Frequently Asked Questions about the 'Reconcile to GL' Routine in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Many of the support cases for the Reconcile to GL Routine are spent educating the customer on the intended purpose and how to use it.  Here are some of the commonly asked questions that I've seen, so I hope this information will be helpful to you. 

Q1: Is the Reconcile to GL spreadsheet a true reconciliation?

A1: The true reconcile should be between the RM or PM Historical Aged Trial Balance (HATB) and the GL Trial Balance reports. If these match, then you would not necessarily need to run the Reconcile to GL tool for that month. The GL tables are debits and credits (ie. distributions), and the tables that the HATB pulls from are transaction header and apply record tables. Customers asked for a way to reconcile the distributions in GL to the distribution tables in RM or PM to help find differences at that level. This is the reason why the Reconcile to GL routine was created. It compares distributions to distributions, which may help to find missing transactions so you can reconcile the HATB to GL. We recommend to use the Reconcile to GL tool as an 'aid' only to help you reconcile the HATB to GL Trial Balance.

Q2: Should the totals on the Reconcile to GL spreadsheet match the totals on the HATB?

A2: This Reconcile to GL spreadsheet was not intended to be matched to the HATB. It was intended to be an aid to help match distributions to distributions to assist in finding differences that may occur between the GL Trial Balance and RM/PM HATB.

The totals on the Reconcile to GL spreadsheet are simply an addition/subtraction of the distribution records in the distribution tables, and so the RM or PM totals commonly do not match the totals on the HATB. We often suggest to ignore the totals on the spreadsheet and just focus on the Unmatched and Potentially Matched sections of the spreadsheet to help find differences.

Q3: What should I do if distributions are missing on the GL side?

A3: If you find distributions on the RM or PM side that are not on the GL side, investigate the GL side for timing differences. Check to make sure that all GL batches are posted. If they are truly missing on the GL side, you will need to key an adjusting journal entry directly into GL for the entry to create the GL distributions.

Q4: What should I do if distributions are missing on the RM or PM side?

A4: If the GL distribution is listed, but is missing on the RM or PM side, first investigate for timing differences. Also research to see if the transaction itself is listed on the HATB report and is already accounted for. It is possible that the transaction exists, but the distributions are just missing. So the question becomes 'how do I get the distributions in RM or PM then, if the transaction does exist?' First, keep in mind that the distribution tables in RM or PM are not used for any other purpose or reports in GP, other than this reconcile spreadsheet. So is it really necessary to get them added back into RM or PM? Evaluate if it's worth your time to populate a table that is not used anywhere else. But if you so choose, you would have to remove history on the transaction and then rekey it back in, and post to GL, so you can delete the GL batch and not affect GL again.

Q5: The transactions in the Potentially Matched section look like they match. Why aren't they in the Matched section?

A5: There are several fields that are matched for each distribution record. All of the fields must match to move it to the Matched section. If some, but not all of the fields match, then it will put it in the Potentially Matched Section.  For example, here are the fields that are matched for PM to GL:

Payables Management -- GL
Voucher Number             Originating Control Number
TRX Source                    Originating TRX Source
Posting Date                   Transaction Date
On Account Amount       Debit Amount or Credit Amount

Q6: If I key the missing distributions in GL or RM/PM and rerun the Reconcile to GL spreadsheet, will the unmatched or potentially matched items move to the Matched section?
A6: No. If the transactions are keyed separately, the will have different voucher numbers and Trx Source codes. At best the Posting Date and Amounts may match, which could put them in the Potentially Matched section of the spreadsheet.

Q7: What are some issues to look for if the RM/PM distributions don't match the GL side, and also doesn't match the HATB? A7:   Please see KB article #866570 for a running list of scenarios that may cause differences.  Click here to review KB 866570.

I hope this information has been helpful to you.

Thank you,

Cheryl W. |  Microsoft Dynamics GP Support