The information in this manual has been carefully checked and is believed to be accurate. Blackbaud, Inc., assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions in this manual. In no event will Blackbaud, Inc., be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect or omission in this manual, even if advised of the possibility of damages.
In the interest of continuing product development, Blackbaud, Inc., reserves the right to make improvements in this manual and the products it describes at any time, without notice or obligation.
The Raiser’s Edge, MatchFinder, ParaGon, RE:Alum, RE:Event, RE:Member, RE:Queue, RE:Tribute, RE:Volunteer, RE:Zip, and Blackbaud are registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.
All other products and company names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective holder.
AFN-FixedAssets-062502
I
NTRODUCTION. . . 1
Fixed Assets Documentation . . . 3
User’s Guide Conventions . . . 4
S
YSTEMB
ASICS. . . 7
Navigating in Fixed Assets . . . 8
Q
UICKS
ETUP. . . 21
Configuration . . . 22
Utilities and Housekeeping . . . 30
Assets . . . 30
Transactions . . . 36
C
ONFIGURATION. . . 39
Organization Settings . . . 40
Preferences . . . 40
Attributes . . . 50
Depreciation Years . . . 53
Custom Depreciation Schedules . . . 57
Asset Classes . . . 61
Establishing Account Distributions . . . 64
Establishing Interfund Entries . . . 67
Establishing General Ledger Settings . . . 68
S
ECURITY. . . 73
Security Groups . . . 74
Security Users . . . 80
Passwords . . . 83
U
TILITIES ANDH
OUSEKEEPING. . . 85
Users in System Form . . . 86
System Statistics . . . 86
Duplicate Asset Report . . . 87
Post to General Ledger . . . 88
Purge . . . 95
Validating a Database . . . 96
Switch to Mid-Quarter Convention . . . 98
Assets . . . 109
Activity Tab . . . 123
Attributes Tab . . . 123
Actions Tab . . . 124
Location Tab . . . 129
Media Tab . . . 132
Notes Tab . . . 137
Transactions . . . 141
Rules for New Transactions . . . 147
Rules for Deletion . . . 148
Rules for Editing Transactions . . . 148
Adjustments Tab . . . 149
Defaults . . . 153
Properties . . . 158
Preferences . . . 159
Default Report/Label Formats . . . 161
Activity Legend . . . 170
Favorites . . . 171
D
EPRECIATIONA
SSETS. . . 175
Depreciation Calculations . . . 176
R
EPORTS. . . 183
Main Report Screen . . . 184
Preferences . . . 185
Procedures . . . 186
M
AIL. . . 193
Accessing Mail . . . 194
Labels . . . 194
Printing Labels . . . 195
Mail Basics . . . 205
Q
UERYANDE
XPORT. . . 209
Query Types . . . 211
Query Format . . . 211
Query Criteria Operators . . . 212
Creating Queries . . . 217
Using and Editing Queries . . . 221
Merging Queries . . . 226
Exporting Queries . . . 227
Printing Queries . . . 228
Properties . . . 229
Favorites . . . 231
Import Screen . . . 239
Import Parameter Files . . . 239
Importing Account Distribution Information . . . 268
Required Import Fields . . . 272
Field Code Names . . . 274
G
LOBALC
HANGE. . . 279
Global Change Functions . . . 280
Making a Global Change . . . 282
Preferences . . . 288
A
PPENDIX. . . 291
Configuration . . . 292
Reports . . . 295
Mail . . . 306
G
LOSSARY. . . 309
I
NDEX. . . 323
In This Chapter
Fixed Assets Documentation . . . .3
User’s Guide Conventions . . . .4
Chapter Format . . . .4
Text Formatting . . . .5
Visit our Web site at www.blackbaud.com for the latest documentation and information.
Welcome to Fixed Assets for Windows, Blackbaud’s asset management program.
This program provides everything an organization needs to manage its assets, including the ability to enter or import asset information, generate depreciation transactions that automatically follow IRS rules, and account for and record the disposal of assets. As a component of Blackbaud’s Accounting for Nonprofits programs, Fixed Assets integrates seamlessly with General Ledger for Windows and Accounts Payable for Windows. For example, you can post depreciation and adjustment transactions directly to General Ledger and add new assets from the Purchase Order Receipt screen in Purchase Orders, an optional module for Accounts Payable.
This chapter is designed to introduce you to the documentation and other resources available to you for Fixed Assets.
The Fixed Assets package consists of multiple modules. Most of the topics discussed in this guide relate to the Fixed Assets program, but there are some references to other Blackbaud programs with which Fixed Assets can interface, such as General Ledger and Accounts Payable. For more information about these packages, contact Blackbaud’s Sales department at 1-800-443-9441.
Fixed Assets allows you to store basic information about an asset, such as the class, description, serial number, and price. You can also store more detailed information, such as the accounts to which you distribute the asset, the asset project, and the asset depreciation method. You can then generate a variety of reports using information you specify.
The following modules are available in Fixed Assets:
Assets. With this module, you can create an asset, depreciate an asset using standard depreciation schedules or a custom schedule you define, track depreciation, calculate depreciation over various amounts of time, and adjust posted transactions.
Configuration. In Configuration, you can establish system settings, user and system preferences, table entries, depreciation years, and settings that enable posting to General Ledger.
Mail. In Mail, you can print labels and label truncation reports using information in the Fixed Assets database.
Reports. This module allows you to print the various reports Fixed Assets supports. You can preview, print, export, or send reports as e-mail. Each report has a parameter screen that allows you to produce reports based on different criteria.
Security. In this module, you establish access rights for the program. Security is based on groups and users for which you can assign access to specific areas of the program. You can assign each user to a group, depending on their access rights, and assign a password. User access rights are based on their group assignments. Users may be members of more than one group. You can limit access to a module or to individual functions by regulating which groups are allowed to view, add, edit, or delete records.
Utilities and Housekeeping. In Utilities and Housekeeping, you perform maintenance procedures for Fixed Assets, such as purging assets from the database, viewing system statistics, posting to the General Ledger, switching to a mid-quarter convention, detecting duplicate assets, and validating the database.
Query and Export. Use this module to select and export records that meet criteria you define, for example, when processing an asset report. You can create, open, run, and delete queries with this module. Other options include refreshing, merging, and exporting queries.
Import. Use this module to bring information from an outside source to Fixed Assets. Import allows you to set up and save usable import parameter files, define field mappings with drag and drop ease, use separate header fields to identify field mapping, browse field examples to eliminate confusion, and inspect the raw import data before running the import process.
Global Change. With this module, you can add, change, or delete information in a field based on a query. In Global Change, you can add, replace, partially replace, delete, increase, decrease, copy, swap, or move selected fields in the database.
For information about purchasing Queue, contact Blackbaud’s Sales Department at 1-800-443-9441.
Accounting Queue. This is an optional module that allows you to schedule a sequence of tasks which you can execute, one after the other, automatically and unattended. Using Accounting Queue can save you time with many of the repetitive functions you accomplish with the Accounting for Nonprofits programs. For example, you can schedule a queue of reports to print overnight. This allows you to schedule more timely tasks during regular working hours.
Fixed Assets Documentation
The documentation for Fixed Assets consists of this user’s guide, the Accounting for Nonprofits Administrator’s Guide, an online user’s guide, and online help.
The user’s guide is organized based on setup, data entry, and data manipulation.
Chapters 2 through 6 include information on how to set up and maintain Fixed Assets. These chapters include information on Configuration, Security, and Utilities and Housekeeping.
Chapters 7 and 8 address data entry and record maintenance for options such as transactions and depreciation, as well as adding, editing, and deleting assets.
Chapters 9 through 13 explain how you can manipulate the information in your database to produce queries (a group of records), reports, and labels which you can use as asset identifiers. In addition, these chapters illustrate the import and global change processes.
There is also an Appendix that contains detailed information on available fields, sample reports, and import database fields, as well as a glossary which defines concepts specific to Fixed Assets.
The user’s guide has a two-column format. The smaller of the two columns is a notes column. This column is used for notes, tips, time-savers, and warnings.
The following graphics identify these items:
The Accounting for Nonprofits Administrator’s Guide provides the information needed to install and set up your Blackbaud accounting programs. This guide provides information essential to establishing and maintaining Fixed Assets.
The note symbol designates a note or tip related to the information in the main text column.
The clock symbol designates a shortcut or timesaving action.
The stoplight symbol designates a warning or item of importance.
We also encourage you to use the online manual and online help. The online manual consists of a series of PDF (Portable Document Format) files which you can install on your computer during the program installation process. We recommend installing the files; however, you can also access the online manual from the Fixed Assets installation CD.
Adobe Acrobat Reader ®, which installs with Fixed Assets, enables you to view the PDF files. If the Acrobat Reader is not installed, you can install it from your Fixed Assets installation CD, or you can download it without charge from the Adobe web page: (http://www.adobe.com).
You can view the online manual, or print all, a portion, or one page of the manual.
The manual also contains links throughout to help you navigate through the chapters easily. With just a click of the mouse, you can jump from the Table of Contents to the Assets chapter and then to the Adding an asset procedure.
As part of the online help, we have added a Notes feature. Notes files are text files created during installation. With these files, you can enter and maintain notes in the Fixed Assets help file while working. For more information, see the Using Online Help section of this chapter.
User’s Guide Conventions
In addition to the graphics mentioned earlier, the user’s guide utilizes other conventions to help you locate and identify information.
Chapter Format
Most chapters consist of the following basic sections:
In This Chapter. A content listing of the chapter.
Overview. A brief description of the chapter.
Procedures. Explanation and step-by-step instructions for completing the process.
Reference. A field-by-field description for screens in the program. Field information displays in tables after a brief description and a picture of the screen.
Rules. A brief section that appears only when necessary. It lists all rules associated with certain procedures.
Text Formatting
Throughout Fixed Assets, you see screen shots and procedures directing you to locate frames, drop-down lists, fields, etc. Below is a screen shot that identifies several of the fields we refer to in this manual.
In This Chapter
Navigating in Fixed Assets . . . .8
Parts of the Fixed Assets Screen . . . .8
Title Bar . . . .8
Menu Bar . . . .9
Toolbar . . . .9
Status Bar . . . .10
Standard Buttons . . . .10
Shortcut Keys . . . 11
Using Shortcut Menus . . . .12
Sorting Grid Information . . . .12
Common Screens . . . .12
The Print Setup Screen . . . .13
The Change Password Screen . . . .13
Selecting a Directory Screen . . . .13
Calendar . . . .14
Calculator . . . .14
Save and New/Save and Close . . . .14
New Toolbar Button . . . .15
Buttons with Drop-Down Menus . . . .15
Configuration Module . . . .15
Assets Module . . . .15
Help Options . . . .16
Tabs . . . .17
Accessing Tables . . . .17
Exporting to Excel . . . .18
Grouping Records in Queries . . . .19
Creating an Output Query . . . .20
This chapter is designed to familiarize you with the screens, buttons, and terms throughout Fixed Assets. It addresses standard items such as parts of the screen, toolbar buttons, standard screen buttons, special keys, and common screens that appear throughout the program. After reading this chapter, you should be familiar with the screens, tools, and commands you use to navigate through Fixed Assets.
Individual topic chapters present more detailed information and step-by-step procedures.
Navigating in Fixed Assets
Parts of the Fixed Assets Screen
To navigate through Fixed Assets, it is important to understand the parts of the Assets - Fixed Assets screen.
Title Bar
The title bar, across the top of the screen, states the title of the program. The title bar also contains, in the upper right corner, icons for minimizing, maximizing, and closing the screen.
Menu Bar
The menu bar, just below the title bar, contains the commands for all Fixed Assets functions. Fixed Assets has the basic menu options available in most program modules: File, Edit, View, and Help. Some Fixed Assets modules have additional menu options. To access a command on the menu bar, either:
Toolbar
The toolbar contains buttons representing common commands used within Fixed Assets.
Toolbar Buttons
By clicking toolbar buttons, you can easily perform a function, such as saving, without using the menu bar. Some buttons listed below appear only when a record is open.
Position the pointer over the desired command and click the left mouse button, or Press Alt + the underlined letter. For example, to access File, press Alt + F.Add a new record Open an existing record
Save the current record Print data
Preview data prior to printing Export to Excel
View or set preferences Summary
Access help topics Delete data
Go to the first record Go to the previous record Go to the next record Go to the last record
Move up one level Export data
E-mail data Cut
Display large icons Display small icons
Display list view Display details/report view
Copy Paste
Add a new group Add a new user
Undo Save and New
Save and Close Print Setup
Status Bar
The status bar, across the bottom of the window, acts as your guide throughout Fixed Assets. As you move through the program, messages such as available shortcut keys display on the status bar. For example, when you are in a field with a table lookup available, the message Press F7 for Table Lookup appears.
Standard Buttons
There are many standard buttons throughout Fixed Assets that appear on the screens, rather than on the toolbar. These buttons function in the same manner, regardless of where they are located. The function of each button is described below.
Annotate Add to Favorites
Search for Duplicates
Search for or ‘look up’ data to fill in the field.
Access the drop-down list of entries associated with that field.
Search for a file.
Adjust numbering, in numeric fields, by clicking up or down.
Open the calculator so you can calculate the desired financial data for the field.
Open the calendar so you can locate the correct date for the field.
Move the selected field to the frame on the left.
Move all fields to the frame on the left.
Move the selected field to the frame on the right.
Move all fields to the frame on the right.
Add information. Delete existing information.
Insert an item into a list. Edit existing information.
Cancel an operation. Complete a command, leave a screen, or close a dialog box.
Move forward one screen
to the next step. Move back one screen or step.
Print current information. Begin processing the function.
Move an item down one
line in a list. Move an item up one line in a list.
Shortcut Keys
Throughout Fixed Assets, there are special shortcut keys and shortcut methods to help you with data entry. Function keys are the primary source for shortcuts.
When a shortcut is available, the status bar at the bottom of the open window tells you which function key to press.
Add a new record. Sort (or change the current order of) items.
Load a distribution from a
saved file. Search for a particular item or record in the database.
Browse for a file. Clear the search criteria screen.
Open the selected item. Close the current record.
Update the screen to
reflect changes. Return values to the program’s defaults.
Purge selected records
from the database. Distribute amounts evenly.
Delete all selected values. Copy the selected information to the clipboard for future use.
View the item as it
appears when printed. Clear all information from the screen.
Continue to the next step. Display the assets summary screen.
Highlight/select all records.
ENTER The ENTER key (sometimes called the RETURN key) is marked by a hooked arrow that points down and then to the left. On some keyboards, the word “Enter” is also printed on the key. This key signals to the computer that entry of a command, field, or data is complete. In Configuration, you can set your system preferences so this key moves the cursor to the next field or to the next line. If you select this option, you can use CTRL + ENTER to create hard returns.
TAB The TAB key is usually marked by two arrows pointing in opposite directions and/or the word “Tab” on the key. It is also used to signal to the computer that entry of a command, field, or data is complete. Pressing this key moves the cursor forward to the next field.
SHIFT The SHIFT key allows you to select more than one item in a list.
To select consecutive items, select the first item, press SHIFT, hold the key down, and select the second item. Press the SHIFT and TAB keys to move the cursor to the previous field.
CONTROL The CONTROL key allows you to select more than one item in a list. To select items not in consecutive order, select the first item, press CONTROL, hold the key down, and select the second item.
BACKSPACE A large left-facing arrow marks the BACKSPACE key. Sometimes the word “Backspace” appears on the key. You can use this key to delete one character to the left of the cursor.
HOME Place the cursor at the beginning of a field by pressing the HOME
key.
Using Shortcut Menus
Within some of the grids in Fixed Assets, you can access commonly used commands by placing the cursor in the grid and then clicking the right mouse button. A shortcut menu appears. The commands available vary to match your location in the program.
Sorting Grid Information
You can sort grid information by the column header item (e.g., Asset Number, Asset ID, Depreciation Method, etc.), in ascending or descending order. For example, if you click the Transaction Date header, the list displays in ascending order, with the oldest date at the bottom. Click the header again, and the order toggles to descending order, with the oldest date at the top.
Common Screens
The following screens are common throughout Fixed Assets:
END Place the cursor at the end of a field by pressing the END key.
DELETE Press the DELETE key to remove the highlighted characters or entry in front of the cursor.
F1 The F1 key activates online help. Press this key from any point in the software to access context-sensitive help.
F3 The F3 key inserts the default value of a field into the current record. A message at the bottom of the screen indicates default fields. In date fields, F3 inserts the current date.
F5 Press the F5 key to refresh grids.
F7 The F7 key activates Table Lookups. This key also activates a calendar in date fields and a calculator in currency fields. F7 accesses the Account Search Criteria where the linking of records is available.
The Print Setup Screen
The Print Setup screen is common to most Windows programs. To access this screen, select File, Print Setup on the main menu bar. Use this screen to designate a path to your printer and to select paper orientation, size, and source.
The Change Password Screen
The Change Password screen is common to most Fixed Assets modules. You can access this screen by selecting Edit, Change Password on the menu bar. Use this screen to change your system and user passwords. For more information, please see the Security chapter.
Selecting a Directory Screen
If a field requires a path to a file, the search button usually appears with the field.
To locate the path, click the ellipsis. The Select Import File screen appears.
To search through directories, select a drive from the drop-down list in the Look in field, then select the folder you want to browse. Click Open.
Calendar
Fields requiring date information have a calendar button. Click the calendar to open the calendar. You can view the days, months, and years, then select a date for the corresponding field. Click the left or right arrows to scroll to the desired month. Double click a date to enter it in the field. Click Today to return the calendar to the current date.
Calculator
Fields requiring monetary values have a calculator button. Click the calculator to open the calculator. You can calculate fundamental math functions such as adding, subtracting, and multiplying, etc., as well as more advanced functions like finding a square root or converting a whole value to a decimal. Click the keys to calculate an amount in the field, then click Paste to add the entry to the field. The Back button allows you to move the cursor back one space in the calculator window.
Save/New and Save/Close
The Save and New and Save and Close options are available from either the File menu or the toolbar and help make data entry an easier task. When creating a series of new records, you can select Save and New to save the record you are adding and bring up a new blank record. This eliminates the additional steps of closing the record and selecting File, New to open the next blank record, greatly reducing data entry time when you are adding a large number of records.
Save and Close saves the current record before closing the record, combining two steps into one and ensuring any additional information is saved.
Click the down arrow on the Save button to display the drop-down menu as shown below.
Save
You can select the Save option from the drop-down menu.
New Toolbar Button
Another toolbar button feature that makes data entry easier is the New toolbar button menu. When adding records using the New toolbar button, you can click the arrow to the right of the button to access a drop-down menu of record types.
For example, if you are in Assets and click New, a drop-down menu appears.
Once you select a record type, the New button assumes the icon of the record type and continues to create new records of the selected record type until you access the drop-down menu and select a new type. This makes for quick and easy data entry, especially when you are adding a series of assets.
Buttons with Drop-Down Menus
Fixed Assets contains some buttons with drop-down menus that display various options.
Configuration Module
On the Depreciation Years tab in Configuration, the New Depreciation Year button appears.
You can click this button to display the Future Depreciation Year(s) screen, or click the down arrow to select either New Depreciation Year (Future) or New Depreciation Year (Past) from the drop-down menu.
Assets Module
On the Activity tab of an asset record in Assets, a New Transaction button appears. Click the New Transaction down arrow to select Period Depreciation or Annual Depreciation from the drop-down menu.
Help Options
Click the down arrow on the Help button to display the drop-down menu shown below. This menu features the latest Help options such as Online Documentation and Blackbaud on the Web.
Help
From this menu, you can select the help option you want.
If you highlight Blackbaud on the Web, a sub-menu appears.
If you have internet access, select Online Support or Blackbaud on the Web to access either of those help resources.
Tabs
Another integral part of Fixed Assets is the tab. Tabs in Fixed Assets function the same as tabs on folders in a filing cabinet; they allow you to see at a glance the available information in each folder by the tab. You can access information by clicking the tab. The following is a standard asset record illustrating the use of tabs.
Accessing Tables
You can use and create tables in Fixed Assets to increase data entry speed and efficiency. There are four ways to access tables entries:
A down arrow next to a text box indicates a table lookup is available.
Click the arrow to access a drop-down list of entries for the field.
A down arrow next to a button indicates there are additional options from which to choose. Click the arrow to access the drop-down list of additional options.
Arrow Keys Place the cursor in a text box and then press the down arrow key on your keyboard to scroll through the available entries.
Typing Typing an entry into a text box is another way to access an entry. If the entry you type does not exist in the table, the program displays a dialog box asking if you want to add the new table entry. Click Yes to add the new entry. This function is only available if you set the appropriate user preference in Configuration.
F7 Pressing F7 also accesses tables. The message “Press F7 for Table Lookup” appears on the status bar when a table is available.
When you press F7, a window appears so you can add, delete, or modify table entries.
Exporting to Excel
Throughout Fixed Assets, you can use grids to enter and display information.
Using the Export to Excel function, you can export information from these grids for use in Microsoft Excel.
With your cursor in the grid, select File, Export to Excel, or click the right mouse button and select Export to Excel from the shortcut menu.
Fixed Assets opens Excel and begins exporting the grid information. A screen appears showing you the progress of the export.
When complete, the Excel worksheet appears containing the information from the grid. You can now use and manipulate this information in Excel.
Grouping Records in Queries
With Fixed Assets, you can group records together, then perform functions on all records within the group. For example, you might want to add a building code to all assets over four years old that belong to the Math department. Rather than searching for each record, opening it, and adding the code, you can group the correct asset records and then add the building code to all of the records in one operation.
You can group records by creating a query. The query process examines all records, selecting and grouping those matching criteria you have established. For the example above, the program groups all asset records matching the over four years old and belong to the Math department criteria together. After you establish the criteria for a query, you can name and save the query for use throughout Fixed Assets.
From Assets, select Query, Open as List from the menu bar to open the Available Queries search screen. Enter the criteria, such as the Query Name and
Description, and click Find Now to view the queries matching the criteria. To select a query, highlight the query and click Open. All records in the query open as a list.You can then scroll though these records.
Creating an Output Query
A checkbox labeled Create Output Query is available in many areas of Fixed Assets. You can use this option to create a static query, or a “snapshot” of the information taken at that moment. Static queries do not automatically update to include new information added to the database after the initial query. You can use static queries to produce reports that include only those records in the output query; however, you cannot edit the query. For more information about queries, see to the Query and Export chapter.
A checkbox labeled Create exception query is also available throughout Fixed Assets.
Exception queries provide a list of omitted information.
These queries are static and you cannot manipulate them.
In This Chapter
Configuration . . . .22 General Tab . . . .22 Tables Tab . . . .22 Depreciation Years Tab . . . .23 Custom Depreciation Schedules Tab . . . .24 Asset Classes Tab . . . .24 Adding Asset Classes . . . .24 Distributions Tab . . . .25 Adding an Account Distribution . . . .25 Interfund Entries Tab . . . .25 Establishing Interfund Entries . . . .26 General Ledger Tab . . . .26 Establishing General Ledger Settings . . . .26 Establishing the Depreciation Expense Journal Reference . . . .27 Defining the Accumulated Depreciation Journal Reference . . . .27 Security Groups . . . .28 Adding a Group . . . .28 Security Users . . . .29 Adding a User . . . .29 Passwords . . . .29 Utilities and Housekeeping . . . .30 Users in System Form . . . .30 Validating a Database . . . .30 Assets . . . .30 Record Basics . . . .31 Opening a Record . . . .31 Opening a Query . . . .32 Opening a Group of Records as a List . . . .32 Adding an Asset (using the Asset Wizard) . . . .32 Adding an Asset (manually) . . . .34 Depreciating Asset(s) . . . .35 Disposing of an Asset . . . .36 Transactions . . . .36 Adding a Transaction . . . .36 Generating Depreciation Transactions . . . .37 Adjustments . . . .37 Adding an Initial Adjustment . . . .37 Editing an Adjustment . . . .38
This chapter introduces the critical steps you must complete to get Fixed Assets up and running as quickly as possible. The steps are organized by module and procedure. If you require more detailed instructions on any step, please refer to the appropriate chapter in the manual. To maximize the long term benefits of Fixed Assets, we recommend you follow the manual’s more detailed instructions.
Configuration
You must establish some general information about your organization and define parameters for posting to General Ledger before calculating depreciation. For more information about Configuration, see “Configuration” on page 39.
General Tab
The program stores basic information about your organization on the General tab of Configuration. Enter your organization’s Address, Phone number, and Tax ID. Your organization’s name is hard-coded in the program. If this information is incorrect, contact Blackbaud Customer Support to have it corrected.
Tables Tab
Organizing data in tables promotes the consistent use of Fixed Assets and helps you avoid unnecessary duplication. We recommend you establish data entry procedures before entering table entries to most efficiently use tables in the program.
The Tables tab is where you add table entries. On the Tables tab, you can have the Tables List display All Tables, Fixed Assets Tables, or Shared Tables by selecting one of the three options from the drop-down list at the top of the Tables frame.
The Tables frame displays a list of the available tables. When you highlight a table, the entries defined for that table display in the Table Entries frame.
You can view table entries using the long description or the short description, if the entry has both descriptions. From the Table Entries frame, you can Add, Edit, Insert, and Delete entries by clicking the buttons or right clicking a selected table and accessing a drop-down list. You can also move entries Up and Down within the list, Sort entries, and Print entries.
If you want to add a new table, you can do so from the Attributes tab You can define the new table by Description, Data Type, and Table Name. Once you create it, the new table appears in the list of available tables on the Tables tab.
Table entries provide you with a set of options to select from during data entry.
For example, when entering an asset location, you select the location from the Location table. You can choose to view all table entries, active and inactive, or just active entries by marking the Display active entries only checkbox at the bottom of the Table Entries frame. Inactive table entries display on the Tables tab in gray text, helping you differentiate between active and inactive entries at a glance.
Using table entries helps maintain format consistency during data entry, which is important for producing accurate reports and statements. For example, one user might enter the asset location information as “2nd Floor of the Ashley Center,”
but another user would enter “Ashley Center, 2nd Floor”. With a table, both users can select the organization’s standard: “Ashley Center, 2nd Floor”.
Adding a Table Entry
In Configuration, you can add to the list of available table entries on the Tables tab. For example, if your organization creates a new department, you can add it to the Department table. When you add a table entry, it appears at the bottom of the list. For more information about adding table entries in Configuration, see
“Adding a table entry” on page 45.
You have the following options when adding a table entry:
• You can establish a Long Description and/or Short Description. If a table has a short description, it is always required and must be unique within each code table. In tables with long descriptions, the long description is also required.
If you enter the long description and leave the short description blank, the short description defaults to the first characters of the long description. If you enter the short description and leave the long description blank, the long description defaults to the short description.
• You can define an entry and then disable the entry by marking Deactivated?
This disables the entry without deleting it from the program. Deactivating table entries is useful if you need to enter an option for the next year, but you do not want it available for use in the current year. You can also deactivate an entry that is no longer in use but needed for historical reference.
• You can have the program Display active entries only on the Tables tab by marking the checkbox.
Depreciation Years Tab
From the Depreciation Years tab in Configuration, you can view, create, edit, and delete future and past depreciation years. This tab allows you the flexibility of defining depreciation years with periods as few as 1 and as many as 13. You must define Depreciation years before entering Assets. For more information about the Depreciation Years tab, see “Depreciation Years” on page 53.
Adding Future or Past Depreciation years
You can add a future or past depreciation year on the Depreciation Years tab. For more information about adding future or past depreciation years, see
“Depreciation Years” on page 53.
You have the following options when adding a future or past depreciation year:
• You can determine an identifier for the year in the Depreciation year ID field and a Description for the depreciation year you are creating.
• You can choose how many depreciation periods you want in the year. You can enter between 1 and 13.
• You can enter the depreciation period End Date for the year in the
Depreciation Periods grid. The program automatically enters the Start Date based on the end date you enter.
When defining periods, the Period 1 start date and Period 2 end date must be continuous and cannot be more than a 12 month year. For example, if a year ends November 4, 1999, the next year must start November 5, 1999.
• You can click Clear All to reset the grid, or if you want to copy the depreciation year from another year, click Copy From.
• If you want to create additional future depreciation years, mark the Create _ future depreciation years following this period format option. You can create up to 98 additional future depreciation years following this format.
Custom Depreciation Schedules Tab
You can save and use depreciation schedules for any asset. There are several types of depreciation schedules predefined in Fixed Assets; however, your organization may want to use another method to formulate depreciation. To do so, you must create a custom depreciation schedule.
From the Custom Depreciation Schedules tab, you can create, open, or delete a custom depreciation schedule. For more information about the Custom
Depreciation Schedules tab, see “Custom Depreciation Schedules” on page 57.
Adding a Custom Depreciation Schedule
In Configuration, you can add a custom depreciation schedule on the Custom Depreciation Schedules tab. For more information about custom depreciation schedules, see “Custom Depreciation Schedules” on page 57.
You have the following options when adding a custom depreciation schedule:
• You can determine the name of the new depreciation schedule in the Schedule name field. This name can be a maximum of 12 characters.
• You can enter a description of the schedule in the Description field. This description can be a maximum of 50 characters. The description appears on the Depreciation tab of the asset record.
• You can click Copy From to copy a depreciation schedule from an established table.
• The depreciation schedule does not have to total 100 percent. It can be less than or equal to 100 percent.
• You can enter the number of years for the schedule in the Number of years field, or use the up and down arrows to search for a number.
• You can enter the percent of depreciation for each year in the Depreciation%
column. Click Clear All to erase all percentages in the grid. Click Distribute Evenly to distribute the remaining percentage evenly across all years.
Asset Classes Tab
You may want to establish your own asset classes to suit your organization’s special needs. There are several predefined classes loaded in your Fixed Assets software with predefined recovery periods. You can find a description of the predefined classes in the Appendix. When defining asset classes, you can define a default depreciation method, accumulated depreciation account, and default depreciation expense distribution for the class. From the Asset Classes tab, you can create, open, edit, or delete an asset class.
Adding Asset Classes
In Configuration, you can add asset classes on the Asset Classes tab. For more information about adding asset classes, see “Asset Classes” on page 61.
You have the following options when adding asset classes:
• You can determine a Class description for the asset class. The maximum character length is 50.
• You can select a Depreciation method on the General tab of the Add an Asset Class screen. The method you enter serves as the default depreciation method for all assets in this class. If you leave this field blank, there is no default depreciation defined for the class. This means that when you create a new asset in that class, the Depreciation method field is blank; however, you can still add a depreciation method for the asset. Depending on the depreciation method selected, you may have to specify a Recovery period, Convention, Rate, Property class, Salvage value, or Useful life.
• You can select the Default accumulated depreciation account. You can build an account number by segment, or you can search for the account by clicking the binoculars. The account lookup defaults to Asset type accounts. This is the account to which depreciation is credited when posting to General Ledger. The accumulated depreciation account is a “contra” account for assets.
• On the Distribution tab of the Add an Asset Class screen, you can define the default account distribution to which you want to debit or expense the
depreciation when posting to General Ledger. The account lookup defaults to Expense type accounts.
• You can click Load Distribution to select an account distribution to apply, Distribute Evenly to distribute the amount across all accounts evenly, or Delete All to delete all account distributions. The text in the bottom right corner displays the remaining percentage to distribute.
Distributions Tab
From the Distributions tab in Configuration, you can establish account distributions. Account distributions allow you to define how depreciation is divided between accounts. For more information about adding an account distribution, see “Adding an account distribution” on page 65.
To distribute funds in the same account among multiple projects, enter the account number once for each project, and then enter the individual projects for that account number.
Adding an Account Distribution
In Configuration, you can add an account distribution on the Distributions tab. For more information about the Distributions tab, see “Establishing Account
Distributions” on page 64.
You have the following options when adding an account distribution:
• On the Add an Account Distribution screen, you can enter the Distribution name.
• Complete the grid information by adding the Account No., Percent, and Project. The program automatically enters the Account Description and Project Description when you enter the Account No. and Project. The total distribution must equal 100 percent. You can distribute 100 percent evenly over the established accounts by clicking Distribute Evenly.
Interfund Entries Tab
With interfund entries, you can create General Ledger transactions that automatically transfer money between funds. The description of the interfund entry must be unique. You cannot delete or modify entries in use. For more information about establishing interfund entries, see “Establishing Interfund Entries” on page 67.
Establishing Interfund Entries
In Configuration, you can establish interfund entries on the Interfund Entries tab.
For more information about the Interfund Entries tab, see “Establishing Interfund Entries” on page 67.
You have the following options when establishing interfund entries:
• You can enter a Description of the interfund entry. The description is used as an identifier throughout Fixed Assets and must be unique.
• You can select a Source Account. This is the account from which funds are being transferred. You can type in the account number, or if you do not know the number, click inside the cell and then click the binoculars to search for the account. Once you complete this information, the program automatically enters the Source Description.
• You can select a Destination Account. This is the account to which funds from the Source Account are being transferred. Once you enter the Destination Account, the program automatically enters the Destination Description.
General Ledger Tab
If you are using Blackbaud’s General Ledger, you can take advantage of a built-in provision of Fixed Assets that allows seamless transaction entry into the general ledger through posting. For more information about the General Ledger tab, see “Establishing General Ledger Settings” on page 68.
When you periodically post batches of transactions from Fixed Assets, you can reference each journal entry with a source code for identification and routing to the desired accounts (i.e., accounts payable and/or accounts receivable accounts).
This feature provides seamless interaction between the activity in your Fixed Assets program and the fund accounting management of General Ledger. The Post to General Ledger option in Utilities and Housekeeping uses the information on this tab.
If you do not have General Ledger, you can still enter reference information to make data entry easier when entering information printed on the posting report to your general ledger.
Establishing General Ledger Settings
In Configuration, you can establish General Ledger settings on the General Ledger tab. For more information about establishing General Ledger settings, see
“Establishing General Ledger Settings” on page 68.
You have the following options when establishing settings for General Ledger:
• You can select a source code in the Fixed Assets source code field, or press F9+F4 to look up a source code. The drop-down list in this field is only available if General Ledger is present. Otherwise, the Fixed Assets source code field is a text field.
• You can select the desired code (e.g., Fixed Assets, Adjustments, or Accounts Receivable).
Establishing the Depreciation Expense Journal Reference
A journal reference identifies a transaction posted to your general ledger as a particular Fixed Assets record. For example, you can establish the reference so it includes the Asset Number. For more information about establishing the
depreciation expense journal reference, see “Establishing the depreciation expense journal reference” on page 69.
Each journal reference may contain 50 characters. On the bottom right of the tab, the program displays the quantity of characters used and the quantity of characters remaining.
The source code tells General Ledger from which program the transactions originate. You define source codes on the Tables tab in General Ledger’s Configuration.
You have the following options when establishing the depreciation expense journal reference:
• On the General Ledger tab, you can establish settings for the Depreciation expense.
• You can determine the Reference Field Name. Any text you enter into the grid exists for the selected reference only. Click Fields to add a field to the fields list that is available for all references.
• You can determine the field Length. You are allowed up to 50 characters for the entire depreciation expense journal reference.
Reset to System Defaults returns the grid values to the program’s original references.
• When you finish defining all of the desired fields, you can mark the
Accumulated depreciation option and define the accumulated depreciation journal reference. You can also select another option, another tab, or select File, Exit, or File, Exit and Sign Out.
Defining the Accumulated Depreciation Journal Reference
You can define the accumulated depreciation journal reference on the General Ledger tab in Configuration. For more information about defining the
accumulated depreciation journal reference, see “Defining the accumulated depreciation journal reference” on page 70.
You have the following options when defining the accumulated depreciation journal reference:
• On the General Ledger tab, you can establish settings for the Accumulated depreciation.
• You can determine the Reference Field Name. Any text you enter into the grid exists for the selected reference only. Click Fields to add a field to the fields list that is available for all references.
• You can determine the field Length. You are allowed up to 50 characters for the entire depreciation expense journal reference.
• When you finish defining all of the desired fields,
• you can select another option, select another tab, or select File, Exit, or File, Exit and Sign Out.Security. For more information about security, see
“Security” on page 73.
Security is where you establish access rights for users of Fixed Assets. Security is based on groups of users. You can create an unlimited number of groups with various levels of access to the program. An individual’s access rights depend on the rights of the groups of which the user is a member, thus enabling you to control which users are allowed to view, add, edit, or delete information.
When a user logs in to Fixed Assets, the program automatically disables functions to which the user does not have access. You can make changes to the user’s access rights at any time, but the new rights do not take effect until the next time the user logs in.
You should change the Supervisor password to a password unique to your organization. Please keep the password in a secure location accessible by at least two users.
When you receive Fixed Assets, Security is shipped with a user named
Supervisor whose password is admin. This user has full rights to all areas of the software and cannot be deleted. You should change the Supervisor password to a unique password as soon as possible to ensure the highest level of security for your organization.
Security Groups
Security groups are used to establish access privileges for members of a group.
Each group record has tabs for group information, shared tables, and shared components, as well as a tab for each Blackbaud program present in the database.
For more information about security groups, see “Security Groups” on page 74.
Because Security is a module common to all Blackbaud programs, you can establish a group with access rights to one or more programs. For example, you can create the Billing group and give its members access privileges to all areas of Fixed Assets, Accounts Payable, and General Ledger.
Users receive access privileges based on group membership. You must add a user to the program before adding them a group. Users can be members of more than one group.
Adding a Group
You can add a group from the main Security screen by selecting File, New Group or double clicking the Add Group icon. Both options access the Add a Group screen, where you add a group on the Group Info tab. For more information about adding a group, see “Adding a group” on page 75.
You have the following options when adding a group in Security.
• You can determine the Group Name and Description on the Group Info tab.
• On the Shared Tables tab, you can determine which tables you want the members of this group to access.
• On the Shared Components tab, you can determine which modules you want the users in this group to access.
• For each module to which you give users access privileges,
• you can click Options. On the Security Options screen for the
• module, you can allow certain users to view, add, edit, and
• delete information.
• On the Fixed Assets tab, you can determine which program areas you want the users in this group to access. You can select Assets, Configuration, Query, Reports, Mail, Utilities and Housekeeping, Notes, Global Change, and Import.
For each program area you check, you can click Options to view more security options for that module. On the Security Options screen, you can give users access to certain functions of Fixed Assets.
Security Users
The user record is where you establish the individual’s user name and password.
You can also assign the user Supervisor rights, which extends access rights to all areas of the program, or selected group. For more information about security users, see “Security Users” on page 80.
If you give the user selected group rights only, you can select the groups in which the user is a member.
User names can contain only numbers, letters, and the underscore character.
If General Ledger is present, you can also enable account security for the user.
With account security enabled, you can restrict the user from certain accounts.
Adding a User
You can add a user from the main Security screen by selecting File, New User or double clicking the New User icon. Both options access the Add a User screen.
For more information about adding a user, see “Adding a user” on page 81.
You have the following options when adding a user in Security.
• You can determine the User Name and Description on the User Information tab.
• You can enter the user’s Password, then, in the Confirm field, type the password again to ensure you entered the password correctly. If you want to allow the user to change this password, you can mark User May Change Password.
• You can mark Supervisor rights to give the user access to all areas of the program, or Selected group rights to give the user rights based on group membership.
When you log in as Supervisor (or have Supervisor privileges), you can assign, change, or delete any user’s password.
• If General Ledger is present, you can set security options for General Ledger accounts on the General Ledger Accounts tab.
Passwords
Passwords are established on a user basis, meaning each user has a password. You can establish and change passwords from any user record. You can also select Edit, Change Password from any module to change the password for the user logged in to the program. For more information about passwords, see
“Passwords” on page 83.
When you receive Fixed Assets, Security is shipped with a user named Supervisor whose password is admin. You should change the Supervisor password to a unique password as soon as possible. You must be logged in as Supervisor to change this password.
Utilities and Housekeeping
Utilities and Housekeeping allows you to perform general database tasks such as viewing system statistics, purging data, posting transactions to General Ledger, validating your database, switching to mid-quarter convention, and running duplicate records reports for assets. For more information about Utilities and Housekeeping, see “Utilities and Housekeeping” on page 85.
Before you run any option that globally changes data, all other users must be logged out of Fixed Assets. You cannot make global changes, such as purging assets, if anyone else is using the program.
Users in System Form
When a user attempts to open an option that makes global changes to data, the program checks for other users in the program. If other users are found, the Users in System form appears. For more information about the Users in System form, see “Users in System Form” on page 86.
You can click Proceed before all users have exited to lock the database so additional users cannot log in.
The process does not actually take place until all users have exited the program.
Validating a Database
This procedure checks the validity of your Fixed Assets database indexes. When you select this option, the program scans each row of your Fixed Assets database tables and compares them to each table’s index. If these do not match, a
corruption error message appears. For more information about validating a database, see “Validating a Database” on page 96.
There are two possible types of error messages you can receive while conducting database validation: errors found while running the validation and critical or assertion failed errors. The first type allows the validation procedure to continue.
The second type stops the validation process and disconnects the database. You then have to shut down your workstation, restart the computer, and contact Accounting for Nonprofits Customer Support. Both errors are reported on the Database Validation Control Report, which the program creates only if you have errors.
You can validate your database only if all other users are logged out of Fixed Assets. You should always perform a backup of your database before you validate your database.
Assets
From the main Assets screen, you can create, open, and delete assets. You can use the Asset Wizard or manually create assets. When using the Asset Wizard to add new assets, you have the option to add multiple assets one at a time. This is useful if you have purchased several items of the same type and you need to enter them into the program. For more information about Assets, see “Fixed Assets” on page 101.
Record Basics
The Assets module enables you to create an asset using the Asset Wizard, depreciate assets using a variety of schedules, track and calculate depreciation, and post and adjust transactions. The main screen has different menus for asset and depreciation transactions, depending on which is active at the time. A variety of options are available for customizing record formats to meet your
organization’s needs. For more information about asset record basics, see
“Records” on page 102.
Of the two types of records stored in Fixed Assets, the asset record is the core of all functions incorporated into the program. Careful definition of the asset record is essential to ensure a seamless transfer of data among all records related to the asset. When creating a new record, you must select a record type.
Creating a New Record
You can create a new asset record by selecting File, New from the main Assets screen. You can also click the Add New button if your security settings allow the addition of new records. For more information about creating a new asset record, see “Creating a new record” on page 103.
You have the following options when creating a new asset record in Assets.
• You can select the type of record you want to create on the Create a New Record screen. The Asset Wizard option is disabled if you do not choose to create a new asset.
• You can select specific defaults you want to use for the program in the Load defaults from field. The defaults in the list depend upon the type of record you select. Defaults are available for assets and transactions. You can create custom default settings for new records. Then, if you select the default set when you add a new record, the information automatically displays in the new record, reducing your data entry time.
Opening a Record
You can open a record by selecting File, Open from the main Assets screen or choosing one of the recently opened assets from the drop-down menu. The number of assets listed depends on the preferences you set in Assets. You can also double click a record to open it. For more information about opening a record, see
“Opening a record” on page 104.
You have the following options when opening a record in Assets.
• You can select either an Asset or Transaction record type from the Find drop-down list.
• You can search for a record using all or a portion of the following fields: Asset Number, Asset ID, Description, Class (for assets only), Location (for assets only), Transaction date (for transactions only), Transaction type (for transactions only), Last modified by, Last modified on, and other record specific criteria.
• You can click Find Now to search for any records matching the criteria in the search results window, then highlight a record and click Open. The results are sorted by asset number or transaction number. If you need to change the scope of your search, click New Search to clear the criteria fields.