Invoice Management screens

The Invoice Management menu includes these screens:
  • Charge Filters
  • Saved Filters
  • Invoice Batches

Charge Filters

Use the Charge Filters screen to select charges for invoicing. This screen starts with general selection criteria and moves to a second screen where you can define more detailed criteria.

Charge Filters Header Screen

On the first screen, you select charges by date range and invoice type.
From Date/To Date
The date range for charge selection. The system will look at the Charge Date on charge records and only select charges within this range.

You can leave the From Date value blank to select all charges up to a certain date.

Invoice Date
The invoice/accounting date for the selected charges. This will be used as the Invoice date for invoices generated from the selected charges.
Invoice Type
The invoice types to include in charge selection. You can use CTRL+Click to select multiple invoice types. The system will only select charge records with matching invoice type values.
Invoice Minimum
The minimum amount to invoice. When you process the selected charges as an invoice batch, the system divide the charges into individual invoices based on the invoice level and non-negotiable level defined for each customer. This means you can have multiple invoices for a single batch. If you specify an invoice minimum, the system will not generate an invoice if the total charges on the invoice do not meet or exceed this amount. This allows you to balance the cost of the invoicing process with the invoice amount.
Auto Batch
Selection that determines if existing invoice batches are automatically processed. If you select/check the Auto Batch setting, a new invoice batch with new dates is created when an existing invoice batch is posted. The From and To dates on the new invoice batch are calculated based on the From and To dates on the existing invoice batch. Note that if you select the Auto Batch checkbox, you must specify the From Date and To Date on the existing invoice batch to execute the Auto Batch process.

Specify your selection criteria, and then click Proceed to continue to the next step. The system displays the Charge Filters detail lines.

Charge Filters Detail Screen

On this screen, you can create a multi-line charge filter to further restrict the charges selected for processing.
Charge Type
The type of value you want to filter on. Valid types are:
  • Facility/Warehouse
  • Customer
  • Bill-To
  • Order Number
  • Order Type
  • Charge Code
  • Charge Number
Operator
The search operator to use, such as equals, greater than, between, and so on If you want to simply match a single value, use the default operator of equals.
First Value
The first value to use in this query string. If you set the operator to equals, this is the value you want to match.
Second Value
Only valid for the In/Between operators. Enter the second value in the range.
AND/OR
Only valid if you are entering multiple filter lines. AND will only select values that match both this statement and the following statement; OR will select values that match either statement.

To enter an additional line, click Save. The system saves the current line and creates a new blank line. Continue to enter as many lines as necessary to fully define your filter.

If you want to save this filter for future use, click Create Filter. The system will prompt you for the filter name. After you save the filter, you can access it from the Saved Filter screen and re-run the filter as often as necessary.

To run the filter and select charges, click Show Charges. The system displays a list of all matching charges.

Charge Filters – Charge List

After you run a filter (either a newly created filter or a saved filter), the system displays a list of all matching charges. You can perform the following actions from this screen:

  • Remove charges.

    If there are charges displayed that you don’t want to include in your invoice batch, you can remove the charges before creating the batch. Select each charge you want to remove, and then click Remove Charges.

  • Add charges to a new or existing batch

    When you are satisfied with the displayed charges, you can either create a new invoice batch, or add the charges to an existing batch.

To create a new batch, click Create New Batch. The system creates a new batch and displays the batch information on the Batches screen.

To add to an existing batch, click Add to Existing Batch. The system prompts you to select a valid batch number. After you make your selection, the system adds the charges and displays the batch on the Batches screen.

Saved Filters

If you run the same filters regularly, you can create the filter once and save the filter for future use. From the Saved Filters screen, you can select and run a saved filter to select charges for invoice batching.

You can perform the following actions from this screen:
  • Run the filter and select charges.

    Click Show Charges to run the saved filter and select charges for processing. The system will display the results on the Charge Filters – Charge List screen, where you can generate an invoice batch for the charges.

  • Edit a saved filter criteria.

    You can display the details of a saved filter to make changes to the filter criteria. The fields displayed are identical to those you used to create the filter from the Charge Filters screen.

  • Delete a filter.

    If you are no longer using a saved filter, you can select the filter and click Delete to remove it from the database.

Batches screen

Use the Batches screen to review and process invoice batches. The system automatically displays this screen whenever choose to add charges to a batch (new or existing) after running a filter. You can also access this screen from the Invoice Management menu.

You can perform the following actions from this screen:

Batch management tasks

  • Delete Batch.

    You can only delete batches that have not yet been processed and are currently in an Open status. Select the batches you want to delete, and then click Delete. All charges will be released from the batch and will be available for re-selection into a batch.

  • Reset Batch.

    Once you have started processing a batch, if you find errors you need to resolve, you can reset the batch to return it an Open status. You cannot reset a batch once it has been posted.

  • Review Batch.

    Click Review Batch to display the Accrued Billing report for the selected batch.

  • Edit Batch.

    If a batch is in open status, you can edit the batch information, including removing charges from the batch. To edit a batch, display the details of the selected record. The system displays the Batch Header/Details screen, where you can make the necessary changes.

Invoice Processing tasks

  • Print.

    Printing is the first step in the invoicing process. During this step, the system generates the invoices and assigns invoice numbers. You can only print batches in an Open or Printed status. Select the batches you want to print, and then click Print. The system prompts you to select the send method for the invoices: printer, e-mail, or fax.

  • Proof.

    After printing, you must proof the invoices. This process creates all the general ledger entries associated with the batch. If there are any errors, they must be resolved before you can post the invoices. You can only proof batches in a Printed or Proofed status. Select the batches you want to proof, and then click Proof. The system prints the General Ledger register and Invoice register so you can check for any errors before continuing.

  • Post.

    After you have successfully proofed the invoices, you can complete the invoicing process by posting the invoices. You can only post batches in a Proofed status. Select the batches you want to post, and click Post. All charges associated from the batch will be removed from the charge pool. The system will also creates the appropriate output files for any external accounting systems you have configured with Billing

    .

Batches Header Fields

Batch Number
The system-assigned ID number for this batch.
Description
The user-defined description for this batch. This is the description entered during filter creation.
Status
The current status of this batch:
  • Open
  • Printed
  • Proofed
  • Completed
Invoice Date
The Invoice Date for this batch, as defined on the associate charge filter.
From Date/To Date
The date range of the charges included in this batch.
Invoice Count
The number of invoices in this batch. You can review these invoices on the Invoice tab in the detail area.
Invoice Minimum
The minimum amount (if any) required to generate an invoice for this batch.
Auto Batch
Planned for future functionality.
User
The ID of the user that created this batch.

Batches Detail Tabs

  • Charges tab.

    All charges in the current batch are displayed in this list. Depending on the status of the batch, you can remove charges from the batch by selecting a charge and clicking Delete.

  • Invoices tab.

    The system separates batched charges into invoices based on the Invoice Level and Non-Negotiable Level set on each customer record. On this tab, you can review the invoices associated with the batch.