Statistical Journals
Statistical Journals let you record quantities or units (not money) against your statistical accounts, to keep an informational record that doesn't affect your accounting or your financial statements: headcount, square footage, units produced, hours worked, or any other reference figure you want to track and use alongside your accounting numbers.
What is it and what is it for?
Unlike a regular Journal Entry, a statistical journal doesn't move money and doesn't affect your Balance Sheet or Profit & Loss Statement: each line records a quantity (a number of units) against a special account in your chart of accounts flagged as a statistical account. These accounts exist purely to accumulate reference data (for example "Employees per department" or "Square footage per location") that you can later use to calculate indicators, allocate expenses across departments, or compare your operation in non-monetary terms.
A typical use is feeding an Accounting Distribution Rule: instead of splitting an expense evenly across your divisions, the rule can split it in proportion to the quantity recorded in a statistical account (for example, each division's headcount).
A statistical journal has a header (date, number, reference, notes) and one or more lines, each with a statistical account and a quantity, plus whichever analysis dimensions your plan has enabled (division, department, item class, location or project).
Screens in this area
| Screen | What it does |
|---|---|
| List | Lists all your statistical journals, with filters by date range and subsidiary. From here you also create and delete entries, generate the journals Report, and customize which columns to show and in what order. |
| Create / Edit | The entry's form: header and accounts table with a Quantity column (instead of Debit and Credit), plus the file attachments tab. |
| Details | The already-saved entry in read-only mode, with its lines sorted by account, its file attachments, its activity history (security log), and the action buttons available depending on your permissions: create, edit, duplicate, void, delete and print. |
| A printable version of the entry with your company's information, the reference, the affected accounts with their dimensions and quantity, and the header notes. |
How to record a statistical journal step by step
- Open the Statistical Journals list and click Add.
- Check the date (today's date by default) and, if your plan has subsidiaries enabled, choose the subsidiary the entry belongs to.
- Type a reference and, if you need to, notes explaining the reason for the record.
- Add one line per statistical account you want to update and type the matching Quantity. If your plan has division, department, item class, location or project enabled, fill them in on the line whenever they apply.
- Attach the count's supporting file if you have one (for example, the payroll report you pulled the headcount from).
- Save. If you didn't type a number, AdmCloud assigns the next number from your configured numbering automatically.
Key header fields
| Field | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Number | Identifies the entry. If left blank, AdmCloud assigns it automatically according to your configured numbering; once saved, it can't be changed. |
| Date | The entry's date. It determines which accounting period the entry is posted to, and can't be saved if that period is closed for Accounting. |
| Reference | Free text to identify the entry on the list and on reports. |
| Subsidiary | Which subsidiary the entry belongs to. It only appears and is required if your plan has subsidiaries enabled. |
| Transaction Type | An optional category to group or filter your entries; it has no accounting effect. |
| Notes | Free-form description of the reason for the record. |
| Attachments | Supporting documents for the count (reports, calculations), subject to your plan's file limit. |
Key line fields
| Field | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Account | The account affected by the line. It must be an account in your chart of accounts flagged as statistical, and it must be active; a regular ledger account can't be used. |
| Quantity | The number of units the line records (not a monetary amount). It must be different from zero for the line to be saved. |
| Notes | A description specific to that line. |
| Division, Department, Item Class, Location, Project | Optional analysis dimensions for the line, each only available if your plan or the matching Enterprise module has it enabled as a cost or profit center. |
Validations when saving
- Date required, and the accounting period for that date (and subsidiary) must be open for Accounting.
- At least one line with a non-zero quantity is required. An entry with no accounts can't be saved.
- Every account used must be of the "Statistical Account" class. If you try to use a regular ledger account, saving is rejected with the message "{Account} is not a statistical account and cannot be used".
- Every account used must be active; an inactive account blocks saving.
- The same entry number can't be repeated (Number/DocID) on another Statistical Journal.
- The entry's number can't be changed once saved, or while editing it.
- The dimensions you pick (division, department, item class, location, project) must be active; a voided one can't be used.
- A project is required on "work in process" account lines when your plan has Projects enabled and none was selected.
- A voided entry can't be edited or deleted.
- File attachment limit according to your contracted edition.
Managing the entry
From the details of an already-saved entry you can, depending on your permissions:
- Edit it, as long as its accounting period is still open and it isn't voided.
- Duplicate it to quickly create a similar entry, with a blank number and today's date.
- Void it instead of deleting it, to keep it in the history marked as voided.
- Delete it, if it has no linked records and the period is still open.
- Print it or review its activity history (security log).
Availability, plans and permissions
- Access is controlled by the "Journal Entries" permission of the user group (the same one used by regular Journal Entries), with separate levels for view, add, edit, void and delete.
- To use this screen you need at least one statistical account created in your Chart of Accounts. Creating statistical accounts requires the Advanced Financials module of the Enterprise edition.
- The Subsidiary, Division, Department, Item Class, Location and Project columns and fields only appear if your plan or the matching Enterprise module has them enabled.
Tips and common mistakes
Use these entries as the base for your Accounting Distribution Rules. If you need to split an expense across divisions or departments based on headcount, square footage or another non-monetary measure, record that measure here and then set it as the distribution rule's basis.
You won't see these accounts on your financial statements. Being statistical accounts, they don't affect your Balance Sheet or your Profit & Loss Statement; if you need to see the recorded quantity, check it from the Chart of Accounts or from this entry's details.
If the account selector doesn't show the one you need, check that it's been created as a statistical account in your Chart of Accounts; a regular ledger account doesn't show up as a valid option on this entry.
If the system rejects saving with "the period isn't open", check under Accounting Periods whether that date's period has already been closed; only an administrator can reopen it.