How To: View Changes in a Nominal between Date Ranges
Table Of Contents
Warning
Auditing is an advanced feature and requires the Audit Permission option to be enabled within User Permissions.
Before using the audit tools, ensure you understand how transactions are posted and reported within Khaos Control.
Introduction
The Audit Trail for Journals feature allows you to review changes made to nominal accounts over time.
This can be particularly useful when:
- Investigating differences between month-end balances.
- Identifying transactions that have been posted retrospectively.
- Reviewing late journal entries.
- Checking why a nominal account balance has changed unexpectedly.
The Audit for Nominal Journals dialog provides a detailed view of journal activity against a selected nominal account.
View the Audit Trail for a Nominal Account
- Open an Accounts screen (show me how).
- Press F9 or click the arrow next to Other Actions.
- Select:Audit > Audit Trail for Journals
- In the audit window, select the nominal account you want to review.
- Set the Post Date filter to the period you want to investigate.
- Enter an Audit Date.Tip: If the Audit Date is later than the Post Date, the report will highlight transactions that were entered after the period had ended but posted back into that period.
- Review the results displayed in the grid.
- If required, export the results using Send to Notepad.
Identifying Backdated Transactions
One of the most useful audit checks is identifying transactions that were posted retrospectively.
For example:
- A transaction may have a Post Date of 31 January.
- The transaction may not have been entered until 10 February.
By setting an Audit Date after the reporting period, you can identify transactions that were posted back into a previous accounting period after reports had already been reviewed or printed.
This can help explain differences between saved month-end reports and current nominal balances.
Repeat for Multiple Nominals
The audit process can be repeated for additional nominal accounts.
By reviewing each affected nominal, you can:
- Identify all new postings within a period.
- Calculate the impact of late entries.
- Reconcile differences between historic reports and current balances.
Useful Audit Columns
The audit grid contains additional columns that can help when investigating changes.
If these columns are not visible, they can be displayed using How To: Un-hide Columns in a Grid.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Post Date | The date the transaction was posted into the accounts. |
| Post Time | The exact time the transaction was posted. |
These fields can be invaluable when tracing unexpected balance movements and identifying late postings.
Tips
- Compare audit results against saved month-end reports when investigating discrepancies.
- Export the grid to Notepad or Excel for further analysis.
- Review both the Post Date and Post Time when investigating retrospective entries.
- Use consistent Audit Dates when comparing multiple nominal accounts.
Typical Use Cases
The Audit Trail for Journals is commonly used for:
- Month-end investigations.
- Year-end account reviews.
- Accountant queries.
- Identifying backdated journals.
- Verifying who posted adjustments and when.
- Reconciling differences between historic and current reports.