Contents of the Import Purchase Order Vouchers Screen

Use the fields and options to configure the Import Purchase Order Vouchers screen.

Identification

Use the fields in this block to create a new parameter ID or to retrieve a previously saved parameter ID. A parameter ID represents a set of screen selection parameters. After you have saved a parameter ID and its related parameters, you can retrieve them using Query.

You can use the retrieved parameters to produce reports and run processes more efficiently and with greater consistency. The saved parameters are also useful and necessary when you want to run the process as part of a batch job. Many users save a unique set of parameters for each different way they run a report or process. When you select a previously saved parameter ID or parameter description, the associated saved screen selection parameters automatically display as selection defaults. The page setup and print options, if there are any, are also included in the saved parameter ID. You can change any of the associated selection defaults as necessary.

Field Description
Parameter ID

Enter, or click to select, a parameter ID of up to 15 alphanumeric characters. Choose characters for your parameter ID that help identify the type of selections you made on the screen, such as PERIOD or QUARTERLY.

When you save your record, all the selections made on the screen are stored with the parameter ID. Later, you can retrieve the parameter using Query.

You can use the parameter to run the process more efficiently because you can select the parameter ID with its previously defined screen selections. After the default selections display on the screen, you can override the defaults.

Description

Enter, or click to select, a parameter description of up to 30 alphanumeric characters.

Options

Use this group box to specify all the information needed to import purchase order vouchers from your input file into Costpoint.

Input File

Use the fields in this group box to specify the data source file and its format. See Input Files for detailed information about file layouts and formatting requirements.

Field Description
Format

From the drop-down list, select the format of the input file:

  • Fixed Length ASCII File: Fixed-length files do not have delimiters to separate fields. Instead, each field in the file must contain the exact number of characters specified in the file layout. See Input Files for more information.
  • Delimited ASCII File: Delimited files use a specified character, often a comma, to separate fields. Use the File Delimiter option to specify the character. Note that the fields must still be in the order described in the input file layout. See Input Files for more information.
File Delimiter

If you select the Delimited ASCII File setting for the Format, use this drop-down list box to specify the file delimiter:

  • Comma: Select this option if the fields in the input file are separated by commas.
  • Other: If the fields in the input file are separated by some character other than a comma, select this option and then enter the character in the unlabeled field to the right of this drop-down list box.
File Location

Enter the location of the input file you are importing. There are two ways to do this:

  • In the File Location field, enter, or click to select, the alternate file location where the input file is located. Alternate file locations are set up in the Manage Alternate File Locations screen.
  • From the Global Menu, click Process > File Upload. On the File Upload Manager dialog box, click Browse and use the dialog box to select the file you want to import. If you select the Overwrite? check box, Costpoint will overwrite any file of the same name that already exists in the Costpoint database. Click Upload when you are finished. If you use this method, leave the File Location field blank. For more information about the File Upload Manager, see the File Upload Manager topic in the Getting Started Guide.
File Name

Use this field to enter, or click to select, the input file you want to use. Your input file records can be one of the following types:

  • PO Voucher Header: The information in this file populates the Voucher Header (VCHR_HDR) table.
  • PO Voucher Line: The information in this file populates the Voucher Lines (VCHR_LN) table and its child table, Voucher Line Account (VCHR_LN_ACCT) if the PO voucher line account input file is not available.
  • PO Voucher Line Account: The information in this file populates the Voucher Line Account (VCHR_LN_ACCT) table. It allows you to load multiple charge numbers for a single voucher line. This file type is optional.
  • PO Voucher Vendor Labor: The information in this file populates the Voucher Vendor Labor (VCHR_LAB_VEND) table. This file type is optional.
Note: You can process input files simultaneously. Costpoint renames input files with an extension of .OLD after processing.

Accounting Period

Use the fields in this group box to select a default accounting period you want to use when the PO voucher header input file does not provide an accounting period for the voucher. If the PO voucher header input file does not provide an accounting period, and you do not establish a default accounting period with these fields, Costpoint uses the invoice date to determine the accounting period.

Field Description
Fiscal Year

Use this field to enter, or use to select, the fiscal year for the default accounting period. If you select a fiscal year, you must also select a period and subperiod.

Period

Use this field to enter, or use to select, a period from the selected fiscal year. You must select a fiscal year before you can select a period.

Subperiod

Use this field to enter, or use to select, a subperiod from the selected fiscal year and period. You must select a fiscal year and period before you can select a subperiod.

Starting Voucher Number

Use this field to enter a default starting voucher number you want to use when the PO voucher header input file does not provide a voucher number for the voucher, and the Voucher Number Method on the Configure Accounts Payable Voucher Settings screen is Manual. The number you enter must be low enough to accommodate all purchase order vouchers without numbers that are included in the input file; you cannot exceed 999,999,999.

If the purchase order voucher header does not have a voucher number and the Voucher Number Method on the Configure Accounts Payable Voucher Settings screen is System, Costpoint assigns voucher numbers automatically. If you enter a number in this field, this number overrides the number that Costpoint would normally assign.

If there are multiple vouchers within an input file, Costpoint assigns voucher numbers, based on the value you enter in this field plus 1, for subsequent vouchers that do not have voucher numbers in the input file records. If the derived voucher number is already used for a prior created voucher or exists in the VCHR_HDR or VCHR_HDR_HS table, Costpoint skips that number and increments the value you enter in this field by another 1, and so on until a unique voucher number for the user's company and PO voucher fiscal year is obtained.

The number you enter in this field does not affect the Last System Voucher Number field on the Configure Accounts Payable Voucher Settings screen, which is updated when Costpoint assigns voucher numbers automatically based on the preferences on the Configure Purchase Order Voucher Settings screen.

If there is no voucher number in the voucher header or in this field, and if Costpoint does not assign voucher numbers automatically, the voucher record is flagged with an error.

Default Organization Source

Use this drop-down list box to select how Costpoint determines the default organization for records in the input file that specify accounts but do not specify an organization. You can select one of the following options:

  • PO Line Organization: Select this option to use the organization from the first purchase order line account row in the referenced purchase order line. If a purchase order line is not referenced, the information is taken from the first purchase order line.
  • Project Owning Organization: Select this option to use the input file project to determine the organization. If there is no project in the input file, the organization associated with the first purchase order line account row for the referenced purchase order line is used.
Note: This option is disabled if the Charge Code Change check box is cleared in the Allow group box on the Configure Purchase Order Voucher Settings screen.
Input Error Handling

Use this drop-down list box to select how Costpoint must proceed if an error occurs. The following options are available:

  • Process Valid Vouchers: Select this option if you want Costpoint to list the error in the error file and continue to process all vouchers that do not have errors.
  • Process None: Select this option if you want Costpoint to stop processing any vouchers in the input file, continue to validate all voucher records, and list all in the error file.
Expand Segmented IDs

Select this check box to insert zeros or spaces automatically as needed to expand project, account, organization, and reference ID segments in the input file that do not have enough characters. The preprocessor requires that all populated segments of these fields contain the maximum number of characters defined for that segment. Unpopulated segments do not have to be filled. Field segments are expanded as follows:

  • If the field contains only numeric characters, Costpoint adds zeros to the left of the number until the required field length is reached. For example, if the project structure is '4.3.2', then the expansion of '1003.1.1' results in a project ID of '1003.001.01'.  
  • If the field contains any non-numeric characters, Costpoint adds spaces to the right of the number until the required field length is reached. For example, if the organization structure is '1.5.5.6', then the expansion of 'F.G.1' results in an organization ID of 'F.G    .00001', where the G is followed by four spaces.
Note: Project ID segments cannot contain spaces. If a project ID segment contains any non-numeric characters, no expansion is possible.
Sales Tax Included in Vendor Labor Amounts

Select this check box if vendor labor amounts in the PO voucher labor input file include sales tax.

If you select this check box and sales tax or value added tax (VAT) applies to the voucher line, Costpoint uses the vendor labor amount in the input file to calculate the vendor labor amount and the sales tax amount. If the sum of all calculated (pre-tax) vendor labor amounts does not equal the sum of all extended amounts, Costpoint displays an error message.

For example, if the input file amount (included tax) is 550 and the tax rate is 10%, the vendor amount (excluded tax) is calculated as [550/(1 +0.1)] = 500, and the tax amount is calculated as (500x0.1) = 50.

Print error messages for vouchers that are discrepant, but not over discrepancy limit

Select this check box to print error messages for vouchers with discrepancies.

Payment

Use this group box to specify payment/manual check, pay vendor, and associated A/P and cash account information.

Pay Vendor Information

Use this group box to specify pay vendor and check information.

Field Description
Pay Vendor

Use this field to enter, or use to select, the pay vendor to override any pay vendor associated with the purchase order vendors. You can process multiple vouchers even if the purchase orders have different pay vendors. If the input file has multiple vouchers, Costpoint uses the accounts payable (A/P) and cash accounts entered in this group box for processing. If you do not data in this field, Costpoint uses the pay vendor and related information associated with the vouchers.

Note: If the Allow Different Pay Vendor check box is not selected on the Configure Vendor Settings screen, this field is disabled. 

If the Allow Edits to Pay Vendor on Voucher check box is not selected in the Defaults tab of the Manage Vendor screen for the PO vendor, and the pay vendor that you enter in this field is different from that on the purchase order, Costpoint generates a process validation error message.

Pay Vendor Name

This field displays the descriptive name of the vendor that you specify in the Pay Vendor field.

Cash Acct Desc

You must populate this field if you populated the Pay Vendor field. Use this field to enter, or use to select, a cash account description from which account information is used for posting the created vouchers to the general ledger.

A/P Acct Desc

You must populate this field if you populated the Pay Vendor field. Use this field to enter, or use to select, an A/P account description from which account information is used for posting the created vouchers to the general ledger.

Note: If you specify a vendor in the Pay Vendor field, you must populate the Cash Acct Desc and A/P Acct Desc fields with valid accounts. Cash account and A/P account values can also exist for the vendor on the Defaults tab of the Manage Vendors screen. If you leave the Pay Vendor field blank, the Cash Acct Desc and A/P Acct Desc fields are disabled and multiple vouchers are processed using the existing cash and A/P accounts associated with each purchase order voucher.

Check Information

Use the fields in this group box to enter the check number and cash disbursement posting information for this purchase order voucher. 

Field Description
Check Number

Use this field to enter the check number that was paid against this batch of vouchers. You can record only one manual check for the vouchers in this screen. If you enter a value in this field, you must also enter data in the Check Date, Check Amount, Fiscal Year, Period, and Subperiod fields.

Note: If you issued more than one manual check for a voucher, enter a check's information in each field in this screen, post the voucher, and then record the other check(s) on the Manage Manual Checks screen. Depending on your preferences, you may find it useful to post the voucher and record all manual checks for the voucher on the Manage Manual Checks screen.
Check Date

Use this field to enter the date on which the check was issued.

Check Amount

Use this field to enter the amount of the check that was paid against this batch of vouchers in this optional field. If you used a manual check to pay multiple vouchers, the application records each portion/amount of the manual check separately against each individual voucher that was paid from that check.

For example, if a check paid two vouchers, one for $1,000 and one for $50, the total amount of the check is $1,050. However, when the manual check is recorded, the check amount is $1,000 for the first voucher, and $50 for the second voucher. Note that each voucher can have more than one voucher line. For example, the $50 voucher may consist of voucher lines for $10, $19, and $21.

The check amount cannot be greater than the sum of all voucher net amounts created within that batch. If the check amount is less than the sum of the voucher amounts (for example, to allow for partial payment), Costpoint displays a warning message during process validation. If multiple vouchers are processed referencing the same check number, each voucher stores only the associated portion of that total check amount.

If you leave this field blank and you enter a value in the Check Number field, the process assigns a check amount that is determined by the sum of all voucher net amounts processed in that batch.

Fiscal Year

Use this field to enter, or use to select, the fiscal year in which to record the check.

Period

Use this field to enter, or use to select, the period in which to record the check.

Subperiod

Use this field to enter, or use to select, the subperiod in which to record the check.