openerp-expert-accounting team mailing list archive

[Frédéric Clementi <frederic.clementi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi accounting experts,

I think we have a issue with the use of the bank reconciliation and I would
like to check if OpenERP community agree on this.

You will agree that since version 6, the module payment_voucher has become a
major stone in the OpenERP accounting. It is simply used in almost all way
of payments :
- pay invoice button from the invoice
- payments (in Accounting/Customers or Suppliers)
- Bank and Cash/bank statement (using payment_voucher behind when you
reconcile (F1))

Well, unless you decide to post entries manually, it is difficult to avoid
the module.

I think that a company should be able to use these 3
ways indistinctly according to what is easier to use and which user is
paying.
ie: a non-accountant will prefer to use a simple way like the button
"payment" on the invoice but the accountant will rather use the payment menu
or the bank statement.

So far so good ! but what will happen next in a normal accounting process  ?
the bank reconciliation. (I am talking about the reconciliation between the
'real' bank statement balance with the balance in your books).

-> Good news, we have the periodical processing/Statements/Statement
reconciliation menu in OpenERP for that. That's bril but...

The Statement reconciliation and bank statement really look alike (code is
almost a copy-paste) and very few people understand the difference between
both...

The bank statement does 3 things :
1 - post payment entries,
2 - reconcile payment with invoices
3 - and, thanks to the starting balance/closing balance, allows to reconcile
with the bank balance as well.

The bank reconcile does only 1 thing:
- fetch payment transactions already posted with the bank statement or the
payment menu in order to reconcile with the bank balance.
No entries are posted here.

But unfortunately, the 2 objects have something in common that should not be
: the same statement_id
Which means that you cannot use the bank statement AND the Statement
reconcile.

Why is it an issue ?

If the company working with OpenERP uses only the bank statement then it is
fine, you obviously do not need the bank reconcile since the bank statement
can do the bank reconciliation.

However if you want to use the different kind of payment (which is obvious
in most cases to me) then :
- the starting/closing balance in you bank statement is just bothering and
useless (because you will miss all transactions posted with a
payment_voucher
- the statement reconciliation is impossible to use because you will miss
all transactions with a statement_id (already given by the bank statement
validation).


Shame isn't it?


Frédéric CLEMENTI

Business Solutions
Camptocamp SA
Tel : + 41 (0)21 619 1041
http://www.camptocamp.com

 <frederic.clementi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>