Accounts Payable Tip - ERS Processor Automatic Records

When ERS is turned on in the Purchasing Control file, the system will automatically generate an ERS record for each site in the database with a blank supplier and item. This record is set to ERS Option 1 which means that no vouchers will be created for this site. As new sites are added, new ERS records are automatically created. If a site is deleted, the ERS record is deleted automatically. These records can become an issue if you do not include a specific site when setting up your ERS Maintenance records.

• One record with the same Supplier/Site/Item as the PO
• One record with the same Supplier/Site
• One record with the same Supplier/Item and a separate record for the same Site
• One record with the same Supplier and a separate record for the same Site

When a combination of records is used such as the last two scenarios, the system will use the lowest value found between the two records which will be the value of 1 from the automatic site record unless it has been modified. If no match is located, the system assumes a value of 1 so no voucher is created.

For example, a new site 100 is created which automatically creates the following ERS record:
&tab;Supplier = blank
&tab;Site = 100
&tab;Item = blank
&tab;ERS Option = 1 (do not create vouchers)

The company decides to start using ERS for Supplier ABC123 for all sites and items, so a new ERS record is manually created as shown below:
&tab;Supplier = ABC123
&yab;Site = blank
&tab;Item = blank
&tab;ERS Option = 3 (create confirmed vouchers)

When the next purchase order for Supplier ABC123 is processed for Site 100, it will set the ERS option to 1 and will not create vouchers. The reasons for this are because:
&tab;1)&tab;There is no ERS record for Supplier ABC124 and Site 100 with or without an item
&tab;2)&tab;The system found two records to combine. One record was found for Supplier ABC123
&tab;&tab;with a value of 3, and one record was found for Site 100 with a value of 1. The
&tab;&tab;system selected the lowest value which is 1, so no vouchers will be created.

In order to avoid this, one option is to change the ERS Option value on the automatic Site record to a 2 or 3 which will both generate vouchers. This will not turn ERS on for all suppliers as the supplier must still be setup on at least one ERS record in order to be found as a match when combined with the Site record. A second option is to always enter a site when creating ERS records so that the system will only use the first two scenarios and never use the last two.