I have a favor to ask, can anyone share how they configured GL/Divisions/Product Groups (Finance) stuff in a Multi-Site (Not Company!) Environment.
We have Multiple Companies… But, now we are starting to add a few Companies with Multi-Site’s - but we need to keep the GL Records seperate. What have you done?
Multiple Books?
New Segments?
What’s the path of least resistance to keep Site’s somewhat Seperate. I am not even sure I am asking this properly from the Finance POV. Is ultimately the only best option to make 2 companies instead?
Can anyone share their hardship, lessons learned or Recommendation? Perhaps what you would do different if you were starting over.
I am not top tier finance, but my opinion on “the path of least resistance to keep site’s somewhat separate” would be to keep one book per company and do the following:
Choose a segment in your GL string to represent the site, such as “division”
In GL Control Maintenance, select the “division” type and create a separate GL control for each site.
In account context, leave all of the string segments blank except for the value you want to set for the site. For instance __.001.__.__.__.__ in one site and __.002.__.__.__.__ in another
In site maintenance, add a new GL control in each site and select the GL control code you added in the previous steps.
This would result in costs posting with the division identifier in the GL string.
I agree for the most part. In multicompany, multi site, we use a three segment GL, natural account - Company/Division - Department. Each site within a company would be within the Company/Division range, like 100 for Company one, 200 for company 2, etc. The site would be 210, 220 which would be company 2, site 1 and site 2.
This allows you the most flexibility with the GL control codes that flex in my opinion. Even though each company has a company code with every record, you want it in the GL for easier reporting.
We also use a three part GL structure. One book for the company. We also set GL controls for Division and assign them at the site level. Then, the balance sheet is the same for the company but the income statement has divisional cost assigned to it. Then if you have the proper finance tools you can run income statements for each division and show proper P/L for each division. It works great. The division GL control is very similar to the department control when attached to site maintenance. The company aspect of not in the GL because the system keeps separate books per company anyway and the details throughout the database are tagged with company in the table layer.
The Division substitution requires the Standard posting rules
If division substitution results in a GL account that doesn’t exist (or is inactive), the sub doesn’t happen. For Example,
Our GL structure is Chart-Div-Dept
Chart for Inventory is 1151.
GL Accts 1151-00-01 (INV- CHAL), 1151-11-01 INV-GUTH) exist for site specific inventory
Company Inventory GLC is setup for 1151-00-01
Two sites (‘A’ and ‘B’) each use Division GLC.
Site A is ____-00-__
Site B is ____-11-__
One GL is used for Transfer Orders while in transit: 1166-00-01 (INTRANSIT)
When A receipt happens to Inventory at Site B, The Division GLC overrides the Company GLC of 1151-00-01, with 1151-11-01
When a Transfer Order Shipment happens from site A to site B, 1151-00-01 is credited, and 1166-00-01 is debited. When that TO is received at site B, 1166-00-01 is credited, and 1151-11-01 is debited
Had a a GL account existed for 1166-11-01, it would have been hit instead (because of the GL division substitution)
We also use 3 segment GL account structure and are attempting to produce site specific income statements. As suggested, we’ve:
Added new division segment value representing new site (e.g., 222)
Copied all GL accounts in company, changed division (from 111 to 222), and paste inserted
Added new division GL controls for each site and updated account context with only the division value
Added new GL controls in site maintenance
We then created material in new site, adjusted quantity, created sales order, and shipped. We use auto invoice, so invoice also generated and posted. The invoice credited the new division (222) sales account as desired. But, it also credited the old division (111) for misc sales charge, and debited the old division (111) AR account.
Thoughts on correcting the misc and AR to use the new division?
This is a more general answer, but are you familiar with the PE Log Viewer? It allows you to specify types of transactions to log; then you can look at the logs to see exactly what the posting engine was thinking when it decided to choose one string over another. It takes some time, but often if I am troubleshooting this type of thing, I will go to the specific example that reproduces the problem and trace it through the PE log viewer. Perhaps that will show you an area in the control code maintenance that needs to be updated.
Thanks for the quick feedback. If I understand correctly, site/division GL controls are needed as follows:
GL Control Comment Current Sites/Divisions Total
AP Account How assoc? 1 2 2
AR Account How assoc? 1 2 2
Bank Account 1 2 2
Bank Fee 2 2 4
Indirect Labor 2 2 4
Inventory COS and WIP 1 2 2
Misc Charge (Purchasing) 5 2 10
Misc Charge (Sales) 15 2 30
Part Class 22 2 44
Plant Transfer 1 2 2
Product Group 4 2 8
Reason Code 6 2 12
Supplier 13 2 26
Tax 1 2 2
Also, yes, the intent is to create complete site separation. Even with an AP and AR account for each site and separate GL controls, how would Epicor select the appropriate GL controls?
Both the site specific GL Control Types and GL Control Codes have been created for the AR Account and the Misc Charges (Sales). New sales orders and shipments were entered, but resulted in the same error - no auto invoice creation and when manually created, use of the non-site AR Account with no Misc.
Question Do all GL Control Types and GL Control Codes need to be created and used in Site Maintenance?
I am in a similar position and am wondering if anyone knows of a best practices document on how this setup should work. We have had the on company with multiple (2) sites setup in our GL: Parent -00, Site A: -01, Site B: -02. I am trying to figure out why a PO for a part on a job within either of the 2 plants sometimes ends up transacting at the -00 level instead of the other two. Yet the PO to Job, the receipt all pointed to the right site. The PartClass drives our GL account selection, the natural account exists in each of the sites so that wouldn’t throw it to the top level either. Ithink the AP Clerk can catch and correct it, but with the purchase made to a job that is tied to a Site, it should be a no-brainer.
The GL was setup by a third party which is no longer in business. They left no notes, and I would like to bounce their settings off on something else with more information than the GL tech reference…