If you’ve ever needed to post an out-of-the-ordinary GL posting, chances are that an automatic journal tweak would be sufficient to take care of it.

In most ERP systems, module set-up screens have a placeholder that allows you to define precisely where a specific transaction will post. For example, a customer invoice will post to the accounts receivable account defined in the AR module set-up screen and a receipt of goods will post to the stock account defined at the inventory module level.

But what if you decide to expand internationally? Do you plan to have separate accounting systems for each country? What if you sell widgets and one day the chief operations officer says she wants to start tracking widget returns – broken down by reason for return? Obviously, you’ll issue credit memos for the returns, but because now you need two transaction types, will you have to select the correct transaction manually?

The biggest issue, of course, is that how you do accounting in Russia is very different from how you do accounting in Angola. Automatic journals easily manage those specificities.

Automatic journals ensure that your account entries are for the correct amount of money in the correct period of the correct account across the board. For example, if you backdate a repayment to three days ago, the corresponding journal entry will also be backdated to three days ago – with no input from you.

Automatic journaling is also helpful in IT. If, for example, you have multiple users making changes in your ERP system, the database can get “clogged” while the system verifies each change. An automatic journal allows those items to “backfill” into the database and populate when the system is ready. It also provides a backup in case of a situation such as a sudden power loss.

Sage Enterprise Management (formerly Sage X3) is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software suite designed for mid-market companies. It offers functionalities for the unique processes and challenges manufacturing and distribution companies face, including automatic journal entries, in one convenient package.

Without automatic journals, calculating your balance sheets at the end of each budget period with any level of accuracy will be difficult. For more information about automatic journals and how Sage Enterprise Management can help you, contact us today.