Journal Entry Templates
Use the Journal Entry Templates page to create templates to enter and update journal entries that have the same credit and debit distribution for each financial accounting combination. Use templates to enter recurring distributions without having to key them each time. You can modify the distributions as needed.
Use journal entry templates to:
Create new templates.
Define distributions as either amounts or percentages.
Specify financial accounting combinations that apply to the distributions.
Change and delete existing templates.
Generate an edit list of the values in existing templates.
Add journal entries on the Post Journal Entries and Batch Journal Entries pages using the distributions defined in the templates.
Menu Path
From the Fund Accounting menu, select Entry & Processing. From the General Ledger menu, select Journal Entry Templates.
Action Bar Menu
Use the action bar to perform activities related to journal entries.
Edit List
The Edit List option appears before and after performing a search. It displays the Print page to generate the Journal Entry Templates Edit List report. If you perform a search, the report lists only the templates in your search results. The report shows the template's distribution accounts and their associated debits and credits or percentages, based on the Template Type.
You can click the Print icon to generate a Journal Entry Templates report with a summary of template information, including the original JE Number, Description, Entered By, Control Number, and Template Type fields. This report does not include distribution information.
Set Period
Click Set Period to adjust the fiscal period and year prior to using a journal entry template to create a new journal entry using the template information. The selected period and year apply to all activity until you close the page or use the option again to select a different fiscal period and year. For details, refer to Resetting Periods.
Post or Submit
If your organization does not use any Advanced Workflows, the action bar menu is Post. If your organization uses one or more Advanced Workflows, the word Post is replaced with the word Submit.
Click Post or Submit to create a new journal entry using the template distribution information.
You cannot edit distribution information for an amount-based template.
You can edit distribution information for a percent-based template.
Amount-based templates may be marked to Hold and cannot be posted or submitted from the Journal Entry Templates page. A message appears indicating that all entries are on hold.
Select the template, review it for accuracy and make edits as needed, then clear the Hold checkbox to post or submit a journal entry from the Journal Entry Templates page.
Use the template to enter a new journal entry from the Post Journal Entries or Batch Journal Entries page.
Post Journal Entries page: The journal entry using the template is released from hold when you save the journal entry.
Batch Journal Entries page: The journal entry using the template remains on hold until you release it.
If the template is not marked to Hold, the Post action posts the journal entry to Fund Accounting tables. The Submit action triggers the journal entry approval process. If no approval is required, the Submit posts the journal entry to Fund Accounting tables.
When you use a journal entry to post from the Journal Entry Templates page, you must edit the journal entry number to be a unique number. Journal entry numbers cannot be reused in the same fiscal year. If you post or submit all amount-based journal entry templates by entering an asterisk in the Control Number field and clearing the Journal Entry Number field, it may result in duplicated journal entry numbers within the fiscal year.
Template Types
Journal entry templates allow you to add journal entry transactions with pre-defined credit and debit distributions. The distributions can be determined in two different ways based on the type of template:
A - Amount
Applies specific amounts directly from the template. These templates are especially useful for recurring fixed cost transactions.
Hold Field
Each amount-based journal entry template record has a Hold checkbox on the Journal Entry Template - Amount page. This field determines whether the template record can be posted directly from the Journal Entry Templates page.
If the field is selected, then the template is on hold and cannot be posted.
If the field is not selected, the template can be posted.
The Hold checkbox only appears on A - Amount templates. The box is blank by default. To prevent users from using the template to post, select the box, and then save your update.
When you run the Journal Entry Templates page's Post or Submit option and the Hold field is blank:
The template posts the journal entry, provided no data conflicts are found.
If errors are detected, the system activates the Hold field. Before attempting to re-post the template, correct the errors, clear the Hold field, and save the record.
P - Percentage
Applies the template's distribution percentages to an amount entered during the post process. These templates enable you to create journal entries where the amounts vary but the distributions among financial accounts are shared on a set percentage basis.
You can identify template-based journal entries in a listing or report by using the control number in combination with other Transaction table fields, such as Period, Transaction Date, or Entered By. This allows you to access information on the individual postings processed with a specific template.
Add a Journal Entry Template
On the Journal Entry Templates page, click Add New to display the New Journal Entry Template page.
In the Template Type field, select:
A - Amount to distribute funds on amount basis.
P - Percentage to distribute funds on a percentage basis.
Complete the Header Information fields.
In the Distributions (untitled) section, enter the debits and credits for the selected financial account combinations.
The template's Total Debits must equal the Total Credits.
Unless your system allows inter-fund balancing, you must balance each fund in a journal entry.
Click Accept to save the template.
If the Auto Balance Journal Entries field in your Fund Accounting Profile is selected, the system automatically balances entries made between funds. The Balancing Entries page appears when you save a transaction where a debit from one fund is balanced by a credit from another fund. In addition to funds and their amounts, the page displays the to/from accounts referenced by the system to balance the debits and credits. Click OK to return to the Journal Entry Templates page.
If the Continuous checkbox is selected, repeat until you complete your journal entries.
Click Back to return to the Journal Entry Templates page.
Update a Journal Entry Template
On the Journal Entry Templates page, in the Search Criteria section, enter criteria to identify the records to list, and then click Search.
In the List section, select the template you want to change, and then click Accept to display it in the Journal Entry Template - Amount or Percentage page.
Change the Description and Distribution fields as needed.
The template's Total Debits must equal the Total Credits.
Unless your system allows inter-fund balancing, you must balance each fund in a journal entry.
Click Accept to save the record.
If the system allows inter-fund balancing, the Balancing Entries page appears. Review the inter-fund distributions, and then click OK to return to the Journal Entry Template page.
In an Amount template, you can select or clear the Hold checkbox, depending on whether you want to allow the template to be used to post a journal entry. This field does not appear in Percentage templates.
Delete a Journal Entry Template
On the Journal Entry Templates page, in the Search Criteria section, enter criteria to identify the records to list, and then click Search.
In the List section, select the template you want to delete.
Click Delete.
Click Yes.
Generate Journal Entry Template Reports
You can generate two types of reports and include all template records or a specified list of records.
Journal Entry Templates
The Journal Entry Templates report provides a summary of information about template records. It does not provide distribution information.
On the Journal Entry Templates page, in the Search Criteria section, enter criteria to identify the records to list, and then click Search. If you want all records to appear, leave search criteria blank and click Search.
After results appear, click the Print icon. The report lists the records in your search results. The default report name is predef_je.rpt.
In the Print window, specify how you want to generate the report, and then click OK.
Journal Entry Template Edit List
On the Journal Entry Templates page, in the Search Criteria section, enter criteria to identify the records to list, and then click Search. If you want all records to appear, leave search criteria blank and click Search.
After results appear, click Edit List. This report provides complete information on the records in your search results. The default report name is standjnl.rpt.
In the Print window, specify how you want to generate the report, and then click OK.
Post or Submit an Amount-Based Template
Use the Post option in the action bar to post journal entries based on the template to Fund Accounting tables. Use the Submit option to submit the journal entry for approval, if required.
If the template is marked Hold, you cannot post from the Journal Entry Templates page, but you can select the template from the Post Journal Entries or Batch Journal Entries page when you enter a new journal entry record.
If you enter an asterisk in the Control Number field and clear the Journal Entry Number field, it posts all amount-based templates and may create duplicate journal entry numbers in the same fiscal year.
On the Journal Entry Templates page, in the Search Criteria section, enter criteria to identify the records to list, and then click Search.
If you need to change the fiscal period and year before you use a journal entry from a template, click Set Period on the action bar. For information, refer to Resetting Periods.
In the List section, select the amount-based template you want to post. Open the record to confirm that the template is not marked Hold. Click Back. You may need to select the record again.
Click Post or Submit.
In the Selection Criteria section, you can change the Control Number and Journal Entry Number fields as needed. You must select a unique journal entry number. Do not change the Template Type field.
To post a batch of journal entries associated with the selected template, leave these values unchanged.
To post all amount-based templates, enter an asterisk in the Control Number field, and clear the Journal Entry Number field. This is not recommended because it can result in duplicate journal entry numbers within a fiscal year.
Click Accept.
If the selected template does not have the Hold checkbox selected, a message appears prompting if you want to proceed.
If you do not use journal entry approvals, click Yes to post the journal entry to Fund Accounting tables.
If you use journal entry approvals, click Yes to submit the journal entry for approval.
The Additional Information section appears, and lists information about the journal entry including total debits and credits, control number, journal entry number, description, and result of the post or submit action.
If there was a data conflict, the Hold box is selected to indicate that the template is on hold until the error is resolved.
If you do not use journal entry approvals and there was no data conflict, the Result column displays Successfully posted. If you use journal entry approvals and there was no data conflict, the Result column displays Successfully routed for approval.
Click Back to return to the Journal Entry Templates page.
If you are posting all amount-based templates (not recommended) and some templates have their Hold checkboxes selected but others do not, click Yes to post journal entries for the templates that are not on hold. The Additional Information section appears as previously described. Click Back to return to the Journal Entry Templates page.
If all of the selected templates have the Hold checkboxes selected, a message appears indicating all entries are on hold and there is nothing to post. No action occurs. Click Continue to cancel the process and return to the Journal Entry Templates page.
If a data conflict occurs in any of the templates that are not on hold, they will not be posted. The system records the problems in the Result column on the Additional Information section of the page and selects the Hold fields of the templates affected. Before you can post journal entries from these templates, correct the problems and clear the Hold fields.
Post or Submit a Percentage-Based Template
Use the Post option in the action bar to post journal entries based on the template to Fund Accounting tables. Use the Submit option to submit the journal entry for approval, if required. You can edit distribution information defaulted from a percentage-based template if needed.
On the Journal Entry Templates page, in the Search Criteria section, enter criteria to identify the records to list, and then click Search.
If you need to change the fiscal period and year before you use a journal entry from a template, click Set Period on the action bar. For information, refer to Resetting Periods.
In the List section, select the percentage-based template you want to use to post.
Click Post or Submit.
In the Selection Criteria section, enter a Control Number and a unique Journal Entry Number. Do not change the Template Type field.
In the Transaction Amount field, enter the dollar-and-cents value you want to apply to the template's distribution percentages.
Click Accept or press Tab to access the template's distribution information, and then make any changes as needed.
The system displays the template's balance sheet and budgetary ledger accounts. The debits and credits are determined by multiplying the transaction amount by the template's percentages. For example, if the amount is 100.00 and the percentage is 25%, the debit and credit will each be 25.00 (100 x .25).
If the template includes system-generated entries for balancing inter-fund transactions, then the appropriate General Ledger accounts appear with the balancing credits and debits assigned.
Click Accept.
If you do not use journal entry approvals, click Yes to post the journal entry to Fund Accounting tables.
If you use journal entry approvals, click Yes to submit the journal entry for approval.
The Additional Information section displays the result, including the total debits and credits.
If you do not use journal entry approvals and there was no data conflict, the Result column displays Successfully posted. If you use journal entry approvals and there was no data conflict, the Result column displays Successfully routed for approval.
If a data conflict occurs, the templated journal entry is not posted, and the system records the problem in the Result column. You must correct the problem before attempting to post again.
Click Back to return to the Journal Entry Templates page.
Fields and Descriptions
The following fields appear in the New Journal Entry Template page that is used to create templates. Most of these fields also appear in the pages used to list, maintain, and post journal entry templates.
Header Information Section
Use the fields in this section to identify the template.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Template Type | Determines the method for distributing the funds specified in journal entries.
|
Entered By | Read-only field displays your User ID. This field does not appear if you selected P - Percentage in the Template Type field. |
Control Number | A number or code for grouping this with other journal entries. This field does not appear if you selected P - Percentage in the Template Type field. If you select the Continuous checkbox and enter two or more journal entries, the control number continues to display for subsequent entries. If needed, you may enter a different number. The limit is eight characters. |
J E Number | Number identifying the journal entry.
The limit is eight characters. |
Description | Brief description of the journal entry. The limit is 25 characters. |
Distributions Section (untitled)
Use the fields in this section to record the debits and credits associated with the journal entry.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
*Budget Unit* and *Account* or *Account Number* | Enter the budget unit and account, or if your organization uses Full Account Structure (FAS) the account number, for the journal entry. The column label is assigned in the Fund Accounting profile. |
Title | The ledger title populates when you tab through the field. |
*Project* | If you use project accounting, enter the project. The field is not required. The column label is assigned in the Fund Accounting profile. |
Account | If you use project accounting, enter the project account. The field is not required. |
Debit Amount | Dollar and cents amount of the debit. |
Credit Amount | Dollar and cents amount of the credit. |
Description | Enter a description for the credit or debit amount. The field is not required. The limit is 25 characters. |
Totals Section (untitled)
The following read-only fields appear below the Distributions section:
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Total Debits | Sum of all debits entered to this point. |
Total Credits | Sum of all credits entered to this point. |
The total debits and credits must balance to save the template. If an entry includes multiple funds and the Fund Accounting Profile's Auto Balance Journal Entries field is not selected, each fund's debits and credits must balance.