AP Auto-generate invoice number

This new function is useful when entering invoices and the document has no invoice number. A client wants to improve it in two ways.

1) They want the option to auto-generate a unique number in the format XX-YY-BTCH-NTRY, where XX is the two character source code (IN, AD, MC), YY is the fiscal year and BTCH and NTRY are the transaction's batch and entry number (no hyphens would be needed)

2) They want the ability for the document number to auto-generate in a manual check batch Cash Invoice field; in fact what's even more important would be for it to auto-generate when importing, if the auto-generate option is set in the vendor record and the field is not a selected field in the import template.

As an aside, why under Profile | Batch/Vendor are you allowed to enter up to 20 characters in the Invoice No. format field when the invoice field itself is only 12 characters?

Thanks

Steve

Steve:

1. Though this would be a neat feature for the two or three users who may want it I'd like to see Softrak improve many other things before this.

2. This would be a good idea to implement sooner rater than later as long as it can be done relatively inexpensively.

20 characters must be new and it use to restrict to 12. Oversight in the last upgrade maybe?

Hi Steve,

1. I have added a suggestion to the wishlist for a future release of Payables.

2. Manual Checks for Cash Invoices will auto-assign Cash Invoice numbers if the vendor has this option enabled. Is your client on the current release?

When you exit out of the Invoice no. format field in the Company Profile, if the results of the expanded codes will be more than 12 characters, you will get an error message. You have to use at least one Expansion code in this field. For example, the 5-character code for Year, %yyyy, will create a 4-character result. If you use several codes, you will need more that 12 characters to enter a format that results in 12 characters.

Hi Softrak

2. I should have limited my question to the "more important" section. Can you address that part of my question. The client is using the latest release.

Steve

Hi Steve,

2. I did. Imported Cash Invoices will also have the Cash Invoice number auto-assigned. You do not need to default or import the Cash Invoice field.

OK, I'll test that out. The only problem I can see is if they import two checks for the same vendor, it will generate the same invoice number. This particular client imports hundreds of checks to the same vendor - for example utility bills. That's why I was asking for "more unique" auto-generating functionality.

Steve

Not if the cash invoices have different dates.

I don't understand that reply. There are no invoice dates, there are only check dates when you enter a manual check batch.

Steve

For a cash invoice, the check date and invoice date are the same (although we have been asked for separate dates). Presumably you do not write two checks on the same day to the same vendor.

Hi Andrew

What about a case where you purchase $60,000.00 of raw material with an agreement to issue a check for $20,000.00 dated today and four post dated checks for $10,000.00 spaced out over 16 days. All checks would be written the same day. This happened quite often when we were starting out.

Andrew

I feel like we are going around in circles. They issue hundreds of checks to the same vendor on the same day; that's why the import function is so important. I already mentioned this in my posting #41621 dated 5:16PM yesterday.

Steve

OK.

This sounds like a very specific request for a single client. We can see whether others have the same need, or they can have us add it at their expense but on their schedule.

Hello Steve,

This feature request was addressed in Payables 92A:
A unique, incrementing, invoice number can be auto-generated for invoice batch entries by using the %n code in the Invoice Number Format field on the Accounting tab in the vendor. A Next Invoice No. field has been added to enter/show the starting/current value. The number is up to 4 digits and is trimmed. Copy batch, copy entry, import and export vendor, import invoice batch and import manual check batch (cash invoices) are supported.