Customizing NetSuite GL Line for Precise impact of Transactions
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One of our US-based clients, an established provider of professional audio and video technologies for broadcast globally, wanted to have customization in the standard General Ledger (GL). They were experiencing GL discrepancies related to items and labour fees associated with assembly items processed at outside locations.
Hence, they asked us to create a custom GL Account to enter the transactions processed outside locations to get the accurate GL impact. They also wanted to add a custom GL line for different items such as bill, item receipt, assembly build, to get the accurate GL impact while recording transactions.
Since customizing the standard GL provided in NetSuite was not a practical option, experts of Jobin & Jismi suggested an alternate way. Implementing a custom GL plugin and customizing the same.
Benefits of Customizing A GL Lines Plug-in
Implementing a custom GL Lines Plug-in and modifying it can change the standard and custom transactions. Customization helps to set the custom segment values from transaction records and custom and standard lines. The default values for different columns are extracted from the body. It also facilitates a change in the value, for the segments that are only applied to the body.
Adding lines to the NetSuite GL Impact page through customizing the transaction logic facilitates to comply with a broad spectrum of accounting standards.
Major Requirements and Challenges
The primary requirement of our client was to resolve GL discrepancies related to items and labour fees associated with assembly items processed at outside locations by creating a separate GL Account or module. This is to record the transaction process OutSide Locations into a new GL Line account as ‘Work In Progress’ for the future financial year. Eventually, the new transactions will have the correct GL impact. These transactions are to be recorded as ‘Work In Progress’ in the new module.
The current “Labour fees” need to be re-created with items that can be fulfilled/received. These items also need to be reclassified as Work In Progress instead of Direct Labour.
Solution
Our NetSuite expert formulates a two-step plan to fulfil these requirements. They decided to implement a GL Lines Plug-in and customize the same using scripts to meet the client requirements. Once a transaction is created against any item, NetSuite will not permit you to check the “CAN BE FULFILLED/RECEIVED” slots. However, this can be done using scripts. Hence, the first step was to update the “Service Items” using scripts.
The second step was to customize the GL plugin. Our NetSuite expert created a separate GL Line account using a script, for the transaction processes of OutSide locations. Along with this, they added custom GL lines for the Bill, Item receives, Assembly builds using scripts in the custom GL plugin. Users can update the GL impact for the transactions of a future period only if the translation took place outside location. These locations are then considered under the “Outside/vendor” as the outside location.
Now the amount for each transaction process of a future day will be recorded in the newly created “work in progress” account. Based on this, the GL impact will change the records such as;
• Bill
• Item receipt
• Assembly build
An additional script has also been deployed to the above, which will add the custom GL for the creation and edit of these records.
Result
Customization of the standard GL using the GL Lines Plug-in helped our clients to fix the GL discrepancies related to items and labour fees associated with assembly items processed at outside locations. Now, they have a separate GL account to deal with the transactions that occurred outside locations. The GL will show an accurate impact as this is being recorded in a separate account known as ‘Work In Progress’.
