connected to an edit/inquiry program, the clerk performs the following tasks in real-time
mode:
1. Perform a credit check online by accessing the customer credit file. This file contains
information such as the customer’s credit limit, current balance, date of last payment,
and current credit status. Based on programmed criteria, the customer’s
request for credit is approved or denied.
2. If credit is approved, the clerk then accesses the inventory master file and checks the
availability of the inventory. The system reduces inventory by the quantities of items
sold to present an accurate and current picture of inventory on hand and available
for sale.
3. The system automatically transmits an electronic stock release record to the warehouse
and a shipping notice to the shipping department, and records the sale in
the open sales order file. This is a temporary holding file for sales orders until they
are shipped and can then be billed.
Warehouse Procedures. The warehouse clerk’s terminal immediately produces a
hard copy printout of the electronically transmitted stock release document. The clerk
then picks the goods and sends them, along with a copy of the stock release document,
to the shipping department.
Shipping and Billing. The shipping clerk reconciles the goods, the stock release document,
and the hard copy packing slip produced on the terminal. The clerk then selects
a carrier and prepares the goods for shipment. From a terminal, the clerk transmits a
shipping notice containing invoice, date, and carrier information to create a shipping
log record of the event. The transaction record is removed from the open sales order
file and added to the sales invoice file. Finally, drawing from data in the customer file,
the system automatically prepares the customer’s bill.
Cash Receipts Procedures
In open invoice systems, such as this, each invoice is billed and paid individually. Cash
from customers may be received and processed as just described or may be sent directly
to a bank lock-box. In either case, the remittance advices (and credit memos to reflect
returns and allowances) are sent to the AR department where the clerk enters them
into the system via a terminal. Each remittance record is assigned a unique remittance
number and is added to the remittance file. Placing the remittance number and
the current date in the respective fields then closes the corresponding open invoice
record.
Features of Real-Time Processing
This system is a departure from traditional accounting. A central feature of the system
is the use of an events database. Traditional accounting records may not exist
per se. For instance, in this example the sales invoice file replaces the sales journal
and AR-SUB ledger. Total sales is the sum of all invoices for the period. Summing
the open sales invoices (those not closed by cash receipts or credit memos) provides
accounts receivable information. In theory, such a system does not even need a general
ledger because sales, sales returns, accounts receivable-control, and cost of goods
sold can all be derived from the invoices in the events database. Most organizations,
however, prefer to maintain a separate general ledger file for efficiency and as a cross
check of processing accuracy.