About Entering Current and Historical Transactions

You can view statistical information for customer accounts, items, and salespersons for the current year and for all the previous years for which you retain this data. You add historical information during setup. Every time you post transactions, the statistics are automatically updated.

To have Accounts Receivable track statistics, select the Keep Statistics option on the Processing tab of the A/R Options screen. In order to make changes to the statistics, also select the Allow Edit of Statistics option.

To properly set up your Accounts Receivable system, you must enter and post the current-year opening balances in your customer accounts. If you set up partway through a fiscal year, you must also enter and post figures for the current year, up to the present date, and all outstanding transactions. If you want to display and print reports of previous-year data, you must enter those figures during setup as well.

Entering Opening Balances in Customer Accounts

Once you create customer records, you need to establish your fiscal-year opening balances by either:

• Entering all uncompleted invoices from the previous year as well as all receipts.
• Creating the opening balances in your customer accounts by entering net outstanding balances as invoices in the A/R Invoice Entry screen, then posting them to the first date of the current fiscal year.

Entering Current-Year Transactions

When you set up an Accounts Receivable system partway through a fiscal year, you must enter the transaction data for the current year to date. You can enter the data directly in Accounts Receivable.

You can use any of the following method to add current-year transactions:

• Enter data directly in Accounts Receivable.

• Import data, then post it using one of the following methods:

  • Post all the current-year transactions, one at a time, period by period.

    This method provides full detail for current-year transactions.

  • Post all the transactions for the current period, and the net changes in each customer's invoice and receipt totals for each of the earlier periods in the current year.

    This method provides full detail for current-period transactions, and creates accurate balances for previous periods in the current year.

  • Post the net changes in each customer's invoice and receipt totals for each of the periods in the current year.

    This method produces accurate balances for each account in each period of the current year, but does not provide transaction detail for the audit trail reports.

  • Post the net change between the opening and current balances for each customer account.

    This is the quickest method of entering the data, but it does not provide transaction detail for audit trail reports.

Entering Historical (Previous-Year) Data

When you set up a new Accounts Receivable system, you can enter sales history for previous years, including figures for customer groups, national accounts, customers, and salespersons, and items.

Note: In order to edit the statistics for the periods and fiscal year specified on the Processing tab of the A/R Options Screen, you must select the Allow Edit of Statistics option.

You can use one of the following methods to add historical data:

• Enter data directly in Accounts Receivable.
• Import data.

You can enter the figures by the periods and years specified on the Processing tab of the A/R Options screen. For more information, see A/R Options Screen.

You can review and change the statistics on the customer, item, and salesperson screens. You can also print reports about customer transactions that were posted during a particular period.

If you do not need historical data right away, you do not have to add it when you set up an Accounts Receivable system. Each time you post transactions, the statistics are automatically updated.

Entering Customer Statistics for Previous Years

For each customer, customer group, and national account, you can view and edit the amount and number of:

• Invoices
• Receipts
• Discounts
• Credit notes
• Debit notes
• Adjustments
• Write-offs
• Interest charges
• Returned checks
• Total invoices paid
• Refunds

For customers and national accounts, you can also view and edit the:

• Amount and date of the highest balance
• Largest invoice for the current year and previous year
• Amount and date of the last:
  • Invoice
  • Receipt
  • Credit note
  • Debit note
  • Adjustment
  • Write-off
  • Interest charge
  • Returned check
  • Discount
  • Refund
• Total days to pay
• Average days to pay
• Total number of open invoices

Entering Salesperson Statistics for Previous Years

You view and edit the following transactions that were posted for the salesperson on the Statistics tab of the Salespersons screen:

• Invoices
• Receipts
• Credit notes
• Debit notes
• Discounts
• Write-offs