About Journal Loader

Journal Loader is used to bulk-load journals with a large number of lines by allowing you to copy journal header and line data from a spreadsheet and load into FinancialForce Accounting. A journal with up to 50,000 lines can be loaded in one session.

Journal Loader splits your spreadsheet data into a number of separate journals. The number of journal lines you want per journal is specified using the custom setting Document Line Volume Settings (FF) | Manual Journal Batch Line Limit. The default is 9,980 lines, to allow for the processing of large journals. Where the number of journal lines in your spreadsheet is greater than the value set in this custom setting, Journal Loader splits the data into separate journals, each journal containing the number of lines specified in the custom setting.

Note: Manual Journal Batch Line Limit is a protected custom setting. To change the default value you must contact FinancialForce Support.

Each journal created through the Journal Loader process is given a part number. This tells you how many parts the original journal has been split into. For example, on your main Journal Loader page, you might have loaded a 10,000 line journal, which has been split into 2 separate journals, each containing a maximum of 9,980 lines

Each of the journals will include an additional balancing line assigned to a Suspense Account, so all journals balance.

Each line on this page tells you the number of lines that journal contains, and the part number for this journal. In this example, you will see 11 lines of information, each with a journal description labeled “part 1” to “part 2.

A balancing line is generated for each journal created by the Journal Loader process. The first line of each newly created journal displays the balancing entry that is posted to the Suspense GLA. This is also displayed as a column header in the Journal Details dialogue.

Using Journal Loader with Single or Multiple Companies

You no longer need to be in single company mode to use Journal Loader, you can also use it in multi-company mode.
Depending on the type of user:

System Administrators (users with "Modify All" permissions)

System Administrators can load a journal for any of the companies they have access to, regardless of the currently selected company.

If you are a System Administrator, specify which company the journal needs to be posted to by:

Including the Company in the journal header, in your source spreadsheet, which includes the company field. The journal will be posted to the specified company as long as you have access to that company, even when it is not selected as current.
Selecting the relevant company in the modal that appears, when the company field is not included in the spreadsheet data. This modal allows you to select whichever companies you have access to, regardless of what is selected as current at the time.

Users without "Modify All" permissions

Users without “Modify All” permissions can load a journal for any of the companies they have selected as current (either in single or multi company mode).

If you are this type of user, you can specify which company the journal needs to be posted to by:

Including the Company in the journal header, in your source spreadsheet, which includes the company field. The journal will be posted to the specified company as long as that company is selected as current.
Being in single company mode. The journal will automatically be assigned to the selected current company, even if the company field is not included in the spreadsheet data.
Selecting the relevant company in the modal that appears when the company field is not included in your source spreadsheet data, and you are using Journal Loader in multi-company mode.

The companies you can select as your document companies for use with the Journal Loader will depend on your permissions, and the companies you have been granted access to. Contact your System Administrator to review and amend your user companies.

Setting up your source spreadsheet

Journal data can be pasted directly from an MS Excel spreadsheet or Google Sheet. The spreadsheet must be in a valid journal format, for example, contain header and line details. Click here for a sample spreadsheet.

Your Journal Loader spreadsheet must contain:

One row of column headers
One row of header data
One or more blank lines
One row of line headers
One or more rows of line data

Notes:

You must use the field label for a column and line headers, not the API name.

The source spreadsheet must be formatted so that the values are displayed with the correct number of decimal places for the applicable currency. Journal loader reads the spreadsheet's displayed values, regardless of what is in the formula bar.

You no longer need to mark journals as "large" using the "Large Journal" checkbox. This field has been deprecated, and you should remove it from your source spreadsheet when using Journal Loader.

Tip:

In lookup columns, the ID of a record can be used as well as the name.

Custom fields are supported, allowing you to tailor the spreadsheet to the needs of your business. If you are using custom fields on your journal header or line headers, ensure you have already added them in Setup | Object Manager.