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TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! TM GENERAL LEDGER and ACCOUNT RECONCILIATION USER'S MANUAL Version 1.0 Hooper International, Inc. P.O. Box 50200 Colorado Springs, CO 80949 Registration Number: ___________ Copyright (C) 1986-1990 by Hooper International, Inc. All rights reserved. TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! COPYRIGHT NOTICE TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS is not a public domain program. It is Copyright (C) 1986-1990 by Hooper International, Inc. No part of this manual may be reproduced or translated, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of Hooper International, Inc. Copyright (C) 1986-1990 Hooper International, Inc. WARRANTY INFORMATION Hooper International, Inc. licenses this software and manual "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied; including, but not limited to, the particular purpose. Hooper International, Inc. does not warrant that the TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS software will meet your requirements, or that the operation of TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS will be uninterrupted or error free. In no event will Hooper International, Inc. be liable for incidental, consequential, indirect or other damages including any lost profits or lost savings, arising from the use of, or inability to use, these programs; even if Hooper International, Inc. has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. Please keep in mind, we do not accept returns or give refunds on registered copies. We will, for a period of up to 90 days from initial shipping date, replace defective disks for a minimal shipping and handling charge of $5.00. Defective disks must be returned prepaid and insured by sender. In this way, we are assured of complete customer satisfaction. As you can see, we value your business. Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Hooper International, Inc. This product could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically made to the information herein. These changes may be incorporated in new additions of this publication. Page 2 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! TABLE OF CONTENTS COPYRIGHT NOTICE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 WARRANTY INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 SECTION ONE - INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1a - The General Ledger Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1b - General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 SECTION TWO - THE CHART OF ACCOUNTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2a - What Is A Chart of Accounts?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2b - Types Of Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2c - Organization of the Chart of Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2d - Subtotals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2e - Chart of Accounts Data Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2f - Getting Familiar with the Chart of Accounts . . . . . . . . 8 2g - Adding/Modifying/Deleting Accounts. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2h - Entering Your Chart of Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2i - Setting Beginning Balances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 SECTION THREE - INCOME AND EXPENSE BUDGETS. . . . . . . . . . . . 13 SECTION FOUR - TRANSACTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 4a - Entering Simple Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 4b - Entering Multiple Part Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 4c - Change/Delete Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4d - Create Recurring Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 4e - Modify/Delete Recurring Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . 19 4f - Activate Recurring Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 4g - Entering and Printing Checks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 SECTION FIVE - REPORTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 5a - Explanation of Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 5b - General Instructions for Generating Reports . . . . . . . . 24 SECTION SIX - UTILITY MENU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 6a - Sort Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 6b - Changing Account Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 6c - Post Other Modules to the G/L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 6d - Import G/L Transaction File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 6e - Export G/L Transaction File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 6f - G/L Check Writing Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 SECTION SEVEN - HINTS and SUGGESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 7a - Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 7b - If You Have Comments or Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 LIST OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . NOT AVAILABLE ON DISK FILE APPENDIX A - SAMPLE REPORTS . . . . . . . NOT AVAILABLE ON DISK FILE APPENDIX B - DISK FILENAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Page 3 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! SECTION ONE - INTRODUCTION 1a - The General Ledger Module The TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger module is a menu-driven, double-entry bookkeeping system which is suitable for small/medium business use. Although it is easy to use, you must have at least a basic understanding of double-entry (debits and credits) bookkeeping. The General Ledger module keeps track of assets, liabilities, net worth, capital, income and expenses. It also assists the user in spotting financial trends. The program records transactions, categorizes them into various accounts, and generates a complete range of financial reports and graphs. In addition to being a powerful management tool for the small/medium business; this module assists you, the business person, in the tasks necessary to keep track of your financial standing. It performs day-to-day functions such as monitoring the balances of bank accounts, credit cards, loans, etc. Furthermore, this module tracks how closely you are adhering to a budget. It can document all of your assets, thus providing a backup record for insurance purposes. The General Ledger module also provides a record of earnings and expenses, in order to assist you in preparing your income tax paperwork. 1b - General Information Below is a list of steps to follow when using TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger for the first time. These steps are for those who have already read the Getting Started manual and are now ready to set up their own "live" data files. It is assumed here that you have already installed TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS on your hard disk drive and have started the program. If this is not the case, refer to the Getting Started User's Manual before reading any further. These brief steps are intended to provide step-by-step guidance for getting started on your own. They are not intended to replace reading either the Getting Started User's Manual or this manual. Detailed instructions are covered in the sections referenced. 1. First, we suggest you go to the Configuration Menu to customize the system configuration to meet your particular hardware and printing needs. Although not absolutely necessary, doing this now may prevent printing problems later. Refer to Section Four - "System Configuration" in the Getting Started User's Manual for detailed instructions. 2. Next, from the TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS Main Menu screen, select the "G/L" menu item. The following screen appears: Figure 1-1 General Ledger Main Menu 3. Figure 1-1 shows the General Ledger Main Menu screen. From here you will select the different areas of the General Ledger to work in. Page 4 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 4. The first step in setting up your General Ledger is to set up accounts. Select "Chart of Accounts Menu" from the General Ledger Main Menu to set up your Chart of Accounts. You must have accounts active before you can enter any transactions or print reports. Refer to Section Two - "The Chart of Accounts" for detailed instructions. 5. Next, select "Utility Menu" from the General Ledger Main Menu to set up your check printing configuration. This will allow you to print checks "on-the-fly" as you enter transactions. Refer to Section Six - "Utility Menu" for detailed instructions. 6. Next, select "Transactions Menu" from the General Ledger Main Menu to start entering transactions and printing checks. Refer to Section Four - "Transactions" for detailed instructions. 7. Once you have entered some transactions, you may select "Reports Menu" from the General Ledger Main Menu and print a "Transaction Journal Report" (or any other report) to see your progress to this point. The two most useful reports are the "Income Statement" and the "Balance Sheet". Refer to Section Five - "Reports" for detailed instructions. 8. The "Utility Menu" item from the General Ledger Main Menu provides you with functions to do a variety of tasks including sorting transactions; graphically displaying account balances; posting from other modules to the General Ledger; performing the end-of-period posting; merging, importing, or exporting General Ledger transaction files; and setting up your check printing configuration. Refer to Section Six - "Utilities" for detailed instructions. Please keep in mind that the above steps are only intended to show you the order of getting started with your own books. We highly recommend that you read all of the referenced sections before beginning. Page 5 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! SECTION TWO - THE CHART OF ACCOUNTS 2a - What Is A Chart of Accounts? The Chart of Accounts is the foundation upon which your TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS program is built. Creating an accurate and logical Chart of Accounts is important if you wish to correctly input and retrieve data. We strongly recommend that you review the sample Chart of Accounts in the "SAMPLE" file and use it as a guideline in setting up your own accounts (see Appendix A for a sample "Chart of Accounts" report). In this section, the elements included in a Chart of Accounts will be described. Also, the procedures for entering, changing or deleting accounts will be discussed. If you have little or no experience in double-entry bookkeeping and/or its terminology, you may find it worthwhile to familiarize yourself with Section Seven - "Basic Accounting Principles" in the Getting Started User's Manual. 2b - Types Of Accounts Each transaction entered into the program requires a minimum of two accounts; one account must be debited and one account must be credited. Often, there may be several accounts that are debited and/or credited in one transaction. A total of 2000 different accounts can be set up in your Chart of Accounts. Each account must be assigned an account number between 1 and 999999, as well as a type code. The account type codes are as follows: A = ASSETS: Money you have, things you own, and money owed to you. L = LIABILITIES: Debts (e.g: loans, credit cards, etc.). C = CAPITAL or EQUITY: Starting net worth or money invested in a company. R = RETAINED EARNINGS: Used by the system to track your net income and net equity (shows all profit related increases or decreases). You must set up at least one type "R" account (The highest "R" account number is used by the system to post net income to the balance sheet). I = INCOME: Earnings, paychecks, or cash received. E = EXPENSE: Money you pay out for goods or services (e.g. rent, gas, food, etc.). 1 = SUBTOTAL GROUP 1: Subtotals for reports only. See Section 2d - "Subtotals" below for a further explanation. 2 = SUBTOTAL GROUP 2: Subtotals for reports only. See Section 2d - "Subtotals" below for a further explanation. N = NET INCOME: "Net Income Subtotal" used only for Expense Accounts (Type "E") and appears only in reports. See Section 2d - "Subtotals" below for a further explanation. Page 6 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 2c - Organization of the Chart of Accounts A sample "Chart of Accounts" listing is included in Appendix A of this manual and also in the "SAMPLE" data file. Please review this listing to note the following characteristics: 1. Asset accounts are assigned the lowest account numbers, followed by Liabilities, Capital/Equity, Retained Earnings, Income, and Expenses. 2. There should be at least one Capital/Equity (Type "C") account. 3. There must be at least one Retained Earnings (Type "R") account. 4. Account numbers do not have to be assigned in immediate sequence (e.g: 1, 2, 3, 4...). We recommend that you leave enough space between account numbers to allow the insertion of additional accounts between those accounts already established; thus allowing the alphabetizing of account names in each account number group, if desired. 5. We also suggest assigning account numbers so that all accounts of the same type are grouped together in the same series of account numbers. Following is an example of suggested account number groupings: 1 - 1999 Assets 2000 - 2999 Liabilities 3000 - 3999 Capital and Retained Earnings 4000 - 4999 Income 5000 - 5999 Expenses 2d - Subtotals Specific account numbers may be reserved for subtotals in the Chart of Accounts. All subtotal accounts are defined with the type code of "1", "2", or "N". This allows you to organize your subtotal accounts to best suit your needs. Refer to the sample "Chart of Accounts" report in Appendix A or the "SAMPLE" files, to see how the subtotals may be labeled and used. 1. Subtotal Group "1" will give you a subtotal of account numbers of the same account type (A,L,C,R,I,or E). For example: You have three checking accounts, numbered 100, 110, and 120, with no other accounts between these numbers. If you would like a subtotal for these three accounts, create an account with a number of 121 as a type "1" account. 2. Subtotal Group "2" will give you a subtotal of all accounts back to the previous group "2" subtotal. Group "2" subtotals will also clear the group "1" subtotal accounts. 3. The Type "N" (Net Income) account is used only within the Expense account group (Type E). This account type will determine your cumulative net income, to date, in the Expense account group. Net Income = Income - Expenses. 4. You may enter as many subtotal accounts as needed. Page 7 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 5. You do not need to create any Grand Total accounts (i.e. Total Income). On Reports, the TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS program automatically creates a Grand Total for each account-type grouping. 6. You cannot get a combined subtotal for two account types (e.g. assets "A" and liabilities "L"), as all subtotal balances are cleared between account types. Subtotal accounts do not have beginning balances and you cannot enter transactions into them. 2e - Chart of Accounts Data Fields Each account in the Chart of Accounts includes several input fields. These fields contain important information for that account. The data fields are as follows: ACCOUNT NUMBER: Enter the new account number (up to six digits long), making sure you follow the guide lines for organizing your Chart of Accounts in Section 2c. You must not mix account types together, and all accounts must be organized in account type order; that is: first type A, then L, C,R,I, and finally E. ACCOUNT NAME: The account name should clearly identify the purpose of that account or subtotal field (i.e. "Checking - First National Bank", and not "Checking Account"). ACCOUNT TYPE: This field consists of a one-character account-type identification. Only the following types are allowed: A, L, C, R, I, E, 1, 2, or N. Refer to Section 2b - "Types of Accounts". BEGINNING BALANCE: The beginning balance is usually zero. Any time you enter a beginning balance, you run the risk of an out-of- balance situation. If you choose to enter a beginning balance, you must always enter a positive number. This is the normal balance associated with any given account (e.g: Assets = debit, Liabilities = credit, etc.). The default value for beginning balances is zero. You cannot enter a beginning balance for type "1", "2", or "N" subtotal accounts. Refer to Section 2i - "Setting Beginning Balances". NOTE: Income and Expense accounts are period accounts and, therefore, do not have beginning balances. Any beginning balances must be entered as transactions. 2f - Getting Familiar with the Chart of Accounts Before you create your own Chart of Accounts, follow the steps below using the "SAMPLE" accounts to familiarize yourself with the way the Chart of Accounts is organized. 1. After you have started TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS, select the filename "SAMPLE". 2. From the Main Menu, select "G/L". Page 8 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 3. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Chart of Accounts Menu". The following screen appears: Figure 2-1 Chart of Accounts Menu 4. At the Chart of Accounts Menu, select "Update Chart of Accounts". The following screen appears: Figure 2-2 Chart of Accounts Listing Notice how this typical Chart of Accounts is organized. The screen will display eighteen account numbers at a time. To see more accounts, use the cursor-arrows keys or mouse to scroll through the listing. You can select an account number by pressing <Enter> when the cursor is on the account; or, if you know the beginning of the account number, simply type in the number. The first account number in that range will appear at the bottom of the screen, with the cursor automatically on that account (e.g: entering 5 will take you to account number 5000). If you know the account number, simply enter that number and the cursor will position itself on that account. Before setting up your own Chart of Accounts, you may want to practice creating some accounts by entering them into this sample Chart of Accounts, following the steps below. 2g - Adding/Modifying/Deleting Accounts This section will describe how to add, modify, and/or delete accounts in the Chart of Accounts. The "SAMPLE" file is used in all of the following examples. 1. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Chart of Accounts Menu". 2. From the Chart of Accounts Menu, select "Update Chart of Accounts". Figure 2-2 above will appear. At the bottom of the Chart of Accounts screen, notice three available functions: <F3>Add, <F4>Mod, and <F5>Del. Selecting one of these functions enables you to add, modify, or delete an account. Follow these steps: ADDING AN ACCOUNT: Press the <F3> key and Figure 2-3 will appear. If there are no already existing accounts, this Add Account window will automatically appear. Figure 2-3 Add Account A. Enter the account number you want to add, then press <Enter>. B. Enter the account name, then press <Enter>. C. Enter the account type (A,L,C,R,I,E, or for subtotal accounts; "1", "2", or "N"). D. Enter a beginning balance if applicable. Remember, you cannot assign a beginning balance to any Income, Expense, or Subtotal account. Press <Enter>. Page 9 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! The account you just created is now added to the Chart of Accounts and the screen is ready to accept your next account. Follow steps A through D, above, to add any additional accounts you want. E. When you are done adding accounts, press <Esc> and the Add Account window will disappear. MODIFYING AN ACCOUNT: Press the <F4> key and Figure 2-4, below, will appear. Figure 2-4 Modify Account Notice the cursor is on the "Name:" field, not the "Number:" field. You can change only the account name, the type code, and/or the beginning balance. To change an account number; you must add a new account, change any existing transactions to this new account, and then delete the old account number. See Section 6c - "Changing Account Numbers" if you need to change an account number. A. To change an account name, simply type the new name and press <Enter> when done. If this is the only change to be made, press <F10> and the change will be saved. To skip this field, press <Enter>. Press <Esc> and the Modify Account window will disappear. B. To change the type code, simply enter the new type code. If the new type code and existing account number cause the account to be positioned incorrectly in the Chart of Accounts, you will be warned by the program to change the account number. Refer to Section 6c - "Changing Account Numbers", if you need to change an account number. C. To change the beginning balance, simply enter the new balance figure and press <Enter>. Your change will be saved. Press <Esc> and the Modify Account window will disappear. DELETING AN ACCOUNT: To delete an account, the account must have a zero beginning balance and there must not be no transactions for this account. If transactions exist, you must first delete them before you can delete the account (refer to Section 4c - "Change/Deleting Transactions"). To delete an account, move the cursor to the appropriate account number and press the <F5> key. Answer "Y" to the "Are you sure" prompt, and the account will be deleted. 2h - Entering Your Chart of Accounts When you actually create your own Chart of Accounts, it is important that you have an organized plan of the different accounts and types of accounts you wish to create. Organize your paperwork, checks, statements, etc. into a logical account type and account-number order (e.g: Put all of your assets in the order you want them to appear in your Chart of Accounts, but don't forget to save room for additional accounts and subtotals). To enter your Page 10 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! new accounts, follow the steps below. If you are unsure about how to enter accounts, you can practice using these steps with the sample Chart of Accounts. DO NOT try to modify the sample Chart of Accounts for your own personal use. You must first create a new file for your own set of books. Refer to Section 3d - "Create or Clone Your Own Set of Books" in the Getting Started User's Manual. 1. From the TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS Main Menu, select "G/L". 2. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Chart of Accounts Menu". 3. From the Chart of Accounts Menu, select "Update Chart of Accounts". The following screen will appear: Figure 2-5 Add Account 4. Since you are creating a new Chart of Accounts, only a blank window will appear asking for your first account number, name, type, and beginning balance. It is very important that you group your accounts appropriately (e.g. 1-1999 = Assets, 2000-2999 = Liabilities etc.). You cannot mix account types together, so be sure to leave plenty of space between account numbers and types for additional accounts in the future. We suggest that you increment account numbers by tens or hundreds. A. Enter the account number you want to add, then press <Enter>. B. Enter the account name, then press <Enter>. C. Enter the account type (A,L,C,R,I,E, or for subtotal accounts; "1", "2", or "N"), then press <Enter>. D. Enter a beginning balance, if applicable. Remember, you cannot assign a beginning balance to any Income, Expense, or Subtotal account. Press <Enter>. This first active account you have just created is now added to your new Chart of Accounts and should now appear in the Chart of Accounts on the screen. To add additional accounts, follow the steps in Section 2g - "Adding/Modifying/Deleting Accounts". You may, at any time, print a current Chart of Accounts listing from the Reports Menu (See "Section Five - Reports"). 2i - Setting Beginning Balances When setting up your Chart of Accounts for the first time, you may want to include some beginning balances. If you do, please follow the instructions below: Page 11 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! NOTE: While you are creating new account numbers with beginning balances, the system will tell you how much you are out of balance. Do not be concerned with this out-of-balance condition before you have finished entering all of your Asset and Liability accounts with their beginning balances. 1. Enter all your Asset accounts, including their beginning balances, if applicable. 2. Enter all your Liability accounts, including their beginning balances, if applicable. After you have finished entering all of your Asset and Liability beginning balances; you would normally be out of balance by the difference between your total assets, less your total liabilities (the out-of-balance amount shown on the screen). Enter this difference in your first Capital/Equity (type "C") account beginning balance. This amount is your starting Equity. After doing so, the "out of balance" message will disappear. Page 12 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! SECTION THREE - INCOME AND EXPENSE BUDGETS TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS allows you to keep track of your budgets for income and expenses. You can determine how closely you are staying within your budget by printing the Budget Variance report (See "SECTION FIVE - REPORTS"). Follow the procedure below to add budget amounts to your TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS accounts: 1. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Chart of Accounts Menu". 2. From the Chart of Accounts Menu, select "Update Expense Budgets". The following screen appears: Figure 3-1 Enter Budgets 3. Enter the account number for which you would like to set a budget. This account number must be an active Income or Expense account that was previously set up in the Chart of Accounts. If you are unsure of which account you would like to budget, pressing <F2> will give you the pop-up Chart of Accounts listing. The program will only accept an Income- or Expense-account number in this field. Once you have entered a correct account number, the type of account and name will appear. 4. Enter the month number for the budget you would like to create. For example, if you want to create a budget for only the month of March, enter the number "3". If you want to create a budget for every month in the year with this same amount, enter the number "13". (This feature eliminates having to enter the same budget amount 12 times when creating a budget for each of the twelve months.) 5. Enter the budget amount for one month and press <Enter>. The program will return you to the "Enter Account:" field. At this time you may enter another account to budget by following steps 3 through 5, above. 6. Press <Esc> when you have finished entering budgets. You will be returned to the Chart of Accounts Menu and your budget saved. You may print a copy of all of your budget data by printing the Budget Listing report (See "SECTION FIVE - REPORTS"). The budget data you enter is used when generating a Budget Variance report. This report can be run either as a year-to-date (cumulative) report or as a trended (by month) report. Page 13 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! SECTION FOUR - TRANSACTIONS When entering transactions into TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger, you have three options: 1. "Input Transactions": Entering simple and multiple-part transactions through an input screen that requires debiting and crediting to at least two accounts. 2. "Creating Recurring Transactions": Creating repetitive transactions that occur weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly. 3. Entering and Printing Checks: Entering simple transactions through an input screen that resembles an actual check, with an option to print the check before leaving the screen. This section will cover all of the above options in detail. 4a - Entering Simple Transactions Each transaction involves the debiting of one account, and the crediting of another account. When entering debits and credits, one easy rule to remember is: A CREDIT IS WHERE MONEY COMES FROM, AND A DEBIT IS WHERE MONEY GOES TO. If you are new to double-entry bookkeeping, you may wish to review Section Seven - "Basic Accounting Principles" in the Getting Started User's Manual or refer to the transactions in the "SAMPLE" files for examples. As you enter each of your transactions, TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS will check it to ensure that it is in balance (Debit amounts = Credit amounts). If the accounts in your Chart of Accounts have been set up in balance, TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS will always keep your books in balance. To enter a simple transaction, follow these steps: 1. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Transactions Menu". The following screen appears: Figure 4-1 General Ledger Transactions Menu 2. From the General Ledger Transactions Menu, select "Input Transactions". The following screen appears: Figure 4-2 Add Transaction The following transaction will simulate your purchase of computer software from Hooper International, Inc. You have written a check totaling $153.95 using checking Account #1 and you want to apply this to office expenses. 3. Enter the date on which the actual transaction occurred (e.g: 04-07-90), then press <Enter>. You only have to enter the numbers for the date; the separators (hyphens) are automatically skipped over. Page 14 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 4. Enter the Department code (up to four characters) if you are using department codes to track Income and Expenses. This is an optional field. 5. Enter the check number (up to seven digits) for the transaction. If you would like TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS to automatically increment the check number for you, press the <+> key and then press <Enter>. NOTE: If you will be printing a check from this transaction, the credit information for the checking account must go on the first line of the transaction. 6. Enter the description for this part of the transaction. This could be to whom the check is/was written, or why the check was written (e.g: Hooper International, Inc.). 7. Next, enter the account number to be credited (where the money is coming from). If you are unsure about the account number, press the <F2> key for a pop-up chart of accounts. In this example, credit account 1010 (Checking Account #1). 8. Now enter the amount of this transaction. In this case you want to credit account 1010 (checking account #1). First press <Enter> to skip over the debit field, then enter the amount ($153.95) in the credit field and press <Enter>. 9. You will now be on the second line of the transaction and ready to debit the expense account. Enter the check number for the second part of the transaction (default is the check number entered in part one). 10. Enter the description for part two of this transaction. The description default is as entered in part one. Enter "Purchase software" and press <Enter>. 11. Next, enter the account number to be debited (where the money is going to). If you are unsure about the account number, press the <F2> key for a pop-up chart of accounts. In this example, debit account 5620 (Office expense). 12. Finally, enter the amount to debit. In most cases, this is the same amount entered in the credit part of the transaction. In fact, the default for the debit amount will be the amount entered in the credit amount. Press <Enter>. 13. Since the transaction is in balance, the prompt "Print check(P) or Inputs Correct(Y/N):" will appear. Since all we are doing here is entering a simple transaction, enter a "Y". The transaction will be saved and you will be returned to the first input field to enter another transaction. If you have finished entering your transactions, press <Esc> to return to the General Ledger Transaction Menu. When entering your debits and credits, be sure to enter the credit to the checking account on the first line of the transaction, if applicable. Also, be sure to debit and/or credit the correct account number. If you need to debit more than one account, or credit more than one account in a single transaction, refer to Section 4b, below. Page 15 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 4b - Entering Multiple Part Transactions Most transactions will have only one debit and one credit. However, there are some instances when there are several credits and/or debits in a single transaction. TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS allows you to make multiple credit and/or debit entries, allowing up to 26 transaction parts for each transaction. Multiple part transactions are entered just like any other transaction, except the initial debit and credit amounts are different. Follow the example outlined below to record a multiple debit/credit account: NOTE: It is important to remember to enter all your credit information first, followed by all the debit information. This will produce more legible reports and ensure that, when writing checks, the credit information for the checking account is on the top line of the transaction. You will write a check totaling $853.00 for your bank loan payment, where $491.00 will go toward the loan principle and $362.00 will go toward bank service charges. You will want to enter this transaction into three separate accounts: the first crediting your checking account (1010) for $853.00; the other two debiting account 2400 Bank Loan (Liability) for $491.00, and account 5220 Bank Service Charges (Expense) for $362.00. 1. First, follow steps 1 through 12 of Section 4a - "Entering Simple Transactions" above; entering on line one the credit information relating to account 1010 (checking account), and on line two the debit information relating to account 2400 (Bank Loan). 2. Since the transaction is out-of-balance (the credit amount of $853.00 being more than the debit amount of $491.00), you are alerted with the message: "Transaction is OUT OF BALANCE, continue:[N]:" 3. Press "Y" to continue, since you need to include the second debit to account 5220. 4. Notice the "ADD TRANSACTION" detail lines have scrolled down, giving you a third line for input of information. Enter on this third line the debit information relating to account 5220, entering it the same way you entered the information for line two. 5. After entering the $362.00 in the debit column of line three and pressing <Enter>, notice the transaction is now in balance. Follow step 13, above, to save the transaction and set the screen to enter another transaction. 6. If you have finished entering your multiple part transactions, press <Esc> to return to the General Ledger Transaction Menu. In this example, you balanced the three-part transaction by offsetting the credit part with the two debit parts. The program will continually try to balance the transaction after each part is entered, by defaulting to the Page 16 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! needed debit or credit field. For example: in the above transaction, if you entered $462.00 in the credit column for line three, then answered "Y" to the "Transaction is OUT OF BALANCE, continue:[N]:" prompt, you would see a fourth line on the screen. 4c - Change/Delete Transactions If you discover that a transaction was entered incorrectly, or should not have been entered at all, TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS allows you to go back to correct or delete the incorrect entry. Follow the steps below to modify or delete a previously entered transaction: 1. From the General Ledger Transaction Menu, select "Change/Delete Transactions". The following screen will appear: Figure 4-3 Transaction Search Parameters 2. TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS is prompting you for transaction search parameters. Enter any appropriate search data (e.g. description). It is not necessary to make an entry in every field. You can simply enter one description of the transaction and TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS will search for any transactions with this description (i.e. Check #6, or "Food"). NOTE: Leaving all fields blank will search/find all transactions. If you remember the check number, enter it in the "check" field and press the <F10> key to initiate the search (you may also enter the date of the transaction to display all transactions entered on that date). A "Search Match" screen will then appear, displaying the transaction. The bottom of the window will display: "Modify/Delete/Search/Reverse/Begin/End/+/-/Quit:" 3. Select one of the following: M = Modify/change transaction shown. D = Delete transaction shown. S = Find the next transaction which matches search. R = Find prior transaction which matches search. B = Go to first transaction in file. E = Go to last transaction in file. + = Go to next consecutive transaction. - = Go to prior consecutive transaction. Q = Quit transaction search. Page 17 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 4. As long as you continue to answer the above prompt with "S" (default), TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS will search for all transactions containing the values you have specified. "R" does the same thing as "S", except it searches in reverse order. 5. To modify a transaction, press "M" (Modify) and you will be in the change mode. Type in the correct information in the appropriate field(s) or press <Enter> to leave a field unchanged. Use the "Shift- Tab" key to go to a previous field. You must make sure that your new cumulative credits equal your cumulative debits. Your change will not be accepted if it causes the transaction to be out of balance. Pressing <Esc> will ignore your changes and take you back to a new parameter search. The <F10> key will save inputs and record your changed transaction. 6. To delete a transaction, press "D" (Delete) and answer the "Transaction has 2 parts, Delete OK? [N]:" prompt with "Y". The transaction is now deleted. Press <Esc> to go to a new parameter search. Pressing <Esc> again will return you to the Transaction Menu. NOTE: If you are deleting a multiple part transaction, the "DELETE OK?" prompt will display how many parts are in that transaction. Most transactions will have only 2 parts. 4d - Create Recurring Transactions Recurring Entries are designed for those who have consistent deposits or pay- ments on a weekly (W), bi-weekly (B), semi-monthly (S), or monthly (M) basis. To eliminate the process of re-entering a transaction, follow the steps below: 1. From the General Ledger Transaction Menu, select "Create Recurring Transactions". 2. At the "Frequency(W,B,S,M):" prompt, enter one of the following: W - weekly, B - bi-weekly, S - semi-monthly, or M - monthly. The default is "M" (monthly). Press <Enter> to accept your selection. The following screen appears: Figure 4-4 Add Recurring Transaction 3. The Dept- and Check-Number fields are usually left blank. They are filled in later when the transaction is activated. 4. Next, enter the description of the transaction (i.e. car payment). 5. Next, enter the account number to debit or credit. Remember, you will be entering both a debit and a credit part of this transaction. One account must be credited, and one account debited. See Section 4a - "Entering Simple Transactions" for further information. 6. When the transaction is complete, press <F10> to save all inputs, then the <Esc> key to return to the General Ledger Transaction Menu. Page 18 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! You have now created a recurring entry; however, it will not be usable until it is activated. See Section 4e - "Activate Recurring Entries". 4e - Modify/Delete Recurring Transactions If you entered a recurring entry incorrectly, or no longer wish to save it, you may change or delete that entry at any time. To change or delete a recurring entry, follow the steps below: 1. From the General Ledger Transaction Menu, select "Modify/Deleting Recurring Entries". The following screen will appear: Figure 4-5 Recurring Search Parameters 2. TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS is prompting you for transaction search parameters. Enter any appropriate search data (e.g. description). It is not necessary to make an entry in every field. You may simply enter one description of the transaction and TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS will search for all entries with that description. NOTE: Leaving all fields blank will search/find all transactions. For example, to search for a particular frequency, enter the frequency code for the recurring entry you wish to modify/delete, then press the <F10> key to initiate the search. If you are unsure of any field, skip that field. Enter the description, account number, and/or the amount of the entry; then press <F10> to initiate the search. 3. Once the search is complete, a "Search Match" screen will appear, displaying the recurring entry. At the bottom of the window the following will appear: "Modify/Delete/Search/Reverse/Begin/End/+/-/Quit:" 4. Select one of the following: M = Modify/change transaction shown. D = Delete transaction shown. S = Find the next transaction which matches search. R = Find prior transaction which matches search. B = Go to first transaction in file. E = Go to last transaction in file. + = Go to next consecutive transaction. - = Go to prior consecutive transaction. Q = Quit transaction search. Page 19 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 5. As long as you continue to answer the above prompt with "S" (default), TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS will search for all transactions containing the values you have specified. "R" does the same thing as "S", except it searches in reverse. 6. To modify a recurring entry, press "M" (Modify). You are now in the change mode. Type in the correct information in the appropriate field(s) or press <Enter> to leave a field unchanged. Use the "up" arrow key to go to a previous field. You must make sure that your new cumulative credits equal your cumulative debits. Your change will not be accepted if it causes the entry to be out of balance. Pressing <Esc> will ignore your changes and take you back to a new recurring search parameter. Pressing the <F10> key will save your inputs and record your new entry. 7. To delete a recurring entry, press "D" (Delete), then answer the "Transaction has 2 parts, Delete OK? [N]" prompt with "Y". The entry is now deleted. Press <Esc> to return to the General Ledger Transaction Menu. NOTE: If you are deleting a multiple part entry, the "DELETE OK?" prompt will display how many parts this particular transaction has. Most recurring entries will have only 2 parts. 4f - Activate Recurring Entries Once you have entered a recurring entry, it does not become a live transaction until it is activated. When activated, the system will generate a live transaction based on the information in the recurring entry. The following steps explain how to activate a recurring entry. 1. From the General Ledger Transaction Menu, select "Activate Recurring Transactions". The following screen will appear: Figure 4-6 Select Activate Frequency 2. Select the frequency of the recurring entries you would like to activate. 3. The screen will then display all of the entries with that frequency. Under the transaction window, the following prompt appears: "Activate/Next/Quit:" 4. When you find the entry you wish to activate, press "A" (activate). The screen will then display the complete entry. You may now make needed changes to this transaction as described in Section 4c - "Change/Delete Transactions". When the transaction is correct, press <F10>. Your transaction is now activated and the prompt "Print check(P) or Inputs Correct(Y/N):" will appear. If you want to print this transaction as a check, press "P". If you are simply activating the transaction, press "Y" and the transaction will be saved. If your inputs are not correct, press "N" and the cursor will return to the first input field so you can re-enter the information. Page 20 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! If there is more than one transaction with the same frequency, they will be displayed one at a time. To skip the activation of any particular entry, press "N" (next) and the next entry (if any) will be displayed. 4g - Entering and Printing Checks This method of entering transactions is recommended for those who are not familiar with the entering of debits and credits to accounts. It is a simplified transaction-entering process resembling the writing of a check. Simply follow the steps below: 1. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Transactions Menu". 2. From the General Ledger Transaction Menu, select "Check Writing Transactions". The following screen appears: Figure 4-7 Select Account 3. Enter the checking account number that you will use for this transaction (where money is coming from). If you are unsure of the account number; press the <F2> key for a pop-up Chart of Accounts listing, move the highlighted cursor to the appropriate account number, and press <Enter> to accept the account number. The following screen will then appear: Figure 4-8 Simple Check Transaction 4. At the "CHECK:" field, you can enter the check number for the next check you are using, then press <Enter>. OR TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS can automatically increment the check number for you. To increment to the next check number, press the <+> key and then <Enter>. The check number will be entered and the cursor will move to the next input field. 5. At the "Date:" field, enter the date for the check and press <Enter>. 6. Next, enter to whom the check is/was made out and then press <Enter>. 7. Next, enter the amount of the check and press <Enter>. TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS will automatically fill out the written amount for you. 8. At the "Address:" field, enter an optional three-line address for the person or company to which the check is/was written. 9. At the "Dept:" field, enter a department code if you would like to track this expense; otherwise, leave blank; then press <Enter> to continue. 10. At the "Expense:" field, enter the Expense (or Asset) account number you wish to debit (where money is going to). Again, if you are unsure of the account number; press the <F2> key for the pop-up Chart of Accounts listing, select the account, and press <Enter>. The following screen will appear: Page 21 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! Figure 4-9 Print Check or Inputs Correct 11. If you want to print this check, press "P". If you are simply entering a check that has already been written, press "Y" and the check will be saved. If your inputs are not correct, press "N" and the cursor will return to the first input field so that you can re-enter the information. NOTE: When you press "P" to print a check, you must also press "Y" to save the transaction after the check is printed. If you are simply printing a check again, or are printing a check for a transaction that has already been entered, press "N" after printing the check and the transaction will not be saved. 12. After entering "Y" or "N" to the "Inputs Correct(Y/N):" prompt, the cursor will return to the "Check:" field and you will be able to enter your next check transaction. 13. When finished entering check transactions, press <Esc> to return to the General Ledger Transactions Menu. NOTE: When using this "Entering Check" feature you can enter only one debit account. If you need to pay more than one debit account with a single check, enter this transaction as described in Section 4a - "Entering Simple Transactions" and 4b - "Entering Multiple-Part Transactions". Page 22 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! SECTION FIVE - REPORTS The TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS Reports Menu allows you to generate a full range of financial reports from your database. Reports can be generated to show financial standing for a day, month, several months, a quarter, or a year. This section will demonstrate how reports can help you get optimum results from your TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS program. 5a - Explanation of Reports Each of the ten reports available from TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger can be sent to your monitor's screen for immediate viewing, to your printer for "hard" copy, or to a disk drive for later retrieval. Many of the reports are generated in a cumulative format for the dates specified; and three of those reports may optionally be generated in a trended, month by month, format. Each of the available TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger reports are described below. All reports may be printed at any time and as many times as necessary. Samples of these reports are shown in Appendix A and can be printed while using the "SAMPLE" account. Transaction Journal - This report lists all of the transactions recorded in the journal(s) specified for the requested time period. This report can optionally show only those transactions for a particular department within the journal(s) specified, if you are using the department feature when entering transactions. Recurring Transactions - This report lists all the recurring transactions for the frequency specified. Account History - This report shows all the activity of the account(s) specified for the requested time period. It can be helpful when tracking your checking account(s), loan payments, and/or monitoring loan balances. It can also show variations in monthly bills, such as utility and phone. If requesting more than one account when producing this report, you can optionally request accounts to be listed on separate pages. Income Statement - This report shows the total income and expenses for the requested time period. It also shows your net income (total income less total expenses) and can be generated as either a cumulative or trended report. This report can optionally show the total income and expenses for only those accounts included within a particular department, if you used the department feature when entering the transactions. Trial Balance - This report provides a quick look at the current balances of all your accounts. It is similar to a combined Income Statement and Balance Sheet. In manual accounting systems, this report shows if the accounts are in balance. It is provided here mainly as a convenience to those who still prefer it. Budget Variance - This report shows the difference between the actual amounts and the budgeted amounts for both income and expenses. When generated for more than one month, it shows only the cumulative amounts, with one variance for that amount. Page 23 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! Balance Sheet - This report shows your financial position, giving you the balance of all asset, liability, and equity accounts. It may be generated as either a cumulative or trended report. Sources & Uses - This is a two part report; the first showing each account that qualifies as a source of funds and the second showing each account that qualifies as a use of funds. Each account is listed by account number and name, followed by its current balance. The "Total" figure for each part should match. This report may be generated in either a cumulative or trended format. Chart of Accounts - This report shows the current General Ledger Chart of Accounts. You should generate this report after making any changes to the Chart of Accounts. Budget Listing - This report provides a listing of all Income and Expense accounts that have budget amounts assigned; listing all the income accounts first, followed by all the expense accounts. Each account is listed by account number and name, followed by the budget amount(s) for that account. 5b - General Instructions for Generating Reports To generate any report, do the following: 1. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Reports Menu". Figure 5-1 General Ledger Reports Menu 2. From the General Ledger Reports Menu, select the report you want to generate (e.g: Transaction Journal). The Transaction Journal report input-data screen is shown below. Other report input-data screens are covered later in this section. Figure 5-2 Transaction Journal Input Data As stated earlier, you may generate any of the reports to your monitor's screen (S), to a printer (P), or to a disk drive (D) where the report will become a disk file. NOTE: If you do not have a printer and try to print a report to the printer, you will get an error message. The first prompt on the screen for any report is the destination prompt. It appears as follows: Screen,Printer,Disk(S,P,D): Entering an "S" for screen or a "P" for printer will send the report to the screen or printer, respectively. If you enter a "D" for disk, the system will prompt you for a disk filename. You can enter any name you wish, following the DOS naming conventions. The report will be saved on the default disk drive with the filename you entered, followed by a filename extension of ".RPT". If you enter a filename that already exists, the system will ask if you want to delete the old file. Answering Page 24 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! "Y" will replace the existing report with the new report. Answering "N" will append (add) the new report information to the already existing report. The disk file is created in ASCII format, thereby allowing it to be used with any word processing program. This feature allows you to bring up the report in a word processor and edit the report as you would any document, adding any comments or explanations necessary to strengthen a point or clarify a position. Enter the letter S. Continuing with the Transaction Journal report: 3. At the "Screen,Printer,Disk(S,P,D):" prompt, enter the letter for the destination of the report (e.g: "S"). For most reports, you also need to specify a date range. The date- prompt format will be the format specified in the Configuration Settings (refer to Section 4d - "Setting the System Configuration" in the Getting Started User's Manual). The date prompt appears as follows: Starting Date: 04-01-90 Ending Date: 04-31-90 These dates determine the inclusive time period for the report and are included in the heading of the report. NOTE: The ending date can never be more than one year after the starting date (e.g: starting date as 04-01-89 and ending date as 03-31-90). The following examples show formats to use for monthly, quarterly, annual, and year-to-date reports: Monthly: Starting Date: 04-01-90 Ending Date: 04-31-90 Quarterly: Starting Date: 01-01-90 Ending Date: 03-31-90 Annual: Starting Date: 01-01-90 Ending Date: 12-31-90 For Year-to-Date reports, enter the starting date for the report. Then enter any date past the starting date, but not more than one year from that date. The report will include all of the requested information from the starting date to the ending date. For example: If you want a year-to-date Transaction Journal report and the present date is 04-16- 90, enter the following dates: Starting Date: 01-01-90 Ending Date: 04-31-90 Page 25 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! Continuing with the Transaction Journal report: 4. At the "Starting Date:" prompt, enter the numbers 040190. Notice the hyphen is skipped over, allowing faster date entry. 5. At the "Ending Date:" prompt, enter the numbers 043090. 6. At the "Department:" prompt, press <Enter>, leaving it blank. Use of the "Department" field is covered in Section 4a - "Entering Simple Transactions". If you did not use this field when you entered your transactions, do not use it now. 7. At the "Type of Journal(A,G,R,P,Y,S,I):" prompt, select the journal from which the report will come. The letters indicate the following journals: A = All Journals G = General Ledger Journal R = Accounts Receivable Journal P = Accounts Payable Journal Y = Payroll Journal S = Point Of Sale/Invoicing Journal I = Inventory Journal Enter the letter G. The General Ledger Transaction Journal report will be displayed on the monitor's screen. Following are the other report data screens. Any screen prompts already discussed will not be covered in detail. NOTE: If the screen already displays the correct information for your report, you can simply press <F10> to initiate the report. 1. The Recurring Transactions Report options are as follows: Figure 5-3 Recurring Transactions Input Data A. At the destination prompt, select the destination of the report. B. At the "Recurring Frequency(A,M,S,B,W):" prompt, select the type of frequency for the report using the following guidelines: A = All frequencies M = Monthly S = Semi-monthly B = Bi-weekly W = Weekly 2. The Account History report options are as follows: Figure 5-4 Account History Input Data A. At the destination prompt, select the destination of the report. Page 26 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! B. At the date prompts, enter the starting and ending dates for the report. C. The "Accounts on separate pages:" prompt gives you the option of having each account start at the top of the next page when printing the history for more than one account. At this prompt, select either: "Y" (the default) to get one account per page OR "N" to have the next report start immediately following the prior report, without a page break. D. At the "Account starting:" and "Ending:" prompts, enter the range of account numbers you would like to be reported. Enter the same account number if you want only one account reported. 3. The Income Statement options are as follows: Figure 5-5 Income Statement Input Data A. At the destination prompt, select the destination of the report. B. At the date prompts, enter the starting and ending dates for the report. C. At the "Department:" prompt, enter the department code if you used a code when entering the transactions and would like the report to include only those transactions. D. At the "Trended Report:" prompt, enter either: "N" (the default) to get a cumulative report OR "Y" to get a trended report. 4. The Trial Balance and Budget Variance options are as follows: Figure 5-6 Trial Balance Input Data A. At the destination prompt, select the destination of the report. B. At the date prompts, enter the starting and ending dates for the report. 5. The Balance Sheet and Sources & Uses options are as follows: Figure 5-7 Balance Sheet Input Data A. At the destination prompt, select the destination of the report. Page 27 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! B. At the date prompts, enter the starting and ending dates for the report. C. At the "Trended Report:" prompt, enter either: "N" (the default) to get a cumulative report OR "Y" to get a trended report. 6. The Chart of Accounts and Budget Listing options are as follows: Figure 5-8 Chart of Accounts Input Data At the destination prompt, select the destination of the report. If you are unfamiliar with these financial reports, try printing as many reports as you like, using the "SAMPLE" accounts. Doing so will give you an idea of how the reports look and how they might be used. Page 28 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! SECTION SIX - UTILITY MENU The General Ledger Utility Menu contains nine important menu items, each of which are covered in detail below. To access the General Ledger Utility Menu from the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Utility Menu". The following screen appears: Figure 6-1 General Ledger Utility Menu 6a - Sort Transactions TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS saves your transactions and checks in the order in which they are entered. This Sort Transactions function allows the user to choose the manner in which you want your transactions and checks organized (sorted). You may sort as often or as little as you want, as the sort order does not affect the operation of TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS. If you have deleted some transactions, sorting your data file will free the disk space that was previously occupied by the now deleted transactions. The sort function is also very useful when reconciling your accounts, as you can sort transactions in date or check number order. To sort your transactions, do the following: 1. From the General Ledger Utility Menu, select "Sort Transactions". 2. From the "Select Sort Order" screen, select either: "Input Order" to arrange the transactions into that order OR "Date Order" to arrange the transactions in chronological order. 6b - Changing Account Numbers This utility allows you to change the account number of every transaction posted to a specific Chart of Accounts account number. It can be thought of as a "global replace" feature. For example, if you want to change the "Insurance" expense account number from 5510 to 5550; you would first create the new account number (5550) and then run this utility to change all the transactions that have account 5510 to the new account of 5550. WARNING: Since this is an advanced feature, we do not recommend its use by those new to TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS. It is very important to make a complete copy of all the data files before proceeding with this utility. Should something go wrong, it will be easier to recover if you have a good copy of the data. To change an account number, do the following: 1. From the General Ledger Utility Menu, select "Change Account # for Trans". The following screen appears: Figure 6-2 Change Account Numbers Page 29 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! 2. At the "Old Account Number:" prompt, enter the account number you wish to change and press <Enter>. 3. At the "New Account Number:" prompt, enter the new account number and press <Enter>. 6c - Post Other Modules to the G/L This utility allows you the convenience of doing all posting to the General Ledger from one screen, instead of having to enter each module separately and post from each module. To use this utility, do the following: 1. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Post Other Modules to the G/L". The following screen appears: Figure 6-3 Post Other Modules to the G/L 2. Select the modules from which to post by replacing the "N" to the right of the listed modules with a "Y". It will be necessary to press <Enter> each time to step through the list. 6d - Import G/L Transaction File This is an advanced feature primarily used by experienced users. It allows you to import ASCII text files into your TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger transaction file. To do this, you must first create the ASCII text file to import. This file must be made from fixed-length records, with one record per line. The filename for this file may be any name; however, the filename extension must be "TXT". The record layout for this fixed-length record is as follows: Field Name Start Length Mask Date 1 8 User defined in configuration Description 9 30 TEXT Dept 39 4 TEXT Check 43 7 TEXT Account 50 6 1-999999 Debit/Credit Type 56 1 "D","C" Amount 57 11 ########.## Cleared 68 1 See explanation following In the field name "Cleared", the mask is one of the three following characters: "Y" (the letter Y): indicates the check in that record was marked as cleared in a prior account reconciliation that successfully balanced. "*" (the asterisk): indicates the check in that record is marked as cleared in an account reconciliation that is not yet balanced. The asterisk is automatically changed to the letter "Y" only when the account reconciliation successfully balances. Page 30 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! " " (the field is left blank): indicates the check in that record has not cleared. When importing transactions, all records are error checked to be sure the transaction meets the mask edits before accepting the transaction. If a transaction does not meet the mask specifications, that specific transaction will not be imported. To import an ASCII text file to the General Ledger, do the following: 1. Copy the ASCII text file to be imported into the disk directory containing your TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS data files. 2. From the General Ledger Utility Menu, select "Import General Ledger Transaction File". 3. At the "Import File Name:" prompt, enter the name of the ASCII text file to be imported, then press <Enter>. Notice the filename extension ".TXT" is already included. When import is complete, you will be returned to the G/L Utility Menu. 6e - Export G/L Transaction File This is an advanced feature primarily used by experienced users. It allows you to export ASCII text files from your TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger transaction file. The file created will be an ASCII text file consisting of fixed-length records, with one record per line, following the record layout below. The filename for this file may be any name, however, the filename extension will be "TXT". The record layout for the fixed-length record is as follows: Field Name Start Length Mask Date 1 8 User defined in configuration Description 9 30 TEXT Dept 39 4 TEXT Check 43 7 TEXT Account 50 6 1-999999 Debit/Credit Type 56 1 "D","C" Amount 57 11 ########.## Cleared 68 1 See explanation following In the field name "Cleared", the mask is one of the three following characters: "Y" (the letter Y): indicates the check in that record was marked as cleared in a prior account reconciliation that successfully balanced. "*" (the asterisk): indicates the check in that record is marked as cleared in an account reconciliation that is not yet balanced. The asterisk is automatically changed to the letter "Y" only when the account reconciliation successfully balances. Page 31 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! " " (the field is left blank): indicates the check in that record has not cleared. To export a General Ledger Transaction File, do the following: 1. From the General Ledger Utility Menu, select "Export General Ledger Transaction File". 2. At the "Export File Name:" prompt, enter the name of the ASCII text file to be created, then press <Enter>. Notice the filename extension ".TXT" is already included. 3. At the "Starting Date:" prompt, enter the starting date for the transactions to be exported, then press <Enter>. 4. At the "Ending Date:" prompt, enter the ending date for the transactions to be exported, then press <Enter>. NOTE: Only those transactions within this date range will be exported. When the export is complete, you will be returned to the General Ledger Utility Menu. 6f - G/L Check Writing Settings The Check Writing Settings allow you to set up important printing positions for the check-printing function of TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger. If you are not going to print checks, you may skip this section. TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger allows you to print on any checks, regardless of layout. You may even print on your current personal checks. Pre-printed checks may be purchased from our recommended forms supplier, Deluxe Computer Forms (1-800-328-0304). TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS also has an On-Line Order form for ordering checks from Deluxe. The following checks are recommended for the General Ledger module and may be ordered from DELUXE. When ordering, please reference this fast service number #TO9023. LaserJet Checks #091193 Personal Checks #091050 Non-Stub Checks #091065 Blank-Stub Checks #091004 To set up the check writing fields, do the following: 1. From the General Ledger Main Menu, select "Utility Menu". 2. From the General Ledger Utility Menu, select "G/L Check Writing Settings". The following screen appears: Figure 6-4 Check Writing Settings NOTE: The Check Writing Settings must be set up for each one of your data files if you will be printing checks. The above settings are for the blank-stub checks from Deluxe (#091004). Page 32 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! The Check Writing positions are used to customize your check writing. By changing these positions you can use virtually any check with this software. Select the row and column printing position for each of these fields. If you want to omit an item from printing on the check, enter a zero (0) in the row field. To move from one input field to the next, press "ENTER". Each field of the "Check Writing Settings" screen is described below. NOTE: ROW indicates the horizontal lines starting from the top of the check and counting down. COLUMN indicates the vertical lines starting from the left side of the check and counting to the right. Check Printer Port: Allows you to specify the port to which the printer with your checks is connected. This setting will override the setting in the System Configuration. Last Check Number USED: Enter here the number of the last check written. Valid numbers are from 1 to 9999999 (seven digits). Check Size, Length: Width: These two figures are the total number of rows and columns available on the personal check. Usually a personal check with no stub is 2.83" long and 6" wide. To convert those figures to rows and columns: 2.83" x 6 lines per inch ="17" in length and 6" x 10 characters per inch ="60" in width. Check Number: Location of your check number on the check. If you have pre- numbered checks, enter a 0 (zero) for the row number. This field is seven characters long. Check Date: Location of the date on your check. This field is eight characters long. Pay to Name: Location of the name to whom this check is payable. This field is 30 characters long. Address: Location of the address on your check. The address may be up to three lines and is an optional field. If you do not want to print the address, enter a 0 (zero) for the row number. The actual address is entered when the check transaction is entered. Each line can be up to 30 characters long. Check Amount: Location of the numeric dollar amount on your check (e.g: 500.00). The amount may be up to twelve characters long, including the decimal character. Amt with words: Location of the amount, in words (e.g: ****FIVE HUNDRED and NO/100). This line may be up to 55 characters long and is automatically filled in when you input the check amount. Expense Description: Location of the Expense Account name (the debit part of the transaction). This field may be up to 30 characters long. Page 33 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! The inputs for the fields below are escape sequence codes that change your printer's mode (see your printer manual for proper codes) when printing checks. All inputs are numbers from 0 to 255. If you do not know the proper codes to use for your printer, simply set all fields to zero. Check Init String: The initialization codes allow you to send a special setup string to the printer before printing checks. It can be used to turn off your out-of-paper sensor or to set a half-line advance when using your personal checks in your printer. Check Exit String: This is an optional field to reset the printer after printing checks. After entering all necessary information, press the <F10> key to save your new Check Writing Settings. Page 34 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! SECTION SEVEN - HINTS and SUGGESTIONS 7a - Hints Here are some hints from other users that may be helpful: 1. Make a CURRENT backup copy of your data disk each time you update your data. This will safeguard against loss of data due to power outage or other equally frustrating problems. 2. When running End of Period posting, closing entries are made to the last (highest number) type "R" Retained Earnings account. 3. You may use your personal checks or continuous form top-stub, no- stub, or Laserjet checks when printing checks. 4. If you need to reprint a check for a transaction that has already been entered, simply enter and print it at the "Enter and Print Checks" function. Once printed, press the ESC key to abort the transaction without saving. 7b - If You Have Comments or Suggestions Our express goal is to provide you with the highest quality, most user- friendly programs, at the lowest possible price. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS, please let us know. We appreciate all feedback. We will try to implement those suggestions that are most advantageous to other users in future versions of TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS. Page 35 TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS! APPENDIX B - DISK FILENAMES TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS Main Disk Filename Description TCB.EXE Main Menu file. TCB.CHN Main Program file TCB.HLP Main Program Help file. UL.EXE Configuration Menu file. UL.HLP Configuration Help file. TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS Install and Samples Disk Filename Description INSTALL.EXE Installation program ORDER.EXE Order program SAMPLE.APA Sample - Accounts Payable Vendor Data file SAMPLE.APF Sample - Accounts Payable Configuration file SAMPLE.APR Sample - Accounts Payable Recurring Transactions SAMPLE.APT Sample - Accounts Payable Transactions file SAMPLE.ARA Sample - Accounts Receivable Customer Data file SAMPLE.ARF Sample - Accounts Receivable Configuration file SAMPLE.ARR Sample - Accounts Receivable Recurring Transactions SAMPLE.ART Sample - Accounts Receivable Transactions file SAMPLE.CNF Sample - System Configuration file SAMPLE.GLA Sample - Chart of Accounts Data file SAMPLE.GLR Sample - Recurring Transaction Data file SAMPLE.GLT Sample - General Ledger Transactions file SAMPLE.PRA Sample - Payroll Employees Data file SAMPLE.PRF Sample - Payroll Configuration file SAMPLE.PRT Sample - Payroll Transactions file CITY-CO.TAX Sample - City Tax Tables file (Colorado Springs) FEDERAL.TAX Sample - Federal Tax Tables file STATE-CO.TAX Sample - State Tax Tables files (Colorado) EPSON.CNF Sample Configuration file for EPSON printers PROWRITE.CNF Sample Configuration file for PROWRITER printers HP-LASER.CNF Sample Configuration file for HP LaserJet printers HP2LASER.CNF Sample Configuration file for HP II LaserJet printer TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS General Ledger Program Disk Filename Description GL.EXE General Ledger Program file GL.OVR General Ledger Overlay file GL.HLP General Ledger Help file HPPS.COM HP LaserJet Print Screen Program file Page 36