Supplier Profiles

Supplier profiles are sets of defaults that determine those characteristics common to various classifications of suppliers. These defaults include options, such as those that determine the operating currency (only if you have the Multi-currency module installed and activated), whether remittance advices are produced, how long transactions are retained and so on; and financial controls, such as the bank and creditor control accounts used for postings, the default VAT rate, and so on. Supplier profiles are defined using the Supp. Profiles command on the Maintenance submenu. The profiles are then assigned to supplier records using the Options form displayed when you select the Options command on the Action menu opened from the Supplier form. You can set up as many supplier terms profiles as you want, but you do not have to attach a profile to a supplier record. Instead, you can define a unique set of defaults for a supplier by completing the Options form without selecting a profile.

Example:
You have most of your suppliers in the UK and France operating in Sterling and French Francs respectively. Both classifications of supplier use different VAT rates, a different bank account for payments and gross purchases are posted to different control accounts in the nominal ledger. You create two supplier profile records; one for UK suppliers, the other for French suppliers. When you create supplier records, you select the profile according to whether they operate from the UK or France. You have just one supplier operating in Germany. You do not create a supplier profile but instead define their defaults, including currency, directly using the Options form associated with that supplier's record.

Prerequisites

The following identifies prerequisite records that must exist before you can complete the corresponding boxes on the Supplier Profiles form.

Box	Prerequisite
Currency	At least one currency record must be created using the Exchange Rates command in the System module.
Bank Account	At least one bank account record must be created using the Bank Accounts command in the Nominal module.
Control Account	At least one creditors control account record must be created using the Accounts command in the Nominal module.
Default VAT code	At least one VAT rate code must be created using the VAT Processing command in the System module.
Payment	At least one payment description must be created using the Payment Names command on the Utilities menu in the Purchase module.
Refund	At least one refund description must be created using the Refund Names command on the Utilities menu in the Purchase module.

Open Item and Balance Forward Accounting

An option on the supplier profile record determines whether supplier account records using the profile are treated as ‘open item’. For open item accounts, the system retains all unpaid account transactions, in detail, for the whole of the current accounting year, irrespective of whether and when you run period end procedures. If the Open Item option is cleared, using the End of Period command deletes the transaction details, but a balance is brought forward that includes all outstanding amounts in the period. Consequently, detailed information is only available in the current period, or for transactions posted to a previous period, until the next time the End of Period command is used.

If you decide to change from balance forward to open item accounting at a later date, no detail is retrieved from transactions posted before that last period end.

The most likely reason that you would want to treat an account as 'Balance Forward' would be to save disk space because the transactions that you post are rolled-up into a single balance forward transaction when the Purchase Ledger - Utilities - End of Period command is run. However if disk space is not an issue you should consider selecting the Open Item option for all accounts so you can see the individual transactions on reports.

The Retrospective Creditors Report, for example, relies on the relevant Purchase Ledger transactions being available to give a true historical picture of your debt position at a selected date. If your supplier accounts are set to Open Item then this report, and others, will show comprehensive reporting.

Bank Accounts

You can identify a default bank account used when purchase payment and refund transactions are posted. This default account can be defined in one of the following ways:

By selecting a bank account in the Bank Account list box on the the Purchase Options form that defines the company default and then leaving blank the Bank Account box in the Options form associated with the Supplier form.
By selecting a bank account in the Bank Account list box on the Options form associated with the Supplier form without using a terms profile.
By selecting a bank account in the Bank Account list box on the Supplier Profiles form and then selecting the profile in the Supplier Profile list box on the Options form.

The company default selected on the Purchase Options form is overridden by the one selected on either the Supplier Profiles form or the Options form associated with the Supplier form. If you have more than one bank account defined, selecting the Multiple Bank Accounts option on the Supplier Profiles form will enable you to select a different bank account when entering a purchase payment or refund transaction. If this option is cleared, postings can only be made to the default account.

Retaining Transactions and Analysis Images

You can choose to retain supplier transactions and analysis images for a number of periods, regardless of whether they are completed or not (a completed transaction is one that is fully allocated, such as a matching invoice and payment). You may want to retain such details for reporting a purchase history. Once the specified number of periods has elapsed, completed transactions are removed from the files when you use the End of Period command. You can define company defaults for these two settings on the Purchase Options form. These company defaults are overridden by the entries you make on either the Supplier Profiles form or the Options form associated with the Supplier form.

Retaining transactions and analysis images requires additional disk space.

To define supplier profiles

Open the Purchase folder and then click Maintenance or click the Financials tab and then click Purchase - Maintenance on the Ribbon Bar.
Click Supp. Profiles.
To create a new record, click the icon on the toolbar or press CTRL+N.
In the boxes provided, enter a code for the supplier profile and its details.
To save the record, click the icon on the toolbar or press CTRL+S.

If you subsequently amend a supplier profile, the changes you make will not be reflected on the supplier records to which the profile is attached.

Profile Entries

Box	Description
Profile	A unique reference for the supplier profile. You can add a corresponding description in the Description box.
Open Item	An option that determines whether the detail of outstanding transactions is retained for previous periods. If the option is cleared, outstanding transactions are accumulated into a period total when the End of Period command is used. If the option is selected, the detail of outstanding transactions is retained until it is completed (allocated), regardless of whether the End of Period command is used.
Remit. Advice	An option that determines whether a remittance advice is produced for supplier records associated with the profile when the Remittances command on the Reports menu is used. If the option is cleared, supplier records associated with the profile will be excluded from remittance advice printing.
Currency	A reference that identifies the currency in which balances are maintained for supplier records associated with the profile. This is also the default currency when transactions are entered. You can select the currency from a list. Currencies are defined using the Exchange Rates form in the System module.
Bank Account	A reference that identifies the default bank account used for purchase payment and refund postings. You can select the account from a list. Bank accounts are defined using the Bank Accounts form in the Nominal module. The selection you make here will override the company default bank account identified in the Bank Account list box on the Purchase Options form.
Multiple Bank Accounts	An option that determines whether a different bank account can be selected when a purchase payment or refund transaction is entered. If the option is cleared, postings can only be made to the default bank account. This option only applies if you have more than one bank account defined in the Nominal module.
Control Account	A reference that identifies the default creditors control account used for the double-entry posting of purchase transactions. You can select the account from a list. Control accounts are defined using the Accounts form in the Nominal module.
Default VAT Code	A reference that identifies the default VAT code. You can select the VAT code from a list. VAT code records determine the rate and classification of VAT for supplier records associated with the profile. The code you select will be the default displayed when you enter purchase invoice or credit note transactions. VAT codes are defined using the VAT Processing form in the System module.
Default Ref 2: Payment and Refund	Reference that identify the default payment and refund names used to complete the Reference 2 box on the General tab when purchase payment and refund transactions are posted to supplier records associated with the profile. You can select from a list. Payment and refund names are defined using the Payment Names and Refund Names commands on the Utilities menu respectively. The selection you make can be overridden when a purchase payment or refund transaction is entered.
Keep Transactions	The number of periods, up to 99, that you want to retain completed purchase transactions. Transactions will be retained for the number of periods specified here after which they will be removed by using the End of Period command. The number of periods you specify here overrides the company default entered in the Keep Transactions box on the Purchase Options form.
Keep Document Images	The number of periods, up to 99, that you want to retain images of purchase invoice and credit note analysis records. The analysis details will be retained for the number of periods specified here after which they will be removed by using the End of Period command. The number of periods you specify here overrides the company default entered in the Keep Analysis Image box on the Purchase Options form.
Last Modified	The date on which the supplier profile record was last modified. This is updated automatically by the application. You cannot amend this date directly.