This process is always run at the end of the month, regardless of how often the General Ledger Interface process is run. It should always follow the last General Ledger Interface run for the month, so that it is dealing with fully posted records.

This process purges records from the main master files in accordance with company policy and saves invoice, check, purchase order, distribution and receiver records in history files.

It updates vendor records with purchase order performance statistics, invoice payment data and last check information. It is run monthly so that the monthly payment information, maintained on each vendor record, is accurate.

This process involves no online control input; it relies on the controls already established on the company record. It reads all master files indicated and updates the Vendor Master file as it processes. The other master files are purged of closed and deleted older records so the new month begins with up-to-date files.

You can set up a parameter on the company record that delays the purging of purchase orders and vouchers to history until some number of days after they are eligible for purging. Purge delay day parameters are available for the Accounts Payable Master file, the Purchase Order Master file, the Used Invoice Master file, the Item Master file and the Vendor Master file. This gives online access to recent history for researching problems.

Receiver records are purged to history when the associated purchase orders are purged to history.

Distribution Master Records are written to the Distribution History file under two different types of circumstances:

1. When all associated documents (purchase orders, receipts and vouchers) have been purged to history, the distribution list will be purged to the Distribution History file and removed from the current Distribution Master file.
2. As one associated document (purchase order, receipt or voucher) is purged to history and there are still other associated documents active on the Purchase Order Master, Receiver Master or Accounts Payable Master files, a copy of the purged document’s distribution list will be written to the Distribution History file and the distribution list will remain on the current Distribution Master file.

Purged records are merged in with previously purged records to form a year-to-date history file for each transaction type (purchase orders, invoices, receipts, distributions and checks). History files are made up of records that are identical to their associated master file records. This allows you to use the Standard Report Writers to produce standard reports from history, from the current master file or from both together. You may use standard reports or the General Report Writer to inquire into as much history as you care to review. The online history files are also created at this time.

Summary

We have covered some of the system basics in this introduction. The Processing chapter of this documentation explains some of these concepts in more detail.

Data processing users will benefit from the Operations chapter of the documentation for more comprehensive job flows and the Programs and Files chapters which augment the Operations chapter.

Your Accounts Payable Support Manager is also a resource in helping you understand and implement the system. We hope you will check with the documentation first. If you look through the How To index, you will find it very helpful in finding the location of specific explanations that you need.