Journals
In this chapter the difference Journals offered by bill-to are explained.
Subscriptions Journals
There are four different Journals in the bill-to range:
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Subscription Journals
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Assignment Journals
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History Journals
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Recurring Subscription Journals
These Journals serve various purposes. Subscription Journals can be used to add quantity changes to the subscription lines. This can also be done via Recurring Subscription Journals, whose Line. are not deleted after Posting, just like similar Subscription Journals in the Business Central Base app.
Assignment Journals can be used to link purchase invoices and purchase credit notes to subscription lines retrospectively, i.e. after they have been posted, so that both corresponding quantity changes (component entries) and value changes (Subscription Ledger Entries) are generated in Subscription Subledger Accounting.
Purchase invoices, purchase credits, sales invoices and sales credits can be subsequently linked to a subscription line via the History Journals. In addition, component stocks and values can be added without being linked to existing Documents. History Journals can thus be used primarily to generate initial stocks and initial values for a subscription if Recurring invoice transactions were previously mapped using the Default of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or another app and the bill-to subscriptions are to be based on the existing values.
Subscription Journal
Subscription Journals can be used to add quantity changes to the subscription lines. Let's take a look at the meaning of the fields in detail.
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| Ill. Subscription Journal |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Posting date | Specifies the posting date on which the component changes are to be posted. |
| Subscription alias code | Specifies an alias that sets the subscription number and component ID. |
| Subscription no. | Specifies the subscription for which the component changes are to be recorded. |
| No. | Specifies the number of the subscription item. |
| Description | Specifies a booking description. |
| Component ID | Specifies the component ID of the selected subscription item. The field is filled automatically and cannot be edited. |
| Quantity | Specifies the quantity by which the quantity in the subscription is to be increased or decreased. |
| Unit of measure code | Specifies the unit of measure code of the item. |
| Resource no. | Specifies the number of the resource associated with the entry. |
| Bundle no. | The field is only filled if the subscription item is linked to a bundle item. |
The following actions are available under the Row action group:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Display component origin | Displays the component origin, if available. |
| Advanced information | Displays the advanced information linked to the component entry or edit it. |
Rec. Subscription Journals
Recurring Subscription Journals have the same function as Subscription Journals. The difference is that the lines of the Recurring Journals are not deleted after posting, but are available for a new posting on a different Date.
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| Ill. Rec. Subscription Journals |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Repetition type | Defines a Recurring Method if the "Recurring" field of the Journals sheet template specifies that the Journals sheet is recurring. |
| Recurring Frequency | Defines a Recurring Frequency if the "Recurring" field in the Journals sheet template specifies that the Journals sheet is recurring. |
| Recording Date | Specifies the date of component entry. |
| Subscription No. | Specifies the Subscriptions for which the component change is to be recorded. |
| No. | Specifies the Item for which the component change is to be recorded. |
| Quantity | Specifies the Quantity by which the quantity in the Subscriptions should increase or decrease. |
Assignment Journal
Using "Assignment Journals", purchase invoices and purchase credit notes can be linked to subscription lines according to , i.e. after they have been posted, so that both corresponding quantity changes (component entries) and value changes (subscription items) are generated in the subscription subledger.
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| Ill. Assignment Journal |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Entry Type | Specifies which Entries are to be generated. The following options are available for selection: Quantity & Value Update Quantity update Value update With a quantity update,only the component entries of the subscription line are created. A value update creates a Subscription Ledger Entry on Vendors for the subscription line. With a Quantity & Value update, both the component entries and the Subscription Ledger Entry are created and linked to the subscription line. Whether a posted purchase line is already linked to a subscription line in terms ofquantity or value is also tracked on the purchase line itself. |
| Subscription No. | Specifies the Subscriptions for which the component changes are to be recorded. |
| No. | Specifies the number of the Item for which a Quantity or Value posting is to be made. |
| Description | Specifies the Description of the Item for which a Quantity or Value posting is to be made. |
| Component Identifyer | Specifies the Component Identifyer of the selected subscription item line. If the Subscription No. and Item No. clearly refer to a subscription line, the Component Identifyer is set automatically. |
| Assign-to Document Type | This option field is used to specify whether the subscription line is linked to a posted purchase invoice line or a posted purchase credit memo line. |
| Assign-to Document No. | Specifies the document number of the posted purchase invoice or the posted purchase credit note to which the subscription line is to be linked. |
| Assign-to Document Line No. | Specifies the document line number of the posted purchase invoice line or the posted purchase credit memo line to which the subscription line is to be linked. |
| Recording Date | Specifies the date to be used as the Recording Date from the component entry or as the Posting Date of the Subscription Ledger Entry. The date is pre-assigned from the posted purchase invoice. |
| Quantity | Specifies the Quantity by which the subscription line invoice should increase or decrease the next time the invoice is issued. The Quantity is pre-assigned from the posted purchase invoice. |
| Unit of Measure Code | Indicates the Unit of Measure Code of the Item. |
The following actions are available in the Load and Row action groups:
| Actions | Description |
|---|---|
| Load unassigned invoices | Load unassigned invoices. |
| Load unassigned credit notes | Load unassigned credit notes. |
| View Component Origin | View the origin record from which this record was automatically created. |
| Dimensions | View or edit the dimensions. |
| Advanced Information | View or edit advanced information for the component entry. |
The combination of Entry Type and document line is of central importance. This controls whether a posted purchasing document line is linked to a subscription line in terms of value or quantity or in terms of value and quantity.
If the Quantity update option is selected as the Entry Type, only the component entry of the Subscriptions line is created, i.e. the Quantity of, for example, licenses or consumptions that will be calculated in the next billing document for this subscription is increased or decreased. In order for this option to be posted, the line of the posted purchasing document must not yet be linked to a subscription line in terms of quantity.
If the Value update option is selected as the Entry Type, a Vendor Subscription item is generated for the subscription line, i.e. the revenue generated by the billing of a subscription item is reduced by the Direct Unit Cost in the subscription subledger. In order for this option to be posted, the line of the posted purchasing document must not yet be linked to a subscription line in terms of value.
If the Quantity & value update option is selected as the Entry Type, the subscription line is linked to the posted purchase line in terms of quantity and value.
In principle, a posted purchase line can only be linked to a subscription line once in terms of quantity and value. This can be done by referring the purchasing document to the subscription line before Posting, or by doing this subsequently via the Assignment Journal.
Which assignments have already been made is recorded in the Assignment Type field of the posted purchasing line. If this field is set to Quantity & value update, the Purchase Line. can no longer be assigned. If it is set to Quantity update, it can still be assigned by value. This changes the value in the Assignment Type field to Quantity & Value Update. If it is set to Value update, it can still be assigned by quantity. This changes the value in the Assignment Type field to Quantity & Value Update.
History Journal
Purchase invoices, purchase credits, sales invoices and sales credits can be subsequently linked to a subscription line via the History Journals. In addition, component stocks and values can be posted without being linked to existing Documents.
The History Journals can therefore be used to generate initial balances and initial values for a subscription if Recurring invoice transactions were previously mapped using the Default of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or another app and the bill-to subscriptions are to be based on the existing values.
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| Ill. History Journal |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Entry Type | Specifies which Entries are to be created. The following options are available: Quantity & Value Update Quantity Update Value Update In a quantity update, only the component item of the subscription line is created. In a value update, a customer or vendor subscription item is created for the subscription line. In a quantity & value update, both the component item and the subscription item are created and linked to the subscription line. Whether a posted purchase or sales line is already linked to a subscription line in terms of quantity and/or value is also tracked on the document line itself. |
| Subscription alias code | Specifies an alias that sets the subscription number and component ID. |
| Subscription number | Specifies the subscription for which the historical component changes are to be recorded. |
| No. | Specifies the number of the item for which a quantity or value posting is to be made. |
| Description | Specifies the description of the item for which a quantity or value posting is to be made. |
| Component ID | Specifies the component ID of the selected subscription item line. If the subscription number and item number uniquely refer to a subscription line, the component ID is set automatically. |
| Assignment to document type | This option field is used to specify whether the subscription line is linked to a posted purchase invoice line, a posted purchase credit note line, a posted sales invoice line or a posted sales credit note line. It is also possible to enter a quantity or value independently of a posted document line. The option in the ‘Assignment to document type’ field must still be set so that a correct assignment to the item type sales or purchasing and to the document type invoice or credit note can be made. |
| Assignment to document no. | Specifies the document number of the posted purchase or sales document to which the subscription line is to be linked. It is possible to post a history book sheet line without assigning it to a posted document line. In this case, the ‘Assignment to document no.’ field remains empty. |
| Assignment to document line no. | Specifies the document line number of the posted purchase or sales document to which the subscription line is to be linked. It is possible to post a history posting sheet line without assigning it to a posted document line. In this case, the ‘Assignment to document line no.’ field remains empty. |
| Entry date | Specifies the date to be used as the entry date of the component item or as the posting date of the subscription item. The date is pre-filled from the posted document if the subscription line is to be linked to a posted document. |
| Start of billing period | Displays the first date of the current billing period. |
| End of billing period | Shows the last date of the current billing period. |
| Quantity | Specifies the quantity that is posted to the history of the component or subscription item. The quantity is pre-filled from the posted document if the subscription line is to be linked to a posted document. If the calculation method of the subscription item is ‘Recurring’, historical postings to the component items will affect the quantity of future subscription invoices. If the calculation method is not recurring, the future invoice quantity will not be affected and the component items are only of statistical interest. |
| Unit code | Specifies the unit code of the item. |
| Amount | Specifies the amount that is posted to the history of the subscription item. The amount is pre-assigned from the posted document if the subscription line is to be linked to a posted document. |
| Price (MW) | Specifies the retail price or purchase cost associated with the transaction. |
Difference to Assignment Journals
The Assignment Journal and the History Journal have some parallels. If you post a value update in both Journals with reference to a posted purchasing document, the result is the same. In terms of content, however, the differences outweigh the differences.
The History Journal is used to post initial quantities and initial values for Subscriptions. This may always be necessary if the subscription business was started before the introduction of bill-to, but the statistics of the transactions already posted in the Default of Business Central or in third-party systems are to be retained so that subscriptions do not start from scratch, but the quantities and values already posted can be carried forward.
For this purpose, not only purchase-side but also sales-side links from posted Documents to subscription lines can be posted in the History Journal. It is also possible to carry forward quantities and values to the subscription lines without reference to posted Documents . Since historical data is carried forward, component entries are not created for quantity updates, but component items are created immediately.
Functionality
The combination of Entry Type and document line is also of central importance in the History Journal. This controls whether a posted sales or purchasing document line is linked to a subscription line by value or quantity or by value and quantity.
If the Quantity update option is selected as Entry Type, only the component item of the subscription line is created, i.e. the Quantity of, for example, licenses or consumptions that have already been historically billed via the subscription line is posted as the initial value. In order for this option to be posted, the Documents line must not yet be linked to a subscription line in terms of quantity.
The Calculation Method assigned to the subscription line determines whether the posting of a quantity history has an influence on future billings for this subscription. If it is a Recurring Calculation Method, the Quantity carried forward will be recalculated in the next billing period. If it is not a recurring Calculation Method, it is only used for statistical purposes, but has no influence on a future billing.
An example will explain this situation in more detail. If the new billing period starts on 1 November and 10 item units were posted as a carryforward on 31 October using the recurring calculation method Software license - these may be licenses for Business Central Essentials users, for example - then these 10 item units will also be charged again in November. However, if 10 item units were booked as a carryforward using the non-recurring Calculation Method Default consumption - for example, support hours - then these 10 item units are for statistical purposes only and will not be calculated again in November.
If the Value update option is selected as the Entry Type, a Vendor or Customer subscription entry is generated for the subscription line as a historical carryforward depending on the document type selected in the "Assign-to Document Type" field. In order for this option to be posted, the line of the posted Document must not yet be linked to a subscription line in terms of value.
If the Quantity & value update option is selected as Entry Type, the subscription line is linked to the posted voucher line in terms of quantity and value.
In principle, a posted voucher line can only be linked to a subscription line once in terms of quantity and value. Which assignments have already been made is recorded in the Assignment Type field of the posted voucher line. If this field is set to the Quantity & value update value, the Line. can no longer be assigned. If it is set to Quantity update, it can still be assigned by value. This changes the value in the Assignment Type field to Quantity & Value Update. If it is set to Value update, it can still be assigned by quantity. This changes the value in the Assignment Type field to Quantity & Value Update.
As already mentioned, however, it is also possible to post historical carryforwards in the History Journal without reference to a posted Document. This is always useful if there are no corresponding Documents in the Current Business Central system, or if the large number of posted transactions are to be summarized by a single or a few statistical carryforward postings, as individual tracking of the entire history is not of interest.
Posting of initial quantities and initial values
In this Section, we will take a closer look at how History Journals can be used to post initial quantities and values for Subscriptions whose history does not begin with the introduction of bill-to, but for which Invoices have already been posted via other logics.
As an example, let's assume that a Subscriptions was started on November 1, 2021 and that a Monthly invoice was previously issued via a Default invoice in Business Central. On November 1, 2022, bill-to is now introduced and the billing of the Subscriptions is to be continued in bill-to without losing the historical data.
If you create a subscription in bill-to that takes both the term and the Billing Frequency Code Filter into account accordingly, it could initially look something like this:
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| Ill. Subscriptioncard |
You have created the subscription with an Actual Starting Date of November 1, 2021. The next billing period from November 1 to November 30, 2021 has been automatically calculated from this. However, the first Year has already been billed in full. You only want to manage this statistically and only start the actual billing in bill-to on November 1, 2022. To do this, change the Current billing period manually:
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| Ill. Subscriptioncard period data |
You can do this directly in Subscriptions or use the Edit Period Dates action:
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| Ill. Subscriptioncard Action Edit Period Dates |
You now have a subscription that started on November 1, 2021, but whose next billing period does not start until November 1, 2022. You can now post quantity and value carryforwards for this subscription via the History Journal so that the transactions that have already taken place are assigned to the subscription.
You can do this with reference to existing posted Documents or without reference to Documents. Let's first take a look at a typical History Journal with reference to posted Documents:
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| Ill. History Journal |
When you enter and post these lines of a History Journals, the full statistics of component and subscription items are generated for the subscription. You can now start billing for November 2022 and have subsequently assigned all Documents previously generated in other ways to the subscription.
However, you can also enter an abbreviated presentation instead, which is limited to the essential data - as shown in the following example:
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| Ill. History Journal Cutout |
In the example above, only Quantity, Costs and Revenues are shown as a Total Amount. Of course, mixed forms are also possible, in which you present the revenues statistically, for example on a quarterly basis:
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| Ill. History Journal Cutout |
How you book the lectures ultimately depends on your requirements in terms of historical-statistical detail.
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