Transaction attribute

See Using Attribute Matrix attributes.

You can track additional information about a transaction using user-defined fields called transaction attributes. Transaction attributes provide you with additional reporting capabilities and can make subsystem reconciliations easier at period-end. For example, you might attach the vendor number and the cash code to General Ledger transactions that result from payments that you interface from Accounts Payable. This lets you create reports in General Ledger with subsystem specific information in them.

Note: Recall that a source code identifies the event that created a transaction. For example, AP represents a vendor payment and VP is a voided vendor payment.

For each source code, you can assign up to three attributes and corresponding originating system values. This lets you select three originating values from a group of fields that can be transferred from the subsystem and attached to an entry when it is transferred to General Ledger. The system automatically attaches the selected attributes to all entries for the source code when you post entries from the subsystem.

Entries for General Ledger, Recurring Journal, and Allocations can have user-defined fields (user-type attributes) assigned to them. You need to assign the attribute values when you add a journal entry. For all other sub-systems, attributes can be used to automatically transfer information that is already recorded in the subsystem.

Example

AP is a source code that represents vendor payments originating in the Accounts Payable subsystem. This table is a portion of the Source Code Listing (GL205), which shows the pre-defined fields that can be associated with the AP source code.


              
              Source Code    Description                      Status      Type      Attributes   Description               AC GL SL ML
-----------    ------------------------------   --------    ------    ------------ ------------------------- -- -- -- --
         
   AP         Vendor Payment                   Active      Lawson    INV-USR-01   Invoice User Field 1        N  N  N  Y
                                                                     INV-USR-02   Invoice User Field 2        N  N  N  Y
                                                                     INV-USR-03   Invoice User Field 3        N  N  N  Y

                                                                               Field   Data
                        Subledger Attribute              Element Name          Size    Type     Subledger Field Id
                        ------------------------------   --------------------  ----- --------   --------------------
                        Payment Transaction Type         BANK TRANSACTION TYP    3              CHK-BANK-INST-CODE
                        Payment Cash Code                CASH CODE               4              CHK-CASH-CODE
                        Cash Payment Vendor              VENDOR                  9              CHK-PAID-VENDOR
                        Cash Payment Transaction Nbr     BANK TRANSACTION NBR   10              CHK-TRAN-NBR
                        Invoice user field 1             INVOICE USER FIELD 1   15             ISR-INV-USR-FLD-01
                        Invoice user field 2             INVOICE USER FIELD 2   15              ISR-INV-USR-FLD-02
                        Invoice user field 3             INVOICE USER FIELD 3   15              ISR-INV-USR-FLD-03
                        Invoice user field 4             INVOICE USER FIELD 4   15              ISR-INV-USR-FLD-04
                        Invoice user field 5             INVOICE USER FIELD 5   15              ISR-INV-USR-FLD-05

Transaction attributes and elements

Note: You must create user-defined transaction attributes for each originating system value that you assign to a source code.

Because transaction attributes are mapped to originating system values for specific source codes, the transaction attributes must use the Lawson-defined element associated with the originating system value.

For example, Cash Payment Vendor is an originating system value for the AP (Vendor Payment) source code and is defined with a VENDOR element. You must use the VENDOR element when defining the transaction attribute to associate the Cash Payment Vendor with General Ledger transactions.

An element represents the database field that holds an attribute value. It defines the maximum number of characters and the data type (alphanumeric, numeric, or date) for the field.

Some elements are Lawson-defined and can be loaded with Attribute, Element Load (MX100). For example, Vendor is a Lawson element defined as an alpha field, nine characters in length. You must use Lawson elements with attributes attached to subsystem transactions.

Example of using transaction attributes

The LGE controller is defining an invoice distribution entry. The system automatically assigns a source code of AD (Vendor Invoice Distribution) to the new entry. Previously, she had attached three pre-defined originating system values to that source code: the invoice vendor number, invoice batch number, and the process level. As a result, the values for the vendor number, batch number and process level entered on the invoice will be transferred to General Ledger with the invoice detail lines when she posts distributions.

These attributes can be included in a column, used as sort criteria, or used as selection criteria on a Transaction Writer report. For example, you can create a Transaction Writer report that includes the invoice distribution transactions (including the vendor number and batch number), sorts the transactions by batch number within invoice number, and produces totals by vendor number.