Overview:

Batch Control is the command centre for batches in Workbench. Here you can view, close, or export existing batches. To create a new batch or to add a document to it, first you will need to find the origin of the batch Type you want to modify and then follow the procedure for that type.

Batches are best thought of as containers for a specific document Type. Each type has its own Batch No sequence, and you can add a prefix to batches in Locations to differentiate them.

Using the filters you can find any batch that has been created or exported. By default, the filter is set to show all batches that are in the current period (set in Period Ends) and that haven't been exported.

Screen Guide:

Open

• The Export tick only becomes available when a batch is marked as Closed and not marked as Not For Export, and has not been exported before. You can mark as many batches as you like that match the requirements, and when you are ready to send them to your financial system, click the blue Export button. If a batch has been exported, this field will be ticked and grayed out.

• Batch Type is the origin of the batch, determining what types of documents can be held inside them. This is the default sorting column.

• Batch No is the unique number that this batch uses. Different ranges exist for different Types, and are reserved even if the batch is Closed with no documents inside the batch. This field also serves as a link to the Batch Details, showing more information and also providing reports that you can generate and see what documents the batch contains.

• Batch Date is the date that was marked as the batch date when it was created. Documents can exist in a batch as long as they share the same Period, depending on the Control Parameters settings.

• Year / Period is the Period Ends that this document exists in dependant on the Date that it was created for.

• Fin Co is the Financial Company that this batch was created under.

• Location is the location of the batch that helps with knowing which batches to export.

• Reference is a custom text given to the batch to help users identify its contents more easily. This field does not need to be unique.

• Reversal of Batch shows whether the batch reverses (creates the opposite values of) a batch. Accrual batch types automatically create reversal batches in the following month when they are created, while Adjustment batches create the reversal when the batch is Exported.

• Closed prevents further documents from being added to a batch when ticked. If marking a batch for Export or Not For Export, you should close the batch first. Remember to save after making any changes to this field.

• Not For Export should only be used in cases where the batch is empty or the batch Type does not need to be exported to your financial system. If there are errors in the batch documents, they should be corrected or unbatched before attempting to Export or mark the batch as Not For Export. Remember to save after making any changes to this field.

• Exported Date will be blank until the batch has been exported, and will then display the date of export.

• Export Status can be one of the following:

  • Blank - export has not been attempted.

  • In Progress - the export is currently going through the integration process between Workbench and your financial software.

  • Success - the export has successfully been sent to your financial software.

  • Error - a problem has caused the integration to fail. Generally the error reason will be noted here, requiring the document to be fixed before the batch can be exported. If you cannot diagnose the problem, please contact the Helpdesk.
    On AR Credit/Invoice and AP Credit/Invoice batches, when some of the documents were successfully exported and some errored, a button 

    Open

    

    will appear in the batch to allow you to move the errored documents into a newly system-generated batch. The original batch will be flagged as 'Succeeded'. The errors will need to be solved and the new batch can then be exported.
    
    

    
    
    

If your company has the Control Parameter Legacy Inter-Company Process set to No, the following columns will appear:

• Inter-Co tick box should be ticked for each batch that you would like to generate the arm's-length journals for the destination Financial Company.

• Inter-Co Status shows the status of the Inter-Company journals.

• Created by is the name of the user that created the batch.

• Use the 

   button to generate journals for all batches that are ticked. Note that you can only export one Financial Company at a time.

Posting Dates

Posting Dates on AR and AP Invoices:

For those financial systems that support both Posting and Invoice Date (excludes Xero and MYOB AccountRight, as these systems do not support different dates for Posting Date and Invoice Date):
Posting Date on the financial system for AR/AP invoices is the invoice date, as long as that is in the batch period. Otherwise the Posting Date follows the logic below:

• the 1st day of the batch period if the invoice date is in a prior period, or

• the last day of the batch period if the invoice date is in a future period.

Next Steps:

After marking each batch with the desired ticks, be sure to Save and/or Export before leaving the screen.

If you wish to see the contents of the batch, click on the Batch No and use the Print button to find the appropriate report. To modify the contents you will need to navigate to the data's origin.

There are Utilities that will enabled users with high access level to:

     - Unexport the batch or Unbatch documents (move documents out of the batch).
     - Change the date of an unexported batch if the period is open. It also changes the periods of related transactions.
These need to be used with caution.

If you wish to default the Batch reference on creation, set Control Parameter "Batch Reference Template":
                                                                                                                                                                         - Default value: [Type]-[YP]
                                                                                                                                                                         - Valid values: [Type], [Mon], [YP], [PersonID]