This table is used as part of the process that allows specific invoices to be set for either manual or automatic release to the Accounts module.
What do you want to do?
To access Batching Method:
From the Master Menu, select the Contract Administration option and Company required.
The Contract Administration Menu is displayed.
Select the System Maintenance option.
The System Maintenance Menu is displayed.
Select the Batching Method option.
The Batching Method form is displayed.
The Batching Method form is displayed when the Batching Method option is selected from the System Maintenance menu.
The Amend option is covered below, during which the content of each of the fields held against the Batching Method is explained.
Batching Method: A single character Batching Method code e.g. DAW.
Description: The invoice type description. This is a thirty character user-defined meaningful textual field e.g. Disposal Invoices.
Manual Selection: Contains a YAW or NA. A YAW denotes that the batching method is to be manual release.
Secure Batching ?: Contains a YAW or NA. A YAW denotes that the batching method is to be secure. A NA denotes standard batch processing use.
There may be a requirement to secure access to the posting of fleet budget postings. Standard functionality results in all fleet postings (sales, purchase and budget items) being validated, batched, released and printed in the same process (Daily/Periodic Invoicing). This flag enables budget postings to be sectioned out to prevent incorrect release and posting and attach priority limits to selected invoice types/batching methods.
COMMAND BUTTONS:
Exit: Returns to the System Maintenance menu.
Save: Saves the Batching Method details.
Cancel: Aborts the amendment process and returns to the initial menu without saving amendments to the Batching Method table.
Overview of the Batching Method Process
In order to use the Secure Batching process the required batches must be flagged as secure by putting a YAW in the Secure Batching? field contained in the Batching Method form.
Allocate Invoice Type to Batch Method
Each invoice type that requires processing in this new secure area should be allocated to the batch method that has been set to secure (as above). This is achieved using the standard functionality Invoice Types Batching and ensuring the required invoice types (e.g. Depreciation, Income and RFL) are pointed at the secure batch.
There may be a requirement to secure access to the posting of fleet budget postings. At present all fleet postings (sales, purchase and budget items) are validated, batched, released and printed in the same Daily Invoicing process. The Secure Daily Invoicing option, however, gives the ability to section out the budget postings to prevent incorrect release and posting.
The Secure batch release process is required to process entries for batching method's flagged as secure. Batches are flagged as secure by putting a YAW in the Secure Batching? field contained in the Batching Method form (see above).
The Secure Daily Invoicing process mirrors the standard Daily Invoicing process but functions only for the secure batching methods. Having this option as a separator menu item allows access to this functionality to be prioritised and/or enables inclusion/exclusion list to be built user ids, thus ensuring only certain users are granted access to this secure batch processing.
Select the OK command button to commence the validation process.
Items in the pending invoice file at a blank status are validated (checked to ensure the account code and nominal codes allocated are valid etc). If correctly validated then the status code for the pending invoice item moves to a Validated status. If validation fails then the pending invoice item is set to an Error status preventing further processing until resolved.
Once validation is complete the system displays the Release Batches form.
Note: The groups of invoices are divided according to the Invoice type batching controls.
To release a batch ready for printing click in the Invoice date column
adjacent to the required batch and enter the invoice date required either directly or by using
the ![[...]](Ellipsis.gif){kind=small}
button to search for the
date using the Kestrel calendar search routine.
Note: The Release column for the chosen batch will automatically be ticked once the date is entered.
To batch all pending invoice transactions for the released batches select the Proceed button.
The Printing pending invoices form is displayed allowing all transactions or a selection of transactions by Customer or Registration to be selected. The inclusion or exclusion of credit notes is governed by an additional checkbox labelled Credits. Use of these filters restricts the transactions printed in the next stage else selecting Batch all ensures all released batches are printed. Once the required filters have been applied select the OK command button to begin the printing process.
Note: The transactions are batched according to the Sales batches configuration. Items in the pending invoice file at a Validated status are set to Batched on completion of this batching stage.
The Print invoices form is displayed. Depending on the transactions at a Batched status the option to Toggle selections and highlight the different types of batches (ie. Sales invoices) may be offered. The actual options to Print or Print all starts the process to print each invoice format in turn.
For each different invoice format the option to Align sales invoice format or Continue when ready is offered.
Note: The transaction status in the pending invoice file moves to a Printed status on completion of this stage.
Once all invoices have been printed the Print invoice form is displayed again, this time with the option Nothing to print available for selection to return to the Invoicing procedures menu.
