Defining Document Sequencing

This chapter provides an overview of document sequencing and discusses how to:

• Set up a system for document sequencing.

• Use document sequencing.

Understanding Document Sequencing

Statutory legal requirements in some countries require the classification of all financial transactions—generated by source documents, such as invoices or vouchers—into different transaction types. Within each transaction type, financial transactions must also be numbered sequentially. The document sequencing feature maintains these business practices by meeting both requirements.

Document sequencing is available for documents that are created either online or through background (batch) processing. When you activate document sequencing, the PeopleSoft system automatically assigns a sequence number to each document (invoice, voucher, journal, and so on) that you create. You can also enter sequence numbers manually. When the document is posted, the document sequence number is carried forward to the set of accounting transactions generated from the document. When you delete, change, or unpost a document, the document sequencing feature assigns a new sequence number to each set of accounting transactions generated from the delete, change, or unpost action for that document.

Hierarchy of financial transactions

A financial transaction is categorized into three hierarchical levels:

• Journal types—such as assets, sales, purchases, or financial journals—are the highest category level.

• Journal codes subdivide journal types and are assigned to only one journal type, for example, subdividing the sales journal into domestic sales and export sales.

• Document types, located within journal codes, are assigned to only one journal code.

Document sequencing occurs at either the journal code level or the document type level within a journal code. If sequencing occurs at the journal code level, all document types within a journal code share the same sequence number range. If sequencing occurs at the document type level, each document type has its own sequence number range. You can reset document sequence numbers at the schedule that you define for each journal code and document type within a journal code. Because you can derive journal type and journal code values from the document type, document type is the only required field of these three in financial transactions.

This section lists common elements and discusses:

• How the system assigns sequence numbers.

• Document sequencing scenarios.

Common Elements in This Chapter

See Also

Common Elements Used in This PeopleBook

How the System Assigns Sequence Numbers

The system uses the following parameters to determine the next document sequence number:

If you create a document through background processing, the system assigns a sequence number based on the document that you predefined on the definition pages and SQR process request pages.

Document Sequencing Scenarios

There are two scenarios for assigning document sequence numbers. A document can be assigned a sequence number when it is initiated. It can also be assigned a sequence number when its journals are created through the Journal Generator process. In either case, the system populates document sequencing fields—Document Sequence Number, Document Sequence Date, and Document Sequence Status—to PeopleSoft Journal Header and PeopleSoft Journal Line tables, using the document type of the source document.

The following table illustrates how the system assigns document sequencing field values, depending on how the journals are created:

*Asset Management, Billing, Expenses, Payables, Receivables, and Treasury

** Cost Management, Inventory, Project Costing, and Purchasing

PeopleSoft applications use journal tables as the central repository for all document sequencing transactions. This is because all subsystems run their own posting processes and may create accounting entries from posting these financial transactions. If they create accounting entries, subsystems run the Journal Generator process to create journals from these accounting entries. Because all transaction records become journal lines in the Journal Line table, you can inquire on document sequencing values and generate a report.

After you create a journal, you can search by document sequence number on:

• The Create Journal Entries - Find an Existing Value search criteria page.

• The Review Journal Status - Find an Existing Value search criteria page.

• The Open Item Maintenance page.

• The Review Open Item Status page.

• The Review Financial Information - Journals - Journal Inquiry Criteria page.

The document sequence number for a journal also appears on:

• The Journal Entry Detail Report (FIN2001).

• The General Ledger Journal Report (FIN2002).

• The General Ledger Activity Report (GLS7002).

• The General Ledger Transaction Detail Report (GLS7005).

Setting Up a System for Document Sequencing

The system does not perform any document sequencing functions unless you select the Document Sequencing option on the Installation Options - Overall page. Once you enable document sequencing at the system level, activate it for designated General Ledger business units on the General Ledger Definition page.

Document sequencing uses the following components:

• Sequence Range (SEQ_RANGE)

• Journal Type (JRNL_TYPE)

• Journal Code (JRNL_CODE)

• Document Type (DOC_TYPE)

• Document Type Template (DOC_TYPE_TMPL)

See Defining Document Sequencing.

This section discusses how to:

• Specify a document sequence range.

• Define journal types.

• Define journal codes.

• Define document types.

• Define sequencing options for accounting entries.

See Also

Setting Overall Installation Options

Defining General Ledger Business Units

Pages Used to Set Up Document Sequencing

Specifying a Document Sequence Range

To specify a document sequence range:

1. Access the Document Sequence Range page.

2. Enter a Begin Date and End Date to search for document sequence ranges you have already defined. Click the search button to refresh the page with the data you requested. To ensure that only one range is used for each Accounting Date, the system does not allow an overlap in these fields.

3. Enter a Prefix.

   Document sequence numbers consist of a prefix and a number. The prefix may be alphanumeric, and you can leave this field blank. When combined, the prefix and number may not exceed 12 characters. If the total length has fewer than 12 characters, the system inserts zeros between the prefix and the number. For example, if the sequence number prefix is 97 and the number is 201, the sequence number is 970000000201.

4. Enter a valid Start # (start number) and End # (end number) for your document sequencing number range.

   Because the system defines each number range by a date range, it does not allow an overlap in sequence number ranges. Once a document is created and the system has assigned a sequence number, you cannot change the Start # because sequencing has already begun. However, you can change the End # if you have not assigned enough numbers to your range.

Defining Journal Types

To define a journal type:

1. Access the Journal Types page.

2. Enter either a numeric or character value to represent the journal type.

3. Select a Sequence By option to specify where the document sequencing is to take place—at the journal code level or the document type level (within the journal code).

   Note. When you first set up a journal type, all fields on the page are available. Once you enter a transaction record for journal type, and the system assigns a document sequence number (or validates the manual document sequence number) for the transaction, the Journal Type field and the Sequence By options become unavailable.

Defining Journal Codes

To define journal codes:

1. Access the Journal Code page.

2. Enter a Journal Code.

3. Select a Journal Type to define the category of financial transaction to which the journal code belongs.

   The Sequence By option that you defined for the selected journal type appears.

   Note. The Sequence Range field and Document Sequencing Type options are available on this page only if you specified journal code level sequencing on the Journal Type page. When you first set up a journal code, all fields on the page are available. Once you enter a transaction record for this journal code, and the system assigns a document sequence number (or validates the manual document sequence number) for the transaction, the Journal Code, Journal Type, Sequence Range, and Document Sequencing Type options become unavailable for entry.

Defining Document Types

To define document types:

1. Access the Document Type page.

2. Enter a Document Type that represents the business purpose of a financial transaction.

3. Select a Journal Code with which you associate the document type.

   The Journal Type and the Sequence By option that were defined for the selected journal code appear.

   Note. The Sequence Range field and Sequence Type options are available only if you specify document type level sequencing on the Journal Type page. When you first set up a document type, all fields on the page are available. Once you enter a transaction record for this document type, and the system assigns a document sequence number (or validates the manual document sequence number) for the transaction, the Document Type, Journal Code, Sequence Range, and Sequence Type options become unavailable.

Defining Sequencing Options for Accounting Entries

The system assigns document sequencing field values for accounting entries in different ways. If you post a document, and the system creates accounting entries, the system treats document sequencing field values in one of the following ways:

• For initiating (anchor) business unit accounting entries, the system carries document sequencing field values forward to the accounting entries and the Journal Generator process carries those field values to the journal lines.

• Interunit transactions are treated as separate documents — one for each business unit. Each document has its own document type and document sequence number. The system leaves the document sequencing field values blank for the interunit accounting entries (those entries belonging to other business units than the anchor business unit).

  The Journal Generator populates these fields with different values than the anchor business unit based on the document type that is defined in the Journal Generator template.

Defining Document Sequencing Options for Journal Generator Templates

The document type is stored in subsystems at the accounting line level. PeopleSoft General Ledger, however, stores the document type at both the journal header and journal line level.

The journal line document type always inherits the subsystem document type except when summarizations are involved, in which case the document type is left blank.

The Journal Generator process enables you to specify multiple document types for each journal template for accounting entries that share the same business unit, ledger group, journal template, and accounting date. The Journal Generator process then creates journals based on the document type value on the subsystem accounting entries.

For PeopleSoft applications that generate accounting entries, the document type value in the journal header is based on how you set up the Journal Generator Template. You can:

• Leave the Document Type Mapping fields blank on the Journal Generator Template - Defaults page and Journal Generator assigns the Default GL Document Type value that you enter on the same page.

  Refer to Journal ID 001 in the example that follows.

• Retain the subsystem document type values in the Journal Header. You must map each subsystem document type with itself.

  Refer to Journal ID 002 in the example that follows.

• Replace the subsystem values with new values for GL or summarize the entries. Map each source document type with a GL document type.

  If a source document type is not mapped, the value in the Default GL Document Type field is used. Refer to Journal ID 003 and 004 in the example that follows.

• Leave the Default GL Document Type field blank.

  An error is created when the journal is generated if the business unit is enabled for document sequencing. You can then correct the error by entering the document type manually on the Journal Header page.

See Understanding Document Sequencing.

See Defining Journal Generator Template Defaults.

This example illustrates journals that are created when a subsystem posts accounting entries where you mapped the document types of the subsystem to corresponding general ledger document types:

The Journal Generator process creates the following journals:

• Journal ID = 001, Doc Type = GL1 (value entered in the Default GL Document Type field where the Document Type Mapping field values are left blank on the Journal Generator Template - Defaults page) consists of accounting entries:

  BU	Ledger Group	Accounting Date	Journal Header Document Type	Account	Amount
  FRAE1	ACTUALS	May 1, 2005	GL1	200000	EUR 500
  FRAE1	ACTUALS	May 1, 2005	GL1	400000	EUR –500

• Journal ID = 002, Doc Type = AP2 (AP2 mapped to AP2 in Journal Generator Template - Defaults page) consists of accounting entries:

  BU	Ledger Group	Accounting Date	Journal Header Document Type	Account	Amount
  FRAE1	ACTUALS	May 1, 2005	AP2	200000	EUR 100
  FRAE1	ACTUALS	May 1, 2005	AP2	400000	EUR –100

• Journal ID = 003, Doc Type = GL2 (AP3 mapped to GL2 in the Journal Generator Template - Defaults page) consists of accounting entries:

  BU	Ledger Group	Accounting Date	GL Document Type	Account	Amount
  FRAE1	ACTUALS	May 1, 2005	GL2	200000	EUR 50
  FRAE1	ACTUALS	May 1, 2005	GL2	400000	EUR –50

• Journal ID = 004, Doc Type = GL3 (AP4 mapped to GL3 in the Journal Generator Template - Defaults page) consists of accounting entries:

  BU	Ledger Group	Accounting Date	GL Document Type	Account	Amount
  FRAE1	ACTUALS	May 1, 2005	GL3	200000	EUR 300
  FRAE1	ACTUALS	May 1, 2005	GL3	400000	EUR –300

See Also

Defining Journal Generator Template Defaults

Using Document Sequencing

If you generate documents online, you can specify several document sequencing values as you enter documents. If you generate documents as batch processes, the system does the sequencing automatically.

This section discusses how to:

• Enter document sequence numbers online.

• Modify a document.

Pages Used for Document Sequencing

Entering Document Sequence Numbers Online

To enter document sequence numbers online:

1. Access the Document Sequence page.

   Click the Search button to select a document type that you previously defined for financial transactions.

2. Enter a Document Sequence Number of up to 12 characters.

   You can access this field if you specified on either the Journal Code page or the Document Type page that the document sequence number is entered manually. The system validates this number when you save the transaction. If you've designated automatic numbering, the system displays NEXT in the Document Sequence Number field until you save the transaction. At that time, the system assigns the next available sequence number.

   After you save the transaction and the system either assigns a document sequence number or validates a manually entered number, the transaction records populate the Document Sequence Date field with the current date. If the system is unsuccessful in assigning a document sequence number, it populates the Document Sequence Status field with a status message.

Modifying a Document

You might make modifications after you define a document and the system has assigned a document sequence number to that financial transaction. Document sequencing enables you to do the following before you post a document: