Banking Console V6

Introduction

The Banking Console is used to manage and reconcile Cashbook Module bank accounts including adding bank transactions from bank statements when not already in the Cashbook.

Bank Statement transactions can be populated within the Banking Console either from the Cashbook Module or by importing a .QIF file.

Banking Console Configuration

It is highly recommended to :

Ensure Cashbook Tables and Setup are correctly configured. Please refer to the Cashbook Product Guide for full details
Ensure that prior to reconciling bank accounts in the Banking Console, that Bank Reconciliations for those Bank Accounts are correct as at a known date.
If it is planned to import bank transactions either from a .QIF file, ensure the Import Flag in the Bank Accounts Maintenance screen (Cashbook > Tables > Bank Accounts ) for each bank account is set to Y.

Set up the Document Register for the Banking Console so that Bank Reconciliation documents are saved automatically as part of the Reconciliation process. Go to Miscellaneous > Document Register > Document Register – Types and use the following configuration example (the Doc Path may need to be different for the specific system configuration):

Accessing the Banking Console

Open BusinessCraft and click on the Console option on the Menu Sidebar:

The last used console will display. If the Banking Console is not displayed, click the drop-down option just to the left of the Console’s Name (in this case the Contract Management Console)….

…. and select Banking from the menu:

The Banking Console will open and any Tabs previously open will be displayed. The first time the Banking Console is used, the Bank Accounts tab is displayed.

Banking Console Title Bar

Regardless of the tabs that are open, the Banking Console Title Bar is always displayed at the top of the screen:

The Title Bar contains the name of the Console, in this case Banking, with an icon to the left to switch to a different console. There are three icons to the right of the Banking Console Title Bar that provide the ability to refresh the screen, adjust the Banking Console settings and to favourite the Banking Console.

To the far right of the Title Bar, there are icons to access BC Online Documentation, access the BC Client Portal, Settings, save Settings, change the User Profile, optionally switch between Light and Dark mode, optionally access Tasks and Reminders, a logo for the dataset showing the dataset name and providing a quick dataset switching capability, and a X to close BusinessCraft:

	The Console icon provides the ability to switch to another console using the menu that is displayed after clicking the icon.
	The Refresh Icon enables the Console to be refreshed. There is an F5 keyboard shortcut available equivalent to clicking on the icon.
	The Settings Icon opens the Settings screen for the specific Console in use. It is beyond the scope of this guide to explain the settings available in each Console.
	Click the Favourites icon to add the Banking Console to the Favourites Panel in the BusinessCraft Sidebar.
	Click the Help Icon to open the BusinessCraft Documentation web site.
	The System Settings icon provides options to reset the Banking Console layout, to Switch the Desktop and to Recentre the BusinessCraft window.
	The Save Settings icon saves the current layout and settings for the current user login.
	Use the User Profile icon to switch the logged in User Profile.
	Use this icon to switch between Light and Dark Mode
	Use this icon to open the Tasks and Reminders panel
	Use the Dataset icon to quickly logout of the current dataset and log into another dataset.
	Use the Close Icon to log out of BusinessCraft. There is an Alt/Command + F4 keyboard shortcut available equivalent to clicking on the icon. A warning will be provided before existing BusinessCraft.

Bank Accounts Tab

When the Banking Console is opened, the Bank Accounts tab is displayed showing all Bank Accounts for the dataset:

The Navigation and Panels provided are similar to existing BusinessCraft Finders. For full details on how to navigate and use, collapse, hide and autohide panels, please refer to the Finders Product Guide. In summary, the Bank Accounts tab when using the default layout, comprises:

A Finder Panel at the top centre of the screen
A Results Grid in the Centre of the screen showing the Bank Accounts
Recent and Favourites panels on the right-hand side of the screen

Right clicking on a bank account opens a Context Menu providing options to Open the Bank Account tab for the specified bank account in the Banking Console, add the Bank Account to Favourites or open the Bank Account in the classic screen within the Cashbook Module.

Bank Account Tabs

After opening a selected bank account to be reconciled, a Bank Account tab for the specified bank account is displayed with the name of the account shown on the tab:

The Bank Account Tab layout comprises multiple panels that can be collapsed/accessed as needed:

A Bank Account Details Panel (collapsed in screen shot)
A Bank Statements Tab with a Search/Searches capability and a Bank Statements Grid listing the Bank Statements for that bank account and their reconciliation status
A Maintain Tab providing visibility of full details of the Bank Account configured in Cashbook > Tables > Bank Accounts
An Edit Panel, which can be hidden, on the right half of the screen showing details for the selected bank statement.

Bank Statements Tab

The Bank Statements tab is used to find, review, create, edit, and delete bank statements for the purposes of reconciling bank accounts.

Bank Statements can be created by importing a .QIF file containing the transactions for a specified period. Alternatively, bank statements can be created manually with minimal details including the cutoff date.

A toolbar across the top of the Bank Statements Tab provides access to the available actions for Bank Statements:

	Add a bank statement manually.
	Edit the selected bank statement. Reconciled bank statements can be reviewed but not changed. The most recent reconciled bank statement can be reopened if necessary, using the Re-Open icon.
	Delete the selected bank statement. Reconciled bank statements cannot be deleted.
	Import transactions from a .QIF file, creating a bank statement as part of the process.
	Open the Banking Console Document Register to view saved documents in relation to the selected bank statement
	Open a Reports menu to print Cashbook reports for the selected bank statement
	Re-open the latest reconciled bank statement so that it can be re-reconciled.
	Check for missing imported bank statements
	The Search field provides the ability to search for a text string in any of the available columns in the Bank Statements Panel.
	Open an Option menu for Field Configuration, Reset the Bank Statements Panel Layout or select the Panels to display/hide.
	Show/Hide the Edit Panel.

Results Grid

The Results Grid in the Bank Statements Panel provides access to the available Bank Statements for the Bank Account.

To select a Bank Statement, arrow down to the record or click on it. Right click on the bank statement to open a context menu providing similar options as the Toolbar:

To open a Bank Statement , either double-click on it, or select the Bank Statement and press Enter/Return, or select the Bank Statement and use the Edit icon in the toolbar, or right click on the Bank Statement Line and use Open from the context menu.
Click on any column heading with an up/down arrow in the results grid to sort by that column in either ascending or descending order. Multiple sorting can be achieved by clicking on the primary sort column heading and then while holding down the Control key, select secondary sort keys in the order required.
Drag and drop column headings to rearrange columns in the grid
Right click anywhere on the Column Header row in the Results Grid to open the Context Menu providing a wide range of display options for results in the Results Grid:

To filter the results in the grid, hover over the column heading to be used as a filter and a filter icon appears in the column heading. Click on the filter to provide Excel style filtering options and optionally use the Layouts option in the context menu to save for future use).

Status Bar

The Results Grid contains a status bar that shows the number of records in the results grid, as well as buttons to collapse or expand all groups:

The three vertical dots in the status bar opens a menu providing a range of actions available for the contents of the results grid:

Adding a Bank Statement

Whether adding a bank statement manually or using the import option, the Add Bank Statement Entry screen is displayed:

The Start Date and Opening Balance populates from the last reconciled bank statement cut-off date and closing balance, respectively. The Opening Balance should not need to be changed other than to fix a past problem or when adding the first bank statement in the console. The Statement No. field is optional. Click Save to proceed to create and open the Bank Statement.

Bank Statement Tab

After creating a new bank statement or opening a selected bank statement, a Bank Statement tab for the specified bank account is displayed with the cut-off date for the bank statement shown on the tab:

The default Bank Statement Tab layout comprises the following panels. Each panel will be explained in detail later in this document:

Bank Details Panel (collapsed) – a collapsible panel across the top of the screen

Bank Statement Reconciled Status Bar – only displays for reconciled statements

Filter Toolbar – contains an icon to collapse the Sidebar Panel (Statement and Cashbook, Overall and Selection); Journal/Batch, Bank Statement Start and Cutoff Dates; a Data Filter; a Match Filter; and a Help icon.
A Summary Panel in the Sidebar for the Bank Statement and Cashbook. Can be collapsed along with the Overall and Selection Panels. Like other panels can be hidden, auto hidden or float by right clicking. If closed can be reopened.

An Overall Panel in the Sidebar showing the Total Matched Payments and Deposits for the Bank Statement and the Cashbook with a Reconcile button. Can be collapsed along with the Summary and Selection Panels. Like other panels can be hidden, auto hidden or float by right clicking. If closed can be reopened.

A Selection Panel in the Sidebar displaying the currently selected transactions and any difference with a Match/Undo Match button. Can be collapsed along with the Overall and Summary Panels. Like other panels can be hidden, auto hidden or float by right clicking. If closed can be reopened.

A Bank Statements Panel showing the transactions contained in the Bank Statement. Icons are provided in a Toolbar to add a statement entry, edit/delete the selected transaction/s, match selected transaction/s, carry out an automatic matching process and to clear all matches. A Search option, an information icon, and totals at the bottom of the panel for selected transactions are also provided. Like other panels can be hidden, auto hidden or float by right clicking. If closed can be reopened.
A Cashbook Payments/Deposits Panel showing the unreconciled transactions contained in the Cashbook up to the specified cutoff date. Icons are provided in a Toolbar to add selected Cashbook Transactions to the Bank Statement Totals as well as view Cashbook History for Deposits and Payments. A Search option, an information icon, and totals at the bottom of the panel for selected transactions are also provided. Like other panels can be hidden, auto hidden or float by right clicking. If closed can be reopened.
A Selection Details Panel at the bottom of the screen showing the currently selected transactions for matching. Can be collapsed/opened if needed. Like other panels can be hidden, auto hidden or float by right clicking. If closed can be reopened.

Creating Bank Statements

Open the Banking Console, ensure that the Bank Accounts Tab is displayed and select the required Bank Account:

Use any of the methods previously described to open the Bank Statements tab for the bank account:

Add a Bank Statement Manually

If overnight bank feeds and/or QIF files are not used to populate bank statements, click the + icon to add a bank statement and, provided there is no existing unreconciled Bank Statement, the Add Bank Statement Entry screen is displayed:

Start Date	The Start Date for the Bank Statement. Defaults to the date following the last bank statement cutoff date.
Cutoff Date	The Cutoff Date for the Bank Statement which is also used to determine the unreconciled transactions to be displayed in the Cashbook Panel. The Cutoff Date cannot be in the future.
Opening Balance	The Opening Balance defaults from the Closing Balance for the last reconciled bank statement and should not need to be changed other than to fix a past problem or when adding the first bank statement in the console.
Statement No.	The Statement No. field is optional.

Click Save to proceed to create and open the Bank Statement.

Add a Bank Statement from a QIF File

If creating a bank statement from a QIF file, click the import icon and the Windows File Explorer will open the default location for bank statement imports using the Bank Import Device variable and the BusinessCraft Registry:

After selecting the required file, the Add Bank Statement Entry screen opens – follow same steps.

Using the Bank Statement Tab

After adding a bank statement entry (or opening a selected bank statement), a Bank Statement tab for the specified bank account is displayed with the cut-off date for the bank statement shown on the tab:

The Bank Statement Panel displays all transactions for the Bank Statement (these will come from the .QIF file, be manually added or can be populated from the Cashbook Panel using the Generate Statement Entries icon after selecting required transactions to generate. In this example, the bank statement was added manually with no bank statement transactions.
The Cashbook Panel displays all unreconciled Cashbook Module transactions up to and including the Cutoff Date that was specified when the Bank Statement was created.

Understanding the Summary Panel in the Sidebar

The Summary Panel reflects the reconciliation status of the Bank Statement and Cashbook Module.

The Opening Balances are determined from the last reconciliation.
The Deposits and Payments represent the transactions in the Bank Statement (as and when they are populated) in the Bank Statement Panel and matched Cashbook transactions in the Cashbook Panel.
The Bank Statement Closing Balance is calculated using the Opening Statement Balance (usually the Closing Statement Balance from the last reconciled statement) and adding/subtracting the bank statement transactions.
The Cashbook Closing Balance is calculated using the Opening Cashbook Balance (the Closing Cashbook Balance from the last reconciled statement) and matched Cashbook transactions. Initially, the Cashbook Closing Balance is equal to the Cashbook Opening Balance.

The Overall Panel displays the value of Deposits and Payments in the Bank Statement compared to matched Cashbook transactions and the overall difference remaining to reconcile.

Only a difference may be displayed depending on the size of the screen display:

Dragging can increase the size of the panel to show the charts if required:

Bank Statement transactions are represented by a blue vertical bar, whilst matched Cashbook transactions are represented by a red vertical bar. Hovering over the bars shows additional information.

The difference represents the amount still to reconcile. A Reconcile button is provided that enables the Reconciliation process to be commenced. The Reconcile button will be a faded green indicating there is a difference to reconcile. As transactions are matched, the Overall Panel will reflect the reconciliation progress. Once there is no difference, the Reconcile button changes to a bright green indicating reconciliation can commence.

The Selection Panel in the Sidebar displays the value of Deposits and Payments in the Bank Statement and Cashbook that have been selected for matching or unmatching.

In most cases, this screen will not be used as the Banking Console provides an auto match capability and even when manually matching, what is being selected is already easily visible in the Bank Statement and Cashbook panels.

Bank Statement transactions selected are represented by a blue vertical bar, whilst Cashbook transactions selected are represented by a red vertical bar. Hovering over the bars shows additional information.

The difference represents the difference between the selected transactions. A Match/Undo Match button is provided to proceed to match transactions or undo the match of previously matched transactions.

As transactions are selected for matching, the Selection Panel will reflect the matching progress and provided there is no difference, allow the Match button to be clicked to carry out the Match

After clicking the Match Button, the transactions just matched remain selected, however the Match button changes colour and provides the ability to Undo the Match:

Although the Undo Match is initially available for the transactions just matched by default, the Undo Match option is available for any matched transactions by selected those previously matched transactions.

Understanding the Selection Details Panel

The Selection Details Panel works in conjunction with the matching/unmatching process and the Selection Panel in the Sidebar. It is recommended that unless this panel will be regularly used, that it is set to Auto hide.

The Selection Details panel displays the details of Deposits and Payments in the Bank Statement and Cashbook that have been selected for matching or unmatching. This is beneficial when a number of transactions have been selected or there are a number of transactions for the same amount. This can be useful to troubleshoot suggested matches or work through transactions with the same amount.

The panel can be increased in size using a horizontal divider or collapsed if required:

As transactions are selected for matching, the Selection Details Panel will reflect the matching progress.

The Filter Panel is positioned underneath the Bank Details Panel and above the Summary, Bank Statement and Cashbook Payments/Deposits panels:

	A toggle to expand/collapse the Sidebar comprising the Summary, Overview and Selection Panels.
Start Date	The start date for the Bank Statement.
Cutoff Date	The Cutoff Date for the Bank Statement that is also used to determine the unreconciled transactions to be displayed in the Cashbook Payments/Deposits Panel.
Type Filter	Provides the option to show all, only Deposits or only Payments in the Bank Statement and Cashbook Payments/Deposits panels.
Match Filter	Provides the option to show All, only Unmatched, only Auto Matched or only Matched transactions in the Bank Statement and Cashbook Payments/Deposits panels.
	Click to open the BusinessCraft Documentation web site.

Understanding the Bank Statements Panel

The Bank Statements Panel reflects the transactions contained in the bank statement and provides toolbar icons to add, edit or delete selected transactions, match/unmatch selected transactions, carry out an auto-matching process or clear all matching. A search field is also provided:

	Add a bank statement transaction
	Edit a selected bank statment transaction
	Delete a selected bank statment transaction
	Match selected transactions – toggles to an unmatch icon
	Run the Auto Match process
	Clear all matches
	Search the Bank Statements grid
	Used to select one or more (or all) transactions.
Date	The bank transaction date
Deposit	The value of the transaction if it is a deposit.
Payment	The value of the transaction if it is a payment.
Narrative	The Narrative for the transaction.
Ref	The reference for the transaction.
Code	The Customer/Vendor/Employee Code
Type	Indicates if the transaction is a Deposit (D) or a Payment (P)
Amount	The transaction amount – payments are shown as a negative.
Match State	Indicates if the transaction has been manually matched (set), was auto-matched (auto) or none of these (blank).
Match ID	A system assigned identifier based on the Match State.
Source	The Source Module for the Transaction.

A Status Bar at the bottom of the Bank Statements panel provides the Total of selected Deposits, the Total of selected Payments and the net Total of selected Deposits and Payments.

Understanding the Cashbook Payments/Deposits Panel

The Cashbook Payments/Deposits Panel reflects the unreconciled transactions contained in the Cashbook Module up to and including the cutoff date.

Toolbar icons provide options to Generate Bank Statement Entries from selected transactions to the Bank Statement Panel, ass a Cashbook Payment Transaction, add a Cashbook Deposit transaction, view Cashbook Deposit History, View Cashbook Payment History. A search capability is also provided.

	Generate Bank Statement Transactions from selected transactions
	Add a Cashbook Payment transaction
	Add a Cashbook Deposit transaction
	View Cashbook Deposit History
	View Cashbook Payment History
	Search the Cashbook Payments/Deposits grid
	Used to select one or more (or all) transactions.
Date	The transaction date
Deposit	The value of the transaction if it is a deposit.
Payment	The value of the transaction if it is a payment.
Narrative	The Narrative for the transaction.
Type	Indicates if the transaction is a Deposit (D) or a Payment (P)
Src	The source Module for the transaction
Mth	The Deposit/Payment Method.
Drawer	The entity making the Payment
Code and Name	The Customer/Vendor/Employee Code and Name
Amount	The transaction amount – payments are shown as a negative.
Match State	Indicates if the transaction has been manually matched (set), was auto-matched (auto), or none of these (blank).
Match ID	A system assigned identifier based on the Match State.
Key	The BusinessCraft Transaction Reference

Adding Cashbook Panel Transactions to the Bank Statement Panel

If Bank Statement Transactions are not imported as part of the Bank Statement creation process, the Bank Statement Panel will not contain any transactions. However, the Bank Statement Panel must contain transactions before they can be matched. Keying transactions into the Bank Statement Panel would be time consuming and so an option is provided in the Cashbook Panel to generate Bank Statement Transactions for selected Cashbook Transactions.

Click the check box for the transaction/s to be generated. If there are multiple transactions, they can be selectively ticked or if all the displayed Cashbook Panel transactions need to be populated on the Bank Statement panel, then click the check box in the Column Heading row of the Cashbook Payments/Deposits panel:

Now click the Arrow pointing to the Left in the Cashbook Payments/Deposits panel Toolbar to create transactions in the Bank Statements panel for the selected transactions:

Because the transaction was added to the Bank Statement panel from the Cashbook Payments/Deposits panel, the transactions are automatically matched with no further matching effort required.

Adding Bank Statement Transactions to the Cashbook Panel

In certain circumstances, there will be transactions on the Bank Statement Panel that need to be added to the Cashbook – for example, bank charges and direct debits.

There transactions need to be added to the Cashbook either by using the Cashbook Transactions menu or by calling those screens from within the Banking Console using the icons provided in the Cashbook Payments/Deposit panel (Add Cashbook Payment and Add Cashbook Deposit).

The icons open the respective Cashbook Payment or Cashbook Deposit screen where the transactions can be added and posted.

The Banking Console must be refreshed using the icon provided or by pressing F5 to see the transactions just posted in the Cashbook Payments/Deposits Panel.

Auto-Matching Transactions

Auto-matching looks for transactions in the Bank Statements Panel and the Cashbook Payments/Deposits panel that have not already been matched that have the same transaction date and same amount.

Whilst Auto Matching transactions occurs during a number of processes when using the Banking console, there are times where the Auto Match process needs to be run by the user.

The Bank Statement Panel Toolbar provides an Auto Match icon to carry out auto-matching of transactions – click the icon to trigger the auto match process:

The matched transactions are now green, the Summary, Overall and Selection Panels have updated. In this case, the Reconcile button has changed to green indicating reconciliation can proceed.

Unmatching Transactions

Prior to reconciling a Bank Statement, transactions that have been matched can be unmatched. These can be unmatched individually or all matches can be cleared depending on how they were originally matched.

To clear all matches or to clear auto matches use the icon in the Bank Statements Panel toolbar.

To unmatch a specific transaction that was not auto matched, click the matched transaction to be unmatched in the Bank Statements panel and then click the unmatch icon in the toolbar that displays. A quicker process is to right click the bank statement transaction and choose Undo Match form the context menu.

Reconciling Bank Statements

As this point in time, all required transactions have been matched and there is no difference left to address:

Click the Reconcile button in the Overall Panel in the Sidebar, the system saves a variety of reports into the Banking Console Document Register and displays the Cashbook Bank Reconciliation screen.

Provided the bank account reconciles a prompt will be provided to mark all transactions as reconciled by clicking the Reconciled button:

Click the Reconciled button to confirm that the Bank Reconciliation is correct, and the Cashbook Bank Reconciliation Complete screen is displayed:

Close the screen to return to the Banking Console.

Close the Bank Statement by clicking the X on the Bank Statement Cutoff Date tab to return to the Bank Statements Tab and note the Bank Statement is flagged as reconciled:

Reverse and reopen Reconciled Bank Statements

The Banking Console provides the option to reverse and re-open the last reconciled bank statement. Select the Bank Statement to unreconciled and then use either the icon in the toolbar to carry out the process or right click on the bank statement and select Reopen from the Context Menu:

The status of the Bank Statement changes to Open and the reconciliation process can be re-commenced.

Banking Console Document Register

Provided the recommended configuration at the beginning of this document has been carried out, the Banking Console provides a document register that stores the reports including the reconciliation summary automatically as part of the reconciliation process.

On the Bank Statements tab, position the cursor on the required Bank Statement and click the Documents icon. Alternatively, right click on the required bank statement and choose Documents from the Context Menu. The Banking Console Document Viewer is displayed:

The Banking Console Document Viewer opens:

All the usual navigation options available in consoles and Finders are available. In this example, the Viewer has been filtered to the last reconciliation carried out as in this case the account was reconciled and reopened number times in the preparation of this document.

A preview of the selected document is available to the right or a single click on the document line will open the PDF.

Revision 3

18^th October 2024