Bulk update specific Accounts with Tracking Codes

#1

Tracking Codes are great. Now we wish to generate a report for a Charity where certain revenue and expense accounts are grouped and presented in a different way to the Profit and Loss report. I can achieve the layout and present the data required with Tracking Codes. (Custom Reports cannot deliver the report needed).

1. My question: Is there a way to “Bulk update” a specific account with a tracking code? At the moment we need to drill down on the account and then update each transaction individually.

2. An idea: Could a tracking code be added to an account within the “Settings” ----> “Chart of Accounts” -----> “Edit” function?

Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

#2

I think you are missing the point of tracking codes. They are meant to distinguish transactions posted to the same account as belonging to one division, job, purpose, or another. If you code every transaction posted to an account with the same tracking code, you haven’t accomplished anything, have you? The account was already (apparently) meant to record transactions applicable to that division, job, or purpose.

Or maybe I’m missing what you are really trying to do.

#3

Hey Tut I know exactly how to use tracking codes and their purpose but here is the thing people on this forum are using some of Manager’s capability in genius ways to achieve an outcome. All I am doing here is pulling a report like anyone else with the use of tracking codes.

Oooh Tut how did this happpen … you did not attempt to answer my question in but told me I am missing the point :sunglasses:

Also I have tested the principle of what the charity wants to achieve and it does work. It is just a fair amount of work / time.

Here is some more detail. The charity has about 5 Revenue streams and each revenue stream has its own set of expenses. These are currently beautifully presented in the P & L report.
Our end result is to have for example an “Analysis of Revenue” where all revenue from all income streams are reported by account under a common headings for Revenue

Revenue

Revenue - Donations, Fundraising and other similar
2003 - Conference, Camps Seminars
2007 - Home Missions

Fees Subscriptions and Other revenue
3550 - World Vision
3905 - Membership Fees

#4

OK, here is the answer to your question: No. You cannot bulk update a specific account with a tracking code.

But if you were willing to explain what you are trying to do, there might be a way to get what you are interested in. As it is, it appears you are trying to add a distinguishing factor to transactions that would already be distinguished by being posted to the account involved.

#5

Yes OK I will … Right on entering more tracking codes and trying this there appears to be more work to be done to make presentable. I am beginning to think it is not currently possible in Manager. Maybe Excel / LibreOffice?

Below is a test and all seemed pretty positive until I moved away from the 20xx series set of accounts to the 35xx series set.

Revenue1
Revenue1.png633×558 45 KB

So if you can picture a group of specific accounts grouped under say a common name “Revenue” and Totalled.
The plan is on the same report to do the same for “Expenses”. Essentially the guys want one report with revenue and expenses from all streams consolidated.

#6

OK using tracking codes in custom reports goes a long way to generate the sought after report. This may be acceptable if we could suppress the expanded account detail under each “Account Name”. so now

See below

Revenue4

OK so here is another question can this be done in custom reports? By the way thanks for the update on the “Bulk Update” Tut.
At the end of the day the tracking code input / work will still need to be done to pull the desired custom report.

#7

How would this be different from an ordinary P&L report? You can name groups however you want. All of this seems, based on what you’ve have shared so far, to be running around in circles because the organization has somewhat unusual (but not unprecedented) desires for how the chart of accounts is organized. But Manager can organize a chart of accounts just about any way you want.

#8

Yes I am too relaxed it is not the “Guys” it is the manner charities / churches need to report here when presenting their financials, it is a bit different from a FPO. How is it different well the P & L report separates for example all the revenue and expense streams based on the chart of accounts which in this case define about 6 different revenue streams. The chart of accounts is perfect so no renaming and group changes required. The chart is organised to show revenue stream 1 followed by the expenses relating to the revenue stream 1 then revenue stream 2 is followed by the expenses relating to that revenue stream 2 and so on. So far all looks good but is the P & L showing the various business units in the charity - Good and perfect.
However part of the reporting the charity must provide is a consolidated report of certain components of that revenue / income and expense streams in a summary and it is not ordered in the same way the Chart of accounts are because it is a summary. Are we able to pull a report something like the last example with account group and totals only? This offers a holistic view of the operation / organisation.

Now using tracking codes on the needed accounts allows me to get the data and present it from what looks like any revenue stream I may choose which is great.

How can I suppress / not display the content (the red boxes) of the Account Groups? We need only the account group and the related total for each account group, so if you image the red boxes gone in the last example that would be great.

This is way off topic now and more a custom report manipulation thing.

#9

Sounds like having custom fields on the chart of accounts is what you really want. Which has been suggested in other threads:


#10

I prefer the custom reports capability to locate and filter data to be presented in a report as opposed to making changes to Chart of Accounts. There are currently limitations in custom reporting but once the custom report tool is mature the function and capability will be there I hope.
If custom fields could be added somewhere in the chart of accounts as suggested under ideas that can potentially eliminate updating every transaction using that account with the appropriate tracking code or custom field. Then to deliver the custom report we could filter on that custom field in chart of accounts and deliver a report without making changes to the chart of accounts.