Import General Ledger Journal Entry

This feature allows for the importing of General Ledger Journal Entry information into the Unanet system.  

While this import is primarily used to insert new entries, it can also be used for limited updating as well.  Existing entries for updating will be identified by a value in the Document Number field, where as new entries will have no value in that field.  This import cannot be used to delete an existing General Ledger Journal Entry document, however, using the available purge option, you can instruct the import to first remove any existing Detail records associated with a particular Summary level entry (based on Document Number).  When inserting new entries, you can use the Group Id field to identify multiple input records as belonging to the same General Ledger Journal Entry document.  

While the GL journal entries are comprised of multiple record types (ie Summary and Detail records), importing these records is accomplished via a single record layout.  As such, the fields related to the Summary information are ignored on all but the first record (for each distinct Group Id encountered).

See Processing Rules and field descriptions below for additional information about insert and update restrictions.

 

Roles

This screen is available to users having any of the following roles: Administrator.

License

This feature is available with any Unanet edition.

Performance Tip Note:  Depending on the number of users in your installation and other factors such as the overall performance of your platform, the activity of importing one or many files may take up to several minutes.  Should this be the case with your installation, you may want to consider running these processes at non-peak times to minimize database contention.

 

Topics covered on this help page include:

Import File Record Layout

 

 

Field Header Name

Required/Comments

1

A

Legal_Entity_Org_Code

 REQUIRED ON ADD.   This code uniquely identifies the Legal Entity Organization to which the General Ledger Journal Entry belongs.  This value must match an existing Legal Entity Organization Code value defined in your system.  If the value you are trying to import does not already exist in the database, the entire record will be rejected.
 
This value cannot be changed on an existing Journal Entry.

2

B

Document_Number

 REQUIRED ON UPDATE.  When attempting to update an existing entry, this field is required and must match an existing General Ledger Journal Entry document number (and that document must be in either the INUSE or SUBMITTED status).  This is the field that is used to identify the collection of records in the import file that are to be associated with a particular journal entry document (during an update process).

3

C

Group_Id

 The value supplied in the field is never saved to the database and is only used for the purposes of grouping records into specific General Ledger Journal Entry documents.

  • When both a Group_Id and Document_Number are provided, the Group_Id field will be ignored.
  • All records having the same Group_Id will be grouped into a single document.
  • All records having no Group_Id supplied (and no Document_Number supplied) will be grouped into a single document.

4

D

Document_Date

The Document Date is the date to be associated with the Financial Document.   If not provided, it will default to the current system date (when creating a new entry).

 

Recommended date format:   yyyy-MM-dd    See Allowable Date Formats for more options.

5

E

Post_Date

REQUIRED ON ADD.   The Post Date is the date to which you desire to have a financial document posted. This date reflects the date to which various accounts are updated and for which the business transaction will appear in various financial reports.  

 

The Post Date supplied must fall within a Fiscal Period that is open for transaction entry (unless the "Allow changes to closed fiscal periods" option has been selected).

 

Recommended date format:   yyyy-MM-dd    See Allowable Date Formats for more options.

6

F

Reversing_Entry

Valid values include Y or N (if not provided, N is the default for an entry).  

A value of "Y" indicates this is a reversing entry, and when set to Y a Reversing_Date must be provided (otherwise the record will be rejected).

7

G

Reversing_Date

CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED.  This field is required when the Reversing_Entry field is set to Y.  If this field is populated while the Reversing_Entry field is N, the record will be rejected).  This field is used to determine which fiscal period the entry is to be associated with.  The value provided must fall in a fiscal period after the fiscal period in which the Post_Date falls.

  

Recommended date format:   yyyy-MM-dd    See Allowable Date Formats for more options.

8

H

Recurring

Valid values include Y or N (if not provided, N is the default for an entry).  

A value of "Y" indicates this is a recurring entry.  

If a value for Max_Occurrences has been provided, and this field is set to N, the record will be rejected.

9

I

Max_Occurrences

 When designating a financial document as a recurring entry, you have the option to specify the number of times you would like it to recur.  This field is used to represent that value.  
 
This field is not required, even if the Recurring field has a value of Y.  If a value is provided in this field while the value in the Recurring field is N, the record will be rejected.  
 
You can use the special tag !BLANK! to remove an existing entry in this field.
 
This field accepts a numeric value (whole number).

10

J

Reference

 This is an optional field intended to capture any identifying external reference number or text to associate with the document.
 
You can use the special tag !BLANK! to remove an existing entry in this field.
 

Maximum Length: 25 characters

11

K

Description

 This is an optional field intended to capture any identifying code or value from an external source that you would like to enter and track along with the document.
 
You can use the special tag !BLANK! to remove an existing entry in this field.
 

Maximum Length: 128 characters

12

L

Comments

 The Comment field can be used to record a comment for the current financial document.  This is an optional field.
 
You can use the special tag !BLANK! to remove an existing entry in this field.
 

Maximum Length: 2000 characters

13

M

Dtl_Acct

 REQUIRED ON ADD.  This field is used to supply the Detail record Account to which the journal entry transaction is to be posted.  This value must match an existing account as defined on the Admin >> Setup >> Accounts screen.
 
The account supplied must have the following characteristics:
  • The account must be active
  • Transaction entry allowed must be enabled
  • If specified on the account setup, Transaction Entry Allowed - Begin Date must be:
    • <= Post_Date
    • <= Reversing_Date
  • If specified on the account setup, Transaction Entry Allowed - End Date must be:
    • >= Post_Date
    • >= Reversing_Date
  • If the account has been configured to be available for only a 'Select' number of Legal Entities, at least one of the specified organizations must have a legal entity equal the supplied Legal Entity

 

If the Account provided does not require project related details for the transaction, the record will be rejected if any values are supplied in the Dtl_Proj_Org_Code, Dtl_Proj_Code, Dtl_Task_Name, Dtl_Proj_Type, or Dtl_Exp_Type fields.

14

N

Dtl_Org_Code

 REQUIRED ON ADD.  This field is used to supply the Detail record Organization to which the journal entry transaction is to be posted.  This value must match an existing organization as defined on the Organization >> Profile and Financials tabs.
 
The organization supplied must have the following characteristics:
  • The organization must be a Financial Organization
  • The organization must be active
  • Transaction entry allowed must be enabled
  • If specified on the organization, Transaction Entry Allowed - Begin Date must be:
    • <= Post_Date
    • <= Reversing_Date
  • If specified on the organization, Transaction Entry Allowed - End Date must be:
    • >= Post_Date
    • >= Reversing_Date
  • The organization must belong to the same legal entity as the supplied legal entity
  • The organization must be valid for the supplied account (as specified on the Admin >> Setup >> Account screen -- where 'All' or a 'Selected' number of organizations are defined as available for charging).

15

O

Dtl_Reference

 This is an optional field intended to capture any identifying external reference number or text to associate with the Detail line item.
 
If not provided, this will default to the value provided in the Reference field (from the Summary area of the record).
  

Maximum Length: 25 characters

16

P

Dtl_Description

 This is an optional field intended to capture any identifying code or value from an external source that you would like to enter and track along with the Detail line item.
 
If not provided, this will default to the value provided in the Description field (from the Summary area of the record).
 

Maximum Length: 128 characters

17

Q

Dtl_Transaction_Date

This date is the date to be associated with the Detail line item.

 

If not provided, this will default to the value provided in the Document_Date field (from the Summary area of the record).

 

Recommended date format:   yyyy-MM-dd    See Allowable Date Formats for more options.

18

R

Dtl_Debit_Amount

 CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED.  This field is used to supply the Debit Amount associated with the Detail line item.  This field can be zero, positive or negative.
 
Note that either this field or the Dtl_Credit_Amount field must be provided or the record will be rejected.  If both Dtl_Debit_Amount and Dtl_Credit_Amount fields are populated, the record will be rejected. 
 

This field accepts a numeric value up to 16 positions to the left of the decimal and 2 positions to the right.

19

S

Dtl_Credit_Amount

 CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED.  This field is used to supply the Credit Amount associated with the Detail line item.  This field can be zero, positive or negative.
 
Note that either this field or the Dtl_Debit_Amount field must be provided or the record will be rejected.  If both Dtl_Debit_Amount and Dtl_Credit_Amount fields are populated, the record will be rejected.  
 
This field accepts a numeric value up to 16 positions to the left of the decimal and 2 positions to the right.

20

T

Dtl_Proj_Org_Code

 CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED.  If the Account provided has been identified as a project related account (that is, if the Account was configured on the Admin >> Setup >> Accounts screen with the Require Project indicator checked), this is a required field.  
 
This is the Project Organization code associated with the Dtl_Proj_Code supplied in the next field.  The combination of these two values must match an existing Project Org / Project Code value defined in your system.  If the value you are trying to import does not already exist in the database, the entire record will be rejected.  
 
If the Account provided does not require project related details for the transaction, the record will be rejected if any value is provided for this field.

21

U

Dtl_Proj_Code

 CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED.  If the Account provided has been identified as a project related account (that is, if the Account was configured on the Admin >> Setup >> Accounts screen with the Require Project indicator checked), this is a required field.  
 
This is the Project Code associated with the Dtl_Proj_Org_Code supplied in the previous field.  The combination of these two values must match an existing Project Org / Project Code value defined in your system.  If the value you are trying to import does not already exist in the database, the entire record will be rejected.  
 

Valid projects will be limited to:

  • Those that have an Owning Organization that belongs to the same Legal Entity as the Legal Entity defined on the Financial Document

  • Those that are associated with a Project Status having the Active indicator enabled

 
If the Account provided does not require project related details for the transaction, the record will be rejected if any value is provided for this field.

22

V

Dtl_Task_Name

CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED. The value for this field will be required if the project (from above) is set  to require task level expense reporting.  

This value must match an existing active Task Name value in your system (belonging to the Dtl_Proj_Code listed above).  If the Task Name you are trying to import does not already exist in the database,  the entire record will be rejected.

If the Task has an Owning Organization defined, it must belong to the same Legal Entity as the Project's Legal Entity.

If a task is not a top-level task (e.g. it has sub-tasks), you must include a comma separated list of each task starting at the top level down.  The following is an example of a valid task tree and how you would reflect each task using this import.

Task Tree Access String

1.   Car Repair

"Car Repair"

1.1     Tires

"Car Repair,Tires"

1.2     Paint

"Car Repair,Paint"

1.2.1      Prep work

"Car Repair,Paint,Prep work"

1.2.2      Patching

"Car Repair,Paint,Patching"

1.3     Engine

"Car Repair,Engine"

1.3.1      Tune-up

"Car Repair,Engine,Tune-up"

1.3.1      Rebuild

"Car Repair,Engine,Rebuild"

 

If the Account provided does not require project related details for the transaction, the record will be rejected if any value is provided for this field.

See the Excel Tips regarding the use of double quotes and more.

23

W

Dtl_Proj_Type

CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED.  If the Account provided has been identified as a project related account (that is, if the Account was configured on the Admin >> Setup >> Accounts screen with the Require Project indicator checked), this is a required field.  

The project type supplied must have the following characteristics:

  • Must be active.
  • Must match an existing project type in the system.

  • If not provided, default to the task's project type (if task is provided and has a project type, otherwise default to project's project type).

 

If the Account provided does not require project related details for the transaction, the record will be rejected if any value is provided for this field.

24

X

Dtl_Exp_Type

CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED.  If the Account provided has been identified as a project related account (that is, if the Account was configured on the Admin >> Setup >> Accounts screen with the Require Project indicator checked), this is a required field.  

The expense type supplied must have the following characteristics:

 

If the Account provided does not require project related details for the transaction, the record will be rejected if any value is provided for this field.

25

Y

Dtl_Person_Username

This field can be used to optionally associate a named user to a financial document detail  line item.   Any active user can be associated with a financial document detail line item.

26

Z

Dtl_Vendor_Org_Code

Despite the column name, this field can be used to optionally associate a Customer or Vendor (or any active) organization to the detail line item.  

 

Note: Check out the Unanet Data model for specific field data types, lengths, and other attributes.

Import File Format

The file to import must be saved in a comma delimited format.   The fields can be enclosed in double quotes -- which would be particularly necessary should the data being imported contain commas.

Importing a Sub-Set of Columns using a Field Header Record

If you are not using the default column layout sequence as defined above, you must include a header record (prefixed with an asterisk *), containing the column Header Names for those columns you are including in the import file (to indicated what data is contained in each column).  The specific Header Names for each column are listed in the table above.

Excel Template

You can create the comma delimited import file with any number of tools.  For those interested in using an Excel spreadsheet to create the file, you can download an Excel Template with predefined headers and required fields noted.  

See the Excel Tips regarding the use of double quotes and more.

Import Screen

Depending on your property settings the Import General Ledger Journal Entry screen may look like:

Field Descriptions:

Field

Description

Type of Import

Select the appropriate import type from the list of available types of imports.

File to Import

Enter (or browse for) the file that you would like to import.

Output Options

Specify the level of detail included in the output.

Journal Entries

This option instructs the import to completely delete all associated Detail records for each distinct General Ledger Journal Entry being updated (based on Document #).  Upon processing the first record having a different Document #, all associated Detail entries will be deleted, and then subsequent records having that same Document # will be processed and inserted.  Essentially, this is a means to replace all General Ledger Journal Entry details.  Note that the Summary portion of the document will remain and its values would have been updated based on the values included on that record.  

Note that only those documents in the INUSE or SUBMITTED status can be deleted.

Resulting Status

This option controls whether each General Ledger Journal Entry will end up with a status of INUSE or SUBMITTED.   

In order for the document to be placed in the SUBMITTED status, the following additional validations must pass (otherwise, the document will remain in the INUSE status regardless of this setting):

  • Sum of all Credit Amounts must match the sum of all Debit amounts.
  • None of the records associated with the document being import encountered any errors.

 

The default Resulting Status will be INUSE.    

Fiscal Period

This option controls whether or not entries processed in the current file can make changes to a closed fiscal period.

 

The import process is triggered by pressing the Import button.  All Warnings and Error messages are written to the screen and can then be saved if desired.  While some line items may be found invalid and rejected, the remaining line items will be successfully imported and saved in the database.  The rejected line items will be written out to a file on the Unanet server as well as displayed at the bottom of the user feedback screen.  The rejected record file name will be UnanetGeneralLedgerJournalEntrytImportErrorxxx, where xxx is a randomly generated number.  The file will be placed in the Unanet temporary directory (which is defined by the Temp Directory (Fully Qualified Directory Name) (unanet.temp_directory) Unanet property).

Processing Rules

When importing a number of records associated with the same General Ledger Journal Entry document (ie having the same Group Id on new records, or having the same Document Number on existing records), the Summary values from the first record encountered will be used and Summary values from subsequent records will be ignored (for that group / document).

If a record encounters an error, a message will be displayed but the import will continue and subsequent records for that same General Ledger Journal Entry will be processed.  Note that should an error happen, the resulting status for the entire General Ledger Journal Entry will always be INUSE, regardless of the screen selection.

Posted, Voided and Voiding documents cannot be modified.  Updating a document in the Submitted status, will first change its status to Inuse (although, using the Resulting Status option, it can be returned to the Submitted status). 

Validations

While you can save a financial document violating certain rules, you will not be permitted to submit or post the document until they are resolved. If any of the validations fail for any row on the document, the entire document cannot be posted.

 

Related Topics