Open Forum

Has anyone had experience with AP Automation (importing of AP invoices) -- regardless of the automation solution -- where you imported invoices that utilized Nolan's Intercompany functionality on the invoice's GL distributions?

With the solution that we have, an AP user codes the GL distributions of the invoice in the document mgmt. system, or enterprise content mgmt. (ECM) system, before the invoice is imported into GP AP.  I think that's pretty standard with most AP Automation solutions.

Our dilemma:  If the invoice to be imported into GP has intercompany distributions, is it even possible to use the Nolan Intercompany functionality that we have already deployed in our GP environment?

Background:  We have on on-premises GP v18.4.  We use Nolan's Intercompany Postings solution when manually entering an AP invoice in GP to code some of the invoice's GL distributions to another GP company.  When an AP user manually does that, the user clicks an IC button when coding the invoice distributions in GP.


Note:  We already have an AP Automation solution [DocStar a.k.a. Epicor ECM & IDC] so please do not contact me if you are the salesperson for an AP Automation solution.



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Eric Guether
East Coast Warehouse
Elizabeth NJ
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Our firm imports invoices to GP from our ERP system.  Our ERP system was custom made and the logic to know which company the product needed to be posted was built in using our GL string of 5 segments.  That said though
In GP we have Nolan Intercompany setup that when an invoice integrates to one database but belongs to another (intercompany) the system is setup to automatically generate the intercompany entries.  No manual intervention done in GP or our ERP since building the logic (ERP has been in place 5 years )
Hope this helps to know that AP import from an ERP system to GP 18.3 using Nolan for I/C  is possible.

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David Gading
The Heritage Group
Indianapolis IN
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Original Message:
Sent: Apr 29, 2022 09:16 AM
From: Eric Guether
Subject: AP Automation with Nolan Intercompany Functionality?

Has anyone had experience with AP Automation (importing of AP invoices) -- regardless of the automation solution -- where you imported invoices that utilized Nolan's Intercompany functionality on the invoice's GL distributions?

With the solution that we have, an AP user codes the GL distributions of the invoice in the document mgmt. system, or enterprise content mgmt. (ECM) system, before the invoice is imported into GP AP.  I think that's pretty standard with most AP Automation solutions.

Our dilemma:  If the invoice to be imported into GP has intercompany distributions, is it even possible to use the Nolan Intercompany functionality that we have already deployed in our GP environment?

Background:  We have on on-premises GP v18.4.  We use Nolan's Intercompany Postings solution when manually entering an AP invoice in GP to code some of the invoice's GL distributions to another GP company.  When an AP user manually does that, the user clicks an IC button when coding the invoice distributions in GP.


Note:  We already have an AP Automation solution [DocStar a.k.a. Epicor ECM & IDC] so please do not contact me if you are the salesperson for an AP Automation solution.



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Eric Guether
East Coast Warehouse
Elizabeth NJ
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David,

Thanks for the response.  Your example might be a little different from the scenario that I was asking about.  Maybe not.  It seems that, under your example, your source system (your ERP system) sends GP an AP invoice with the GL distribution for a company (i.e. 20 in database YYY) that is different from the GP company in which you're importing the AP invoice (i.e. into GP company 10 in database XXX).  And as part of that importing, you're relying on Nolan Intercompany to create the corresponding I/C entries in both GP company databases XXX and YYY.

While we have similarities, I see some differences.  In my case, with AP Automation, the GL coding of the AP invoice in the source system (i.e. our DocStar document mgmt. system) needs to replicate the user experience as is the user were manually coding the invoice in GP AP, including something that mimics or substitutes for the user clicking an IC button in GP. 

We have approximately 6 different GP companies, each in their own database.(i.e. database AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, EEE, FFF).  One invoice might be entered into GP in database AAA, but the distributions for that single invoice might be split across 6 companies (spread across database AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, EEE & FFF).

I have contacted Nolan Solutions support.  Nolan informed me that they provide Alternate Method stored procedures for eConnect integrations to facilitate Intercompany allocations on imported AP invoices.  Apparently, these Alternate Method stored procedures are available to Nolan Solutions InterCompany customers upon request.

Nolan Solutions support also told me (slightly paraphrased):  To successfully call these stored procedures, you need to make sure that the alternate account relationships are created in GP in the integrating company.  As long as alternate account relationships are set in the integrating company, you can call those stored procs during the integration; the destination account information will be written to the ICP table, and, when the integrated transaction is posted in the integrating company, ICP will generate a transaction in the destination company.

David, perhaps the integration bet. your ERP system and your GP AP to import AP invoices uses these Nolan Solutions Alternate Method stored procedures.

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Eric Guether
East Coast Warehouse
Elizabeth NJ

I'm not that familiar with Nolan's solution (we had a demo a while back) but are they saying that you need to set up alternate accounts for each string on the parent company for each potential intercompany transaction? not sure if i'm misunderstanding their instructions, but that sounds like a ton of work.

I had a really good experience with binarystream's Multi Entity Management solution at a previous company. Not only does it make intercompany transactions easier (it's been a while, but from what i remember, Company becomes basically another segment of your GL string) but all around administration is easier too. Only one COA to manage, one company to close at month and year end, etc. It's a bit of work to get started with it though....

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Mike Bresnan
Arabella Advisors
Washington MD
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Original Message:
Sent: May 13, 2022 05:30 PM
From: Eric Guether
Subject: AP Automation with Nolan Intercompany Functionality?

David,

Thanks for the response.  Your example might be a little different from the scenario that I was asking about.  Maybe not.  It seems that, under your example, your source system (your ERP system) sends GP an AP invoice with the GL distribution for a company (i.e. 20 in database YYY) that is different from the GP company in which you're importing the AP invoice (i.e. into GP company 10 in database XXX).  And as part of that importing, you're relying on Nolan Intercompany to create the corresponding I/C entries in both GP company databases XXX and YYY.

While we have similarities, I see some differences.  In my case, with AP Automation, the GL coding of the AP invoice in the source system (i.e. our DocStar document mgmt. system) needs to replicate the user experience as is the user were manually coding the invoice in GP AP, including something that mimics or substitutes for the user clicking an IC button in GP. 

We have approximately 6 different GP companies, each in their own database.(i.e. database AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, EEE, FFF).  One invoice might be entered into GP in database AAA, but the distributions for that single invoice might be split across 6 companies (spread across database AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, EEE & FFF).

I have contacted Nolan Solutions support.  Nolan informed me that they provide Alternate Method stored procedures for eConnect integrations to facilitate Intercompany allocations on imported AP invoices.  Apparently, these Alternate Method stored procedures are available to Nolan Solutions InterCompany customers upon request.

Nolan Solutions support also told me (slightly paraphrased):  To successfully call these stored procedures, you need to make sure that the alternate account relationships are created in GP in the integrating company.  As long as alternate account relationships are set in the integrating company, you can call those stored procs during the integration; the destination account information will be written to the ICP table, and, when the integrated transaction is posted in the integrating company, ICP will generate a transaction in the destination company.

David, perhaps the integration bet. your ERP system and your GP AP to import AP invoices uses these Nolan Solutions Alternate Method stored procedures.

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Eric Guether
East Coast Warehouse
Elizabeth NJ