Setting Up Optional Fields

Note: You must install Transaction Analysis and Optional Field Creator before you can use optional fields.

You add optional field records to define additional information to keep with Purchase Orders transactions and transaction details. More...

You must use the same optional fields for transactions in Purchase Orders, Accounts Payable, and General Ledger if you want to pass optional field information from Purchase Orders transactions to Accounts Payable when you create A/P invoice batches and to General Ledger when you create batches for G/L transactions.

Similarly, you must define the same fields for transaction details as you define for additional costs and item records if you want information from costs and items to appear by default in transactions. (Items are used only if you do not have Sage 300 Inventory Control.)

For more overview information, see About Optional Fields and About Entering Optional Data on Transactions.

  • Determine which optional fields you need in Purchase Orders.
  • Decide which optional field information you want to pass to other ledgers with item records and with G/L transactions to the general ledger.
  • If the optional fields you need have not been added to Sage 300, use the Optional Fields screen in Common Services to add them.

To set up optional fields Purchase Orders transactions and transactions details:

  1. Open Purchase Orders > P/O Setup > Optional Fields.

    For more information, see P/O Optional Fields Screen .

  2. From the Optional Fields For list, select a transaction type.
  3. Click in the optional field entry table, and then press the Insert key to start a new line.
  4. Enter information for each optional field you are adding to the record, transaction, or transaction detail, as follows:
    1. In the Optional Field column, click the Finder or press F5, and then select an optional field from the Finder list.

      Tip: For optional field information to flow through all transactions in the purchasing process, you must add the same fields to each record. For the information to flow to Accounts Payable and General Ledger, also, you must use identical optional fields for transactions and transaction details in Purchase Orders and in Accounts Payable as you use for accounts and transaction details in General Ledger.

    2. To set a default value for the optional field:
    3. Double-click in the Value Set column to change it to Yes. More...

      The Value Set field alerts the data entry clerk that a seemingly blank optional field actually has an entry. By looking at the Value field, you cannot tell whether it has a “blank” default value or no value at all.

    4. Type or select the value to appear as the default for each optional field. More...

      If the optional field you selected requires validation, you must select a value that is defined for the optional field in Common Services. If the optional field allows blanks, you can leave the default value field blank.

      If the optional field does not use validation, you select a value that is defined for the optional field in Common Services or leave the field blank.

      Note: The entry must be consistent with the type of field (text, number, date, amount, and so on) and must not exceed the number of characters specified for the optional field. In a Yes/No field, you can enter only Yes or No.

    5. To make the optional field mandatory, double-click in the Required column. More...

      During data entry, if an optional field is required, but does not have a default value, you must fill in the field before you can proceed. If the optional field has a default value, you can accept the value that appears, or assign a different one.

    6. If you want the optional field and its default value to appear automatically in new records and transactions, select Yes in the Auto Insert column.

      Note: If the field is a required field, the Auto Insert field changes to Yes.

    7. Click the Settings button, if is available, and then specify which optional fields to send to other Sage 300 subledgers and which to include in transactions sent to General Ledger.

      Tip: Send to General Ledger only optional fields that are used for financial analysis, and only to the accounts where they are required. For more information, see P/O Optional Fields Screen .

    8. Click Save.
  • Use the Optional Fields screen in General Ledger to add optional fields to G/L transaction details, if you are passing optional fields from P/O transaction details to G/L.
  • Use the Optional Fields screen in Inventory Control if you want to add optional fields associated with I/C items to transaction details.