A journal is one entry in the ledger: a set of lines that balance, posted to a period. Most journals are created for you by the system; a few are made by hand.
What a journal holds
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Source | Where it came from — see below. |
| Source reference | The document that caused it. |
| Event ID | The originating event, for automatic postings. |
| Period | The accounting period it posts into. |
| Description | What it is for. |
| Dimensions | Analysis attributes as key–value pairs. |
| Lines | The debits and credits. |
Sources
| Source | Raised by |
|---|---|
| Invoice | Issuing a customer invoice. |
| Payment | Receiving or making a payment. |
| Cheque | A cheque changing status. |
| Treasury transaction | Cash movement. |
| Reconciled | Bank reconciliation. |
| Adjustment | A correcting entry. |
| Manual | Keyed by a person. |
The source tells you immediately whether an entry can be explained by pointing at a document. Manual journals cannot — which is why they deserve scrutiny.
Journal lines
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| GL account | Which account. Must be postable — see The chart of accounts. |
| Dr/Cr | Debit (D) or credit (C). |
| Transaction amount and transaction currency | As transacted. |
| Functional amount and functional currency | Translated into the ledger's currency. |
| Posting rule | Which rule produced the line, for automatic postings. |
| Bank statement line | The statement line it was matched to, once reconciled. |
| Reconciled at | When reconciliation happened. |
Two amounts on every line
Every line carries both the transaction amount in its own currency and the functional amount in the ledger's currency. A USD receipt into an EGP-reporting entity is one line holding both figures.
This is what lets the same ledger report in the functional currency and still show a customer what they were actually billed. It also means the exchange rate used is fixed at posting time — see Exchange rates.
Dimensions
Journals carry dimensions: key–value attributes for analysis — branch, trade lane, cost centre, vessel.
Use dimensions instead of multiplying accounts. Cost by branch is a dimension question, and answering it with an account per branch multiplies the chart until nobody can navigate it. See The chart of accounts.
Manual journals
Journal → New creates a manual entry. Legitimate uses are narrow:
- accruals and prepayments at period end;
- corrections that cannot be made by reversing the source document;
- opening balances;
- adjustments agreed with your auditors.
Everything else should come from the transaction that caused it. A manual journal to record a customer receipt loses the connection to the invoice, and the receivable does not clear.
Rules for manual journals
- Write a description that will make sense in a year. "Adjustment" is not one. Say what and why.
- Post to the right period, which is not necessarily the current one.
- Balance it. Total debits must equal total credits.
- Use dimensions so the entry appears in the same analysis as everything else.
- Keep the evidence — a manual journal with no supporting workpaper is the first thing an auditor asks about.
Viewing and querying
The journal list can be viewed as journals or as lines, and there is a GL account balance view for a single account. Working in lines is usually what you want when investigating: it is the level at which an account, an amount and a rule are all visible together.
Corrections
Correct a wrong journal by posting a reversing entry, not by editing history. An edited journal breaks the link between the ledger and the documents behind it, and the audit trail is the reason the ledger is trusted at all.
Automatic postings
Most journals arrive through posting rules, which turn a business event — an invoice issued, a cheque bounced — into balanced lines. Understanding them is what explains where any given automatic journal came from. See Posting rules.
Last updated 9 September 2026