Designing Accounts Payable Coding Schemes

Before you can use Accounts Payable, you must add codes to identify the account sets, distribution codes, vendors, and other records you will add to your system. You should take the time to design sensible coding schemes for each type of code you require, before you start assigning codes to records.

If you already have a system for the most of these codes, you may be able to continue with the same system. Check the list below to see whether each code type allows for the number and type of characters you use in your current system.

Codes used in Accounts Payable

Code Name	Maximum Number of Characters
Account set code	6 digits and letters
1099/CPRS code	6 digits and letters
Distribution code	6 digits and letters
Distribution set	6 digits and letters
Payment selection code	6 digits and letters
Recurring Payable code	15 characters
Remit-to location code	6 characters
Terms code	6 digits and letters
Vendor group code	3 digits and letters
Vendor number	12 characters

If you are designing new codes, you should assign codes that make it easy to identify each record type and that list records in the order you want them to appear on reports and in Finder windows.

Each code is a unique set of letters, symbols, and digits. For example, each of the following could be a valid vendor number:

• 123
• 123A
• AB1234
• A1
• A01

To simplify codes, we recommend that you:

• Use the same number of characters in all codes of the same record type.
• Where permitted, define codes of at least three characters to allow for future expansion.
• Use a numbering system that is significant for your business, such as a geographical region or division or vertical market.
• If possible, use only numbers (not letters or symbols), for consistency of sorting.

Sorting order of codes

Accounts Payable sorts codes on screens and reports in a specific order, which you should take into consideration when designing codes.

The program reads codes from left to right, and uses the following sequence to put them in order:

[Blank] ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? @ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ ` a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z { | } ~

The codes listed in the introduction to this discussion would be sorted by the program into the following order:

• 123
• 123A
• A1
• A01
• AB1234

You should use the same number of characters in all your codes; otherwise, you get number sequences as shown next.

• 100
• 10000
• 19
• 2
• 2000

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