How To Verify General Ledger Account Setups Prior to Year-End Close
GP Tips For G/L Account Setups
To be sure that your general ledger year-end closing process runs smoothly, you should confirm that any new G/L accounts added during the year were set up properly.
You can use a SmartList to do this. Open SmartList and go to Financial > Accounts. Include the “Posting Type” and “Typical Balance” columns. If either of these fields are incorrect for an account, it will not get closed correctly. For instance, if a balance sheet account is set up as a profit and loss account, the account balance will be zeroed out during year-end closing.
Also add the “Created Date” column. This way you can filter the list to only include new accounts added during the current fiscal year (as shown below in the Search window.)
To fix an account, simply double-click on that account and the Account Maintenance window will open. Make the necessary change, save the account then Refresh the SmartList.
This is a tool that’s been around forever but is hardly ever used. This allows you to control user access and edit abilities at a field level in Dynamics GP windows. 1. Go to Administration > Setup > System > Field Level Security 2. Click on the Add button at the bottom of the window to create a new ID 3. Enter an ID (15 characters max) and a Description 4. Click on the magnifying glass to the right of Product 5. Click on the plus sign to the left of Microsoft Dynamics GP (or any other product) to expand the list of modules 6. Expand a module 7. Expand the window that you want to add a restriction to and select a sub-window.In this example, we’re going to disable/gray out the Hold checkbox in the Customer Maintenance window.
8. Double-click on the Hold field on the right-hand side 9. Select the Disable Field Security Mode
Security Mode Options: Password Before: You must enter a password before getting access to a field Password After: must enter a password after modifying a field for the changes to be saved. Warning Before: A warning will be displayed and access to that field will be denied. Lock Field: You can’t use or modify the field. DisableField: The field will be displayed but it will be grayed out. Hide Field: The field won’t be displayed. PasswordWindow: You must enter a password before access to the window is permitted. Disable Window: Enter the system administrator’s password to have access to the window. 10. Click on Save 11. Back in the main Field Level Security window, click to select a Company on the right 12. Select a User ID 13. Click on Apply 14. Click on OK
Year end is approaching fast. Get a head start by preparing your vendors for 1099 printing.
Verify that vendors who should get a 1099 are set up as a 1099 Vendor in GP.
Confirm that all 1099 vendors have addresses and tax ID’s
Order your 1099 forms
You can view a list of 1099 vendors, and their information, with a SmartList. GP provides you with a “1099 Vendors*” SmartList. Just add columns for additional information, such as Tax ID Number, Address, etc.
If a vendor is missing a Tax ID Number, double-click on that vendor to open the Vendor Maintenance window then click on the Options button. Enter the Tax ID.
If you need to change both the vendor 1099 tax type and 1099 data, use the Update 1099 Information utility. Go to Purchasing > Utilities > Update 1099 Information. Select to update “Vendor and 1099 Transactions”. Select the From and To options. Enter a Vendor ID range then click on Insert. Click on Process to make the updates.
BE SURE to insert a restriction. If you don’t, a message will appear reminding you that you haven’t entered a restriction. If you click Yes to continue, ALL vendors that have the “From” tax type will be updated to the new tax type.
An audit report will print showing all the AP transactions that were updated.
You can edit a vendor’s 1099 amount by going to Purchasing > Cards > 1099 Details and selecting a Vendor ID. Be sure the correct Year is entered. The Display option must be set to Month in order to edit the amounts below.
You can also change the 1099 status of individual transactions by going to Purchasing > Transactions > Edit 1099 Transaction Information. Select a Vendor ID. Enter any restriction needed by Voucher Number, Document Number or Date. Click on the down arrow in the Tax Type column and select the new type for that document. Click on the lookup beside Box to select the appropriate box number to be used for the new tax type. Click on Process.
NOTE: If you install the 2022 year-end update, you’ll have the ability to print 1099’s with lines and boxes!
Need GP Support?
CSSI’s team of GP experts is ready to help you with all of your GP questions and challenges. Save time and frustration by engaging CSSI for support, training, and updates. Contact us today!
GP Year-End Update Is Now Available
The GP year-end update has been released! It’s a good practice to stay current with GP so that you have the benefit of the most recent patches and improvement. Wondering about what changes are included in this year’s update? We’ve prepared a brief list for you.
What’s Included In the GP Year-End Update
1. Year field change. The 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC, and 1099-R forms no longer come pre-printed with the year. GP will now print the 2-digit year.
2. 1099-MISC and 1099-DIV – The account number has moved down a box, FACTA filing has moved over, and 2nd TIN has moved down a box.
3. Fixed Assets – luxury auto depreciation changes
4. There were multiple fixes to the inventory Stock Count Import feature that was added in 18.3 There are no changes to the Payroll W2, W3 forms or the EFW2 file format.
Ready To Update Your GP?
CSSI is ready to help you with your year-end update. Please contact us to discuss!
There appears to be continual confusion in the marketplace regarding the future for Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP software. This is partly due to confusion caused by Microsoft’s several products under the ‘Dynamics’ umbrella, partly due to intentional misinformation spread by competitors, and partly due to poor communication from the Microsoft team itself. Rumors circulate that GP has been replaced by Dynamics 365 Business Central, and that GP is on the way out. Not true!
Dynamics GP Will Be Supported To 2028 and Beyond
Microsoft has clearly and repeatedly committed to supporting GP to 2028 and beyond. In 2019, Microsoft adopted a ‘modern lifecycle’ system under which there are annual updates and patches to GP. These will support your annual GP update, with which CSSI can be of help. See the chart below for the current Microsoft Dynamics GP roadmap, which shows the transition from the fixed lifecycle policy to the modern lifecycle policy:
Third-Party Add-On Ecosystem Supports Microsoft GP
One of the attractive things about GP is the massive platform of third-party accounting software add-ons which enhance GP’s core functionality. For example, a Dynamics GP partner like CSSI offers warehouse management software (WMS) which integrates with GP. GP users have come to heavily rely on these add-on products, which in many cases have been highly customized for their particular business. Many of these add-ons are unavailable for Business Central even if Microsoft Dynamics GP customers were willing to make the major investment in migrating to a new ERP system.
The Microsoft partner community continues to be attentive to the needs of Dynamics GP users, and continues to enhance and improve their products. So while it is true that GP is unlikely to add any new core modules, that is rather irrelevant… because additional functionality continues to be available through add-on products.
CSSI Continues To Support Dynamics GP
CSSI will continue to provide Dynamics GP support for years to come, providing technical support, upgrades, customer service, and consulting. We are a Microsoft Dynamics GP partner happy to continue a long tradition of assisting the many long-time GP users with whom we work. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Dynamics GP 18.5 Has Been Released
As you may know, Microsoft has adopted a strategy of an annual release for GP. The latest version of Microsoft Dynamics GP is compatible with Windows 11, Windows Server 2022 and SQL 2022. It’s time to review whether you should upgrade to the latest version of GP. We have included a partial list of new features below.
Are You Ready To Upgrade Dynamics GP?
Which version of Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains) are you currently running? If you are running a current version of GP, you’ll be able to upgrade straight to 18.5, the new version. However, if you have fallen behind and are running older versions or haven’t upgraded in a few years, you may have to upgrade in more than 1 ‘jumps’.
Are you current on Microsoft support? Paying your annual support to Microsoft entitles you to upgrades. Your only cost to upgrade would consist of the CSSI support and professional services you utilize.
Do you utilize 3rd party add-ons? Are they ready for upgrade?If you use 3rd party add-on products, it’s important to check to see if they are compatible with GP 18.5. CSSI can help you with this process as we plan your upgrade.
Why Upgrade GP for 2023?
Some of the new features include:
Summary Display in Bank Rec for EFT
Filter selected Navigation lists
Payables 1099-NEC form prints with lines and boxes
Print Cash Receipts and email
Print and email SOP and POP documents at the same time
Credit Card Payment post in Summary to Bank Rec
Auto Post batches once Email Approval Workflow is completed
Schedule times to run Checklinks
Contact CSSI To Discuss Your Upgrade to GP 18.5
To talk about your upgrade to GP 18.5, new features of interest to you, and a path to update, please contact CSSI.
Using GP Sales Process Holds
Did you know?: You can use the Sales Process Holds Setup window to create process holds to assign to your sales documents. Process holds are user-defined restrictions that control the processing of sales documents at different stages of the sales cycle.
You can set up process holds to:
Prevent posting of documents until a manager approves the transactions.
Restrict the printing of invoices until addresses have been verified.
Stop the order fulfillment process because a part has been recalled by the manufacturer.
Prevent the transferring of a quote to an order if the customer is over its credit limit.
You can set up passwords to further restrict processing. The user must enter the password to remove holds from documents. If you don’t use passwords, you can set up a process hold to remind the user to complete a task before processing a sales document. Once the task is completed, the user must remove the hold from the document before processing occurs. You can apply process holds to any document type.
To set up process holds, go to Sales > Setup > Process Holds. Enter an ID and description. You can assign a password or leave it blank. Check which processes you want to restrict with this hold.
To assign a Hold to a SOP transaction, go to Sales > Transactions > Sales Transaction and select a document. Click on the Go To button and select Holds.
Select a Process Hold ID and click on Assign. You can assign more than one Hold to a document.
Once a Hold is assigned, you’ll a red circle indicating a Hold is on this document.
To remove the Hold, click on the Go To button, select Holds and Remove.
Add the Hold column to a Sales Transaction SmartList to see all documents on hold.
How To Get More GP Help
We hope that this explainer on implementing sales process holds in GP was helpful. If you need additional support on this or any other GP issue, please contact the team at CSSI.
Seeking to improve inventory accuracy and overall productivity in the warehouse at a company using Microsoft Dynamics GP? The best way is to implement warehouse management software, which enables your team to take advantage of powerful handheld computers and barcode scanning, accelerating the pace of supply chain work, improving inventory management, and reducing errors.
CSSI offers a WMS which was specifically designed to run on Microsoft GP. The system is highly scalable, suitable for a small warehouse operation as well as larger companies, and contains all essential warehouse features. Even better, the CSSI warehouse management system is customizable, and can be enhanced to accommodate the unique business requirements of your operation.
Here are several short videos which provide quick demos showing how the WMS tackles a specific warehouse process:
Order Fulfillment
This feature supports your picking of items on an open sales order. Review the entire list of open orders and select one or more to create a pick list.
Inventory transfer
Ensure accurate inventory transactions by logging the movement of inventory between locations or even between multiple warehouses.
Stock counting
Conduct cycle counts or complete accounting of inventory levels in order to ensure optimal inventory control.
Item bin transfer
Track inventory transactions where items are moved from one bin to another.
Receiving transactions
Select a purchase order to receive against, and receive items by barcode scan or manual entry.
Locating items
Improve warehouse efficiency by quickly identifying locations were a particular item is located.
Get Started with WMS Software in your GP Business
If you’re ready to discuss the implementation of warehouse management software for GP in your business, please contact CSSI . We will discuss your specific needs and will be happy to provide a live demo of the CSSI WMS solution.
Revenue/Expense Deferrals
This tool has been around for many, many years. It allows you to easily defer revenues and distribute expenses to future periods in the following modules: General Ledger, Receivables Management, Payables Management, Sales Order Processing, Purchase Order Processing and Invoicing.
To set up Deferrals, go to Financial > Setup > Deferral. Deferral transactions will use the “ALTRN” Audit Trail Code and Source Document.
The Balance Sheet posting method is the simplest method where there will be just two accounts used in the deferral: the deferral account (Deferred Revenue or Expense) and the recognition account (Recognized Revenue or Expense).
The Profit/Loss method requires you to set up five posting accounts for Original Cost, Deferred Cost Account, Deferral Account, Deferral Transfer and Cost Recognition.
Once the setup is complete, you can go to Financial > Setup > Deferral Profiles to set up templates of common deferral transactions. Here you can also click on the User Access button to limit access to a profile to specific users or user classes.
Deferrals are then applied in the Distribution window of a transaction, under the Additional button. Select Deferral to apply a one-time deferral or select Deferral Profile if you’ve set up previously defined profile.
In this sample payables transaction, the Deferred Expenses account is entered as the Debit account in Distributions.
In the Deferral Entry window, you select your Start and End period dates and the Amount to Apportion (which defaults from the Purchase amount). Select a Method: Days in Period, Equal Per Period or Miscellaneous. The Cost Recognition account is the actual expense account.
When you post the transaction, journal entries will be created and posted to the future periods.
Note: You must have the Financial module open in all those future periods in the Fiscal Periods Setup window.
Any user who will be posting revenue and expense deferrals, who is not a PowerUser, must be assigned an “RED” (Revenue and Expense Deferrals) security role.
Contact CSSI for more help
If you have questions or need of GP support with this or any other topic, please contact CSSI for GP assistance.
New User-Defined Field Feature in GP 18.3 Release
This is another feature added in the GP 18.3 release. In the General Ledger Transaction Entry window, there are now two new user-defined fields. When users enter transactions into the General Ledger, they can now add additional information regarding the journal entry.
Labels for the user-defined fields are at the bottom of the General Ledger Setup window. Go to the Financial > Setup > Financial > General Ledger.
The maximum field length for the user-defined labels is 15 characters. The length of the user-defined field values is 30 characters.
Once you’ve defined your fields, you’ll see the new labels in the General Ledger Transaction Entry window.
These user-defined fields are available in the Financial Account Transactions SmartLists and they’ve been added to the following reports:
