Overview
The Monthend Procedures menu contains the core utilities used to complete an Accounts Receivable period close and maintain A/R supporting files. Typical month-end activity includes closing the A/R period after review, rebuilding summary files as needed, and performing periodic maintenance utilities under accounting controls.
Month-End Close Workflow
- Close A/R Period — lock the A/R period after billing, cash posting, and review are complete.
- Build Account Summary — rebuild A/R summary values and (optionally) refresh credit status indicators.
Periodic / As Needed
- Purge A/R Files — purge older accounting detail and rebuild summary/cross-reference files per retention policy.
Close A/R Period
The Close A/R Period option closes the Accounts Receivable accounting period, preventing additional A/R transactions from being posted into that period. This is typically performed after month-end billing, cash receipts posting, and management review are complete.
FasTrax supports independent period control across modules. You can close A/R without closing A/P or the General Ledger (G/L), depending on your accounting workflow.
Module Closing Behavior
- Closing A/R closes only Accounts Receivable and does not automatically close Accounts Payable or General Ledger.
- Closing G/L automatically closes both Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable for the selected period.
- This design supports staged closes (A/R first, then A/P, then G/L) when required by your accounting calendar.
Close Period Screen Overview
The Close Period screen shows a chronological list of periods, including the period number, date range, and closed status. It also records who closed the period and when.
- Company — company/entity whose period controls are being managed.
- (AR/AP/GL) — module selection for the period control list.
- Period / Beg Date / End Date — accounting period identifier and date range.
- Closed — closed status (Y/N).
- By / When — user and date the period was closed.
Bottom Command Bar
- (P)age — navigate pages of periods.
- (C)lose — close the selected period.
- (R)eopen — reopen a previously closed period.
- (RETURN) — exit back to the prior menu.
Build Account Summary
The Accounts Receivable Summary File Rebuild utility rebuilds the A/R summary file used for account status, credit review indicators, and summary-based inquiries. This program should be run after hours when no A/R posting or billing is being done.
When the rebuild completes, a report can be printed or emailed indicating which customers were updated. Many sites use this process to refresh credit flags based on current balances and thresholds.
What This Program Does
- Rebuilds the Accounts Receivable Summary file used by inquiry screens and summary reporting.
- Evaluates customer balances against credit limits and thresholds (site-defined).
- Updates credit status flags based on the resulting summary balances.
- Produces a completion report (print/email) listing affected customers.
Bottom Command Bar
- (Q)uit — exit the rebuild screen.
- (TOP) — return to the top of the screen (navigation aid).
- (P)ost — run/post the rebuild process.
- Set (C)redit Status — apply credit status logic during/after rebuild (site rules apply).
Purge A/R Files
The Accounts Receivable Purge utility permanently removes historical A/R accounting detail prior to a specified purge date. This process is designed to reduce database size and improve performance after long retention periods.
This function should not be executed without prior management approval or consultation with Advanced Transportation Systems (ATS). Purged data cannot be recovered from within the system once completed.
This utility is typically performed only during major maintenance cycles and is not part of routine month-end processing.
Purge Criteria
- Enter Purging Date — cutoff date; records prior to this date are eligible for purge.
- History Account Name — optional/required history account used for retained summary references (site policy applies).
- Last Purge — system display indicating the last purge date and user for audit reference.
What This Process Does
When executed, the A/R purge performs multiple cleanup and rebuild operations. Based on the screen, this process will:
- Purge accounting detail information.
- Rebuild account summary files.
- Purge the cash journal file.
- Rebuild cash journal cross reference file.
- Purge the A/R balance file.
- Purge the A/R audit file.
Tips & Best Practices
- Close after review. Close A/R only after billing and cash posting are complete and month-end reports are reviewed.
- Run rebuild after hours. Avoid running summary rebuilds during active billing or cash receipt posting.
- Control purge access. Restrict purge utilities to senior accounting/IT and require documented approval.
- Document re-open events. If a period must be reopened, document reason, changes made, and re-close timing for audit support.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I close the A/R period?
Close the period only after billing and cash receipts posting are complete and supporting month-end reports have been printed/saved. Once closed, postings for that period should be restricted per your accounting controls.
Why would I run “Build Account Summary” if balances already look correct?
Run the rebuild when summary-based inquiry values or credit flags appear out of sync, after major postings, or after maintenance events. It refreshes the summary file used by multiple screens and reports.
Is Purge A/R Files part of normal month-end?
Typically no. Purge is a periodic maintenance utility that permanently removes historical detail. Use it only under management approval and after confirming retention/audit requirements are satisfied.