You gain an advantage by using reference numbers for data entry because of the additional information provided by the Reference Summary, G/L Detail, and Transaction History tables. Which information will you use to update these tables?  How will you use this information? Think of the final product (a report), the information you need to see on that report, the journals that contain this information, and the method by which these costs are captured. These processes, and the manner in which they update the Reference Summary table, should become the primary focus of your initialization strategy. The exact data contained in the Reference Summary table is critical, because this table will become the primary reporting repository for your financial reports.

For example, you may need to see only revenue and cost information by reference number. Or maybe you need only to see sales numbers by product. Perhaps you plan to provide full financial reporting by reference number and therefore need all journals to post by reference number. You need to determine the information you need to store in the Reference Summary table before planning your initialization, so that only that data updates the table. In the first example in this paragraph, only revenue and expense data needs to be stored by reference number. Therefore, you do not need to initialize accrued sales or payroll tax liabilities with default reference numbers, because this data is not used. In the second example in this paragraph, only sales information is required. Therefore, you do not need to initialize default A/P, Payroll, or Cash Receipt Account/Reference Numbers, because you do not need this data posted to the Reference Summary. You can, of course, update the Reference Summary table with all postings from all modules. However, the initialization process then becomes far more time-consuming, and the table becomes much larger.

The length of the first segment must be the same for all reference numbers. After you enter a reference number, you cannot change this length. Also, enter the headings to be used for the reference number fields in data entry screens.

Keep in mind the levels at which you need to track and report on information. Do you need to display data at multiple levels for detail and roll up reports, or can your structure be relatively flat? Enter the top-level reference number and name. That number must match the length specified on the Configure General Ledger Settings screen. Also specify the number of levels and the segment length of lower-level reference numbers. Be sure to select the Use in Data Entry check box on the Manage Reference Structures screen.

Do not link the reference numbers to account/organization combinations.

Initialize only the beginning balances as of the beginning of the fiscal year. If you are initializing later in the fiscal year, use journal entries to enter reference number beginning balances.

For example, if you plan to use reference numbers to track accounts receivable discounts and finance charges associated with different types of customers, you must initialize the Default Accts subtask of the Manage Customers screen. The programs that accrue finance charges and post customer billings use that information to post these amounts.

Depending on how you use reference numbers, you may not need to initialize all settings and maintenance screens. In an earlier example, Reference Number 1 was used for tracking sales by product line. In this case, you are interested only in revenue amounts. Therefore, the only data that you need to post to the Reference Summary table is sales information associated with a particular product. As a result, you must initialize the default sales account in the Customer table with reference number data, because that data is used for posting of product sales. However, you are not interested in seeing balance sheet information, such as payroll or sales tax accruals for this product line. Therefore, you do not need to initialize tables used to post payroll and sales tax.

The following is a list of maintenance screens and settings that you may need to initialize if you want to use reference numbers for data entry:

• Manage Cost Pools
• Configure Accounts Receivable Settings
• Manage Transfer Accounts
• CLINs: Project Unit Pricing
• Manage Product Price Catalogs
• Manage Customers
• Configure Accounts Payable Voucher Settings
• Manage Vendors
• Manage Taxable Sales Accounts
• Configure Payroll Settings
• Manage Employee Information User
• Manage Employee Proj-Acct-Group Timesheet Defaults
• Manage Labor-Group Proj-Acct-Group Timesheet Defaults