Contents of the Create Autocreation Transactions Screen
Use the fields and options to configure the Create Autocreation Transactions Screen.
The process that runs from this screen is company-specific and will be available for use only by your company of login. If you have set up multiple companies in Costpoint, you can run the process on this screen for each company only by using the separate company login for each.
You can enter, edit, view, or use data on this screen only for your login company. If you have multiple companies, you cannot view, enter, edit, or use data from this screen for any company other than your company of login.
Use this screen to specify defaults and set the criteria for the collection of data from the Purchasing, Receiving, and/or A/P tables. When you execute this process, the system copies applicable data to the Manage Autocreation Transactions table window where it displays for your review and editing prior to converting the temporary data into Asset Master records.
You can also use Costpoint Fixed Assets to automatically create Asset Master records by importing data from Costpoint Purchasing, Costpoint Receiving, and/or Accounts Payable, thus reducing the need for duplicate data entry in Costpoint Fixed Assets.
You can use this screen to specify defaults and set the criteria for the collection of data from the Costpoint Purchasing, Receiving, and/or Accounts Payable tables. When you execute this process, the system copies applicable data to the Manage Autocreation Transactions table window where it displays for your review and editing before you convert the temporary data into Asset Master records.
The purpose for activating these fields is to provide the starting point for system-generated asset numbers and to provide a system reference in the event you have specified use of the tag number as the asset number and the tag number data is missing. (You can de-activate these fields again as soon as you run the Create Autocreation Transactions process.)
You can run this single-user application at any time. To avoid timing conflicts regarding data copied from Costpoint Receiving and Accounts Payable, however, you may want to establish company procedures that include running this process from the Process Manager after-hours. How often you run this process during an accounting period will depend on your volume of data and your need to review the data.
Each time data is copied to the Manage Autocreation Transactions table window a special autocreation flag is marked "behind-the-scenes" in the source tables to prevent data from being copied more than once. If there is no new, uncopied data available for collecting, no new rows will be created in the Manage Autocreation Transactions table window.
Identification
Use the fields in this block to create a new parameter ID or to retrieve a previously saved parameter ID. A parameter ID represents a set of screen selection parameters. After you have saved a parameter ID and its related parameters, you can retrieve them using Query.
You can use the retrieved parameters to produce reports and run processes more efficiently and with greater consistency. The saved parameters are also useful and necessary when you want to run the process as part of a batch job. Many users save a unique set of parameters for each different way they run a report or process. When you select a previously saved parameter ID or parameter description, the associated saved screen selection parameters automatically display as selection defaults. The page setup and print options, if there are any, are also included in the saved parameter ID. You can change any of the associated selection defaults as necessary.
Field | Description |
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Parameter ID |
Enter, or click to select, a parameter ID of up to 15 alphanumeric characters. Choose characters for your parameter ID that help identify the type of selections you made on the screen, such as PERIOD or QUARTERLY. When you save your record, all the selections made on the screen are stored with the parameter ID. Later, you can retrieve the parameter using Query. You can use the parameter to run the process more efficiently because you can select the parameter ID with its previously defined screen selections. After the default selections display on the screen, you can override the defaults. |
Description |
Enter, or click to select, a parameter description of up to 30 alphanumeric characters. |
Selection Ranges
For each asset account combination and/or wildcard entered on the Manage Autocreation Accounts screen, you also were required to indicate the appropriate Timing Code:
- If you selected Receipt in the Timing Code field on the Manage Autocreation Accounts screen, autocreation data will be captured at the time of receipt of the property for the specified account combination. This option is available only to users who are licensed to use Costpoint Purchasing and Receiving. (If you are not licensed for Costpoint Purchasing/Receiving, you cannot enter a Receipt code.)
- If you selected Posting in the
Timing Code field, autocreation data will be captured at the time of posting (from Costpoint Accounts Payable to the General Ledger) for the specified account combination.
The posting timing (Posting) is frequently used for company-owned assets that are recorded in balance sheet accounts, although the time of receipt (Receipt) is commonly used when autocreating for government property tracked by project.
If you want to create transactions with timing codes of both Posting and Receipt, you will need to run the process from this screen a second time.
PO Receipts
The End Receipt Date field is available only if you have selected the PO Receipts option and are licensed for Costpoint Purchasing and Receiving.
Receipt Date
Field | Description |
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Option |
This field is non-editable and will display From Beginning if you select the PO Receipts option. |
End |
Enter, or click to select, the ending receipt date in date format. When you run the process from this screen by clicking on the toolbar, the system copies eligible data for "new" (previously unprocessed) transactions if their receipt date is on or before your entry in this field. The system matches your selection with the receipt date from the Manage Purchase Order Receipts or Manage Quality Control Inspections screens in Costpoint Receiving. Note: If you are not licensed for Costpoint Purchasing and Receiving, this field is grayed out and unavailable for data entry.
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Posted Vouchers
Select this option to process transactions for asset account combinations for which the timing code has been set to Posting (data captured at time of Posting). If you select this option, you will also need to select at least one of the AP Vouchers and/or the PO Vouchers check boxes. Neither of the check boxes is selected by default.
Field | Description |
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AP Vouchers |
Select this check box to include posted transactions that were created for Accounts Payable using Accounts Payable Vouchers. You can select both AP Vouchers and PO Vouchers, if desired. |
PO Vouchers |
Select this check box to include posted transactions that were created for Accounts Payable using Purchase Order Vouchers. You can select both PO Vouchers and AP Vouchers, if desired. |
Accounting Period
If you select the Posted Vouchers option, you should enter the range of fiscal years/periods/subperiods for the A/P or PO voucher postings you want to process. Costpoint copies data for new (previously unprocessed) transactions if their posting date falls within your selection parameters. The system matches your selection with the posting date from the Header Info tab of the Manage Accounts Payable Vouchers screen in Costpoint Accounts Payable.
Select a range option for the accounting period from the drop-down list. The available options are:
- All
- One
- Range
- From Beginning
- To End
Field | Description |
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(Start) Fiscal Year, Period, Subperiod |
Enter, or click to select, the beginning fiscal year, period, and subperiod for the voucher posting range. The system does not validate your selection criteria against established FY, period, and subperiod data from any tables. Be careful with your entry; you may find that you have entered selection criteria for which data does not exist or does not meet your other selection criteria. If you select All or From Beginning in the Accounting Period drop-down list, these fields will be inactive. |
(End) Fiscal Year, Period, Subperiod |
Enter, or click to select, the ending fiscal year, period, and subperiod for the voucher posting range. The system does not validate your selection criteria against established FY, period, and subperiod data from any tables. Be careful with your entry; you may find that you have entered selection criteria for which data does not exist or does not meet your other selection criteria. If you select All, One, or To End in the Accounting Period drop-down list, these fields will be inactive. |
Select the desired autocreation status from the drop-down list. The system will automatically populate the Autocr Status column on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen with the status you select. The available options are:
- Selected: Select this option if you want newly-created rows on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen to display Select.
- On Hold: Select this option if you want newly-created rows on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen to display On Hold.
The autocreation feature was created to satisfy different user requirements. Some users need deliberately controlled steps, while others prefer to gather data and immediately convert it to Asset Master records. Selecting the Selected option ensures that, with the assignment of templates, data can be transformed to Asset Master records without the need for additional user intervention.
You can change autocreation status on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen when you edit individual rows or when you highlight the desired rows and click Set to Hold or Set to Selected buttons. You can make an unlimited number of changes.
You may need to place selected rows on On Hold status on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen while you research an entry. This does not prevent you from running the Create Autocreation Transactions process again. Existing data on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen will not be overwritten the next time you run the Create Autocreation Transactions process; additional rows will be created.
During the final autocreation process, the system will use data from each Select row on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen to create Asset Master records. Rows with an On Hold status will not be converted to Asset Master records when you run the Create Asset Master Records process.
Default Dates for All Books Used
In this group box, you can optionally specify one default depreciation start date and one default in-service date for all books. Dates are assigned to each record on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen as a result of running the process from this screen.
Field | Description |
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Depr Start Date |
Enter, or click to select, the default depreciation start date. Data entry in this optional field is not system-validated. This field is also optional in an Asset Master record. Note, however, that the system cannot perform depreciation calculations for an Asset Master record if this field is blank or if the start date is later than the end of the current Fixed Assets accounting period set up on the Configure Posting Settings screen. There is no corresponding field in an Asset Template. Warning: Before you designate a current or future default depreciation start date in this field, review your company policies and procedures to ensure that this action and its future ramifications are acceptable.
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Additional Information |
Because the system cannot capture depreciation start dates from Costpoint Purchasing/Receiving or Accounts Payable data for any book, you can use this field to designate a default depreciation start date for all books that can be used in the autocreation process. If you enter a date in this field, the system will automatically copy start date information entered in this field to each record on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen as a result of running the process from this screen. The specified depreciation start date you enter on this screen will be copied to the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen for each book initialized on the Configure Fixed Assets Settings screen. The decision whether to supply a depreciation start date for all books is an important one because the system data requirements to save an asset record are not sufficient to calculate depreciation. The Depr Start Date field, for example, must be populated with a date on or before the end of the Fixed Assets period specified in the Configure Posting Settings screen before the record is eligible for depreciation calculations. Your decision to populate rows on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen with a depreciation start date should depend on the amount of control you want to exercise over Fixed Assets processing. You should determine if, after autocreation processing, you want depreciation calculations to proceed automatically without the need to intervene further in an Asset Master record. For example:
Note: If you anticipate a depreciation start date delay due, for example, to installation or calibration requirements, you can designate a future start date. In this circumstance, depreciation calculations will not begin until the specified start date falls on or before the end of your current accounting period. The date in the Depr Start Date field of the G/L Book Info tab and/or Other Books Info subtask of the Manage Asset Master Information screen (or on the Manage Asset General Ledger Book Information or the Manage Asset Other Books Information screens) must be on or before the end of the Fixed Assets current accounting period for depreciation calculations to take place.
During the final autocreation process, this data will be moved from the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen to create Asset Master records. Depreciation calculations can then automatically take place for each record included in the depreciation calculation selection range without the need for user intervention. Note: The relationship between the Depr Start Date field and the values in the Curr Depr Yr and Days/Pds Remaining fields of the Manage Asset Master Information screen is critical to the accurate calculation of depreciation. There are no system restrictions or rules regarding the appropriateness and/or accuracy of the depreciation start date. To ensure consistency, you may want to develop some internal rules on the use of this field. For new assets, the depreciation start date should be the date on which depreciation is to begin in Costpoint Fixed Assets. For historical assets that are not new in Costpoint Fixed Assets, the depreciation start date should be the date at which depreciation originally began in whatever system(s) you used before Costpoint. If you calculate depreciation based on accounting periods rather than days, we recommend that you use the first day of the period in which depreciation is to be first calculated, rather than the actual acquisition date.
Even if you have specified a default depreciation start date on this screen, you can change this date on both the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen and in Asset Master records after autocreation has taken place. (All changes should be made with caution, however.) |
In-Service Date |
Enter, or click to select, the default in-service date. Data entry in this field is optional on this screen and in an Asset Master record. There is no equivalent In-Service Date field in an Asset Template record. This field is for data purposes only, and it is neither system-validated nor used in system calculations. When depreciation is calculated, the system only checks the date from the Depr Start Date field.) The date in this field is often the same as the depreciation start date. Many users choose to leave this field blank. No system rules apply to the use of this field. Because the system cannot capture in-service dates from Costpoint Purchasing/Receiving or Accounts Payable data for any book, you can optionally use this field to designate a default in-service for all books used in the autocreation process. Costpoint will automatically copy in-service date information from the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen to the Asset Master records during the final autocreation process. Changes to any in-service date for any book are permitted in both the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen and in the Asset Master records after autocreation has taken place. |
Default Template Use
Field | Description |
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Additional Information |
In this group box, you can optionally set up a default template and also specify whether it will be permissible for the Asset account combination data ("ownership" data) from the default template to overwrite autocreated data in the Asset account combination fields on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen. Note: Most companies only rarely specify a "default" template on the Configure Fixed Assets Settings screen because they routinely establish multiple templates and find it difficult to specify one to be used as the overall default.
You can use the optional template feature to set up one or more templates and establish "standard" default data for property that shares common characteristics. The primary function of a template is to provide the system mechanism by which default data from the template is copied into fields on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen (and in an Asset Master record) in order to minimize the need to enter data manually. You can set up templates with many default fields. Some fields are purely informational, such as manufacturer, location, and so on. Some fields supply data for system-required fields. Other template fields provide processing directions, such as depreciation methods, posting accounts, and so on. When you specify a template for a row on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen, data from the template is automatically copied to applicable columns on that screen. Warning: Templates should be used knowledgeably and with caution. Read this section carefully before assigning a template for the purpose of copying default data.
The fields required in an Asset Master record (such as property type, classification code, asset account data, and so on) are also required on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen and in an Asset Template record. The ability to specify the use of an Asset Template allows you to satisfy the required field entry both on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen and on the Asset Master Records screens. The following template fields satisfy required field entry on both the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen and in an Asset Master record. If you have not specified the use of an Asset Template, you will need to enter data in the following columns before you save a row on the Manage Autocreation Transactions table window:
(The Default Acquisition Data Fiscal Year, Period, Subperiod, Asset Account, and Asset Org fields are also required entry on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen and in an Asset Master record, but they are populated automatically when you run the Create Autocreation Transactions process from this screen. Normally there should be no need to change this data.)
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Use default template specified in F/A Settings screen |
Note: Most companies only rarely specify a default template on the Configure Fixed Assets Settings screen because they routinely establish multiple templates and find it difficult to specify one to be used as the overall default.
If you select this check box, the system will copy data from the default template to rows on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen if a template has not already been specified in Costpoint Receiving or Costpoint Accounts Payable. Data from the template will overwrite system-captured data in almost every case for corresponding fields. (The exception is the Asset Acct/Org/Proj data captured from the purchase order or A/P voucher; if you selected the Do not overwrite Asset Acct/Org/Proj with template data check box on this screen (the default), this data will not be overwritten with template data.) You can prevent the use of a specified default template only when you leave this check box clear. Warning: You may not want to use a default template in the autocreation process if you have a substantial amount of default data in the template. You should be very cautious when selecting the
Use default template specified in F/A Settings screen check box.
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Do not overwrite Asset Acct/Org/Proj with template data |
You can use this check box to control whether Account/Organization/Project/Reference 1/Reference 2 data copied from Purchasing/Accounts Payable should be overwritten on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen with Account/Organization/Project/Reference 1/Reference 2 data if a default template has been specified for use (and a template has not already been designated in Costpoint Receiving or Costpoint Accounts Payable). The general template rules regarding use of the default template (if a template has not already been designated in Costpoint Receiving or Costpoint Accounts Payable) are as follows:
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UID Information
Field | Description |
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Delete UID Type for records autocreated without a UID. |
Select this check box if you want to delete the Unique Item Identifier (UID) Type from records being autocreated without a UID. Note: It should be noted that once the records are autocreated without the UID Types that existed in the Fixed Assets subtask in the Receiving and Inspections applications, the UID Types can be manually added back to the records on Manage Autocreation Transactions.
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Default Acquisition Data
If you select the PO Receipts option in the Selection Ranges group box, you must use this group box to specify the required default acquisition fiscal year, period, and subperiod that will be assigned to each record on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen.
If you select the Posted Vouchers option in the Selection Ranges group box, the only field available for use in this group box is the (optional) default Date. (Data for the Fiscal Year, Period, and Subperiod fields can automatically be captured along with other voucher data.)
Under all circumstances, you can also optionally specify a default acquisition date, which cannot be captured from PO, Receiving, or Accounts Payable data.
Corresponding columns on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen are automatically populated with this data when you run the process from this screen. You can make changes to these fields in both the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen and in Asset Master records after autocreation has taken place.
There are no corresponding fields in an Asset Template. These fields are provided for data purposes only, and are not used in system calculations. These fields are frequently used as sort parameters in standard Fixed Assets reports, and you may also find them helpful when using Query or when designing user-specific output reports.
Field | Description |
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Fiscal Year |
As applicable, enter, or click to select, the desired acquisition fiscal year. There is no default and this field is required. The lookup displays only fiscal years already set up on the General Ledger Manage Fiscal Years screen in descending order, beginning with the latest fiscal year. Fiscal years set up in the General Ledger should always match those set up in Fixed Assets on the Manage Fixed Assets Fiscal Years screen. Because the display when you click is a standard lookup to the Fiscal Year table, you may find that you have selected a fiscal year for which autocreation data does not exist or does not meet your other selection criteria. This field is also required on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen, as is the Fiscal Year field in the Purch Info tab of the Manage Asset Master Information screen (and the Acq FY field on the Manage Asset Purchase Information screen). A fiscal year must display in this field before the autocreation transaction process can be initiated. |
Period |
As applicable, enter, or click to select, the desired acquisition period. There is no default and this field is required. The lookup displays only accounting periods set up on the Manage Accounting Periods screen in Costpoint General Ledger for the fiscal year specified in the Fiscal Year field. Accounting periods set up in the General Ledger should always match those set up on the Manage Fixed Assets Fiscal Years screen. Because the display when you click is a standard lookup to the General Ledger Accounting Period table, you may find that you have selected an accounting period for which autocreation data does not exist or does not meet your other selection criteria. This field is also required on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen, as is the Period field in the Purch Info tab of the Manage Asset Master Information screen (and the Acq Pd field of the Manage Asset Purchase Information screen). An accounting period must display in this field before the autocreation transaction process can be initiated. |
Subperiod |
As applicable, enter, or click to select, the desired acquisition subperiod. There is no default and this field is required. The lookup displays only accounting subperiods set up on the Manage Subperiods screen for the fiscal year and accounting period specified in the Fiscal Year and Period fields. Because the display when you click is a standard lookup to the SUB_PD table, you may find that you have selected an accounting subperiod for which autocreation data does not exist or does not meet your other selection criteria. This field is also required on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen, as is the Subperiod field in the Purch Info tab of the Manage Asset Master Information screen and the Acq Subpd field of the Manage Asset Purchase Information screen. A subperiod must display in this field before the autocreation transaction process can be initiated. |
Date |
Enter, or click to select, an acquisition date in date format. Data entry in this field is optional and is not system-validated. This field is also optional on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen and in Asset Master records. Be careful with your entry; you may find that you have entered selection criteria for which autocreation data does not exist or does not meet your other selection criteria. (You can enter default data in the Date field in all circumstances; you do not need to be licensed for Costpoint Purchasing and Receiving.) Note: An optional acquisition date displays in two separate fields in an Asset Master record: the
Date field in the Purch Info tab and the
Acq Date field in the Govt Info tab of the Manage Asset Master Information screen. Entries or edits made to these fields in either tab automatically display in both tabs.
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Process |
Click on the toolbar to initiate the Autocreate Assets process. The system will populate the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen with retrieved data using your selection criteria and your specified defaults. |