Sicon Approvals Help and User Guide – Add-On for Sage 200

1. Overview and Important Information

This addon must be installed if a site is to be using Approvals.

The Approvals Addon also allows for extra functionality when processing invoices; for example, to add additional notes, build specific approval routes or to specify that some nominal codes do not require approval.  A self-reversing journal and additional reports can also be found within this module.

1.1. Approvals Addon Functionality

Once the Approvals Addon has been installed, it will be mandatory when recording an invoice against a PO to enter a reference number and a goods value.  If an invoice is entered without either of these the user will see a warning preventing them from proceeding.

2. Configuring the Approvals Addon

Although some functionality is automatically included as soon as the Approvals Addon is installed, there is also some set-up required which these next sections will explain.

2.1. Sage Admin Features

The Approvals Addon is installed via Sage 200 System Administration.  Once installed, features will need to be added to the User Roles in order for these to be visible in the Sage 200 menus.

Reports – POP Order Return Accrual (by Order):  this will allow access to this report.

Reports – POP Order Return Accrual (by Nominal):  this will allow access to this report.

Reports – POP Order Return Accrual – Disputes (by Order):  this will allow access to this report.

Reports – POP Order Return Accrual – Disputes (by Nominal):  this will allow access to this report.

Authorised Nominal Accounts:  this permission will allow users to set which nominal codes do not require authorisation in Approvals.

POP Staged Nominal Accrual Settings:  this permission will allow users to access the nominal accrual settings.

Self-Reversing Journals:  this permission will allow users to access the self-reversing journal.  Usually this would be only allocated to Finance users.

Settings:  this will allow access to the main Approvals Addon settings.

Once a user has these features set on their role, they will see an Approvals Addons screen within their Sage menus:

2.2. Approvals Addon Settings – General Settings – Connection String

Upon opening the Settings screen, the connection details will be entered automatically which will then enable the Approvals Addon features such as recording notes on an invoice and the ability to see pending invoices on a Purchase Ledger Supplier enquiry.  The Test button can be used to ensure the details are correct for Approvals to connect to.

If a connection string has not been entered, users may see a warning banner appear in Sage advising certain functionality may not be possible until this string has been entered.

The ability to see pending invoices is only available if invoices are input into Approvals rather than Sage (i.e. if Sage Commercials has not been installed):

2.3. Approvals Addon Settings – General Settings – Purchase Invoice Settings

There are a number of configuration options within the main Approvals Addon Settings.  These settings are unique per Sage Company so make sure configuration is copied across applicable companies.

Allow Requires Authorisation check box to be overridden: Allows the ‘Requires Authorisation’ checkbox to be ticked / unticked.  Refer to the Features section of this Help and User Guide for a more detailed explanation.

Enable Invoice Review Routes:  Configure this if invoices should not require approval in Approvals, rather they will be approved automatically and only require to be reviewed.  This setting will not commonly be used.

Invoices imported using the standard Sage transaction import do not require authorisation: If PL Invoices imported should not be authorised in Approvals, tick this setting.

Import Processing Timeout (Seconds):  by default, this is set to 60 but can be increased; this is useful for sites who are importing large numbers of invoices into Sage to ensure there isn’t a situation where some invoices are in Approvals incorrectly awaiting approval.

Select approver and record additional notes after invoice/credit note entry: Produces a pop-up at the end of processing a PL or POP Invoice with further options available.  Refer to the Features section of this Help and User Guide for a more detailed explanation.

Check the Authorised Nominal Accounts on Invoice/Credit note entry (if not its only checked by Approvals): This setting will work in conjunction with the ‘Authorised Nominal Accounts’.  When ticked, if an invoice is entered for a nominal code on the list, the invoice will not be flagged as unauthorised and will not appear in Approvals for authorisation.  If unticked, the invoice will come into Approvals before it will then be marked as authorised.  Refer to the Features section of this Help and User Guide for a more detailed explanation.

Use Extended POP Invoice Narrative (Adds Nominal Analysis Items and Narrative from POP Order Lines): This setting will be on by default so when recording an invoice against a PO, the text from the POP line will be added to the invoice narrative.  If Sicon Projects is installed, this setting is greyed out as Sicon Projects will do this automatically. Refer to the Features section of this Help and User Guide for a more detailed explanation.

Show POP Invoice Variance Form when there is no variance (to confirm variance checks performed): If this setting is on, a confirmation message popup will show even if an invoice is put on which fully matches the PO value and quantity goods received.  Refer to the Features section of this Help and User Guide for a more detailed explanation.

Stop Supplier Transactions being approved when not approved in Approvals:  This setting will be on by default and will prevent invoices being authorised directly in Sage if the invoice is awaiting authorisation in Approvals.

Reset Warnings: This will re-enable any yellow warning notifications users have dismissed.

2.4. Approvals Invoice Module - Approving Suggested Payments

With the Approvals Invoice module an additional feature is to approve Suggested Payments from the Sage routine within Approvals.

Once the Approvals Addon has been installed configure which payment groups will require authorisation.  Within Purchase Ledger – Utilities – Ledger Set Up – Ledger Settings – Payment Groups, tick the groups that require approval.  For example, some companies will not require direct debit payments to need authorisation.

3. Features (Using the Approvals Addon)

Once the settings have been configured, or to help with deciding what to configure, the next few sections walk through the Addon features available in more detail.

3.1. Authorised Nominal Accounts

If invoices entered against certain nominal codes do not require approval in Approvals, these nominal codes can be added under ‘Authorised Nominal Accounts’.

This menu item works in conjunction with the Approvals Addon setting ‘Check the authorised nominal account on invoice/credit note entry’ (detailed further below).

Add in any nominal codes that do not require authorisation and then process invoices as standard in Sage.  Depending on the setting configuration, invoices will either post straight to the nominal or be flagged as Unauthorised and then automatically approved.

If an invoice is input with multiple lines and some of the nominal codes are marked as Authorised, all lines will be pulled into Approvals and will require authorisation.

If Authorised Nominal Accounts are to be configured, all users inputting invoices onto Sage will need the Approvals Addon – Authorised Nominal Accounts feature enabled on their Sage role.

3.2. Allow Requires Authorisation check box to be overridden

This setting refers to the Purchase Ledger setting ‘Use Authorisation’ which will in turn enable a ‘Requires Authorisation’ box on invoice entry within Sage.  By standard, it is advised to set the value as below.  This setting will be off by default; once switched on, any invoices entered with a value greater than the amount entered here will have the require authorisation box ticked and it cannot be unticked.

However, the Approvals Addon setting may be configured to allow for Purchase Ledger clerks to determine which invoices entered should require authorisation.

If the value is set to a higher amount, the user will be able to untick the invoice to require authorisation so long as the amount of the invoice does not exceed the amount in the settings – if higher, the box is ticked and cannot be unticked.

If the setting is on in the Addon to allow the ‘Requires Authorisation’ box to be overridden, when entering an invoice, the box will not be ticked but can be ticked.

Why use this setting?

It may be that a company is rolling out invoice approval per department so not all invoices should be ticked as requiring authorisation.  Once the company is fully live, the Addon setting should be switched off so all invoices are set to require authorisation and get pulled through to Approvals for authorisation correctly.

3.3. Invoices imported using the standard Sage transaction import do not require authorisation

Ticking this setting will mean that any invoices imported using the standard Sage supplier transaction import (Sage – Purchase Ledger – Utilities – Import – Import Transactions) will not be marked as Unauthorised and therefore will not be pulled through to Approvals for authorisation.

The invoice will be visible in Approvals (it will be Completed) and it will show as being approved in Sage.

If the setting is not ticked, invoices imported will be marked as Unauthorised and then be pulled into Approvals for authorisation.

Why use this setting?

Some companies will authorise these invoices outside of Approvals or Sage before importing and therefore should not require authorisation again.  However other sites will require imported invoices to be authorised. Invoices imported through other methods outside of the standard Sage supplier transaction import will not be affected by this setting and therefore will require authorisation in Approvals.

3.4. Select approver and record additional notes after invoice/credit note entry

Why use this setting?

This setting can be used for multiple reasons.  It will be on by default and when an invoice is saved (either a PL or POP invoice), a pop-up will appear showing the below extra options (additional explanations provided further down) –

• Override Approval Route
• Business Unit
• Urgent
• Notes

If none of these options will be relevant, this setting can be switched off.

Please note, this is not compatible with the Rapid or Batched Transactions invoice entry screens in Sage and only apply to individual invoices and credit notes.

Override Approval Route

By default, Approvals will pick up the standard invoice approval route configured when the invoice is saved.  If this is what should happen, this part of the pop up can be ignored.  Alternatively, at this stage, it is possible instead to pick a different set of approvers which would override the standard route:

Only users who have permission to approve invoices will be able to be selected from the drop-down list.

The invoice will come through to Approvals marked with a Custom route and all steps will be marked as Mandatory.  This means that that all approvers will need to authorise the invoice before it can post to the relevant nominal accounts in Sage.  As usual throughout Approvals, the final approver must have enough approval value to approve the invoice.

This functionality is not compatible with the Rapid or Batched Transactions invoice entry screens in Sage, and only applies to individual invoices and credit notes.

Business Unit

If a Business Unit is selected the invoice will then be able to be viewed in Approvals by all users in that business unit, rather than just the approver or users with permission to view all invoices.  Appropriate User Type permissions must be configured in Approvals to allow for users to view business unit invoices.

Urgent

If the user inputting the invoice marks this as urgent, it will be pulled through to Approvals with the urgent flag and will send an email to approvers immediately informing there is an invoice awaiting their approval.

The notification will be highlighted and will use the Urgent Email Thread to promptly send an email to the approver.

Notes

Any notes added when inputting the invoice will show through to the approver.

These will be visible to the approver either by hovering over the question mark that shows on the invoice for approval:

Or within the approve invoice screen navigate to the Notes tab:

These notes stay within Approvals and will not post back to Sage with the invoice.

3.5. Check the Authorised Nominal Accounts on Invoice/Credit note entry (if not its only checked by Approvals)

This setting will work in conjunction with the ‘Authorised Nominal Accounts’ – see the end of this sub-section for how to configure Authorised Nominal Accounts.

When ticked, if an invoice is entered for a nominal code on the list, the invoice will not be flagged as unauthorised and will not appear for approval.  In the example below, the nominal code 44101-RET-ADM does not require authorisation.

When the invoice is saved, it will automatically be marked as authorised without going through Approvals or showing in the Unauthorised Nominal account.  The invoice cannot then be viewed in Approvals in the Completed tab.

If the setting is not ticked, the invoice will still be authorised automatically but by the Approvals service; this means the invoice will temporarily sit in the Unauthorised Nominal account until the invoice has been fully processed.

How to configure Authorised Nominal Accounts

As above, when invoices entered against certain nominal codes do not require approval, these nominal codes can be added under Authorised Nominal Accounts from within the Approvals Addon menu:

Add in any nominal codes that do not require authorisation and then process invoices as standard in Sage.  Depending on the setting configuration, invoices will either post straight to the nominal or be flagged as Unauthorised and then automatically approved.

If an invoice is input with multiple lines and some of the nominal codes are marked as Authorised, all lines will be pulled into Approvals and will require approval.

Within Approvals, the approval history of the invoice will show that it has been approved due to the nominal account not requiring authorisation.

If Authorised Nominal Accounts are to be configured, all users inputting invoices onto Sage will need the Approvals Addon – Authorised Nominal Accounts feature enabled on their Sage role.

3.6. Use Extended POP Invoice Narrative (Adds Nominal Analysis Items and Narrative from POP Order Lines)

This setting will be on by default so when recording an invoice against a PO, the text from the POP line will be added to the invoice narrative.  Changes can still be made to the narrative if required.  If Sicon Projects is installed this setting will be greyed out as Sicon Projects will automatically add the PO line information to the narrative.

3.7. Approvals Addon Functionality - Invoice Variance Checks

If using the Approvals Invoice module, it is possible to automatically approve invoices that are linked to Purchase Orders, and configure certain tolerances so that only variances are picked up for approval.  It is the Approvals Addon that controls the variance checking.

This setting in Approvals will be used in conjunction with the variance checking options beneath.  This option allows for auto approval of an invoice that is linked to a related purchase order and will be used in conjunction with the variance checking options.  If an invoice fails the variance check, it will not be automatically approved and will be pulled through into Approvals – it will follow the pre-configured invoice approval routes.  The approver will see a question mark icon against the invoice on the approval screen which will explain the variance.

Check for variance when auto approving invoices (Requires Approvals Addon configured in Sage): Using the Approvals Addon in Sage, this setting will check for any variance in conjunction with the other settings configured on this screen.

Acceptable variance percentage with purchase order line: This setting will check the value of the invoiced line(s) against the total of the matched PO lines with the figure here.

Acceptable variance value with purchase order line (Approvals base currency): This setting will check the value of the invoiced line against the total value of the matched PO lines with the figure here.  If the invoice falls outside of this acceptable monetary value it will require additional comments to explain the discrepancy (if it is within the variance, comments are not mandatory), and will then be sent for approval.

If the invoice falls within this variance, the invoice will be automatically approved.

Note; these top two settings work together so if there is any variance outside of either acceptable value or percentage, the invoice will require approval.

Check the invoiced quantity matches the Goods Received quantity:  this setting will check the invoice quantity against the total goods received quantity at the time of recording the invoice.  It requires three-way matching to be turned on in Sage Purchase Order Settings.  If an order is subsequently received, the invoice will still require approval.

If the order is part-received and invoiced, this will not be counted as a variance that requires approval (if the quantities match).

If there is no GRN at all, a warning will be displayed to the user to explain that “Order X has been invoiced for X items but no items have been delivered.”  The user will then need to enter a reason for this variance (or close the screen if this is a mistake and query with the user who raised the requisition).

Further information with examples of all these variance settings will follow.

Automatically approve if invoice line is less than purchase order line:  this option can be configured if company policy is to approve automatically an invoice that is received less than the purchase order.  If an invoice falls outside of the acceptable variance in Sage it will require additional comments from the person inputting the invoice to explain the variance, and will then be sent for approval.

What checks are made?

Below is an illustration of all the checks that are being made by the Approvals Addon in Sage depending on the settings above configured in Approvals:

Examples of Approvals Invoice Variances

Purchase Order Invoice approval settings in Approvals –

Example 1 (Invoice entered that matches PO and GRN)

If an invoice for £250 is entered against a PO for 1 x £250 where one has been goods received, the user will see the below variance checking message.

As the invoice matches the PO, no comments are required although they can be added before this popup is saved.

The Addon can be configured so if the invoice variance matches, this message box does not show POP Invoice Variance Form when there is no variance.

Example 2 (Invoice entered that does not match PO value)

If an invoice is entered for £300 against a PO for 1 x £250 where 1 item has been goods received, the user will see the below variance checking message.

It is mandatory for comments to be entered as the invoice value does not match the PO value; these comments will then show in Approvals to the invoice approver both on the question mark hover over and the Notes tab.

Example 3 (Invoice entered but Goods have not been received)

If an invoice with a quantity of 2 is entered against a PO of 2 x £75 where no items have been goods received, the user will see the below variance checking message.

It is mandatory for comments to be entered as the invoiced quantity does not match the amount goods received; these comments will then show in Approvals to the invoice approver both on the question mark hover over and the Notes tab.

Example 4 (Goods received after requested delivery date)

If an order has been goods received later than the requested delivery date, a warning will show when the invoice is recorded to flag this.  No additional approval would be required due to this, it is simply highlighting this to the user entering the invoice.

Example 5 – mixed variances

In this example, the variance settings have been amended to the below and allow the invoice to be automatically approved if the value is less than the purchase order line value.  The Approvals settings are:

The Order has been entered, approved and part received in Approvals and has posted to Sage:

For this example, we’ll look at some lines independently before the invoice as a whole, to illustrate the impact different variances will have.

Line 1 = no changes.  5 have been ordered, 2 have been received, 2 have been invoiced, and the prices all match. This means that there is no variance and comments are optional (the invoice will be automatically approved and will not be seen by an approver in Approvals):

Line 2, Scenario 1

Price changed (lower).  5 have been ordered at 22.89, 2 have been received, 2 have been invoiced but at 19.55.  Although there is a variance that is outside the tolerances, because it is less than the value of the line, this is acceptable and comments are not mandatory. The invoice will be automatically approved and will not be seen by an approver:

Line 2, Scenario 2

Price changed (increased, outside of % but within monetary value).  5 have been ordered at 22.89, 2 have been received, 2 have been invoiced but at 26.00.  As the price is higher and outside the acceptable variance, it cannot be posted until comments have been provided for the approver to check.  The invoice will not be automatically approved and will require approval:

Line 2, Scenario 3

Price increased and invoice goods value varies.
5 have been ordered at 22.89, 2 have been received, 2 have been invoiced at a higher price of 25.50, and the invoice goods value reflects 5 items at a higher price of 26 each (130.00).  In this example, there are a few areas that trigger the variance.  The price of the PO line has been increased, and the Invoice Goods Value differs from those on the line.  As the unit price and goods value is higher and outside the acceptable variance, it cannot be posted until comments have been provided for the approver to check.  The invoice will not be automatically approved and will require approval:

This particular scenario could be because of user error, in which case this screen gives the user the opportunity to close the screen and correct the invoice before processing for approval.

Line 3, scenario 1

Line 3 has been over-invoiced.  5 have been ordered at 6.47, 2 have been received, 3 have been invoiced but at the correct price of the original PO.  In this example, the invoiced quantity on the Receipt line remains to reflect the amount that was received.  As the invoiced quantity is higher and GRN and Invoiced quantity is being checked, it cannot be posted until comments have been provided for the approver to check:

Line 4, scenario 1

Line 4 has been invoiced but not goods received.  5 have been ordered at 94.68, 0 have been received, 4 have been invoiced at price of the original PO.  In this example, because the item has been invoiced but there is no GRN, it cannot be posted until comments have been provided for the approver to check.  The user can enter comments here for the approver not to approve the invoice until the order has been updated with the received quantity, or followed up with the supplier if necessary.  Alternatively, some sites may prefer not to enter the invoice, close the screen and wait for the goods to be received before processing.

Finally, let’s look at the invoice as a whole:

• Line 1 = no changes.  5 have been ordered, 2 have been received, 2 have been invoiced, and the prices all match the original PO.
• Line 2 = price changed (lower).  5 have been ordered at 22.89, 2 have been received, 2 have been invoiced but at 19.55.
• Line 3 = over-invoiced.    5 have been ordered at 6.47, 2 have been received, 3 have been invoiced at the same prices as the PO.
• Line 4 = invoiced but not received.  5 have been ordered at 94.68, 0 have been received, 4 have been invoiced and the prices all match the original PO.

At the point of Save, if there are unmatched receipts, a warning is shown to explain how Sage will handle the unmatched invoiced quantities:

Finally, the user can add any attachments or second reference on the Purchase Invoice screen (values should not be changed on this screen):

Once saved, the approver will be able to see the notes and comments added when they receive the invoice for approval:

Additional Notes on Invoice Variances

If there is a discrepancy between the goods value of the invoice and the goods value of the lines on the Purchase Invoice Screen, for example if the invoice total includes delivery that the original order did not, then an additional variance line will be applied on the Purchase Invoice screen:

If the nominal has not been defaulted (e.g. if Sicon Projects has not been configured), the user will need to enter the nominal.  This can either be the nominal of the last line, or another nominal depending on the business requirements.  If using Sicon Projects, further information is available in the Projects Help and User Guide.

Important Note

When matching an invoice to a purchase order, ensure all the variance values are entered on the Record Purchase Invoice matching screen (e.g. price and goods value).  Changing the values on the second Enter Purchase Invoice screen will prevent Approvals recognising the discrepancies.

3.8. Show POP Invoice Variance Form when there is no variance (to confirm variance checks performed)

If this setting is on, the message popup will show if an invoice is put on which fully matches the PO value and quantity goods received. The popup can be saved without entering any comments.  If the users do not want to see a message that the invoice matches, they only require a warning if there is a variance, ensure this setting is switched off.

With the setting turned off, the popup will only appear when a variance applies.  See the previous section for examples of when the variance pop-up would appear.

3.9. Stop Supplier Transactions being approved when not approved in Approvals

This setting will be on by default and will prevent invoices being authorised directly in Sage if the invoice is awaiting approval in Approvals.

With the Approvals Invoice module enabled, it is recommended that invoices should always be authorised in Approvals so that a full approval history is available.

Invoices authorised in Approvals will show Approvals authorised the transaction:

If invoices should be able to be authorised directly in Sage even if the invoice is awaiting approval in Approvals, switch this setting off.

Why might a user authorise the invoice in Sage?

On rare occasions, some sites may wish to adopt an internal process to approve certain invoices directly in Sage, such as Utilities.

Perhaps the nominal account used for Utilities is also used for other invoices that do require authorisation in Approvals, and therefore cannot be included as a pre-authorised nominal using the Approvals Addon.  The value of these invoices is usually too high to be able to de-select the ‘Requires Authorisation’ query flag in Sage.

The impact of approving invoices in Sage that are awaiting approval in Approvals

This invoice was entered in Sage and has a query flag of U:

The query flag means the invoice is awaiting approval and cannot be paid until approved.  The invoice can be found in Approvals by searching for the URN, Supplier, Reference etc. in Existing Invoices, and will show as Submitted and awaiting approval:

If authorised in Sage, in Approvals the invoice will be taken out of the Submitted tab and found in the Completed tab instead.  The approval history will show that the invoice was approved directly in Sage:

In the Sage Transaction enquiry, the narrative will show the Sage user who has authorised the transaction.

With the Approvals Invoice module enabled, it is recommended that invoices should always be authorised in Approvals so that a full approval history is available.

3.10. Approvals Addon Functionality - Pending Approvals Invoices Tab

If using Approvals with a site that has no Sage Commercials so invoices are entered directly into Approvals, these can show in Sage under this tab.

3.11. Approvals Addon Functionality – Paste Nominals

With this feature, it is possible to copy nominal information from a manually created invoice template and paste this into the Purchase Invoice screen.  This can be helpful for sites who have one invoice with multiple lines that need to be spread across different nominals.

This feature is only supported for sites not using a costing module.  It is not currently compatible with Sicon Projects or Sage Project Accounting.

To use this feature, first the user will need to create a manual template with the columns as follows:

The rows beneath this can then be populated with the required information.

In the example here, the user has received an invoice for 13,922.15, which needs to be split across multiple lines and nominals.

They enter the reference and goods value as normal:

The user has populated the rows from their template, and copies Row 2 to 8, and columns A to G (the title row does not need to be copied):

In the Purchase Invoice screen, the user then clicks Paste Nominals:

This then populates the Purchase Invoice screen with the information from the user’s template:

If there are any validation errors (e.g. tax value not matching the tax rate), these will need to be corrected by the user first.  Once all fields are correct, the invoice can be saved and processed as normal.

3.12. Approvals Addon Functionality - Valid Nominal Code Check

The Addon will check the nominal accounts selected on invoice entry are valid nominal codes; the invoice cannot be saved if lines contain an invalid nominal code.

4. Other Approvals Addon Features

The last few sections of this Help and User Guide focus on the other features within the Addon:

4.1. Self-Reversing Journal - for Unauthorised Invoices

When using Sicon Invoice Approvals, the Purchase Ledger setting for invoices to require approval will have been switched on and these invoices will be posted to the Unauthorised Nominal account until fully approved, regardless of the nominal coding entered.

This is done so that amendments to the nominal codes, or additional nominal code splitting can be carried out during the invoice approval process.  At month end this can leave a significant value on the balance sheet that typically needs to be moved to the profit and loss or balance sheet accounts that the invoice was originally coded to.

The self-reversing journal routine picks up all unauthorised invoices up to a specified date and allows them to be posted to the nominal code they were originally coded to.  A self-reversing journal is automatically created for the following period to enable the authorisation process to clear the invoices automatically.

The self-reversing journal created is put on hold by default so that it can be amended by the Finance team before posting to the nominal ledger.

Our expectation is that the self-reversing journal is run only once a month as the last thing that is done before the month is closed; it can be back dated (e.g. journal date would be 28/02/2023 and reversal date as 01/03/2023 but the journal would be processed on 17/03/2023).

Example of Self-Reversing Journal process

The next example demonstrates how the Addon self-reversing journal works and impacts the nominal ledger. The reversing journal uses the same logic as the standard Sage option to post a reversing journal entry.  For any queries around posting journals and period end processes, speak with your Sage Business Partner in the first instance.

In this example the current period is period 3:

Enter the relevant journal date and reversing date, and select whether the invoice should be on hold:

Prior to processing the journal, the user can click View Reverse Journal Entry to review the journal entries:

From here they can post and add an attachment to the journal, or close to return to the last screen.  In this example, we’ll close and instead use Process Reverse Journal Entry as a separate step:

This example is on hold because this was not unticked.

From Nominal Ledger – Enter Transactions – Held Journals, the journal can be found:

Highlight and process to view the journal, amendments can be made if required:

Once reviewed, either Post or Post and attach if a document should be added to the journal.  Once processed, the journal reference is provided:

Within Nominal Ledger, if a transaction enquiry is run against the Unauthorised Purchases Account, the journal entry can be viewed as a credit:

And looking at one of the pending nominals shows the corresponding debits:

As the month end hasn’t been completed yet, the reversal transactions are currently showing in the Deferred Waiting Postings List:

Once the period is closed down:

The transactions will either show in the Current Waiting Postings List:

Or if Update Waiting Postings has been run, then these journal entries will show on the nominal transaction enquiry screen against the relevant period.

For all queries around nominal postings and period end routines, it is recommended to speak with your Sage Business Partner.

4.2. POP Staged Nominal Accrual Settings

This functionality will automatically generate nominal journal accruals for outstanding purchase orders.

The staged accrual process is enabled or disabled as required and an outstanding purchase accrual nominal account selected.  Nominal accrual journals will be written to this account to the value of the purchase orders which have not yet been invoiced (or even goods received, if configured as such).

It is possible to enable postings to a separate accrual nominal account for GRNI (goods received, not invoiced) purchase order values.  When this is enabled, the system will generate nominal accrual journals between the outstanding purchases accrual account and the GRNI accrual account when goods are received.

If Sicon Projects is installed, nominal accruals and reversals will be linked to jobs selected for each purchase order line.  The Projects Enquiry screen will show all accrued purchase order values as ‘actual’ – not ‘committed’.

When an order has been created in Approvals, the journal is created.  If the order is subsequently cancelled, the journal will be reversed.

Generate Missing Accruals:  this can be run when you first install to update any existing orders to make sure accrual journals have posted.

Generate Missing Nominal/Project Links:  this can be run similar as above, if Projects has been installed.

Example 1 (without a separate GRNI accrual account configured)

Following purchase order entry, ‘stock’ (e.g. 13103-ADM-ADM) is debited and the configured ‘outstanding’ purchases accrual account (99910) is credited.

Once the invoice has been recorded against the PO, ‘stock’ is credited and the configured ‘outstanding’ purchases accrual account is debited.

Example 2 (with a separate GRNI accrual account configured)

As per example 1 above, following purchase order entry, ‘stock’ (e.g. 13103-BIR-ADM) is debited and the configured ‘outstanding’ purchases accrual account (99910) is credited.

Once goods have been received, the ‘outstanding’ purchases accrual account is debited and the configured ‘GRNI’ accrual account (99920) is credited.  Stock account postings are shown for information only.

Once the invoice has been recorded against the PO and the GRN, the ‘stock’ is credited and the configured ‘GRNI’ accrual account is debited.

When the process is complete, zero balances will exist on all configured accrual nominal accounts.

4.3. Reports

There are four additional reports to allow the accruals to be analysed and grouped by Nominal Code or Purchases Order.  Two reports cover disputed invoices and two cover standard purchase order accruals.

• POP Order Return Accrual – Disputes (by Order)
• POP Order Return Accrual – Disputes (by Nominal)
• POP Order Return Accrual (by Nominal)
• POP Order Return Accrual (by Order)

An example of the Purchase Order Accrual by Nominal is shown below.

5. Release Notes

The release notes page shows which release of the system includes new features or issues resolved.

At the release of Sicon v21 we announced that going forward, we will only be supporting Sage 200c and as such we are able to drop the year from our version numbers. We moved from 201.201.0.0 to 210.0.0.

New features detailed in the Release Notes relating to Pre-Release versions will not be detailed in the current Help and User Guide until the end of development phase.

6. Help & User Guide Archive

7. New Features & Important Information