Any ERP system must ensure the security and integrity of the data resulting from transactions. This means, among other things, that once a transaction has been posted to the database, it can no longer be deleted, but only corrected by posting another transaction. Therefore, it is important for the user to avoid, as much as possible, input errors. However, considering the complexity and modular structure of an ERP system, it is not always obvious how a transaction will be reflected in the database, or how it will affect the entries in the general ledger, customer ledger, inventory, etc. For this reason, it is recommended that users review what entries will be generated before performing the actual posting.
In Dynamics 365 Business Central, this review is done using the “Preview Posting” functionality. The feature is available in journals and documents (such as orders and invoices). In this article we’ll show you where to find this function and how to use it, using a few examples.
Let’s take, for example, a scenario where we want to post a payment in EUR to a foreign vendor from the payment journal.
If we want to check, before posting the transaction, which accounts will be affected and whether any gains or losses from exchange rate differences will be generated, we can do this directly from the journal page: we access the “Post” button from the menu and then select the “Preview Posting” option.
A page will open displaying the amounts and G/L accounts associated with the transaction. As seen in the image below, the transaction will generate realized gains due to currency exchange rate differences.
Similarly, we can use the function from within documents. For example, from a sales order.
In this case, the posting will generate more G/L entries, since there will be also inventory decrease and maybe VAT generation.
In addition to the G/L entries, the “Preview Posting” page will also show VAT entries and entries in related tables.
The related entries are not visible directly—you need to click on the numbers displayed (see the “No. of Entries” column in the image above).
We recommend using the “Preview Posting” function especially in two situations: when you’re just starting out with the ERP system Business Central and you’re still not entirely familiar with how the system works, and whenever you are posting a new type of transaction. It is much better to preview than to post and later find out that corrections are necessary.
Elian Solutions is part of the Bittnet Group, active for over 15 years as an implementer of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP system. With a team of over 70 employees and a portfolio of over 250 clients, Elian Solutions is one of the key Microsoft partners for ERP systems.
