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Operational settings

Before using Sage 200, you must choose your Operational settings. These apply across the Sage 200 Financials and Commercials modules.

To enter or view operational settings

Open: Accounting System Manager > Settings > System Settings | Operational settings.

Open: Accounting System Manager > Settings > View System Settings | Operational settings.

• Enter or view the following settings:

  Number of open accounting periods

  Enter the number of open periods that are permitted in the current year. You must have at least 1 period open. You can open up to 20 accounting periods. Use Maintain Accounting Periods to open the periods.

  You can have more than one accounting period open at a time. This means that you do not have to complete a month end routine before opening the next period.

  Sage 200 uses the transaction date to decide which period the transaction should be posted to.

  Changing the setting

  You must not set this to less than the number of periods currently open. If you need to change it, you must close the periods first, and then change the setting.

  First VAT Return Date

  Enter the date for your first VAT Return.

  Next Unique Reference Number (URN)

  When a transaction is entered or automatically generated by an activity, such as Foreign Account Revaluation, or Balance Ledgers, a URNThe unique reference number assigned to a complete transaction to assist in tracing the progress of the transaction through Sage 200. This number is 12 digits long and comprises of: 3 digits for the user number, 2 digits for the source module in which the transaction was created, and a 7 digit sequential reference number. is automatically allocated to it, for example, URN 002010000168.

  The last seven seven digits represent a sequential reference number. When you first use Sage 200 Accounts you can enter a starting Next Unique Reference Number (URN) here. Once transactions are posted to the Sage 200 ledgers, you cannot change this number.

  Enter the sequential reference number in the Next Available URN box. All subsequent transactions will have a URN following on from this number.

  Note:

  In certain circumstances, instead of one URN per transaction, groups of transactions are given one URN. For example:

  • If you are consolidating Nominal Ledgers, one URN is supplied by the receiving company. There will be one per consolidation run.
  • Cash Book transactions in the Nominal Ledger are given one URN for the set of postings.
  • Prepayment and Accruals are given one URN per set of postings.
  • If the Nominal Ledger is set to update with a batch total on accounts, one URN is given for the single posting that is created.

  The URN is used essential for tracking postings through the system into the Nominal Ledger.

  What do the first five digits mean?

  • The first three digits represent the user number.

  To identify a user number you need to look at the user details. The User ID (number) is shown on the User list within System Administration.

  • The fourth and fifth digits is the code for the module where the transaction was entered and posted.

  The modules are identified by the following numbers:

  Number	Module
  01	Sales Ledger
  02	Purchase Ledger
  03	Nominal Ledger
  04	Payroll (n/a)
  05	Job Costing (n/a)
  06	Stock Control
  07	Sales Order Processing
  08	Purchase Order Processing
  10	Cash Book
  11	Bill of Materials (n/a)
  12	Fixed Assets (n/a)

  So, for example, we would know that URN 002010000168, was created by user number 002, and posted in module 01 (Sales Ledger).

  What reports are useful for tracking the URN?

  • URN information can be viewed for pending Nominal Ledger postings. This is useful for determining whether a transaction has been posted to the ledger.
  • URN information is also printed on transaction reports in the Sales and Purchase Ledgers. All transactions relating to the chosen account are printed. Select a transaction and the lower half of the window displays detailed information about it, including its URN.
  • There is a specific report in the Nominal Ledger, called the Unique Reference Number report that shows all the postings for each URN you specify. If you run this report and specify the URN applied to the transaction in the sales or purchase transaction enquiry, all the postings resulting from the transaction are shown (unless they have been deleted due to the account history settings).
  • URN information is displayed and printed as part of the Transaction Audit File in Accounting System Manager. It also includes the URN on-screen and in the printed report. By printing or viewing the audit file (making a note of the URN for a particular transaction), you can trace the entry in the Nominal Ledger.
  Split postings between cost centres for balance sheet accounts

  You can divide your nominal accounts into cost centres and departments.

  Select this option to produce balance sheet reports, broken down by cost centresA segment of an organisation for which costs are required to be collected and formally reported on separately; e.g. a company division such as sales or production. and departmentA subdivision of a cost centre where costs are required to be collected and reported on separately; e.g. a sales area or a manufacturing depot.s.

  Transactions will post to the default nominal balance sheet accounts, together with the appropriate cost centre and department for that transaction.

  The cost centre and department is taken from the default nominal account held on the customer or supplier record. Transactions for customers or suppliers, with different default cost centres and departments, will post to different Debtors, Creditors and VAT Control accounts.

  You must create Debtors, Creditors and VAT Control nominal accounts for each default cost centre and department used in your customer and supplier records.

  Note: If you have not created a default balance sheet account for the appropriate cost centre or department, that part of the transaction will post to the suspense account.

  The following examples show how a standard invoice transaction is posted to the Nominal Ledger with, and without, the split posting option selected.

  Examples

  These two examples are based on:

  • A customer record where the default nominal account is 31100, cost centre SAL, department WHS.
  • The default nominal account for debtors is 14100.
  • The default nominal account for VAT on sales is 26100.
  • A sales invoice is posted for £100 plus £17.50 VAT.
  • The revenue posted to 32100 cost centre SAL, department XYX .

  When the transaction is posted, the nominal breakdown is:

  1. The split posting option is not selected.

     32100	SAL	XYZ	100	Credit
     26100			17.50	Credit
     14100			117.50	Debit

  2. The split posting option is selected.

     32100	SAL	XYZ	100	Credit
     26100	SAL	WHS	17.50	Credit
     14100	SAL	WHS	117.50	Debit

  Note: The system always applies cost centre breakdown for Profit and Loss accounts.

  Changing the setting

  We do not recommend changing this setting, unless it is the start of a financial year. If you change the setting part way through a financial year, some of the balance sheet postings for the year will be split across departments and cost centres and some will not be.

  Update the Nominal Ledger immediately transactions are entered

  Select this to update the Nominal Ledger immediately. Transactions are posted as follows:

  • Transactions dated in accounting periods that are either Open or Closed, are posted directly to the accounts.
  • Transactions dated for periods that are Closed, are posted to the next nearest open period.

  • Transactions dated in Future periods go to the deferred postings file.

    When the Future period is opened, the transactions in the deferred postings file, dated in that period, are moved to the current postings file. accounts. To post transactions from the current posting file to your accounts, run Update Waiting Postings in the Nominal Ledger.

  When you choose to update the Nominal Ledger immediately, your Nominal Ledger will always reflect the latest position. Your Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet information will change as transactions are entered.

  Clear this option and the transactions are posted as follows:

  • Transactions dated in Open or Closed periods are placed into the current postings file.

    Transactions in the current postings file can be posted to the accounts. Do this by running Update Waiting Postings in the Nominal Ledger.

  • Transactions dated for Future periods go to the deferred postings file.

    When the Future period is opened, the transactions in the deferred postings file (dated in that period), are posted to the accounts.

  When you choose to update the Nominal Ledger manually, your Nominal Ledger reflects the position at the last time you ran the Update Waiting Postings option.

  Changing the setting

  • If it has not been selected and you select it, you must run Update Waiting Postings to ensure that any postings already in the waiting postings file are updated to the Nominal Ledger.
  • If it has been selected and you clear the setting, subsequent postings are not made immediately and you must remember to do this manually using Update Waiting Postings.
  Enable Intrastat consolidation

  Select this to summarise all your low value transactions into one entry on Intrastat declaration.

  Enter the low value threshold in the Consolidate Intrastat entries with a value less than box. At the time of publication (April 2010) this is £130 (€200). For more information about the low value threshold see the UKTradeInfo website.

  Once selected:

  • All transactions below the threshold specified are consolidated into one entry on the Intrastat declaration, for each destination or arrival country.
  • Each consolidated entry is given a special commodity code of 9950 000.
  • The threshold is applied to the total value of each line on the sales or purchase invoice, not to individual items on the line.

  Changing the setting

  If you change the setting, the change takes effect the next time you generate the Intrastat declaration.

  Use period exchange rates

  Select this to set up more than one exchange rate per currency. The multiple exchange rates are set up to be used in date ranges.

  Changing the setting

  If you clear this setting after period exchange rates have been in use, any period rates set up in Accounting System Manager are deleted and the single rate is applied.

  Use segmented addresses

  Using this option allows fuller integration with Sage CRM, which uses segmented addresses.

  Select this if you are using CRM, or if you want to enter detailed address information throughout Sage 200.

  You can enter City, County and Country information for an address, in addition to the address and post code. This makes it easier to report on your information, by different cities, counties and countries.

  Changing the setting

  If you have been using segmented addresses, and then clear the check box, the information entered in the segments will be ignored. This means addresses printed onto supplier or customer documents could be incorrect.

  Use exchange rates when printing invoices and credits

  You can choose which exchange rate to use when printing invoices and credit notes.

  Use exchange rates when printing invoices and credits

  Select this to use the exchange rate set in the exchange rate table when an invoice or credit note is printed. If the customer uses a single exchange rate, the invoice uses the exchange rate set in the exchange rate table. If the customer uses a period exchange rates, the invoice uses the exchange rate based on the period of the invoice date. Note: If this option is selected, Tax Only Invoices/Credit Notes and Trade Counter sales orders will always use the exchange rate set in the exchange rate table. The exchange rates entered on the Tax Only Invoices/Credit Note or Trade Counter sales order windows are not used. Clear this option to use the exchange rate set when the sales order was entered.

  Edit exchange rates when printing invoices and credits

  Select this to change the exchange rate on an invoice when it is printed. Note: The currency must be amendable.

  Invoices and credit notes

  You can choose whether you want your invoices and credit notes to use the same or different number sequences, such as 001, 002, 003 etc.

  If you want both your invoices and credit notes to use the same number sequence, select Use the same number sequence for both invoices and credit notes.

  To use different number sequences, select Use separate number sequences.

  Enter the number(s) that you want to use in the Next invoice number and Next credit note number box. All subsequent documents will be incremented from this number.

  Note: You cannot change this number once you start creating invoices.

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