Period End FAQs

This page contains Frequently Asked Questions and technical notes about the year-end, month-end, and day-end procedures in ECi DDMS software. For quarter-end (item update) procedures, please see the O/PUS FAQs.

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On this page:

Day-End
Month-End
General Year-End

Year-End Hints: Your 2012 RoadMap-Specific Year-End Steps Are Online Now
Year-End Hints: Ready for Tax Reports and First Payroll of 2013
Year-End Hints: Yes, You Can Close General Ledger Now!
Year-End Hints: Archiving Journals the Right Way
Year-End Hints: Last Minute Tips

Day-End

If I do day-end procedures manually, what are the steps?

Updated! Year End Procedures This set of Web pages provides brief instructions all period-ending procedures, including day end. For day-end, it summarizes: printing invoices, printing point-of-sale tendered totals, verifying and releasing A/R batches, printing the daily invoice register, printing and releasing A/P batches, printing and releasing G/L batches, flushing completed orders to the sales journal, printing an open pick report, printing an O/E exceptions reports, purging completed P/Os, running an aged A/R trial balance report, and verifying A/R totals. It also covers suspending and reactivating automated procedure files, and making inventory counts.

How do I monitor, interpret, and apply the information in my daily reports?

Using Daily Reports (pdf) Learn to interpret and apply the information in your daily reports. Monitoring daily accounting activity helps you identify discrepancies quickly and prevents their source from becoming obscured as days and weeks pass. This document covers how to use your daily reports and other system tools to ensure your A/R, A/P and G/L information balances at the end of each day. Learn how to put the Open Pick Report, Exceptions reports, POS Tender Totals Report, Daily Invoice Register, and the President's Screen to work for you.

How do I protect my DDMS data for dedicated day-end procedures?

Protecting Your Data for Dedicated Procedures (pdf) Some DDMS system maintenance functions must be done in a dedicated environment. Dedicated functions are procedures that can only be performed when no one else is using the system, or, if performed while others are using certain system files, can corrupt the files or lock up the system. Learn what steps to take to protect these files before you commence these dedicated procedures.

My day-end proc failed. How do I reprint my reports?

Printing day-end reports manually (pdf) How to print some daily reports manually if your day-end proc fails (file: dayend-reports.pdf)

How do I request a new or upgraded automated day-end proc file for DDMS?

Custom Day-End/Month-End Proc - Terms Agreement & Request Form (pdf) To initiate a request for a custom day-end and/or month end proc, whether new or upgrade, complete this request form and fax the signed copy to ECi Sales. See also the specifications form.

Custom Day-End/Month-End Proc File Specifications Form (pdf) Once you have agreed to the terms, you will be asked to fill out this form to specify the steps and special requirements for your day-end and month-end proc(s) so that our developer can complete the work.

See also Going Paperless: Operational & Billing Efficiencies (pdf) Eliminate the costs of postage, paper, and forms by faxing or e-mailing invoices and statements with Autocomm II. This session also includes information on paperless reporting capabilities such as saving monthly and daily reports to text files, setting up multiple printers to save your text file reports for automated procs, and importing into Excel.

See also Procs Like a Pro (pdf) Proc (procedure) files can automate many of your routine procedures. From simple tasks like day-end procedures and reports to complex functions that can calculate their own date limits and modify databases, proc files can be that extra manpower you need. Learn how to run proc files as completely unattended automated functions, or set them up as an interactive program to prompt for key information and then run procedures based on user input.

See also Proc file commands that do not work under Windows (pdf) Lists the proc commands and variables that you cannot use in procs that run on the Windows platform.

Month-End

If I do month-end procedures manually, what are the steps?

Year End Procedures This set of Web pages provides brief instructions on all period-ending procedures, including month-end. For month-end, it summarizes: printing the auto-bill invoices, creating finance charges, changing the current period, journalizing customer history/service quality/sales totals/hits, executing vendor period end, journalizing inventory history, journalizing MTD sales figures, journalizing inventory for the serialized/machine/service module, renaming sales journals, merging monthly journals into a yearly journal, running an aged A/R trial balance report, printing a monthly sales tax report, printing an A/P trial balance, purging and journalizing completed A/P incoices, creating and printing finance charges, purging A/R, printing statements, and building the cost of goods sold report. It also covers suspending and reactivating automated procedure files, and making inventory counts.

How do I get more out of month-end?

Getting More From Month-End (pdf) Discover new ways to use DDMS system reports to manage and grow your business. Month-end procedures are required to establish your company’s financial status as of a given date. However, month-end also provides an opportunity to analyze your business and identify trends. This document looks at additional reports you can run as part of your month-end process that will help you analyze your sales activity and identify risk areas and opportunities for growth.

How do I protect my DDMS data for dedicated month-end procedures?

How do I rename my sales journals at month-end?

Renaming Sales Journals Learn how to select a sales journal naming convention that meets DDMS system constraints and rename sales journals without encountering problems caused by duplicate file names (file:rename-salesj.pdf)

How do I merge my sales history into one fiscal-year journal?

Merging Sales Journals Learn to build a single sales journal for an entire fiscal year to make reporting simpler; at the end of each month, you move completed invoices into this year's journal (file:merge-jour.pdf)

How do I post deposit payments on furniture orders?

Posting Deposits on Furniture Orders (pdf) A common misconception is that posting a deposit does the same thing as using a pay code of prepay. Learn the important differences between these two types of advance payments and how to ensure that you are posting deposits properly.

How do I request a new or upgraded automated month-end proc file for DDMS?

General Year-End

What are the year-end procedures in general?: Year End Procedures This set of Web pages provides brief instructions all period-ending procedures, including year-end. For year-end, it summarizes: to what extent year-end procedures also do month-end procedures, what to do whether your fiscal year coincides with December or any other month, printing an item catalog master listing; printing a customer master listing with history, printing a full YTD sales analysis, executing serialized inventory year-end procedure for depreciation, copying V-AUX vendor history, changing the current period, resetting finance charges, journalizing customer history/service quality/sales totals/hits, printing 1099s, executing vendor period end, journalizing inventory history, journalizing YTD sales figures, running an aged A/R trial balance report, renaming sales journals, printing W-2 forms, closing payroll, opening the new year's general ledger, and posting retained earnings. It also covers suspending and reactivating your Web storefront and any automated procedure files, and making inventory counts.

Year-End Hints: Your RoadMap-Specific Year-End Steps Are Online Now for 2012

Monday, Nov. 19, 2012 — To help you prepare for year-end, this first bulletin in a series of hints is here to answer your frequently asked questions about new year-end procedures, training, and period-end support.

How Can I Get Training on Year-End Procedures?

We have classes on O/PUS and Year-End, Periodic System Maintenance, and Closing (and Reopening) General Ledger — all on our new friendly web-based GoToTraining system, and all free!

For details and to register, go to www2.ecisolutions.com/DDMSFreeTraining

What's New for Year-End 2012?

General Updates

To comply with new U.S. Internal Revenue Service rules, your payroll program must new track the company's health insurance contribution to for next year's W-2 forms. If you use the DDMS Payroll application, please download and install DDMS Version 10.6 before the first payroll of 2013. It has been enhanced to allow you to set up appropriate parameters for tracking IRS deductible contributions.
Another big change: we've moved the year-end instructions out of the old KeyOps newsletter format, into a Web page format that is easier to read!
Major sections of the original instructions are divided into sequential pages (with navigation tabs near the top of each page).
For each checklist of steps, the details are expandable and collapsible (using the +/- buttons for each topic, or using the "Open/Close All Topics" buttons at the top of the list).
Where related steps or reports are done together in a sequence, we've named the set and grouped steps into a collapsible topic.
We've streamlined steps to eliminate the need to refer to other sections. For example:
- All Sales Journal Renaming steps are no longer in a separate page, but are included in the Month-End procedures.
- All other A/R, A/P, and P/O Renaming steps (and the "My Renamed Journals" Worksheet) are now included in the year-end procedures, instead of in a separate FAQ.
- All FAQs related to Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), Period 13, and Retained Earnings are included in the General Ledger Procedures.
After you complete Year-End and General Ledger procedures, a new Spot-Check tab highlights the checklist and tutorial video that will help you be sure that your year-end procedures are complete and correct before you resume business, and suggest additional procedures and troubleshooting as needed.
We've adjusted the Inventory Count procedures so that they can be performed separately from your year-end steps. In many cases, dealers perform cyclical counts throughout the year. We've also rearranged the step to reset the on-order, backorder, allocated, and receipts quantities.

Archiving Updates

To reduce issues with looking up history, we've updated the Month-End and Year-End archive procedures:

New! Year-End Worksheet of My Renamed Journals (pdf) — previously at the end of the Year-End KeyOps — is now a 1-page PDF file. We recommend noting your system file locations and naming conventions on this worksheet before year-end to minimize the time renaming procedures take while your system is offline. The worksheet summarizes the journal renaming schedule and naming conventions required to display historical data properly. It also shows which screen is used to rename each journal, and if necessary, what parameter screen should be updated with the new journal name. As a worksheet, it gives you space to note the volume or unit where each file resides. If you vary from the recommended naming convention, please note your filename.
We've updated the Year-End Worksheet of My Renamed Journals (pdf) and the Error While Renaming advice in our Period End FAQs to clarify that not all dealers have all files. Many archive files only exist on your system if you have set up your parameters to use the related features.
We've streamlined the steps to eliminate the need to refer to other sections. All Sales Journal Renaming steps are no longer in a separate page, but are included in the Month-End procedures.
All other A/R, A/P, and P/O Renaming steps and the Year-End Worksheet of My Renamed Journals (pdf) are now included in the year-end procedures, instead of in a separate FAQ.
We expanded the Sales Journal Renaming convention to show all 12 months for two different years.
We updated the Journal Renaming steps to include JO-DEPOSIT and JNL-AR-DEP.
After renaming journals, a journal compression step will prevent issues with access these files from your history screens.
More clarified journal parameter instructions ensure you leave line 1 as the default filename (JOUR-AP or JNL-AR) before you add 2012-AP and JNL-12-AR to the list in reverse chronological order.
We've included your Sales Order Delta Sync before Backup, during Month-End steps and a Full Import of EBS SQL data at the start of Year-End steps.

Payroll Updates

We've updated Payroll Closing steps in your Tax Month 12 as follows:

New instructions in ECi DDMS Tax Month 12 Procedures for Fiscal Closers (see Payroll Closing FAQs) support IRS compliance with the Affordable Care Act on W-2s and Payroll parameter settings to track required coverage in DDMS 10.6 and higher.
We've streamlined steps, eliminating references to dot matrix in favor of laser printing steps and forms.

General Ledger

To streamline closing General Ledger and minimize confusion, we have updated several steps and FAQs:

We've clarified FAQs below about what can be done when a G/L period is closed and what transactions would warrant reopening a closed period.
All FAQs related to Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), Period 13, and Retained Earnings are included in the General Ledger Procedures. Previously, they were on a separate page.
We've included steps at the end of the year-end tab and the beginning of the general ledger tab, to set a password to prevent Release in case you still need to finalize postings for 2011 before you close G/L for 2012.
To eliminate issues in viewing history, we've made corrective measures a mandatory part of the year-end and G/L closing procedures:
- The ;SPCCMPJR file compression is now a mandatory step, with instructions provided in detail near the end of the Year-End tab of the Year-End Procedures, after renaming journals.
- The instructions to run Data Dictionary on specific files are now a mandatory part of your General Ledger closing steps. See Fixing Field Definitions With Data Dictionary Utility (pdf).
We simplified steps to check each G/L account's Carry Forward setting.
We adjusted the G/L file naming conventions to always include a hyphen.
Copying files frequently affects data field definitions; therefore, we added a step to compress G/L files using Data Dictionary. See Fixing Field Definitions With Data Dictionary Utility (pdf).

Printing Update

The instructions are still printable with several options:

Use the Print button to each page with the short list of steps
Click the Open All button to expand all topics, and then Print
Click the + button for each topic to display each topic's detailed description as needed, or click the topic's - button to hide it.

What About New IRS Tracking and Reporting Requirements for Payroll?

DDMS 10.6 includes new Payroll parameters, fields and report formats to support U.S. Affordable Care Act provisions for reporting insurance coverage and additional tax withholding.

Consult your CPA or tax attorney to determine what your business should enter in those fields!

NOTE: Beginning in January 2013, federal regulations will require employers to track their employer-paid portion of insurance benefits for reporting on W-2 forms for the tax year 2013, which will be printed just before your first payroll in 2014. Certain exceptions apply based on the employees' household income.

ACTION REQUIRED: To determine how to comply with U.S. tax legislation, you must have your system set up to track the employer portion of insurance benefits starting with your first payroll of 2013:

Determine compliance needs. You are responsible for determining exactly how the tax laws affect payroll for your business, and you are responsible for compliance. Please consult your certified public accountant (CPA) or tax attorney, and the IRS Web site: www.irs.gov
Check Software Update System Requirements. You'll need to be able to load DDMS 10.6 to engage enhancements designed to support compliance with this new legislation. Make sure your DDMS server meets the current DDMS System Requirements. If your server does not meet current requirements, plan ahead now by exploring your options:
- Get a new DDMS server
- Upgrade to ECi Cloud for DDMS
- Implement a non-DDMS payroll processing service that also allows you to maintain IRS compliance.
Get DDMS 10.6 When It's Released. Download DDMS Version 10.6 from the Customer Support Portal when it is released. We anticipate release in November 2012.
Install DDMS 10.6. Install DDMS Version 10.6 on your DDMS server (that meets minimum requirements as noted above).
Set Up New Payroll Parameters.Set up your DDMS system parameters to track the employer portion of insurance benefits, and to accommodate exceptions as instructed by your CPA or tax attorney.

What Do I Do First to Prepare for Year-End?

Consider using this checklist of 7 steps to prepare in advance:

Make sure you've gotten the best RoadMap-specific edition of your year-end instructions. Answer a few questions online if you haven't already. Read all procedures that are required for your business, and be sure you understand all your steps.
Read "Year-End Tips" on the first page of your year-end instructions and plan accordingly. For example: Check your (LM1) Period End Procedures parameters, and make sure the month number is set for when you intend to perform each year-end procedure. Plan to update your federal tax tables for payroll between your last payroll in 2012 and your first payroll for 2013; we will notify you via email when the updated instructions are published. Also, please note ECi offices are scheduled to be closed for national holidays.
If you print the Year-End pages, we recommend highlighting each step's checkboxes. For example: Pencil in questions to ask your Support Team. Highlight one color for steps you must do. Highlight another color for steps you will postpone, but need to return to later. Cross out steps you do not have to do. When you actually perform each step, place a checkmark in that step's box to keep track of where you are.
If you have contractors and/or employees in the United States, read "Preparing to Print 1099s and W-2s in December" below and plan accordingly. For example, order appropriate stock to print your tax forms. For each contract laborer in your Vendor database, make sure the vendor ID is entered in the Acct # field, so it will print properly on the 1099.
Use the "Worksheet: My Renamed Journals" below (It's also included on the Year-End procedures page). For example, look up each journal parameter screen and note the unit or volume where the journal resides. Then, compare the recommended naming conventions to the filenames you used for previous years; If your naming conventions differ, mark them on the worksheet.
Check for related year-end messages on the DDMS Customer Support Portal (https://support.ecisolutions.com).
For detailed instructions, see your online help and related Period-End FAQs.

If you have questions about your procedures after these preparatory steps, contact ECi DDMS Technical Support as soon as possible.

When are ECi's Holiday Closures?

ECi will be closed on the nearest weekday to observe the following national holidays:

Christmas holiday Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 24-25, 2012.
New Year's Day holiday on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013.

However, 24/7 Support will be available when calling our standard ECi DDMS Technical Support number, 800-366-4778.

As always, calling ECi DDMS Technical Support during a holiday or outside of business hours (7 AM to 7 PM Central Time, Monday through Friday) is billable unless you subscribe to 24/7 Support services.

Meanwhile, we wish you safe and happy holidays!

New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Fourth of July
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Days (Thursday and Friday)
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day

When does ECi Offer Complimentary Saturday Period-End Support?

At the end of every quarter, we typically offer complimentary support on a Saturday. It is part of our effort to better serve DDMS customers with quarter-end catalog updates and day-end, month-end, and year-end reporting. This year, we offer complimentary Period-End Support only via portal, email, or fax on:

Saturday, December 29, 2012
9 AM - 4 PM Central Time

Contact Methods. During this time, you can send questions relating to day-end, month-end, year-end, and quarter-end O/PUS procedures three ways:

Portal: https://support.ECiSolutions.com
Email: ddmssupport@ecisolutions.com
Fax: 682-831-9909

There is no charge for period-end support requests submitted via portal, email, or fax during the scheduled hours. However, all phone calls will be routed to the 24/7 service as usual over the weekend, and all phone calls are billable if you do not subscribe to the 24/7 service.

Limited Topics for Free Support. Complimentary support during the scheduled time is available only for questions about your period-end procedures, including day-end, month-end, year-end, and quarter-end O/PUS procedures. All other issues must be referred to our standard Saturday or 24/7 support services, which may be billable.

Can I Schedule a Personal Walk-Through of Just My Procedures?

The year-end call load crunch prevents your regular support team from providing individualized, step-by-step walk-throughs.

However, ECi Professional Services can help. We have expanded our services portfolio with O/PUS loading services and other period-ending process help, expanded report writing offers, PlanetPress variable data printing, reduced rates for graphical implementation training and other one-on-one training at reduced rates. For more information on what DDMS Professional Services can do, go to www2.ecisolutions.com/DoItForMe.

What Year-End Hints are Coming Up?

We will continue to email you practical Year-End Hints every week through the end of the year. These hints are answers to the frequently asked questions we get every year, along with the questions we are getting this season.

Here's a sample of upcoming topics:

Archiving Journals
Yes You Can Close 2012 General Ledger!
Ready for 2012 Tax Reports & 2013 Payroll
Last-Minute Tips

We'll post all these hints on the Period-End FAQs and Mass Emails pages of our Web site.

Why and How Do We Have to Suspend Procs?

You may have automated procedure files (procs) scheduled to automate period-end functions (including day-end and month-end MK procedures) either Dec. 31 or Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, that date may not be the exact time you're ready to do your year-end steps. Furthermore, if your month-end proc automatically runs the MK step, and if you also inadvertently run the MK step while performing your year-end procedures, this double-edged sword can cause a number of problems in your parameters, databases, and reports that require extensive assistance from your support team.

That's why we recommend suspending day-end and month-end procs, and doing those steps manually at your convenience. As for the timeframe, we recommend suspending your day-end and month-end procs before you complete your shut-down and back-up as instructed. To prevent misfiring of the MK steps again, don't reactivate your month-end procs until after you resume business in January.

Using Proc Files Tutorial When you close your books at year-end, you may wish to suspend day-end and month-end procs in favor of doing them manually, so that you can then complete year-end procedures at your convenience. This animated tutorial demonstrates how to: manually inactivate a proc file, temporarily suspend a proc file, and reactivate a proc file. See also: Procs Like a Pro (pdf)
Year-End Spot Check Tutorial This animated tutorial shows the screens to check so that you can be sure your year-end figures are properly zeroed out and journals are properly updated. This spot check should be done after completing year-end and general ledger procedures and before you resume business. If any item does not check out, contact your DDMS Support team for help before the start of any business. See also the one page recap, Year-End Spot Check (pdf).

I Have Other Questions. How Do I Contact Support?

As you know, year-end is the busiest time of the year for ECi DDMS Technical Support. Our call load may triple on some days. Some people wait until they're almost closing their books before they look at the latest Year- End Procedures. Unfortunately, that means everyone has questions at the same time, and waits longer for Support at crunch time.

We encourage customers to take proactive steps early on, using the resources that our Year-End Task Force is making available.

As always, you can contact ECi DDMS Technical Support four ways:

online: https://support.ECiSolutions.com
email: ddmssupport@ecisolutions.com
toll-free: 800-366-4778
fax: 682-831-9909

If you have feedback or comments on the instructions, please email keyops@ecisolutions.com. We welcome your suggestions!

Year-End Hints: Ready for 2012 Tax Reports and First Payroll of 2013

This bulletin in our series of year-end hints is here to answer your frequently asked questions about payroll, tax tables, the vendor year-end function, and printing W-2 and 1099 forms

What About New IRS Tracking and Reporting Requirements for Payroll?

DDMS 10.6 includes new Payroll parameters, fields and report formats to support U.S. Affordable Care Act provisions for reporting insurance coverage and additional tax withholding.

Consult your CPA or tax attorney to determine what your business should enter in those fields!

CORRECTION: The above paragraph previously stated that the requirements were limited to those with 250 or more employees. While this was the case for 2012 during the phased-in approach to implementing the Affordable Care Act for larger employers first, the requirements apply to all employers effective January 1, 2013.

Determine compliance needs. You are responsible for determining exactly how the tax laws affect payroll for your business, and you are responsible for compliance. Please consult your certified public accountant (CPA) or tax attorney, and the IRS Web site: www.irs.gov
Check Software Update System Requirements. You'll need to be able to load DDMS 10.6 to engage enhancements designed to support compliance with this new legislation. Make sure your DDMS server meets the current DDMS System Requirements. If your server does not meet current requirements, plan ahead now by exploring your options:
- Get a new DDMS server
- Upgrade to ECi Cloud for DDMS
- Implement a non-DDMS payroll processing service that also allows you to maintain IRS compliance.
Get DDMS 10.6 When It's Released. Download DDMS Version 10.6 from the Customer Support Portal.
Install DDMS 10.6. Install DDMS Version 10.6 on your DDMS server (that meets minimum requirements as noted above).
Set Up New Payroll Parameters.Set up your DDMS system parameters to track the employer portion of insurance benefits, and to accommodate exceptions as instructed by your CPA or tax attorney.

How do I set New Payroll Settings in DDMS 10.6 to Comply With IRS Rules?

Effective January 2013, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) imposes new tax withholding and reporting requirements that affect all U.S. employers.

Starting with your first payroll of 2013, you must have your Payroll system set up to:

Track your employer portion of insurance benefits paid throughout 2013 to ensure the accuracy of W-2 totals for the tax year 2013, which will be printed just before your first payroll in 2014.
Withhold your employee's Medicare tax based on a percent of wages in excess of various thresholds.
Withhold a certain percent of additional Medicare tax on income that causes the individual's modified adjusted gross income to exceed the threshold amount.

You are responsible for determining exactly how the tax laws affect payroll for your business, and you are responsible for compliance. Please consult your certified public accountant (CPA) or tax attorney, and the IRS Web site: www.irs.gov

In DDMS 10.6, you can use new Payroll parameters, fields, and formats to comply with these requirements.

You'll need to be able to load DDMS 10.6 to engage enhancements designed to support compliance with this new legislation. Make sure your DDMS server meets the current DDMS System Requirements. If your server does not meet current requirements, plan ahead now by exploring your options:
- Get a new DDMS server
- Upgrade to ECi Cloud for DDMS
- Implement a non-DDMS payroll processing service that also allows you to maintain IRS compliance.
Log in to https://support.ecisolutions.com,

click Software Downloads, and follow the on-screen steps to load DDMS 10.6.
- Release Note: Version 10.6 adds a new longer PO Cost field in graphical Purchasing. The required data conversion results in a longer installation than usual. Archives may require manual conversion.
  ACTION REQUIRED for Purchase Order Journals archived in (LF2) or other journals. After running DDMSInstall, you must run the special program ;SPCCNVPOJ on all Purchase Order Journals before you resume business. More ...
- Release Note: If you have not yet loaded Version 10.2 or higher: To ensure your ability to pull up Order Entry history, you must compress your data into the new fields (columns) that the latest features have introduced to the sales database.
  ACTION REQUIRED if loading Version 10.2 or higher for the first time: After running DDMSInstall, you must run the special program ;SPCCMPJR on all Sales Journals before you resume business.
  Note: When updating from Version 10.2 or 10.3, you do not repeat this compression step. More ...
In the (L4) Federal Payroll Tables screen:
- Under Medicare, the Medicare Wage Threshold Amount accepts a six-figure dollar amount and a two-decimal percentage amount. When the employee reaches this threshold, the employee will pay the extra % on top of what they already pay for Medicare.
  ACTION REQUIRED: The Medicare Wage Threshold Amount replaces a field that is no longer being used. Your screen may already have a dollar amount specified here, which may be invalid for this threshold. Before you run Payroll, you must space out this field and/or specify the new threshold as advised by your accountant or tax attorney.
In the (LHN) Payroll/Personnel Parameters screen:
- Each Deduction has a new Incl field. Type Y to include the deduction with the aggregate total of the employer sponsored insurance coverage.
- Under Cafeteria Deductions is a new Include Ins with Employer Sponsored field. Type Y to include the aggregate total of the employer sponsored insurance coverage.
  ACTION REQUIRED: Set up all deductions to be included in the Employer Paid aggregate total before your first Payroll of 2013. This will ensure the accuracy of W-2 totals for tax year 2013.
  
  Note: (LHN) settings are not retroactive. DDMS software can only begin tracking Employer Paid amounts when you update your (LHN) screen.
  
  For assistance in determining which deductions to include in the aggregate total, please consult your certified public accountant (CPA) or tax attorney.
In the (HN) Personnel Master screen:
- At the top under Deductions and Insurance (Ins.), use the new Empr Pd. field to specify — for each employee — how much the employer contributes per pay period.
  ACTION REQUIRED: Before your first payroll of 2013, update the Empr Pd field in each employee master record. For each employee, you'll enter how much the employer contributes to this employee's insurance benefits per pay period. This amount should not change unless you change insurance carriers or plans. For assistance in determining what amount to specify, please consult your insurance carrier's benefits administrator.
- Under YTD Totals, the new Empr Pd. field displays the year-to-date total of the employer-paid portion of insurance coverage.
In the (V-E-4) Wage Summary report, the YTD Total for Empr Pd will print in between "GROSS PAY" and "CAFE AMT" under the heading "CO INS".
The W-2 Format has been updated to report the aggregate total of the employer portion of insurance benefits paid in Box 12, with a code of DD. To calculate this total, the system totals all federal, cafeteria and/or insurance deductions for the employee where Incl parameters are set to Y and then adds the YTD Empr Pd value from the employee's master record.

Note: You are responsible for determining exactly how the tax laws affect payroll for your business, and you are responsible for compliance. ECi DDMS Technical Support cannot determine thresholds that apply to you.

Please consult your certified public accountant (CPA) or tax attorney and the IRS (www.irs.gov).

For details, see your online help on Payroll Parameters and Payroll Basic Procedures in DDMS 10.6 or higher.

How Should I Prepare to Print W-2s and 1099s?

As you plan ahead for vendor and payroll year-end procedures, be sure to order appropriate stock and adjust vendor IDs or parameters as needed.

Year-End Procedures Online (www.ecisolutions.com/assets/portal/ddmsye/) includes suggestions on the Prepare tab for Preparing to Print 1099s and W-2s in December:

Plan in Advance. You may need to consult with your Certified Public Accountant (CPA)/tax attorney to comply with new IRS requirements, order tax form stock required by your state, set up your (LM1) and (LH-N) parameters, and set up contractor Vendor IDs and Remit To/Settings.
Order Enough Laser Printer Form Stock to Run W-2s and 1099s Multiple Times, and Collate Copies. We have a list of some commonly used laser form stock.
Set Up W-2 and 1099 Laser Printing Parameters. Learn the exact steps to adjust your parameters for laser printing.
Make sure Personnel Master Records are set up to Print Names Correctly on W-2 Forms. Use the Swap Name parameter if employee names are entered last name first in the Personnel Master database. If you do not use the Swap Name parameter, the spacing will be incorrect.

REMINDER: Be sure to your order your W-2 and 1099 stock early! You may use the recommended form stock provided by TOPS(R) or locate comparable stock from another vendor.

Both the W-2 and 1099 report formats in DDMS print "2-up," where there are two employee records per page, and each record is 8 1/2" wide x 5 1/2" tall.

How Do I Set Up Vendors to Automate Printing 1099-MISC?

To help you automatically print 1099-MISC forms, DDMS Version 8.10.42 and higher provides simple fields and prompts that are easy to set up your vendors.

The Vendor Remit/Settings tab has a set of three new fields under 1099 Settings, as shown below.

Select the 1099 Required option for each vendor who is a contract laborer in the United States.
In the Tax ID field, enter the payee's tax identification number that should be printed on the 1099-MISC form.
In the Print YTD Amount in Box field, you can specify where it should print on the 1099-MISC form, indicating the type of miscellaneous income you are reporting this vendor, such as rents (1), royalties (2), other income (3), federal income tax withheld (4), and so on.

To determine what Tax ID and YTD Box number to use in these fields, please refer to the IRS instructions for the 1099-MISC form (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1099msc.pdf).

The (VD-4) Personnel/Payroll Reports screen option to print 1099s gives you a new prompt, as shown below in bold: "Only print Vendors with the field "1099 Required" checked Y/N?" If you checkmarked the 1099 Required option in your Vendor Remit/Settings tab for your U.S. contract laborers, answer Y to this prompt.

15:47:53        (V) Personnel/Payroll Reports  rev. (10/30/03)          
================================================================================
  A. Print Personnel Report.
  B. Print Payroll Register.    Type ?. (P=Period, C=Check Reg, Q=Qrtly)
                                Release Checks Y/N ?.  Period ?12

  C. Print Payroll Checks.      Alignment Form Y/N ?.  Starting Check #........

  D. Print State & Fed Reports. Type ?.                Code From ?. To ?.
                                1. State Quarterly     3. Federal W/2's
                                2. State PIT & SDI     4. Federal 1099's

  E. Historical Reports.        Type ?.                P=Period Y=Year ?.
                                1. Deductions Register 4. Wage Summary
                                2. 401k Deductions     5. SRA Deductions
                                3. Cafe Deductions
  Order (N=Name, #=Number) ?.                      From ?../../..   To ?../../..
  From Name ?.............................. #....  Dept. From ?.... To ?....
  To Name   ?.............................. #....  Group From ?.    To ?.
  Only print Vendors with the field "1099 Required" checked Y/N ?.
                            Printer ?P1  Copies ? 1
================================================================================
                          Enter Requested Function [.]

For detailed instructions on using these new features, see your online help.

How Do I Postpone the Vendor Year-End Function?

Executing Vendor Period End performs the year-end function for Vendors. It moves the amount displayed in YTD Total in the Vendor database to Last Year Total.

Some dealers want to postpone the vendor year-end function until they can post outstanding invoices. If you postpone vendor year-end, you must not print or release any checks for the new fiscal year.

Note: If you are using 1099s (contract labor forms), you must Execute Vendor Period End at the end of the calendar year, after you have run your 1099s. If you are not using 1099s, you may perform this step at the close of your fiscal year or calendar year.

During your year-end procedures, you can postpone the vendor year-end function when you are in the (MK) Period End Functions screen:

In graphical software, double-click the Keyop Menu icon, then double-click the Operational Procedures icon, and select [K] Period End Procedures).
To postpone this function, space out the letter Y in the Execute Vendor Period End field. You may execute the remaining period end functions.

After posting outstanding invoices, when you are ready to complete vendor year-end:

Copy V-AUX to V-AUX2012.
Make sure you have completed 1099s if required for any U.S. contractors.
Go back to the (MK) screen and space through every field in this screen except the Execute Vendor Period End field, where you must specify Y. Then press Enter to execute Vendor Year-End.

How Do I Set my (LH-N) Personnel Parameters?

We recommend that in the Personnel Screen, H-N, you use the “last name first” naming scheme. In other words, the last name is followed by a comma and then the first name, as in “DOE, JANE.”

Before printing W-2 forms, check the employee names in the (H-N) Personnel Master screen (in DDMS, double-click the Personnel Menu icon, and double-click the Personnel icon). The (H) Personnel Master screen appears.

If all personnel records show the last name first, followed by a comma (such as “DOE, JANE”), no changes are needed in the Personnel Master database.

If any personnel records show the first name first (as in “JANE DOE”), please select the [C] Change action code and use the last name first scheme (“DOE, JANE”).

After all payroll records use the last name first scheme, you should still enable the Swap Name parameter as instructed on page 5 of the Year-End Procedures (www.ecisolutions.com/assets/portal/ddmsye/). To do so:

(LH-N) or Keyop Menu icon > Parameters icon > [H] Payroll/Salesperson: At the “Do You Wish Salesperson Program?” prompt, type N.
The Swap Name parameter in the middle of the screen must be set to Y.

If you choose not to follow this recommendation, you may see a slight spacing discrepancy on the top "Employer" copy of the W2 form. When the names in your Personnel records are shown with first name first (as in “JANE DOE”), part of the name may overlap some text on the top of the W-2 form. All other forms print everything properly; this slight spacing discrepancy only affects the top “Employer” copy. If you wish to avoid this spacing discrepancy, follow the steps above to use the "last name first" scheme in your personnel master and enable Swap Name.

How Do I Pay my Employees a Bonus?

If you are live on DDMS Payroll, you may wish to pay a different bonus amount to each employee. You can do so by performing a separate “bonus check” run that does not include base pay amounts or benefit deductions, but instead lets you enter different bonuses for each payroll account.

As with every pay period, you’ll use the [S] Set Period action code of the text-based (I) Payroll Update screen to clear the last pay period’s data, limit to a payroll group as needed, and specify deductions. When preparing a bonus, however, you can skip entering hours, clear out unneeded deductions, and then specify bonus amounts.

Note: Normally, vacation/sick leave and benefit contributions are deducted from each regular paycheck. However, for this extra bonus-only paycheck run, you may wish to deduct only government taxes and withholding.

Then you’ll use the [F] Figure action code to calculate payroll totals. When paying a bonus, however, you’ll set the Commission Only prompt to Y so that deductions will be calculated only for bonus pay.

Finally, you’ll print the bonus checks using the (VBC) Print Payroll Register and (VC) Print Payroll Checks report screen options as usual.

12:18:19              (I) Payroll Update  Rev.                
================================================================================
Action [F] A=Add, C=Change, D=Delete, I=Inquire, S=Set Period, F=Figure, V=Void
================================================================================
Id #     Name :..............................  Code ?.  Base $......... Group :
Remarks :..................................................
Hours Vac. :..... | Exempts  | Ins $____.__ Advances  (5) $____.__
Regular    :___._ Used :..... | S.S   ?_ | (1) $____.__ Loan Of $.......
Time & 1/2 :___._  Per ?___._ | Fed.  ?_ | (2) $____.__ Repayment (6) $____.__
Double     :___._ Sick :..... | State ?_ | (3) $____.__ 401k Ded.     $____.__
Triple     :___._ Used :..... | City  ?_ | (4) $____.__ Comm./Bonus   $_____.__
------------------ Per ?___._ ----------------------------------  SRA $____.__
Gross       S.S.      Federal     State      City     Deduction     Net
$______.__ $______.__ $______.__ $______.__ $______.__ $______.__ $______.__
Medicare $______.__   SDI $____.__
.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........
_From __To_ Total    _From __To_ Total    _From __To_ Total    _From __To_ Total
...
ENTER HOURS ?___._ AND GROUP CODE ?_
...
COMMISSION ONLY Y/N ?Y

For detailed instructions, see "Setting Up Bonus Checks in DDMS Payroll" (www.DDMS.com/Resources/Support/faq/accounting/paybonus.pdf)

How Do I Update my (L4) Federal Payroll Tables for 2013?

To reflect federal tax changes each year, you must update your (L4) Federal Payroll Tables screen before your first payroll of the year. The best time to make this update is after you close Payroll and print all reports and W-2s for 2012. Some reports in the payroll-closing procedures read from the (L4) screen, including W-2s.

The latest tables, effective Jan. 3#, 2013, were published in IRS Notice 1036, Early Release Copies of the 2013 Percentage Method Tables for Income Tax Withholding (irs.gov/notice1036), with new payroll tax withholding amounts that are applicable for wages paid in 2013. The updated tables, issued Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, after President Obama signed new tax legislation, show the new rates in effect for 2013 and supersede the tables issued on December 31, 2012.

Key Changes

Congress passed new tax legislation (American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012) on January 1, after the IRS initially published tax tables December 31, 2012. Once the bill was signed into law Thursday, Jan. 3, the IRS published a new Notice 1036, Early Release Copies of the 2013 Percentage Method Tables for Income Tax Withholding (irs.gov/notice1036).

The tax code significantly affected the Payroll Tax Withholding tables. Instead of using seven tax tiers (0%, 15%, 28%, 31%, 36%, and 39.6%), updated tables use eight tiers (0%, 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35%, and 39.6%).

The remaining withholding rates and thresholds are unchanged since December 31, but still require changes to DDMS parameters and records:

In addition to withholding Medicare tax at 1.45% (unchanged), you must withhold a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax from wages you pay to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. In DDMS 10.6 or higher, the (L4) Federal Payroll Parameters has been enhanced to allow you to specify these amounts. The Medicare Wage Threshold Amount replaces a field that is no longer being used. Your screen may already have a dollar amount specified here, which may be invalid for this threshold. Before you run Payroll, you must specify the new threshold.
Employers should also begin withholding Employee Social Security tax at the rate of 6.2 % of wages paid following the expiration of the temporary two-percentage-point employee payroll tax cut in effect for 2011 and 2012. The employer tax rate for social security remains unchanged at 6.2%.
Before your first payroll of 2013, you must specify which deductions to include in the aggregate total of the employer portion of insurance benefits paid.Use the Incl fields (new in DDMS 10.6+) in the (LHN) Payroll Personnel Parameters screen. (LHN) settings are not retroactive. DDMS software can only begin tracking Employer Paid amounts when you update your (LHN) screen. The IRS requires employers to report this aggregate in Box 12 of the W-2 for wages paid in 2013. For assistance in determining which deductions to include in the aggregate total, please consult your certified public accountant (CPA) or tax attorney.
Before your first payroll of 2013, update the Empr Pd field (new in DDMS 10.6+) in each employee Personnel record. For each employee, you'll enter how much the employer contributes to this employee's insurance benefits per pay period. This amount should not change unless you change insurance carriers or plans. For help in determining what amount to specify, please consult your insurance carrier's benefits administrator.
The social security wage base limit is $113,700. Federal Dependent Withholding Allowance is $3900.

You are responsible for determining exactly how the tax laws affect payroll for your business, and you are responsible for compliance. ECi DDMS Technical Support cannot determine thresholds that apply to you.

Next Steps

For detailed instructions, see Setting (L4) Federal Payroll Taxes for 2013 (pdf). Before you print payroll checks for wages paid in 2013, please complete these four steps:

Make sure you have closed Payroll and printed all reports and W-2s for 2012. For more information, please see your Year-End Procedures: www.ecisolutions.com/assets/portal/ddmsye/
Install DDMS 10.6 Or Higher. This software release includes new Payroll parameters, fields and report formats to support U.S. Affordable Care Act provisions for reporting insurance coverage and additional tax withholding.

In order to load DDMS 10.6, your server must meet system requirements.

If you are ready to install DDMS 10.6 or higher, log in to https://support.ecisolutions.com, click Software Downloads, and follow the on-screen steps.
Update Your (L4) Federal Payroll Parameters in DDMS 10.6 or higher.

Note: The Medicare Wage Threshold Amount replaces a field that is no longer being used. Your screen may already have a dollar amount specified here, which may be invalid for this threshold. Before you run Payroll, you must specify the new threshold as advised by your accountant or tax attorney.
Update Your (LHN) Payroll/Personnel Parameters in DDMS 10.6 or higher. The IRS requires employers to report the aggregate total of the employer portion of insurance benefits paid in Box 12 of the W-2 for wages paid in 2013. To comply with this requirement, you must specify which deductions to include in this aggregate total in the (LHN) Payroll Personnel Parameters screen in DDMS 10.6 or higher.
Update Your Employees’ Personnel Records in DDMS 10.6 or higher. Before your first payroll of 2013, update the Empr Pd field in each employee master record. For each employee, you'll enter how much the employer contributes to this employee's insurance benefits per pay period. This amount should not change unless you change insurance carriers or plans.
Adjust the parameters as needed on your (L5) State Payroll Tables screen. Please note that the cost of keeping up with the tax rates for every state is prohibitive for DDMS. You are responsible for researching your own state tax withholding amounts. Please consult your state resources.

After completing the update to your (L4) Payroll Tables, you are ready to print your first payroll checks for 2013.

You are responsible for determining exactly how the tax laws affect your payroll. Please consult your accountant and the IRS Web site: www.irs.gov

Year-End Hints: Yes, You Can Close 2012 General Ledger Now!

To help you prepare for year-end, this third bulletin in a series of hints is here to answer your frequently asked questions about closing your books:

What's New In General Ledger Instructions for 2012?

To streamline closing G/L and minimize confusion, we have updated several steps and FAQs over the past two years:

We've clarified FAQs below about what can be done when a G/L period is closed and what transactions would warrant reopening a closed period.
All FAQs related to Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), Period 13, and Retained Earnings are included in the General Ledger Procedures. Previously, they were on a separate page.
We've included steps at the end of the year-end tab and the beginning of the general ledger tab, to set a password to prevent Release in case you still need to finalize postings for 2011 before you close G/L for 2012.
To eliminate issues in viewing history, we've made corrective measures a mandatory part of the year-end and G/L closing procedures:
- The ;SPCCMPJR file compression is now a mandatory step, with instructions provided in detail near the end of the Year-End tab of the Year-End Procedures, after renaming journals.
- The instructions to run Data Dictionary on specific files are now a mandatory part of your General Ledger closing steps. See Fixing Field Definitions With Data Dictionary Utility (pdf).
After you complete Year-End and General Ledger procedures, a new Spot-Check tab highlights the checklist and tutorial video that will help you be sure that your year-end procedures are complete and correct before you resume business, and suggest additional procedures and troubleshooting as needed.
We simplified steps to check each G/L account's Carry Forward setting.
We adjusted the G/L file naming conventions to always include a hyphen.
Copying files frequently affects data field definitions; therefore, we added a step to compress G/L files using Data Dictionary. See Fixing Field Definitions With Data Dictionary Utility (pdf).

For details, see our Year-End Procedures.

Should I close General Ledger now, or wait to finish all postings?

Yes, close now. It is easier than ever to close general ledger on the final day of the fiscal year.

So for example, after closing your 2012 books, you can reopen any 2012 period to add or adjust postings at your convenience throughout 2013.

The only reason to wait is if you still haven't finished postings from 2011. Once you roll to 2013, the books for 2011 are no longer allowed to re-open. So, any postings that should still apply to 2011 should be made before you close 2012. Of course, assuming you've closed your books for 2012, you will be able to use the Close G/L Period feature, and reopen 2012 periods as needed.

For details on closing G/L for 2012 now, see our Year-End Procedures.
For details on the individual Close G/L Period feature, see page 15 of General Ledger (pdf).

How do I protect closed periods from misentered postings?

You can set passwords in the graphical General Ledger Close Period Passwords Parameters.

If you set up a Close G/L Period Password, the system prompts for the password when a user attempts to make a change to a closed business period.

If you set up a Post to Closed Period Password, the system prompts for the password when a user's transaction is set to post to a closed fiscal period. This applies to G/L posting, A/P posting, voiding checks, the (W) [E] Build Cost of Goods Sold Batch function, the (W) [F] Print Allocation Batches function, and using the (QR) [D] Print Checks function. When posting to a closed period, a warning message appears when performing any of these functions.

For detailed steps on setting these passwords, see the General Ledger (pdf) handout or your online help.

The DDMS software still prohibits releasing batches to closed periods. So, after closing a period, if a batch contains postings to a closed period, the (W) [A] Print G/L Batch function will not release the batch until you reopen the period. The G/L Batch report warns you that no batches were released due to posting to a closed G/L period.

If you are NOT closing G/L as part of your year-end procedures — in case you still haven't finished postings from 2011 — we recommend taking steps to prevent your day-end procs from releasing batches for the new year into files that are not yet closed. The best method is to temporarily change your Release password in the text-based (LJ) General Ledger parameters screen. Detailed steps are included at the end of your Year-End Procedures tab and the beginning of your General Ledger Procedures tab. See the online Year-End Procedures.

What changes can I make after I've closed General Ledger?

If you've closed G/L for the year, and set the passwords as advised above, the system prevents you from releasing a batch to it or posting a transaction to it without authorization.

However, you can still...

Change G/L categories and sub categories
Add new G/L account numbers to the Chart of Accounts. (Many times, your accountant might give you new G/L account numbers to put in the prior year after the end of a fiscal year)
Adjust budget figures for G/L accounts.
Set General Ledger parameters in graphical and text-based (L2), (LJ) and (LJ1) screens, including the Closing G/L Period Password and Post to a Closed Period Password.
Run G/L Reports without releasing batches to closed periods for auditing purposes.

...all without having to reopen the period.

For detailed instructions, see the General Ledger (pdf) handout or your online help.

Why would I want to post to a closed period?

Here's an example: your accountant informs you that a posting from period 6 of the prior fiscal year is wrong, and needs to be corrected.

Postings that may involve a closed G/L period may include:

G/L posting
A/P posting
Voided checks
the (W) [A] Print G/L Batch function
the (W) [E] Build Cost of Goods Sold Batch function
the (W) [F] Print Allocation Batches function
the (QR) [D] Print Checks

To make such corrective postings, you can temporarily reopen a closed period. In the G/L Chart of Accounts window, you'll need to set the Current Closed Period to the period immediately before the corrective transaction's target period. For details see additional FAQs below.

How do I reopen a period for posting and releasing batches?

Once you've closed a G/L period, the system prevents you from releasing a batch to it or post a change to it.

But you can specify that the period prior to it is closed, which leaves all subsequent periods open. Once a period is open, you can make postings to it as needed, as far back as period one of the prior fiscal year. Then release the batch and use the Close G/L Period option in Chart of Accounts to restore it to the proper period.

To understand which period to set, let's use an example:

Let's assume it's January 2013, and you have closed your books at the end of 2012.
The Current Closed Period is fiscal 12, period 12. All periods after that are open for posting, including fiscal 12, period 13, and all periods in fiscal 13.
But let's say you have a list of corrections, the earliest of which should be posted to fiscal 12 period 06, which is currently closed.
You need to temporarily set the Current Closed Period to the period immediately before it: fiscal 12 period 05.
When you do so, all periods after fiscal 12 period 05 are open, including period 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, and 13, and all periods in fiscal 13.
After you make your posting to fiscal 12 period 06, and then release the batch, we recommend setting the Current Closed Period back to fiscal 12, period 12.

To set the closed period for such corrective postings:

In the KeyOps menu, double-click Parameters and drill down to General Ledger parameters.
Make sure you have set Close G/L Period Password and Post to Closed Period Password.
In the General Ledger menu, double-click Chart of Accounts.
Use the View menu to select the Close G/L Period option.
In the New Closed Period box at the top of the window, enter the Period and Fiscal Year you wish to be closed.
DDMS allows you to make corrective postings as far back as period one of the prior fiscal year.
If you closed Dec. 31, 2012, set Current Closed Period as far back as fiscal 11, period 13.
Even if you closed fiscal 12 on Sept. 30, 2012, set it as far back as fiscal 11, period 13.
Enter a reason for the change, and click OK.
Once you've made your corrective postings and released the batch, repeat steps 3-5 to set Current Closed Period back to fiscal 12, period 12

For detailed instructions, see the General Ledger (pdf) handout or your online help.

I entered my password, but why won't my G/L batch release to the old period?

If you have closed the period and setup the General Ledger Close Period Passwords Parameters, you can make a G/L post to a closed period by entering your password. However, releasing a batch to a closed period is still prohibited.

If you then attempt to use the the (W) [A] Print G/L Batch function to release the batch, your G/L Summation report will return the following message:

* * * * WARNING - NO BATCHES RELEASED * * * *

* * * * POSTING TO CLOSED G/L PERIOD  * * * *

If a G/L batch includes postings to a closed period, you must reopen the period in question (by setting the Current Closed Period to an earlier period), and then release the batch.

What if Period 1 is out of balance after closing G/L?

If you have closed out the year and are out of balance for period 1, it may be one of two issues:

Retained Earnings may require adjustment.
You may have missed setting an account to be carried forward in the G/L Chart of Accounts window. This applies to books 1, 2, and 3.

What If I Have Trouble Viewing History after closing General Ledger?

To eliminate issues in viewing history, we've made corrective measures a mandatory part of the year-end and G/L closing procedures:

The file compression ;SPCCMPJR instructions are now a mandatory provided in detail at the end of the Year-End tab of the Year-End Procedures.
The instructions to run Data Dictionary on specific files are now a mandatory part of your General Ledger closing steps. See Fixing Field Definitions With Data Dictionary Utility (pdf).

What Else Should I Know About Other G/L Topics?

On the General Ledger tab of the Year-End Procedures (http://www.ecisolutions.com/assets/portal/ddmsye/), you'll find several related frequently asked questions (FAQs) within the sequence of steps where they may be useful:

"FAQ: What is Period 13?" describes what to do with postings that you do not wish to affect period 12 entries, such as devalued depreciation schedule.
“FAQ: Can COGS Print After Year-End?”describes how to complete your cost of goods sold postings after closing general ledger, and how to print the report when you are ready.
“FAQ: Posting Retained Earnings” explains that although you can post retained earnings any time after closing general ledger, they are generally the first new entry. TIPS: Set the (LJ) G/L parameter for Do Not Release Out of Balance Batches to blank or N. Post it as a single-sided entry to period 00 of the new fiscal year. While most batches are released at day-end, you must manually release this batch, specifying period 00 to 00.
“FAQ: Why do Executive Dashboard and President’s Screens Look Wrong After Year-End?” explains that the EBS Executive Dashboard, (PDA) and (PDC) screens show last year’s figures until you actually begin business for the new fiscal year, and when new transactions are successfully posted.
"WORKSHEET: My Renamed Journals" on the Prepare and Year-End tabs summarizes the journal renaming schedule and recommended naming conventions. It offers space for you to note the units where each journal is stored on your system, and mark any variations in your naming conventions.
"What If I Have Trouble Viewing History after closing General Ledger?" is a new section that suggests ways to compress files to correct issues in viewing G/L history. The ;SPCCMPJR instructions are provided in detail. Alternatively, if you prefer to use Data Dictionary on specific files, see Fixing Field Definitions With Data Dictionary Utility
(www.DDMS.com/Resources/Support/FAQ/utilities/datadictionary.pdf)

What is Period 13?

Period 13 was designed for postings that do not affect period 12 entries.

For example, the depreciation schedule for items such as vehicles or furniture allows you to devalue a certain amount each month. At the end of the year, your accountant may advise you to update the depreciation amount to reflect a new depreciation schedule. After you have closed G/L, you can post entries to period 13 through the graphical G/L Posting application or the text-based (K) General Ledger Posting screen.

How Do I Release Finance Charges After I Apply Them?

After applying finance charges to G/L, you can release them during your month-end procedures. In this way, you can file the finance charges with your period-end reports, and prevent them from being mixed up with next year's A/R batches.

During your month-end procedures, you first create finance charges in the (O) screen, as instructed in the online Year-End Procedures.

Then, print an A/R Batch Report and release the batches. You can tab through the batch field or limit the report to batch 9XX9, where XX represents the location (For example, if your G/L location is 4, limit to batch 9049).

How Do I Avoid Chart of Account Errors If My G/L Archives Are Separate?

With few exceptions, most dealers use the recommended renaming schemes outlined in the Year-End Procedures, and keep their archived General Ledger files in the volume serial defined in the (LØ) Global Master Parameters.

There is an issue that affects dealers who choose instead to keep archived G/L files in separate volume serial. When they try to access prior year charts of accounts, the system cannot find the CHART-CAT file. A software issue has been turned in as QC#50024, but we do not anticipate a resolution to be released before you must complete year-end procedures.

Note: No action is necessary if you keep renamed G/L Archive files with all your other G/L files in the volume serial defined in (LØ).

To make sure you can avoid this error, follow these steps when you close G/L (perhaps just after you rename GLD-MASTER):

Check the volume serial defined for G/L in your (LØ) Global Master Parameters. In DDMS, double-click the Keyop Menu icon, double-click Parameters, then double-click Text-Based Parameters, and select Global Master Parameters by typing Ø. Look for the two-character volume serial shown for G/L in the lower right section.
Compare it to the volume serial defined in the (LJ1) General Ledger Archive Parameters. In DDMS, double-click the Keyop Menu icon, double-click Parameters, then double-click Text-Based Parameters, then select General Ledger Parameters by typing J, and then select the [1] Archived Files action code.
- If the archive G/L volume serial defined in (LJ1) is the SAME as the G/L volume serial defined in (LØ), NO ACTION IS NECESSARY.
- If the archive G/L volume serial defined in (LJ1) is DIFFERENT than the G/L volume serial defined in (LØ), you will need to copy CHART-CAT into the G/L archive volume serial, by following the steps below.
Double-click the Keyop Menu icon, then double-click System Utilities. The (Z) Master Utilities screen opens. In the Enter Utility Type field, type C. In the Enter Subset Number field, type 2.
The Enter the File to Copy From prompt appears. Type the following: CHART-CAT
If the cursor does not automatically move to the Unit # field, press TAB.
In the Unit # field, enter the unit number on the list at the top of the screen that corresponds with the G/L volume serial name defined in (LØ).
In the Volume field, press TAB to accept the default volume serial.
The Enter the File To Copy To prompt appears. Type the following: CHART-CAT
If the cursor does not automatically move to the Unit # field, press TAB.
In the Unit # field, enter the unit number on the list at the top of the screen that corresponds with the archive G/L volume serial name defined in (LJ1).
In the Volume field, enter the unit’s volume serial and press TAB.
The “N=Normal copy R=Recover deleted records, I=No duplicate keys” prompt appears. To eliminate duplicate records when copying the file, type I
The system copies the file and repeats the prompt Enter the File To Copy From. Press the Escape key to exit.

Year-End Hints: Archiving Journals for Year-End 2012

To help you prepare for year-end, this bulletin is here to answer your frequently asked questions about renaming journals:

What's New for Archiving Journals in 2012?

To reduce issues with looking up history, we've updated the Month-End and Year-End procedures as follows:

New! Year-End Worksheet of My Renamed Journals (pdf) — previously at the end of the Year-End KeyOps — is now a 1-page PDF file. We recommend noting your system file locations and naming conventions on this worksheet before year-end to minimize the time renaming procedures take while your system is offline. The worksheet summarizes the journal renaming schedule and naming conventions required to display historical data properly. It also shows which screen is used to rename each journal, and if necessary, what parameter screen should be updated with the new journal name. As a worksheet, it gives you space to note the volume or unit where each file resides. If you vary from the recommended naming convention, please note your filename.
We've updated the Year-End Worksheet of My Renamed Journals (pdf) and the Error While Renaming FAQ below to clarify that not all dealers have all files. Many archive files only exist on your system if you have set up your parameters to use the related features.
Where related steps or reports are done together in a sequence, we've named the set of steps and grouped them into a collapsible topic.
We've streamlined the steps to eliminate the need to refer to other sections. All Sales Journal Renaming steps are no longer in a separate page, but are included in the Month-End procedures.
All other A/R, A/P, and P/O Renaming steps and the Year-End Worksheet of My Renamed Journals (pdf) are now included in the year-end procedures, instead of in a separate FAQ.
We expanded the Sales Journal Renaming convention to show all 12 months for two different years.
We updated the Journal Renaming steps to include JO-DEPOSIT and JNL-AR-DEP.
After renaming journals, a journal compression step will prevent issues with access these files from your history screens.
More clarified journal parameter instructions ensure you leave line 1 as the default filename (JOUR-AP or JNL-AR) before you add 2012-AP and JNL-12-AR to the list in reverse chronological order.
We've included your Sales Order Delta Sync before Backup, during Month-End steps and a Full Import of EBS SQL data at the start of Year-End steps.

Where is the Year-end Worksheet for My Renamed Journals?

Previously the last page of the newsletter, My Renamed Journals (pdf) is a new and improved one-page PDF worksheet!

Find your system file locations and naming conventions before you begin month-end and year-end, to minimize the time archiving takes while your system is offline.

This worksheet is designed for you to review your naming conventions for the journals you rename throughout month-end, year-end, payroll, and general ledger procedures. It includes new index, acknowledgement, and specials files. The List column shows any journal parameter screens that should be updated with your renamed journals, so that your history applications can find the data.

If your archive journals use a different naming convention or unit/volume serial, note it on the worksheet. We hope this worksheet proves helpful to you!

Should I Sync SQL Data Before Renaming Journals?

Yes. A “changes only” (or delta) sync of various data should be complete before renaming your journals, ideally after a reboot and before placing in maintenance mode while TBL Server is running.

A Delta Sync is a simple matter: just launch the EBS SQL Import Panel, then right-click and select Execute Now on SalesOrderDelta, AccountsPayableDelta, AccountsReceivableDelta, PurchaseOrderDelta, and PurchaseOrderDelta.

We've incorporated EBS SQL synchronization as a mandatory step in several sections of the Year-End Procedures:

Day-End Steps. You'll execute a EBS SQL Sync between Shutdown and Backup. For best results, run a full import.
Month-End Steps. Again, you'll execute a EBS SQL Sync between Shutdown and Backup before renaming your sales journals.
Year-End Steps. We've added a Full Import of EBS SQL data at the start of Year-End steps.

Is Your DBF Data Valid? Synchronization will only be successful if you previously validated the DBF data from DDMS non-SQL applications. The SQL database requires that data adhere to specific rules, numeric fields must have valid numeric values, and date fields must have valid dates. If you are using applications like SQL Preview Reports, Customer Price Plans, Price Modeling, and so on, you may have imported your data into SQL. For best results, validating your DBF data prior to import into SQL can automatically identify data issues that can affect reporting and related operations.

Launch the EBS SQL Import Control Panel from the Start » Startup menu on your DDMS server.
(Optional, but Recommended) DBF File Validation » All » Process Files
As the system is validating, a Complete message appears next to the file name. For details, see Using the EBS SQL Import Control Panel.
(Optional, but Recommended) DBF Data Error Encountered » Yes » DBF Validation Exception Report
Review the exceptions, if any, and correct them as needed. For details on correcting common DBF validation exceptions, such as unexpected characters such as spaces or "99" dates and records with duplicate keys, see Troubleshooting EBS SQL Validation Errors (pdf).

When and How Do I Archive My Sales Journals?

Renaming your sales journals is a dedicated function that is part of the general month-end procedures. Our recommended naming convention ensures that you can store 120 sales journals on one volume. The “Update (LGA) Journal Names When copying or Renaming” option can be set to Y to ensure that Order History searches and Web Storefront Order History will include the renamed journals. Another option ensures that you can look up order history in shipping manifests and the EBS SQL Delivery Manifest.

First, before renaming your sales journals, you should have completed the following procedures:

Suspend Web Storefront and procs
Shutdown and backup
Day-end procedures (particularly steps related to printing and releasing order entry and accounts receivable batches, and flushing orders to JOUR-S)
Month-end procedures (particularly changing the current business period, various period-ending steps, and, if applicable, the auto-billing steps.

Remember, everyone MUST be out of Order Entry and at the main menu before you rename your sales journals. However, going into maintenance mode or stopping TBL Utilities is not absolutely necessary for this particular procedure. If you see “File Operations Failed” during the procedure, this means another process in TBL Server is accessing JOUR-S; simply Stop Utilities in TBL Server, and try again.

Then, follow the instructions and naming convention under "(MIR) or KeyOp Menu icon » Operational Procedures » (I)[R]" of the Month-End Procedures. For more detailed steps, see Renaming Sales Journals (pdf).

What If I Get an Error While Renaming New Journal Files?

We have updated the journal renaming procedures to ensure that your history screens and reports for Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Purchase Order include all the indices, acknowledgement, invoice, and special line details you expect. See the (MIR) Renaming A/R, A/P, and P/O Journals step on the Year-End tab in your Year-End Procedures.)

To reduce issues with looking up history, we have revised the journal parameter instructions to make sure you leave line 1 as the default filename (JOUR-AP or JNL-AR) before you add 2012-AP and JNL-12-AR to the list in reverse chronological order.

NOTE: As you rename the journal files, if the file is not found or does not exist, first double-check that you typed the filename and unit correctly. If you entered them correctly, check your parameters to see if your system has been creating those files:

For JNL-AR-DEP, rename to JNL-12-DEP. You only have this file if Purge Completed Deposits to Journal in (LA5) is set to Y, and if when purging completed invoices at month-end you type Y when prompted with the option to archive the invoices. This file contains deposit records from purged completed invoices. Again, you'll find this file on the same volume as JNL-AR and JNL-AR-SPC; check your (LA4) parameters for the volume serial.
For JNL-AR-POI, rename to JNL-12-POI. You only have this file if Build Customer P/O Index in your (LA2) A/R Parameters screen is set to Y. The system indexes the customer purchase order number with the customer account number. Again, you'll find this file on the same volume as JNL-AR and JNL-AR-SPC; check your (LA4) parameters for the volume serial.
For JNL-AR-SPC, rename to JNL-12-SPC. You only have this file if the Journalize Purged Invoices parameter in your (LA2) A/R Parameters screen is set to X. The file contains special text lines from archived paid account receivable invoices. You'll find this file on the same volume as JNL-AR and JNL-AR-POI; check your (LA4) parameters for the volume serial.
For JOUR-P-ACK, rename to 2Ø12-P-ACK. You only have this file if your Build Ack Index for JOUR-PO in the (LF) Purchase Order Parameters screen is set to Y. This file is an acknowledgement index to match your received invoices to your original purchase orders. It is built when you purge your completed purchase orders or when you reindex JOUR-PO from the (SR) Purchase Order Reports screen. Again, you'll find this file on the same volume as JOUR-PO; check your (LF2) parameters for the volume serial.
For JOUR-P-IND, rename to 2Ø12-P-IND. By default, DDMS includes an index that allows quick access to purchase orders in item number order. The original JOUR-P-IND is created when you reindex JOUR-PO. You can use the text-based (SR-R) Purchase Order Reports screen to reindex archived P/O journals. If you reindex 2012-PO, it will create 2012-P-IND, but reindexing takes much longer than renaming. Again, you'll find this file on the same volume as JOUR-PO; check your (LF2) parameters for the volume serial.

For more information on these files, see the online help topic, Understanding Accounts Receivable Files and Understanding Purchasing Files.

Why do we (MI-M) Merge Monthly Sales Journals?

Merging monthly sales journals into a year-to-date file is an optional step at month-end. But it is frequently used to make year-end reporting easier. At the end of each month, you move completed invoices into this year's journal

For more information, see the Month-End step, (MI-M) or Keyop Menu icon » Operational Procedures icon » (I)[M]: Merge sales journals into a yearly journal in your Year-End Procedures.

Dozens of loyal, long-time customers
report proc failure for January month-end.

The common reason?

An older proc file that doesn't use current year-end archive conventions. Older procs fail when creating a file that already exists in the target volume.

Solution:
Let ECi Professional Services Update Your Proc!

Avoid failure of month-end procs every end of January.
Automatically rename DDMS archives the right way every month all year!
Keep 10 years of journal data in History screens for easy lookup!

What's the recommended sales journal renaming convention?

Renaming Sales Journals shows how to select a sales journal naming convention that meets DDMS system constraints and rename sales journals without encountering problems caused by duplicate file names. So does the Year-End Procedures.

How can I make it easier to report on a year's worth of sales?

Merging Sales Journals (pdf) shows you how to build a single sales journal for an entire fiscal year to make reporting simpler; at the end of each month, you move completed invoices into this year's journal.

Where can I archive multiple years of purged P/O journals?

Suppose you want to keep multiple years of purged P/O journals. If you are using the (SRR) screen, you must create identical P/O archive journals and purge each journal by a different date range. For detailed instructions, see Purging Purchase Order Journals By Date Range (pdf).

Year-End Hints: Last Minute Tips for 2012

This bulletin in our series of year-end hints is here to answer frequently asked questions about resuming business after year-end, updating tax tables, free period-end support, procs, backup and shutdown steps, month-end vs. year-end, finding detailed instructions, printing optional reports, purging data, and more:

Any Last-Minute Changes or Updates?

As we have clarified information in recent Year-End Hints and related DDMS news, we’ve edited the online year-end procedures to reflect those clarifications — including payroll requirements, what’s new, and EBS SQL Scheduler Engine!

A correction to your Prep & Payroll tabs clarifies that Payroll requirements are no longer limited to companies with 250 or more employees, but to all employers!

NOTE: Beginning in January 2013, federal regulations will require employers to track their employer-paid portion of insurance benefits for reporting on W-2 forms for the tax year 2013, which will be printed just before your first payroll in 2014. Certain exceptions apply based on the employees' household income.
CORRECTION: The above paragraph previously stated that the requirements were limited to those with 250 or more employees. While this was the case for 2012 during the phased-in approach to implementing the Affordable Care Act for larger employers first, the requirements apply to all employers effective January 1, 2013.

In the Prep tab under, you’ll find a more comprehensive list of What’s New, a copy of what is included in the Period-End FAQs.
At each instance of shut down and back up, you’ll find a step to Stop Scheduler Engine in the EBS SQL Import Panel, just like we suggest in the O/PUS FYI Notes every quarter. This will prevent any scheduled synchronization processes from slowing down your year-end procedures.

Any Last-Minute Tips?

In response to customer feedback, we’ve made the new online year-end procedures easier to navigate, step through, and print if you see fit!

Each tab has clear print & navigation buttons:
- A Print button shows a reminder to first click the “plus” (+) buttons to view the details for each topic.
- A Next button takes you to the next tab of steps.
Each tab has clear control buttons for displaying desired detail:
- + Open All to view or print details for all topics on the current page
- - Close All
- to open individual topics
- to close individual topics

Minus button

One tip came up during DDMS Year-End training will help you save paper:
- Keep your browser open to all topics when you begin your year-end procedures.
- As you complete a step, click the minus button so that that your completed steps are hidden, and the details that are displayed are your next focus.
- If a step calls for rebooting your DDMS server, just make sure to bookmark the Year-End procedures page, or save the shortcut to your desktop.
For those who prefer to print the instructions — or save to a PDF — we’ve simplified the printed copy by hiding what was previously distracting from the printer.
- It will no longer print breadcrumbs, introductory paragraphs, or tab navigation.
- Instead, only the relevant heading, and any topics you have chosen to open will be printed.
- Every link is still included in parentheses after the link text, in case you want to use those web references while reading from the PDF or printed copy. However, since topic titles are links that activate the display of topic details, you will see a placeholder symbol “(#)” after each topic title.

Print Preview

How Do I Spot-Check Year-End Data Before Resuming Business?

New! Year-End Spot Check (pdf) To verify you did DDMS Year-End procedures right, spot check your figures after finishing your year-end and general ledger steps, and before you resume business. This page recaps the animated Year-End Spot Check Video Tutorial to show you how to be sure your year-end figures were properly zeroed out, and journals properly updated. If any item does not check out, contact your DDMS Support team for help before the start of any business.

Why and How Do We Suspend Procs?

You may have automated procedure files (procs) scheduled to automate period-end functions (including day-end and month-end MK procedures) either Dec. 31 or Jan. 1.

To assist you in these steps, we've produced a video tutorial:

Using Proc Files Tutorial When you close your books at year-end, you may wish to suspend day-end and month-end procs in favor of doing them manually, so that you can then complete year-end procedures at your convenience. This animated tutorial demonstrates how to: manually inactivate a proc file, temporarily suspend a proc file, and reactivate a proc file. See also: Procs Like a Pro (pdf)

Why should I set up a Site Maintenance Schedule for Period-End Procedures?

You want customers and prospects to visit your ECinteractive®/Dealer Station®/is.D-Force®/is.D-Force®2 Web storefront site at their convenience. But sometimes your back-office DDMS® server is offline for period-end and maintenance procedures. A Scheduled Maintenance message for your Web storefront can help you protect your business' reputation.

Whenever your DDMS server is offline, your Web storefront is unable to connect to your back-office gateway. Therefore, it will not be able to sync up with your DDMS history, contracts, or inventory records, which limits what a customer can do. If your customers try to log on to your Web storefront, the Web server will still be able to notify you via email that users are trying to access your site. If you want to control what your customers see when your back-office DDMS server is offline, you should set up your site maintenance schedule to show a Scheduled Maintenance message.

For detailed instructions, see page 6 of standard Year-End Procedures (www.ecisolutions.com/assets/portal/ddmsye/), or see the ECinteractive FAQs for Specific Features under the topic, "How do I set up my Offline for Maintenance Page?"

Why am I running Backup So Many Times?

Following the recommended sequence of saving backups and audit trail tapes for your Road Map can save you significant time by allowing you to restore files in case problems occur during each segment of year-end steps:

Before year-end (includes month-end sales archives, purged states and full SQL Import)
After year-end (include year-end functions on all databases and other archives; can overwrite previous copy)
After payroll year-end (includes payroll release and archiving for audit purposes)
After closing general ledger (includes postings for periods 01-11, COGS, all batches released, reset summaries, carry forwards, general ledger archives, and retained earnings)
Before inventory counts (prior to receive, flush, release, reset, count, and audit; can overwrite previous copy)

For detailed instructions on backing up your DDMS files, see Using Microsoft® Windows® Backup for ECi® DDMS® Data. To learn how to verify that your backups are good, see Making Sure Your Backups Are Good. Note: If your backup log shows errors or skipped files, contact Support. To learn how to restore files from a backup tape, see Restoring Windows Backups.

If you use ECi's Remote Backup and Disaster Recovery, see Setting Up Your ECi Remote Backup Solution.

If I have a Windows 2008 Server With RD1000, Do I Need Extra Backup Drives?

Yes.

Do you have a DDMS server running Windows 2008 and an RD1000 backup drive?
If so, when saving backups for year-end audit purposes, you will need an extra backup drive.

Your day-end backup scripts are designed to overwrite the previous backup files automatically, in the DAILY folders specified in the script.

If you use the RD1000 to do your backups during year-end procedures, but do not change drives, the script will overwrite your audit copies of your backup files.

You may need to use a separate removable drive for the backup copies you make for audit purposes:

Before year-end (includes month-end sales archives, purged states and full SQL Import)
After year-end (include year-end functions on all databases and other archives; can overwrite previous copy)
After payroll year-end (includes payroll release and archiving for audit purposes)
After closing general ledger (includes postings for periods 01-11, COGS, all batches released, reset summaries, carry forwards, general ledger archives, and retained earnings)
Before inventory counts (prior to receive, flush, release, reset, count, and audit; can overwrite previous copy)

Or consider whether ECi's Remote Backup and Disaster Recovery options would suit your business. For detailed instructions on using Remote Backup, see Setting Up Your ECi Remote Backup Solution.

Why Do I Have to Shut Down TBL Server During Backups?

Occasionally, ECi DDMS Technical Support receives calls from customers trying to restore DDMS files from a backup tape. In some cases, we have found that the customer’s backup is incomplete, and the files cannot be restored.

Many important DDMS files remain open when TBL Server is running. When a file is open or in use, it cannot be backed up. So it is important to shut down TBL Server to ensure a complete backup.

For detailed instructions on backing up your DDMS files, see Using Microsoft® Windows® Backup for ECi® DDMS® Data.

To learn how to verify that your backups are good, see Making Sure Your Backups Are Good. Note: If your backup log shows errors or skipped files, contact Support.

To learn how to restore files from a backup tape, see Restoring Windows Backups.

Why is the (Z-E6) Level R Reboot part of my Shut Down procedures?

The (Z-E6) Level R (reboot) shutdown is commonly used to properly take your system out of maintenance mode.

During year-end, it is listed as the first step of your backup procedures, as described on page 6 of the standard Year-End Procedures.

For year-end procedures, a Level R shutdown is used to reboot the DDMS system, ensuring that all data in cache memory is written to the disk. Using this function also will prevent damage to your data files by clearing cache memory, closing files, and emptying buffers.

The Level R Shutdown is performed through the [ZE6] Master Utilities screen (In graphical software, double-click the Keyop Menu icon, then double-click the System Utilities screen, select the [E] View utility type, then select subset number [6] System Shutdown, and then enter level R).

For more information about checking processes and placing your system in maintenance mode, see Protecting Your Data for Dedicated Procedures (pdf).

In (MK) Change Current Period, why does Y change to M?

When your cursor is in the Change Current Period (L2) field of the (MK) Period-End Procedures screen, the bottom of the screen shows M=Month, Blank=No.

When you perform Year-End procedures, specify Y for Year-End for the sake of consistency, since that's what you specify for your other databases.

Please note that the system will change your Y to an M because it produces the same result. This is not an error. Both M and Y will change your current period.

What If I do [MK] Steps Twice?

If you are closing your books in December, DO NOT perform the [MK] steps twice during the same period. The (MK) programs are designed to execute similar tasks at month-end and year-end. If you perform the (MK-Y) Year-End procedures after the (MK-M) Month-End, you have processed files and moved data to fields for the previous period twice.

That's why we developed our RoadMap-specific editions. For best results, answer a few questions online to determine which RoadMap is best for you, and get access to a streamlined RoadMap-specific edition of your year-end instructions. Unlike the standard edition, your RoadMap-Specific edition eliminates branching off into redundant steps, saving you time and trouble. Just follow the Road Map that applies to your business, and you will be completing the proper procedures in the recommended sequence.

If you are closing your books at the end of December, you're in the majority, what we call a "Calendar closer." You won't do MK steps at all during your Month-End segment, but you'll do MK-Y steps during the Year-End segment.
If you are closing your books at the end of any other month January through November, you're what we call a "Fiscal closer." We have two separate RoadMap-specific editions of year-end procedures for you. In December, you will only do (MK-M) steps at month-end and do the additional 1099 and W-2 federal tax reporting steps, but no MK-Y and no year-end segment at all. When you're ready to close your fiscal year, the Fiscal Year-End edition will walk you through just the steps you need; no MK steps at all during your Month-End segment, but you'll do MK-Y steps during your Year-End segment.

If you indeed perform (MK) steps twice in the same period, please contact your DDMS support team for assistance in identifying the specific files to be restored and the specific steps to be performed.

Where Can I Find Detailed Instructions for Year-End?

Year-End Procedures Online is intended to supplement, but not replace, your online help and Period-End training. Its instructions are not meant to be exhaustive field-by-field documentation. For additional instructions after you've navigated to a screen, please refer to online help. In DDMS, select Contents from the Help menu.

For more detailed instructions on procedures, we've compiled the following links:

System Shutdown. Frequently, the cause of an incomplete backup is failure to properly shut down TBL Server before performing a backup. Your system will not back up any file that is currently being used. See the tech note, Protecting Your Data for Dedicated Procedures.
File Backup. For information about ensuring you are backing up your new SQL data, what options to select in your Windows backup, making sure your backups are good, and restoring files, see FAQs on Backups.
Day-End and Month-End. Most dealers use automated procedure files, or "procs," to run their day-end and month-end procedures. At year-end, you may find it more convenient to do these steps manually rather than wait for the procs to finish. Some standard settings and keystrokes are shown in the form to request a new proc file.
Year-End. All our current Year-End Hints messages and related FAQ files are posted on our Web site under General Year-End FAQs.
Payroll Tax procedures in Accounting FAQs
Payroll and Personnel online help topics
Vendor Additional Period-End Procedures in online help
Closing General Ledger. For notes about G/L journal parameters, retained earnings, and posting to last year's G/L after you've closed it, See General Ledger information under Accounting FAQs
Inventory Counts. For details on setting up stocking classes, clearing on-hand quantities, taking and entering physical counts, G/L adjustments, using critical inventory reports (such as the On-Hand Catalog Report and the Inventory Extended Dollars Report), and maintaining accurate inventory (including the optional Cycle Counts program), see the handout, Count Less, Sell More.

We hope these resources are helpful! If the Year-End Procedures, documentation, and training leave you with specific unresolved questions, call us as far in advance as possible. Your ECi support team is happy to answer.

ERP Business Management Software for for
Office Products, Furniture, Equipment and More

ERP Business Management Software for
Office Products, Furniture, Equipment and More

Period End FAQs

Day-End

Month-End

General Year-End

Year-End Hints: Your RoadMap-Specific Year-End Steps Are Online Now for 2012

General Updates

Archiving Updates

Payroll Updates

General Ledger

Printing Update

Year-End Hints: Ready for 2012 Tax Reports and First Payroll of 2013

Key Changes

Next Steps

Year-End Hints: Yes, You Can Close 2012 General Ledger Now!

Year-End Hints: Archiving Journals for Year-End 2012

Dozens of loyal, long-time customers
report proc failure for January month-end.

Solution:
Let ECi Professional Services Update Your Proc!

Year-End Hints: Last Minute Tips for 2012

ERP Business Management Software for for Office Products, Furniture, Equipment and More

ERP Business Management Software for Office Products, Furniture, Equipment and More

Period End FAQs

Day-End

Month-End

General Year-End

Year-End Hints: Your RoadMap-Specific Year-End Steps Are Online Now for 2012

General Updates

Archiving Updates

Payroll Updates

General Ledger

Printing Update

Year-End Hints: Ready for 2012 Tax Reports and First Payroll of 2013

Key Changes

Next Steps

Year-End Hints: Yes, You Can Close 2012 General Ledger Now!

Year-End Hints: Archiving Journals for Year-End 2012

Dozens of loyal, long-time customers report proc failure for January month-end.

Solution: Let ECi Professional Services Update Your Proc!

Year-End Hints: Last Minute Tips for 2012

ERP Business Management Software for for
Office Products, Furniture, Equipment and More

ERP Business Management Software for
Office Products, Furniture, Equipment and More

Dozens of loyal, long-time customers
report proc failure for January month-end.

Solution:
Let ECi Professional Services Update Your Proc!