Voucher Numbers (Oracle Payables Help)


	Previous	Next		Contents	Index	Navigation	Glossary	Library

Voucher Numbers

You can assign sequential voucher numbers to each invoice and payment in your Payables system to ensure that you have a unique number for each document. For example, you may get two invoices with identical invoice numbers from two different suppliers. If you assign each a voucher number, you can locate each invoice based on its unique voucher number.

If you use sequential voucher numbers, you can confirm that no document has been lost or unposted. Even if invoices or payments are deleted, each voucher number you assign retains audit records. You can also maintain an audit trail if you post detail journal entries in your general ledger because you can trace a journal entry back to the original document.

For the following documents you manually create, you can manually enter a voucher number in the Voucher Number field of the Invoices or Payments window, or have Payables enter it automatically:

manually entered invoices

Manual payments

Quick payments

For the following documents which Payables automatically creates, you can have Payables automatically assign automatic sequential voucher numbers, but you cannot manually enter voucher numbers:

invoices created during Payables Invoice Import

invoices created from recurring invoice templates

payments created in a payment batch

interest invoices

Sequential Numbering Profile Option

Your System Administrator can enable the Sequential Numbering Profile option. This option may be enabled at the User, Responsibility, Application, or Site level. The option may be set to one of the following:

Not used. Does not enforce Sequential numbering.

Partially Used. Enforces sequential numbering for all of the sequences that you have defined and assigned to a document category. If you select a document type for which there is no active sequence, then Payables will display a warning message that a sequence does not exist. You can proceed without a sequence, or you can define and assign the sequence before you proceed.

Always Used. Enforces sequential numbering for all document types. If you try to select a document type for which there is no sequence, you will not be able to proceed until you define and assign the sequence.

Document Categories

Use document categories to group together different types of documents (invoices and payments) that you use. You can assign a range of sequential numbers to one or more categories. Payables assigns a default invoice document category based on the value you select in the Invoice Type field in the Invoices window. Payables assigns the default payment document category based on the payment method associated with the payment document you select. When you create a payment document for a bank account you associate a payment method with it. Payables predefines the following categories, which it assigns as defaults:

Predefined invoice categories: Standard Invoices, Credit Memo Invoices, Debit Memo Invoices, Expense Report, Interest Invoices, Mixed Invoices, Prepayment Invoices, Recurring Standard Invoices.

Predefined payment categories: Check Payments, Clearing Payments, Electronic Payments, Future Dated Payments, Manual Future Dated Payments, Wire Payments.

You can use the document categories that Payables provides or you can define additional categories. If you enable the Document Category Override Payables option for invoices and payments in the Payables Options window, you can allow users to override the default document category assigned to invoices and payments. You can also override the document category for payment documents in the Banks window.

Payables enters the default invoice category in the Document Category Name field in the Invoices window. Payables enters the default payment category in the Document Category field in the Payment Documents window of the Banks form.

For detailed information, see: Document Categories Window, and Define Document Categories.

Document Sequences

You define document sequences, then assign each document sequence to a combination of Oracle Application, set of books, document category, and document entry method (Manual or Automatic). For example, you define a document sequence with an automatic numbering method named Standard Invoices for standard invoices you enter manually. You define the voucher number range of 3000-5000. You assign the Expense Report Invoices sequence to the following combination:

Payables.[Set of Books].Standard Invoices.Manual

When you manually enter a Standard Type invoice, Payables uses this sequence to automatically assign the next available number between 3000-5000 to your invoice. If Payables creates a document automatically, for example, during Invoice Import, you must assign an automatic numbering document sequence to it.

You can define any number of Document Sequences. You can assign the same Document Sequence to more than one combination if the Application and Category are the same in the combinations. For example, you can also assign the same automatic numbering sequence to documents you enter both manually and automatically.

For detailed information, see: What is a Document Sequence? and Sequence Assignments Window in the Oracle Applications System Administrator's Guide.

When you create a document, Payables automatically assigns a default document category, based on either the invoice type when you enter an invoice, or the payment method assigned the payment document you use when you create a payment. Payables then uses the document sequence assigned to the document category to determine the next available sequential number. Payables also uses the document sequence to determine if Payables automatically assigns the number or allows you to manually enter the number. Payables uses the sequence to confirm that you entered a unique number from the sequence.

Example 1

You specify Always Used for the Sequential Numbering profile option. You create a document sequence named Auto Standard that uses automatic numbering. You assign the sequence to the document category Standard Invoices, used for manual entry of invoices in your set of books. When you manually enter a standard invoice, after you enter Standard Invoice in the Invoice Type field, Payables automatically enters Standard Invoice in the Document Category name field. When you commit, Payables enters the next available number from the Auto Standard sequence into the Voucher Number field. Payables ensures that the number assigned is unique for the Auto Standard sequence.

Example 2

Continuing from the above example, you also create a document sequence named Man Standard that uses manual numbering. You assign the sequence to a document category you create called Standard Manual Invoice. You enable document category override for invoices. When you manually enter a standard invoice, you override the default category, Standard Invoice, and enter Standard Manual Invoice in the Document Category field. Because you set Sequential Numbering to Always Used, you must enter in the Voucher Number field an available number from the Man Standard sequence. Payables ensures that the number you assign is in the sequence and that it is unique. However, when you enter voucher numbers manually, Payables does not require you to use the next available voucher number.

Voucher Numbers

Sequential Numbering Profile Option

Document Categories

Document Sequences

See Also