Validating entries in bulk: counterpart, journal, VAT and group validation

Once transactions are imported and categorised, and invoices recorded, dozens of draft entries remain. Opening them one by one takes hours. The group actions bar in the list of accounting documents processes them in batches: you review and validate, instead of re-keying.

The list of accounting documents

Accounting → Accounting docs lists every document in the company file. The counters at the top sort them by state: To process, Processing, Pre-processed, Processed and Archived.

To prepare a batch, filter:

• by status and document type;
• with search (document no., description, contact);
• on Unclassified documents;
• on documents with a Missing supporting document.

Process a selection

1. Tick the documents to process. No need to sort first: ready drafts, incomplete drafts and already validated entries can be mixed.
2. The group actions bar appears. Each button shows in brackets how many documents are actually concerned.
3. Complete drafts if needed (see the table below).
4. Click Validate N ready entries, review the confirmation, then validate.
5. Read the report: what was processed, what was skipped and why.

Action	What it does	On which documents
Counterpart	Sets the chosen counterpart account	Drafts without a counterpart. An existing counterpart is never overwritten.
Journal	Applies the chosen journal	Every draft in the selection
VAT account	Sets the chosen VAT account	Drafts that carry VAT
Validate N ready entries	Generates the entries and seals the documents	Ready drafts only

Validation is final

Validation generates the accounting entry and seals the document: it becomes immutable. A mistake is then corrected by a reversal. See Post and reverse.

The report

Group validation does not stop at the first incomplete document. It processes what is ready and explains the rest:

• documents already validated;
• documents without a counterpart, to complete first with the Counterpart button;
• documents in progress, being validated by someone else;
• documents awaiting approval before being sealed, if your company has an approval workflow (see Approval engine).

If the connection drops during processing, nothing is lost: documents not yet sent were not modified. Run the validation again; documents already processed are skipped safely.

Ask for missing supporting documents (firm)

In a client’s file, the accountant can click Ask the client in the same bar. One request is sent for each document whose supporting document is missing and has no open request, with a precise subject (number, date, amount): the client knows exactly which document is being requested.

A four-step routine

Step	Where	What you do
1. Import	Bank statements, invoices by OCR	Transactions arrive without re-keying
2. Categorise	To categorize	You accept suggestions, rules handle the rest
3. Review	Accounting docs, filters	You spot unclassified documents or missing supporting documents
4. Validate	Group actions bar	You validate everything that is ready at once

Further reading

Categorising transactions Suggestions, allocation rules and splitting across several categories.

Post and reverse What validation does, and how to correct a posted document.

Approval engine Have certain documents approved before validation.

Viewing the general ledger Check the result of validations account by account.

Article: The accountant no longer keys in entries, they review them.