Saving Invoices and Credit Notes

Integrity Checks

The following integrity conditions must be met before an invoice or credit note can be saved (not applicable to pro forma invoices)

Condition Requirements
Line Item Count There must be at least one-line item on the document
Line Item Validation All line items must be validated

Items Imported from an external source must be opened and saved to ensure all fields are captured and validated accordingly

Pax Name Check
PNR Match All air tickets on an automatic invoice must have the same PNR
Document Total The total charge must be positive, Although individual line items may be negative, the sum of all line items must be positive.
Vat Numbers If the ‘action in the event of no Vat numbers’ is specified as ‘Block’ in the branch invoicing setup, the client and all land principals’ vat numbers must be setup correctly
Merged Service Fee source references All merged service fees must have a valid source reference (ie must refer to an air ticket or land arrangement on the current invoice)
Merged Service Fee payment methods If the ‘match service fee payment method to source’ option in the branch line items setup is turned on, the service fee payment method must match the line item’s payment method that it is being merged with.

If any of the integrity conditions are not met, individual messages to that effect will be displayed and the situation must be corrected before the document may be saved.

Supplementary Checks

If all integrity conditions have been met, the system will perform the following supplementary checks:

Condition Requirement
Zero Commission If the ‘check for zero commission’ items has been activated in the branch invoicing setup, all air tickets (excluding conjunction and cash splits) and/or land arrangement items must have a commission charge.
Credit Limits If credit control has been activated for the branch, the charge per the current invoice must not result in the client exceeding his credit limit.
Credit Terms If credit control is active, the client must be within his specified terms (irrelevant of the current invoice charge)

Accounting Analysis

Manual Invoices

The accounting analysis window will be always be displayed on saving if:

  1. The “Show accounting analysis on saving” option has been turned on in the branch invoicing setup, or
  2. The “Check for zero commissions” option has been turned on in the branch invoicing setup and zero commission lines items exist (highlighted in purple), or
  3. Credit control has been activated in the branch credit management setup and the client has exceeded his credit limit or terms or the ‘display credit information’ option selected in the setup is met.

If the accounting analysis window is displayed, you will have to click the ‘Save’ button again and enter any override passwords that may be required or click cancel to return to the invoice.

If the accounting analysis window is not displayed, you will simply be prompted to confirm the save which you may cancel to return to the invoice.

Automatic Invoices

The accounting analysis window will only be shown if

  1. Credit control has been activated in the branch credit management setup, and
  2. “Stop and request user confirmation” option has been selected as the action if blocked, and
  3. The client has exceeded his credit limit or terms

As with manual invoices, you will have to click the ‘Save” button to save the invoice or Cancel to reject the invoice and flag at as “Credit Control Error” in the imported tickets register.

Automatic Service Fees

If all the above integrity and supplementary conditions have been met and automatic service fees are active, they will now be added to the invoice.

Save Errors and Error Logs

An invoice contains various components stored in various different tables in the database and may also contain links to other QuickTrav applications (eg Vouchers) or other invoicing registers (eg imported tickets) that may need to be updated on saving.

To provide for any errors during the save process the following procedures are adopted

  1. The invoice header is saved and marked with a “Busy” flag
  2. All line items are saved
  3. All messages and notes are saved
  4. Any external and other updates required are executed
  5. Client Passenger lists are updated (if activated in branch setup)
  6. The invoice header’s Busy flag is updated to indicate that the process was completed successfully

Each step is recorded in a log file (simple text file) under the “Doclogs” sub folder. These ‘Save’ logs are named as <Document Type><Document Number>.<Branch Code> (eg I0002556.HOF) and are automatically deleted as soon as the document saves correctly.

In the event of a system failure or any errors during the save process (except for item 5), the invoice header will still have a “Busy” flag which is displayed as “Save Error” in the invoice register and the ‘Save’ log file should exist.

In this case, the invoice must be re-opened to check for any missing information (depending on at what stage the error occurred). You will be notified of the previous ‘Save Error’ and prompted to view the save log (if it exists). In most cases you should simply be able to recheck the invoice content to your source documentation to ensure that it is complete and then re-save it. If the ‘Save Error’ persists, review the log file and contact Quick Software for assistance.

If the invoice header has no line items (ie failed at item 2), you will be prompted to release the invoice number for use. If it has line items and you have already re-captured it on another invoice, the “Save Error” invoice can be voided via the “Delete” icon in the invoice register (subject to password access).

Finally, the branch month end will be blocked if there are any “Save Error” documents in the register so it is advisable to sort these out as soon as possible.