Defining User Journals - Nominal

If you press the <F7–Options> key from the User-Defined Journals menu as described above, then you are put straight into the definition process. This section describes how you define these journals. The steps you take are:

Complete certain preliminary details, including the choice of journal style — easy-mode or full definition

All the definitions for user-defined journals are kept in a single definition file. The program first attempts to open this. When opened, you proceed to the next stage.

If no definition file exists when you select the option you are asked to create it and taken straight into the definition process if you proceed.

You can now choose the transaction you want to update from the list given to you. Any transaction which has already been designed is given with its menu name, as shown below. If a transaction in the definition file is yet to be defined it shows with a name of "spare” or is blank.

All forty transactions are shown, even though your definition file may be smaller. The additional ones are shown as "not allocated”.

You have a number of options here

Choose the number of an existing or spare transaction so that you can go and modify or create a user-defined transaction

Key COPY so that you can copy one transaction definition to another in the file. This is helpful where you have similar transactions to define. The system asks for the number of the one you want to copy, the number of the one to copy to (which must be within the current definition file size) and then checks that you are sure before performing the copy

Key the number of one of the "not allocated” transactions. You are then asked if you wish to expand the file. This is a simple way to create additional space in the definition file for more user-defined journals

Choosing one of the menu options then puts you into the journal menu title field (see the example screen above) so that you can change the title if you wish. If you are defining a provisional transaction, by the way, we recommend that you include the word "Provisional” in its title. Note that if you blank out the title, then effectively you clear that transaction from the menu.

If you want to change the specification of the journal, then reply ‘Yes’ here, otherwise reply ‘No’ to return to the "Update Which Transaction” prompt.

Easy mode journals are ones which you can change quickly at run time, and save the changes for use in the future if you wish. It is worth having a few of these on your user-defined menu, because they are very easy to change. On the other hand, all details must be keyed through at run time, so there is scope for incorrect amendment which can be avoided using the standard user-defined journal.

Set if this is to be an easy mode journal, otherwise leave blank to ensure this is a standard user-defined journal.

Although you can proceed with the rest of the definition process for easy mode journals, their purpose is to be changed at run time.You may want to <Escape> now and <Escape> again to the "Save any changes made” prompt below, and move on to the next user-defined transaction.

Give here the default description which is to be offered when you choose this journal. You may want to change this at run time to give the period in words to which this applies, so a description such as "(month) Depr. Office Equip.” allow you to type in the month without having to type all the rest of the description.

Only set if this is to be used as a provisional transaction, otherwise leave blank. You are recommended to say in the transaction title that it is a provisional journal, to remind you when you come to use it.

These questions determine whether or not you can enter or overtype the values given at run time. Set as appropriate.

Enter the number of the entry you want to edit, D to delete an entry, or <Escape>. If you want to delete an entry, key ‘D’ at the line entry prompt, then the entry line number. The line for the entry is then deleted.

User-defined transactions can have up to a hundred entries. To add or edit an entry, key the entry number as described above. For each entry you may now specify the following details:

If you wish to ensure that the account code falls within a range of accounts, key the code of the first and last account of the range, otherwise leave blank. If you give the same account code for both the start and end of the range, then when the journal is used the account code cannot be changed by the user.

Shortly you will key in some narrative for this entry, perhaps to remind the user of the purpose of this line. You can choose here whether this narrative should remain, or be replaced by the account code name when the journal is used. Set to overwrite, otherwise leave blank to remain (the more usual choice).

You may type in a default reference here, otherwise leave it blank. You can also choose whether to allow it to be overtyped at run time. Set to allow users to overtype the reference at run time, otherwise leave blank.

You may enter a default analysis code here, otherwise leave as zero. You can also choose whether to allow the analysis code to be overtyped at run time. Set to allow users to overtype the analysis code at run time, otherwise leave blank.

You have the option to remove the reference code and/or analysis from journal entries at a global level, by removing them from the Datafile Profiles for the nominal ledger transaction file.

On any journal entry line except the first (where it is marked N/A as not applicable) you can choose to copy the value for this entry from the previous entry line. This is helpful where you have a number of balancing journal entries, and saves you at run time from having to key the value for every one. Set to copy the amount from the previous entry, otherwise leave blank.

This only applies if you have not already marked this line to copy its value from the previous entry (in which case it is marked N/A). You are about to enter a default value for this entry, and here you specify whether or not this value can be changed at run time. Set as appropriate.

After replying to the above prompts you are put into the narrative and value fields for this entry so that you can enter default values to display when the journal is used subsequently. What you can enter depends on the replies you gave above. For instance, if an entry is set to copy its value from the previous entry, then the system inserts that amount in the debit or credit column as appropriate and you cannot enter another value.

Note

The above prompts allow considerable freedom to decide which values can be entered when the journal is used, and which are fixed and unchangeable.In fact you can define a transaction where nothing — account code, description, value or anything else — can be changed for any entry. This can ensure that predefined journals do not get changed accidentally.

These user-defined journals have considerable versatility, and you can use them to define virtually the whole of your period-end journals.

You can continue to add to or amend the transaction by keying each line entry number and repeating the process above. To finish a definition key <Escape> at the line entry prompt.

If you have defined a transaction where there is to be no overtyping on any of the entry values, then the total of the debit amounts must balance with the total of the credit amounts.If they do not balance at the point when you key <Escape>, you are warned accordingly.

When you key <Escape> to end input you are asked to save any changes made. Reply ‘Yes’ to save any new input or changes, and you may then define or amend another transaction. ‘No’ throws away any input or changes made to the chosen transaction and returns you to the list of user transaction names above.

Article ID: 1034
Created On: Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 2:32 PM
Last Updated On: Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 7:17 PM

Online URL: https://kb.datafile.co.uk/article/defining-user-journals-nominal-1034.html