This menu option is for creating or amending department codes,[or cost centres as they are referred to from an Autoline perspective].
To access the option:
From the Autoline Master menu select the Nominal Ledger option and the company you require.
The Nominal Ledger menu is displayed.
Select the Add/Modify Cost Centres option.
The Add/Modify Cost Centres form is displayed.
Create: To create a Cost Centre you must ensure that you enter
a number that has not been used. You can search for all existing cost
centres to ensure that this is the case by clicking the Cost centre Ellipsis button ![[...]](Ellipsis.gif){kind=small}
.
The following fields are available on the cost centre record. Some are mandatory and some are not but ensure that you complete each field with as much detail as possible.
Short Name: This field holds a short version of the cost centre name, i.e. LIVER for Liverpool Office.
The short name field is a vital one. It can contain eight alphabetic or numeric characters. You can use it elsewhere in Autoline to find a cost centre with the search facility.
To do this, however, you must follow a consistent policy on short names from initial creation. Autoline is always sensitive to the difference in case.
Description: A thirty-character alpha/numeric description of the cost centre code.
User-defined code: This code is , as it suggests, a description definable by the user to offer more meaningful detail if required, hence is not mandatory.
M/A Code: The Management Account code is of the same format as the cost code, and the field defaults to the value of the cost code being created. This field may be overwritten and a Management Account cost centre code of your choice entered, possibly to give some form of consolidation for budgeting.
External System Code: When another system has been used prior to, or in conjunction with Autoline,an additional code can be assigned to the cost centre for cross reference.
M/A analysis code: The Management Account analysis code may contain up to sixteen alpha/numeric characters and forms the basis of an additional hierarchical analysis in the Management Accounts.
Cost Centre Group: Cost Centre codes can be grouped for analysis purposes, independently of the analysis in Management Accounts. You may set these up in the Cost centre groups option in the Miscellaneous menu. At least one group must be set up before cost centre codes can be entered.
There is another use of the groups as described under the heading "Cost Centre and Expense Code Groups".
There is a search option here, available by clicking the
button.
Accounting division: A two-character code which, if used, enables divisionalized accounting of the Nominal Ledger. This facility gives divisional analysis whilst retaining one accounts company.
Once created, code details may be displayed, amended or deleted by
entering the code number. Once the code entered the action buttons
are enabled. There is a search option here, available by clicking the
Ellipsis button
When you have finished inputting all of the various fields on the form click the Create button. A dialog box will appear with the options to Continue or to Create valid-accounts. At this stage you can:
Select Continue and then click the OK button. This will create a new cost centre.
Select Create valid-accounts and then click the OK button. This will verify that the cost centre you are setting up is a valid one.
Click the Cancel button. This will return you to the Nominal Ledger cost centres form without creating a new cost centre.
To Amend a cost centre:
From the master menu select the Nominal Ledger option and the company you require.
Select the Add/modify cost centres option.
The NL cost centres form is displayed.
Click the Cost Centre Ellipsis button search facility and find the cost centre that you are going to amend.
Click the Amend button.
BUTTONS
Amend: Once details have been amended they may be retained by clicking the Save button.
Delete: This option allows you to delete a cost code if no Nominal Ledger account numbers exist for it. This means that, before a cost code can be deleted, the Nominal Ledger account numbers that use that cost code must be cleared and deleted.
Note: Deletion of the record must be confirmed by clicking the Delete button.
