Bank File Conversion Procedures

The Bank File stores a record for each vendor check issued out of each bank account in your system.  The Bank file also stores a record for each accounts receivable related deposit made to each bank account.  Bank records are also created by the system when miscellaneous charge and miscellaneous deposits are processed against a specific bank account using the Bank system (the miscellaneous transactions are supported as of file revision 277a).

If you wish to reconcile your general ledger cash balances to your bank statements for periods prior to the release of the new programs you will need to create bank records in the bank file using the following procedures.  The procedures are broken down according to the source and type of each transaction.  If your bank accounts are reconciled to the general ledger cash balances that are entered when you startup the system (or you wish to reconcile periods prior to system startup using a different method, you may skip this procedure.

A/P Checks

There should be one record in the Bank File for each check or other payment (wire transfer, computer generated check, manual check) issued via the accounts payable programs.  In cases where a check was written (by hand or via the computer) and there is not a corresponding record for the check in the Bank file, a bank record must be created for the check.  This can be done as follows.

Method # 1

If you are creating records from the Bank Statement

Select the Bank Lookup By Account Program from the Menu.  This program may be set up to allow specific operators to enter records into the bank file or to edit existing bank file records.  Please ask your system administrator to ensure that you have been granted the appropriate editing rights within this program.

Select the Appropriate General Ledger Cash Account and press the Enter key.

Review each check issued out of the selected bank account and enclosed in the statement that you are processing.   Sorting the cancelled checks by check number before beginning this procedure will speed up the following steps.

If there is already a record in the Bank file for a specific check,

Compare the Bank file information (check number, payee, amount, cash account) to the actual check document that is enclosed in the statement.  If there are any discrepancies, please enter the actual information from the Check document into the bank file record for the check.  (You may edit an existing record by highlighting the bank record and pressing the EXPAND key.  When you press the EXPAND key, the system displays an editing window which displays detailed information about each bank record.  You may then move the cursor to the field(s) to be edited using the ENTER, NEXT RECORD or PREVIOUS RECORD keys.  Once the cursor is positioned in the field you wish to change, you may make the appropriate changes and SAVE them by using the ENTER key to enter through the remaining fields in the editing window).

Once you have confirmed that the check information in the Bank file is correct, enter the date on which the check cleared the bank.  This can be done by highlighting the check record on the Bank Lookup and pressing the USER key.  When you press the user key, the system will display a window into which you may enter the date on which the check cleared the bank.  If you are entering the cleared date for a batch of checks from the same statement, you may enter the actual cleared date (from the back of the check) or the bank statement closing date (from the statement)

If there is not a check record already in the bank file

Press the INSERT key to bring up the check editing window

Enter the Cash Account Autopost Number (110 for Wells Fargo)

Enter the check number into the Number field

Enter the A/P Autopost account number (310)

Status (N)

Type (C)

Source (CD - Computer Generated Check)  (MD - Handwritten Check)

Company (FIND the appropriate Vendor record).

Div (1)

Period (Enter the accounting period in which the check was issued)

Date (Check date)

Amount (Total Check amount)

Cleared (Use bank statement date or specific date on which check was cleared by bank.

Reference Enter the G/L JE number associated with the check (this can be found in the G/L Postings to the cash account).

A/P Wire Transfers

A/R Deposits

This section describes the VDF (Visual Dataflex) programs that can be used to view, create, and process bank transactions. 

Bank transactions are created by several different applications in the system.  Bank records are created when accounts payable check and wire transfer payments are issued and when accounts receivable deposits are processed.  Miscellaneous Bank transactions can also be created using the Bank Management program which is part of the Bank System.

VDF programs are windows based programs and they are organized into modules or executables. Each of the VDF modules or executables can contain programs from one or more different applications.  For example, the Bank System includes the Bank Management program, which is part of the Bank System, and it also includes the AR Check Lookup program, the AP Check by Account Program and AP Check by Vendor Programs – which are included in the AR and AP Systems.  VDF programs are normally completely documented in the module that they most closely correspond to and they are briefly referred to from other modules. Normally, the online help system will automatically display the appropriate help topic for each program, regardless of where the program is called from. VDF executables normally contain Pull down Menus which list the available programs in the module and each of these programs normally contain buttons and or tool bars and or mouse options that display the tasks that can be performed in the programs.

For organizational reasons, this section does not describe all of the accounts payable and accounts receivable programs that create and update bank records.  Programs such as the AP Payment Manager, Accounts Receivable Deposit Processing, and other accounts payable and receivable programs are referred to in this document but they are completely described in the accounts payable and accounts receivable documentation. 

This section does include the Bank Inquiry or Lookup programs that are used to locate and display bank records.  It also includes the programs that can be used to create miscellaneous deposits and charges that are not related to accounts receivable or accounts payable, as well as reports that are specific to the Bank System.

More:

Bank System Startup Checklist