Configure account structures

This article describes how to use the configure account structures form in Dynamics AX 2012. The configure account structures functionality is used to define valid combinations of main account and financial dimensions as well as the seizure order from the main account and dimensions.

1. Presentation

When you post a transaction in Dynamics AX, the accounting is done in the main account, but it can also be done in several financial dimension. The account structure allows to define valid combinations of main account and financial dimension. If you don’t need the same information for a balance transaction that for a purchase transaction, you can create several structure.

For example, I need to have a department dimension for all the main accounts. For the profit and loss account, I need to have in addition the cost center dimension. And the last requirement is to be able to follow the budget for all the purchase transaction.

For this example, I need to create 3 accounts structures :

AS1: All Balance account + Department dimension.
AS2: All Purchase account + Department dimension + Cost center dimension + Budget dimension.
AS3: Profit &Loss account exclude purchase account in AS2 + Department dimension + Cost center dimension.

Remarks:

Define one account structure rule per “account-dimension key”.
All the account to use for budgeting must be in the same structure.
If you need a “fixed blank” dimension, use a specific account structure without the dimension.

2. Setup account structures

Access: GL > Setup > Chart of account > Configure account structure

Click on “Account structure New”
Enter the account structure code
Enter a description
Select “Add main account” if needed.

Example 1: Create AS1 (Balance account + Department)

Go to the Main account column and click to the filter.
Select “Specify which values are allowed”
Enter the rule

In this example, I want to select all my balance account.
In my chart of account, balance accounts are all accounts contained between 100000 and 599999.

Click on “Add segment” to add a financial dimension
Select the financial dimension

Click to the filter to edit the field
Select “All values are allowed” if there is no restriction or enter a rule.
Select “Allows Blanks” if the filed is not mandatory (the user can let this filed blank when he posts a transaction).

Click on “Validate”
The first account structure AS1 is done.

Example 2: Create AS2 (Purchase accounts + Department + Cost center + Budget)

Click on “New” to create a new structure
Enter the account structure code and the description

Go to the Main account column and click to the filter.
Select “Specify which values are allowed”
Enter the rule : in my chart of account, purchases accounts are all accounts contained between 600000 and 689999 and accounts starting by 79.

Click on “Add segment” to add a financial dimension
Select the financial dimension.
For the AS2, I add a department, cost center and Budget dimension.
For the department, the option “Allows blank” is selected but not for the Cost center dimension.

Click on “Validate”
The second account structure AS2 is done.

Example 3: Create AS3 (P&L accounts + Department + Cost center)

In my chart of account, Profit and Loss accounts are all accounts contained between 600000 and 799999. But, the accounts between 600000 and 689999 and also the accounts starting with 79 are already in an account structure and they must be only in one account structure. And for this rules, I need to specify a range of specific cost center for all the 69 accounts.

Click on “New” to create a new structure
Enter the account structure code and the description

Go to the Main account column and click to the filter.
Select “Specify which values are allowed”
Create a first range of main account : accounts between 700000 and 789999.

Click on “Add segment” to add a financial dimension
Select the financial dimension.
For the AS3, I add a department and cost center dimension.

Create a second range of main account
Go to the main account column and click on “Add main account node”

Click to the filter.
Select “Specify which values are allowed”
Enter the rule for the 69 accounts

Go to column CostCenter,
Enter the rule for the 69 accounts : only cost center dimension starting with OU_35 are allowed.

Click on “Validate”
The second account structure AS3 is done.

3. Use account structures

To use an account structure, you need to active them.
Go to the congigure account structures form, select the account structure and click on “Activate”