Inventory applications completed.

General Ledger Close – an option is available for a multiple month GL Close.  This is mainly intended for customers who do not use the accrual basis and have not closed the General Ledger for many months.

Lease Check Voiding – If a client used the lease check template for one check per owner per lease or one check per owner per tract, the lease check void was not handled properly.  This has now been corrected so the posting and roll back of check due dates during lease void check are correct.

Please contact support@ogsys.com if you have any questions about these new features.

For customers converting from OGWIN to OGSQL, any existing 230 or 250 report macros set for accrual with unclosed items will default to Current Processing Month.

You will see a new checkbox on the GL Close screen to Accrue Month by Month.  This checkbox applies when you are closing multiple months at one time.  If checked (default setting), accruals will be done exactly as if the client ran the month closes one at a time.  If unchecked, all accrual dates will be assigned to the 25th of the last month in the range of months being closed.

This feature is available in both OGWIN and OGSQL.  A client should make sure the GL Detail and Summary GL retention periods found in Company Maintenance are set to their desired settings before running the GL Close process.

Tips and News

• Always review all 1099 instructions and publications from the IRS before filing
• Download 1099 updates for OGwin versions 1.80 and 2.2 from our website http://www.ogsys.com. Then, apply the updates to your database. To receive 1099 changes, you must be using OGWin 1.80 or OGWin 2.2
• Consider filing 1099s electronically through the IRS website http://fire.irs.gov

Hottest FAQ about 1099s

Q: What’s the difference between “Print Non-qualifying Amounts?” and “Print Non-flagged Vendors?” on the Vendor 1099 Proof Report?

A: Printing all “non-qualifying amounts” will print all amounts . . . regardless of the minimum you have set on the 1099 run.  Printing “Non-flagged vendors” will print all vendors . . . regardless of the flag in the master file for “Send-1099:”

Q: What if I void a 2008 check in 2009, after I have already sent out 1099s?

A: When the 2008 check was voided, OGSYS updated the 1099 file for 2008, which you will not see unless you decide to re-run your 2008 1099s.  What happens in 2009 depends on whether you re-issue the check. If you issue it with a 2009 date, OGSYS will update the 1099 file for 2009, so that the amount is reported for 2009.  If this is not the desired result, you can adjust the 1099 amount using the adjustment entry screens.

Q: Does the system allow me to print 1099s more than once?

A: Yes. You may print 1099s repeatedly until the information is purged.  OGSYS does not purge 1099 information until the 1099s have been printed after the December month has been closed for that module.

Q: OGSYS says I didn’t print 1099s for last year, but I did.  What does this mean?

A: Run the December close prior to the final 1099 run.  If 1099s are run prior to the December close (not after), OGSYS does not recognize the 1099 run as an “official” run.  Therefore, it does not purge the information for that year and could blend it into the next year. 

Q: Can I run electronic 1099s more than once?

A: Yes.  You may generate electronic 1099s as many times as necessary until the information is purged.  Make sure you generate 1099 information to an electronic file before closing January for the module.

Q: Which address box do I use for 1099s?

A: 1099 forms take the address from the default screen of the master file record. Electronic and substitute 1099 forms also take the address from the first screen.

Q: How do I get Vendor 1099s to print in the “Rentals” box?

A: By default, Vendor 1099s print in Box 7 (the non-employee compensation box).  However, it is possible to choose the payment type, and therefore the box for a vendor’s 1099 amount.  Vendor maintenance allows you to choose from the following payment types: 1 – Rents, 2 – Royalties, 3 – Other Income, 6 – Medical Payments, 7 – Non-employee Compensation, and 14 – Gross Attorney Fees.

Q: What are substitute 1099s?

A: The IRS gives you the option to send substitute 1099 rather than the standard 1099 for Owners/Vendors. If you file electronically, the substitute form is the way to go. Send the electronic file to the IRS, then print substitute 1099s to send to the Owners/Vendors.  A side benefit is, you don’t have to buy the standard 1099 forms.  NOTE: Do not send substitute forms to the IRS. You will be charged a penalty fee for filing incorrectly.

Q: The 1099s for electronic ask the question, “Prior Filing Year?” Does this mean I can run 1099s for 2007?

A: Under normal processing, you would not be able to print 1099s for 2007 now, since that information was purged in 2008. This field is part of the record layout for electronic 1099s, so it must be included here.  To answer “Yes” in this field, you would have to take extra steps to ensure that the data is available.

Q:  May I select and sort by vendor/owner codes for 1099s?

A:  Yes. You have entity selecting and sorting capabilities for all 1099 processes.

Q:  I need a list of all the vendors/owners with no federal ID. How do I get it?

A:  You may select and sort by a federal ID number any place where you have entity selection capabilities, including all the 1099 processes and entity listings. When you sort by federal ID, it places all vendors/owners without an ID at the beginning of the report. The federal ID also prints on the brief entity listing.

A Timely Refresher — 1099 Procedures

1099s and 1099 balances are integral parts of OGSYS.  Enter balances only during installation, as OGSYS maintains 1099 information automatically. OGSYS provides 1099 updates as a normal part of the support services.  The system supports 1099 forms, electronic 1099 reporting, and substitute 1099 forms.  Make sure you have loaded the latest release (either 1.8, 2.0, 2.1 or 2.2) and service pack for current 1099 programs. Remember, the IRS will not return problem files.  Keep a copy of the 1099 files you submit to the IRS.

Five Rules for Processing 1099s

1.  Always run an Accounts Payable Close Month for December before printing Vendor 1099s for a year.  Always run a Revenue Close Month for December before printing Owner 1099s for a year.  Always run a Lease Records Close Month for December before printing Land-Owner 1099s for a year.  You may print the 1099 Proof Reports at any time during the year.

2. Print the 1099 Proof Report to verify 1099 amounts and which entities should receive a 1099.

3. You may adjust 1099 amounts.  For vendor 1099 adjustments use the Vendor 1099-History Entry function from the Vendor History/1099s Menu.  OGSYS will display a screen showing the check detail total and the 1099-history amount. The sum of these two figures is equal to the amount that will be printed on the 1099 form. To make adjustments to a Vendor’s 1099 amount, increase or decrease the 1099-history amount as needed.  This is a replacement amount, and it will be added to the check detail total to give you the actual 1099 amount.

For Owner 1099 adjustments, use the 1099 Adjustment Entry function from the Owner 1099s/Balances menu.  Enter adjustments as replacement amounts in the appropriate fields.

For Land-Owner 1099 adjustments, use the Land-owner 1099-History Entry screen on the Lease-records Maintenance menu.  Enter the adjustment as a replacement amount in the appropriate field. 

4.  Always verify 1099 amounts for at least one vendor/owner prior to mailing 1099s.

5. If December Close Month is not run prior to printing 1099s, subsequent years’ 1099s will include amounts from the prior year.  To correct, reprint 1099s for the prior year, and run the module Close Month for December of the current year.

NOTE: OGSYS includes items netted within the current 1099 calendar year in that year’s 1099 amounts.  Therefore, do not run the cross-clear program using a December voucher date, unless the items being netted are to be included in the current year’s 1099s.  Items to be included in the next year’s 1099 must have a January-or-later voucher date.

Substitute 1099s are available for Vendor 1099s, Owner Royalty 1099s and Land-owner 1099s.  Use these substitute forms to mail to the Vendors/Owners.  These forms are not intended for the IRS.  You will see Substitute 1099s in each respective 1099s menu.

Waltz through Year-end with Fewer Problems

• Make a year-end backup before closing the General Ledger
  Most important—include ALL OGwin files; data, programs, and control files. By copying all of OGwin, you are ensuring that you can restore the database for that time period, if necessary. Retain this backup permanently, do not overwrite with a later backup. NOTE: If only the data files are backed up and your current database has been upgraded with a release, you will not be able to use the year-end backup.
  
• The year-end General Ledger Close performs some extra step
  The close routine will take the balances in the Profit and Loss (P & L) accounts and zero them into the Retained Earnings account for corporations, and into the Capital account for partnerships. Because of this, it is important to make sure your Fixed Account Maintenance is set up accurately. Make certain the first P & L account is specified correctly. The system will take every account from the first P & L account forward and zero it to Retained Earnings.

  Also, make sure the Retained Earnings or Capital account is coded correctly in the fixed accounts. DO NOT close the General Ledger for the year without having the first P & L, Retained Earnings, and Capital accounts coded correctly. Otherwise, you will not be able to correct the incorrect balances by re-closing the year for the P & L accounts without restoring your database. The year-end General Ledger may be re-closed, however, for any adjusting entries that are posted in the new year.

In early September, OGSYS R&D personnel completed the developmental phase of the native OGsql base system. Subsequently, several volunteer clients began working with us to alpha test the base system, and we hope to complete alpha testing by mid-October.

Here are our objectives in alpha testing –
• To process as many transactions as possible
• To exercise every possible program in OGsql
• To test OGsql for specific user-defined job functions

The flow diagram below shows the steps involved in the alpha test.

We will begin beta testing as soon as the alpha phase is complete in mid October 2007. In the beta phase, selected volunteer clients will go live on the native OGsql base system in their production environments. These clients on beta OGsql will have priority access to our support staff. Our plan is to complete the OGsql base-system beta testing in December 2007.

During the months of testing of the base system, we will continue development of
the Land and Fixed Assets programs. We plan alpha testing Land Management in early November and alpha testing Fixed Assets in late November. We will complete beta testing of both programs by late January 2008.

We will complete OGsql development for all other programs in early 2008. If you would like a periodic status report via email, contact the Manager of Operations, Barbara Schweitzer ().

Want to Help Test OGsql?

If your company has an interest in participating in the alpha or beta testing program, contact Chuck Blanton () or Jody Vasquez () for more information.

New Tool to Track Changes to Decks and Other Data

When you save a deck in OGwin 2.0 or later, you may have noticed a new popup screen—“Change Control.”

OGwin links this popup to the new Disbursement Change History report found under the Exceptional Processing menu. We designed this report to track changes to decks and—optionally—to other data items that have a bearing on cash disbursements.

The feature records every deck creation or saved change in the report . . . along with a change control number, user ID, station ID, date and time. If you want a record of changes to additional items like vendors, owners, lease financials, you may activate Option 203.

Recording changes to decks reinforces program security, and enhances the way that deck changes are integrated into normal processing and posting. Your decks can continue working essentially as they always have.

Previously, an entry program – such as AP invoice entry – would select a deck. Changes to that deck were then locked until you posted the AP invoice voucher.

OGwin 2.0 does not lock the deck. Instead, the program provides Option 204 (default-freeze), so that deck selection in AP invoice entry pins that invoice to use that specific version of the deck . . . even if you change the deck (same effective date) prior to final posting.

OGwin can now reconstruct archived versions of a deck using the change control number for pinning. Leave off Option 204, and the deck selection floats to use the version of the deck that is on file at the time of posting (same effective date).

With 2.0, the system allows floating so long as the total company interest in the deck has not changed since entry. If you violate that restriction, the system rejects the posting, and you must alter the AP invoice entry with a reselection of a deck.

The new Change Control popup screen allows the user to enter a description that streamlines deck selection from archived decks. The deck scan process is now a two-level scan. The first level is the same as always – the current version of each effective date shown. If you want an archived version of a deck, a drill down to archived decks is available.

On the deck scan screen, you may specify that you want to place a freeze on the deck all the way through posting.

The new version enhances modeling in AP invoice entry, manual journal entry, and purchaser check entry. This enhancement enables you to use the same deck from the original entry (even if archived) or to float the new voucher to use the most recent deck version.

Option 205 sets the default to use the same pinned deck when modeling. Option 206 sets the default to use the same pinned deck when modeling and reversing. You may override either default on the model selection screen.

The Disbursement Change History Report affords various filters and time period selection. The report contains separate sections for expense decks, revenue decks, owners, etc. It also provides a continuity section to prove that the change history itself has not been altered.

Redistribute Netted Items

You may now redistribute netted items, using Revenue Redistribution. See The Operator, July 2007 for detailed information on the revenue redistribution application.

Upload CDEX

Go to our website—www.ogsys.com—for instructions for the CDEX upload and a formatted Excel spreadsheet. Look for it under “Support / Upload Tools.”

Use Adjustment Entry to Adjust an Owner’s AR

Make adjustments to an owner’s accounts receivable by using the Adjustment Entry application found on the Accounts Receivable Processing menu.

Make the adjustments by owner to individual invoices. OGwin assumes a debit to the Accounts Receivable fixed account, and therefore prompts for the credit account to be entered. If you are entering a credit to the A/R account, the adjustment amount will be a negative number.

The credit account may be the cash account if you are reimbursing an owner for an overpayment. It may be an expense account if you are reversing a billing error, or it may be any other account that requires an adjustment.

Warning: Do not make the credit account the AR fixed account. This will result in a zero effect to that account in the General Ledger with a real effect to the A/R subledger – which means that they would not balance.

With invoice selection, you may adjust paid or unpaid invoices or create a new invoice –
• Simply select the invoices by well, or leave the well field blank to view all invoices for the owner, regardless of well
• Click the file tab “AR invoices” to see the list of invoices
• Highlight the invoice to be adjusted
• Click the Change button or just double-click the invoice line to enter the adjustment amount
• Save the line
• Once all invoice adjustments for the owner have been made, save the voucher
• Respond “Yes” to the prompt “OK to post adjustments?” to post the entry to accounts receivable and the general ledger

Throughout our 25-year history, many clients have requested custom programming.
When we reprogram OGSYS, we make all changes available to our client base. You see many of them in our regular system updates. When a custom programming request is more specific, we assign it an option number to make it available to all clients.

Options fall into two categories: (1) formatting and (2) extra cost functions. You may directly manage some formatting options — like JIB formats — through Site File Utility on the Supervisor menu. Activation of some formatting options requires a file from OGSYS support.

Extra-cost options include OGwin add-on modules, such as Lease Records, Production, Fixed Assets, and Inventory. Subledger upload functions, such as CDEX and AP Invoice upload (as well as some additional reporting capabilities like Net Distribution reports and the OGsql reporting module), also are extra-cost options.

To receive an updated options list, please email .

Whenever you make changes to the Site File Utility, email OGSYS support including your company name and the option you turned on or off. This will prevent the loss of the option setting when future releases are loaded against OGwin.

OGwin ‘Loaded’ with Upload Tools

Take advantage of OGwin’s many built-in upload capabilities. You may upload a journal entry, an AP invoice, budgets, and many more items.

OGwin requires a certain layout for the upload files. Therefore, we have recently created Excel macros for various system uploads. You will find these macros and related instruction documents on our Upload Tools page.

Right-click on a specific spreadsheet and save it to your system. Do not enter your data directly into the spreadsheet on our website.

OGwin 2.0 – New Opportunities in Revenue Redistribution

OGwin allows the redistribution of revenue from one owner to another or from one owner to a company (not from a company to an owner.) With the new 2.0 version, you will see some changes to the Revenue Redistribution program.

You also may redistribute revenue by creating temporary decks with the new and old owners and posting negative revenue amounts to one deck and positive amounts to the other. Revenue Redistribution works only between outside owners.

OGwin will not allow use of Revenue Redistribution to reduce a company’s share of revenue.

OGwin will not allow redistribution in cases when an owner has been netted or had a partial payment made against the revenue you wish to redistribute. Use the Unpaid History entry to make this change. Call OGSYS Support for procedures if netting has been done.

To redistribute an owner’s revenue:

• Select NEW [F3 key] for a new voucher number. OGwin 2.0 introduced the use of a voucher number with redistribution.
• Enter the owner code.
• Complete the Revenue Selection window for the redistributed items. (You may filter the items to be redistributed by well, product, deck, production month ranges, voucher, interest type and payment type.) Then click RETRIEVE

  

• The Selected Revenue Items tab will show all items to be redistributed. Use the Del Line button to delete individual lines that you do NOT want to be redistributed. OGwin will display the total amount to be redistributed as “Total Payable.”

  

• To create a reversing entry in a memo company for each line to be redistributed (not just the lines with an entry in the MemoAlso column), enter a company code in Memo Comp. If a revenue item was associated with a memo company at the time of posting, that memo company code will be reflected in the MemoAlso column. The Memo Comp replaces that MemoAlso code for those revenue items.
• Specify one or more owners or companies to receive the redistribution of the revenue item(s) being selected. Click the Target Entities tab to enter the owners and/or companies to receive the redistribution. Click Add Line. Enter the owner or company code. The program does not allow code duplication. To remove an owner or company from the screen, select Del Line. OGwin assigns a share of the revenue according to their share of the total decimal interests of all owners or companies on this screen to each of the owners or companies.
• OGwin calculates this share by the formula:
  Revenue * (Their-Decimal-Intr / Total-Intr-on-Screen)
  One simple way to use this formula is to enter each owner or company’s share of the well.
  Example: Suppose you wish to replace one owner having a 20% share with three owners having shares of 10, 6, and 4%.
  Simply enter the decimal interests as .1, .06, and .04, and the program will assign the three owners a proportional share of the existing revenue. To calculate the percentage of the total to be redistributed to each of the owners/companies listed, click the Scale button.

  

• OGwin will prompt you to enter the new owners/companies and their relative percentages. IMPORTANT — If the original owner is to retain a portion of the revenue, you must list them with the percentage to be retained. In the example below, owner 105200 is retaining a 50% interest in the revenue. The remaining 50% is to be redistributed to owner 100000 and 100007. To also show the amounts to be redistributed in a memo company, enter the memo company code in the Memo space.
  
• The sample (above) shows the revised percents after you click the Scale button. OGwin will redistribute 100%, according to the owner’s percentages; the total should be 100%. OGwin will not show an amount for redistribution if it has been netted or otherwise adjusted. The program allows redistribution only of the original amount.
• To allow users to specify a well/deck for redistributing the items, use the Target Deck tab (new in version 2.0), rather than listing individual owners/companies. This is useful particularly in instances where the true ownership was originally unknown and a “dummy” owner was specified. Once you determine the ownership, use the Target Deck tab to select an expense deck to specify the ownership percent to redistribute the “dummy” ownership interest.

  

• Specify the payment type of the newly redistributed revenue. Select “Same” (same as the original revenue item), “Fully Payable,” “Suspended,” or “Suspend Code” (1-9).
• Indicate if revenue redistributed to a company should have the gross volumes and values suppressed in the company’s general ledger. This is useful if the company already has an interest in the well’s revenue to prevent duplicate gross amounts in property reports. This is new in version 2.0

  

• To save your selections, click “Save.”
• OGwin may display the message shown below if any of the revenue items show ??? in the MemoAlso company column on the Selected Revenue Items tab. The message indicates that some revenue was posted in an earlier release of OGwin and allows the user to choose whether to reverse revenue from a memo company. To enter a Memo Company, enter “No.” To proceed without entering a Memo Company, enter “Yes.”

  

• Go to Post Revenue Redistribution (new in version 2.0). Select the appropriate Report Version to trial post, then final post the redistribution. Select Audit-Listing to print the G/L detail reports.

  

In OGwin 2.0 service pack 6/28/07, you gain the new capability to suppress cross clearing, while running the netting process. (Cross clearing is clearing a credit AR invoice for an owner against debit AR invoices. Netting is applying Revenue for an owner to AR invoices.)

When you apply the pack to your database, a new checkbox will appear in Owner Maintenance, “No A/R Cross Clear during Rev. Netting.” If the box is checked, the owner will not have any AR credits cleared against AR debits. All existing owners, as well as new owners will default to the box unchecked.

NOTE: If you loaded OGwin 2.0 service pack 4/26/07, this feature was handled with a dropdown list in Owner Maintenance for the Net Rev vs. Exps field.

Load the 6/28/07 patch for the more simplified checkbox.

Well-Allocation Record Usage

Use Well Allocation Records to allocate one amount to a group of wells. You may allocate expenses or revenues over a group of wells. OGwin will divide the total amount of the items according to the percentages on the allocation deck, then use the well deck to disburse the revenue or costs to the participants on those decks.

To spread costs or revenues over the wells:

• Enter the code for the allocation deck
• Choose type (“Field” or “Group”) from the pull-down menu
• Enter the effective date for the allocation deck
• Enter the total tokens for the distribution or the total of 100 percent
• Either enter a percentage directly for each well or enter tokens. OGwin will calculate the interests for each well. You may use token amounts to enter the production meter for each well in a gathering system.

Use the OGwin Purchaser Check entry to

• Enter total sales for the system
• Code total sales to the system well allocation record

NOTE: All of the wells in the allocation deck must have a common revenue or expense deck code to use for the allocations to the owners. The deck code is identified in the Purchaser Check Entry, A/P Invoice Entry, or Manual JE where applicable.

To use the allocation in Accounts Payable, change the type on the Invoice Distribution to “Field,” rather than “Well.”

Create a Partnership in Nine Easy Steps

Use the OGwin Partnership Module to create a company with general and/or limited partners. Subsequently, you may record contributions, generate partnership distributions and print K1s for the year.

In a partnership, the P&L account balances are taken to the capital accounts for General Partners and Limited Partners rather than to a Retained Earnings account.

NOTE: To work with a partnership, the partnership must be established by the creation of the General Partner or Limited Partner list in Partnership Partner’s Maintenance BEFORE you do any processing. A company that already has activity cannot be converted to a partnership.

1. Create any entities that will be partners in the partnership as either companies or owners. If a company in the database will also be a partner, use that same company code. Otherwise, set up the partner in Owner Maintenance.

2. Use Partnership Partners Maintenance to set up the General Partners (if any). OGwin will list the partners with their proportionate share of the general partnership (to total 100%).

3. Use Partnership Partners Maintenance to setup the Limited Partners (if any). OGwin will list the partners with their proportionate share of the limited partnership (to total 100%).

4. Use Partnership Accounts Maintenance to establish the “appropriate split” between the general partners and limited partners by GL account. The default for each account is 100% to the general partnership. Therefore—whenever 100% to the general partnership is not appropriate—use OGwin’s option to change the default setting to reflect the proper percent for that fiscal year. You may change this setting any time before the fiscal year is closed. Once the year is closed, OGwin will reflect any changes in the next year.

5. Use Chart of Accounts Maintenance to create the following GL accounts:
• General Partner Distributions
• General Partner Capital
• General Partner Contributions
• Limited Partner Distributions
• Limited Partner Capital
• Limited Partner Contributions
To keep partner activity by partner, give each of these accounts a location code: “Entity.”

6. To reference the GL accounts above in the appropriate categories, use Company Fixed Accounts Maintenance. Remember: all six partnership categories must be populated.

Once you have completed the maintenance, enter and post activity as needed. Close the GL and subledgers according to the standard processing rules.

7. To post contribution amounts for each partner as needed, use the Capital Contributions Entry.

8. Use Capital Check Print to generate partnership checks to the General or Limited Partners. (As with other OGWin check programs, you may record checks manually or void as needed).

9. With OGwin, you may create General Ledger Reports for the partnership as a whole, for general partners only, limited partners only, or for individual partners with the 230-Financial Reporting and 250-Property Reporting. (See Report Version in the report setup window.)

Subledgers VS General Ledgers—Learn the Keys to Maintaining Agreement

By design, OGwin maintains agreement between the subledgers and the general ledger. However, certain manual entries can create havoc and cause ledger agreement to disintegrate. One key to maintaining agreement is avoiding manual entries to the GL accounts that control the subledgers.

These controlling accounts include Accounts Payable Trade, Accounts Receivable Trade, JIB Clearance, Revenue Receivable, and Owner Advances. The golden rule is, “Never make manual journal entries coded directly to these accounts, bypassing the subledger.”

The Royalties Payable account also controls a subledger. While this account would not usually allow manual entries, some exceptions apply. (For more information, contact OGSYS Support.)

After each month’s processing, it is important to check each subledger balance to make sure it is in agreement with the controlling account balance in the general ledger. Get started by running the following reports:

1. The GL report (210-01) for each controlling account, for the current processing month and with prior balances. Run this report on a journal date basis.

2. The subledger report for each module:
a. Accounts Payable
Run Report 340-AP Detail, for all vendors, for Unpaid Items Only and by Transaction Date and Payment Date. The starting date field should be left blank while the cut-off date field should be the end of the current processing month. This report should agree to the GL report for the AP Trade account.
b. Accounts Receivable
Run Report 640-Aged AR Listing, for all owners. Any Aging Dates may be used as long as the latest date is the end of the current processing month. This report should agree to the GL report for the AR Trade account.
c. Joint Interest Billing
Run Report 720-JIB Billing Prelist for all owners (or wells). Use a “bill-thru” date of the end of the current processing month. Include suspended items but do not include future items. This report should agree to the GL report for the JIB Clearance account.
d. Revenue
Run Report 420-Revenue Check Prelist for all owners. Use a check date of the end of the current processing month. Include suspended items. This report should agree to the GL report for the Revenue Payable, Legal Suspense and Minimum Suspense accounts.
e. Revenue Receivable
Run Report 490-Aged Revenue Receivable Listing, for all purchasers. Any Aging Dates may be used as long as the latest date is the end of the current processing month. This report should agree to the GL report for the Revenue Receivable account.

TIP: When the subledger controlling account has the proper location, it is easier to see the agreement or disagreement to the subledger report on the general ledger report. The location is defined in the chart of accounts maintenance as “None,” “Well,” or “Entity.”

For example, the Accounts Payable report shows by-vendor activity; therefore, keep the AP Trade account by Location: Entity, so that the GL report shows by-vendor subtotals.

If there are any differences between the GL and subledger reports, contact OGSYS System Support.

New Excel® Macro for the Journal Entry Transfer

For many years, OGwin has provided a journal entry upload feature. This program creates an unposted manual journal entry from an ASCII file in a specific file layout.

Recently, however, OGSYS has added an extra benefit—an Excel macro for the JE transfer that will check your data prior to the upload. It also helps format the data correctly for the upload file by automatically editing field sizes and checking for proper structure. This macro ensures that each voucher balances by date, flags missing data or values that are too long, and inserts quotations for text. Provided the system detects no problems, the macro will create the transfer ASCII file automatically.

To receive this macro, contact OGSYS support . . . or download from http://www.ogsys.com.

Also note “coming attractions”—an Excel for budget and AFE uploads.

• 210 – General Ledger
• 212 – Trial Balance
• 230 – Financial Report
• 240 – Property Sub-ledger
• 250 – Property Report
• 330 – A/P Check Register
• 340 – A/P Detail Listing
• 430 – Revenue Check Register
• 440 – Revenue Suspense
• 520 – Production Reporting
• 640 – Aged A/R Listing
• 650 – Delinquency Analysis
• 830 – Capital Check Register
• OWM – Owner Master Listing
• PUM – Purchaser Master Listing
• VNM – Vendor Master Listing

• In the Output Options find “Send to”
• Select “ XLS File”
• Specify the File Location and Name to be used for this file
• Use the default extension of XLS so that the file is recognized by Excel as a file in the proper format.

  

  You may further customize the resulting output file using selections found on the “Customize XLS File” tab.

  

  These customizing selections allow you to convert the data and remove items that can become superfluous in an XLS file. Enable any of the following options by using a checkmark:
  

  • Remove Empty Lines – generates the report without empty lines
  • Remove Total Lines – generates the report without total lines
  • Remove Report Headings – generates the report without the usual report headings.
  • Change Categories To Columns – can be used only with a Report 230 and will cause the lines of data to be preceded by columns containing the category title
  • Ignore Page Breaks – generates the report without page breaks
  • Remove Text Lines – generates the report without text lines
  
  When you generate a report as an XLS file, the system holds a copy of that file in the Output Manager. To open the file using Excel, double click the file from the Output Manager. Use “Save As” to save any report to another directory (possibly an Excel folder).
  Note: OGwin will not recognize an XLS file unless your machine has Excel software.

  To send these XLS files via email, use the “Send Mail” button in the Output Manager.
  

Look Ma, No Mouse!

Even though the mouse is an essential and useful computer tool, sometimes it is nice to enter information without using it. Several OGwin features allow you to operate “mouseless” --

Enter as tab
Use this feature to enter data in AP Invoice Entry, Manual Journal Entry, Purchaser Check Entry, AR Invoice Entry, and AR Payment Entry. Just key in the data and press “Enter.” To activate the feature—
• In the System menu, select “User Preferences”
• Click the file tab “Custom Actions”
• Go to “ Key Action/Enter Key” section (top right on your screen) and click the Recommended button
• The system will check the appropriate boxes for the ideal setting of the feature

After the initial activation, turn the feature on/off using the Standard Toolbar button

Underlined Character
OGwin menus and buttons have lots of underlines. You may use the underlined letter in conjunction with the ALT key or CLTR key to activate the function. For example, the letter “P” is underlined in the word “Process” on the action line.

To open the process menu, simultaneously press the “ALT” and “P.” Once the Process menu is open, use the “Up” and “Down” arrow keys to move around on the menu . . . or type the letter that is underlined for the application you would like to access.

When you are in an entry screen, you may see file folder tabs for the different input screens. To access another screen, hold down “CTRL” and type the letter that is underlined on the tab.

There are usually several buttons available in entry screens. A dotted line will appear around the edge of a button when your cursor is sitting on it.

To activate the button, hit “ENTER.”

Function Keys
A number of functions keys are available in OGwin—
• “F4” opens the Output Manger
• “F5” opens the Task Manager
• “F3” takes you to the next available voucher number on all the voucher entry screens
• “F2” opens the search list for a field with search capabilities

How to Create Net Distribution History

An easy-to-use OGwin option — “Net Distribution” — allows you to create net distribution history and carry it over to a report for an owner. This useful function summarizes revenue and JIB detail by product, account, and well for each owner who is flagged to receive the net distribution statement.

Run the Net Distribution History Generate function after final posting revenue but prior to netting of revenue vs. expense and revenue check printing. When you are running the netting process or printing revenue checks, the system will warn you if history has not been generated.

When performing Net Distribution History Generate, you have options for setting up the posting date—you may choose between the “activity date’ and the “statement date.” If you opt for “activity date,” the system posts history entries in the journal date month for revenue and expenses. If you choose “statement date,” the system prompts for the month to use for the statement.

If you choose “statement date,” the system will post all revenue received and JIBs processed since the last generation in the statement month. Therefore, revenue will be posted based on the deposit date, and JIBs (since they are fairly current) will be posted based on the journal date.

If you want revenue posted based on the production month, choose “activity date.” The Statement Date selection should agree with the Revenue Summary Statements and JIB invoices for the month.

The reporting function allows six report variations. Three variations are for historical reporting, while three are for current period. Reports 425-01, -02, and –03 are the historical reports. Run them before or after the check print and netting. To produce the reports after check print or netting, you would have run the history generate. The historical reports use a property format in combination with the programmed report layout. The columns in the format must call for net values.

Reports –04, -05, and –06 are the current period reports. You must run these after the final A/P, JE, and Revenue postings but prior to the Net Distribution History Generate. These reports will print information for the current period revenue and expense.

Contact OGSYS support for cost and additional information on the Net Distribution Reports.

The Doctor is IN

Q: Is it possible to turn off the system minimize feature, so I don’t have to continue to enter my password?

A: Yes. Here’s how your Supervisor can get the job done—
• From the Supervisor menu, select Station Maintenance
• Click the Options button.
• Locate the appropriate station ID
• Click the Change button
• Find a check box (right side of screen) for “Minimize and require password when idle”
• Set the minutes to “0” (zero) and
• Uncheck the box

Q: In deck maintenance, I noticed there are two codes for each interest type — W or X for working, R or E for royalty, and O or N for override. What is the difference between the two codes?

A: There is no difference. Within a deck, an owner may have only one of each interest type. In some cases, you may need to have two of a single interest type for the same owner. Therefore, OGSYS has established two acceptable codes for each type. An owner code may have two of the same type of interest using the two codes. There is no difference in the recording of the entries to the owner.

Q: What controls the default date for reports like the AP Detail?

A: The system date controls it. Prior to the 15th day of any month, the system will default to the prior month. From the 15th day to the end of a current month, it will default to the current month. For example, suppose the system date is “7/10/06.” The default report date would be “6/30/06.” Suppose the system date is “7/15/06.” The default report date would be “7/31/06.”

One of the settings is the station ID used to process the report. OGwin provides an option to prevent your future reports from going to “Pending”—even in cases of a change in the station ID.

Here’s what to do:

• In Output Options, click the Task Schedule tab
• Change the station ID to run on your new station ID under “Run on Station”
• Go back to the Output Options tab and click the “Save these settings as the default settings for this report and user”

This procedure will re-record the new settings for each of your reports. Repeat the procedure once for each report that goes to pending.

To run the “currently pending” reports:
• Press the Task Manager (F5 key) and click on “Schedule”
• Change the “Run on Station” ID to your new station ID
• When you click “OK,” the report will process
• Delete any duplicate reports still pending in Task Manager

Between Major Changes . . . Downloadable Updates

Periodically, we send you CDs with major changes to OGwin . . . to update your release version. Meantime, we continuously update our software and post downloadable, interim changes on our website as service packs. A service pack quickly updates programs, so it just takes a few seconds to download and apply to your database. It’s a good idea to check our website, http://www.ogsys.com, for interim updates. Find the service packs in the “Support” section of the website.

Positive Pay vs. Check Fraud

Check fraud is becoming a bigger problem each year. To help prevent check fraud, many banks today provide a positive pay solution for their customers. To expedite the feature, OGSYS now offers an optional Excel Macro that translates your check register to a bank-required format. For more information or to purchase this custom feature, contact support@ogsys.com.

New Procedures for Voucher Tagging

Over the past several months, in response to client issues, OGSYS has initiated several significant changes to the voucher tagging in the OGwin posting routines.

Here’s the new procedure—
• Posting routines default to post all vouchers in the module you are working
• If you go into the voucher selection line, the default changes to Tagged Vouchers for the User ID you used to sign-on to OGwin
• When you retrieve the vouchers, only the nonposted vouchers that user entered will appear
• To view all nonposted vouchers (regardless of user), enter a nonvalid User ID in the User ID to Process field
• When you retrieve the vouchers, OGwin will display all nonposted vouchers for that module (regardless of the User ID)
• You may tag and untag the vouchers you wish

Navigate the Latest SOX Enhancements and Master File Controls

OGSYS has been making changes to comply with SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) requirements and to allow for more control over master file changes.

For many years, OGwin has included the Event Log in the Supervisor menu. It monitors entry into the database and marks the date and time a user enters an application. The system also allows you to designate certain applications to monitor in the Event Log Maintenance by check marking the application. At any time, you may view or print the log in the Event Log Maintenance.

Change List reports have always been available in many of the master file “Run Reports.” These Change List reports identify the number of changes made to a master file record since the change count was zeroed.

OGSYS also has created new OGwin options for password requirements.
Option 193 sets up a 30- or 60-day expiration for user passwords. The user must change their password when alerted by OGwin. The system no longer allows the OGwin supervisor to view user passwords.

Option 195 raises the minimum required password characters from four to eight. The required password remains alphanumeric.

Option 49 allows the OGwin Supervisor exclusive responsibility to zero the change count in the master file Run Report feature.

Here’s how to use this feature to monitor changes in the Master File (when a supervisor is logged in):

1. As a starting point, print the full list from all Master File-Run Report screens.
2. Check the box next to “OK to zero the change-count also?” This will print the Master Files as currently saved and mark the change count as zero for each master file.
3. Create a log of Master File changes. Use the log to maintain copies of approved master file changes, indicating what specific change was made, the user who made the change in OGwin (with the date and time), and any approvals required by your company.
4. In Supervisor-Event Log Maintenance, use a green check mark to designate each master file menu item that you want to monitor. This will make a log entry in the Event Log every time a user makes a change in the master file – it logs only the user ID, date, and time. It does NOT log exactly what was changed.
5. Weekly, supervisors should print a Changes List from master file maintenance and check the box next to “OK to zero the change-count also?”
6. Compare the Changes List to the log of Master File changes. If a master file record is listed as changed (but no record is found in the log), print the Event Log and determine what user(s) accessed that master maintenance menu item without an entry in the log.

In order to meet requirements, OGwin version 2.0 (now in beta testing) will make available additional changes. The new version will track changes to any data item or record that has a bearing on disbursements (checks). Examples include items such as vendor or owner name and address, bank information, and decks. “Tracking” involves noting when such things change, asking the user for a brief note or reason for the change, and creating a change history record in a new file (HC) tagged with the user ID, workstation, date and time.

You may request the change note for bank maintenance, vendor maintenance, owner maintenance, wire-transfer maintenance, deck maintenance (expense, revenue, and deck entity), and Lease Maintenance financial controls. Other changes – such as mass code changes that may affect decks – also will have a change history entry. When decks are involved, OGwin will try to protect against unauthorized changes, and substantially enhance the way deck changes are integrated into normal processing and posting.

In version 2.0, OGwin will provide a Disbursement Change History report. This report will have various filters, a time period entry, and will allow you to fully audit changes to any of the data items that are being tracked. It also will provide a separate section for owners, vendors, decks, etc. In addition, the upgrade will include a continuity section to prove that the change history itself has not been altered.

Email Maintenance

Be sure to populate the tabs for “Payable Check” (PCK) print and “Revenue Check” (RCK) print with the return email address, email subject line, and email body.

Bank Maintenance

Create a Bank Maintenance record for the processing company’s bank and each bank receiving ACH payments.

EFT Account Maintenance

EFT Account Maintenance will link the processing company’s cash account to the Bank Maintenance and other bank information.

EFT Vendor Maintenance

EFT Vendor Maintenance identifies the method of payment for each vendor and links the vendor to a bank.

Key Fields :

Payment Mode

This field determines whether the vendor will receive a check, wire transfer, draft, or ACH.

A/P Check Email

Enter the email address where the vendor will receive confirmation of the ACH.

Option

When using the payment mode of ACH, you must select one of the email options.

Generate ACH Pre Note?

This will flag OGwin to generate a pre-note to be sent to the vendor’s bank for testing purposes. You must run the ACH Pre-Note Generation program.

ACH Pre-Note Generation

Use ACH Pre-Note Generation to create a test file to be sent to the receiving bank. This will determine whether the bank coding was entered correctly.

AP Check Print

To generate the ACH payments, you must go to AP Check Print. The payment method line on the setup screen displays options to allow payments by checks, wire transfer, bank draft, or ACH.

Identify the ACH file and designate a place to store it.

Once the ACH file is created, the processing company must transmit the file to the bank according to the bank transmittal requirements.

To purchase and activate the feature or for more information, click .

Upgraded Search Tool for Vendor Invoice Information

The AP Check Status Inquire/Edit, found on the AP Checks menu has always been a great tool to look up vendor invoice information. We now have improved on the lookup. With the upgrade, you may search for an invoice, by invoice number, invoice date, due date, discount date, or invoice amount.

Top Two Questions for a Quarter

Q: Where can I turn the OGwin toolbars on and off?

A: The View menu will lead you to a list of OGwin toolbars. Click any item, and the toolbar will turn on or off. An active toolbar has a check mark beside it.

Q: I see buttons—“Next” and “Previous”—in some maintenance items. What are they for?

A: Pressing the “Next” button directs the system to advance to the next record in code number order; while the “Previous” button directs the system to display the previous record. If you change the record, the system gives you an opportunity to save before advancing. These two buttons are found in Vendor Maintenance, Owner Maintenance, Well Maintenance, Chart of Account Maintenance, and report format maintenance.

Version 1.80 Changes—Purchaser Check Control Maintenance and Purchaser Check Entry

1. Version 1.80 introduces a new deduction field—“Other Deductions #2.” This new field allows users to accommodate up to six deduction fields for purchaser checks (four tax fields and two other deduction fields) in addition to operating expenses.

Tax fields allow users to exempt specific owners in the revenue deck from the “tax” and can specify names and tax computation methods (using Revenue Tax Rate Maintenance). Other Deductions #1 and #2 must apply to all participants in the revenue deck. You cannot specify a name or calculation method for other deductions.

2. Version 1.80 also provides a new “Generate 100%” option for tax fields. Previously, a “Generate” option was available only for each tax field. The difference between “Generate” and “Generate 100%” is that the “Generate” box will calculate the tax based on the rules in Revenue Tax Rate Maintenance and allocate the tax to owners using the revenue deck’s total taxable interest for that tax column. This generates a net less than 100% of the gross, if there are some exempt owners.

The “Generate 100%” flag forces the net tax amount to be equivalent to the gross tax amount. This means that—if some of the owners in the revenue deck are exempt from the tax—other owners must make up the extra tax.  NOTE: The “Generate 100%” option should be used only if the revenue deck equals 1.0 and the purchaser check mask is applicable for Interest Type = T-Total.