Data checklist: Accounts payable – MindBridge: English (US)
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Summary
Learn about the data components and fields required to run an accounts payable (“AP”) analysis within MindBridge:
- Accounts payable detailed entries
- End of period - Outstanding payables list
- Vendor opening balances
- Vendor list
- Start of period - Outstanding payables list
MindBridge provides powerful analyses with minimal data, but importing additional data fields lets you access additional features and filtering capabilities so the results can be analyzed more efficiently and effectively.
Accounts payable detailed entries (AP detail)
The AP detail contains the increases and reductions in AP accounts, including invoice and cash activities.
Note: This file is required for the current period. For prior periods, if an End of period - Outstanding payables list has been imported, this file is not required but will provide additional insights if imported.
| # | Field name | Description | Required? | Control points in effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entry ID | The identifier for the entry, generally represented by a code or reference number. This is a key field used to connect entries and must be consistent across the data. Example: PO_661 |
Yes | - Activity Flurry - Duplicate Document - Invoice Out Of Order - Old Unpaid Invoice |
| 2 | Vendor name | The name of the vendor. This is a key field used to connect entries and must be consistent across the data. Example: Lift Mechanics Ltd. Note: If no vendor ID is provided, analysis will use the Vendor Name as the Vendor ID. If both are provided, analysis will use Vendor ID, but both are displayed. During analysis, entries are matched by Vendor ID |
Yes | - Activity Flurry - Vendor with a Debit Balance (must also have either Start of period - Outstanding payables list or Vendor opening balances provided) - Duplicate Document - Invoice From Related Party (Used only as key into Vendor List) - Invoice Out Of Order - Old Unpaid Invoice - Unusual Amount by Vendor - Vendor Not In Vendor List |
| 3 | Amount | The entry’s value, which may be either positive (i.e., debit) or negative (i.e., credit). Example: 19,834.22 (debit position) -19,834.22 (credit position) Note: “Amount” is an alternative field for ledgers that do not provide entries split into separate debit and credit fields. |
No | - Vendor with a Debit Balance (must also have either Start of period - Outstanding payables list or Vendor opening balances provided) - Duplicate Document - High Monetary Value - Last 3 Digits - Memo with Different Period - Old Unpaid Invoice - 2 Digit Benford - Unusual Amount by Vendor |
| 4 | Debit | The debit value of the entry. Example: 19,834.22 |
Yes | - Vendor with a Debit Balance (must also have either Start of period - Outstanding payables list or Vendor opening balances provided) - Duplicate Document - High Monetary Value - Last 3 Digits - Memo with Different Period - Old Unpaid Invoice - 2 Digit Benford - Unusual Amount by Vendor |
| 5 | Credit | The credit value of the entry. Example: 19,834.22 |
Yes | - Vendor with a Debit Balance (must also have either Start of period - Outstanding payables list or Vendor opening balances provided) - Duplicate Document - High Monetary Value - Last 3 Digits - Memo with Different Period - Old Unpaid Invoice - 2 Digit Benford - Unusual Amount by Vendor |
| 6 | Effective date | The date of the journal entry, regardless of when the entry was posted. This field is used to determine how old the outstanding entry is when aging is calculated. This date may also be known as the “accounting date”. Example: 2014-01-01 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
>Yes | - Activity Flurry - Vendor with a Debit Balance (must also have either Start of period - Outstanding payables list or Vendor opening balances provided) - End Of Analysis Period - End Of Reporting Period - Invoice Created After Effective Date - Invoice Out Of Order - Old Unpaid Invoice |
| 7 | Entry type | The nature of an entry. The following are accepted entry types: - Credit memo - Debit memo - Adjustment - Invoice - Payment |
Yes | - Activity Flurry (Invoice only + any entries from Start of period - Outstanding payables list) - Cash Expenditure (Payment only) - Duplicate Document - Invoice From Related Party (Invoice, Credit Memo, Debit Memo, Adjustment + any entries from Start of period - Outstanding payables list) - Invoice Out Of Order (Invoice only + any entries from Start of period - Outstanding payables list) - Old Unpaid Invoice (Invoice only) |
| 8 | Vendor ID | The identifier for the vendor associated with the entry. This is a key field used to connect entries and must be consistent across the data. Example: 102855 Note: If no vendor ID is provided, analysis will use the Vendor Name as the Vendor ID. If both are provided, analysis will use Vendor ID, but both are displayed. During analysis, entries are matched by Vendor ID |
No | - Activity Flurry - Vendor with a Debit Balance (must also have either Start of period - Outstanding payables list or Vendor opening balances provided) - Duplicate Document - Invoice From Related Party (Used only as key into Vendor List) - Invoice Out Of Order - Old Unpaid Invoice - Unusual Amount by Vendor - Vendor Not In Vendor List |
| 9 | GL date | The date when the entry was posted in the general ledger, regardless of when it takes effect in the accounting cycle. Example: 2014-01-01 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
No | N/A |
| 10 | Account ID | The identifier for the general ledger financial account associated with the entry. Example: 14028 |
No | N/A |
| 11 | Invoice Ref | The invoice entry ID or code to link the entry to the invoice. This is a secondary key in payment entries that references the Entry ID field in the corresponding invoice entry. Example: INV-100 |
No | - Duplicate Document |
| 12 | Memo | A description of the journal entry (typically entered manually) that provides the context of the transaction through descriptive content or the use of codes. Example: This was paid on Dec 7 from Account 1.2875. It was a manual entry. |
No | - Empty Text Field - Memo with Different Period - Suspicious Keywords Note: If no source column is mapped to Memo, but a source column named Memo exists, it will be automatically be used. |
| 13 | Due Date | The date the invoice was originally due. Example: 2014-01-01 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
No | N/A |
| 14 | Invoice date | The date as shown on the vendor's paper. Example: 2021-11-15 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
No | - Invoice Created After Effective Date |
| 15 | Transaction type | The nature of the entry in the context of the accounts payable. Examples: invoice, payment, etc. |
No | N/A |
| 16 | User ID | The name or identifying code of the user responsible for creating/posting the journal entry. Example: Paul Johnson or 10922 |
No | N/A |
End of period - Outstanding payables list
This document should contain all the payables that are outstanding at the end of the analysis period.
All entries from this file will have Entry Type "outstanding" and are used for aging calculation and visualization.
Note: This file is required for current period analyses. If an AP detail file has been imported into prior period analyses, this file is not required but will provide additional insights if imported.
| # | Field name | Description | Required? | Control points in effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vendor name | The name of the vendor. This is a key field used to connect entries and must be consistent across the data. Example: Lift Mechanics Ltd. Note: If no vendor ID is provided, analysis will use the Vendor Name as the Vendor ID. If both are provided, analysis will use Vendor ID, but both are displayed. During analysis, entries are matched by Vendor ID |
Yes | - Old Unpaid Invoice Note: This field is used only to identify entries in AP detail and Start of period - Outstanding Payables list that will be used to calculate the risk score. |
| 2 | Entry ID | The identifier for the entry, generally represented by a code or reference number. This is a key field used to connect entries and must be consistent across the data. Example: PO_661 |
Yes | - Old Unpaid Invoice Note: This field is used only to identify entries in AP detail and Start of period - Outstanding Payables list that will be used to calculate the risk score. |
| 3 | Amount | The entry’s value, which may be either positive (i.e., debit) or negative (i.e., credit). Example: 19,834.22 (debit position) -19,834.22 (credit position) Note: “Amount” is an alternative field for lists that do not provide entries split into separate debit and credit fields |
No | - Old Unpaid Invoice Note: This field is used only to identify entries in AP detail and Start of period - Outstanding Payables list that will be used to calculate the risk score. |
| 4 | Debit | The debit value of the entry. Example: 19,834.22 |
Yes | - Old Unpaid Invoice Note: This field is used only to identify entries in AP detail and Start of period - Outstanding Payables list that will be used to calculate the risk score. |
| 5 | Credit | The credit value of the entry. Example: 19,834.22 |
Yes | - Old Unpaid Invoice Note: This field is used only to identify entries in AP detail and Start of period - Outstanding Payables list that will be used to calculate the risk score. |
| 6 | Effective date | The date of the journal entry, regardless of when the entry was posted. This field is used to determine how old the outstanding entry is when aging is calculated. This date may also be known as the “accounting date”. Example: 2014-01-01 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
Yes | - Old Unpaid Invoice Note: This field is used only to identify entries in AP detail and Start of period - Outstanding Payables list that will be used to calculate the risk score. |
| 7 | GL date | The date when the entry was posted in the general ledger, regardless of when it takes effect in the accounting cycle. Example: 2014-01-01 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
No | N/A |
| 8 | Vendor ID | The identifier for the vendor that is associated with the entry. This is a key field used to connect entries and must be consistent across the data. Example: 102855 Note: If no vendor ID is provided, analysis will use the Vendor Name as the Vendor ID. If both are provided, analysis will use Vendor ID, but both are displayed. During analysis, entries are matched by Vendor ID |
No | - Old Unpaid Invoice Note: This field is used only to identify entries in AP detail and Start of period - Outstanding Payables list that will be used to calculate the risk score. |
| 9 | Invoice ref | The invoice entry ID or code to link the entry to the invoice. This is a secondary key in payment entries that references the Entry ID field to the corresponding invoice entry. Example: INV-100 |
No | N/A |
| 10 | Account ID | The identifier for the general ledger financial account associated with the entry. Example: 14028 |
No | N/A |
| 11 | Transaction type | This field allows users to view, sort, and filter outstanding entries based on their type. In the context of the accounts payable, the transaction type field indicates the nature of the entry (for example, invoice, payment, etc.). This field may be different from the Entry type and may originate from sources other than the general ledger. |
No | N/A |
| 12 | Memo | A description of the journal entry (typically entered manually) that provides the context of the transaction through descriptive content or the use of codes. Example: This was paid on Dec 7 from Account 1.2875. It was a manual entry. |
No | N/A |
| 13 | User ID | The name or identifying code of the user responsible for creating/posting the journal entry. Example: Paul Johnson or 10922 |
No | N/A |
| 14 | Due date | The date the invoice was originally due. Example: 2014-01-01 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
No | N/A |
| 15 | Invoice date | The date as shown on the vendor's paper. Example: 2021-11-15 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
No | N/A |
Vendor opening balances
This optional document should contain the balances of each vendor account at the beginning of the analysis period.
| # | Field name | Description | Required? | Control points in effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vendor name | The name of the vendor. This is a key field used to connect entries and must be consistent across the data. Example: Lift Mechanics Ltd. Note: If no vendor ID is provided, analysis will use the Vendor Name as the Vendor ID. If both are provided, analysis will use Vendor ID, but both are displayed. During analysis, entries are matched by Vendor ID. |
Yes | - Vendor with a Debit Balance Note: This file is optional. If it is provided, the Start of period - Outstanding payables list is not used for this control point. |
| 2 | Balance | The opening balance of a particular vendor at the beginning of the analysis period. Example: 1000.54 Note: “Balance” is an alternative field for lists that do not provide entries split into separate debit and credit fields. |
Yes | - Vendor with a Debit Balance Note: This file is optional. If it is provided, the Start of period - Outstanding payables list is not used for this control point. |
| 3 | Debit | The opening balance of a particular vendor at the beginning of the analysis period as a debit value. Example: 19,834.22 |
No | - Vendor with a Debit Balance Note: This file is optional. If it is provided, the Start of period - Outstanding payables list is not used for this control point. |
| 4 | Credit | The opening balance of a particular vendor at the beginning of the analysis period as a credit value. Example: 19,834.22 |
No | - Vendor with a Debit Balance Note: This file is optional. If it is provided, the Start of period - Outstanding payables list is not used for this control point. |
| 5 | Vendor ID | The identifier for the vendor associated with the entry. This is a key field used to connect entries and must be consistent across the data. Example: 102855 Note: If no vendor ID is provided, analysis will use the Vendor Name as the Vendor ID. If both are provided, analysis will use Vendor ID, but both are displayed. During analysis, entries are matched by Vendor ID. |
No | - Vendor with a Debit Balance Note: This file is optional. If it is provided, the Start of period - Outstanding payables list is not used for this control point. |
Vendor list
This document provides the names of each vendor and additional information.
Start of period - Outstanding payables list
This optional file contains all outstanding payables as at the beginning of the analysis period.
If provided, it is appended to the AP Detail file with duplicates removed (ie: a set union). The combined entries becomes the source data for all AP control points, with the following exceptions:
- The Cash Expenditure and Old Unpaid Invoice control points do not consider entries from this file, rather it uses data from AP Detail only
- If the Vendor opening balances is provided, entries from that file will be considered for the Vendor with a Debit Balance control point instead.
All entries from this file will have Entry Type "opening" and for analysis have the same treatment as "invoice".