Purpose of this document

There are many of dates throughout Ceres.  Some of them have similar names and it can be confusing on how they should be used and where they will display.  This document contains a definition of some of the most commonly used dates and how they are used in transactions.  All the dates can be changed until posted.  Once a transaction is posted you cannot change the dates.

Ceres Object release 5.00.00 is required for the functionality described in this document. 

• Definitions of Dates
• Use Example
• Related Topics

Definitions of Dates

Order Date:  This date can be considered the date the order was created.  Shows on the Purchase Order, Donation Order, Transfer Order or Agency Order.  If you print these orders, this is the date that will typically display as your document date as well.  

Posting Date:  This is the date when the transaction impacts the general ledger and the related sub-ledgers.  Consider this the date that the organization accounts for the transaction.  Many people think this is the date you are entering the transaction.  However this date doesn’t have to be that.  In fact, it is typically the date the transaction is being completed. As long as the period is open, you can change this date for the period you want it to post. If you are at month end or year end, it is critical to understand what the posting date should be for any transaction. 

Document Date:  This is the outward facing date of when the transaction happened. This is the date that will print on the transaction report – such as a Purchase Invoice, Agency Confirmation or Donor Receipt.  If a transaction (such as an invoice) is being created from a purchase order, donation order or agency order, this is the date that will be used for that transaction and will represent the invoice date.  Due dates for the invoice will be calculated based on this date.  

Due Date:  This is the date an invoice payment is due.

Shipment Date:  This is the date the Agency Order is picked up or delivered. Generally the posting date for an Agency Order should match the Shipment Date. Not used as often for inbound transactions. 

Expected Receipt Date:  This is the date the shipment is expected to arrive at is destination. This is commonly used on Purchase Orders and Donation Orders. 

Use Example

The dates defined above will be used in a sample transaction. Here we are working with a Purchase Order, but the same logic could apply to any of the document types listed above.  

When you first create a purchase order, the order, posting, and document dates will default from the work date you have set.  Each date can be changed as the order is created and processed and those dates will flow to the posted transaction that is created.  This example is not to illustrate proper accounting, but to illustrate how you could use the dates so you understand how the dates relate to each other and other areas in the system.

1. You create the purchase order and Ceres will default a bunch of dates to the current day.

• Order Date:                1/14/16
• Posting Date:             1/14/16
• Document Date:       1/14/16
• Shipment Date          1/14/16 – On Agency Order only

2. You receive part of the order on 2/10/16.  The posting date and the document date are the same date

    because you physically received the product and want to account for it as of the same date.   Also the

    document date will show on the receiving paperwork that is printed.

• Order Date:                1/14/16 – This stays the created date
• Posting Date:             2/10/16
• Document Date:       2/10/16

3. You receive a vendor invoice on 2/11 for the first portion of the order you received on 2/10. The posting

    date is the date you are creating the payable.  However the document date is the date of the vendor invoice

    because that is what is on the invoice and it will allow the due date to be calculated correctly.

• Order Date:                1/14/16
• Posting Date:             2/11/16 – date you Invoiced the PO
• Document Date:       1/31/16 – Guides the Invoice due date; date on the Vendor Invoice

4. You receive the rest of the order on 2/25. The posting date and the document date are the same date

    because you physically received the product and want to account for it as of the same date.  Also the

    document date will show on the receiving paperwork that is printed.

• Order Date:                1/14/16
• Posting Date:             2/25/16
• Document Date:       2/25/16 

5. On 3/4/16 you receive a vendor invoice for the second portion of the order. The posting date here is

    backdated to the prior month so it will get posted in prior period so the liability will show in the correct

    month.   However the document date is the date of the vendor invoice because that is what is on the invoice

    and it will allow the due date to be calculated correctly.

• Order Date:                1/14/16
• Posting Date:             2/28/16 – so we show the vendor liability in the correct month
• Document Date:       2/20/16 – Guides the Invoice due date; date on the Vendor Invoice 

For an Agency Order, the Order date is the date the Order was initiated. That can be for a manual Order or an Agency Express Order. The Shipment Date should match the Posting Date, and reflect when the product left the food bank’s control. For the Document Date, the food bank accounting team should set a standard based in the AR guidelines established with Agencies. 

For Inventory aging dates - lot expiration, ship by, and lot consume by date, see the procedure specifically for these dates called Item and Lot: Expiration, Ship By and Consume by Dates.

Related Topics

1. Agency Order Overview
2. Donation Order Overview
3. Purchase Order Overview