SA Journal Setup overview

System Administrator > Setup > Journal

Function acronym: SASJ

Use this window to add, copy, change or delete GL journal records. Use the search function to choose the journal record to maintain or delete.

Note: Do not use SA Journal Setup to close journals opened during Sales Entry Invoice Processing Report. Recover and close Invoicing journals in SA Archive Journal Recovery.

Each time you post the first transaction in a transaction entry function, the SA Journal Setup table is queried to determine the next available journal number. That number is then assigned to the opened journal. The Journal Assignment window displays the status of any opened journal and other parameters. Only close journals in SA Journal Setup when you cannot close them through the function in which they were opened. When you close a journal from SA Journal Setup, print the journal immediately and review it for correct postings to all associated modules. After you close a journal, all the information contained on the corresponding SA Journal Setup record is updated and closed as well, except in the case of system failures occurring during posting.

Use SA Journal Setup to start journal numbering with a specific number. This is beneficial in a multi-company environment where each company uses a series of different journal numbers, because journal numbers are unique within each company. When setting up journal number ranges, ensure you make each range of numbers large enough to avoid running out of journal numbers.

For example, these ranges may be assigned to Companies 1, 2, and 3:

  • Company 1 – journal range 1-9999
  • Company 2 – journal range 10000-19999
  • Company 3 – journal range 20000-29999

To determine the last journal number used, either access SA Journal Inquiry or run the SA Journal Assignment Report. You can also use SA Journal Setup to maintain existing journal assignment records. This is beneficial if a system failure occurs during a transaction entry function. For example, the closed setting may not have been set on the journal record. Maintain the journal record to reset the setting but do not use this function to change balances. Changes made here do not update the transaction files.

During many transaction entry functions that open a GL journal, the journal update process is not complete until you perform a Final Update. This is common in shipping and receiving functions. The order or transfer's stage is updated, but no transactions are posted until Final Update is complete. If the journal is closed manually in SA Journal Setup before the Final Update process is initiated in the appropriate functions, no transactions are posted to General Ledger or the function's transaction table. If you attempt to manually close a journal in SA Journal Setup in this situation, the journal recovery information is captured and displayed in a Recovery Data window. This information shows the initials of the operator who created the journal, the function, and the date and time the journal was created. A message is displayed recommending the journal be closed through the update function instead of manually closing the journal in SA Journal Setup. We recommend that you contact the operator who open the journal and remind them to complete the Final Update process in the appropriate function. With the exception of journals created in Transfer Shipping Entry and Transfer Receipt of Inventory Entry, proceeding with the manual journal close does not update the GL or transaction records, nor does it reverse the order stage.

Caution: 
Only system administrators should have access to this function. Operators should not have security to this function. If a journal is out of balance due to a system failure, it is important to know the specifics of the journal (the time, operator, totals, and so on). An operator should not be able to access a journal record and modify the fields.