Benefits of Automated GLs
The general ledger is the central repository of all accounting information in an automated accounting world. Summarized data from various sub-ledgers are posted to GL that eventually helps in the creation of financial reports. Read more to understand the role and benefits of an effective general ledger system in automated accounting systems and ERPs.
Automated General Ledgers
In order for people inside and outside an organization to use financial data, transaction information is organized by the account in ledgers. A general ledger is the main accounting record of a business. Originally a paper document, a ledger is now more likely to be an electronic document containing summarized financial data and balances for all the accounts of an organization.
In automated systems like ERPs, General Ledger is the central repository for all transactions that get recorded in various supplemental books, which are known as modules or sub-ledgers. Examples of supplemental books in traditional accounting are sales books for sales, purchase books for purchases, cash and bank book for cash related transactions and general journals book to capture adjustment entries. In “Automated Accounting Packages” these supplemental transactions are recorded in modules like Accounts Payables, Accounts Receivables, Purchase, or Inventory.
The respective journals may contain additional information other than the accounting information and all activities or transactions get recorded in various Sub‐Ledgers(Especially in ERPs) irrespective of whether they have a financial impact or not. An example is the creation of PO’s in the purchasing modules irrespective of them having no financial impact. However, the same PO can later be converted into a Payables Invoice automatically, which has an accounting impact.
These subsidiary ledgers (also known as modules), send financial data to General Ledger. Data from different modules can be imported automatically using integrations with Sub Ledgers. General Ledger validates the financial data and updates the balances to the respective accounts.
Benefits of Automated General Ledger:
In Accounting Packages or in ERP’s like Oracle and SAP, “General Ledger” is the central repository of all accounting information. Automated General Ledgers can be a comprehensive financial management solution that can provide highly automated financial processing, effective management control, and real-time visibility to financial results. It can provide internal controls that an organization needs to meet financial compliance. Some major benefits of an automated general ledger system are explained below:
Flexible Accounting Model:
In today’s complex, global, and regulated environment, finance organizations face challenges in trying to comply with local regulations and multiple reporting requirements. The Automated General Ledger system allows companies to meet these challenges in a streamlined and automated way. You can define multiple ledgers based on your needs and they can be used to cater to statutory, corporate, regulatory, and management reporting needs with the same underlying financial data. With a single entry source, multiple accounting representations can be simultaneously maintained for a single transaction. For example, a single journal entered in the main, record-keeping ledger can be automatically represented in multiple ledgers (local and global consolidated) even if each ledger uses a different chart of accounts, calendar, currency, and accounting principles.
Multi-Currency Functionality:
Automated General Ledgers provides multi-currency functionalities that can help satisfy complicated global financial requirements. These features can perform currency conversion, revaluation, re-measurement, and translation in accordance with local and international accounting standards for a large number of currencies.
Transaction Processing & Control:
The general ledger is the foundation of any accounting system; it improves transaction processing and control. It collects transaction details from other applications allowing the preparation of key financial reports. Control on Journal Entries creates an auditable record of a business's complete financial history. Automated General Ledger can provide a variety of journal processing options to help organizations to capture transactions with efficiency and control. The entry of journals can be automated using journal templates or can be uploaded using a spreadsheet.
Accuracy and Real-Time:
A good general ledger software application will provide management with accurate, up-to-date information in order to make short and long term business decisions. It also has inbuilt controls and processes necessary, to ensure that the correct information is reported. Income statements, balance sheets, and statements of cash flow are standard reports needed by management to judge business progress and these reports can be built using the trial balance created in General Ledger.
Common Chart of Accounts (COA):
Organizations can enforce a common Chart of Accounts structure across different processes, modules, and entities, enabling them to manage their financial processes in an integrated manner by allowing greater flexibility and control over the journal entry process. Accounts in the chart of accounts can be secured to prevent unauthorized access and viewing of sensitive financial data. They also support account hierarchies to group accounting data.
Accuracy of Financial Statements:
The main purpose of a general ledger system is to record the financial activity of a company and to produce financial and management reports to help stakeholders make decisions. Every corporation needs to prepare financial statements like Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account. General Ledger provides detailed account balances for the formation of this financial reporting. Stakeholders can make effective decisions only when the underlying financial data is available timely on-demand and correct.
Reporting Flexibility:
Using General Ledger Software allows for detailed report generation according to multiple report types and report parameters - facilitates better and faster decision making. The ability to access financial records by departments, cost centers, or other accounting divisions, provides visibility to understand business performance across the organization. It enables tracking critical information on the company's financial position and supplements it with various statutory and management reporting options.
Related Links
You May Also Like
-
GL - Accrued / Unbilled Revenue
Accrued revenues (also called accrued assets) are revenues already earned but not yet paid by the customer or posted to the general ledger. Understand what we mean by the terms accrued revenue, accrued assets, and unbilled revenue. Explore the business conditions that require recognition of accrued revenue in the books of accounts and some industries where this practice is prevalent.
-
General Ledger - Advanced Features
Modern automated general ledger systems provide detailed and powerful support for financial reporting and budgeting and can report against multiple legal entities from the single system. These systems offer many advanced functionalities right from journal capture to advanced reporting. This article will provide an overview of some advanced features available in today's General Ledgers.
-
Introduction to Organizational Structures
Organizations are systems of some interacting components. Levitt (1965) sets out a basic framework for understanding organizations. This framework emphasizes four major internal components such as: task, people, technology, and structure. The task of the organization is its mission, purpose or goal for existence. The people are the human resources of the organization.
-
This article explains the process of entering and importing general ledger journals in automated accounting systems. Learn about the basic validations that must happen before the accounting data can be imported from any internal or external sub-system to the general ledger. Finally, understand what we mean by importing in detail or in summary.
-
What Is a General Ledger? General Ledger (also known in accounting as the GL or the Nominal Ledger) is at the heart of any accounting system. A general ledger is the master set of accounts that summarize all transactions occurring within an entity. Ledger is the skillful grouping and presentation of the Journal entries. Learn the accounting fundamentals, general ledger process, and general ledger flow.
-
As the business grows, the company may want to transition to a branch structure as branches are allowed to conduct a much broader range of activity than representative offices. Branches can buy and sell goods, sign contracts, build things, render services, and generally everything that a regular business can do. A company expands its business by opening up its branch offices in various parts of the country as well as in other countries.
-
In some of the ERP tools, there are more than 12 accounting periods in a financial year. This article discusses the concept of accounting calendar and accounting periods. Learn why different companies have different accounting periods. Understand some of the commonly used periods across different organizations and the definition & use of an adjustment period.
-
McKinsey 7S Framework is most often used as an organizational analysis tool to assess and monitor changes in the internal situation of an organization. The model is based on the theory that, for an organization to perform well, seven elements need to be aligned and mutually reinforcing.
-
When the quantum of business is expected to be moderate and the entrepreneur desires that the risk involved in the operation be shared, he or she may prefer a partnership. A partnership comes into existence when two or more persons agree to share the profits of a business, which they run together.
-
Horizontal or Flat Organizational Structures
Flat organizational structure is an organizational model with relatively few or no levels of middle management between the executives and the frontline employees. Its goal is to have as little hierarchy as possible between management and staff level employees. In a flat organizational structure, employees have increased involvement in the decision-making process.
