Generating GL Detail Reports

Overview

This article provides documentation on creating, saving, and running General Ledger Trial Balance Detail reports.  After performing the necessary steps, report documents can be viewed on the web via the Veracross PDF report generator, and report specifications can be saved (if desired) for re-use in the future.

Creating Report Categories

The detailed specifications for generating each GL Trial Balance Detail Report can be saved and assigned to a Report Category for future retrieval and execution. When you wish to run a GL Trial Balance Detail report using previously generated report specifications, you can query the repository of all saved reports, and use Report Category to help locate and select the option that will meet your immediate needs.

To view a list of Report Categories and create new categories, navigate to the System Home Page.  Under the View Configuration subsection, there is a link labelled “GL Trial Balance Report Categories” that allows viewing and editing available Report Categories. In the next column to the right, Change Configuration, is a link labelled “Add GL Trial Balance Rpt Category” that facilitates adding new Report Categories.

Along with a description, users can specify whether a category should be “Suppressed from Reporting”. By setting this option to “Yes”, any GL Reports assigned to this category WILL NOT show up on the Home Page listing of reports. For example, reports generated on a one-time/ad hoc basis could be assigned to the “Ad Hoc” category, thus being suppressed from the listing of available reports (since that category has the “Suppress from Reporting” flag enabled).

Examples of Report Categories:

• Ad Hoc
• Revenue/Expense Reports
• Balance Sheet Reports
• Departmental Reports
• Auditor Reports
• Board Reports

Generating New Report

In the ‘Processing’ section of the General Ledger Home Page is a link named, “Generate GL Trial Balance Detail”. Launching this Detail Screen is the first step to creating a custom report. The Criteria tab is where necessary information will entered for the system to generate a report.  At the header level of the report, the following data elements should be specified:

• Description:  Specific name of the report
• Report Owner: Naming a report owner will prevent any other users from updating the report.  This includes adding, editing, and updating criteria or deleting the report altogether.
• Category:  Classification of the report for querying purposes.
• Begin Date / End Date:  Date range for which report data will be pulled.
• Summarize Detail:  Check this option to summarize the data at the Journal Entry Item Level.  For example, AR Invoice Items posted in the same batch will all be rolled up into 1 line item, rather than 1 line for every invoice item posted.
• Sort Option: The order by which Accounts will be displayed.  If no sort option is selected, the default functionality is to sort by GL Number.
• View Report: Click this button to view the GL Trial Balance Detail Report.
• Needs Refresh:  Denotes that criteria on the report has been altered.  Running the Refresh Data Action is required in order to retrieve data according to the current criteria.
• Most Recent Refresh:  The last time the data set for the report has been refreshed.  If no date is shown, the data has not yet been created.  Any transactions posted after the most recent refresh date will not be included in the report.

The input grid on the detail screen is where the system obtains the criteria to to include desired General Ledger Accounts. Every column in which data is entered in a single row will be executed as the “And” conjunction. Every new line inserted will be conjoined with the “Or” conjunction.  In the screenshot above, the report will return a report for all General Ledger Accounts which are (High School Cost Center AND Expenses) OR (Lower School AND Expenses).

NOTE: Not entering any criteria will return results for ALL GL Accounts.

In the screenshot above, the program will create a report for:

• High School Expense Accounts with posted transactions between 7/1/15 and 6/30/16
• Lower School Expense Accounts with posted transactions between 7/1/15 and 6/30/16

Once all the necessary criteria has been added, click the Action Menu  and then Refresh Data.  Finally, once the data has been refreshed, click View Report on the detail screen.

Finding GL Detail Reports

In the Processing section of the General Ledger Home Page is a listing of previously created GL Trial Balance Detail Reports.  This report will show all Detail Reports assigned to a Report Category (see above), not classified as “Suppress Reporting”. The reports are sorted first by Report Category, then by Report Description.

After selecting a pre-made report, run the Refresh Data before actually Viewing the report.