How to manage Error Batches

Whenever you process in Sage 300 a series of validations are run to check that your data is logical in accordance with system settings, but sometimes you'll encounter an error batch. This article will help you to identify the source of the problem and understand how to manage error batches. The same basic steps apply in the General Ledger, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable modules.

Please do NOT delete the error batch - this is a common cause of imbalance between the GL and sub-modules.

If you have an error batch, follow these steps:

1. In the Batch List screen, check the box to "Show Posted and Deleted Batches"
2. In the error batch description, find the source batch number and highlight that batch in the list.
3. Scroll to the right of the Batch List window until you can see the No. of Errors column, and double-click on the cell.
4. Print the suggested Posting Errors report which will identify the problem.
   Now you can address the issue at its source and when sorted, re-post the Error Batch itself.

Posting Errors 

Here are some examples of posting errors you might encounter and how you can fix them.

• AP Invoice Batch: Invoice number already exists (as in the example above)
  This happens sometimes if you use the quick invoice button in PO Receipts because this screen doesn't check that the invoice number already exists. We suggest you check the source documents and if it's correct that a second document with this number should be posted, open the error batch and add a "." or "a" to the end of the invoice number to make it unique. Or change the document number to the correct one.
  
  If the second invoice entry shouldn't exist and has been created in error - DO NOT delete the error batch. In this case, proceed to post the document with a unique number and then process PO credit notes to cancel out its impact throughout Sage 300. This will ensure that any impact to stock, creditors, expense accounts, GST and the GL is reversed cleanly with a full audit trail.
  
  
• GL Journal Batch: Fiscal period is locked
  This happens typically due to a delay between creating and posting the batch. You need to decide on the correct course of action and can either change the posting date (year & period) in the journal entry to a current period, or go Fiscal Calendar in the Common Services folder and unlock the GL period in question. You can lock it again as soon as the batch has posted.
  
  
• GL Journal Batch: Cannot post to future year
  This is a common problem at financial year end as the sub-ledgers start posting into the new fiscal year but the GL Year End process has not been run. To rectify this you need to run the Create New Year process in the GL Periodic Processing folder. This prepares the GL opening balances for the new fiscal year. You can safely do this and continue to work in the previous financial year because Sage 300 will manage revenue and expense movements to retained earnings and adjust opening balances as you post to prior years.
  
  
• GL Journal Batch: GL account does not exist OR has been made inactive
  We see this on entries created by the Order Entry and Purchase Order sub-modules where the Day End "translates" items into GL codes for revenue and cost of goods sold entries; particularly if you use GL Account segment over-rides on IC Locations. You might have planned the GL Chart of Accounts with revenue accounts by location/department but missed a combination when preparing the account codes. To rectify this, add the required GL account and post the error batch.
  
  If the GL account exists but has been made inactive or set to Posting Prohibited, you can set it back to active and then post the batch.
  
  OR you can change the GL code for the detail line in the journal entry to existing accounts and post. However, this suggests you might have a problem in the sub-module configuration that needs to be fixed to prevent this problem happening again. For example, an IC Location might be set up to direct revenue and COGS to the wrong GL code segment.

If you need more help, please raise a support case with the OpusXenta team.