Steps to set up a GL Transaction Integration with Analytical Accounting in Microsoft Dynamics GP

This document will walk you through the necessary steps to set up a GL Transaction integration that includes Analytical Accounting mappings using Integration Manager for Microsoft Dynamics GP. This article will cover two common setup scenarios for importing Analytical Accounting information with a GL Transaction.

Applies to:   Microsoft Dynamics GP
Original KB number:   2687958

Business scenario

Many companies use the Analytical Accounting module to help track their financial information. Many users also need to import transaction information into Dynamics GP which will include the AA information. Previous to Dynamics GP and Integration Manager 10.0, this was not possible as Integration Manager did not support AA. Those users would have to manually add the AA information after the transactions were imported, a process which could be very time consuming (and outlined in KB 897742).

How to move from Multidimensional Analysis to Analytical Accounting

Background information

Starting with Microsoft Dynamics GP/Integration Manager 10.0, Integration Manager now utilizes eConnect for select destination adapters (formerly the 'SQL Optimized' destination adapters). When using the eConnect destination adapters, it is now possible to import the following transaction types with Analytical Accounting information:

  • GL Transactions
  • Sales Transactions
  • Inventory Transactions
  • POP Receivings Transactions

In this article, we will look at two common scenarios for integrating GL Transactions that include AA information.

Activate Analytical Accounting

  1. In Dynamics GP, click on Tools under Microsoft Dynamics GP, point to Setup, point to Company, point to Analytical Accounting and click Setup. This will open the Analytical Accounting Setup Wizard window.
  2. Ensure that Create Default Record is checked and click Next, then click Finish.
  3. Go back to the Analytical Accounting Setup Wizard window again. (See step 1.) The Create Default Record option should now be grayed out.
  4. Now check Activate Analytical Accounting option and click Next, then Finish.
  5. Click Yes to proceed with the activation.
  6. Click OK when it is finished.

Set up sample AA Dimensions and Dimension Codes

  1. First, create three new test accounts that we will use for AA:

    1. In Microsoft Dynamcis GP, click on Cards, point to Financial and click Account.

    2. Create the following accounts:

      Account Description Category
      999-9999-01 AA Test Account 1 Cash
      999-9999-02 AA Test Account 2 Cash
      999-9999-03 AA Test Account 3 Cash
    3. Accept all other defaults.

  2. Create the AA Transactions Dimension:

    1. In Microsoft Dynamcis GP, click on Cards, point to Financial, point to Analytical Accounting and click Transaction Dimension.

    2. Create the Trx Dimension by entering ELECTRONICS for the Trx Dimension.

    3. Select for the Data Type Alphanumeric.

    4. Enter Electronics for the Description 1 field.

      Screenshot of Transaction Dimension Maintenance window when you complete the step d.

    5. Click Save and close the Transaction Dimension Maintenance window.

  3. Create the AA Transaction Dimension Codes:

    1. In Microsoft Dynamics GP, click on Cards, point to Financial, point to Analytical Accounting, and click Transaction Dimension.

    2. Choose the Dimension ELECTRONICS.

    3. Enter XBOX for the Trx Dimension Code.

    4. Enter XBOX Hardware/Accessories for the Description.

    5. Select the Lookup and choose ELECTRONICS for the Linked to Node.

      Screenshot of Transaction Dimension Code Maintenance window after you complete the step e.

    6. Click Save.

    7. Keep the window open, now enter TV for the Trx Dimension Code.

    8. Enter Televisions for Description 1.

    9. Select the Lookup and choose ELECTRONICS for the Linked to Node.

      Screenshot of Transaction Dimension Code Maintenance window after you complete the step i.

    10. Click Save.

    11. Enter STEREO for the Trx Dimension Code.

    12. Enter Stereo Equipment for Description 1.

    13. Select the Lookup and choose ELECTRONICS for the Linked to Node.

      Screenshot of Transaction Dimension Code Maintenance window after you complete the step m.

  4. Now grant access to the Dimension Codes:

    1. In Microsoft Dynamics GP, click on Tools, point to Setup, point to Company, point to Analytical Accounting and click User Access.

    2. For Trx Dimension, choose the Dimension ELECTRONICS.

    3. Select the Trx Dimension Code XBOX, then click the Distribute and Adjust check boxes at the bottom of the window to enable the code for all users.

      Screenshot of User Access to Trx Dimension Codes window after you complete the step c.

    4. Click Save.

    5. Repeat steps b and c for the STEREO and TV" Dimension Codes.

  5. Create the Accounting Class to link our test accounts we created to the AA Dimensions:

    1. In Microsoft Dynamics GP, click on Cards, point to Financial, point to Analytical Accounting and click Accounting Class.

    2. Enter the Class ID ELECTR_CLASS.

    3. Enter Electronics Account Class for the Description 1 field.

    4. In the Grid, you should see the ELECTRONICS Trx Dimension. Change the Analysis Type to Optional.

      Screenshot of Accounting Class Maintenance window after you complete the step d.

    5. Click the Accounts in the bottom right corner.

    6. You may be prompted to save changes to the Accounting class. Click Save.

    7. Scroll down in the list of accounts and find the three accounts you created in step 1.

    8. Mark the Link checkbox next to each account 999-9999-01, 999-9999-02 and 999-9999-03.

      Screenshot of Account Class Link window after you complete the step h.

      • You may be prompted with a message saying "This change will affect un-posted transactions and adjustments, if any. Do you want to continue?"
      • Click Continue.
    9. Close the Account Class Link window to return back to the Accounting Class Maintenance window.

    10. Click Save and close the window.

Build the Integrations - GL Transaction (with Sequence required)

Example scenario:

One of the Analytical Accounting enabled accounts appears more than once in the distributions. Also, the distribution amount is being split out to multiple Dimension Codes. Because the same distribution account appears more than once, we must map the Line Item Sequence value on the GL Distributions so the AA information can be linked to the correct distribution line/amount.

Furthermore, since the distribution amount for a single line is being split out into multiple Dimension Codes, we must also map the "Assign ID" field for the Analytics Dimension.

  1. To support these requirements, create a Tab Delimited text file for the header and distributions source queries with the following data (include the column headings as shown):

    JournalNum TrxDate Account Amount Sequence
    10000 4/12/2017 000-1100-00 500 500
    10000 4/12/2017 000-1200-00 -500 1000
    10001 4/12/2017 999-9999-01 16200 500
    10001 4/12/2017 000-1100-00 -16200 1000
    10001 4/12/2017 999-9999-01 2000 1500
    10001 4/12/2017 000-1200-00 -2000 2000
  2. Save the file as a Tab Delimited text file (*.TXT). For this example, name the file "AA GLTrx-with Seq.txt".

  3. Create a second Tab Delimited source file that contains the AA Distribution information (include the column headings as shown):

    JournalNum Account Amount Dimension DimensionCode CodeAmount AAAsignID Sequence
    10001 999-9999-01 16200 ELECTRONICS XBOX 8000 1 500
    10001 999-9999-01 16200 ELECTRONICS TV 7000 2 500
    10001 999-9999-01 16200 ELECTRONICS STEREO 1200 3 500
    10001 999-9999-01 2000 ELECTRONICS XBOX 1100 1 1500
    10001 999-9999-01 2000 ELECTRONICS TV 600 2 1500
    10001 999-9999-01 2000 ELECTRONICS STEREO 300 3 1500

    Note

    The AAssignID value will be used since we are splitting the distribution amount across multiple Dimension codes. The Sequence value is required because the distribution account 999-9999-01 appears on more than one distribution line, therefore the Sequence value is required to link the AA information to the correct distribution line.

  4. Save the file as a Tab Delimited text file (*.TXT). For this example, name the file AA GLTrx-with Seq AA Dimension.txt.

  5. Open Integration Manager and click on New Integration. Give it the name GL Transaction - AA with Sequence".

  6. Create the Header Source Query

    1. Click on Add Source, click on Text, then click on Define New Text.

    2. Give the source query the name GL Header and browse out to the first file you created named AA GLTrx-with Seq.txt.

    3. Choose Tab as the delimiter and check the box First Row Contains Column Names.

      Screenshot of the Properties - Query1 window after you complete the step c of the Header Source Query creation.

    4. Since we are using a single source file for the Header and Distribution lines, we need to set up the Grouping on the header fields. Click on the Sorting tab.

    5. Add JournalNum and TrxDate to the Group By fields list, then click OK to save the query. Click OK again on Warning stating there are fields named as Show that is not in the Group By list. This is expected.

    6. Right-click on the GL Header query and make sure you can preview the data as follows:

      Screenshot of Data Viewer - GL Header window in Integration Manager, which shows JournalNum and TrxDate.

  7. Create the Distribution Source Query

    1. Click on Add Source, click on Text, then click on Define New Text.

    2. Give the source query the name GL Distributions and again browse out to the first file you created named AA GLTrx-with Seq.txt.

    3. Choose Tab as the delimiter and check the box First Row Contains Column Names.

      Screenshot of Properties - Query1 window after you complete the step c of the Distribution Source Query creation.

    4. Click OK to save the query. You will receive a message stating that you must set up Query Relationship. Click OK to dismiss the dialog. We will set that up later once all the queries are created.

    5. Right-click on the GL Distributions query and make sure you can preview the data as follows:

      Screenshot of Data Viewer - GL Distributions window in Integration Manager, which shows JournalNum and TrxDate.

  8. Create the AA Dimension Source Query

    1. Click on Add Source, click on Text, then click on Define New Text.

    2. Give the source query the name GL AA Dimension" and browse out to the second file you created for the AA information named AA GLTrx-with Seq AA Dimension.txt.

    3. Choose Tab as the delimiter and check the box First Row Contains Column Names.

      Screenshot of Properties - Query1 window after you complete the step c of the AA Dimension Source Query creation.

    4. Click OK to save the query.

    5. Right-click on the GL AA Dimension query and make sure you can preview the data as follows:

      Screenshot of Data Viewer - GL AA Dimension window in Integration Manager, which shows JournalNum and TrxDate.

  9. Create the AA Dimension Code Source Query

    1. Click on Add Source, click on Text, then click on Define New Text.

    2. Give the source query the name GL AA Dimension Code and browse out to the second file you created for the AA information named AA GLTrx-with Seq AA Dimension.txt.

    3. Choose Tab as the delimiter and check the box First Row Contains Column Names.

      Screenshot of Properties - Query1 window after you complete the step c of the AA Dimension Code Source Query creation.

    4. Click OK to save the query.

    5. Right-click on the GL AA Dimension Code query and make sure you can preview the data as follows:

      Screenshot of Data Viewer - GL AA Dimension Code query window in Integration Manager, which shows JournalNum and TrxDate.

  10. Set up the Query Relationships

    1. Double-click on Query Relationships.

      1. Since the Journal Number is the key field that differentiates one transaction from the next, this key field should go all the way through the Query relationship chain.

        Screenshot of the Relationships - GL Transaction - AA with Sequence window in Integration Manager after you complete the step i.

      2. To link the AA information, since the AA Dimension information is linked per distribution line, next we need to establish a link between the GL Distributions query and the "L AA Dimension query. As stated in the overview, a given GL account may appear more than once in a single transaction, there we must use the Sequence field to link the AA Dimension to the correct distribution line.

        Screenshot of the Relationships - GL Transaction - AA with Sequence window in Integration Manager after you use the Sequence field to link the AA Dimension.

      3. Continuing down the relationship, the AA Dimension Codes are linked back to a given AA Dimension. In this example, we need to continue linking with the Sequence field and also add the DimensionCode field. At this point, all the appropriate relationships have been established so your Query Relationship window should look like the following:

        Screenshot of the Relationships - GL Transaction - AA with Sequence window in Integration Manager after you link with Sequence field and add DimensionCode field.

    2. Add the Destination Adapter

      1. Click on Add Dest, expand Microsoft Dynamics GP eConnect, click on Financial and select GL Transaction.

      2. In the Server Name field, enter in the name of your SQL Server instance (not a DSN name) and the company database name.

        Screenshot of Destination Settings window after you complete the step ii.

    3. Define the field mappings

      1. Double-click on Destination Mapping to open the field mapping window.

      2. For GL Transactions with AA information, the Journal Entry # is REQUIRED. This field cannot be defaulted in! Some advanced users will use a VBScript on the Journal Entry# field to get the next number, but it does have to be supplied in the mapping otherwise the AA information cannot be linked to the transaction correctly.

      3. Provide a constant for the Batch ID and Reference fields.

        Screenshot of Integration Mapping - GL Transaction - AA with Sequence in Integration Manager after you complete the step iii.

      4. Click on the Entries folder. Map the Account Number, Debit/Credit Amount and Sequence Line to the fields from the GL Distributions query.

        Screenshot of Integration Mapping - GL Transaction - AA with Sequence in Integration Manager after you complete the step iv.

        Note

        The Sequence Line field is required in this case since the GL Account may appear more than once within the same GL Transaction. Without this field mapped, the AA information cannot be linked to the correct distribution.

      5. Click on the Analytics folder. Map the Assign ID and Amount field from the GL AA Dimension source query as follows:

        Screenshot of Integration Mapping - GL Transaction - AA with Sequence in Integration Manager after you complete the step v.

        Note

        The Assign ID field is required in this case since we are splitting out the distribution amount to more than one AA Dimension Code.

        Optional: If the percentages are known instead of the Amounts, you can map the Assigned Percent field instead of the Amount field. You do not need to map both!

      6. Click on the Dimensions folder. In this example, we are only using Alphanumeric Dimension Codes, so we will map the Transaction Dimension and Transaction Dimension AlphaNumeric" from the GL AA Dimension Code source query.

      7. Map the Transaction Dimension to the Dimension field from the source query and Transaction Dimension AlphaNumeric to the DimensionCode field from the source query:

        Screenshot of Integration Mapping - GL Transaction - AA with Sequence in Integration Manager after you complete the step vii.

      8. The field mappings are now complete! Save the Integration.

      9. Go ahead and Run the integration now to bring in the two Journal Entries.

  11. Verify the Transaction Integrated as expected.

    1. The first Journal Entry does not have any AA information, so we will look at the second transaction, Journal Number 10001.

      Screenshot of Transaction Entry window of the second transaction.

    2. To inspect the AA distributions, click on the first distribution line, then click the Analytical Accounting button. We should see the distribution amount of $16,200 has been split across 3 different AA Dimension Codes as follows:

      Screenshot of Analytical General Transaction Entry window, which shows the distribution amount of $16,200: $8000.

      Screenshot of Analytical General Transaction Entry window, which shows the distribution amount of $16,200: $7000.

      Screenshot of Analytical General Transaction Entry window, which shows the distribution amount of $16,200: $1200.

    3. You can use the VCR buttons at the bottom of the window to navigate to the second Analytics distribution where you will see that the distribution amount of $2000 has also been split out across the 3 AA Dimension Codes.

Build the Integrations - GL Transaction (No Sequence required)

Example scenario:

The Analytical Accounting enabled accounts do NOT appear more than once in the distributions. The AA information represents a one-to-one relationship in the source data. This means that a single distribution line links to only one AA Dimension which has only one AA Dimension Code. Because it's one-to-one, we do not need a Sequence Number or the Assign ID fields. For this example scenario, we can use a single source file.

  1. To support these requirements, create a Tab Delimited text file (*.TXT) with the following data:

    JournalNum TrxDate Account Amount Dimension DimensionCode
    10003 4/12/2017 000-1100-00 500
    10003 4/12/2017 000-1200-00 -500
    10004 4/12/2017 999-9999-01 8000 ELECTRONICS XBOX
    10004 4/12/2017 999-9999-02 7000 ELECTRONICS TV
    10004 4/12/2017 999-9999-03 7000 ELECTRONICS STEREO
    10004 4/12/2017 000-1100-00 -16200
    10005 4/12/2017 999-9999-01 1100 ELECTRONICS XBOX
    10005 4/12/2017 999-9999-02 600 ELECTRONICS TV
    10005 4/12/2017 999-9999-03 300 ELECTRONICS STEREO
    10005 4/12/2017 000-1100-00 -2000
  2. Save the file as a Tab Delimited text file (*.TXT). For this example, name the file "AA GLTrx-No Seq.txt".

  3. Open Integration Manager and click on New Integration. Give it the name "GL Transaction - AA without Sequence".

  4. Create the Header Source Query.

    1. Click on Add Source, click on Text, then click on Define New Text.

    2. Give the source query the name GL Header - No Seq and browse out to the source file you created named AA GLTrx-No Seq.txt.

    3. Choose Tab as the delimiter and check the box First Row Contains Column Names.

      Screenshot of Properties - Query1 window of the Header Source Query without Sequence.

    4. Since we are using a single source file, we need to setup the Grouping on the header fields. Click on the Sorting tab.

    5. Add JournalNum and TrxDate to the Group By fields list, then click OK to save the query. Click OK again on Warning stating there are fields named as Show that is not in the Group By list. This is expected.

    6. Right-click on the GL Header - No Seq query and make sure you can preview the data as follows:

      Screenshot of Data Viewer - GL Header - No Seq window in Integration Manager, which shows JournalNum and TrxDate.

  5. Create the Distribution Source Query.

    1. Click on Add Source, click on Text, then click on Define New Text.

    2. Give the source query the name GL Distributions - No Seq and again browse out to the source file you created named AA GLTrx-No Seq.txt.

    3. Choose Tab as the delimiter and check the box First Row Contains Column Names.

      Screenshot of Properties - Query1 window of the Distribution Source Query without Sequence.

    4. Click OK to save the query. You will receive a message stating that you must setup Query Relationship. Click OK to dismiss the dialog. We will set that up later once all the queries are created.

    5. Right-click on the GL Distributions - No Seq query and make sure you can preview the data as follows:

      Screenshot of Data Viewer - GL Distributions - No Seq window in Integration Manager.

  6. Create the AA Dimension Source Query

    1. Click on Add Source, click on Text, then click on Define New Text.

    2. Give the source query the name GL AA Dimension - No Seq and browse out to the source file you created named AA GLTrx-No Seq.txt.

    3. Choose Tab as the delimiter and check the box First Row Contains Column Names.

      Screenshot of the General tab in Properties window of the AA Dimension Source Query without Sequence after you complete step c.

      1. Click on the Filter tab and add a restriction with the following settings:

        • Column: Dimension
        • Operator: <>
        • Value: 0
      2. Click And Into Criteria.

        Screenshot of the  Filter tab in Properties window of the AA Dimension Source Query without Sequence after you complete step ii.

    4. Click OK to save the query.

    5. Right-click on the GL AA Dimension - No Seq query and make sure you can preview the data as follows:

      Screenshot of Data Viewer - GL AA Dimension - No Seq window in Integration Manager.

  7. Create the AA Dimension Code Source Query

    1. This query will be setup identical to the Dimension query we just created since this example is a one-to-one sample for the distribution/dimension/dimension code relationship. Click on Add Source, click on Text, then click on Define New Text.

    2. Give the source query the name GL AA Dimension Code - No Seq and browse out to the source file you created named AA GLTrx-No Seq.txt.

    3. Choose Tab as the delimiter and check the box First Row Contains Column Names.

      Screenshot of the General tab in Properties window of the AA Dimension Code Source Query without Sequence after you complete step c.

      1. Click on the Filter tab and add a restriction with the following settings:

        • Column: Dimension
        • Operator: <>
        • Value: 0
      2. Click And Into Criteria.

        Screenshot of the Filter tab in Properties window of the AA Dimension Code Source Query without Sequence after you complete step ii.

    4. Click OK to save the query.

    5. Right-click on the GL AA Dimension Code - No Seq query and make sure you can preview the data as follows:

      Screenshot of Data Viewer - GL AA Dimension Code - No Seq window in Integration Manager.

  8. Set up the Query Relationships.

    1. Double-click on Query Relationships.
      1. Since the Journal Number is the key field that differentiates one transaction from the next, this key field should go all the way through the Query relationship chain.

        Screenshot of the Relationships - GL Transaction - AA without Sequence window in Integration Manager. The Journal Number field is highlighted.

      2. To link the AA information, since this example demonstrates a one-to-one relationship between the Distribution/Dimension/Dimension Code, the relationship setup is fairly straightforward. All we need to add is a link to the Account field since the AA information pertains to a particular account number.

        Screenshot of the Relationships - GL Transaction - AA without Sequence window in Integration Manager, which shows JournalNum is used to link AA information.

      3. Continuing down the relationship, the AA Dimension Codes are linked back to a given AA Dimension. In this example, we need to continue linking with the Sequence field and also add the DimensionCode field. At this point, all the appropriate relationships have been established so your Query Relationship window should look like the following:

        Screenshot of the Relationships - GL Transaction - AA without Sequence window in Integration Manager, which shows JournalNum and Account are used to link AA information.

  9. Add the Destination Adapter.

    1. Click on Add Dest., expandMicrosoft Dynamics GP eConnect, click on Financial and select GL Transaction.

    2. In the Server Name field, enter in the name of your SQL Server instance (not a DSN name) and the company database name.

      Screenshot of the Destination Settings window after you complete step b.

  10. Define the field mappings.

    1. Double-click on Destination Mappings to open the field mapping window.

    2. For GL Transactions with AA information, the Journal Entry# is REQUIRED. This field cannot be defaulted in! Some advanced users with use a VBScript on the Journal Entry# field to get the next number, but it does have to be supplied in the mapping otherwise the AA information cannot be linked to the transaction correctly.

    3. Provide a constant for the Batch ID and Reference fields.

      Screenshot of Integration Mapping - GL Transaction - AA without Sequence window after you complete step c.

    4. Click on the Entries folder. Map the Account Number and Debit/Credit Amount to the fields from the GL Distributions - No Seq query.

      Screenshot of Integration Mapping - GL Transaction - AA without Sequence window after you complete step d.

    5. Click on the Analytics folder. Map the Amount field from the GL AA Dimension - No Seq source query as follows:

      Screenshot of Integration Mapping - GL Transaction - AA without Sequence window after you complete step e.

      Optional: If the percentages are known instead of the Amounts, you can map the Assigned Percent field instead of the Amount field. You do not need to map both!

    6. Click on the Dimensions folder. In this example, we are only using Alphanumeric Dimension Codes, so we will map the Transaction Dimension and Transaction Dimension AlphaNumeric from the GL AA Dimension Code - No Seq source query.

    7. Map the Transaction Dimension to the Dimension field from the source query and Transaction Dimension AlphaNumeric to the DimensionCode field from the source query:

      Screenshot of Integration Mapping - GL Transaction - AA without Sequence window after you complete step g.

    8. The field mappings are now complete! Save the Integration.

    9. Go ahead and run the integration now to bring in the two Journal Entries.

  11. Define the field mappings.

    1. The first Journal Entry does not have any AA information, so we will look at the second transaction, Journal Number 10004.

      Screenshot of the Transaction Entry window of the second transaction Journal Number 10004.

    2. To inspect the AA distributions, click on the first distribution line, then click the Analytical Accounting button. We should see the distribution amount of $8000 assigned to the XBOX dimension code as follows:

      Screenshot of the Analytical General Transaction Entry window, which shows distribution amount of $8000 assigned to the XBOX dimension code.

    3. You can use the VCR buttons at the bottom of the window to navigate to the second Analytics distribution where you will see that the distribution amount of $7000 has been assigned to the TV Dimension Code.

      Screenshot of the Analytical General Transaction Entry window, which shows the distribution amount of $7000.

    4. Lastly, the 3rd AA distribution has the amount of $1200 assigned to the STEREO dimension code.

      Screenshot of the Analytical General Transaction Entry window, which shows the amount of $1200 assigned to the STEREO dimension code.

    5. You can also view Journal Entry 10005 in the same way to verify that the distributions have been assigned to the AA Dimension Codes as expected.