General Journal Entry
Contents
Overview of FW10
The General Journal Entry program is used for entering transactions not entered from other subsystems (i.e. Accounts Payable, Loans, etc.) For example, journal entries can be used to adjust account balances, or to perform fund transfers. To perform General Journal Entry:
- From the DDI Connect main menu, double-click FundWriter
- Double-click General Journal Entry. You will see a screen similar to this one:
You can choose to create a new batch or add journals to an existing batch.
Create New Batch
To add a new batch, click the New button on the toolbar. You will see this screen:
The following fields are available:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Fiscal Year | Enter the fiscal year to which these journal entries should apply |
Description | Enter a description of the batch |
Control count | This optional field allows you to enter the number of journals that should be present in this batch |
Control total | This optional field allows you to enter the total dollar amount that should make up this batch |
Note at the top of the screen that a batch number has automatically been assigned to the batch. Review the information you have entered. If it is correct, click OK to create the batch. You will now see this screen:
You are now ready to begin adding Journals.
Adding to an Existing Batch
To add to an existing journal batch, simply double-click the batch you wish to enter, or click once to highlight and then click the Open button on the toolbar:
Entering Journals
Once you have either created a new batch or opened an existing batch, you can add a new journal. From this screen:
Click the New button on the toolbar. You will see this menu:
Create a New Document
Select Create a New Document from the menu. You will see this screen:
Leave the field blank to select the next available document number, or type the number in as desired. Click OK to proceed. You will now see this screen:
As you can see, there are three tabs on this screen: Document Setup, Line Items and Memos.
Document Setup
Field | Description |
---|---|
Memo | If you wish to add a brief memo to the journal, you can do so here |
G/L tran date | This date will default to the business date. If you wish to change it, you can type the date in mm/dd/yyyy format or click the calendar icon to select the date |
Amount | Enter the total amount of the journal |
Reverse this document at a later date | Document reversal might be used for temporarily estimating amounts, for example. At a scheduled later time the estimate will be automatically removed. To reverse this document at a later date, check the box. This will enable the Reverse on field. Type the reversal date in a mm/dd/yyyy format or click the calendar icon to select the date |
Line Items | You can click the Line Items button or the tab at the top of the screen to proceed to the line items screen |
Line Items
When you reach the Line Items screen, you will see this:
The following fields are available on this screen:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Reference | The Reference field is a freeform text box that can be used as a brief description to indicate the purpose of the entry. For example, a loan number, gift number, or other notation |
Line amount | Enter the dollar amount for the line |
Percent | The Percent field will automatically update based on the dollar amount entered in the Line Amount field. You can also enter a percent here to automatically update the Line Amount field |
G/L account | Enter the G/L account or click the list icon to select from a list of active G/L accounts |
Due | If you click the drop down, you can select From or To. If you make a selection here, the Due From/Due To transaction process is activated. This feature can be used for things such as transferring funds from an unrestricted to a restricted account, or from a temporarily restricted to an unrestricted account |
Memo | If you wish to add a memo to the transaction, you can do so here. For example, you might note the purpose of the line item, such as "Correcting Loan Transactions for June 2012" |
When you have finished entering the information, click OK. The system will populate the lower portion of the screen with the line information, and prepare for Line 2 entry:
Repeat the above procedure until you have entered all of the appropriate debits. When your total reaches 100%, the next line item automatically becomes a credit transaction:
The DDI system utilizes T chart accounting, and requires that each journal balance in full before it can be posted to the General Ledger. The total debits and total credits must balance completely before you can proceed with posting.
When you have entered your debits and credits, your screen will look similar to this:
If you need to edit a line item, you can do so either by double-clicking the line item or by clicking the Edit button on the toolbar. When you have made your changes, click OK.
Memos
If you wish to add a memo, you can do so by clicking the Memos tab. For information on adding memos, please reference this page: Adding Memos
When you have finished adding all of your information, click Save to save the new journal. You will see this menu:
If you are finished with this journal, click Save Document. If you are not yet finished, click Save Unfinished Document. This allows you to retain the changes you have made, but will ensure that the journal is not posted to the General Ledger until you have returned to complete it. Click Exit to return to the Batch screen.
Edit Unfinished Document
To edit an unfinished document, from the Batch screen click New and select Edit Unfinished Document. You will see this screen:
Click OK, as the unfinished document already has a document number. You will now be launched into your unfinished document:
Proceed with completing the journal entry, and click Save when finished.
Copy an Existing Document
The DDI Connect system allows you to copy an existing document into a new document. To do so, click the New button from within a batch, and select Copy an Existing Document. You will now see this screen:
This is the General Journal Inquiry screen. You can now search for the document that you wish to copy:
When you have located the document that you wish to copy, you can either double-click it or click once to highlight and then click the Select button. You will be brought to this screen:
Type the document number you wish to use or click OK to use the next available document number. You will now see this screen:
You can modify the existing information as needed. Click Save when you are finished.
Copy from Document Template
Document Templates allow you to avoid having to create recurring large journals from scratch. For example, if you have a monthly journal with multiple lines, you can set up a template that allows you to create each instance quickly. To create a new journal from a document template, click the New button on the toolbar and select Copy from a Document Template.