Customer Recommendation for AP EFT Users

I review forums posts on a regular basis and came across this one that may be useful to AP EFT users.  Megan Maurer from the International Justice Mission in Arlington, Virginia, recommends EFT-O-Matic from PalmettoTech.  EFT-O-Matic automatically sends EFT and Bank Draft notifications to vendors via email.  Check out Megan's forum post for more information: http://forums.blackbaud.com/forums/t/9493.aspx 

Please note EFT-O-Matic is not created or tested by Blackbaud.

Organize Your Queries

Make it Feel Like Home

Do you run the same saved reports and queries daily, weekly, or monthly? Save yourself time by adding links to them on your Home page. This simple process will help streamline your regular tasks by accessing common FE reports and queries, websites, or non-Blackbaud products, such as Word or Excel, from one location.  Remember, these settings follow your user name, so you don't have to worry about resetting them, or doing more work , if you switch workstations.

The first thing you want to do is set FE to start on the Home page. To configure this, select Tools, Options from the menu bar, select the General tab, and then select Home from the Start on this page drop-down list.

If you have several items for a given task, such as the reports, spreadsheets, and queries needed for reconciliation, create a folder to keep organized. To add a new folder to the Home page, follow these steps:

1. Select Favorites, Organize favorites from the menu bar.
2. Highlight the appropriate home page and click New Folder.
3. Enter the name of the new folder and click OK.

Ok, now that you have set FE to open on the Home page of your choice and created any necessary folders, it's time to create the links.

For links to FE reports or queries:

1. Open the report or query and select Favorites, Add to Favorites from the menu bar.
2. Enter a name and description.
3. In the Create in field, select the modules name, such as Accounts Receivable, for the link to display on the Home page or the folder listed below the module name to add the link to the folder on the Home page.
4. Click OK.

For links to non-Blackbaud products or website:

1. Drag the saved file into the FE shell. You will see the document open and display within the shell.
   Note: To create a shortcut to a Web page, right-click the desktop, and select New, Shortcut. Paste the entire URL in the location box and click Next.  Enter a name for the shortcut and click Finish. Drag the shortcut on the desktop into the FE Shell.
2. Select Favorites, Add Page to Favorites from the menu bar.
3. Enter a name and description.
4. In the Create in field, select the modules name, such as Accounts Receivable, for the link to display on the Home page or the folder listed below the module name to add the link to the folder on the Home page.
5. Click OK.

Make sure you also add links to our online resources for quick reference.

• Knowledgebase: http://kb.blackbaud.com
• FAQs: http://www.blackbaud.com/support/faqs/fe7.aspx
• User Guides: http://www.blackbaud.com/support/guides/fe.aspx
• Newsletter back issues: http://www.blackbaud.com/support/newsletters/supnewsletters.aspx

Stay tuned for more helpful hints to make The Financial Edge feel more like... home.

Talk to you soon!

Payroll Post Notes: Prepare for the Minimum Wage Increase

I got a hot tip, well actually a great suggestion from a reader, for a blog post to help prepare for the minimum wage increase on July 24, 2008. Since I always want to make my readers happy, here you go . The first thing we need to do is create a list of employees that currently make less than the new minimum wage amount, $6.55. You can accomplish this by creating an employee query. Here's how:

1. Create a new employee query.
2. On the Criteria tab, select:
   • Compensation/Deductions, Pay Types, Valid through date, Operator blank
   • Compensation/Deductions, Pay Types, Amount/Percent, Operator less than, and enter a value of $6.55
3. On the Output tab, select Employee, Employee full name.
4. Select the Results tab to review the employees.
5. Save the query.

Now that we know which employees need to be updated, the current pay type needs to be expired, and a new pay type needs to be added for the increased amount. This process will depend on the number of employees to update and their new hourly rate.

If you only have a few employees currently below the new minimum, I would recommend manually expiring and adding the new record or using the Change Compensation Wizard on each record.

If you have a large number of employees currently below $6.55, you can use Create Group Assignment to globally expire and add the updated pay type. This process will also allow you to increase the current hourly rate proportionately if not all employees make the same amount.

I strongly recommend creating a backup of your database right before globally adding or changing anything in your database. This is one of those processes that can only be reversed by manually correcting each record, which defeats the purpose of the shortcut, or restoring to a backup, which will cause you to lose all data entered after the backup was made (hence the backup right before the change).

Here's the process to globally update the records:

1. In Payroll Processing, click Create Group Assignments.
2. On the Options tab in the What do you want to do? field, select Copy existing records onto employees.
3. Select Pay Type in the Copy existing field.
4. Select the appropriate pay type in the Pay Type ID field.
5. In the Effective date field, select Effective only on period ending dates from, and enter 07/24/2008 in the first field. Leave the through date field blank.
6. Mark the Expire this pay type checkbox, select the same ID as defined in the Pay Type ID field, and enter 07/23/2008 in the Effective end date field.
7. Mark the Increase/Decrease pay type using checkbox, select amount, and enter $.70 in the amount field. If you would like to proportionally increase the wage, select percent, and enter the appropriate percent.
8. On the Filters tab, change the Employee filter from All to Selected.
9. On the Employees screen, mark the Query option, select the query created above, and click OK.
10. Select the Assignment Grid tab to review the employees and new hourly wage amount. You can manually adjust the new amount if necessary.
11. If the employee information and amounts in the grid are correct, click Process Now.

The Ledger Lowdown Time Saver: Recurring Invoices

We all have monthly bills to process. Regardless if your organization needs to pay the bills or charge one of your clients, you need to go through the process of manually creating the invoices in AP or AR. Depending on the number of invoices, this process could be time consuming. Instead of wasting time creating the same invoices each month, use Recurring Invoices. Recurring Invoices are templates from which you can create regular invoices quickly and easily using a schedule and set reminders to generate the invoices. Here's how to create the invoice templates in AP and AR.

• Accounts Payable:
  1. In Records, Recurring Invoices, click Add a New Recurring Invoice or on the Vendor record, select the Recurring tab, and click New Recurring Invoice.
  2. On the Recurring Invoice tab, select a vendor and define the appropriate information.
  3. On the Distribution tab, enter the appropriate account(s).
  4. On the Invoice Schedule tab, select Fixed or Unlimited number of invoices. If you select fixed invoices, enter the number of invoices to generate.
  5. Click Schedule and define the appropriate recurring invoice frequency.
  6. Click OK and then Save and Close.


• Accounts Receivable:
  1. In Records, Recurring Invoices, click Add a New Recurring Invoice or on the Client record, select the Recurring tab, and click New Recurring Invoice.
  2. On the Recurring Invoice tab, select a vendor and define the appropriate information.
  3. On the Line Items tab, enter the appropriate line items and comments.
  4. On the Invoice Schedule tab, select Fixed or Unlimited number of invoices. If you select fixed invoices, enter the number of invoices to generate.
  5. Click Schedule and define the appropriate recurring invoice frequency.
  6. Click OK and then Save and Close.

We all have busy schedules, so make sure you set up a reminder to generate the monthly invoices. Take a look at Knowledgebase solution BB40327 to set up your reminders and BB102464 to generate the invoices.

Happy billing. Talk to you soon!

The Ledger Lowdown: Top Questions for June

Each month we keep track of the top questions you ask.  This FAQs list includes GL, AP, AR, FA, and general FE or non-product specific questions.  To see the FAQs broken out by individual module, review The Financial Edge FAQs on our website. Here is the list of the FE questions for June and May.

June

• How to troubleshoot login issues: BB140810
• Error: The installation of the patch has failed (ErrorCode = [Number]) when applying a patch or updating a workstation from the deploy package: BB158156
• Bank reconciliation shows out of balance to GL Cash Account or vice versa: BB61184
• Scheduled queues are not processing: BB221816
• How to enter bank adjustments: BB66590
• Cash Management is not available on one bank account: BB103818
• How to reconcile the bank account: BB61838

May

• How to install or update: BB273248
• Error: Unable to establish database connection when logging in: BB144086
• Bank reconciliation shows out of balance to GL Cash Account or vice versa: BB61184
• How to install or remove optional modules or change the number of user licenses: 24255
• Error: Error in report 544 when validating a batch or posting: BB66862
• How to move or install the database and the Blackbaud Management Console on a new Windows server: BB114770
• How to attach a database to the Blackbaud Management Console: BB95152

Talk to you soon!

Payroll Post Notes: Top Questions for June

Each month we keep track of the top Payroll questions you ask.  Here is the list of the Payroll questions for June and May.

June

• How to void checks: BB59007
• How to convert to Payroll 7: BB155330
• How to globally add a Pay Type, Benefit, Deduction, Attendance Record, Event, or Attendance plan to employees: BB164768
• How to create a one-time payroll calculation: BB244550
• How to purge a voided check: BB53728
• How to create and use electronic signatures: BB61504
• Social Security Number field is grayed out: BB377354

May

• How to globally add a Pay Type, Benefit, Deduction, Attendance Record, Event, or Attendance plan to employees: BB164768
• Taxes calculating incorrectly: BB267464
• How to add a Deduction: BB226646
• How to create a one-time payroll calculation: BB244550
• Error: You must assign a pay type or a cash or non cash benefit to the employee within the period end date range of this calculation when creating calculations: BB348170
• Error: [Pay type] is not scheduled for a period end date within the date range of this calculation when calculating from a Time and Attendance batch: BB453602
• How to void checks: BB59007

Talk to you soon!

The Ledger Lowdown: Pay What Invoice?

Most of the time paying invoices is a simple process: select the invoices to pay and click Print Now; just make sure check stock is in the printer .  What do you do if an invoice is not listed for payment?  You know the invoice is out there because it's on your list of invoices to pay or your boss is breathing down your neck waiting to be handed the check.  Not to worry, you have The Ledger Lowdown as your secret weapon.  Follow each of the steps below until the invoice is available to pay.

1. In Banks, verify the correct bank is selected
2. Click Print checks and record bank drafts, and note the date entered for the 'Invoice due date on or before' field. This date defaults to the current date.
3. Select the Filters tab and verify that there are no filters that would exclude the invoice(s) in question.
4. Open the vendor's record and verify the Status is not On Hold.
5. Open the invoice in question.
   1. Verify the Hold payment checkbox is unmarked.
   2. Verify the Payment method is Check.
   3. Verify the Date due falls on or before the date chosen when paying checks.
   4. Verify the invoice Status is Approved (if requiring approval before payment).
   5. Change the status of the invoice from Pending to Approved.
6. Select the Payments/Credits tab and verify that the invoice has not already been paid, either by a printed check or a recorded manual check. Also verify that the bank account selected as the 'Payments from bank account' is the same bank from which the invoice is to be paid.
7. In Banks, Edit account details and select the Payments tab. Verify that the payment method checkbox on the invoice is marked Allow in the bank details.
8. Exit and sign out and then log back in.

Hope this helps.  Talk to you soon!

The Ledger Lowdown: Keep your VCO Up-to-Date

Everyone hates out of balance reports .  One of the common causes is missing accounts.  When you create a new account in General Ledger, you need to update your VCO to ensure the account will be included on reports.  OK, so you're probably thinking, "shouldn't FE do this for me?"  Well the answer is yes and no .  Let me explain... 

When you set up your VCO, you have the option to use advanced filters or define an account code range.  The default option is to define an account code range.  As long as the new account code is included in the range defined in the VCO, the new account will automatically appear on reports.  If you use advanced filters, the appearance of the account will depend on the actual filters selected.  For example, if you only select to include accounts in fund 01 and the new account number is 01-1234-01, the new account will automatically be included.  On the other hand, if you filtered for specific account codes, the new account code will not be included in the VCO and thus missing from reports.

Your best bet to avoid leaving out an account on a report, regardless of the VCO filter options, is to verify the new account is included each time one is created.  Yes it's an extra step, but one that may save you or a coworker a headache in the future .

The fist thing to do is run a chart validation for each saved template.  This report displays any missing or duplicate accounts.  It is a good idea to review the duplicate accounts too, but for this post I will just reference the missing accounts. Here's how to run the validation:

1. In Visual Chart Organizer, select the chart template and click Open.
2. Select Template, Validate chart template from the menu bar.
3. Select an existing parameter file or click Add New to create one.
4. On the General tab, select the VCO template to validate.
5. Click Preview.

If no accounts are listed as missing, you're done!  If there are accounts missing, add each account to the appropriate section of the template. Here's how:

1. In Visual Chart Organizer, open the saved VCO template. 
2. Select View, Design View from the menu bar. The window's title bar should read: Visual Chart Organizer - Design View.
3. Highlight the Account detail listed under the appropriate header. 
4. Select the Account Detail Definition tab and adjust the range or filters to include the new account.
5. Save and close the VCO.

Talk to you soon!

The Ledger Lowdown: Before You Close Your Fiscal Year...

For those of you whose fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30, July is probably your fun audit month. Once your audit is complete, there are some things you need to do before actually closing the fiscal year.  The process includes creating, printing, and comparing the Trial Balance, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Statement of Activities, and the General Ledger reports.  I recommend using a new default template (BB67838) for these reports.  This will remove any VCO issues like missing or duplicate accounts.  Here is how to run each of the reports:

• Trial Balance:
  1. On the General tab, select Balance as the Report Format.
  2. Select <specific fiscal year> in the Date field and select the fiscal year you are closing.
  3. On the Format tab, highlight Detail and mark the Show account category totals checkbox.
  4. Click Preview and print the report.


• Income Statement:
  1. On the General tab, select the new default template and a level of 1.
  2. Mark the Include accounts with no activity and Include inactive accounts checkboxes.
  3. On the Columns tab, open the Actual column.
  4. On the column screen, select the Date Range tab, <specific fiscal year> in the Date field, the fiscal year you are closing, and then click OK.
  5. Click Preview and print the report.


• Balance Sheet:
  1. On the General tab, select the new default template and a level of 2.
  2. Mark the Include accounts with no activity and Include inactive accounts checkboxes.
  3. On the Columns tab, open the Actual column.
  4. On the column screen, select the Date Range tab, <specific fiscal year> in the Date field, the fiscal year you are closing, the last fiscal period of your fiscal year, and then click OK.
  5. On the Format tab, highlight Detail and mark the Print change in Net Assets checkbox.
  6. Click Preview and print the report.


• Statement of Activities:
1. On the General tab, select the new default template and a level of 1.
2. Mark the Include accounts with no activity and Include inactive accounts checkboxes.
3. On the Columns tab, open the Unrestricted column.
4. On the column screen, select the Date Range tab, <specific fiscal year> in the Date field, the fiscal year you are closing, and then click OK.
5. Repeat step 4 for the Temporarily Restricted, Restricted, and Total columns.
6. Click Preview and print the report.


• General Ledger Report:
  1. On the General tab, select the new default template.
  2. Select <specific range> in the Date field and enter the day after the last day in the fiscal year you are closing. For example, if you fiscal year ends 6/30/2008, enter a start and end date of 7/1/2008.
  3. On the Filters tab, change the Category filter from All to Include, select Net Assets, and click OK.
  4. On the Format tab, highlight Detail, and mark the Include Grand Total checkbox.
  5. Click Preview and print the report.

 For all step-by-step instructions for the end-of-year process, review The Financial Edge End of Year Guide.

 Happy New Fiscal Year!  Talk to you soon.

Converting to Payroll 7

September is a month that I have always shared a love hate relationship with.  When I was a kid, it meant the end of summer vacation and thus began with a most somber feeling.  On the other hand, my birthday falls in September so by default this should be one of my favorite months. 

 In 2008, this particular September, something special is happening here as support for Payroll 6 draws to a close.  I know that right now many of us are thinking, its early July right now and there is really no reason why I should start thinking about this with September 30th being so far off.  Sorry fellow procrastinators, but this IS the time to start thinking about running the Payroll conversion.  Obviously, the best thing to do is run a test conversion on the data now and work forward from there.  I have included below my suggestions on steps to take right now to enjoy a smooth transition:

1. Start Today!  Make a backup of your live database, and load it on a standalone machine.  If you have any questions on how to do this, give us a call in Support, or just email me and I will get someone to contact you and help set this up.  Or, try the following solutions from our Knowledgebase: 
           How to make a backup (BB94455)
           How to install The Financial Edge (BB273248)

2. Once you have this standalone machine up and running with the copy of your database loaded, run through the Payroll conversion on this machine.  Let it complete so you can get a feel of how long the actual conversion process may take.

3. When that completes, print out the exception report.  As soon as the conversion is complete, there will be a link to click to view it.  If you accidentally closed it,dont worry - you can always browse to c:\ and look for the file pyconvert.log to get this information.

4. If you get any messages or errors on the conversion log that don't make sense, contact Support and we will be happy to walk you through what these errors or exceptions mean, and how we can address them in the converted Payroll 7 system, or how we can address them in your current Payroll 6 system (when possible) to remove those from the live conversion.

The key here is planning, planning, planning!  We want to be sure that we allow enough time to run a few test conversions.  This ensures that when the date comes to go live on Payroll 7, it can be as simple as letting the conversion run, and when complete users can login, get a few things setup and start getting out Payroll checks! 

Happy Payrolling.

Daniel

Posting Errors? Check Your Post Dates

If your fiscal year ended June 30, you may suddenly start receiving errors such as Period Closed or Period Not Found when posting to General Ledger. These errors happen when transactions post to a hard-closed, soft-closed, or an undefined fiscal year. To resolve the error:

1. Review the Batch Validation or Pre-post Report to find the transactions that failed validation. You can find the exceptions in bold under the problem transaction. If you are posting a journal entry batch, the cursor stops in the date field of the transaction causing the error message.
2. If the post date is incorrect, change the post date of the transaction to a valid, open fiscal year. In Accounts Payable, if the Post date field is grayed out on a paid invoice, refer to How to edit the post date on a paid but unposted invoice (15863).
3. If the post date is correct:
   
   1. Verify the fiscal year was created. If it hasn't been created, add the new fiscal year (BB75700).
   2. If the fiscal year exists and is soft closed (BB1798), reopen the period (BB12248).
   3. If the fiscal year is hard closed (BB1798), restore to a backup (BB52243) created before the fiscal year was closed or post to an open fiscal period.
      Note: If you restore to a backup, any data entered after the backup was created will be lost.

Happy posting.  Talk to you soon!