Adding an A/R Master Record
The window titled Adding an A/R Master Record is used to add a new A/R file to the Accounts Receivable Manager Master and Detail files. The window titled Changing an A/R Master Record is used to change the highlighted file in the Accounts Receivable Manager Master and Detail Files.
IMPORTANT: Any transactions recorded through this A/R Initial Setup program will be recorded in the Accounts Receivable Detail and Master files only. The A/R Initial Setup Process does NOT create any financial journal information; therefore, none of these entries will be recorded in the General Ledger. Therefore, this A/R Initial Setup program should only be used by new IBS users to input their initial outstanding A/R balances when converting to the IBS System. This A/R Initial Setup program should not be used in any other instance unless you are instructed to do so by a member of Direct Systems' Technical Support Staff.
The window titled Adding an A/R Master Record will appear if you pressed the [Insert] button on the Initial Setup of A/R File window. The window titled Changing an A/R Master Record will appear if you pressed the [Change] button on the Initial Setup of A/R File window.
A/R Number: The A/R Number is a unique number assigned by the program to absolutely reference this file. It is an absolute linking field for the other files that depend on the A/R Master File record. The A/R Number is the only internally generated identification number which is automatically added by the program. You cannot edit this number.
File Number *: Enter the file number you have assigned to this shipment. This field is used for an externally generated identification number for this shipment. The Sort-Locator, File Number, and Alternate Key fields are all externally generated identification numbers which you assign and each of these fields may be used as a means to retrieve this file from the system. You may wish to use this field for the Van Line's Registration Number, the local Bill of Lading Number, etc. This is a required field.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If entering the outstanding balance due on a cyclical storage lot from the Storage Manager module, then this File Number must be the Lot Number as assigned to this storage lot within the Storage Manager module. Using the Storage Lot Number as the File Number in A/R will ensure that these charges are included on this customer's monthly storage billing invoice which is processed in the Storage Manager module.
Shipper *: Enter the Shipper's Name in this field. This is a required field.
Status: This field will display the current status of this account. If this file has outstanding billing charges, its status will be "Current". If it has no outstanding billing charges, its status will be "Paid". This is an informational field only. You cannot edit the data in this field.
Last: The date displayed in this field represents the last date that any billing or cash was applied to this account. The Purge A/R Master File By Last Date process uses the date in this field to determine if an account should be purged from the system during that purge process.
There are several windows available for data entry in the Initial A/R Initial Setup process. Please note that when you select to [Insert] a new A/R file in this initial setup process, only the General window will be available. You must complete the General information window and press the [Add] button to add this new account to the system in order to activate the other windows for the new account. After completing the General window, point your mouse cursor to the appropriate tab at the top of this window (Current Charges, Billing History, Commission History, AR1 Notes, or DM1 Notes) and left-click your mouse one time to select that window of information. NOTE: DM1 Notes will only be available on those files which were created by the transfer process from the Customer Service/Dispatch Manager module.
Following is an explanation of each of these windows.
General:
This window displays the historical shipment information contained in the A/R Master File. If you are using the Customer Service/Dispatch Manager module, then more of the actual shipment information is contained in its history file. This window enables you to add or edit general billing information for an account.
A/R Account *: Enter the A/R Account to which this file belongs. The name of the A/R Account will be displayed to the right of this field. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select A/R Account which displays the current A/R Accounts. This is a required field.
Sort-Locator *: This field will automatically default to the Shipper's Name; however, you may override this Sort-Locator, as needed. The Sort-Locator field will determine where this file will appear on an alphabetically sorted listing. For individuals, this is usually Last Name, First Name. For businesses, this is usually the Business Name. (e.g., Sort-Locator for Virginia Wolf would be Wolf, Virginia to sort Virginia Wolf's name under "W" in an alphabetical listing; Sort-Locator for Virginia Bearings Company would be Virginia Bearings Company to sort that company's name under "V" in an alphabetical listing). Also, the Sort-Locator field is one of several ways to access this file. This is a required field.
[ Rev ] Press this button to automatically reverse the name in the Sort-Locator field. For instance, Virginia Wolf will be reversed to Wolf, Virginia.
Branch *: Enter the Branch to which this file belongs. The name of the Branch will be displayed to the right of this field. There can be up to 99 branches maintained by the IBS System. This branch number adds additional information which is available to be printed on the user-definable invoice formats. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select Company Branch which displays the current branches. This is a required field.
Alternate Key: Enter an Alternate Key number for this shipment, if needed. This field is used for a secondary externally generated identification number for this shipment. The A/R Number is the only internally generated identification number added by the program. The Sort-Locator, File Number, and Alternate Key fields are all externally generated identification numbers which you assign and each of these fields may be used as a means to access this file on the system. You may wish to use this field for other ID numbers such as the GBL Number, Shipper's own identification number, etc. It merely provides another way to access this A/R file.
Origin City, ST: Enter the origin city and state of the shipper.
Load Date *: Enter the date on which this shipment was loaded. This is a required field.
Consignee: Enter the consignee's name.
Destination City, ST: Enter the destination city and state of the shipper.
Delivered: Enter the date on which this shipment was delivered.
Miles: Enter the mileage of this shipment. This field can be used for automatic input in the Billing Codes and as a selector field in the Rate Schedule.
Discount: Enter the discount % of this shipment. Enter 10% as 10.00. This field can be used for automatic input in the Billing Codes and as a selector field in the Rate Schedule.
Density: Enter the density of this shipment if it is an overseas shipment. This field can be used as a selector field in the Rate Schedule.
Bill To *: Enter the number of the person or company who is responsible for paying for this shipment. In the IBS System, we will frequently refer to this person or company as the Customer. The customer's name will be displayed to the right of this field. This number will be used by the Accounts Receivable Manager to track who is responsible for the payment of the charges on this shipment and when it is paid. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select an IBS Customer which displays a list of the current Customers and Accounts. This Select an IBS Customer window may also be used to set up a new customer in the IBS System. NOTE: The "Bill To" Customers and Accounts share the same data file in the IBS System (AR1D02.TPS). This is a required field.
Account: Enter the number of the person or National Account which is responsible for generating this shipment. The Account's name will be displayed to the right of this field. This Account will be the same as the Customer number if the Account is paying you directly for this shipment. It will be a different number if another third party is paying for this shipment as is the case with your Van Line shipments. The Van Line is the Customer since it will pay you for servicing this shipment, but the National Account is the Account on this shipment since one of its employees was being moved. This number will be used by the Accounts Receivable Manager to track the revenue generated by your various company accounts. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select an Account which displays a list of the current Accounts and Customers. This Select an Account window may also be used to set up a new account in the IBS System. (NOTE: Customers and Accounts share the same data file in the IBS System.)
Sales Agent: Enter the number of the Commission Agent who is responsible for selling this shipment. The Agent's name will be displayed to the right of this field. This number is found in the Commission Agent Master File. Press the { ?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select Sales Agent which displays all of the existing Commission Agents. This number can be used as the basis for the Commission Agent number when commissions are paid to an agent in the Billing Charges section of the IBS System.
Driver: Enter the number of the Commission Agent who is responsible for hauling this shipment. The Agent's name will be displayed to the right of this field. This number is found in the Commission Agent Master File. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select Driver which displays all of the existing Commission Agents. This number can be used as the basis for the Commission Agent number when commissions are paid to an agent in the Billing Charges section of the IBS System.
Shipment Source: This is a user-definable selection field which is used to identify the source of this shipment. It might be a Cold Call, Referral, Military Call-in, National Account, etc. The description of the Shipment Source will be displayed to the right of this field. This field can be used by the Accounts Receivable revenue reports to determine the revenue obtained by various sources of shipments. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select Choice which displays a listing of the Shipment Sources which currently exist in your system.
Shipment Type: This is a user-definable selection field which is used to classify the type of shipment. The description of the Shipment Type will be displayed to the right of this field. This is used by the Accounts Receivable Manager for analyzing revenue by the type of shipment. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select Choice which displays a listing of the Shipment Types which currently exist in your system.
Shipment Sub-Type: This is a user-definable selection field which is used to further classify each type of shipment. The description of the Shipment Sub-Type will be displayed to the right of this field. For example, the Shipment Source could be a Cold Call, the Shipment Type could be an Interstate shipment, and the Shipment Sub-Type could be COD. This is used by the Accounts Receivable Manager for analyzing revenue by the sub-type of shipment. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select Choice which displays a listing of the Shipment Sub-Types which currently exist in your system.
Booker, OA, Hauler, DA, and SIT Agent: These six fields are for the various Agency numbers for the different companies which are responsible for different segments of the shipment. These fields are six-character long alpha-numeric fields and are used for informational purposes only. These fields can be used as the basis for the Commission Agent number when commissions are paid to an agent in the Billing Charges section of this program if they are entered as Numbers only.
SCAC: Enter the SCAC code if this is a military shipment.
Actual Weight: Enter the Actual Weight for this shipment. This field can be used for automatic input in the Billing Codes.
Billing Weight: Enter the Billing Weight for this shipment. This field can be used for automatic input in the Billing Codes and as a selector field in the Rate Schedule.
Linehaul: Enter the amount of linehaul on this shipment.
Reference: Enter the reference or Purchase Order number for this shipment, if applicable.
Comment: This field can be used to place a comment on this file or as an additional field if needed. NOTE: This field can be printed on the user-definable invoice formats.
Job Number: The Job Number is used to track the revenues and direct expenses on every shipment. The Job Cost file is maintained in the IBS Accounting System. Press the {?} to the right of this field to open a window titled Select Job Number which displays all the jobs which currently exist on your system. You may also use this Select Job Number window to establish a job number for this shipment. This Job Number field is placed at the bottom of this window since it will transfer all of the above information into the Job Cost Master File if a new job is established.
[ From Storage ] Press this button to open a window titled Select Storage Lot which displays all the existing storage lots found in the Storage Manager module. If this is to be an invoice for initial or final billing for the Storage Lot, then selecting the Storage Lot by pressing this button can save you data entry time. All the existing data which is in the Storage Master File will be placed into the A/R Master File for you by selecting the proper Storage Lot. NOTE: This button will only be active if the [Insert] button was pressed on the Initial Setup of A/R File.
[ Add ] Press this button to add this new file to the A/R Master and Detail files. NOTE: The [Add] button will only be available on the window titled Adding an A/R Master Record.
[ Save ] Press this button to save the changes made to this existing A/R account in the A/R Master & Detail files. NOTE: The [Save] button will only be available on the window titled Changing an A/R Master Record.
[ Cancel ] Press this button to ignore the information entered on this window and return to the previous window. NOTE: If you make any changes in this window and then press the [Cancel] button to ignore those changes, then another window titled Save Record will open which asks "Do you want to save the changes to this record?". For additional information, please see Save Record.
[ Help ] Press this button (if available) or the F1 key to view the Help text for this window.
Current Charges:
This window is used to add charges to an A/R file WITHOUT creating a financial transaction journal. The A/R Initial Setup process is primarily used to input the outstanding accounts receivable balances as of the date you convert to the IBS System. The charges entered through this initial setup process will NOT create any financial transaction journals because these charges should already be a part of the beginning balance found in the A/R Control Account in the General Ledger Manager module. NOTE: When entering your initial outstanding accounts receivable balances, you may choose to enter each outstanding invoice separately or you may enter one initial "balance due" invoice for each customer. However, if you elect to use the single "balance due" option, then the system will NOT be able to appropriately age any of the invoices which comprise this initial "balance due" invoice.
[ Add ] Press this button to open a window titled Edit Billing Line which allows you to add billing charges to this file.
[ Edit ] Press this button to open a window titled Edit Billing Line which will allows you to change the highlighted billing charge.
[ Delete ] Press this button to delete the highlighted billing charge. NOTE: This [Delete] button will immediately delete the highlighted billing charge.
[ Re-Number ] Press this button to re-number the billing lines displayed in this window in increments of 10 (e.g., 10, 20, 30, etc.). This will start the first line with 10 and increment each succeeding line by 10. This will enable the placement of additional charges between existing lines. The billing lines are displayed and recorded in Line Number order.
[ Record Current Charges ] Press this button to record the billing charges displayed in this window. Once you have chosen to [Record Current Charges], then the recorded charges can be viewed on the Billing History window.
Billing History:
This window will display all the billing and payment entries which have been posted this account.
[ View ] Press this button to view the details for the highlighted entry.
[ Refresh Totals ] Press this button to re-calculate the totals displayed at the bottom of this window.
Commission History:
This window will display all the commission entries which have been posted to this account.
[ View ] Press this button to view the details for the highlighted commission entry.
AR1 Notes:
The Accounts Receivable system allows the user to maintain miscellaneous notes on each account. The A/R Notes file is user-definable. Users can setup different types of notes (e.g., collection calls, survey calls, etc.). This AR1 Notes window is used to add new notes or to view/edit existing notes.
[ Insert ] Press this button to open a window titled Adding an A/R Note which will allow you to add a new note to the A/R Notes file for this account.
[ View/Edit ] Press this button to open a window titled Changing an A/R Note which will allow you to view and/or edit the highlighted note.
[ Print ] Press this button to print a listing of the A/R Notes on this account. For additional information see Printing Reports.
DM1 Notes:
In addition to our accounting modules, our company also offers a customer service, operations, and dispatch module named Customer Service/Dispatch Manager. Shipments can be billed in the Customer Service/Dispatch Manager module and those charges can then be transferred to the Accounts Receivable Manager module to avoid the need for duplicate data entry. This window will display any notes that were added to this file in the Customer Service/Dispatch Manager module and then transferred from that module to the Accounts Receivable Manager module. Please note that this DM1 Notes window will only be available on those accounts which were transferred into A/R from the Customer Service/Dispatch Manager module.
[ Insert ] Press this button to open a window titled Adding a DM1 Note which will allow you to add a new note to the DM1 Notes file for this account.
[ View/Edit ] Press this button to open a window titled Changing a DM1 Note which will allow you to view and/or edit the highlighted note.
[ Print ] Press this button to print a listing of the DM1 Notes on this account. For additional information see Printing Reports.
