This function is available to users who have access to the Word Processing volume.
Enterprise 6 is, as we've said before, an 'interactive toolkit' - not just an accounting package. Mail Statements is a good example of a function with makes use of facilities across volumes to achieve a far better, more automated result than a conventional accounting package.
If your line of business is cash only, and you never extend credit or issue statements, then skip this section.
You should not start this section until you have completed the other elements of the Sales Ledger - primarily the production of invoices.
The time has come for Apple Pie Trading to issue statements to all its customers.
We've sent out quite a few invoices now, and although we can no doubt be confident of payment at some time in the future, there's no harm in 'hurrying things along'.
Statements are a convenient method of summarising for our customers what they owe, and a useful part of an efficiently run accounting routine.
There is a bit of one-off preparatory work to carry out before launching into the Statement run itself.
First, select the Data Manager volume from the Volumes menu and 'Preferences' from the Core menu. Select 'Sales Orders & Ledger' from the Section menu. You will find yourself in the main accounting defaults and preferences section of the system. To the right of the page you will see a field entitled Ageing 1,2,3.
When Enterprise 6 ships, it comes with a default of 30, 60 and 90 days as the standard accounts ageing periods. If you work with different ageing periods (28 day or 14 day breaks for example), this is where you should effect the change. The entire system will automatically adjust to work on the basis of your preference.
Once this is done, return to the Sales Ledger.
Before you print a statement run, it is also a good idea to ensure you are fully up-to-date in terms of invoice posting.
Select 'Batch Post to Ledgers' from the Invoices menu. Your invoice to London Pride Ventures will appear (if it doesn't you have not printed it, or you have clicked [Stop Printing] before the print run finished, or you have already posted it. Always click [Next Page] to ensure that the print run ends properly on the Preview on Screen facilities).
Click [OK] and Enterprise 6 will proceed to post the outstanding invoice or invoices. A batch number will appear, and Enterprise 6 confirms the posting by showing you the double-entry postings flash past in a dialogue box.
Now select 'Word Processing' from the Volumes menu and select 'Mail Statements' from the Mailing menu.
The standard Invoices Selection dialogue box will appear.
Note that the settings are made automatically for you to find all the Posted invoices that have a non-zero balance.
Just click [Find] or hit the <Enter> key to confirm the default selection.
A list of invoices will appear, showing you those that have not been paid by your customers. Amongst others, you will see the invoice to London Pride Ventures.
You can, as always, make a selection by <Command>-clicking (if you have a Macintosh) or <Control>-clicking (if you have Windows) individual invoices on this list, and then clicking the [Select] button in the Buttons Palette. You would make such a selection if you wished to miss out individual invoices over which there is some debate or dispute. Enterprise 6 won't forget about them - it will just ignore them for the purposes of this statement print run.
Click the [Accept] button, or hit the <Enter> key to continue.
The standard Print Requirements Dialogue box will appear - with one important change - there is now a Statements check box, which is already set.
The object of this exercise is to send out the Statements, and to include with them a letter asking for prompt payment.
Type "DEBT1" in the Document Code box .
Debt1 is one of the standard letters provided with the Enterprise 6 tutorial data.
Remember that the Print Settings do not include a Print Preview for Word Processing documents at this stage, so you must be connected to a printer if you wish to see the result. For the sake of example, just print the Office Copy. Do this by switching on the 'Office Copy' check box. Don't print all the individual copies as well, unless you have plenty of paper to spare!
Click the [OK] button or hit <Enter> to continue.
Enterprise 6 will first print out statements. It brings up a dialog.
You have the alternative of listing all the Invoice Items on the statement, or of merely showing the total of each Invoice. Click [Multiple]. A dialogue box will ask if you are 'Ready to print Statements?'
Click [OK], the standard Print Settings will appear, and you can go ahead and print your Statement run. Once the statements have been printed, Enterprise 6 will lead straight on to print the accompanying letters.
Enterprise 6 offers a number of System Variables which can be included in any letter. These are used if you need to include certain information in a letter which is stored within Enterprise 6. A full list, and details of how to include them in a letter, can be found in the Word Processing reference chapter. Further details can also be found in the appendix.
For example, you can include your company name, as on the first page of Preferences, the total amount owed to your company by the recipient of the letter, and a break down of that debt according to your ageing periods.