Oracle Account Payables FAQS

1.                Suppliers

1.i                   There is more than one account for the same supplier, which one do I choose?

Check the supplier site addresses and choose the supplier whose site address matches your invoice address. If none of them match your invoice then ask DP section to create a new site. If all the supplier accounts have the same site addresses then choose the Supplier with the lowest number. We are in the process of merging all the multiple accounts into one.

1.ii                 I cannot find a supplier or an employee on the database

Please send details of the supplier or employee to DP section. Minimum details required are as follows:

·         Name and full address

·         If an individual please confirm if the person is an employee or not

·         Standard forms for full supplier set-up can be obtained from DP section.

2.                Batch Headers

2.i                   How to print batch headers

·         Select the batch header you want to print by clicking on Query, and Find. Then enter the batch number you require and click on the Find button

The system brings up the batch details

·         Confirm that you have the right folder open ie UCL BATCH HEADER

·         Click on the Action menu and then click Print

·         A copy of the batch header would be printed on your printer

2.ii                 Can I adjust or delete batch header details?

·         You can add invoices to a batch at any time

·         You can change the invoice type on the batch header after entering invoices against a batch and the new invoice type will default onto new invoices entered after the change. Changing the batch header does not affect invoices entered before the change

·         You can delete an invoice from a batch at any time before the invoice has been approved. See 5.i

·         You cannot delete an invoice batch that contains invoices. If you want to delete an invoice batch, you must delete the invoices in the batch first. See 5.i

3.                Grant related Invoice Distributions

3.i                   I am unable to post an expense claim to a grant

Please check that you have used the standard invoice type and not expense report type. If you have used the wrong invoice type then you would have to delete the invoice and re-enter the invoice. See 5.i

3.ii                 I am unable to enter a grant distribution against a 6P … expenditure type because the system is requesting for a valid quantity

Please enter the expenditure amount in the quantity field.

3.iii               I wish to enter a distribution against a grant code but the system is requesting for an expenditure Item date

In this case you are trying to enter an expense against a completed grant. Please confirm the completion date of the grant and enter a date on or before the grant completion date. You can confirm the date as follows:

·         Select the grant field

·         Click on the picklist button on the toolbar or press CTRL+F11

·         Enter the grant code and click the Find button

The system would then bring up brief details about the grant.

·         Scroll to the right to view the grant completion date.

3.iv               I have entered my distributions against grant codes and the system generated account codes are different from the grant codes that I entered?

The grants were set-up to map to control accounts in the general ledger. The account codes for these control accounts are different from the grant codes that you have entered. See further details on COA Philosophy document on the NewFis website

4.                VAT Distributions

4.i                   How do I confirm that the VAT amount is correct before the first level approval process is run?

After entering all your distribution lines,

·         Select Special on the menu options at the top of the window. 

·         Choose Generate VAT distributions. The system then comes up with a note indicating that VAT is being calculated, click OK on the box and wait for the system to complete the process by bringing up the VAT lines and updating the distribution total.

·         Check that your Invoice total agree with the distribution total, if not then make the necessary changes as described in section 4.ii below.

4.ii                 System calculated VAT amount does not agree with the invoice VAT amount due to rounding differences or insignificant arithmetical errors on Supplier invoices

Manually change the system calculated VAT amount on the VAT distribution line to agree with the invoice VAT amount.

4.iii               Most of our expenses are VAT recoverable, and I am not sure of the VAT codes to use

Recoverability is now defined at the account code level. The code to enter is the one that corresponds with the VAT rate on your invoice. Please find further details on the VAT overview document on the Newfis website.

5.                Adjusting and deleting invoices and invoice distributions

5.i.i            If invoice is unapproved (first level approval has not been done)

·         Ensure that you are on the invoices window and the cursor is on the invoice line that you wish to delete

·         Click on the red X button on your toolbar

·         Click OK on the delete message box.

·         Once the deletion is completed save your work.

5.i.ii          If invoice is approved ie after 1^st or secondary level approval

An approved Invoice cannot be deleted because funds have already been committed against the invoice during the approval process. However, the system would allow you to cancel the invoice.

5.ii                 How do I cancel an invoice that has been approved?

·         Navigate to the invoices window

·         Select the invoice to be cancelled. Please note that if you wish to re-enter the invoice it is advised that you add A to the number of the invoice to be cancelled and then re-enter the invoice with the number as written on the Supplier invoice. This is necessary because the system would not allow you to enter the same number twice for the same supplier.

·         On your invoices screen, click on the Actions..1 button and this brings up the Actions wndow.

·         On the Actions window click on the Cancel Invoice check box

·         Click OK and click OK to the messages that come up during the cancellation process.

·         Once the process have been completed save your work

5.iii               I have entered an expense claim with the wrong invoice type, how do I correct this error

Delete the invoice and re-enter it with the standard invoice type.

5.iv               I How can I amend input errors on my distribution window

·         Before approval

Purchase order matched distributions cannot be adjusted but can be reversed and the correcting entries entered on a new distribution line.

Distribution details that are not generated from purchase orders can be changed or deleted before the first level approval stage. Follow the procedure for adjusting invoices and remember to save your work .

·         After first Level Approval

Distributions cannot be amended or deleted once they have been approved. The system would only allow you to reverse the entries by clicking on the Reverse …1 button.

6.                Invoice Approval

6.i                   After running the batch approval process, how do I confirm that all the invoices in the batch have been approved?

·         The batch approval process normally takes a few minutes to run. The time it takes depend on the number of entries in the batch and how busy the system is. Please wait a few minutes before checking that all the invoices in your batch  have been approved.

·         After waiting for a few minutes you may open the invoices window of the batch and click on Query, then Run. This refreshes the screen and you may then check if your invoices have been approved by reviewing the holds placed on them.

·         Another alternative is to view your requests by carrying out the following:

                                     i.       Click on the help menu and select View My Request and the Find request window comes up.

                                   ii.       Click on the Find button and this takes you to the Requests window.

                                 iii.       On the Requests window click on the refresh data button and the system would bring up all your outstanding requests and show the status of your requests ie whether it is pending, running or completed. If not completed click refresh again after a few minutes and click again until completed.

·         If you process large volumes of batches then it is advisable to print the Invoice on Hold report once or twice a day instead of checking batches individually. See page 45 of your AP training documentation for guidance on how to print reports.

6.ii                 I have approved my invoices but don't know where they have gone for secondary approval?

Invoices are automatically available for all authorised signatories in your Department once the First Level approval is carried out. You do not need to send them to anyone for approval.

6.iii               An invoice was not approved in my batch of 10 invoices. Does this stop the rest from being processed further?

No

7.                General advice

7.i                   It is advisable that you print out or review the Invoice on Hold Report at the end of every day to ensure that all your invoices were successfully entered.

7.ii                 You may approve more than one batch at a time. To do this

·         Navigate to the Invoice batches window

·         Press the SHIFT key and then click on the invoice batches that you wish to approve. The batches would become highlighted in blue and the Approve button would indicate the number of batches that you have highlighted

·         Lift your finger off the shift key and then click on the approve button

The system would ask you to confirm the number of batches to be approved.

·         Click OK

7.iii               The on screen 'help' is very useful and provides the following information:

·         Window help: topics relating to the window you are working on

·         Keyboard help : A list of keyboard shortcuts

·         View My Request : Confirm the status of your requests

·         About this Record:  Details of who created a record and when it was created

The Invoice document is used to bill the Buyer for services and/or products delivered by the Seller.

Credit is the means by which we are able to obtain immediate benefit of goods or services upon the promise of payment at a future date.

Credit memo: When you want to adjust an invoice, document issued by the vendor to record an adjustment against an invoice.

Description

The supplier presents to the customer for the ordered or delivered, received or consumed goods or services a detailed invoice.  The customer disputes the invoice and works with supplier to resolve issue.  If any discrepancy is found, the customer shall start the process to treat incorrect invoices.  Once Supplier and Customer agree upon the nature of the dispute, Supplier issues a credit memo to correct the problem.  Buyer receives credit memo, reconciles with order and contract information and issues payment. Negative = Credit Positive = Debit

Verify its correctness.

• Note the reason for the credit if it is not clear on the credit memo itself
• Indicate the account and center where the credit should be applied.
• Forward all credits to Accounts Payable immediately so that the credit can be applied to your cost center and deducted from the next payment to the vendor. DO NOT HOLD CREDITS IN THE DEPARTMENT FOR ANY REASON.
• Accounts Payable will apply the credit against any open invoices in the system.
• Make a copy for your records.

Debit memo: Negative amount invoice created by us and sent to supplier to notifying him about the credit we are recording.

AP is divided in to 2 workbenches.

Invoice workbench

Payable workbench

We usually enter supplier invoice either in Invoice workbench or quick invoice window.

Invoice workbench:

Contains:

·         Invoice Batch window

·         Invoice window

·         Distribution window

·         Other associated windows

When to use:

·         Incase of complex invoices or invoices that requires online validation.

·         When an invoice requires immediate action.

Quick invoice window:

·         Used for quick high volume invoice entry for invoices that don’t requires extensive validation.

After entry just import into payable system, validation and defaulting will occur during import.

For more see page 342 of Oracle payables.pdf

Invoice distribution:

It allocates total invoice allowance to various expense or asset accounts.

Expanse Reports:

Invoice Creation:

Invoice Distributions:

Account: Company have different COA so follow that hierarchy for each set of item.

Accounting Date: Date when we are planning to post it to GL ie. GL Date.

Payments:

Record: Manual payments(checks,wire) which are made out of OP and they will be recorded in Op and update the invoice for which you have paid.

Computer Generated:

Combined:

Payment:

Lookup: It is a predefined values used as a LOV. In some fields we select a value from a predefined set of values, In some cases we have defined them in the setup windows such as supplier name,payment terms or tax codes. Other predefined set of values are Lookup codes.

Lookup Categoryè Lookup type ex. Invoice type

Allowed values are called Lookup names. Ex. Standard, Debit memo, Credit ,memo, Prepayment.

For a lookup type we can define upto 250 Lookup names.

Navigation:

SetupèLookups

For more details see Developer’s Guide pg. 58.

Distribution Sets:

It is a predefined set of distribution for a repeated or a same set of distribution form a supplier. We can either link it to supplier site or we can link it to the invoice.

There are 2 types of distribution sets.

Full Distribution Sets:  We will define % amount of the invoice to each distribution line and sum of all lines must be either 0 or 100. We can enter –ve % values.

Skeleton Distribution Sets: Leave the % field as 0 so that at the time of invoice creation you ca enter amount in different distribution lines.

For more details see Developer’s Guide pg. 63.

Purchase document:

Use Bank window to define internal bank branch from which you disburse payments. For each bank account we can define payment document for check, EFT, EDI or wire transfer and other payment methods.