Utilizing Posting Templates and Recurring Posting

• Imagine that you are implementing SAP Business One at a new customer.
• The accountant tells you that she manually records two types of journal entry every month.
• The first is a rent transaction with a fixed amount.
• The second is a bonus payout for the sales employees. Each employee receives a fix percentage of the monthly revenue.
• You show her the Recurring Posting and Posting Template tools that can make the process more efficient.

SAP Business One features a recurring postings function for similar, fixed amount journal entries created on a regular basis.

Recurring postings use a template that is stored with a code and a description. In this template, you define, among other things, the frequency in which the journal entry is supposed to be created and a validity date until when the recurring posting is valid.

To define a recurring posting template type, use the Recurring Postings window in the Financials module.

The system duplicates the original recurring posting (instance 0) every time the execution date arrives and presents a report recommending you post the transactions that are due. Once you use this instance and add it to the system, it will be deleted.

You can set the system to display all the recurring transactions available for processing on today's date when you log in. This setting is made in the General Settings window under System Initialization in the Administration module. On the Services tab, select the Display Recurring Postings on Execution checkbox.

Note that you can add recurring postings to the cash flow, which appear in green in the report.

• You have a few options when you set up a recurring posting.
• You can set the frequency for how often the posting will occur.
• You can choose a frequency from a frequency list.
• You can also set a validity date for the posting which specifies the last possible date a posting can be made.
• If you do not wish to post on a regular basis, you also have an option to set up a recurring posting as a template to be used as needed.
• You can create these recurring postings in advance. Set the status to Not executed yet until you need to begin the postings. This status can also be used to turn off a recurring posting.

You can create posting templates for journal entries that have a very similar structure.

To define a percentage template type, use the Posting Templates window in the Financials module.

These templates can contain account numbers, but you can also just specify an account description in a line item if you do not yet know which exact account will be used for this line item.

Instead of fixed amounts, only percentages are entered here. These percentages indicate how the total amount is distributed among the line items.

The illustration shows an example of how you can allocate a utility expense, like the electric bill, to its component expenses at a specific percentage rate.

The posting template is stored under a code and with a description.

Then, when you enter a journal entry manually, you can choose the Percentage template type and the relevant template, enter an amount in one of the line items and the template will allocate the amounts to the other lines based on the percentage rate you have defined.

Use the Cancel Template option to enter amounts without the auto calculation.

Here are some key points to take away:

• There are two types of manual journal entry templates.
• You create a posting template with percentages for journal entries that have a very similar structure. You can then choose this posting template in a journal entry you enter manually.
• You create a recurring posting for similar, fixed amount journal entries created on a regular basis. You can set the frequency for how often the posting will occur. The system presents a report recommending you to post the transactions that are due when you logon to the system.