19. When something looks wrong¶
First, three questions¶
- Is the screen showing a red message? Read it — the system explains refusals in words rather than codes, and the message usually names the fix.
- Is the list empty, or did it fail? An empty list says something reassuring ("Every bill is paid"). A failure says so in red. They are never confused, so trust which one you are looking at.
- Is it your permissions? If a button you expect is simply not there, your role does not have it. Buttons are hidden rather than greyed when a permission is missing.
Common situations¶
| What you see | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| A button you expected is missing | Either the document is not in a state where that action applies, or your role does not have the permission |
| "Save" is greyed out | Something required is missing. The reason is written next to the button |
| The order will not fulfil or invoice | It has not been approved yet, or you are trying to invoice more than has gone out |
| A month of payroll is refused | That month has already been posted for that company |
| A bank statement will not import | The pasted lines do not add up from the opening to the closing balance — a movement is missing |
| A report says it is incomplete | Read the box at the top: it names exactly what was left out and why |
| The reconciliation will not come to nil | Work the lists underneath it: an unmatched line, a payment posted to the wrong account, or an unrecorded bank charge |
| A figure looks wrong on the Trial Balance | Click the account. The account ledger shows every posting behind it |
Correcting things¶
Two rules cover almost every correction:
- Fix it where it happened. A wrong invoice is voided and raised again from its order; it is not patched with a journal that leaves the order saying something different. A wrong exchange rate is corrected by entering the right one for the same date.
- Never correct it somewhere else as well. If you have posted a journal to fix something and then the underlying document is also corrected, the correction is now in twice. Do one or the other.
Voiding a document asks for a reason. The reason is stored on the document and in the audit trail, and the original bookkeeping entries are reversed with new ones rather than removed — so last month's reports do not change underneath somebody who has already read them.
If you still cannot resolve it¶
Note the document number, the exact wording of any message on screen, and what you were doing, and pass it to whoever administers the system. The sign-in record and audit trail will let them see what happened; a screenshot of the red message is usually enough to identify it straight away.