transaction detail. You can edit or delete optional fields in transactions details in Journal Entry, whether the transactions are entered manually in Journal Entry or generated automatically in General Ledger (using Create Allocation Batch, Create Revaluation Batch, or Create Recurring Entries Batch) or in another Sage HRMS Payroll subledger.

Note: If you consolidate posted transactions for which details were accumulated, any optional field information stored for the transactions is deleted. 

Setting Up Optional Fields for Use in General Ledger

After you have set up optional fields for your system, you use the G/L Optional Fields window to define the optional fields you will use to customize your chart of accounts and to store additional information with general ledger transaction details. You can define an unlimited number of optional fields for General Ledger, as long as you first set them up in Common Services for use in your system.

When the G/L Optional Fields window is open, users cannot run other processes in General Ledger. Also, you can modify optional fields records only when all other users have left General Ledger, and all other General Ledger windows are closed.

Assigning Optional Fields to Accounts

When you have defined optional fields for use in General Ledger, you can assign the optional fields to particular accounts.

  • Use the Optional Fields tab on the Accounts window to assign optional account fields. You can include optional account fields on your printed chart of accounts, and when you print the Chart of Accounts Detail - Long Form report, you can choose whether to include the optional account and transaction details fields (and their values) that are defined for each account. You can also use optional account fields as selection criteria when printing other types of reports.
  • Use the Transaction Details Optional Fields tab on the Accounts window to assign optional transaction fields. If an account to which you have assigned optional transaction fields is used in a transaction detail, you can edit the optional field information for the detail.

Journal Entry

If the account specified for a transaction detail uses optional transaction fields, you can use optional transaction fields for the detail.

Journal Entry accepts optional field information from transactions you create in Sage HRMS Payroll subledgers provided they match the optional transaction fields specified for the account. The information is transferred to General Ledger when you create a batch of general ledger transactions in a subledger.

The Optional Fields option on the Journal Entry detail table and on the Journal Detail window shows whether the detail account uses optional transaction fields. The program sets this optional fields indicator. If no optional transaction fields are set up for the account, you cannot add them to the detail.

If optional fields are used in the detail, you can add or delete optional fields.

To verify or to change the optional fields that are used for a detail

Select the detail, then click the Zoom button beside the field, or press Shift+F9.

The Journal Entry Optional Fields window opens.

You can add or delete optional fields for the detail. However, you can add only optional transaction fields that are defined for the account. If you delete all the optional fields associated with the detail, the program resets the Optional Fields indicator.

You can also change the value for the optional field, as follows:

  • 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 a blank, you can also leave the value blank.
  • If the optional field is not validated, you can select a defined value, or you can enter any value, providing your entry does not exceed the length specified for the optional field.

When you post the journal entry, the program saves the optional field information. The Post To Account field for the account must be set to Detail to save the optional field information.

Create Allocation Batch

The Optional Fields check box on the Create Allocation Batch window indicates whether your accounts use one or more optional transaction fields, and whether they are set up for automatic insertion in transactions.

Note that you cannot change the entry in the check box, but if the field is selected, you can edit the optional fields used with the transaction.

To view or change the optional fields used for the allocation

Click the zoom button beside the Optional Fields check box, or press the SHIFT+F9 key. An Optional Fields window opens.

Optional fields that are set for automatic insertion display as defaults for the allocation, but you can change them:

  • Optional Field. You can add any number of optional transaction fields for an allocation batch, but you can use only optional fields defined for transaction details on the G/L Optional Fields window. Note that the fields you specify are used for all the accounts included in the allocation.

    When you select an optional field, the program displays the description for the optional field from Common Services.

    You can also delete optional transaction fields for the allocation. If you delete all the optional fields, the program resets the Optional Fields option.

  • Value. You can also change the value for an optional field. If the optional field is validated, however, you must specify a value that has been defined for the optional field in Common Services. If the optional field allows blanks, you can also leave the value blank.

If the optional field is not validated, you can select an optional field value from Common Services, or you can enter any value that does not exceed the length specified for the optional field.

When you process the allocation, if the specified optional fields match the optional transaction fields defined for the accounts involved in the allocation, the optional field information will be included in the journal entry for the accounts.

Create Accounts

The Create Accounts Preview window lets you specify optional field information for the accounts to be created.

To check or change the optional fields to be assigned to the new accounts:

  1. Review the accounts, as shown.

    2. The Optional Fields column indicates whether optional account fields will be assigned to the new account. You cannot edit this field.

  2. Select (highlight) the account you want to edit, then click the Optional Fields button to open the Preview Account Optional Fields window.

    The optional account fields and the values that display are based on the segment you specified in the Default Options From field.

  3. Add or delete the optional fields on the table, or change the optional field value as needed.
    • You can add only optional account fields that are defined for General Ledger.
    • If the optional field is validated, specify a value that has been defined in Common Services. If the optional field is validated and 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 value providing you do not exceed the length specified for the field.
  4. Select (highlight) the account you want to assign the new field to, then click the Trans. Opt. Fields button to open the Preview Account Transaction Optional Fields window.

    The optional transaction details fields and optional field values are based on the segment you specified in the Default Options From field.

  5. Accept or change the optional fields and default values. Note that you can use only optional transaction fields that are defined for General Ledger in the G/L Optional Fields window.
    • If the optional field is validated, you must specify an optional field value that has been defined in Common Services. If the optional field is validated and 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 can enter any value providing you do not exceed the length specified for the optional field.

The program assigns to the new accounts the optional accounts fields and optional transaction details fields set for the "model" accounts using the segment specified in the Default Options From field.